no box sounds fun. how different the routing changes per character/% will be the decider I think though. like, if it just adds door touching tedium to ditch keys, maybe not interesting enough to be worth the extension. but if it flips routing order around, or puts new items in play, it may have legs. will need to see some runs to verify, I think. I could try it out in a couple of weeks if no one beats me to it.

I'd like to add this to the Resources page alongside your SRT. I'm not caught up on the whole chinese text patch situation though; are there still regions where the patch isn't yet available? I'm okay with keeping double links around for the time being to support both versions of this and the SRT if necessary.

The new auto-splitter script is now available on the Resources page. I don't think this was ever officially posted anywhere. I've also added some details for setting it up on the Guides page.

I def recommend upgrading if you're still using an older script.

Figured I'd drop in here to mention that Windows Defender was silently deleting the new exe from my computer after unzipping it. Had to add the unzip directory to an exception list to prevent it. Just in case anyone else runs into the same.

So I finally sat down and tried this out with a metronome. I don't know if it's because I've already practiced this way too much without a click, or if it's indicative of the timing not totally syncing up with a steady beat, but I could not do it.

I went back and forth between 147 and 150 BPM with varying degrees of success. I turned sound and rumble off. Sometimes it would feel spot on, and other times it felt nowhere close.

So, if you've already gotten decent at quick firing without a metronome, your mileage with one may vary. If you're new, it might still be helpful, even if only as a starting reference point.

Sidebar: I highly recommend using Cheat Engine to freeze the ammo count on the pistol while practicing (if you're on PC). Oh my gosh it's so much nicer than constantly reloading a save. If anyone hasn't used it before let me know and I'll be happy to post steps.

Arranged controls are the boss of this speedrun. You want to use it, because it can save time in addition to avoiding zombies. But it will screw you if you're not careful. The key is to use it exactly when you need it and nowhere else.

If you're starting out running the game, you're probably going to want to stick to dpad/tank controls in almost every situation except for avoiding zombies. Otherwise, every time you cross a camera transition and need to turn you're going to be spinning around or running the wrong direction for a second as you described, which loses time and is just generally really frustrating.

As BashyCake said, when you hit a camera transition with control stick, simply continuing to hold the control stick in the same direction, even if it's different than the direction you're now moving, will keep you moving in that direction. It's when you change your control stick direction after a camera transition that the game seemingly spazzes out. This creates some situations where using control stick can be optimal provided you don't need to turn after a camera change. But these situations are just something you'll pick up on as you run; I wouldn't encourage focusing on it while you're still learning the run.

Eventually you'll become comfortable enough with switching between dpad and stick that you'll be doing it all over the place.

Huh. I never thought about using a metronome for this. Gonna have to try it out.

Can confirm is good. Worth the upgrade.

No burden. Ask questions! We're here to help all the newcomers.

Personally, I'd recommend sticking to tank controls as much as possible starting out, only switching to analog to bait/dodge zombies. It's often the easiest and sometimes only way to consistently get around zombies in the game. But for most other movement it's awful. I wouldn't worry about trying to optimize by peppering in more analog movement until later on. It's not worth it. I made the mistake of using analog too much when I started running.

Seems like there is some time save opportunity here. Not a ton, but I think it's there. I've been consistently getting 34 seconds from room spawn to key with good RNG, and 36 seconds with bad. For baseline, I clocked Pessimism's leaderboard Jill Any% PC doors and doorskip times at roughly 35 and 37 seconds respectively (neither had best RNG though).

So yeah, not a lot of time save, but maybe some. Possibly 2-3 seconds with actual good movement since my skating is hot garbage.

The main drawbacks of this strat are that it takes slightly longer to get into position, possibly losing time vs the long stairs if P42 opens sooner (better movement may negate this), and that the grenade launcher must be aimed up. The advantages are no vine whips and less skating.

Was playing around with this a lot tonight. Found a slightly different movement pattern for it that appears to avoid acid 100% of the time and it's extremely forgiving.