Co-op 13m48s (any%) speedrun - Tobes Vertical Adventure (with annotations) DukeSetz 2026-09-26 | Co-op 13m48s (any%) speedrun - Tobes Vertical Adventure (with annotations)
Advent Revising v2.0 - Restored cutscenes DukeSetz 2017-04-29 | Here's a collage of the cutscenes missing from the PC release of Advent Rising that I added back in with my fan patch, Advent Revising. I didn't include the fold_space movie file because it's a very small UI element inside the game's Powers menu.Level03sectionE - Seekers firing on LuriamLevel05sectionC - Transition to wasteland of Bahr HanLevel06sectionA - Intro to Chapter 3Level06sectionB2 - Dropship assaultLevel06sectionC - Buildings explodingLevel10sectionB - Seeker and Aurelian fight in Destroyer hangarLevel14sectionE - Elevator cutscene in Chapter 5Level14sectionF - Flyby of the last section of Chapter 5level16sectionA2 - Fight scene in second map of Chapter 6level16sectionB - Flyover of Teran's volcano and Skinwalker's shiplevel16sectionD - Preview of military baselevel16sectionE - Flyover of lava corefold_space - Powers menu movie for Jump and Melee
My Time with Forza 6 DukeSetz 2016-11-01 | Here's a video of how I won at Forza and almost always got the gold spin.No glitches this time. Apologies to the Danes.
The Co-Optional Lounge Plays Secret Hitler - Highlight Reel DukeSetz 2016-02-09 | This was my submission for TotalBiscuit's Secret Hitler highlight reel competition. I didn't win, but it was a good time, both watching and editing.
Charger Multiplication [glitch] - Super Sanctum TD DukeSetz 2015-10-02 | Chargers in Super Sanctum TD massively multiply your damage output, to the point where the entire game becomes a cakewalk.Chargers are intended to apply an additive damage boost of 20-40% to nearby towers, but placing several chargers reveals that the damage boost isn't calculated properly. It turns out that each Charger applies a compounding damage boost instead of an additive damage boost, which is the difference between adding +40% and multiplying by 140%. When you have few Chargers, this difference is insignificant, but as you add more, the multiplication becomes extreme.Keep in mind that this damage multiplication applies to nearby towers as well, meaning that you're not just increasing the damage on one tower for the tradeoff of all the blocks taken up by Chargers (which would actually end up worse). With calculated placement, you can construct lanes that maximize the number of Chargers and the number of towers affected.This is clearly a mathematical issue inside of the coding for Chargers, but I find it fairly difficult to see how adding got confused with multiplying. It could be that it was somehow easier to program. And it of course never got tested with an extreme number of Chargers, so it was never noticed.What's important is that this largely trivializes the game, which is actually fairly difficult without it. The damage values you get can blow away some of the larger enemies in one or two shots. It also lets you get experience really fast, and that's kinda important to get to the higher tiers of powers.Here are the additive damage values, paired with what they actually are in-game:» Additive value (number of Chargers [%]) = Compounding value1620 (0 [000%]) = 16201944 (1 [020%}) = 19442268 (1 [040%]) = 22682592 (2 [060%]) = 27212916 (2 [080%)] = 31753240 (3 [100%)] = 38103564 (3 [120%)] = 44453888 (4 [140%]) = 53344212 (4 [160%]) = 62234536 (5 [180%]) = 74684860 (5 [200%]) = 87125184 (6 [220%]) = 104555508 (6 [240%]) = 121975832 (7 [260%]) = 146376156 (7 [280%]) = 170766480 (8 [300%]) = 204926804 (8 [320%]) = 239077128 (9 [340%]) = 286897128 (9 [360%]) = 334707776 (10 [380%]) = 401658100 (10 [400%]) = 468598424 (11 [420%]) = 562318748 (11 [440%]) = 65602I've only tested this up to 11 Chargers, but obviously, more would only increase it. There is an upper limit because of the Charger's range, though.I started working on this video two years ago. Blergh.
Camera Focus Error [glitch] - Zack Zero DukeSetz 2015-09-30 | This fight with Silobnic tries to lock you in with an invisible wall, but it's easily bypassed, resulting in this bizarre camera glitch.On level eight ("Caught in a Web"), work you way to the very end of the stage and trigger the boss fight against Silobnic, the giant mechanical spider. Then, head backward towards the overhand at the entrance of the arena and leap up to the highest platform. Run off the edge, double jump, and surf over the pillar of green fire. Despite being designed to block you from escaping, the pillar isn't tall enough to stop you. Once you're over it, you can continue backwards through the level, but the camera will pivot based on the boss arena, leading to a wildly wrong angle.It's also incredibly easy to jump over the invisible wall using the Infinite Jump.Infinite Jump: [ youtube.com/watch?v=no94fys5y5I ]Obviously, the collision box on the pillar of green smoke wasn't as tall as it needed to be. This would've easily been found in normal circumstances, but I think this game suffered from a lack of QA testers. Regardless, I thought this was amusing enough to share on its own, though it serves no practical purpose. If you're interested in seeing how to glitch this fight out to make it go quicker, check out this video:Faster Silobnic fight: [ youtube.com/watch?v=AicKx6vAgSA ]
Stair Fling [speedrun trick] - Lucidity DukeSetz 2015-09-28 | Combining a Slingshot and a Staircase can greatly increase the distance Sofi travels in a speedrun.Once you've reached level five, you get access to the Slingshot, an imperative item for speedrunning because it's the only one that pushes Sofi through stages faster. Providing you're on flat ground, placing a Staircase immediately in front of a Slingshot shoots her over it and gives her significant height over a normal shot. Additionally, if you place it immediately in front but one block above the Slingshot, the Staircase will further increase the distance traveled.It's important to note that misclicking becomes a huge issue now. If you place a Staircase two blocks out from the Slingshot, you either almost or completely stop Sofi. Also, remember that this is only applicable when Sofi walks into a Slingshot -- falling or jumping up into a Slingshot will have different results. (I may do a video on this as well.)Luckily this makes a speedrun an intense test of not only swapping to the Slingshot and getting it placed for maximum speed, but also dexterously adding staircases when possible. Despite the game being very simple and straightforward, a speedrun is actually quite difficult since the blocks you're given are determined randomly. This means you need to be quick to mentally process the block you're given as well as fast enough to place the appropriate one down.
Ostrich Dive [glitch] - Dark Storm VR Missions DukeSetz 2015-09-25 | Here's an weird little oversight that lets you peer and shoot through the floor.Once you have an Assault Rifle or SMG, you can press the middle mouse button to fire a rocket. Run forward, aim upward, and perform a Dolphine Dive. Before the animation finishes, press the middle mouse button to shoot off the rocket, temporarily locking Amber's upper torso in a different state than the dive. After you regain control, fire your gun once to keep Amber in this state, or she will snap back to the proper upper body position. Now until you change stances, you can shoot into objects below the floor.I believe this is a miscommunication between the upper torso and lower torso, which are made independent for the purposes of animation. When Amber fires the rocket, the game tells her upper body to set to a specific state for a period of a few seconds, just like her upper body position changes when firing a gun. Without further input, Amber will move back into an idle state -- again, just like when you fire and then stand still momentarily. But by firing again, Amber is set into an "active" state, which I'm guessing tells the game that her upper torso is positioned correctly.Of course, with levels being very flat at the moment, this glitch doesn't provide much opportunity. While shooting beneath you could be absolutely incredible in a multi-tiered level and a sniper rifle, it's just not applicable yet. You also have to be fairly careful when firing the rocket, because if the ceiling is too low, you'll end up killing yourself. I still haven't managed to find the exact combination of movements to trigger the running glitch shown in the video (where Amber looks like she's running forward when she's moving in any other direction), but it has something to do with using your gun or fine aim mode.Despite the video, I actually enjoy this game a lot even in this pretty glitchy state, and I'd love to see it finished. If it looks interesting to you, be sure to check out the Kickstarter or download the demo on Steam and try it yourself.Kickstarter: [ kickstarter.com/projects/1201252455/dark-storm-ascension ]Steam: [ http://store.steampowered.com/app/395150 ]
Slip CQC [glitch] - Dark Storm VR Missions DukeSetz 2015-09-23 | You can do a whole bunch of different things in the middle of a CQC takedown, including repositioning, firing, and reloading. This is also a good way to trigger the Floor Assassin glitch:Floor Assassin: [ youtube.com/watch?v=SUTlA6qJOuA ]After activating the takedown animation, you can perform a combat roll to slip past the guard and finish up the kill from a distance. This lets you move behind an obstacle or push Amber further forward. Additionally, if you're holding a semi-automatic weapon like the assault rifle or the SMG, it's possible to fire before the takedown and continue holding it through the rest of attack, letting you shoot other guards at the same time. And lastly, you can reload just before CQC to trigger a funny looking death.Obviously, the problem is that the player states weren't locked off and disabled between actions. Rolling is a pretty clear case of accidentally leaving it in the player's moveset during specific moves. While firing your gun is normally impossible during CQC, there's nothing telling the game to stop firing if the player was already doing it. Similarly, reloading is queued before the melee attack but not interrupted.I imagine this could have some use in some very scripted situations, though reloading and rolling are the only "quiet" actions. Firing your assault rifle isn't going to be useful unless you have a very clear path and predictable circumstance. Given that the guards spawn at the entrance and/or exit of every map, that might be tough to determine.Also note that diving and then performing the takedown allows you to very easily slip into the Floor Assassin state, meaning that you have a faster way of getting there than crouching and going prone repeatedly.Despite the video, I actually enjoy this game a lot even in this pretty glitchy state, and I'd love to see it finished. If it looks interesting to you, be sure to check out the Kickstarter or download the demo on Steam and try it yourself.Kickstarter: [ kickstarter.com/projects/1201252455/dark-storm-ascension ]Steam: [ http://store.steampowered.com/app/395150 ]
