BlazeMSX | New Ultra Shortcut on Koopa Cape @MalleoSquirrelX | Uploaded 5 years ago | Updated 3 hours ago
Out of all the tracks in Mario Kart Wii, Koopa Cape has always been one of the most sought after for glitch hunters throughout this game’s history. People have been showing off this track’s glitch potential using hacks for over a decade, and it’s become one of the most cliched April Fools video ideas in this community. It’s pretty fair to say that we’ve always had an intuitive sense that this track was breakable, and players have proposed many ideas over the years on how to do it. It was the accumulation of 11+ years of collective community knowledge and experience that lead to the discovery of this ultra shortcut, and it’s really amazing to see such a popular track finally broken after all this time. It should go without saying that this is easily one of the most difficult and convoluted shortcuts ever found in this game, and the insane amounts of effort required just to even make it with the aid of every Dolphin tool (including RAM watch and an in-game checkpoint map) should answer any question as to whether or not this is RTA viable.
Similarly to the newly found BC64 glitch, this is a rapid fire hop-based respawn glitch that (as far as we know) requires spear, which means that the full 3lap TAS will be an interesting project to undertake, but I’m sure there’s at least a few people in the TAS community who are crazy enough to try either, so that’s something to look forward to.
Malleo’s video on super grinding: youtube.com/watch?v=9_ufOUrVpdk (excellent TAS related content)
Summoning Salt’s ultra shortcut video: youtube.com/watch?v=mmJ_LT8bUj0 (another great channel that focuses on speedrunning history)
Out of all the tracks in Mario Kart Wii, Koopa Cape has always been one of the most sought after for glitch hunters throughout this game’s history. People have been showing off this track’s glitch potential using hacks for over a decade, and it’s become one of the most cliched April Fools video ideas in this community. It’s pretty fair to say that we’ve always had an intuitive sense that this track was breakable, and players have proposed many ideas over the years on how to do it. It was the accumulation of 11+ years of collective community knowledge and experience that lead to the discovery of this ultra shortcut, and it’s really amazing to see such a popular track finally broken after all this time. It should go without saying that this is easily one of the most difficult and convoluted shortcuts ever found in this game, and the insane amounts of effort required just to even make it with the aid of every Dolphin tool (including RAM watch and an in-game checkpoint map) should answer any question as to whether or not this is RTA viable.
Similarly to the newly found BC64 glitch, this is a rapid fire hop-based respawn glitch that (as far as we know) requires spear, which means that the full 3lap TAS will be an interesting project to undertake, but I’m sure there’s at least a few people in the TAS community who are crazy enough to try either, so that’s something to look forward to.
Malleo’s video on super grinding: youtube.com/watch?v=9_ufOUrVpdk (excellent TAS related content)
Summoning Salt’s ultra shortcut video: youtube.com/watch?v=mmJ_LT8bUj0 (another great channel that focuses on speedrunning history)
![[MKW TAS] Lunar Spaceway - 2:51.895](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QVBmL5syOy0/hqdefault.jpg "[MKW TAS] Lunar Spaceway - 2:51.895
This is a tool-assisted speedrun created to show the theoretical limits of this course, and isnt designed to compete with real-time runs.
Former TAS BKT: 2:57.871 by pfmp721 (-5.976 cut) https://youtu.be/fk8rc5P-z08
Real Time BKT: 3:01.496 by Emil https://youtu.be/Cf3XhTYBDZw
Huge shoutout to Ejay for recording this! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL6IvK60jAvowbyeDnu0Ybw
Lunar Spaceway is a track Ive been interested in TASing for a while. It was an absolutely revolutionary track for when it was released, and I had attempted to do this a few times over the past 6 years or so, but I always abandoned it because of how difficult the course is to optimize. I finally decided to give it a shot again, and I was able to finish the full 3lap. This run is still improvable, since I later found my zipper-to-supergrind section on lap 1 was quite slow, but Im very happy with how this turned out in general.
I honestly dont know why this shroomspot wasnt used earlier, since its basically the only significant offroad cut on the track, although its a little precise.
Music: Toms Story - VL Raza
tomsstory.bandcamp.com")
![[MKW TAS] Castle of Time (No Glitch) - 3:01.420](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/R9DCbapJY9A/hqdefault.jpg "[MKW TAS] Castle of Time (No Glitch) - 3:01.420
This is a tool-assisted speedrun created to show the theoretical limits of this course, and isnt designed to compete with real-time runs.
Thanks to Ejay for recording! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL6IvK60jAvowbyeDnu0Ybw
Real-time BKT is 3:13.264 by Justin
Driving onto the power item only route blocked by thwomps is a bit more precise than it might look, although I imagine there are more RTA-friendly versions of this skip that could be used. Clipping off of the sides of thwomps is actually pretty easy, so I could see that being used. The following turn involving riding along the seam and cutting off the corner is also really precise because of bean corners, but I dont think this strat is worth going for in RTA, since it doesnt save that much time. The most significant shortcut is the next section of the track, since its so simple I cant believe it isnt used already. For some reason, the invisible wall that prevents you from just driving off the bridge and skipping the spiral turn doesnt actually extend to the back sides, so all you need to do is land on the seam between the road and the invisible wall, then drive back to hit the key checkpoint to get a lap count. This isnt precise at all, although the lack of texture on the invisible wall makes it slightly harder.
