Do runs on the PAL version in 60Hz mode go in the Any% (60Hz NTSC) category or the Any% (50Hz PAL) category?
The URL shortener is having issues, so here is a direct link to the notes https://docs.google.com/document/d/1q8dy49WCZSmQwcri6-g-GN4IZM2eTHQYBZyefEMBcrU/edit
I made a tutorial video for the pick skip
I've been doing runs on 1.4 lately and have not experienced the crash. The changes made in that revision seem to eliminate the issue.
Here is a link to some notes and edited maps I used for the two bow route. They are a little messy as I created them for personal use, but I figured if someone was interested in running the two bow route it might save them some time learning.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1at4k7EQVGbHrCj8OlDox1sGCC1H6rKPbO8d2W0LUEx4/edit
Feel free to copy and modify this document as needed. ٩(＾◡＾)۶
These are the two versions I'm referring to;
The launch version (1.3) dated 1996-05-05
The Playstation: The Best version (1.4) dated 1996-05-24
The 1.4 version is what I've mainly been playing on, as it is on PSN. My 1.3 disc likes to crash on PS2 when it checks for a memory card before the run starts. I don't know if this is an issue with my disc, or if that was what was fixed in 1.4.
It's been discovered that the door elevator glitch can be performed on buildings with minimal space between the door and the wall on both of the JP versions of the game. Some testing has been done, and it looks like this saves the most time in Cason (40-50 seconds) and in Varde (3-5 seconds) in any%.
Here is a quick vid displaying the strat change in Cason that allows you to skip the orladin pick: Here is a vid displaying the strat in Varde that Ry came up with (The Ry Stomp): There are some other possible applications, such as getting the Silence Rod early, but I'm not really familiar enough with categories outside of any% to think of anything.
I have compiled some maps and notes intended for quick reference during a run. I primarily used MiniOmegaKing's YouTube tutorial for any% as a reference, but there are a few differences in the route.
There are two barrier plants that do not need to be destroyed to progress through Scouring Rush, so I have not marked them on the map.
When returning to the Elevator Room from the boss in Red Desert, you should fall off the bridge to the left and land near an additional amulet and healing potion. This provides you with a little more money and health cushion, while also saving time compared to walking across the bridge and descending.
Here is the link to the document: https://docs.google.com/document/d/131RAvH6otfkgl2fmNRWQP5LdLvMFejEtaLPG3J_CWy4/edit?usp=sharing
Feel free to make a copy and modify this document as needed. ٩(＾◡＾)۶
Alright, we'll remove the loadless option and replace it with an option for IGT to be checked after the kill on the last boss for the sake of caparison between platforms. Being that this would make loadless redundant, and I agree that timing out the slower menuing for removal would be nearly impossible, it is being removed. I've disabled overriding runs from other platforms, so a run from a PS1 and a PSTV from a single runner would both appear on the leaderboard.
This is a conversation that comes up in a lot of playstation speedrun leaderboards. Everyone would like to be on equal footing with the other people in their category, so when loadtimes or framerates between systems are the reality people often bring up the possibility of category splits or the addition of subcategories. The problem for doing this for Shadow Tower is two-fold.
There would be dependencies between consoles and console revisions in the FDS and standard disc speed categories. PSP, PS2, and Vita systems all load at different speeds, thus warranting each console their own subcategory. In the standard disc speed category you would not only need a subcategory for each console, but also console revision. For example, a launch PS2 fat loads games slower than a PS2 slim SCPH-9000x with the latest bios and drivers. Secondly, the leaderboard is so small right now that splitting any% RTA into two or more categories and deviating from the PS1 community norm would make the leaderboard appear to be even smaller.
In other discussions, a major argument for keeping it all on one leaderboard is that there is already a platform filter that takes care of the problem. Anyone running PS1, PS3 (PS3 actually doesn't have FDS as an option), or PS1 emulator would be using standard disc speed, and other platforms would most likely using FDS if it didn't crash the game. Using the filter would then essentially give you an accurate leaderboard for FDS or standard speeds without splitting a single category with the same core gameplay and objective into separate subcategories, therefore giving a single overall view with the option to limit out times on faster systems.
Meauxdal and I had a conversation about this and this is what we decided on for now. We will be adding an optional section for loadless times (could be replaced with IGT after more research) to give more accurate comparisons between inter-console runs. The criteria for these loadless times is the same as the RTA timing used, but just with the screens that have "Now Loading" subtracted from the overall time of the run. This would keep Shadow Tower in line with the timing conventions of most PS1 leaderboards for the primary measurement, but also give a secondary time for more sorting if people wish to use it. The mindset for making it optional is so people can submit runs as they improve without having to calculate the loadless times for every submission, and then when they get a run they are happy with, they can add it to their submission if they so choose.
