Any% route

This route assumes the game is run in DOSBox at high cycles (or in UrQuan's ScummVM), allowing zipping when the speed is set to Fastest. Numbers simply indicate the direction to go. Commands are indicated in uppercase for clarity; there is no need to actually type them in uppercase. The first command can be prepared before starting time.

Note that the run should begin with sound on, and continue to have sound on up to a specific point in Lolotte's castle when it is turned off. As discovered by Lumophile, this allows several cutscene skips that would not be possible otherwise. 

Recommended DOSBox cycles for this route: Max. Frame-perfect or time-limited inputs at Fastest speed are not required at any point, so the runner can use maximum cycles with impunity. The only potential trouble spot is the eye grab, where a very quick switch from Fastest to Fast is recommended.

Before starting the run, create a save named "f=%v152 u=%v111". This save will be used for the run, and helps us mitigate the RNG by peeking at values.

[Fastest]
986179 SEE UNDER BRIDGE 
2684929393 GET WORM [if the worm isn't there, cycle 73 once; if there's still no worm, restart and try again from the beginning]
8 OPEN DOOR
1743929 GET BOOK
2939392939 [Fast] (SAVE)
(navigate through the first half of the path to Lolotte's. Position yourself in such a way that you are heading northeast and that one of zipping in your current direction [9] or zipping in your current direction followed by zipping east [96] will take you to the next screen. The 96 zip is slightly faster, but you must be very careful using it; if you accidentally hit the 9 zip instead, the following 6 will make you plummet to your death)
[Fastest. Complete the zips described above and get captured by Lolotte's goons]
(wait through the cutscene, hold Enter to clear messages faster. Type "OPEN DOOR" while waiting in the cell, to be used as your next command later)
4848 [Fast] (navigate to door) OPEN DOOR [Fastest] 
(navigate into the dwarves' hut if not already there)
TIDY [Fastest. The "tidy" command temporarily disables top speed, so it must be selected again] 
(wait through the cutscene. Hold Enter for messages. Prepare the next command)
81 TAKE GEM
72726436749497636862 GIV[F3]
49347 [Fast] (navigate through tight spot, then head northeast [9])
[Fastest]
431792 (if no Cupid, 92; if still no Cupid, repeat 82 until Cupid appears)
6 [Fast] (navigate to Cupid's bow; head generally south]
GET BOW 
[Fastest] (while heading south)
432 [Fast] (navigate southeast to a pondside location)
SET BALL
GET FROG
GET CROWN
9491 (if no minstrel, repeat 91 until he appears)
GIVE BOOK
7 [if Pan is not here, repeat 37 until he appears)
PLAY LUTE [] GIVE F3
2718184 [the last zip does not work in UrQuan's ScummVM]
(wait for fisherman to leave. Ready your next command, "OPEN DOOR", while waiting)
6 OPEN DOOR
171 GIVE GEM
9634 [again, this zip does not work in UrQuan's ScummVM] 
BAIT POLE (save)
FISH [restore until f equals 1; Esc out of the restore window if f=1]
4 (SAVE here for shark and feather RNG)
7 (a feather should be near your position. If either there is no feather or you got eaten by a shark, restore and repeat until successful)
[Fast] (navigate to feather)
GET FEATHER
(go west, save, [Fastest]. Prepare the next command ("tickle"). Wait for the whale to swallow you, restore if you're eaten by a shark instead. Don't worry if you get a message about Davy Jones' locker)
86717 TICKLE [Fast. This speed change should be done very quickly, while the tickling animation is still under way. If you wish to play this safe, select Fast before the "tickle" command]
(wait for the whale to spit you out)
8 [Fastest]
GIVE FISH
1439 GET WHISTLE 
WHISTLE (a trick that can be used here is to press Space 3 times, then press F3 to repeat the "whistle" part of the previous command)
39384 SEE DIRT
[Fast] (navigate to dolphin)
RIDE DOLPHIN [Fastest]
[Depending on the value u=??: 
 a) if u=26, then 68 [Fast] (cycle screen going south and north until the unicorn appears, preparing SHOOT TOY)
 b) if u=27, then 68 [Fast] (go east to the next screen, preparing SHOOT TOY; cycle screen going west and east until the unicorn appears)
