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Videogame Speed Running Speeds Up A Notch

Radix37 writes "The PlanetQuake-hosted Speed Demos Archive, dedicated to 'trying to complete a videogame in the fastest time possible', has been updated with an improved speedrun of Half-Life in 0:45:45, over 5 minutes faster than the previous run - some more crazy level-skipping shortcuts were added to cut the time by so much, and there's very detailed commentary from the creator. The Metroid Prime record was recently dropped to 1 hour 4 minutes from 1:17 by a lot of new tricks and exploits, too. Also of note, recent improvements on Super Metroid, on Metroid Zero Mission, and, interestingly, on Super Mario 64 (including a glitch collecting 'only 16 stars' instead of 70) have been impressive."

60 comments

  1. Impressive? by I_Love_Pocky! · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    I don't want to be a jerk, but this kind of seems sad to me. I can't imagine playing a game so much that I could beat it so quickly.

    On the other hand, if I had a spacecraft capable of traveling near the speed of light, I could easily beat all of these times.

    1. Re:Impressive? by Tyrdium · · Score: 2, Funny
      On the other hand, if I had a spacecraft capable of traveling near the speed of light, I could easily beat all of these times.
      Only if you were able to fit the entire universe besides you on that spacecraft...
    2. Re:Impressive? by I_Love_Pocky! · · Score: 1

      Actually no, it would only work if the time keeper stayed on earth. Time in the spacecraft would appear to move as normal.

    3. Re:Impressive? by Jerf · · Score: 4, Interesting

      The time on both Earth and the spaceship would appear normal from each point of view; that's relativity.

      But compared to each other in terms of a round trip by the spacecraft eventually returning to Earth's reference frame (the only way to compare them, really), the spaceship will be arbitrarily slower. So hiking off in a spaceship is indeed the wrong thing to do if you want to break time records. Remember, in the twin paradox, it is the twin who goes into space that comes back young; that can't happen unless he's the one experiencing slow time.

      (Actually, it suffices to jush put Earth in the spaceship.)

      You can get the opposite effect if the spaceship exceeds the speed of light; the equations say that then time will indeed "speed up" relative to the rest of the universe, ironically eating the "advantage" of going FTL in the first place. There is no evidence this is anything more than an amusing mathematical diversion, though. (Note, this does not refer to "warp drives", where the ship is techncally stationary and space moves, this is refering to an actual tachyonic space ship. It may be written in a sci-fi context but this article from a PhD in cosmology might help.)

    4. Re:Impressive? by AuMatar · · Score: 1

      No the grandparent is right. If the timekeeper is on earth, and you're traveling at 99% light speed, you can play the game through in a fraction of a second according to the guy on earth.

      --
      I still have more fans than freaks. WTF is wrong with you people?
    5. Re:Impressive? by Jerf · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Think about it for a second, seriously, instead of replying off the cuff. 50 years of science fiction ought to give you a clue. If you can travel to a star 20 light-years away in a month your time, but it takes 20 years (and change) to the guy on earth, the guy on earth sees the guy it the spaceship going slower and slower, not faster and faster. Otherwise, to the guy in the spaceship, it would take longer than 20 years and even slower-than-light travel would be impossible.

      Think, McFly, think. It is the guy on Earth living at a hummingbirds pace. The guy on the spaceship has the distinction of playing the slowest ever video game.

      I don't get to say this often on this site, but I am unequivicably correct and if you disagree, you are simply wrong.

    6. Re:Impressive? by I_Love_Pocky! · · Score: 1

      You are right, I had it mixed up.

    7. Re:Impressive? by satoshi1 · · Score: 1

      This is why I love Slashdot: speed of light physics and videogaming all rolled up into one neat little package.

    8. Re:Impressive? by freakmn · · Score: 0

      Nah, all you would need to do is stick the timekeeper in the spacecraft. In fact, I'll be that timekeeper, not that I'd run off with the spacecraft or anything...

      --
      warning: This post is likely to contain gobs of dripping sarcasm. Consume at your own risk.
    9. Re:Impressive? by barawn · · Score: 1

      but it takes 20 years (and change) to the guy on earth, the guy on earth sees the guy it the spaceship going slower and slower, not faster and faster.

