Starflight 100% - First Route

This links to a Google Doc that details the 100% route I've come up with.  Any ideas for optimization are welcome!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sYLrQtiRRqdZ0YoWPjnaoYa5JZbl5iJef0uKphwHqZ4/edit?usp=sharing

Starflight 4-Minute Speedrun Guide

Starflight 4-minute Speedrun Walkthrough (Splits and Strategy from 240 Run Attempts)

You will want to start instantly off a fresh reset.  This ensures the station will be in the “South” position of its orbit when you leave the Starbase.


1. Leave Starbase  
-Timer starts when pressing “B” to enter the captains name.  
-Enter Personnel Bay, name a crewman “A”, make them an Android, and Assign them to every Station.  Exit.
-Walk to the Construction Bay.  Buy 1 additional Cargo Pods (2 Total) and name the Ship “A”.  Exit.
-Walk to the Trading Bay.  Buy 49.5 Endrium.  Exit.  Exit the station. 
-Timer Stops when the Launch Bay Doors completely open.
-Personal Best Split:  20.13

This is simply a menu input challenge.  The inputs are always the same.  It's really all about execution and accuracy.  On my best run, I managed to this botch some, coming out at 22.33.  It won't kill a run to have a crewman or ship named “AA”, but some errors in this section will kill a run, like canceling the name on your ship or assigning “A” to stations.

A recent route improvement now has the crewman being an Android.  It is a significantly better choice for a single button press, defaulting with 150 Navigation.  You can save a button press by making the crewman a Human, but I've seen a noticable value in taking the Android.

You can also get away with a single cargo pod purchase, allowing for another half-tick of fuel for the run.  It also saved a single button press, if those frames ever matter.


2. Get Black Egg
-You want to fling yourself south from the Starport and get to full speed before rotating to NNE.  
-Once in open space, fly straight into the “wormhole” and then NW to System 142x116.  It is important to enter systems in a cardinal direction (North, South, East, West), as entering from the “corners” of the system map never do you any good.  You can enter this system easily facing either North or West. 
-When achieving orbit around the first planet, you will encounter your first math puzzle defender guy (Drone).  Solutions to this thing are at the bottom.  
-Land at 29Nx2E, get the Egg with your ATV, and leave the planet.
-Timer Stops on the black screen upon exiting the planet.
-Personal Best Split: 1:06.00

You will need at least "Good" RNG on where the planet spawns in System 142x116, as the orbit is quite wide.  You can lose a lot of time flying across systems, so this is where luck comes into play.

3. Get Crystal Orb
-Exit the system as quickly as possible.
-Head NNW to System 132x165.  Nothing fancy here, but try not to use any unnecessary fuel.
-Achieving orbit will again trigger a math puzzle defender guy (Drone).
-Land around 44Nx13E, get the Orb and at least one of the Endrium nodes with your ATV, and leave the planet.
-Timer stops on the black screen upon exiting the planet.
-Personal Best Split: 1:16.88

There is a timed encounter with a 3 ship squad of Veloxi in this system that can be avoided under certain conditions.  If you can trigger the Drone first, achieve orbit quickly, and get a perfect launch out of the system in any of the southern regions of its orbit, you can avoid this encounter.  If you do trigger it, try to be facing South and haul ass that way the moment the encounter starts.  Once at full speed, communicate some "kiss-ass" and terminate the communication.  This will often trigger a quick de-spawn of the encounter, but it only works if you can get a big lead on them really quickly, and the only way to do that is to start the encounter facing south.

Picking up at least one Endrium node is important here too.  You will almost certainly run out of fuel, even with a perfect route, if you don't get at least one of the nodes here.

4. Destroy Dark Planet  
-Once out of System 132x165, first head directly east to about 136 before turning ESE to System 192x152.  You can trigger an open space enounter with the Veloxi if you get to near the nebula to the south or if you drift to far to the north. 
-Enter the system and land at 48Nx48E thereabouts, get on the ATV, Drop the Egg, get back on the ship, and get the hell out of there.  
-Timer stops upon black screen exiting the planet.
-Personal Best Split:  49.00

There is no puzzle guy encounter here, so you can attempt the "Slingshot Orbit Grab" if you want.  Otherwise, just don't land on the text triggering center of the ruins.  That book will kill 10 seconds easily if you accidentally trigger it.

Sum of Best Splits:  3 minutes 32 seconds
Best Actual Run: 3 minutes 49.06 seconds



Other Tips and Stuff:
-The "Slingshot Orbit Grab":  Basically a 50/50 shot of getting a quick "Orbit Acquired" by flying at a planet at full speed, cutting thrusters, and turning 90 degrees in either direction.  In many of my videos, this technique is used to both obtain orbit and to trigger the Drone puzzle thing.
-Try to land to the south of the artifacts.  Their “hitboxes” seem off in that direction a bit, and landing south of them makes them surprisingly easy to grab.
-Math Puzzle Defender Guy (Drone): If the question is divisible by 6, the answer is Yes.  6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48, 54, 60, 66, 72, 78, 84, 90, and 96 are all yes.  Everything else is no.  Why?  Ask the Velox.
-The “drop zone” for the Black Egg on the Dark Planet is slightly more forgiving than you'd imagine.  You don't have to be totally perfect.  Or really even nearly perfect.
-Accidentally buying a third or even a fourth cargo pod or naming your crewman or ship “AA” won't kill a run. But certain sequences can cancel your inputs if you do it incorrectly, and that will kill a run. Same advice as above.  You don't have to be totally perfect.
-Try to enter Open Space in the direction you want to be going.  It is very easy to run out of fuel on this run if you get to out of shape in Open Space.

TAS Route Modifications

Video: http://tasvideos.org/2221M.html

I've found that purchasing two cargo bays instead of selling level 1 engine for level 4 engines is more reliable and requires less inputs. I also take a worm hole warp that the TAS doesn't, which seems faster and saves on fuel.

System 143, 115 | Planet 1 -- Black Egg landing site is N28 E3 for fastest drop and go
System 132, 165 | Planet 1 -- Crystal Orb site is about N46 E13, although picking up enough fuel for ~36 units is necessary; check fuel as landing
System 192, 152 | Planet 1 -- Crystal Planet landing site N47 E45-46; don't land on one of the three pyramids in a row. It will trigger a long dialogue text that's unnecessary . Drop the egg near the diamond structure. Release the A button ASAP after exiting the planet; holding it down delays the final explosion scene from loading.

General notes
-----------------

- RNG is huge in this game. From planet locations around the solar system as you enter, to encounter luck and fuel pickups, and finally orbiting luck, it's possible to get worked over by 20+ seconds on each of these.

- Droids: Respond as quickly as possible, the delay before the first question is on some kind of timer, and missing an interval can cost a second or two. Answer 'Yes' to any number evenly divisible by 6, and 'No' to everything else. After all questions are answered, the encounter will end once the game registers the droid ship is off-screen. I've found flying up after the last question is the most reliable.

- Random encounters: Initiate communications, and then terminate right away. This should avoid dialogue if done correctly, and possibly end the encounter as soon as all alien ships are off-screen. I haven't found a consistent way to avoid all encounters.

- Orbiting planets: Again, I'm not sure what determines a successful orbit, but it seems turning in circles is effective. If anyone has better information on how to do this it'd help greatly as I'm currently relying on luck.

Name	Author
Starflight 100% - First Route	SchmidttyGames 5 years ago
Starflight 4-Minute Speedrun Guide	SchmidttyGames 7 years ago
TAS Route Modifications	ZenicReverie 9 years ago