Speed Run Discovery

2004-03-18 01:22:47 am

I've discovered a good trick to use in any percent speed runs. Sorry for wasting your time if this is already known but I am going to assume that it is not since zoidi did not do it on his run. That was fairly recent.

This trick should save about 3 minutes on NTSC and 6-7 minutes on PAL since it eliminates ever taking the shortcut to Waste Disposal in Phazon Mines.

Anyway, after getting the ice beam, do not go to Phazon Mines. Go get the plasma beam (the quickest route being through the Frigate Crash Site). After that, head to Phendrana through the elevator by Monitor Station. Stop in at Ice Ruins West before you get the artifact of whatever from the frozen chozo dude. Use the plasma beam to melt the ice and pick up the power bomb expansion. You will have 1 PB now since you have not yet picked up the actual power bomb item. Now head back through the crash site to the Reflecting Pool. Before going to Phazon Mines, you can now stop in at Life Grove to get the X-Ray visor and that artifact. This means that only one trip through Phazon Mines is necessary. Make sure you get the Artifact of Warrior on the way through. I would figure that you'd have to beat the Power Bomb boss anyway since an enormous amount of time would be wasted in spots such as the OP with only one PB. However, I guess you could try to get lucky and pick up immediate PB recharges everywhere you need them, such as from OP's troopers. Assuming that would not work well, this strat would be no good for a low percent speed run.

I was originally going to use this to get the speed run record, but now that I just saw what a monstrous run kip is having, I likely wouldn't get the record even if I did have this strat as an advantage. Besides, if kip wasn't going to use this strat, it might not be too late for him to, unless he has progressed past the ice beam to Phazon. If he was going to use it, then this has already been discovered and I'm rambling for nothing.

Thread title:

I've discovered a good trick to use in any percent speed runs. Sorry for wasting your time if this is already known but I am going to assume that it is not since zoidi did not do it on his run. That was fairly recent.

This trick should save about 3 minutes on NTSC and 6-7 minutes on PAL since it eliminates ever taking the shortcut to Waste Disposal in Phazon Mines.

Anyway, after getting the ice beam, do not go to Phazon Mines. Go get the plasma beam (the quickest route being through the Frigate Crash Site). After that, head to Phendrana through the elevator by Monitor Station. Stop in at Ice Ruins West before you get the artifact of whatever from the frozen chozo dude. Use the plasma beam to melt the ice and pick up the power bomb expansion. You will have 1 PB now since you have not yet picked up the actual power bomb item. Now head back through the crash site to the Reflecting Pool. Before going to Phazon Mines, you can now stop in at Life Grove to get the X-Ray visor and that artifact. This means that only one trip through Phazon Mines is necessary. Make sure you get the Artifact of Warrior on the way through. I would figure that you'd have to beat the Power Bomb boss anyway since an enormous amount of time would be wasted in spots such as the OP with only one PB. However, I guess you could try to get lucky and pick up immediate PB recharges everywhere you need them, such as from OP's troopers. Assuming that would not work well, this strat would be no good for a low percent speed run.

I was originally going to use this to get the speed run record, but now that I just saw what a monstrous run kip is having, I likely wouldn't get the record even if I did have this strat as an advantage. Besides, if kip wasn't going to use this strat, it might not be too late for him to, unless he has progressed past the ice beam to Phazon. If he was going to use it, then this has already been discovered and I'm rambling for nothing.

Radix

2004-03-18 01:32:53 am

It's great to see people thinking about routes but I'm sorry to have to burst your bubble ... this note right here:

Quote from smilingjack13:

Make sure you get the Artifact of Warrior on the way through.

is what kills it. You can't break out the phazon elite unless you've got the main power bomb upgrade.

Light of Day

2004-03-18 01:36:07 am

Sounds good, but it's not as big a time saver for PAL as you indicate. Plasma Processing is blocked off by bendezium in PAL, so you need to get another pwer bomb epansion from Phendrana first then backtrack to Magmoor to get Plasma. I'm not sure if it actually would save time time at all for a PAL run. Still, it definately sounds like a good route for a US version run.

smilingjack13

2004-03-18 01:40:04 am

Dang. I was testing this on a spare file but I didn't bother to go further than picking up the PB expansion. I wish some of those types of restrictions weren't in the game (the ones that don't make sense). Another one being having to have the X-Ray visor on to damage OP. It makes SBing less fun.