      Well, this is true.

      Think, McFly, think. It is the guy on Earth living at a hummingbirds pace.

      But this is not. To the person on the spaceship, the person on Earth is living extremely extremely slowly as well.

      The hummingbird's pace doesn't happen until the person on the spacecraft slows down, turns around, and returns to Earth, or just until he slows down, but even then it's a little more complicated because the two people aren't at the same location.

      (Hence the twin paradox.)

    10. Re:Impressive? by OneIsNotPrime · · Score: 1
      Think about it for a second, seriously, instead of replying off the cuff. 50 years of science fiction ought to give you a clue.

      You've been here too long.

      --

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  2. Metroid Prime PAL differences. by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

    The site listing the differences is down, anyone have the list handy?

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    1. Re:Metroid Prime PAL differences. by Radix37 · · Score: 1

      No mirror except the google cache that I know of, but I can assure you that metroid2002.com will be back by the weekend.

      --
      Speed Demos Archive - Lots of speed runs!
    2. Re:Metroid Prime PAL differences. by Spleener12 · · Score: 3, Informative

      Basically, Retro changed some things to make it harder for people to sequence break (what the fuck Retro has against them I don't know,) by adding a few more walls that require Power Bombs to get through and not allowing you to dash when locked onto something with the scan visor (which makes a trick that gets you the space jump boots right after you land on Tallon IV MUCH harder.) This was also done to the Japanese and NTSC Player's Choice versions.

  3. "N" - A Platformer made for speed runs by BlueCup · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If you enjoy speed runs you should check out the game N. It's free, and it was practically made for awesome speed demos. Your replay is recorded for every best run through every level, and the top 20 runs of every level (and episode, which is a collection of 5 levels) are saved online and downloadable in game. Trust me, its worth checking out.

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  4. What's the point? by th1ckasabr1ck · · Score: 3, Interesting
    I never understood the point of making speed runs through games... When you're trying to run through as fast as you can, aren't you kind of missing the point of actually playing the game?

    John Carmack had a quote I liked when talking about how they slowed down the pace of DOOM3 because, "It would be a shame to just have you running past all of this hard work at a hundred miles per hour..."

    1. Re:What's the point? by KDR_11k · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Actually it's another chllenge. Many games have goals, right? So why not make it your goal to, e.g., complete the game as fast as possible or only with the basic pistol/knife or without killing any enemies or some other challenge? It's for those people who think hard isn't hard enough.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    2. Re:What's the point? by Snowmit · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I never understood the point of making speed runs through games... When you're trying to run through as fast as you can, aren't you kind of missing the point of actually playing the game?

      If you're making speed runs, you've played the game so many times that you already know the way the levels look and the beautiful graphics in intimate detail. For example, the guy with the 1:37 Metroid Prime run says that it took 3 months to reach that point.

      Speed run people know the game so well that they can exploit all kinds of insane tricks and glitches and other things about the game to play it in a completely different way than the way that the designers intended.

      Personally, I think that's prety cool. Someday I hope to work on a game that's so robust and open-ended that people are able to find crazy tricks that I had no idea existed and fun enough that they're willing to spend months finding and exploiting them.

      --
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    3. Re:What's the point? by Belgand · · Score: 1

      In my mind the best of those was the guy who finished Fallout (or was it 2?) without killing a single enemy, but killing every single child in the game.

    4. Re:What's the point? by SuperMo0 · · Score: 1

      To beat the game that fast, it generally takes intimate knowledge of the game... so yes, people are running past the hard work at 100 MPH, but only on their 20th or 30th playthrough.

    5. Re:What's the point? by supercytro · · Score: 2, Funny

      I never understood the point of speed runs in driving games. Why can't we just gently coast and admire the scenary?

    6. Re:What's the point? by ksiddique · · Score: 4, Interesting

      The other day I felt like re-playing Half-Life but didn't *really* feel like going through the entire game from beginning to end. I think I felt more like watching it rather than playing it. So when I saw a HL speed run on the SDA I grabbed it right away. It was fun to see it again and check out the crazy tricks used. And it only took an hour or so.

