Uploaded September 2021 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

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This is a tool-assisted speedrun of Sonic Adventure 2's Metal Harbor (Mission 3), with a completion time of 0:19.94.

Re-records: 2,230
Inputs: FusionVaria
Strat suggestions: Brianpso

This TAS does not use a speedglitch that exploits repeatedly bouncing to build speed. Personally I think this game is a lot more fun without using this tech, and it much more closely resembles non-TAS play.
The current record using TAS Bounce is a 0:14.17 by me:
youtube.com/watch?v=z7RMtDhEo6M
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I never would have imagined sub 20 was actually possible on this stage, every little innovation mattered in achieving this time. Brianpso reminded me of an exploit we discovered long ago, to use instant turnaround (a glitch letting you flip 180 degrees and convert positive speed into negative) to decrease deceleration, because decel works differently when Sonic is moving backwards. This allowed me to shave off 3 frames on the first platform in the stage.

Shier optimization was not enough to achieve sub 20, we needed innovation. Following the second jumppad, I used the downhill to build speed rolling, and then excited a very precise super bounce to VHC (vertical-horizontal conversion) and achieve a speed boost when converting to the flat ground. This also saved something around 3 frames.

The Carrier section utilizes the small slopes on the left and right of the main area to conserve high speeds captured by the 14-speed speedpad. Minimizing time spent on the flat ground conserved the most speed, and this zigzag path ended up being the fastest. Having extra speed at the final jump saves a substantial amount of time since aerial deceleration is so harsh, just have a bit higher starting speed equals a much sooner landing. A pause hover is used to conserve as much speed as possible.

The instant turnaround whistle at the end was just flashy entertainment, it did not lose or gain any time.

This TAS was a lot of fun to make. I have been on hiatus from TASing for a long while but perhaps there will be more Sonic Adventure 1/2 TASes from me in the near future.. Stay tuned(?)
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This video was encoded by ModifiedMonkee.

Thanks for watching :)