 c) if u=20, then 939 [Fast] (go northwest to the next screen, preparing SHOOT TOY; cycle screen going south and north until the unicorn appears)
]
SHOOT TOY (once the unicorn is located)
(navigate to the southern side of the unicorn. Sometimes this can be accomplished with zips only, sometimes temporary use of Fast is needed. Switch back to Fastest once in position)
  BI[F3] (with 2 initial spaces)
MOUN[F3]
(wait through the cutscene. Hold Enter to clear messages faster)
186 DON CROWN
8 GET BOARD
LIGHT LAMP
[SAVE]
6 [SAVE if not eaten by troll]
2 [SAVE if not eaten by troll]
6292 [SAVE if not eaten by troll. Although you are now temporarily safe as far as the troll's concerned, the chasm to the east is very tricky to cross from this side and is easy to fall into. Ready your next command, PUT DOWN BOARD, while in position]
[Fast]
(walk due east. Use F3 to repeatedly PUT DOWN BOARD while still walking east, without stopping. Once the board is successfully placed over the chasm, select Fastest again)
94949 [Fast]
(navigate due east to a good hop position. This is much easier than in the SCI version)
[Fastest]
HOP [11 times]
GET BOARD (this command looks entirely wrong, but does work here while saving keystrokes)
PLAY PIPE [press F5 followed immediately by Esc to skip Rosella playing the flute. This only works if sound was on when the cutscene started]
693929 GET FRUIT
171 
[Fast] (head due west to the other side of the board, then stop [5])
[Fastest]
GET BOARD
HOP [11 times]
412971 PUT DOWN BOARD
[SAVE]
4984 [SAVE if not eaten by the troll]
83438 GET BONE
4226 [Fast]
(navigate south to the ogres' house, then immediately return north, then immediately return south. If the male ogre is on this screen, repeat this procedure until he isn't there. Navigate to door)
OPEN DOOR
(Prepare your next command, TOSS BONE, and only then walk through the door)
TOSS BONE [Fastest]
3869367 GET AX
4814296 OPEN DOOR
8 (wait for the ogre to return home. Wait for the second message, about noises behind the door. There are two differences between AGI and SCI here: the SCI wait is longer but ends at the first message)
LOOK KEYHOLE
(wait through the cutscene. Hold Enter to clear messages faster)
OPEN DOOR
9862 GET HEN
81727 OPEN DOOR
486269262839
[Fast] (navigate to Lolotte's, following the same procedure as the previous time)
[Fastest]
(wait through cutscene; hold Enter to clear messages faster)
7141 USE AX
62 (SAVE) (switch to Fast and ready your next command, "GET EYE", if playing safe)
6 [immediately switch to Fast if you did not already do so]
(navigate to a location right between the two witches at the top. Type "GET EYE" en route if you did not already do so)
GET EYE (once in position)
(navigate south, out of the witches' cave)
(navigate east, back into the witches' cave)
(navigate to scarab) 
GET CHARM
(navigate out, head west a bit, then south. Your expected x position is roughly aligned with the ground-touching part of the skeletal mouth's left/upper half, but this isn't pixel-perfect. Being slow at this point will not actually cost you any time; you can navigate to a good, safe position at your leisure.)
2 [Fastest]
616817173818 OPEN DOOR
98174394 SEE PICTURE
FLIP LOCK
39 GET SHOVEL
296291
[Wait for a message saying "It's beginning to get dark", then clear it. At this point, exactly 3 minutes and 45 seconds of real time will pass before nightfall. Leave Rosella in position for approximately 3:40; the only productive things you can do during this time are unrelated to King's Quest IV.
Start quickly repeating 737373... a few seconds before the expected nightfall. Nightfall actually occurs on the next screen transition after 3:45, and repeating 73 ensures that a screen transition is triggered immediately on time. Once night does fall and darkness enfolds you, press F5 and Esc to skip the wait that would normally follow. If you are paranoid, repeat 73 one more time to make sure the game has registered you as having heard the wailing baby ghost; this also makes sure you are in position for the zips that follow.]
9383181717249 DIG
3619383818 OPEN DOOR
49797979394984394717 GIVE RATTLE
