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cyghfer | 165,383 1,643

Games I'm playing currently:

 Super Mario RPG / スーパーマリオＲＰＧ | 2:57:09 JP ver, Nico timing
 Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers | 2p co-op with Blechy • learning
 Gimmick! | learning
 Trip World | practicing, attempts to come!
 Taz-Mania (Genesis) | im taz

Other runs I've worked on that I plan to improve later:

 Mega Man 2 | Difficult mode • 31:20
 Goof Troop | 2p co-op with Blechy • 15:50 in-game time [18:07 realtime] {Part 1 Part 2 Part 3}
 Joe & Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics | 20:18
 Bucky O'Hare (NES) | HARD! mode • 39:30, during AGDQ '12 bonus stream
 Zelda: A Link to the Past | Any% no Save & Quit • will improve after Krystal finishes godtas2
 Tetris Attack | Very Hard vs. mode • 8:06 [4:19 in-game time]
 Wario's Woods (SNES) | Expert/Challenge, Hard vs. mode • 36:58 (with no losses!)


Notes

Why the Japanese version of some games?
I have started playing the Japanese version of Super Mario RPG because 1. it's roughly 9 minutes faster than the US version in terms of text/cutscenes, and 2. it allows me to accurately compare my runs to the Japanese Nicovideo players. There are no actual gameplay differences between the JP and US versions of the game. Yes, this means I have to memorize various Japanese for stuff like in-battle items/Dr. Topper quiz questions/etc.

For Link to the Past, on the other hand, the Japanese 1.0 version contains some beneficial glitches: various forms of itemdashing and erasing blocks via the mirror. The JP version is, additionally, roughly 1 minute faster than the US version for any% (in terms of text).

Can you speak Japanese? How can you understand the stuff in the JP version of SMRPG?
I cannot speak any Japanese. I memorized all the relevant text that I need to be able to recognize on the fly while running the game, including certain items, the Dr. Topper questions (there are 40 of them, fyi!), and the triathlon puzzle text.

What's this new route you're using in SMRPG or whatever?
Since I last did SMRPG attempts, I have made some significant changes to the route. Most notably, I will be skipping Pandorite, the treasure chest enemy in Kero Sewers, and I will be using death abuse at Land's End only 1 time instead of 2 times. There are many minor changes that result from this, and overall the run is more difficult than in the past.

Why do you use different timing schemes for different runs?
There are several different predominant timing paradigms you'll see around the speedrunning community, including: SDA timing (start of character control to end of character control), SRL timing (game start/file select to end of character control - might differ for certain goals), and Nico timing (reset or game start/file select to end of character control/end of credits). There is also the option to use in-game timing for applicable games.

In the past I used SDA timing or in-game timing by default, and while I still recognize the merits of those timing schemes, using SRL timing is less of a headache in most cases, so that's probably how a run of mine is timed if it's not noted otherwise.

Some exceptions: I'll be using Nico timing for SMRPG (reset to THE END at the conclusion of the credits) in the future in order to compare to Japanese runners; Goof Troop strats differ when aiming for realtime or in-game time, and because Blechy and I plan to submit to SDA eventually, we optimize our strats for in-game time.

What's HARD! mode in Bucky O'Hare?
Hard mode turns every damaging object in the game into a one-hit kill. Personally, I think Bucky on Hard mode is just about the hardest NES game out there, so that's why you'll see me die a shitton in my 39 minute run (I was also not in practice at all for it, as I did that run for the AGDQ '12 bonus stream). Funny note: Konami tried to counterract piracy of this game by automatically making illegal copies set to Hard mode, so a lot of kids played the game this way when it came out without even knowing there was a normal mode.

Why run puzzle games? They seem like 90% luck to speedrun.
Though it depends on the particular game, this is kind of true. I simply like tile-matching puzzle games a lot and enjoy watching the combination of luck and skill that composes a good puzzle game run.

What's expert/challenge mode in Wario's Woods?
This mode sets the initial field so that every opponent has significantly fewer rows of monsters than you do. Toward the end of the game, this becomes an extreme disadvantage, as the player starts near the ceiling and opponents start near the floor. Completing this mode without a single loss is incredibly difficult and I haven't heard of anyone other than me achieving this.

Why didn't I submit the run to SDA then? I mistakenly did that run (and my normal mode run) on Hard difficulty, which essentially means I didn't face every opponent in the game. I plan to redo both runs in the future on Easy difficulty so that the entire game is completed in each case.



The Super Mario RPG marathon was a big success - thanks to everyone who tuned in, and thank you especially to people who were generous enough to donate! A lot of laughs, incredibly fun times, and good playing was had, and I took the record with the most ridiculous run I'll probably ever have in my life (though sadly the time's been beaten since).

With some of the money I made I have purchased a Super Game Boy 2, AV Famicom, and Rockman 2 cartridge (and a copy of Cocoron as well ! :>) Thus, with your guys' generous donations, I'll be able to stream and produce more cool runs for you all. I may do another of these down the road at some point (Mega Man 2, perhaps ... ?) just because I had such a blast during this one. Cheers everyone!