Kierio04 | CTGP Tracks Done Backwards - Aquania Complete Solution @Kierio04 | Uploaded 2 years ago | Updated 1 minute ago
In this video, I drive a full lap of the custom track Aquania backwards with the 3 mushrooms available in time trials. However, because it doesn't require all of them, I don't use all of them. In order for a track to count as being completed backwards, you must start in lap 1 and travel through all of lap 0 backwards, finishing by reaching lap -1. We will be going through the tracks of the CTGP 1.03-1112 update (29 Sep 2021) alphabetically, and returning to any past tracks if breakthroughs are made that change the statistics of the progression of the challenge (more on this later in the description).

Playlist of these videos: bit.ly/ctgpbackwards

Here, there are NO respawns that are mandatory to complete the track backwards, and there are NO sections requiring any mushrooms. This is known as a complete solution and is the final state a track can be in, ignoring timesaves.

There is 1 block on this track:
1. Getting to the beginning of the cannon

This video is an improvement over the previous no ultra strat that also completed the track backwards in 0 respawns, but used 1 mushroom (youtu.be/g6X8Os_7d4U).

Between @EPIK95's discovery of the 0 respawn route and the upload of the strategy, EmuTheCat (youtube.com/channel/UCag8yvhqE0P5nNef_0IcWvQ) tried to come up with an idea to get across the gap shroomless by wallclipping onto the blocks next to the finish line, and using HWG to get onto an OOB seam, which would be used to get you back to the track (youtu.be/6WDPDPvU6jc). Unfortunately, there were two issues. First, there was no way to get back to the track from the seam. Second, even if you could get back, you would have left the track while still being in lap 1, and then be forced to hit CPs that would result you in partially completing an ultra shortcut (i.e. putting you at the end of lap 1 rather than the end of lap 0).

Since then, this is police (youtube.com/channel/UC3f4F6RX4gBHOGxG6owYigg) found solutions to both of these problems. He managed to get a different HWG bounce that landed him on an OOB seam that took him significantly closer to the main track (an SSMT and a hop across makes it back). Also, by using the sticky road ejection onto the hidden boost panels that I found (youtu.be/Iw-BtMEfXfM), he found that by intentionally triggering the 95% rule, we could end up on lap 0 even after exiting the track still on lap 1.

The reverse ultra (1:34) branches from the no ultra strat once the 95% rule has been triggered and we are successfully in lap 0.

In summary, Aquania (both with and without the reverse ultra shortcut) has the following statistics to offer:
Minimum Respawns for Infinite Mushrooms: 0
Minimum Respawns for 3, 2, 1, 0 Mushrooms: 0, 0, 0, 0
Minimum Mushrooms for Minimum Respawns: 0
Minimum Mushrooms for Track Completion: 0

Special thanks to Melg (youtube.com/channel/UCi7BmIG91AG7lBt3sC_PkGw) and Gaberboo (no YT) for creating the debug panel in this video.