Double Carry [glitch] - Dark Storm VR Missions DukeSetz 2015-09-21 | With a bit of careful maneuvering, Amber can carry multiple soldiers around with her.When you have two guards knocked out or killed, stand above one and pick him up using Z. Once he's on your back, go into first-person mode and fire your gun, then exit first-person mode. After a moment, Amber will twitch slightly, allowing you to hit Z to send her back to the standard stance. You'll notice that she isn't holding the guard up anymore, but he's still bound to her and following her movement. Now if you stand over another guard and press Z, she'll pick that one up as well, placing him in the exact same position as the previous soldier.I imagine this is just a tick of the different player states: the game "forgets" that you're carrying a body between the third-person and first-person camera switch, thinking it needs to return you to a normal state. The twitch strikes me as the game reorienting her character animation to the position that it thinks it should be, which is the "neutral" pose after you've stopped shooting for a few seconds. The following input of Z to pick up a body reminds the game again that it shouldn't be in this stance, so it switches again, granting you the ability to pick up another body.I could see this having some use in the standard game, given that consolidating your movement and your victims into one place has a lot of potential in a stealth run. It's also fairly easy to shed some of the extra bodies where needed, since you're not stifled by an animation. Unfortunately, you can't sprint, roll, or change stance while you're like this, so it's not exactly the speediest of tricks. While I haven't tested it yet, I believe this would work for more than just two soldiers. Sometimes the trick doesn't seem to function properly, so I need to mess around with it a bit more to make sure I've narrowed down the necessary actions to perform it. That said, the guide here is pretty consistent when it comes to just one soldier on your back.I also included a few other quirks, such as entering first-person mode once you've thrown away one of the bodies, crouch carrying, and crawl carrying. So far, there doesn't seem to be much use to any of these besides crouch carrying. During the pickup animation, you can toggle between stances, and moving to a crouching state lets you reduce noise and profile. Additionally, you can move back to a standing position at any time, though you won't be able to return to the crouched position.Despite the video, I actually enjoy this game a lot even in this pretty glitchy state, and I'd love to see it finished. If it looks interesting to you, be sure to check out the Kickstarter or download the demo on Steam and try it yourself.Kickstarter: [ kickstarter.com/projects/1201252455/dark-storm-ascension ]Steam: [ http://store.steampowered.com/app/395150 ]
Capital Prime OOB [glitch] - RAGE DukeSetz 2015-09-17 | It's pretty easy to fall outside of the map in the Eastern Wasteland right at the entrance to Capital Prime. All you need is a fancy car.After you've disabled the Authority Bridge lasers, drive over the Capital Prime and ram your car into the entrance tunnel. When you climb out, you'll be placed on top of the car, poking through the ceiling of the hole. It's somewhat difficult to move, but if you get positioned just right while jumping at the upper right corner, you can squeeze through a gap in the collision and fall off of the map.Since there's so little standing room for the player once you've exited the vehicle, the game naturally has to place you where it can find standing room, and unfortunately that standing room pushes you through the ceiling. Being halfway embedded in a collision field bypasses a lot of potential safeguards they might have put in.I imagine this wasn't found by testers (though I could be wrong) because the visual of the narrow tunnel implies that you have to go on foot, even though it's not explicit or restrictive in any way. You get somewhat programmed into thinking you need to leave your vehicle once you reach a destination on the minimap, so ramming your whole car into it probably wasn't expected.Luckily, this is a fairly minor issue, even though it results in death for the player. You have to be looking for a gap and looking to exploit this oversight to actually fall victim to it, especially since you can return to your vehicle at any time and simply reverse out of the tunnel. I apologize for nothing.Check out the game on Steam: [ http://store.steampowered.com/app/9200 ]
Lift Drift [glitch] - RAGE DukeSetz 2015-09-16 | There's a lift in the atrium of the Gearhead Vault that suffers from an amusing problem when you activate it twice. It mostly involves falling through it or getting stuck in it.After you progress through a chunk of the Gearhead Vault, you'll arrive back at the central plaza through a convenient elevator. You'll notice, though, the elevator lever can be pulled twice if done quickly, resulting in the lift moving slightly further than it should. If you pull it twice at the top of the lift, you'll go lower and sink into the floor; if you pull it twice at the bottom of the lift, you'll go higher and pass into the ceiling.You can get permanently stuck by taking the lift higher, since the ceiling won't automatically kill you as you move into it -- it will simply keep trying until you unobstruct its pathway with your body. (Note that you can still die in numerous ways around certain elements, such as the ropes holding the elevator.) When you push the lift into the floor, it's quite easy to reach a point where you can just crouch, pushing you beneath the ground and onto the elevator floor, and then walk off underneath the map to your death.There's also a variety of weird problems I show off, such as falling through the elevator floor, getting lifted up with the elevator by the head, and ending up stuck in position. Although I haven't tested it much yet, I believe these specific problems are caused by the elevator lever having collision, and when it's pulled, it can actually push your character with it.All told, this is the game accidentally forcing the lift to perform the same action twice because the lever doesn't cut off player interaction immediately after the first pull. With the first activation, the lift begins moving, followed by another activation that thinks the lift is stopped. The second activation then pulls the lift for its entire distance as well, unaware that it's not settling in the place it expected. This is interesting because the lift has a pre-programmed speed and distance it moves instead of a mandated destination. In other words, there's no interpolation from the start and stop of the elevator. If there was, activating the switch twice would be meaningless. I imagine this was to prevent unexpected physics glitches like you might see in other games, though I imagine it's more time-consuming to put together.Obviously, this is largely an out-of-bounds trick that (as far as I can tell) serves no practical purpose. That being said, this is the only elevator I've tested it on and there may be a few others with similar issues that use the same lever system, such as inside the Power Plant. I've experimented with one or two other elevators, such as the one in the garage of Subway Town that leads to Marshall and Elizabeth, and I've found they seem to have a few oversights. So far, nothing serious, though.Check out the game on Steam: [ http://store.steampowered.com/app/9200 ]
Bridge Barrier Bypass [glitch] - RAGE DukeSetz 2015-09-15 | You can skip over the laser barrier that leads to the final section of the game with a careful ramp jump.Once you reach the Eastern Wasteland, drive over to the Authority Bridge, which is guarded by a laser beam barrier and two guards. Using a well-known aspect of the engine where ramps and stairs add greater height to your jumps, you can leap off of a small mound of dirt to the left side of the barrier and maneuver your way over. Additionally, you can also park your car next to the beams and use it as a stepladder.This is the unfortunate result of not making the beams high enough. If they were spaced out just a bit more or there was another beam, this wouldn't be possible. I imagine it's much easier to tie deactivation to an object and just build the collision into the object than it is to implement an invisible barrier on top of it.The frustrating part is that this is only useful in the quest to deactivate the bridge lasers -- you can't use it to then access Capital Prime early, because you need the quest for that to trigger the console in its tunnel. Nonetheless, this seems faster and easier than going through the elevator path, or by launching over the barrier by car. From my lack of experience at the moment, though, I can't say whether this holds any use in a speedrun.Check out the game on Steam: [ http://store.steampowered.com/app/9200 ]
Death Teleporters [glitch] - Dark Storm VR Missions DukeSetz 2015-09-10 | These teleporters have a weird little problem. Turns out that doing something in the middle of them teleporting you results in you dying.When you're approaching a teleporter, get into a stance that will allow you to immediately perform another action -- such as a Crawlphin Dive with a combat roll in the middle, not something like going into fine aim. Right after you make contact with the teleporter, start doing this extra action to try to interrupt the teleportation process. (It may help to spam stance changes.) If you pulled it off, you'll materialize in space but never find ground, falling until you hit an insta-kill barrier.I could be wrong, but it seems like teleportation is a two-step process. It might teleport you to the location and then load in the level underneath you, or it teleports you to an unknown location and then tosses you to the level once it's loaded. Either way, this interrupts a key part of that sequence, which seems odd considering that player actions shouldn't override console actions. It seems like the teleport command is stacked ONTO Amber.Obviously, you don't want this happening in normal gameplay, so I largely wanted to point out that it's kinda funny, it's possible, and it's avoidable. These teleporters aren't a certainty, and I've had a few instances where I've teleported into nothing -- so don't cavort with teleports.As an additional note, you can teleport to specific areas of the VR hub by typing "re requesting transport" into the console [`] and selecting one of the areas.These clips were recorded in Prototype 0.6.7.I actually enjoy this game a lot even though it's in a pretty glitchy state right now, and I'd love to see it finished. If it looks interesting to you, be sure to check out the Kickstarter or download the demo on Steam and try it yourself.Kickstarter: [ kickstarter.com/projects/1201252455/dark-storm-ascension ]Steam: [ http://store.steampowered.com/app/395150 ]
Double Dive Lock [glitch] - Dark Storm VR Missions DukeSetz 2015-09-09 | Abusing another glitch with the Dolphine Dive, you can repeatedly leap forward and completely lock down your camera, making it impossible to regain mouse control.Find a space to run and sprint, followed by a dive. In the middle of the dive, press sprint again to pseudo-cancel the dive, hold it, and then press Ctrl to dive again. If timed correctly, you'll perform another dive before the first one has ended, allowing you to float along with a constant dive. Do it enough times and the camera will get confused, thinking you're still in a dive animation and preventing you from moving it at all.Again, this is another issue with the dive not stopping extra player actions in the middle of it. In this case, though, it breaks and doesn't properly end the original dive. This is pretty serious only because camera movement is disabled when diving, thus if the dive never completes, you will never get camera control back. Ironically, you still have all of your movement capabilities unrestrained, so you can continue to perform this glitch.Camera locking is a pretty serious problem -- and sometimes you have means of fixing it because camera systems are pretty robust -- but the only solution here is to reload the checkpoint.I think I'll probably find a few minor things inside of this glitch that may be exploited in other ways, simply because the dive is the most vulnerable player state at the given time.These clips were recorded in Prototype 0.6.7.I actually enjoy this game a lot even though it's in a pretty glitchy state right now, and I'd love to see it finished. If it looks interesting to you, be sure to check out the Kickstarter or download the demo on Steam and try it yourself.Kickstarter: [ kickstarter.com/projects/1201252455/dark-storm-ascension ]Steam: [ http://store.steampowered.com/app/395150 ]
