Game objectives
- Emulator used: Bizhawk 2.8
- Aims for fastest time
- Manipulates all sorts of luck
- Sacrifices player 2 to save time
The same RNG principles that MarioAtWork initially found apply to this run. What's different is that we learned more about how it worked.
Inputs made during a level, between levels (in certain windows) and after levels all advance the RNG to some degree. There are multiple layers to this:
Pressing inputs before the screen black will influence the hanging board numbers/math symbols, as well as the calculation + starting number which rolls last. Pressing inputs after the black screen will influence just the calculation numbers, though there's a 9 frame window where you can further finesse the hanging board numbers. This all lines up to create: a certain hanging board with certain symbols with certain equation numbers.
They tend to roll in "windows" as well. For example you'll probably see something like 268 +50 start, 268 +100 start, 268 +150 start very close together, and past that you'll probably see 568, 768 etc. This is not always the case but in the research, patterns certainly emerged.
Now then. Since we know how to finesse each level (also I do believe there are individual "pools" of combinations per level that are finite or possibly something akin to Great Waldo Search where certain things are locked out based on what you got in previous levels.) we can set up the fastest solves.
Knowing all this, it became a matter of finding an equation solvable in one move. Like -147 with a -150 start, +3 is all we need. Once we knew what we could get from the level, we doubled back to before the calculation roll to change the hanging board (putting the 3 as close as possible) and the symbol needed as close to P2 as possible then moved back up and set up the equation.
The fastest solves have P2 "pass" us the symbol. With a frame perfect drop and grab we can get up the chain quicker than if we spawned it on the nearest platform and grabbed it ourselves.
Though we can finesse the RNG I don't believe there is a way to control it 100%. We still have to operate under the confines of what the game says is possible, and I think that some combinations of board and symbol just do not appear.
Past that we still sacrifice P2 as normal, nothing changed there.
Edit: Thanks MarioAtWork for reminding me that I forgot this:
The fastest solution is to pass the symbol we need and grab the lower left number. Jr 1 grabs left 11 frames faster than he grabs right, so the 22 remaining frames are there since we have to grab right twice. However, as I alluded to above, we were not able to force specific outcomes, just what's available to be manipped. It's entirely possible that I overlooked something but I don't think I did.
Also a scenario does exist where you get the left answer for both levels 1 and 2 but for some reason it took away the good pattern in 4 so it didn't end up saving any time.
feos: Claiming for judging.
