any% guide

This is not my guide, it comes from the steam community...




Speedrunning and Pony Island
Pony Island

Pony Island is very speedrun-able. The game requires a lot of quick thinking and quick manuvers to obtain a quick time. The game can prove to be challenging when dodging enemy projectiles and when completing a complicated puzzle. There is also three different categories that could be created for this game: any%, all-tickets%, and any% (No Major Skips). Both require different strategies to obtain the best time.

Difficulty, knowledge, and time

Difficulty
Pony Island can be very difficult at times. Pony Island is very skill-based because it requires great accuracy and speed to speedrun efficently. Choosing the option to save time will likely require you to take on a harder challenge. Also, completing puzzles in an short amount of time requires very quick manuvers.

Knowledge
Pony Island requires a lot of knowledge in order to complete. The game has over 20 puzzles, which all have unique solutions. You will be required to memorize how to beat every single puzzle in a timely fashion.

Time
Pony Island does not require a lot of time to run. You may spend around 1 hour and 30 minutes completing a speedrun if you are learning. Faster speedrunners will likely take only 1 hour and 10 minutes or below in order to complete the game. All-tickets% will require more time, simply because you are required to hunt down all the tickets in the game.


Recommended tools for Speedrunning
You could speedrun Pony Island with just a stopwatch or a web-based timer, but some tools will make your life easier and more organized, and make Pony Island more enjoyable to speedrun.

Here is the list of programs I recommend you aquire:

Open Broadcaster Software - Open Broadcaster Software is free and open source software for recording and live streaming. Doubles as a recording software. Usually, in order to submit very fast times or world-record breaking times to databases, you will be required to have a video of your run for verification.

LiveSplit - A sleek highly customizable timer for speedrunners. Supports SRL racing and split comparisons. Tracks how far ahead or behind you are of set checkpoints. Will be required for having an accurate time of your speerun.

These tools are free to download and use. I recommend using these tools for more professional and organized speedrunning, especially if you're recording or streaming. A list of tools can be found at this link:
http://www.speedrunslive.com/tools/
	•	Alternative resources: http://www.speedrun.com/resources

Also, if you're new to speedrunning, I recommend learning some terms used commonly by speedrunners. Here is a link to a list:
http://www.speedrunslive.com/faq/glossary/


**Before beginning any speedruns**
In order to have a legitimate run, you will need to start completely fresh. No save files, no anything. You must also set your graphics settings to medium or high.
	•	To clear your saves, select "Options" in the main menu. Select "Clear Save Data" and then select "Yes".
Why must I do this?
	•	Pony Island stores certain information while you play it. This information can alter another playthrough of it. Characters will recognize you, and will say different things and such, which can result in more or less text to skip. This will give speedrunners who have already completed the game once an unfair disadvantage, so it's required that you start fresh.
	•	Setting your graphics settings to low uncaps the frame rate, which makes some stages faster than others. This gives people with a higher frame rate an advantage, so it's required that you have your graphics settings on medium or high.


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Any% | Act 1
￼

This category involves using a secret that will skip the majority of Act 2

START YOUR TIMER AS SOON AS YOU SELECT "Start game"

In addition to following the guide below, you should try to move as quickly as you can.

The Beginning
	•	Click 'Options & Help' as soon as it appears.
	•	Select 'Fix Start Menu' and quickly but the 'Back' option back into its place.
	•	Quickly complete the puzzle. (Put the green arrow into the square)
	•	Select 'Start game'.

Welcome to Pony Island
	•	Have your mouse inside the loading bar. Place it a little to the right of the center. Click the portal as soon as it appears.
	•	Quickly complete the puzzle (replace the red repeat command with the green arrow command).
First Stages
	•	Don't die on the stages. Pretty self-explanitory.
	•	Have your cursor on the center of the screen. Click "continue" as soon as it comes up. Ignore the portal giving the ticket.
	•	Click the portal in the bottom right of the screen.
Complete the puzzle:
1. Replace the down arrow with the right arrow.
2. Replace the repeat command with the down arrow.

The Desktop
	•	Close the two windows that pop up.
	•	Click the "Messager" icon on the desktop.
	•	Click the chat window and press enter.
	•	When the Hopeless Soul asks for your name, type in a name. The quickest would be a single letter.
	•	When the Hopeless Soul asks for your name, position your cursor on the bottom left of the screen and open the message tab.
	•	Press enter a few times on Satan's window, then return to the Hopeless Soul's window and press enter repeatedly.
	•	Once the Hopeless Soul asks if you understand him, go to Satan's window and spam the enter key.