Floating Crawlphin Dive [glitch] - Dark Storm VR Missions DukeSetz 2015-09-08 | A special little add-on to the Crawlphin Dive lets you float a bit off the ground while you do it.Crawlphin Dive: [ youtube.com/watch?v=XRDkF8LnaII ]Anywhere you have space to run, sprint and perform a normal dive, but in the middle of the animation, press prone (Ctrl) a second time. This should make Amber land higher than she typically should, treating the floor as if it were two feet higher. Additionally, you can still perform the fast crawl by diving, rolling, and then going prone in the middle of the animation, letting you not only float, but fly across the airways.As an aside, you can use this to easily get into the Floor Assassin state.Floor Assassin: [ youtube.com/watch?v=SUTlA6qJOuA ]As I think I've demonstrated by this point, the diving mechanic doesn't have as many safeguards as it needs to prevent multiple actions. These multiple actions confuse the game and result in a lot of buggy player states. This can be fixed by locking out other actions during the Dolphine Dive animation, which shouldn't hinder gameplay too much, though I will miss shooting while diving. What's odd is that the game locks out camera control during a dive, but practically no other forms of input that I've found. While I like it, this add-on doesn't provide much that the previous Crawlphin Dive couldn't... beyond floating. Potentially it could offer you a higher vantage point if you needed to dive and then fire, but the added height doesn't seem to affect your interactions with objects for the most part. But as usual, it's entertaining. Since the game is still in its early builds, it's hard to see practical applications for some of these glitches at the moment.These clips were recorded in Prototype 0.6.7.I actually enjoy this game a lot even though it's in a pretty glitchy state right now, and I'd love to see it finished. If it looks interesting to you, be sure to check out the Kickstarter or download the demo on Steam and try it yourself.Kickstarter: [ kickstarter.com/projects/1201252455/dark-storm-ascension ]Steam: [ http://store.steampowered.com/app/395150 ]
Inverted FOV [glitch] - Dark Storm VR Missions DukeSetz 2015-09-07 | Get ready to get sick: this is a really odd bug that messes with the camera, flipping it upside-down and cranking up the field-of-view to some ludicrous levels.To start, reload the checkpoint by either accessing the menu, hitting F9, or typing "quickloadgame" into the console. Now, whenever you are in first-person mode, firing your gun causes the camera to jerk backward and widen the FOV over the course of a few frames shortly before returning to normal. During the time where the view is backing up, you can press F to switch back to third-person, locking the camera to the position it was at when you pressed the button. This can result in some really sickening angles, so be sure to not play with this for too long.Obviously, there's some sort of issue where the game doesn't set the camera back properly once you reload a checkpoint, and it's possible that firing the gun causes a change in a few values that begin to freak the whole system out. Only once the gun has finished the firing animation does the camera return to normal, meaning that this is likely tied to the kickback (recoil) of the gun. It strikes me like this is purely a mathematical oversight, triggered by an unusual situation and set of variables.It doesn't take much to do this glitch, and it of course benefits you in no way whatsoever. But hey, it's... entertaining, right?These clips were recorded in Prototype 0.6.7.I actually enjoy this game a lot even though it's in a pretty glitchy state right now, and I'd love to see it finished. If it looks interesting to you, be sure to check out the Kickstarter or download the demo on Steam and try it yourself.Kickstarter: [ kickstarter.com/projects/1201252455/dark-storm-ascension ]Steam: [ http://store.steampowered.com/app/395150 ]
Bootgun [glitch] - Dark Storm VR Missions DukeSetz 2015-09-06 | Okay, so it's not REALLY a gun, but this weird interaction with fine aim mode and picking up bodies results in a glitch that's funny and irreversible.Anytime you're near the body of a guard, trigger your fine aim a split-second before picking up the body. If done correctly, you'll be able to fire while Amber loads the soldier onto her shoulders, after which the game will move back into the typical fine aim camera angle. From this point, you can fire as normal, but you can't sprint, crouch, or exit fine aim mode. But if you go into first-person, it looks like you're firing out of the guy's shoe!Realistically, this is a serious conflict between the two actions: picking up a body prevents you from sprinting, crouching, or going into fine aim, and fine aim prevents you from picking up (or setting down) a body. The two lock each other out, preventing the player from breaking free of the glitch. You can still CQC enemies, but while your fine aim state will be sorta broken, the game still considers you as carrying a guard. Even using the training area to despawn the carried soldier doesn't fix the issue.Unfortunately, the Bootgun is the only useful thing out of this entire glitch. It's pretty great, though.These clips were recorded in Prototype 0.6.7.Despite the video, I actually enjoy this game a lot even in this pretty glitchy state, and I'd love to see it finished. If it looks interesting to you, be sure to check out the Kickstarter or download the demo on Steam and try it yourself.Kickstarter: [ kickstarter.com/projects/1201252455/dark-storm-ascension ]Steam: [ http://store.steampowered.com/app/395150 ]
Secret weapons & spawn guns - Dark Storm VR Missions DukeSetz 2015-09-05 | I found some hidden stuff rooting through the console commands, including two new weapons! Also: how to spawn yourself weapons at any time.To open the console, hit the tilde key [`]. Type "AllWeapons" to instantly spawn two unknown guns into your hand. One is a large black rifle with some sort of purple energy shaft. The other is a white cone-shaped gun that's a little less overt about its purpose. Unfortunately, neither gun fires and you can't pick up any ammo for them. But... you can... like... look at them.From here on, all objects are spawned using the following console command: "GiveWeapon darkstorm.weapon_[weapon name]".First up is the ammo box ("weapon_AmmoBox"). This hasn't seen any implementation in the game to my knowledge and it's probably an asset for longer VR missions to refill your ammo. Or it could be some leftover Unreal asset.Next we have the medic bag ("weapon_MedicBag"). This comes packaged with one "shot," though I don't believe it had any effect on my health whatsoever. I seem to always throw one on the ground while trying to cycle to it, for reasons I can't explain.But what if you want to just get some guns? Here are the codes for all the weapons shown in this current build:AR20 Assault Rifle - Weapon_AR20Devastator Shotgun - Weapon_DevastatorHellmaker Sniper Rifle - Weapon_HellmakerP28 Pistol - Weapon_PistolMP-167 Baikal SMG - Weapon_RepeaterRevolver - Weapon_RevolverThere's a few other weapons in the console command list that I couldn't seem to access, so I imagine they're either unspawnable or they're just not implemented in any form other than code currently.These clips were recorded in Prototype 0.6.7.I actually enjoy this game a lot even though it's in a pretty glitchy state right now, and I'd love to see it finished. If it looks interesting to you, be sure to check out the Kickstarter or download the demo on Steam and try it yourself.Kickstarter: [ kickstarter.com/projects/1201252455/dark-storm-ascension ]Steam: [ http://store.steampowered.com/app/395150 ]
Initialization Chamber OOB [glitch] - Dark Storm VR Missions DukeSetz 2015-09-04 | A short video to show off that you can break outside of this opening room where you enter the VR machine, with very little effort.Right at the opening of this section, use the Crawlevator to dive onto or nudge your way to the top of the stack of boxes. Once you're there, you can just go prone and push against the wall to rise up into it, allowing you to drop down into the black void just outside of the circle-shaped room.Crawlevator: [ youtube.com/watch?v=4RrmZtFXRKE ]The only factor here allowing this break to happen is the wall being one of the few objects that pushes you upward with the Crawlevator. Without the wall, I think this section is wrapped up pretty tight to prevent the player sneaking out of the predefined areas. Of course, it's impossible to get out of the black void once you drop in, so it's not like you can run off into some skybox or climb on top of the room.These clips were recorded in Prototype 0.6.7.Despite the video, I actually enjoy this game a lot even in this pretty glitchy state, and I'd love to see it finished. If it looks interesting to you, be sure to check out the Kickstarter or download the demo on Steam and try it yourself.Kickstarter: [ kickstarter.com/projects/1201252455/dark-storm-ascension ]Steam: [ http://store.steampowered.com/app/395150 ]
Crawlphin Dive [glitch] - Dark Storm VR Missions DukeSetz 2015-09-03 | By interrupting your Dolphine Dive, you can place yourself in a crawling position while gaining three times your standard crawling speed.Any place where you have space to run, sprint forward and perform a Dolphine Dive (Ctrl). Before the dive finishes, perform a combat roll (space bar) to blend the two actions together. You'll land in a prone state, but you'll move as if you were standing up and walking.What likely happens here is that both actions finish and combine their effects together for this fast crawl: the Dolphine Dive places you in a prone position, but the combat roll places you in a standing position. Since the Dolphine Dive likely sets you in prone near the beginning of the animation, the combat roll momentarily interrupts it, but applies its own characteristics to the process, including standard walking speed. This faster crawl is extremely useful, but also somewhat limited. While you still make the same noise as if you were walking. your profile is lower and you're harder to see. I could see this being used in specific sections of a speedrun since it's a snap to perform.Here are the results of the speedtest I only showed a selection of in the video:1st: Running - 4:042nd (tie): Walking/Fast Crawl - 8:183rd: Crouch - 14:284th: Crawl - 21:22These clips were recorded in Prototype 0.6.7.Despite the video, I actually enjoy this game a lot even in this pretty glitchy state, and I'd love to see it finished. If it looks interesting to you, be sure to check out the Kickstarter or download the demo on Steam and try it yourself.Kickstarter: [ kickstarter.com/projects/1201252455/dark-storm-ascension ]Steam: [ http://store.steampowered.com/app/395150 ]
