Hot Takes?

I don't think there's that much room for strategy innovation left in 1 player (too ignorant to say about bonuses)

I have started a video tutorial playlist for Polaris Snocross focused on the N64 version but applicable to PS as well

Let me know if you have questions or ideas for more videos to make https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlAkSmzMhm7rhRhQp5n4SVizffiPprB3p

I've just been timing from the frame the wipe transition starts without adding time for the button press; assume that's what others were doing

I found a 61

Based on the definitions agreed to there are no skips in 1 lap even possible I think; none that surpass 50% anyways

I believe going off course is faster in Toyko towards the finish

While making these changes

There's a skip version of Japanese Challenge Round and Japanese Challenge Round is longer(3 laps to every track) and no possible skips on NTSC-U challenge round

So technically there's these 3 challenge categories AFAIK under the current rulings(however you want to word them): Challenge Round Challenge Round JP Challenge Round JP Skips

I tested this on all the tracks and pancakes is correct this is exclusive to Las Vegas

I've seen and done wipeouts almost exactly like this but didn't know a warp forwards was possible

Every time I have tested it there was a time loss; interesting find I'll test this a bit

AFAIK the only places this could possibly save time are before the big jump on Canyon Chasm and the Gravel Pit shortcut

There aren't ideal ramps for it in front of them but if you could reproduce this anywhere those might save time everywhere else probably just a time loss

My perception was that the forced vertical rotation forwards from the previous jump combined with stick position was of more importance than the collision itself.

Similar to how hitting a corner with the right angle and stick position can result in a collision that pushes you away from the wall and speeds you up instead of crashing.

This probably isn't appropriate here but searching for other runners we missed brought me to this hilarious video(unironically a banger)

Edit: Here's another unreported runner

Edit 2:

Channel Name(rough translation): Excitebike 64 Challenge to the Past Kyoto 1:01.60/20.01 Mountain Quarry 1:59.21/58.13(Double WR) Houston 1:52.08 Lefty's Mill 1:38.50 Orlando 1:22.83 Nashville 1:34.53(WR) Canyon Chasm 2:12.45(WR) Long Island 1:50.90(Big WR) Congo Course 1:50.51(Big WR) Las Vegas 1:35.88(WR) Phoenix 2:06.63 Rainforest Run 2:33.01(WR) Madrid 2:36.36 The Gravel Pit 2:31.80(WR) Detroit 2:09.68(WR) Goldmine Rush 2:13.65 Los Angeles 2:56.28 Construction Yard 2:28.06(WR) Seattle 2:56.20(WR) Blizzard Blitz 1:56.31(Big WR)

Rough Compilation of their run times taken from titles; pretty sure there are laps uploaded but just did this to give some idea

Different Route on Blizzard is Faster than our Strategies, slightly different Detroit strategy is faster

Very, Very Good at extended wheelies; clean refined lines and smooth adjustments

I think there's a real potential for runs that utilize multiple smaller skips in a way that cuts off around or near 50% skipped but I can't prove it. I'm honestly hopeful that further pushes to the skips meta make it clearer what should and should not be considered a skip.

I'll try to stop calling detroit/houston techniques a skip and change titles of videos etc. as appropriate; they follows the same exploits and techniques as the big skips so I will probably always think of them as skips.

Thanks to everyone for a good discussion so far

I think it's worth generally avoiding the use of new category distinctions to keep up playing with each other and competing directly; this isn't a large community.

I think ultimately some of the skips need to be separated but I do want to stress that these skips ARE NOT shortcuts to improvement or false recognition; All of them utilize exploits of the base mechanics and learning the skips makes you a better player in non-skips runs. Beating any of my shortcut runs would require you to be good enough at the core gameplay to match my lines.

Most of the designed shortcuts in the game like on Gravel Pit, Mountain Quarry, Construction Yard ect. are more specifically difficult than the longest routes; playing specifically to avoid using shortcuts is functionally a way to avoid difficulty in this game not a challenge to endurance or consistency. I would advise against this if you want to improve consistency and endurance; ultimately these are skills best built in time trials testing; refining routes through repetition, taking risks, and experimentation.

Made this

First example uses the off course area to skip part of the course without landing off the course at all

Second uses the Reset mechanic to skip driving on part of the track; this is one of the mistakes you can make on this course and it works exactly like the end of my houston laps

I think everyone agrees the first video is a skip; the other 2 are things we are looking at potentially calling a skip but in contexts where they actually lose time over current records without skips.

There's nothing about this that's glitchy it's just exploiting the reset mechanics

The landing is only necessary to cancel the reset, Resetting still saves time if done correctly(landing slightly to the right will have you land on the slope before the finish which is likely slower than just driving normally). There is a potential with enough momentum/the right angle that you just land on the finish line essentially bypassing ever landing off the track and still skipping the corner. I suspect the technique I use on the first lap is the best use of momentum.

It's not a glitch but does exploit the Reset mechanic whether you are talking about my lap 1 or 2. If I avoided using these exploits I think I can still skip the corner by landing on the finish line from the off the course it's just slower and harder. Not sure there's any way to truly ban this shortcut just ways to make it arbitrarily limited to avoid using the Reset mechanic.

The skip is hard to optimize; my run doesn't even do it twice properly I just mean in comparison to the more difficult skips not that I have an easy time pulling it off

Point taken though

Ultimately if it is legal i get another couple WRs not gonna complain

For Detroit I don't really want to see a future where everyone who wants to set a top time has to optimize the "skip" I found. It's only possible with the skills I built from other skips using the Bounce; learning this trick is essentially outside of the basic skills used traditionally.

If someone wanted to learn this trick I might suggest they practice the Toyko or Long Island skips it wouldn't have even been possible without understanding gained from them.

I don't know what's right but forcing someone like Pancakes to learn this after he stated he doesn't want to spend much time on skips just to get the record back seems wrong. He shouldn't have to exploit the game just to get the record back; it's impossible or close to impossible to set a 1'08 without it I expect. I wanna see faster times on this course and I fear making this skip legal basically destroys competition on it for the foreseeable future. It's not a hard skip for me but it would be if I wanted to avoid learning the larger skips I imagine; if this and houston were the only times I used those skills.

It's not as simple as just hitting the side of the finish line at the right angle. Landing -> bounce -> hold precise downleft and the perfect positioning and momentum pushes you into the next lap. If you don't land and bounce properly you get the reset onto the course skipping part of the course using the Reset(like my lap 2)

If you hold a strong position on either side I would challenge you to spend 20 minutes trying to get the skip to work; should be pretty easy to try in a way that will give you insight as to what this actually is.

I am currently exploring several skips/shortcuts which shave off part of a lap

It is possible to land next to an area of track and advance to that area from previously in the track; These wouldn't be "major skips" in any sense but I have had it work at several places; will experiment more

Most of the time it's faster to just stay on the course and connect your lines with momentum

A run where I try and exploit this as much as possible might look cool but when I calculate it out it's usually a little slower so I haven't been that keen on it

There is a checkpoint system that's pretty easy to show; just go to the left on the first big jump of nashville and you will see you haven't loaded the checkpoint or flag needed to advance the course; still working out how this actually functions/how much can be skipped. The lap skips are legitimately glitches that bypass these flags.

There is a legitimate possibility that in the course of a Rounds speedrun that players accidentally get flung offcourse and from instinct aim toward further in the track to then be reset farther along it. I don't think it's a legitimate skip; wouldn't be surprised if some of the current runs accidentally utilize this just trying to save a run that was otherwise dead