In case anyone is wondering, since this run passes through every key checkpoint on the track and doesnt exploit the checkpoint 0 bug, this is categorically a no-ultra shortcut run, regardless of how broken these shortcuts might be. Its completely up to the TT community as for whether or not these strats should be allowed in the no-glitch category or if a new one should be made altogether in something similar to the GV rock hop category.
Music: Yoshitaka Mihara - Burning Love")
![[MKWii TAS] SNES Ghost Valley 2 - 49.185 (0-3-0 Strat)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/SeqrDwMbMlY/hqdefault.jpg "[MKWii TAS] SNES Ghost Valley 2 - 49.185 (0-3-0 Strat)
To answer the inevitable question: I didnt expect this shroom strategy would be faster (all I wanted to do was make a run using it)
Ive wanted to do a 3lap run using the FLAP strat for a really long time, and Im really happy with how it turned out. The second to last turn on this track is very tricky. If you compare all three laps together, you can see I take completely different lines every time around. This is due to the unique angles I ended up approaching the turn at. This shroomspot I used is probably around .5-.6 slower than the normal strat, so its no surprise I didnt beat Danis run in the process. The second lap is the fastest TAS FLAP time on GV2, but it can easily be taken lower if I were to be given the same advantage as Estaloy did in his run (better alignment for the glitch, all of the bricks fallen down.) About the wheelie trigger on the yellow ramp... I discovered that technique earlier today by complete accident, and was too lazy to improve it on the second lap (it only saves a small amount of time). I got by driving off of the ramp very briefly to the right, before switching directions. The trick ended up being so low that an animation barely appeared. Ill eventually do a normal TAS here, but I think Im going to try to make an exclusively lap 1 TAS on Misty Ruins - reason being I think that track is totally in deserving of a proper run there.
Music - Bossfight - Flirt Flirt Oh It Hurts")
![[MKW TAS] Dry Dry Ruins - 1:46.655 (Kart)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZwR0mhjhIhM/hqdefault.jpg "[MKW TAS] Dry Dry Ruins - 1:46.655 (Kart)
This is a tool-assisted speedrun created to show the theoretical limits of this course, and isnt designed to compete with real-time runs.
Former TAS BKT: 1:50.783 by TASPlasma (-4.128 cut)
Real Time BKT: 1:54.144 by Jak (-7.489 cut)
Dry Dry Ruins is now yet another track where the kart TAS beats the RTA bike WR, which was something I wasnt even sure was possible until I had finished lap 2, so this is incredibly satisfying. The triple pillar trick requires a pretty precise setup in order to save time, so I didnt figure out it was faster until I had already started lap 3, but thats not too big of a deal. Dry Bowser is pretty overpowered here, and I cant imagine there being too many tracks where Funky Kong is even optimal for karts anymore, since the miniturbo stat advantage seems to far outweigh the speed advantage, at least under most circumstances.
Music: Akira Wada - The Interloper")
![[MKW TAS] GCN Mushroom City - 1:22.653](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_yIgrvz5a1Q/hqdefault.jpg "[MKW TAS] GCN Mushroom City - 1:22.653
This is a tool-assisted speedrun created to show the theoretical limits of this course, and isnt designed to compete with real-time runs.
Real-time BKT is 1:25.483 by Doge https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du3k4LZYnzs
Previous TAS BKT is 1:24.074 by nindiddeh (-1.421 cut) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pWK6K_mzk0
I created the lap 1 for this run over 2 months ago, but kept it on the back burner until I decided I wanted to complete the 3 lap. Unlike a lot of MKDD tracks, I think that Mushroom City actually ports over to MKW pretty well, and the several low trick ramps gave ample opportunity to shave seconds off of the RTA, despite the course being relatively simple overall. Probably the biggest flaw with this run is on the shroom lap 1, since I didnt figure out you could approach the final straight with an angle that allowed you to skip the entire dirt patch near the finish line. This caused me to shroom much earlier entering lap 2, meaning that my wheelie dropped earlier than what would be ideal, losing a little bit of time. Other than that, I think this run is pretty consistent. Probably the funniest thing about this run are the lowtricks off of the small speed bumps on the first and last turns, which most players apparently didnt even know existed, since the current BKT at the time of writing this description still doesnt use them, despite the fact that they save time even if you dont get a low trick. I only found out that they were trickable because of the instant finish code, since the CPU player is programmed to trick automatically on any ramp.
Music: Jun Miyake - I Knew I Was")
![[MKW TAS] DS Desert Hills - 1:37.572 (Kart)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_yhQBX2rA9A/hqdefault.jpg "[MKW TAS] DS Desert Hills - 1:37.572 (Kart)
This is a tool-assisted speedrun created to show the theoretical limits of this course, and isnt designed to compete with real-time runs.