Crawlevator [glitch] - Dark Storm VR Missions DukeSetz 2015-09-02 | Due to some oversights with Amber's collision box while prone, you can quickly climb certain obstacles to stand on top of invisible walls and potentially bypass guards.With low obstacles and a few specific assets, you can go prone and nudge yourself against the object to push yourself on top of it (you can also occasionally perform a Dolphine Dive for similar effect). This works particularly well with the smaller orange boxes, some of the shorter blue walls, and areas next to stairways. Sometimes you'll find yourself high up on an invisible wall.Again, this is most likely a side effect of Amber's prone hitbox expanding her horizontal reach. Since the boxes have no real physics presence, the game probably takes the path of least resistence when trying to figure out what to do with Amber and pushes her upward instead of backward. The result is a gradual ascension to the top of the object with very little fuss.Right now, this glitch doesn't have an incredible amount of purpose because guards are a little too hyper-aware and the exploit points are somewhat sparse. Bypassing big groups of soldiers by walking on an invisible ceiling above them sounds like a lot of fun, though, and it doesn't take much effort once you find an object that works. I imagine this will be patched out quickly.These clips were recorded in Prototype 0.6.7.Despite the video, I actually enjoy this game a lot even in this pretty glitchy state, and I'd love to see it finished. If it looks interesting to you, be sure to check out the Kickstarter or download the demo on Steam and try it yourself.Kickstarter: [ kickstarter.com/projects/1201252455/dark-storm-ascension ]Steam: [ http://store.steampowered.com/app/395150 ]
Sprint Aiming [glitch] - Dark Storm VR Missions DukeSetz 2015-09-01 | This is an interesting animation glitch that allows you to sprint from inside fine aim mode.You can trigger this glitch anytime you have a gun with leftover ammo. Fire off a few shots in fine aim mode and then reload. Shortly after Amber ejects the magazine, hit Shift to begin sprinting. If done correctly, your movement speed will double, allowing you to run and sorta aim simultaneously. If you begin sprinting too early into the reloading animation, Amber will exit fine aim and sprint as normal.I feel like this happens because of some sort of hiccup in the animation system (like incorrect ordering), which seems to be a common problem. Since it only happens at a certain phase in the reloading animation, it's possibly a result of the separation of Amber's upper body from her lower body. I believe they're independent for better animation, and I would imagine the reload animation temporarily interrupts fine aim, only to return back to it. When you interrupt that reload animation, though, it continues holding the fine aim view.This is pretty simple to perform, but it isn't extremely useful. Firing kicks you out of sprint mode, meaning it can't be used for both speed and offensive. Nonetheless, it could be used along with the infinite stamina trick to have permanent fine aim sprinting. In fact, the reload animation might actually help you to perform the infinite stamina trick, but I haven't tested it.Infinite Stamina: [ youtube.com/watch?v=4uY7A4_Up1w ]These clips were recorded in Prototype 0.6.7.Despite the video, I actually enjoy this game a lot even in this pretty glitchy state, and I'd love to see it finished. If it looks interesting to you, be sure to check out the Kickstarter or download the demo on Steam and try it yourself.Kickstarter: [ kickstarter.com/projects/1201252455/dark-storm-ascension ]Steam: [ http://store.steampowered.com/app/395150 ]
Infinite Stamina [glitch] - Dark Storm VR Missions DukeSetz 2015-08-31 | It's possible to run continually using careful timing, likely based on animation.At several points in your stamina bar, it's possible to run past the point where you would fatigue. The most consistent point I could find was about 1/16 of the way down the stamina bar, so getting this consistently requires some effort and analysis.I believe this is due to a problem with the running animation. There's a period where the running animation resets (naturally), and it seems like that shift provides a temporary blindness to Amber's stamina. Once it's ignored going to its minimum, it simply continues long past it. Alternatively, it could be some sort of mathematical miscalculation, which I unfortunately don't have enough insight into to reason out.This glitch is great for high mobility speedruns and time trials, but it's wildly inconsistent. It would require practice to hit the mark repeatedly, with the good news being that it's easily accessible. There's no complicated set of circumstances and actions to memorize, just hit Shift at the right time.These clips were recorded in Prototype 0.6.7.Despite the video, I actually enjoy this game a lot even in this pretty glitchy state, and I'd love to see it finished. If it looks interesting to you, be sure to check out the Kickstarter or download the demo on Steam and try it yourself.Kickstarter: [ kickstarter.com/projects/1201252455/dark-storm-ascension ]Steam: [ http://store.steampowered.com/app/395150 ]
Floor Assassin [glitch] - Dark Storm VR Missions DukeSetz 2015-08-30 | Tactical Underground Stealth Action. This crazy-looking glitch lets you drop yourself down into the floor and sneak up on unsuspecting land-based mammals.On any flat surface, cycle rapidly between crouching and prone. (Sometimes you may need to move a bit as well.) If done correctly, you'll sink into the floor and end up in a crouching position with just your head cresting above the tiles. When you stop moving, you'll drop back down into the depths from which you inserted yourself. You can also easily perform Physics Crushes while in the ground, since it's incredibly confusing for the game.Physics Crush: [ youtube.com/watch?v=7d3BqWrZqf0 ]This likely happens because of confused hitboxes, with the crouch position not placing Amber quite right when switching to prone. Repeated switching exacerbates the problem and pushes her into the ground. I believe she doesn't fall straight through because the tiles are actually cube-shaped assets that appear invisible from the inside, feeding into the illusion that Amber's walking on nothing sometimes.The glitch isn't supremely useful because the ground doesn't act to impair the vision of guards, meaning you get caught out even when they shouldn't be able to see you. Additionally, cover doesn't help you either, because it typically doesn't extend through the floor. The soldiers will see you at the bottom of their cone of vision, underneath any wall or pillar. Still, it's a funny glitch that's simple to pull off even if it's far too slow for any speedruns or time trials.Otherwise, it's important to point out that you can't do this on stairs and sloped surfaces, at least as I can gather from my testing. These clips were recorded in Prototype 0.6.7.Despite the video, I actually enjoy this game a lot even in this pretty glitchy state, and I'd love to see it finished. If it looks interesting to you, be sure to check out the Kickstarter or download the demo on Steam and try it yourself.Kickstarter: [ kickstarter.com/projects/1201252455/dark-storm-ascension ]Steam: [ http://store.steampowered.com/app/395150 ]
Physics Crush [glitch] - Dark Storm VR Missions DukeSetz 2015-08-29 | Ever wanted to vaporize a guard by falling on him? This trick lets you instantly knock a guard nearly out of existence by getting next to him and lying down, leaving no trace of the body.This can be done with any soldier you encounter. Simply approach the guard while in a standing or crouching pose, get extremely close, and then press Ctrl to go prone. If you did it right, the guard will disappear in a single frame with a loud crashing sound. This sometimes also works by starting in the prone position and standing up.I believe this happens because of Amber's collision box: When standing up or crouching, her hitbox is much differently shaped than when she's prone, particularly it's flatter and pushes out horizontally. Shifting from a narrow cube to a flattened rectangle poses complex physics calculations for anything caught in the transition between.It's difficult to tell exactly what happens, but I believe it displaces the soldier upward to make room for the prone collision box at an extremely high velocity, which launches them into the stratosphere. Alternatively, it could potentially push them through the floor or into a wall based off unpredictable physics. (If you would like to see these collision boxes, press tilde [`] to open the console and type "show collision".)This probably isn't extremely valuable, but it could be quite useful in a number of circumstances.1) It's done within the same range as the standard combat takedown (CQC),2) it's faster than the combat takedown, and3) it typically immediately disposes of the body.Nonetheless, it sometimes triggers guards because it's noisy. Additionally, the guard isn't always vaporized, he'll sometimes just be pushed into a wall and capable of spotting you because of some unfortunate vision issues. It's quite easy to perform and sometimes you'll do it by accident even just standing up next to a guard.It's worth noting that I've gotten Amber caught in a animation loop where she switches constantly between standing and crouching position. This has similar effects to standing-to-prone method, but I haven't found it possible to do consistently without the animation glitch from standing-to-crouching.These clips were recorded in Prototype 0.6.7.Despite the video, I actually enjoy this game a lot even in this pretty glitchy state, and I'd love to see it finished. If it looks interesting to you, be sure to check out the Kickstarter or download the demo on Steam and try it yourself.Kickstarter: [ kickstarter.com/projects/1201252455/dark-storm-ascension ]Steam: [ http://store.steampowered.com/app/395150 ]
Advent Revising v2.0 - How to install DukeSetz 2015-07-24 | [ http://www.miketyndall.com/setz/Advent%20Revising ]This video provides general instructions on installing the Advent Revising patch onto your copy of Advent Rising.1) Download one of the packs (Essentials, Lite, Full)2) Download the config files [ drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B8HXTY7NgrQVfjIxcGVBWjFpOFVEUGdFamE2QUVNRnQwUmVkbVlvZ3MxaXc3ZWZlcmRyeXc?resourcekey=0-fS7bwGe8wUj1B2955Q0vNA ]3) Place in Advent Rising's root folder4) UnzipBe sure to check out the FAQ available on the website: [ http://www.miketyndall.com/setz/Advent%20Revising/FAQ.html ]Get the triggers to work on Xbox One/360 controllers using third-party programs: [ http://www.gog.com/forum/advent_rising/heres_how_to_get_xbox_360_controller_to_work/post11 ]
Advent Revising v2.0 - Cutscene comparisons DukeSetz 2015-07-24 | [ http://www.miketyndall.com/setz/Advent%20Revising ]This is a small selection of edits made to cutscenes from Advent Rising with the Advent Revising patch. Note that this video only features 8 cutscenes of the patch's 83, but these edits showcase multiple major corrections, such as fixing desynced audio and visual errors.See the Advent Revising trailer here for more information: [ youtube.com/watch?v=ZttLtmXFv2M ]For more details on the edits made, refer to the ReadMe file included with the patch.
Advent Revising v2.0 - Advent Rising fan patch DukeSetz 2015-07-24 | [ http://www.miketyndall.com/setz/Advent%20Revising ]Advent Revising is an unofficial fan patch designed to improve the cinematics of Advent Rising.This English patch does not fix gameplay issues, but corrects common problems with movie playback such as audio desync, low framerate, and inaccurate lip-syncing, as well as replacing the content that was cut in the PC version of the game. Additionally, in-game subtitles have been completely redone, rewritten, and retimed.Version 2.0 adds significant visual and audio updates to 83 cutscenes (over two hours of content), as well as improved lip-syncing.Features new to v2.0 include:- Higher quality Xbox-exclusive cutscenes- All cutscenes re-edited, with visual corrections- 15 cutscenes new to patch v2.00- 7 newly edited movie filesCutscene comparisons: [ youtube.com/watch?v=FNZWuaSbMm0 ]How to install: [ youtube.com/watch?v=PxZpre5tm4M ]Be sure to check out the FAQ available on the website: [ http://www.miketyndall.com/setz/Advent%20Revising/FAQ.html ]Don't just relive it. Revise it.
