This is my second submission for Spyro: Attack of the Rhynocs/Adventure, achieving an in-game time of 16:16 - an improvement of 02:07 compared to the published run! Most of the improvement comes from using new sequence breaks and optimisations.
Apart from that, the main plot of the run is more or less the same - Ripto breaks into the Lab, Professor gets kidnapped, Spyro gets a bunch of items and gems, Moneybags gets richer, and Spyro goes to Ripto's world to save the day... I guess.
Goals
- Uses GBAHawk (VBA-Next core)
- Aims for fastest Any% completion
- Aims for Moon Tier + Notable Improvement
- Takes damage to save time
- Uses death to save time
About this submission
After making my original submission, Leblancanator9000 (a.k.a. Crash41596) informed me, on the forum, that the run had a suboptimal route, and also that it was possible to skip one of the Ripto fights without using a certain glitch. Taking this advice into account, I decided to make a new test run in VBA. Once GBA support was added in BizHawk, I started the actual run.
Originally, I estimated the total improvement to be about one minute. However, with all of the new time-savers I had found since the old run was completed (along with a few I discovered during the development of the run) I managed to bring the time down even further.
Intro
Virtual Playground was slightly improved by using faster routes for the targets.
Jumping before Butler gets shocked allows me to move freely before the next conversation scene starts. I use this to my advantage to stand on Ripto's spawn point. This reduces the distance that the camera has to scroll, saving time.
Fairy Library
In the Foyer of this level, I use one of the Flutterbugs to go inside a wall. Letting go of the bug when this happens causes Spyro to 'teleport' to the top. The rest of the level is mostly unchanged.
Banana Savannah
Here is where the route changes from before. Visiting this level early allows both Butler 2 and Thieves' Guild to be skipped.
Byrd Barracks
Used the deathwarp that was mentioned as an improvement in my previous submission text.
Yeti Serengeti
Same route as the previous run, but with two new timesavers: a new fence-walk which is used on the way to the lettuce gems, and a hover-jump used to skip the Springbok outside the Vault.
Rabbit Habitat
The route for the end of this level is somewhat different this time around. I collect the gems on the last raised section in a different order, and I exit the level through the door rather than by Quick Escaping because of the different level order.
Habitat -> Hoodoos
At last, we get to the route change that all you guys have been waiting for. Firstly, I use a precise jump+glide to skip the Ripto fight (which is much quicker than using Wind Breath Hover) and in the next area I perform another tricky jump to get on to the high ground. This allows me to pick up a lot of extra gems here instead of getting some from Thieves' Guild, because that level is no longer part of the route.
Kangaroo Hoodoos
In the first area, there are three targets which make platforms appear. The second platform is not needed, so I only hit the first and third targets. However, the third target is hit in such a way that it skips a certain dialogue, which causes the game to get a bit confused. Not only does the game give me an item in the middle of a jump, but it also causes a storage effect on the NPC, which causes her to pop up a text box if you stop moving, but this is only a small time cost compared to what is saved by skipping the initial dialogue.
Moneybags' Mansion
After the last hit on Butler, I push Moneybags closer to him to minimise the distance Butler has to jump to crush Moneybags. Apart from that, it's the same deal as before.
Secret Lab, Clocks
Mostly unchanged from the published run.
Chateau Ripto
This level contains a surprise new skip - the Rhynopede 2 skip, that is.
By standing near the drill and getting hit, I use Spyro's invulnerability frames to jump on top of the drill - this technique is TAS-only because it requires frame-perfect jumping so that Spyro actually lands behind the drill when he gets hit again. This is the only part of the TAS where it is required to take damage.
Before the final hit on Ripto, I position Spyro in such a way that he catches both the Warp Device and the Heart when Ripto drops them. The direction in which the items travel when they are dropped is affected by both Spyro's position and whether you are pressing A when Sparx's text box pops up, so I had to position myself precisely. Doing this delays the Heart of Chateau Ripto text box, so that it is skipped when the screen fades out after the Professor dialogue ends.
...And that's the run. Enjoy!