I was thinking though that surely someone has tried this already.

Light of Day

2004-03-18 01:46:36 am

Oops, I did't see Radixs post. Yeah, I guess that kills it then.

Still, assuming someone else has tried it already is no reason to not post something you've found. True, chances are it has been tried alredy or it just doesn't work, but you never know when you've stumbled across something new that no-ones done before and will really help someone out. Just not this time, eh?

The Last Metroid

2004-03-18 11:09:53 am

Even on NTSC, that wouldn't as much time as you cited. There are some routes that I believe would prove even faster.

skynes

2004-03-18 12:23:11 pm

My first PB Is usually Phendrana's Edge. I get it the same time I get the Gravity suit. Quite useful having PBs that early...

Quote:

You can't break out the phazon elite unless you've got the main power bomb upgrade.

GAGH! I always wondered why bombing him never worked!

smilingjack13

2004-03-18 12:36:49 pm

Quote from The Last Metroid:

Even on NTSC, that wouldn't as much time as you cited. There are some routes that I believe would prove even faster.

Really? I'm interested to hear some of those routes.

I played up to the Phazon Elite Pirate on my file last night. Sure enough, he didn't break out. I went on to the PB boss and killed him with a PB. It was amusing. I then left the room (headed towards OP) without picking up the main PB expansion. I tried to deactivate the turrets in the next room but it didn't work. I scanned the thing multiple times and the turrets kept shooting. Maybe that had to do with not picking up the PBs? When I went back into the PB room, the hole in the floor and the maze was all gone. Possibly this is a game-killing glitch? The save door and the door you normally enter from still had locks on them, but only when I got close to them. I shot the save door from far away. When I got close, it opened and I could see inside but a lock appeared over it. It was weird. Anyway, I want to continue on and beat OP so I can head back into the PB room the normal way... or find out the door is still locked. I'd like to make sure it is still impossible to break the Phazon Elite pirate out, confirming that my file was killed.

[quote="The Last Metroid"][b]Even on NTSC, that wouldn't as much time as you cited. There are some routes that I believe would prove even faster.[/b][/quote]

Really? I'm interested to hear some of those routes.

I played up to the Phazon Elite Pirate on my file last night. Sure enough, he didn't break out. I went on to the PB boss and killed him with a PB. It was amusing. I then left the room (headed towards OP) without picking up the main PB expansion. I tried to deactivate the turrets in the next room but it didn't work. I scanned the thing multiple times and the turrets kept shooting. Maybe that had to do with not picking up the PBs? When I went back into the PB room, the hole in the floor and the maze was all gone. Possibly this is a game-killing glitch? The save door and the door you normally enter from still had locks on them, but only when I got close to them. I shot the save door from far away. When I got close, it opened and I could see inside but a lock appeared over it. It was weird. Anyway, I want to continue on and beat OP so I can head back into the PB room the normal way... or find out the door is still locked. I'd like to make sure it is still impossible to break the Phazon Elite pirate out, confirming that my file was killed.

nate

2004-03-18 10:21:37 pm

yeah, you'll need to climb up to the ledge on which you enter central dynamo to respawn the invisible security drone, then kill it again to get the maze to come back. no game-killing glitch is currently known there.

stumpy

2004-03-19 07:32:53 am

i got my best time getting the plasma beam that way right after the ice beam. of course my best time is still over twice as long as the record. but i do play it almost straight through. no do-overs.

i am still deciding what the best way after that is, because no matter what, you have to backtrack in the mines for the article of warrior. and you cant just enter that room backwards, at least not on my version, because the wall has to get blasted by the pulse beam.

Light of Day

2004-03-19 01:23:33 pm

I believe you can make it through that wall backwards by boosting through it.

nate

2004-03-19 01:55:26 pm

Quote from Light of Day:

I believe you can make it through that wall backwards by boosting through it.

correct!

http://www.metroid2002.com/other_elite_research_wall.html