3939632624212131372317429 DIG (this sequence is the hardest in the game to memorize. The simplest approach is just to have it visible on a cheat-sheet as you play)
29392938 OPEN DOOR
39 [Fast] (navigate east to miser, then back west)
GIVE BAG (navigate to door, exit the mansion heading south [2])
[Fastest]
94865 DIG
174293818 OPEN DOOR
497979893838 GIVE LOCKET
24212131343817 DIG
293818 OPEN DOOR
1743 GIVE MEDAL [repeat until accepted]
96293927686718 DIG
16174293818 OPEN DOOR
497979893838939 CLIMB LADDER (note that the first 12 inputs are the same as for the locket)
9 [SAVE for Willy RNG]
GIVE TOY (if Willy does not disappear immediately, restore and repeat until he does. Although Willy will always disappear if you wait, restoring is generally faster than waiting)
OPEN IN TRUNK (note the extra "in" to allow F3 next)
LOOK F3
CLIMB LADDER (no navigation needed)
492421212784943614789 [Fast] [SAVE] 
(navigate up the stairs. The last direction should be 7, which can be used from quite some way away, but only with precise positioning. The next-to-last direction should be 8, but Fastest can only be used for the 7; following the 8 all the way to the top will misplace you for the 7. Save more times if you feel uncomfortable)
[Fastest]
6271717... (repeat 17 a few more times)
SIT
PLAY SHEET MUSIC [F5-Esc to skip Rosella playing sheet music]
GET KEY
STAND
413 [Fast] [SAVE]
(navigate to a position near the wall,, almost but not quite all the way to the east)
[Fastest]
21412367629392967686 UNLOCK DOOR
OPEN  F3 (2 or 3 spaces)
[Fast] (navigate east to rope)
[Fastest]
 TAKE ROPE (1 initial space)
SCAL[F3]
617 GET BOX
27 CLIMB ROPE
4362839 [Fast]
(navigate to Lolotte's for a final time, following the same instructions as before. Wait through the cutscene, holding Enter to clear messages faster.)
492
F2 [turns sound off]
(prepare your next command, "GET KEY". Wait for Edgar to appear. Hold Enter as he does to clear messages faster; ideally, this will also trigger GET KEY)
UNLOCK DOOR
OPEN  F3 (2 or 3 spaces)
62324 [Fast] [SAVE]
(carefully navigate through the next section by walking slightly south [2], then southwest [1]. Repeat if blocked. Switch back to Fastest while heading southwest, or once on the next screen down if not already switched)
2384383968 [SAVE]
6 (restore and try again if captured by goon)
1718 F3
GET ALL
2 [SAVE]
4 (restore and try again if captured by goon)
2676181729 [Fast] (navigate north a bit)
9 [Fastest]
87 [Fast] [SAVE]
(navigate west to where the candle is or a bit beyond, then turn south)
[Fastest]
989698989 (the optimal directions here are somewhat sensitive to the exact point at which you turned south, but some combination of 89 and 69 will always get you to the top fairly quickly)
UNLOCK DOOR
GOLD
OPEN DOOR
7 SHOOT HAG [hold Enter to clear messages]
94 GET AMULET
62612121963 [Fast] [SAVE]
(carefully walk just a bit south [2], then turn southeast [3]. The ideal move here is essentially pixel-perfect; too far north and Rosella gets stuck on the way down; too far south and Rosella plummets down)
(3) [Fastest] [Fast] [SAVE]
(navigate southwest and south a bit here. The stairs here are very deceptive; heading straight southwest will almost always result in Rosella falling off, even in situations where it might appear safe. The goal here isn't even to avoid this fall, but to fall from a sufficiently low height that Rosella doesn't die)
(1) [Fastest] (fall without dying. Restore and try again from further south if you did die)
4817192 [Fast] [SAVE]
(navigate back to the main map and almost all the way to the end of the path leading to Lolotte's. Press 1 and switch back to Fastest; here as well, the goal is to fall off the cliff for positioning but not die; and again, death can easily result if 1 is pressed too early)
4171 [SAVE]
4 (restore and repeat until you aren't killed by the shark)
[Fast] (navigate to the opening in the southeast, head south into the next screen)
[Fastest] 
48393939... (repeat 39 until you reach the door)
OPEN DOOR
4787878426678 GIVE AMULET

SantaClaus

King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella (AGI)

MS-DOS

DOSBox 0.74

DOSBox ECE

Native

10,000

4,500

3,000

Any%

100%

Emulator

Cycles

Route

Apple II

Apple IIGS

King's Quest

Vyseoflegends9002

ChuckGrody