      So I guess another point of speed runs is to let lazy guys like me re-live old games without wasting too much time. :)

    7. Re:What's the point? by Spleener12 · · Score: 1

      Precisely. This reminds me of a thing I read on GameFAQs listing all sorts of challenges for Final Fantasy Tactics- only using one or two classes, only using story characters (no generics), staying below a certain level, etc. Other RPGs have other challenges- I've almost managed to do a run of Valkyrie Profile using only Valkyrie, and there are guides on playing FFX without ever touching the sphere grid at all. It's a sign that the developers made a good game that there are so many ways to play it.

    8. Re:What's the point? by Neo-Rio-101 · · Score: 1

      I managed to complete Postal 2 without killing anyone, on the hardest level. A much harder, but more challenging game.... as well as a special message from the game's creators awaits you once you do that.

      --
      READY.
      PRINT ""+-0
    9. Re:What's the point? by the_ed_dawg · · Score: 1
      I never understood the point of making speed runs through games... When you're trying to run through as fast as you can, aren't you kind of missing the point of actually playing the game
      Why would anyone make a speed run through a game? Why would anyone try to make it through Metal Gear Solid without killing anyone? Why would anyone spend months collecting 99 of every non-unique item in Final Fantasy? Why would anyone set up a parking lot of stolen cars in the middle of the street in GTA3? Why would anyone try to beat Chrono Trigger without saving or dying? Why would anyone irradicate every criminal in every city of Fallout 2?

      The fact is that I know people who have tried every one of these because they thought it would be fun. I think that some of the ideas are stupid, but my opinion means diddley squat because I'm not the one trying to be entertained. I think that these people have played the games to the point that they are ninja masters and want to take their game to the next level: fast, obsessive, ridiculous, or "other."

      Just watch the Super Metroid replay. I downloaded the 0:38 game because it was all one clip and was completely floored by the guy's insane skills. I have never seen anyone wall jump like that before!

      --
      There are two types of people: those prepared for the zombie apocalypse and those who will be eaten.
    10. Re:What's the point? by AliasTheRoot · · Score: 1

      There's a similar thing with the Thief games, and i assume MGS / Pandora Tomorrow too. The idea is to play through the levels without alerting anyone of your presence or any physical violence whatsoever. Sometimes you just have to kill or disable someone or something, but usually there's a way past with some patience.

  5. Wicked by ObsessiveMathsFreak · · Score: 1

    I always wondered how fast Metroid prime could be finished in. I wish I had broadband so I could download the files before I'm eighty.

    As usual the biggest failing of these First person adventures is that they end. Though in the case of Metroid, there was a lot of extra stuff to do.

    --
    May the Maths Be with you!
  6. Killing Nihilanth by brownpau · · Score: 1

    > I recommend you use one shot from the glock, just because it's funnier

    Heh, nothing to do with speedrunning, but I remember once trying to kill Nihilanth by ladning in his brain and using the crowbar, just because I could. Worked, too.

    1. Re:Killing Nihilanth by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Heh, nothing to do with speedrunning, but I remember once trying to kill Nihilanth by ladning in his brain and using the crowbar, just because I could. Worked, too.

      ladning? Grammar please, thanks.

    2. Re:Killing Nihilanth by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Anonymous Coward nitpicking at typos? Balls, please.

  7. Metroid Prime low percent runs by Incoherent07 · · Score: 1

    I always found it more interesting to watch the people trying to complete Metroid Prime with the lowest possible percentage by skipping certain key items (not just the upgrades). Granted, they do speed runs on that too, but it's more interesting than just rushing through the game (although some of the former techniques have been applied to the latter).

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  8. another site by hoferbr · · Score: 2, Interesting

    another site for speed demos. The difference (big difference) is that they seed videos from games running on emulators (most, if not all, of the Speed Demos Archive videos are recorded directly from the TV).
    Except from the site: These are movies of various console games being played extraordinarily using an emulator as a tool to get over humanly limits such as "skill" and "reaction".
    But it's interesting anyway.