Unfair gameplay
	•	Run into the first obsticle to die quicker.
	•	Select 'Back' as soon as you die.
	•	Click "Advanced RNG" and "Obscure options" and place "Advanced" and "options" into the faded text in the middle of the screen.
	•	Click the new option you created.

Pony Lasers
	•	Click "Advanced Gameplay"
	•	Click "Prototype options" in between the lines of code.
	•	Click "Really usless options" at the top.
	•	Click "There are better options than this" at the top.
	•	Click "Pony Salvation options"
	•	Wait for Satan's dialog to end then head towards the portal.
	•	Your cursor should point in the direction you need to go.
Complete the puzzle:
1. Replace the repeat commands with the down arrow until it gets to the last square.
------>Remember, you must have all the boxes filled in for the key to proceed.
	•	Click the portal that appears next.
Complete the puzzle:
1. Replace the down arrow at the beginning with the right arrow.
2. Replace the repeat command with the down arrow.
3. Once the key passes the down arrow, swap the down arrow with the repeat command.
	•	Click on the last portal.
Complete the puzzle:
1. Replace the repeat command at the beginning with the left arrow.
2. Replace the next repeat command with the right arrow found at the top right.
3. After the key passes the right arrow, replace the next repeat command with the right arrow.
4. Replace the final repeat command with the left arrow.
	•	Enable the pony lasers.
	•	Right click and destroy everything on the screen.

Cheating the Cheater
	•	Click "Start game".
	•	Complete the stages. Avoid dying to save time. 
	•	Remember to destroy all the enemies with your new lasers. 
	•	Click "Continue" as soon as it appears. 
	•	Have your cursor on the center of the screen. Click the portal as soon as it appears.

The First Boss
	•	Click the icon on the screen as soon as possible.
	•	You skip all 4 Azazel puzzles by clicking on the 'DELETE_CORE_FILE' while it is still inside the cage. It may look like your cursor can't enter the cage, but your actual mouse cursor is invisible and can move into it and double-click it.
	•	After clicking on the file, you will also need to click on 'YES' while still invisible. Practice is highly recommended for this part.


Any% | Act 2
This is where the secret comes into play.
	•	Once you arrive at the profiles, click the Hopeless Soul's login.
	•	Enter '2734' as the password.
	•	Click the icon named "Portal_Gen_Util"
	•	Use it anywhere outside the icons and use the portal created by it.
	•	You just skipped all of Adventure Mode!

The Second Boss
	•	Shoot the mouth as soon as the boss appears. Keep shooting until it falls off.
	•	Shoot any projectiles thrown (barfed?) at you.
	•	After his mouth falls off, shoot his eye. After his eye is destroyed, shoot his forehead.
	•	Click the file as soon as it appears.
	•	Wait for the Hopeless Soul to shoot lasers at Satan, then click the file again.


Any% | Act 3
The New Pony Island

Click "Start game" as soon as it appears.
Play the game. Blow away the butterflies. 
- You won't be able to use your wings until the third stage.

B U T T E R F L Y Puzzles
	•	First one:
1. Place the right arrow sign at the beginning. 
2. Once the butterfly goes to the middle row, place the right arrow sign in the middle row, and put the down arrow in the right row.
	•	Second:
1. Swap the left arrow sign with the bottom portal sign on the right row.
	•	Third:
	•	This puzzle requires you to trigger an event to get the new sign.
1. Let the butterfly get to the sign in the middle row.
2. Replace the down arrow sign while the butterfly is on it with the right arrow sign. (This will trigger the event).
3. Replace the down arrow sign with the right arrow sign. Put the new splitting sign in the middle row.
	•	Fourth:
1. Put the splitting sign at the beginning.
2. Once the butterflies split and the blue one is in the middle row, place the spitting sign in the middle row.
	•	Fifth:
1. Place the splitting sign at the beginning.
2. Place the splitting sign in the middle once the butterflies have split. Put the down arrow sign in the hole in the middle of the left row.
3. Place the left arrow sign below the yellow button.

B U T T E R F L I E S ?
	•	Don't shoot the glitched butterflies when they appear.
	•	Ignore the temptations of Premium Mode and continue.

Jesus
	•	Jesus is extremely threatening. Shooting him will make you lose time, and dying to him will make you lose time.
	•	At first it he isn't that threatening. But when the butterflies start appearing, you're at a lot of risk.
	•	Jesus' corrupt butterflies may get in the way of your wind, which makes you start over.
	•	If you are not confident in your dodging abilities, kill Jesus. Otherwise, save some time by not killing him.