Advent Revising teaser DukeSetz 2015-07-22 | This was a weird little teaser I made for the newest version of my Advent Rising fan patch, Advent Revising. Check out that video here: [ youtube.com/watch?v=ZttLtmXFv2M ]
Zack Zero - 21m59s speedrun (sped up) DukeSetz 2014-01-12 | This is my rough, segmented speedrun of Zack Zero for PC, made to set a ballpark figure on the total time of a single-segment run. Technically this is a New Game+ save since Zack has all his powers here, but this doesn't significantly affect this route. Each level was recorded individually, and I use quite a number of glitches to finish the game as fast as possible.If you would like to watch this without the sped-up segments that are just spent running on the top of the world, click here to see the full unedited run:[ youtube.com/watch?v=GoAxGfpDj0Y ]Highlights of the run:[ 3:38 - 3:55 ] - Fast boss fight[ 6:47 - 7:28 ] - Skipping past air vents[ 8:31 - 8:56 ] - Skipping entire level[ 10:13 - 11:02 ] - Silobnic (spider boss) fight[ 12:28 - 12:44 ] - Bypassing rock boss[ 13:36 - 13:48 ] - Z-Shifting past midbossMost of the tricks I use are detailed in individual videos throughout my channel: [ youtube.com/watch?v=no94fys5y5I&list=SPLJT80yTJarbjuk6tW8cgrUHeyoEHKBBt&index=1 ]The biggest tricks I use are (chronologically):Infinite Jump: [ youtube.com/watch?v=no94fys5y5I&list=SPLJT80yTJarbjuk6tW8cgrUHeyoEHKBBt&index=1 ]Faster Silobnic fight: [ youtube.com/watch?v=AicKx6vAgSA&list=SPLJT80yTJarbjuk6tW8cgrUHeyoEHKBBt&index=4 ]Z-Shifting: [ youtube.com/watch?v=_02Dj1TDakI&list=SPLJT80yTJarbjuk6tW8cgrUHeyoEHKBBt&index=3 ]This is a pretty sloppy run, but I wanted to show off the general tricks you can do in this game, so I wasn't too concerned with super high quality. The Infinite Jump glitch makes doing this run a bit boring, so I'm basically leaving this video as reference to anyone who cares more to break or speedrun this game than I care to.I haven't covered a few tricks in my other videos because they're relatively simple to learn once you do the Infinite Jump glitch, but this includes the ninth level, "Things Heat Up," where you can skip the boss entirely.Normally a giant invisible wall is generated above the boss as soon as you enter his arena, but by running on the floor above with the Infinite Jump glitch, you can drop down to the exit door behind him once he's out of camera range to bypass him. If you drop too early, you'll be kicked back in front of him and be forced to fight him, which could drain upward of three minutes from a normal run since his AI routine is extremely slow and frustrating.The other level is the seventh, "Little Creatures," which can be skipped entirely by jumping over the exit door. It makes this level take thirty seconds when it would normally be one of the longest levels in the run. Both these tricks were so simple they felt worthless to make individual videos out of.Otherwise, every mistake should be obvious, and this run shouldn't be taken as some sort of self-aggrandizing "world record" or anything like that.I timed this from the frame I gain control to the end screen results for the final level. I removed the time for the end level screens since those can be skipped.Level times:(1) Arriving At The Planet: [ 1:52 ](2) Meeting The Locals: [ 2:07 ](3) Cozy Village: [ 2:26 ](4) Visiting Their Home: [ 2:07 ](5) Into The Base: [ 2:31 ](6) Going Underground: [ 1:13 ](7) Little Creature: [ 0:25 ](8) Caught In A Web: [ 3:25 ](9) Things Heat Up: [ 3:01 ](10) On Time: [ 2:47 ]FINAL TIME: 21:59.133This was recorded on 7-16-2013 on PC.
Zack Zero - 21m59s speedrun (unedited) DukeSetz 2014-01-12 | This is my rough, segmented speedrun of Zack Zero for PC, made to set a ballpark figure on the total time of a single-segment run. Technically this is a New Game+ save since Zack has all his powers here, but this doesn't significantly affect this route. Each level was recorded individually, and I use quite a number of glitches to finish the game as fast as possible.If you would like to watch this with sped-up segments to make all the running less boring, click here to see the edited run:[ youtube.com/watch?v=CeT2wTjuGec ]Highlights of the run:[ 6:05 - 6:28 ] - Fast boss fight[ 11:05 - 11:55 ] - Skipping past air vents[ 13:25 - 13:50 ] - Skipping entire level[ 16:15 - 17:02 ] - Silobnic (spider boss) fight[ 20:13 - 20:34 ] - Bypassing rock boss[ 21:25 - 21:39 ] - Z-Shifting past midbossMost of the tricks I use are detailed in individual videos throughout my channel: [ youtube.com/watch?v=no94fys5y5I&list=SPLJT80yTJarbjuk6tW8cgrUHeyoEHKBBt&index=1 ]The biggest tricks I use are (chronologically):Infinite Jump: [ youtube.com/watch?v=no94fys5y5I&list=SPLJT80yTJarbjuk6tW8cgrUHeyoEHKBBt&index=1 ]Faster Silobnic fight: [ youtube.com/watch?v=AicKx6vAgSA&list=SPLJT80yTJarbjuk6tW8cgrUHeyoEHKBBt&index=4 ]Z-Shifting: [ youtube.com/watch?v=_02Dj1TDakI&list=SPLJT80yTJarbjuk6tW8cgrUHeyoEHKBBt&index=3 ]This is a pretty sloppy run, but I wanted to show off the general tricks you can do in this game, so I wasn't too concerned with super high quality. The Infinite Jump glitch makes doing this run a bit boring, so I'm basically leaving this video as reference to anyone who cares more to break or speedrun this game than I care to.I haven't covered a few tricks in my other videos because they're relatively simple to learn once you do the Infinite Jump glitch, but this includes the ninth level, "Things Heat Up," where you can skip the boss entirely.Normally a giant invisible wall is generated above the boss as soon as you enter his arena, but by running on the floor above with the Infinite Jump glitch, you can drop down to the exit door behind him once he's out of camera range to bypass him. If you drop too early, you'll be kicked back in front of him and be forced to fight him, which could drain upward of three minutes from a normal run since his AI routine is extremely slow and frustrating.The other level is the seventh, "Little Creatures," which can be skipped entirely by jumping over the exit door. It makes this level take thirty seconds when it would normally be one of the longest levels in the run. Both these tricks were so simple they felt worthless to make individual videos out of.Otherwise, every mistake should be obvious, and this run shouldn't be taken as some sort of self-aggrandizing "world record" or anything like that.I timed this from the frame I gain control to the end screen results for the final level. I removed the time for the end level screens since those can be skipped.Level times:(1) Arriving At The Planet: [ 1:52 ](2) Meeting The Locals: [ 2:07 ](3) Cozy Village: [ 2:26 ](4) Visiting Their Home: [ 2:07 ](5) Into The Base: [ 2:31 ](6) Going Underground: [ 1:13 ](7) Little Creature: [ 0:25 ](8) Caught In A Web: [ 3:25 ](9) Things Heat Up: [ 3:01 ](10) On Time: [ 2:47 ]FINAL TIME: 21:59.133This was recorded on 7-16-2013 on PC.
Advent Rising - 57m30s speedrun (all levels) DukeSetz 2014-01-01 | This is my any% segmented speedrun through the story mode of Advent Rising, collecting only five of the six psychic powers, skipping Shatter. The run was recorded over 46 segments, one for each map with one for initial setup and another for the Level Select trick used in 4-E. I play on easy mode (to make combat faster) without using the warp pipes to bypass chapters, but I use a variety of glitches to finish the game as fast as possible.Highlights of the run:[ 17:46 - 19:27 ] - 2-B shortcut[ 23:24 - 23:52 ] - 3-B shortcut[ 25:40 - 25:50 ] - Skipping Torn[ 26:27 - 27:20 ] - Scythe tricks, skip Ethan[ 30:39 - 30:50 ] - 4-D break[ 37:50 - 38:05 ] - Dodge Step, skipping fight[ 43:47 - 44:00 ] - Skipping 5-E[ 47:42 - 47:54 ] - Skipping Shatter[ 47:56 - 48:57 ] - Timeshuffling over levels[ 52:00 - 52:43 ] - One-shotting Skinwalker[ 53:30 - 53:50 ] - Breaking escape sequenceEvery trick I use is detailed in individual videos throughout my channel: [ http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL008BAA7D44F6D377&feature=view_all ]The biggest tricks in this run are (chronologically):Wallride: [ http://youtu.be/audM1em_yOs ]Level Select trick: [ http://youtu.be/DE17nbBUwec ]Negate speed boost: [ http://youtu.be/4KAFASX1MXU ]Dodge Step: [ http://youtu.be/l7wCg_TIILI ]Infinite Negate Shield: [ http://youtu.be/z9Uo29mZs80 ]Timeshuffle: [ http://youtu.be/snvdPchlx_A ]Skipping Shatter: [ http://youtu.be/KCg21gmzNb8 ]One-shotting Skinwalker: [ http://youtu.be/WbFxtZYIEcI ]I didn't do the H.A.Z.E. trick because I realized that reloading it while carrying Ethan actually slows your movement down considerably. It adds multiple seconds to a long and mandatory section, so I avoided it. Similarly, I realized the Skyward Shield trick in 5-B was a nightmare with lots of tricky jumps and fights for the rest of the map, meaning it would take forever for me to even get a half-decent attempt of. This let me use the Infinite Negate Shield. Otherwise, I decided to keep Aeon Pulse even though you can skip it because it makes the fight with Barrakka Bahma faster, and performing the skip takes a little bit more time to do.H.A.Z.E.: [ http://youtu.be/73C6xiXNlTk ]Skyward Shield: [ http://youtu.be/Wz2l5mVQVrM ]Skip Aeon Pulse: [ http://youtu.be/wjq0QXtY14U ]While this run was segmented so that I could replay segments to get the best time possible, there's still room for improvements and optimizations on a number of the levels. Generally, individual maps can be frustrating because of the random nature of the AI or issues involving physics, so I fully admit that this isn't a perfect run, but I believe it's quite good. About 12m20s of the run is mandatory and can't be sped up as far as I know. I calculated a rough estimate of the amount of time lost from mistakes at 55.5s. I've also done a warps speedrun on the Xbox: [ http://youtu.be/wjsYh_dwIlo ]For this run, my goal was to get sub-one hour and play all of the levels instead of using the warp pipes in 1-B and 4-B, which teleport you to 4-A and Epilogue-A respectively. A large reason for this is that I've discovered some cool tricks in the levels that you bypass by using the warp pipes, but mostly because it's impossible to access the second set of warp pipes on the PC version.For timing, I stripped out all of the loading screens and included skipping the cutscenes in the final count. I start timing from the frame before the first cutscene appears -- because players have control over ending cutscenes -- and stop once the final cutscene appears.TOTAL TIME: 57:30.800Chapter times:Prologue: 6m50.6sChapter 1: 9m01.8sChapter 2: 6m13.8sChapter 3: 4m46sChapter 4: 10m30.4sChapter 5: 10m04.2sChapter 6: 7m34.8sEpilogue: 2m29sI kept all the save files in case I wanted to redo some segments, or someone else does. Also, I moved my rough segmented run to unlisted, but it can be found here for anyone interested: [ http://youtu.be/s1W4-9BhiLQ ]Recorded between 01-07-2013 and 01-11-2013 on PC.
