IRF

Further to the above comment (from the topic discussing crem's JSW algorithm), I've just completed 'Out on a Limb' in less than one in-game minute - see the attached RZX recording. In 'real-world' time, it took 21 seconds from entering 'Out on a Limb' up to the moment when Willy dropped down into 'On a Branch over the Drive'. That compares with 28 seconds in my previous attempt - see RZX attached to this post by RuffledBrick: https://jswmm.co.uk/topic/569-jet-set-willy-speedrunning-videos/?do=findComment&comment=12737 (In both cases, Willy still had all his spare lives and the in-game music was playing.) So that's a 25% time saving compared with my previous effort. ** Extrapolating that to RB's videos (as embedded in the post at the link below) - in which Willy had no spare lives and the music wasn't playing (and RB's kamikaze efforts were more efficient than my previous attempt, though obviously not as efficient as the 'triple jump' in my latest video) - I reckon the saving provided by a very efficient kamikaze route through 'Out on a Limb' could be about 11-12 seconds of 'real world' time, compared with the non-sacrificial route. It also looks *much* cooler!! https://jswmm.co.uk/topic/569-jet-set-willy-speedrunning-videos/?do=findComment&comment=12739 Faster Out on a Limb Route with Kamikaze.rzx

Actually, there's only about 12 seconds' worth of air in the cavern! So I can only imagine that you used '6031769' to teleport into the next cavern? EDIT: It's just occurred to me that you might not have been referring to 10 seconds of 'real world time'. Did you finish the cavern with a score of 110 points? (i.e. 10 units of air left = 10 points, plus 100 points for the item?)

Could you post a recording, please?

EDIT: I've shifted this post over onto RuffledBrick's Speedrunning topic, as it seemed to be more pertinent there (and less of a potential distraction from the details of crem's algorithm).

I only really made the Flying Pig suggestion in jest! Whilst I imagine that, as you say, a Miner Willy version complete with hard hat/headlamp is probably something he's thinking of doing anyway.

It looks great! A Miner Willy one would make a good gift for a caving enthusiast (though I'm not sure I'd rely on it solely to find your way around a real cavern!) The pigs in the background of your photo made me wonder if the Flying Pig sprite would fit in the lamp? It would probably be too wide for the frame though - and thinking about it, that's the playing sprite in The Nightmare Room so it might give you nightmares! 😜

The only scenario I can think of where the jump/fall counters matter, once Willy has attached to a rope, is if you use the WRITETYPER teleport function to exit to a room without a rope. Strange things can happen if you do that!

It depends whether Willy was jumping/falling at the moment when he becomes entangled on the rope: - If he's walking along (e.g. in the Swimming Pool) and the rope touches him, then he will end up on the rope and the Airborne Status Indicator (#85D1) will still be set at zero; - If he jumps up onto the rope, then #85D1 will hold and retain the value #01; - If he falls down and touches the rope (e.g. dropping out of the Orangery into the Swimming Pool), then #85D1 will have a value somewhere in the range #02-#0F. The value of #85D1 is only updated when Willy departs from the rope: - If he jumps off the rope, it is set to #01; - If he climbs down and drops off the bottom segment, it is reset to zero; - If he climbs up to the top, to emerge in the room above, then #85D1 is also reset to zero (the same as if he jumps up into the room above). Note that the manoeuvre you refer to in 'On the Roof' is only possible by jumping off the rope when it is at or near the widest deviation of its swing from the centre.

Was there a similar amount of content on the darnkitty site for Manic Miner, that could also be worth preserving for posterity?

It's not quite that simple. The rope animation frame counter is incremented/decremented by 2 - except when it's close to its equilibrium position (i.e. hanging vertically), where it swings faster (the animation variable is incremented/decremented by 4). I've just watched a rope swinging whilst keeping the A (pause) key depressed, stabbing at the '1' (non-movement) key, and counting the rope's animation frame-by-frame, and I think it takes 90 frames for each there-and-back swing of the rope.

If my interpretation is right that you're referring there to jumping into a new room, rather than walking into it, I would just point out that in most circumstances that's an unwise manouevre, as Willy can end up in an Infinite Death cycle...