Puzzle Break?
	•	First puzzle:
1. Place the splitting sign at the beginning and place a portal below it.
	•	Second puzzle:
1. Place the down arrow sign below the splitting sign.
2. Once the blue and pink butterfly reaches the portal sign in the middle row, pick up and replace the portal sign under them
3. Once both butterflies reach the left row, replace the sign under them with the splitting sign. Put the first portal sign above the splitting sign, and put the other portal sign in the middle row.

Louey's death
	•	Kill Louey as soon as the corrupted butterflies dissapeir.
	•	Click the portal in the center of the butterflies.
Complete the puzzle:
1. Place the two splitting commands in the top of the left and middle rows.
2. Put the left arrow in the right row.
3. Once a key gets to the right row, place a splitting command at the bottom of the left row.

Back to the Desktop
	•	Click the messager icon.
	•	Hit enter a bunch.
	•	Click the "Recycling Bin" as soon as it appears.
	•	Launch and complete the three programs (PI_Text_Based, Pony_Island_3D, Devil_Island). It doesn't matter what order you complete them in.

For the text based adventure:
	•	Type 'yes' when asked to continue.
	•	Type 'options' after getting to the main menu.
	•	Type 'fix start menu' when the options appear.
	•	Type 'back' after the message comes up.
	•	You will need to type these commands in this order. Type them in when told to do so
	◦	Jump, jump, shoot, do nothing, jump, jump
The other two are pretty self-explanitory.

The Final boss

	•	Click the file when it appears.
	•	Enter in these phrases for each question:
	◦	"asmodeus"
	◦	"A"
	◦	"Infernal"
	◦	"Pony"
	◦	"Rememberthis"
	◦	"777"
	◦	On the part where Asmodeus pretends to crash the game, you normally have to wait about 20 seconds. BUT as soon as he asks for your input, you can click out of the game, and click back in. You can enter "2023" while he's saying "You lose" and the game won't pause. It will play his attack animation, but then go straight to him accepting your answer. 
	•	Delete the final core.

Success
	•	Select 'restart in recovery mode'
	•	Initiate the file dump after the cutscene.

The End
	•	Simply fire infront of yourself. It doesn't matter if you lose souls.
	•	When the enemy appears, shoot it's projectles. Otherwise, ignore it.
	•	Shooting Satan or Louey does nothing. Just avoid their projectiles.

Stop your timer when the screen goes completely white.

Autoscroller Optimization (AKA what this run's meta has come to)

The Glitch Effect happens in a few instances in the game, the main one being hitting an enemy with the laser. It will freeze everything(except the dump timer) for 4 frames or 0.066... seconds. Minimizing glitches can slightly speed up your time.

RNGsus

Now that we know exactly how long the game pauses for when a hit occurs, we can show that not killing Jesus is not that good of a timesave. Since it takes 19 hits to kill Jesus, you only gain 19 * 4 / 60 = 1.266... seconds from it, helpful for super-optimal play. Since you can sometimes lose your run due to impossible enemy patterns, it's still not worth it most of the time but go for it if you want.

Act 1 Post-Laser Enemies

A significantly more easy to perform optimization is once getting the Laser in Act 1 is to wait until as long as possible to finish off each wave of enemies, since the next wave only arrives when the previous one is completely killed, meaning less enemies to kill per level, meaning less Glitch Effect slowdown. Comparing my 35:18 run to Laurie's 35:04 run, I only get 21 waves of enemies where he gets 31. Or, in actual enemy count,(this is not an exact timesave since his RNG for the amount of enemies was significantly worse) I get 127 where he had to kill 208, a difference of 81 enemies or 5.4 seconds. 
	How long to wait before the enemies attack you? I counted it to be exactly 180 frames or 3 seconds, the Glitch Effect will delay that by 4 frames as usual. Try to delay killing each wave as close as possible to 3 seconds without dying, since that can speed up things a lot. (This can also save even more time in the Any% No Major Skips and All Tickets% categories as well since Adventure Mode is full of this).

Wings (barely useful)

Activating wings will cause a glitch effect which if done unnecessarily can cost you a couple frames. In the Any% run this only happens in Louey's section once the game begins to break and Devil Island. Not really that helpful, but I thought I might as well make a note of it.

Dump

There is nothing you can do to speed up or slow down the system dump. I've tested everything, and none of it will change it, once you've hit dump start your time is already set.

Name	Author
any% guide	yanounai 7 years ago
Autoscroller Optimization (AKA what this run's meta has come to)	Deck 7 years ago
Video Guide	LaurieDBunnykins 6 years ago