Zack Zero - Rock Lock, Mid-air Rock Punch DukeSetz 2013-07-21 | Switching forms during the normal form's AOE attack lets you float above the ground temporarily. Additionally, you switching rapidly to Rock form in mid-air gives you a short window to throw a Rock Punch that doesn't immobilize you. After jumping and falling relatively close to the ground, you can perform an AOE attack that will slam Zack into the floor. Once the attack is triggered, though, you can change to Ice, Fire, or Rock form to stop the animation and the fall, giving you a little bit of time to move horizontally in the direction you want. The float lasts for the duration of the full AOE attack animation, which is about 1.2 seconds.The mid-air Rock Punch on the other hand involves jumping into the air -- preferably with the Fire form -- and pressing the attack button a split-second before Zack begins falling. This trick may in fact require frame-perfect timing, but while it's easiest to perform using the Fire form's Surf, it can be done with any other forms as well. The Rock Lock isn't supremely useful, but it has potential. The easiest option is that you could simply Infinite Jump out of it, and the floating buys you a bit of time to prepare. But it's important to note that the AOE attack doesn't properly slam into the ground if you move over a cliff once it's activated, meaning that it could potentially take you further than a simple double jump could. Lastly, it's decently useful for avoiding Zack's stunned animation from long falls, instantly giving you another avenue to Infinite Jump.Theoretically the mid-air Rock Punch allows you to deal heavy damage and instantly drop to the ground to move into another attack, defeating bosses even faster. (Of note, you can't use the Rock Punch for a little while after landing.) Unfortunately, I haven't gotten this to actually work on any bosses. Likely, the sad reality of this move is that Zack must be in place and performing the animation to deal damage, and dropping out of it like this simply leaves the particle effects. Regardless, I felt it might be useful to document.Overall, these are two tricks that likely don't have much consequence on their own, but it's useful knowledge for someone interested in speedrunning the game.
Zack Zero - Faster Silobnic fight (speedrun trick) DukeSetz 2013-07-19 | On level eight, you can beat the boss in three phases as opposed to the normal five by abusing a collision glitch with a web.In the level "Caught in a Web", attack the spider (Silobnic) until a cutscene plays showing it moving back into its lair. This triggers a phase where Silobnic sends its spiderling minions out to fight for it -- the phase ending after all the spiders are dead.But instead of fighting the spiders, move toward the far left side of the arena where Silobnic escaped behind a web. This web serves as a barrier that bounces you back when you touch it, except when you roll (down + forward) into it with the Rock form. You'll move past the web next to an idling Silobnic, where you'll be free to attack it.Taking its health down to the next threshold will bring on the fourth phase and have the boss scurry into the hole again. From here, you can repeat the trick to complete the fight without seeing phases three and five.This is an easy and effective trick that has every reason to be included in a speedrun since it practically obliterates any danger from the encounter. It's also much faster.As a word of caution, be sure to lure the spiderlings away from the web before you go after Silobnic. Since they follow you, diving into the hole immediately will likely result in you destroying all of the spiderbots before Silobnic's health is drained to the next threshold. This means Silobnic will move to phase three and stop idling, resulting in a short skippable cutscene and a little wasted time.Of note, it's theoretically possible to skip Silobnic and access the pit it creates after its death without fighting. Hoping the developers didn't link Silobnic's death with the exit working, you could jump down underneath the map at an earlier section and travel along the bottom of stage to then leap upward. You would jump up into the pit and access the level transition from below.Unfortunately, while my experiments running along the bottom of the stage have gone well, a "death field" surrounds a good portion of the lower part of the pit. There are a few notable things about the area, so maybe after more testing, this boss may be skipped altogether.
Zack Zero - Z-Shifting (speedrun trick) DukeSetz 2013-07-18 | You can briefly move toward the foreground after getting hit by certain attacks, letting you bypass ceilings and some obstructions that you normally would not be able to. For this trick to have much effect, Infinite Jumping is required since pressing a direction after Z-shifting will move Zack back to his normal position.Infinite Jump: [ youtube.com/watch?v=no94fys5y5I ]First, you need to be in Fire form, and you need to find an enemy with an attack that knocks Zack over. These attacks temporarily paralyze Zack as he falls to the ground and runs through an animation to get back up. I'm not certain of the exact method, but falling onto the enemy's attack, pressing jump twice, and holding to trigger Surf will sometimes let Zack float out toward the camera.This may also involve movements such as holding the opposite direction of the attack, or taking damage from both the fall onto the enemy and the attack. I believe this is related to the glitch where you regain your double jumps after taking damage.Bump Jump: [ youtube.com/watch?v=8SZUkdkD3JM ]During the Surf, you should be unable to control Zack since he's still supposed to be cycling through the damage animation, but toward the end of the Surf, you should be able to switch forms and do an Infinite Jump to leap past ceilings and such.This is likely a case of Zack getting stuck in between the left and right directions due to the attack, and he's designed to move in the direction he's facing. The Surf being a constant form of velocity that simply moves Zack forward without further player input, it lets you move in a way you weren't intended.The only major area of note I've found with this trick is in the final level, "On Time?", where the ceilings prevent Zack from just Infinite Jumping out of the level. When encountering a Captain, you can take damage from him to skip the fight, one floor, and another fight with a General. Overall, it's a decently useful trick that probably saves about 20 seconds in the final stage, but it's sadly rather specific as well as difficult to perform. Most areas of the game will feature ceilings that you can just Infinite Jump through, so the use of Z-shifting is somewhat limited. That said, in such an easy game to speedrun, this is a nice little trick to cap off the last level.
Zack Zero - Bump Jump (speedrun trick) DukeSetz 2013-07-17 | Every time you take damage while in the air, you get your double jumps back, as long as the attack doesn't knock you down. This isn't super useful compared to the Infinite Jump trick, but it's simple and notable.Infinite Jump: [ youtube.com/watch?v=no94fys5y5I ]It's of course easiest to do this using the Fire form's Surf, and with enemies that damage you by touch. Bullets and some normal enemy attacks work as well, but damage from Generals and Captains won't work. The rare environmental hazards (spikes, supply carts, flying pods, etc.) give you a similar boost.In case you fall from an Infinite Jump, this is a potential way to save yourself, so it's worth knowing about.
Zack Zero - Infinite Jump glitch (speedrun trick) DukeSetz 2013-07-17 | This trick has been discovered by a few people, but no one has documented it all that well. Plus it's extremely easy to find anyway, given I literally found it myself before I even left the opening section.This lets Zack jump as high in the world as he wants by using a somewhat complicated set of button inputs. In addition to allowing you to run up above the entire level at any time, this glitch is absolutely game-breaking and trivializes it as a game for speedrunning.The exploit involves the Fire form's Surf ability which is activated by holding down the jump button after a second jump. While Surfing, switching to either normal or Ice form lets Zack leap into the air, giving him yet another second jump. Switching back to the Fire form before deploying the second jump will allow you to Surf again and start the process over.So the process is:Surf with Fire form, switch to normal form, switch back to Fire form, use second jump, repeatOnce you get high enough, there's a floor where Zack can stop and simply start running. You'll notice this when he begins running after the Surf instead of jumping immediately -- or when you have to jump twice to trigger the Surf. The floor is convenient in that it follows the level perfectly, but you are largely blind in regards to the environment underneath you.I imagine this happens because there's a split-second where Zack is able to jump while Surfing before the game processes the fact that the forms have switched. I'd also guess that this trick wasn't discovered by the developers because of the difficulty in switching forms with the PS3 controller before the game was brought to PC. The forms were assigned to directions on the d-pad, making rapid switching a case for some difficult controller gymnastics.The glitch could not be any more devastating to the game, since it allows you to bypass almost everything on almost every level. It can be rather tricky to pull off since it's a series of buttons you need to press rhythmically for a long period of time, but doing the basic move to get a quadruple jump is extremely simple.The sad part is that this does make a speedrun horribly boring. Running above a level with only vague blobs of geometry passing by underneath you isn't exactly exciting. I'll have a rough run to show in a couple days.