In that case, in order to get the fastest in-game time, I think you should probably climb up the Bathroom ramp as soon as you've collected the tap. *** Incidentally, it would be useful to report the total number of frames that the game runs for, as the in-game completion time only tells you how you've done to the nearest 'minute' (a 'minute' on the on-screen clock equates to 256 'ticks'/passes through the Main Loop). Furthermore, the 'tick' counter variable (#85CB) is reset to zero as soon as you reach the toilet at the end of the toilet run, so you would need to interrogate the value of #85CB in the frame immediately prior to him reaching the toilet.

Yes, the music on/off button can be pressed simultaneously with a movement key. But I was referring to the need to 'unpress' ENTER and then repress it if you want to turn the music off at the start of a game (there is a keypress flag that means if you keep ENTER pressed at the start of a game, then it won't toggle the music off until you let go of ENTER and then repress it). But starting the game, switching the music off, abandoning that game and restarting another (so the music is already switched off at the start of the game) is an even simpler way of achieving the same thing.

Are you going for the fastest 'real world' completion time, or the earliest finish according to the on-screen clock (i.e. the fewest number of frames/ticks/passes through the Main Loop)? The merits of climbing up the Bathroom ramp at the start of the game, in order to access the Top Landing item, were discussed at an earlier stage (around the time that RuffledBricks first posted his speedruning video), and I think the consensus emerged that that early decision could have a bearing on the completion time, depending on what you're trying to achieve. If it's the earliest finish according to the on-screen clock (fewest frames), then it stands to reason that you should collect the Top Landing item as the second item (after the Bathroom tap), so that Willy isn't wasting frames walking back into the Bathroom at the end of the game to access the ramp up to the upper levels of Top Landing. If it's the fastest real world completion time, then RB pointed out that the game runs faster at the end (assuming you've used up all your spare lives by that point 'kamikazeing' items), because the execution of the drawing of spare lives on the status bar during each frame, slows down the game to a degree which is perceptible over the course of a whole game. So the fact that Willy has to take a longer route (more frames) to collect the Top Landing item at the end, is outweighed by the fact that the game runs quicker at that point if you haven't got any spare lives left. **** Incidentally, if it's the fastest real world completion that you are trying to achieve via your algorithm, then you would need to get it to release and then press 'ENTER' in the first two frames of the game, in order to turn off the in-game music. Because the playing of the in-game tune further slows down the running of the game.

I can't think of a way in which #8C01 is bypassed when losing a life. When you've observed it happen, does the program bypass the 'fade to black' screen effect? If so, maybe a bug in your code means that you have an entry point into the routine at #8C33?

Thanks for restoring all the missing posts, Andy! You've done a really good job of it! 🙂

I think your system of nomenclature is, by and large, a fair reflection of the amount of effort and inventiveness that has gone into each project, Danny. 🙂

Well, it was designed that way, so that's a relief!

I don't think the maximum final score can be bettered, but finding out is kind of the 'Mission Impossible' behind my little project! I'll drop you a PM...

Well done Ligan! I take it you got there in the nick of time, with no bonus points awarded for surplus air? (i.e. a score of 100 for picking up the single item in the cavern.) @RuffledBricks You might find this useful as a training tool for your speedrunning of some of the Manic Miner caverns?

The new favicon is great! It would be even better if it animated, to pace left and right along the tab! 🤩

By that, do you mean that you haven't had time to attempt it yet, or you haven't succeeded in reaching the portal in time?

If anyone manages to reach the portal and get awarded bonus point(s) for surplus air, then I'll eat Willy's hat! 😁

Only the first cavern is of interest here (i.e. only the Central Cavern has had any layout changes; there are no code changes). The air supply is extremely restricted, imposing a super-tight time limit on the cavern. Only by navigating through the crumbly field in a highly efficient manner can Willy safely exit via the portal before the air runs out! (N.B. There are crumbly blocks behind the portal, so Willy won't be able to drop straight into the portal from above without crumbling the hidden blocks away first.) Crumbly Field Trainer.TAP