Real time BKT is 1:39.108 by Ando (-1.536 cut) https://youtu.be/IGio0bhFjvc
This run is pretty old now, but better late than never I guess? I added a few extra miniturbos and rapid fire hopped up the trick hill to do what is possibly the first kart super grind, but this run is otherwise similar to the RTA kart WR and just makes use of tighter lines and frame perfect snaking. Andos driving here is really good already, so his ghost was very helpful in figuring out the optimal lines.
I figured out how to get lower shortcuts on lap 2 and 3, so I saved a small amount of time over lap 1, but the biggest time save would definitely come from the triple trick strat, which I only discovered when I was already on lap 3. The closest comparison I can think of is the Daisy Circuit stairdive due to it sending you both lower and further forward than the standard double trick, only its far more precise.
Also, before anyone asks, I did do some testing with Funky Kong, but there were just too many miniturbos for his speed advantage to save time. Dry Bowser is used in many other kart categories, so this isnt too unusual. DwainiumB has a really interesting video visualizing the miniturbo stat advantage: https://youtu.be/af5C2TtHrt8
Ive made a few other kart TASes over the past year or so that I still need to get around to uploading, although most were made to get acclimated to kart physics and arent very optimized. It just takes a while to make these videos, so youll probably need to wait a bit for me to get them all uploaded.
Music: The Perfect Sports - Cue
https://soundcloud.com/theperfectsports")
![[MKWii TAS] Magnetic City - 1:51.332](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/aJJYG6wSNrQ/hqdefault.jpg "[MKWii TAS] Magnetic City - 1:51.332
This track isnt in CTGP anymore, but I still like it a lot and felt that it deserved to be showcased again, since theres a good chance many of you dont even recognize it if you didnt start playing until after its removal in 2015. While it doesnt exactly hold up to the standards set by modern CT creators, I still think that its imperfections give it that vintage charm associated with most custom tracks made during this period in the early 2010s. Its also a great track conceptually, and I hope it can be remade at some point.
This version of the track has also been TASed a few times in the past by players like Grim and Maximiliano, so it has a bit of a legacy in the realm of CT TASing.
There are several other CTGP throwbacks that I want to get around to doing eventually, including some mostly forgotten tracks off of CTGP 4.4 and 1.01. I also have a few other runs I need to get around to recording and uploading as well.
Music: Demetori - 天狗が見ている - Eye of the Needles")
![[MKW TAS] Paradoxic Worldway - 1:26.682](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bbefxP8FZF8/hqdefault.jpg "[MKW TAS] Paradoxic Worldway - 1:26.682
Huge thanks to Grim, who discovered many of the strats used in this run. Check out his channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8LptMi0fHZBgvMvsCn2MSQ
A few things about the run: I dont get a full start boost at the beginning, since you enter the cannon almost immediately after the countdown. Holding down the A button prevents you from sliding forward, so I avoided it for as long as I could. This allowed for me to start the race slightly ahead of my initial start position. The shortcut that Marc uploaded doesnt work on newer versions of this track, and it wouldnt even save time if it was possible. I manipulated a technique known as side trick abuse on the ramp at 1:03, where I use a right trick to land further forward than what is normally possible (this allows for my boost to start later). Getting the lowest trick possible off of ramps loses time under normal circumstances.
This track has been frequently TASed by different players over the years, and many interesting strat changes have also gone into it. If youre interested in seeing a brief chronological history of this courses progress, here are links to every TAS BKT (in order):
1:33.035 by Chill - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdLfQfBo3Jw
1:29.988 by xDestroy2000 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxQ4Ts7hcfk
1:29.865 by Grim - https://youtu.be/Sk9yq-DVHBU
1:28.986 by Grim - https://youtube.com/watch?v=2fj43hfIX_g
1:28.568 by Delta - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9M6FhTLeNs
1:27.978 by Delta - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k 6nzdPFr4
1:27.772 by Grim (no video)
1:26.732 by Grim - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFgn_CQDBPQ
I want to continue making CT TASes, since the CTGP time trial community is massive, and the BKTs in 1.03 are very strong. It would be nice to see a theoretical limit for these tracks, so if you have any suggestions for me, I would love to hear it.
Music: Frozen Hillside - Kirby Air Ride")
![[MKW TAS] Autumn Leavesway - 2:26.897](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/cQAVTW3hGXg/hqdefault.jpg "[MKW TAS] Autumn Leavesway - 2:26.897
This is a tool-assisted speedrun created to show the theoretical limits of this course, and isnt designed to compete with real-time runs.
Real Time BKT: 2:32.556 by Batcake https://youtu.be/XQyaxGxyqcw
This track has a really interesting layout with a lot of potential for optimization, and the strats used differ heavily from the RTA BKT. The most interesting thing about this run is the respawn shortcut lap 3, which turns out to BARELY save any time compared to a fully optimized non-sc lap, to where it couldnt even make up for the time loss from the wiggler blocking my path at the start of the lap.
Music: Kirby Star Allies - Planet Earthfall")