Tobes Vertical Adventure - Fast fall recovery DukeSetz 2013-04-11 | Occasionally you can get an extremely short recovery after taking fall damage which saves a considerable amount of time. It seems like this is from triggering an action to interrupt the animation a split-second before the fall ends.Recovering from a typical fall takes about 2.2 seconds, but if you press in the opposite direction briefly before colliding with the ground, you can shorten this to about .52 seconds. It seems like this cuts off the animation a little early with another action, so any time you're about to take a long fall that won't kill you, this is worth attempting.Quick taps work better than long presses, but it may be possible to get other actions such as hitting jump to have the same effect.
Tobes Vertical Adventure - Swift Drift (speedrun trick) DukeSetz 2013-04-10 | In which I reveal my mispronunciation of Tobe!In co-op, you can make it so that one character floats down into the level at an angle before their balloon is popped. This allows the speedrun routes to be more versatile, particularly in 4-2.First, trigger the ascent of the level before the one where you want the trick to happen. Before one character grabs the escape rope, have the second player begin sliding on a wall. Once the first player grabs the escape rope and the results screen appears, have the second walljump off of the wall to end the level. After the game transitions to the next level, the second player will be drifting off to the side while dropping down on the balloon.This freedom of movement for the second player after hitting the results screen allows them to easily set up this move, and it's particularly valuable for Tobe on 4-2. The normal route calls for Nana to bounce off of Tobe's head to reach the switch, but this change allows Tobe to pull the switch and Nana to get positioned on the ledge. This way, Nana doesn't slow down the level since Tobe runs faster.I imagine this happens because the walljump applies a constant velocity to the character that can't be interrupted. Because this velocity is still being applied as the level ends, it doesn't properly finish until the action is interrupted and reset. The action is stopped under normal circumstances by the game, but it doesn't reset because the level transitions.In the grand scheme of the game, this is a fairly useless trick, and it's so specific that it would be hard to plan. On top of that, in a segmented run, it necessitates beating two levels back to back, because the Swift Drift won't apply when using level select or backing out to the menu.That being said, I believe it would save about a second in 4-2 just for the fact that Tobe doesn't have to wait for Nana to run to him and reach the ledge.
Alter Echo - Hunted: Reunion shortcut DukeSetz 2013-04-09 | A sizeable piece of this map isn't necessary thanks to the Dart Jump, which lets you break the typical sequence a few times. Dart Jump: [ youtube.com/watch?v=5UuXH4--esQ ]In level 11, approach the area where you meet back up with Arana, but instead of dropping down, use the Dart Jump to jump toward the cliff face on the right. This part explodes after meeting with Arana, but the very top of it is solid, allowing you to stand on it. From here, jump to the next discolored outcropping of the roof to find another foothold, because most of this geometry can be passed through. You can then jump down to the path to skip two fights and a cutscene.Once you get onto the path, you can bypass another short cutscene mentioning the forcefield by using the Dart Jump to leap over to the Health Node. Finally, once you've deactivated the last forcefield, you can again use the Dart Jump to leap over the wall preventing you from leaving the level. You normally have to go through another fight to reach a Sync Node, which allows you to move the wall, but if you're lucky with the jump, you don't need to deal with any of that.These are fairly useful, but the first and the third tricks are difficult to pull off because they require good positioning and timing. These methods would likely save 1-2 minutes over the standard route, so they're a must for a segmented run.For some reason, the enemies don't attack you if you leap over to the path, likely because they have specialty scripting related to Arana which is interrupted by the change in sequence.
Alter Echo - Transit: Obstacles shortcut DukeSetz 2013-03-26 | Stome doesn't need to follow you all the way to the end on this level either, since you can use a Morph Pounce to get there earlier than normal. You do have to activate one trigger before moving toward the exit, though -- otherwise the level will break.Morph Pounce: [ youtube.com/watch?v=4EqND43sh4M ]Dart Jump: [ youtube.com/watch?v=5UuXH4--esQ ]On level 21, the exit is opened by a triggered cutscene. Get past the initial fight to the precarious stealth tracks next to the Sync Node. Activate it, then climb the stealth tracks until you can shoot the enemy spawner. The spawner is the central trigger here, and once it's destroyed, the cutscene where the cutscene door explodes will play.Go back down to the lowest part of the stealth track and angle yourself on the downward-angled part of one of the track, Morph Pouncing toward the opposite side of the environment. Be careful to avoid Pouncing when the Pounce Nub is nearby. From here, it should be a straight run for the end of the level.If you Morph Pounce over to this area before destroying the enemy spawner, the level is rendered unbeatable. Crossing over the treshold for the trigger makes it so that it never reactivates, so since the previous elements of the sequence weren't properly activated, the link in the chain -- which only activates once -- doesn't work. The door is impassable without the cutscene.You can tell the developers were very careful with this area since it's completely covered in invisible walls. That being said, I have no idea why they would make the enemy spawner the trigger instead of the Sync Node, or why they would bother to make it work in this sequence. Maybe they figured it was impossible to leap over to the opposite path and never really considered it.Still, this is a pretty nice and simple trick which anyone can pull off with enough Morph Pounce experience. It doesn't save a huge amount of time in comparison to some other levels, but the level is so structured otherwise that it's nice to know it's possible to get around it. Depending on how fast Stome moves through the tunnel normally, this should save about a sixth of the total level time.As one last note, the Dart Jump can be used to leap over to the Sync Node before the Pounce Nub appears, but the enemies draw your targeting away and make it basically impossible to avoid the fight.
FlyN - Bubble dash glitch DukeSetz 2013-03-24 | This is a bizzare little collision error that probably doesn't have much practical use, but activating Ywok's bubble ability while trapped inside of a solid piece of scenery gives you a stored burst of speed.The only place I found this to work -- though I'm sure there are more -- is during the final boss of world 3, after hitting Dyer's machine for the first time. This blocks up the narrow passageway upward, but with careful timing activating Ywok's bubble, you can stick yourself to the obstacle briefly while maintaining the shield.Dust rises from underneath Ywok as if the bubble shield is actually still bouncing. Once this happens, you can deactivate the bubble shield. Pressing left or right will cause Ywok to fly in whatever direction you press, moving a fair distance rapidly.Obviously, there's a small gap between Ywok's hitbox and the bubble shield's hitbox, causing some confusion with the shield's bouncy qualities.Any distance that this covers can be easily made up by a simple jump or bounce, but it's interesting for the fact that the energy is stored, meaning it could theoretically be used to move past a narrow gap quickly. More likely than not, this won't see much use, since I feel like this is a simple, useless, but unusual bug.(I changed the audio encoder so my voice will be a little bit clearer. The last one had a weird clipping problem.)
Saira - 56.3s speedrun [Commentary] (F12, worst ending) DukeSetz 2013-03-23 | This is my any%, single-segment speedrun of Saira for PC, getting the worst ending in under a minute. This exclusively uses the Developer Mode to zip around the environments, so this is not intended to be a legitimate run -- it's just for fun.Developer Mode: [ youtube.com/watch?v=cqG2-zOTyok ]You can see this run without commentary here: [ youtube.com/watch?v=2FibbsNLn2M ]By pressing F12, you can teleport to your mouse cursor and pass through walls, so I use this to bypass most of the game's obstacles and grab only the essential items. Additionally, you don't expend your ship's battery power moving between systems. For the quickest time, this means getting one of each item (targeting unit, impulse charge, amd fuse) and minimizing the travel time between the necessary planetary systems.Lomond has the homebrew impulse charge, Haakon has a basic targeting unit, and Hoffman has a standard fuse -- and latter two planets are in the closest systems to Austra. Although you can slightly change the route and still pick up all three items, you spend slightly longer moving the cursor between planets. Additionally, Hoffman and Haakon only require you to move through three screens a piece to collect the item, whereas other planets can be up to five. Since using the debug mode lets you skip traveling to related planets to get your ship's battery recharged, it means you can judge planets purely on how many screens and how long it takes to travel to them. Though currently kinda untested at the moment, I believe the best route for a non-F12 speedrun would be Lomond - Hoffman - Hulton. This would let you quickly access the battery charging stations, while having relatively simple puzzles to address.Probably the biggest error in this run is not being able to work the teleporter input very fast, slowly getting the items placed. This is because of complications with the keyboard layout, where I had to switch between holding F12, working the action keys, and maneuvering the mouse, so it's a little difficult to do quickly and accurately!I timed this from the moment the screen goes black after selecting a new game to the point where the screen begins to fade after activating the teleporter. The exact time is 56.267s.Of note, this wasn't recorded with FRAPS because it actually slows down the map menu. It's best to use a different recorder to keep the game running at normal speed, otherwise this run would be over a minute by a fair margin.Recorded on 01-19-2013.
Saira - 56.3s speedrun (F12, worst ending) DukeSetz 2013-03-23 | This is my any%, single-segment speedrun of Saira for PC, getting the worst ending in under a minute. This exclusively uses the Developer Mode to zip around the environments, so this is not intended to be a legitimate run -- it's just for fun.Developer Mode: [ youtube.com/watch?v=cqG2-zOTyok ]You can see this run with commentary here: [ youtube.com/watch?v=6zMBN0vr9Uw ]By pressing F12, you can teleport to your mouse cursor and pass through walls, so I use this to bypass most of the game's obstacles and grab only the essential items. Additionally, you don't expend your ship's battery power moving between systems. For the quickest time, this means getting one of each item (targeting unit, impulse charge, amd fuse) and minimizing the travel time between the necessary planetary systems.Lomond has the homebrew impulse charge, Haakon has a basic targeting unit, and Hoffman has a standard fuse -- and latter two planets are in the closest systems to Austra. Although you can slightly change the route and still pick up all three items, you spend slightly longer moving the cursor between planets. Additionally, Hoffman and Haakon only require you to move through three screens a piece to collect the item, whereas other planets can be up to five. Since using the debug mode lets you skip traveling to related planets to get your ship's battery recharged, it means you can judge planets purely on how many screens and how long it takes to travel to them. Though currently kinda untested at the moment, I believe the best route for a non-F12 speedrun would be Lomond - Hoffman - Hulton. This would let you quickly access the battery charging stations, while having relatively simple puzzles to address.Probably the biggest error in this run is not being able to work the teleporter input very fast, slowly getting the items placed. This is because of complications with the keyboard layout, where I had to switch between holding F12, working the action keys, and maneuvering the mouse, so it's a little difficult to do quickly and accurately!I timed this from the moment the screen goes black after selecting a new game to the point where the screen begins to fade after activating the teleporter. The exact time is 56.267s.Of note, this wasn't recorded with FRAPS because it actually slows down the map menu. It's best to use a different recorder to keep the game running at normal speed, otherwise this run would be over a minute by a fair margin.Recorded on 01-19-2013.
Saira - F12 Developer Mode DukeSetz 2013-03-22 | A leftover debug mode in Saira lets you move through or around whatever scenery you want, ignoring typical collision. I believe this was supposed to be removed from the final product.First, on any screen in the game, bring your mouse cursor over the window and press F12. Saira will teleport to your cursor for as long as you hold the button, and while she's like this, she will pass through walls or floors, meaning you can skip over obstacles. Additionally, if you have a planetary system selected in your cursor while on the map screen, you can press F12 to travel to it instantly, without waiting for the ship to actually move along the path and without the standard loss of ship battery power. Since this is of course a cheat, it can't be used in valid speedruns, but it makes testing and experimentation very easy. Keep in mind that the game's screens are very rigidly constructed with no extra areas beyond what you normally see, meaning that it's very easy to use F12 to push Saira into a screen that has no data. When this happens, the game crashes and kicks you back to the main menu, so maneuvering in Developer Mode must be fairly precise.
Alter Echo - Transit: Ambush shortcut DukeSetz 2013-03-21 | I briefly had a way to beat this level really fast, but unfortunately it requires you to activate at least one trigger before the transition is opened. Still, the Morph Pounce lets you skip a little bit of it if done fast enough.Morph Pounce: [ youtube.com/watch?v=4EqND43sh4M ]On level 19, reach the final section of the stage where the bridge is blown out by a Gunner and climb up onto the stealth track. With careful timing, you can Morph Pounce off of the track toward the exit and leap over the door, letting you drop behind it. This leads to a small area not designed for players to see, but you don't end the stage like with other levels by accessing this. The trigger is directly tied with the Sync Node that you must activate a switch to reach.Because this is a strict construction that goes against the layout of other stages, it's important to note how it's not as breakable as some. You can still save some time by jumping over the door -- it at least shaves off the time of killing the enemies, waiting for Stome, shooting the door with Stome, and going inside, but unfortunately it doesn't save nearly the amount of time I wished it would.You can also throw yourself out-of-bounds with this pretty easily, and I demonstrate it a bit in the video. Almost any direction will launch you outside of the map, and as usual, it always drops you to your death.
Alter Echo - Citadel: Ascent shortcut DukeSetz 2013-03-20 | A small shortcut in level 46 lets you bypass a fight and leap over a forcefield. Again, this uses the Morph Pounce. A second trick may be possible here.Morph Pounce: [ youtube.com/watch?v=4EqND43sh4M ]After going up the stealth track from the very bottom of the map, you encounter a circular room with tentacles popping up from the ground. From the track, angle Nevin to the left and place yourself lower down near the floor. Perform a Morph Pounce with two solid jumps afterward to drop down into the open ceiling of the alcove that contains the barrier.Because the fight contains fighting a few Hydras, it's worth skipping just for the irritating they cause. Additionally, practically no time is lost in attempting the shortcut because the enemies will be triggered as you leap into the room. The trick is very hard to pull off, though.After performing this trick, there's another potential skip above that stealth track. The angle is difficult and I'm not even sure if it's even possible to get high enough, but it would save a few seconds waiting for the Tickers to set off their explosion to open the door. In general, this latter trick is probably not worth it and definitely not as valuable as the first, but it's worth noting.
Alter Echo - Paavo tricks DukeSetz 2013-03-19 | This is a general strategy for killing Paavo quickly and minimizing damage, using some little tricks that are pretty easy to replicate. It may be possible to skip two of his phases if I can iron out the damage calculations, but at the moment that's theoretical.This focuses on the first battle in Spaceport: Shuttle (level 26), and one of the best tricks involves avoiding the laser turret that he summons in his fourth phase. You can actually just walk toward the bridge where you entered the arena, switch to Stealth form, and sit beneath the lowest laser to completely avoid damage. It trivializes this section and makes sure your health is high so that you can potentially tank damage from the Burrowers in the sixth phase.Even easier, the laser turret is broken in that if you don't look at it, it never fires its lasers. As long as you never turn toward it after it rises completely out of the ground, you can stand around as long as you want unhurt, even though the sound effects start.For the general fight against his sword phases, it's important to know that Paavo has very strict thresholds for the amount of damage he can take before he gets knocked back and triggers his explosion ability. This means that combos are cut off once they hit this mark, with the last hit dealing normal damage and draining his health bar as much as it should, but leaving him invulnerable to all others. Once you bring his health below another threshold, it activates his next phase.The easiest way to approach Paavo is to run toward him and jump shortly before he's close enough to attack. The vast majority of the time, getting this close to Paavo will make him perform a basic two-hit combo which is a horizontal attack. He always swings at the same rate, so jumping slightly before he begins his swing means you have just enough time to double jump to avoid both attacks. From here, since you're already in the air, using a Jump Attack is effective and deals a fair bit of damage while simultaneously leaving him open to another combo. Fatal Flurry is the fastest and one of the most damaging combos in the game, so you see me use that immediately after landing, but other moves like the Flashing Sword (Square combo) are serviceable while dealing slightly less damage.Once you've hit Paavo with a combo, he'll start charging his explosion attack, which you can exploit if you manipulate his pattern a little bit. Your distance from Paavo generally will determine the attack he uses, particularly after the shockwave, so standing far away after his explosion will typically make him use either Throat Slash or Time Thrust.Throat Slash oddly leaves Paavo vulnerable to the Gun form's grenade, meaning you can instantly deal damage to him after he leaves the explosion. Additionally, the grenade stuns him, which you don't usually see. The grenade is pretty strong and lets you avoid getting stunlocked. Since Throat Slash is one of a few options Paavo has here, you'll occasionally see the grenade do no damage, either because he returned to his normal attack AI or he used Time Thrust.Another option is to use the Hammer Smash, which will drain much more of Paavo's health than your combos can. Because the Hammer Smash is one attack, Paavo takes all of that damage and then turns on his invincibility, whereas your other options generally involve combos that lose hits and damage because of it.What I do in the video is perform a Jump Attack to open him up, Stun Thrust to deal a little bit more damage, and then perform a Juggle Slash followed by a Hammer Smash.(Be careful with switching between the Stun Thrust and the Juggle Slash: if you are holding buttons after the Stun Thrust while you try to perform the Juggle Slash, Nevin will go straight to the Hammer Smash. This will leave him vulnerable because of the time it takes to wind up, and Paavo will undoubtedly hit you. )To show how effective this is, I manage to take off almost half of his health bar before his first phase is over.As a note, after finishing one of the interstitial enemy phases, it's possible to hit Paavo with a Hammer Smash a little bit after he jumps back down to the arena. That lets you instantly deal a lot of damage and trigger his recoil quickly.As one final kinda funny thing, you can use the Alt Pounce to leap back across to the bridge Paavo destroyed while entering the arena. It breaks the fight completely and he just stands still once he transitions to sword form because he can't follow you. Alt Pounce: [ youtube.com/watch?v=zR0GzmTJJH4 ]There may be some more efficient ways to play this battle, but these few strategies are a good starting point.
Bleed (PC) - The Army strats DukeSetz 2013-03-19 | Still planning some ways to speedrun this game -- fastest ways to kill bosses or just some observations to affect standard play. Oddly enough, I believe this may be one of the easiest levels in a run, but there are the random elements that can wreck you pretty badly.My main recommendation is using the Chainsaw and the Laser Rifle, since the Chainsaw is the highest damage weapon next to S-rank White, and the Laser Rifle allows you to shoot through obstacles that would normally block you.First, I wanted to illustrate that you don't need to freak out against the Laser Bots -- at least on Normal -- because the blue bots don't fire the same beam as the red one. If you get a pattern where a blue bot is positioned on the ground about to shoot horizontally, you don't actually need to jump or dodge the laser because its hitbox is much smaller than normal. This means if the red bot is in one of the upper corners, you just need to walk to the side, but keep in mind that this strategy doesn't apply if the red bot is firing horizontally. Its beam is larger in addition to the red bot angling toward you, so you won't avoid it.Immediately afterward, the segment where you dodge the Mirror Core's energy balls is simple on Normal. Again, the hitboxes aren't large enough to hit you if you stand far enough forward on the platform, but only if you shrink them down using the Chainsaw. You still need to jump over a few, but the pattern is always the same.The Mirror Core is dirt simple if you have the Chainsaw. I actually suggest dashing behind it and Chainsawing it while dashing above the ground. Once you run out of the dashes, just tank the damage from the floor to get them back, and continue attacking. This lets you dodge all of its attacks, but you'll take more damage from the ground if the Mirror Core decides to dash forward. Still, you hurt it so quickly that it's finished in about 7.5 seconds, and if you're lucky with the pattern, you'll only get hurt twice which won't matter for the next boss.The same strategy applies to Battalion, but you have to depend on its rocket form to be fully effective. Since the rocket moves slow, you can remove about 2/5 of its health with the Chainsaw. You're likely to take a fair bit of damage doing this if you can't find the balance between "close enough to Chainsaw" and "far enough to not get hurt."When waiting through its other forms, the Laser Rifle works about as good as a weapon can, since it can shoot through the projectiles Battalion fires off. This helps you waste less shots. But depending on your preferences, the Dual Pistols might deal more damage since it can more effectively use Battalion's vulnerable phase, instead of firing every .8 seconds and hoping he doesn't switch forms before you get the shot off.