    1. Re:another site by Pluvius · · Score: 1

      Tool-assisted speedruns are weaker than normal ones because even though the tool-assisted ones require a lot of theory (e.g. best route to take, best method of handling various enemies and situations), the normal ones require both theory and practice. The tool-assisted speedruns replace the immense amount of skill required to play an entire game perfectly with the immense amount of patience needed to play through little parts of it over and over again until you get it right. Oh, and then there are the ones in the middle that play through large sections of the game then splice the sections together with video editing. Not sure what you'd call those.

      They're still fun to watch, though, and I'm willing to bet that normal speedrunners get lots of ideas from them.

      Rob

    2. Re:another site by AuMatar · · Score: 1

      On the other hand- tool assisted ones let you see how good it could be done. It removes human error and lets you run on pure strategy. The no tools run is merely a tools run with reflexes added in for annoyance. To me the strategy is far more interesting.

      --
      I still have more fans than freaks. WTF is wrong with you people?
  9. Id rather play the exact opposite... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I guess this just makes no since to me, but I would much rather play slow and make sure I get to kill every monster, see every corner on every level (expecially well designed games) even tryn to make sure i take as least amount of damage as possible. Or even Finding that one special hidden place, that takes 2 weeks looking around heh.... U get the idea.

    I mean some of my most favorite games are the ones with what seems like unlimited content (like Privateer and such).

    Id much rather seem movies of some one clearn all the levels perfect then this :)

    1. Re:Id rather play the exact opposite... by Radix37 · · Score: 1

      Id much rather seem movies of some one clearn all the levels perfect then this :) That's what the 100% runs are for.

      --
      Speed Demos Archive - Lots of speed runs!
  10. Speed runs via exploits? by Cecil · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I can't really garner much respect for those sorts of people. It just doesn't seem that interesting to me. In the same way, someone who finds a place where they can't be hit by anything and then proceeds to kill a million enemies, I don't consider them a skilled player either, really.

    People who complete the game as intended, but do it in the quickest time, I might find that a little more impressive, but I guess it's hard to judge what's an "exploit" and what isn't.

    1. Re:Speed runs via exploits? by Pluvius · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Speed runs with exploits can actually require more skill than speed runs without. Normal speed runs require you to know everything possible within the intended rules of the game, but the exploited ones require you to know everything that's possible outside of those rules as well. Certainly it's cheating to get a faster time, but that doesn't necessarily make it less skilled.

      Of course, there is a line between using exploits to get a little more speed (Morimoto's use of wall- and ceiling-crawling bugs in Mega Man 2, for example) and using exploits to skip most of the game. I saw a speedrun for a Flash game that involved using the "Play" option in the Flash player a couple of times to skip just about everything. That's not very skilled.

      Rob

    2. Re:Speed runs via exploits? by Incoherent07 · · Score: 1

      Well, actually, being able to use the play button to skip things in a Flash game is evidence of a design flaw in your Flash game, but we'll ignore that.

      --
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    3. Re:Speed runs via exploits? by Pluvius · · Score: 1

      I think it's a design flaw in Flash, period. But I'm not certain about that.

      Not sure how that's at all relevant to my point, besides.

      Rob

    4. Re:Speed runs via exploits? by Incoherent07 · · Score: 0

      There are ways around it, so I wouldn't necessarily call it a flaw in Flash.

      And it's not relevant to your point at all, just thought I'd mention it.

      --
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  11. Try actual running by hambonewilkins · · Score: 0, Flamebait
    Sounds like these guys need to get out and try real "speed running." Walk a mile and then see if you can beat that time. Repeat.

    I love videogames and all, but I fail to see the point of speed runs (but do see the point of actual running).

    --

    God Bless America. Why? Did it sneeze?
    1. Re:Try actual running by Radix37 · · Score: 1

      I walk 23 minutes to work every day for nearly the last 2 years.

      --
      Speed Demos Archive - Lots of speed runs!
    2. Re:Try actual running by Pluvius · · Score: 3, Funny

      Come on, I'm sure you can shave a few seconds off of that.

      Rob

    3. Re:Try actual running by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't know why this isn't +10 (Fucking hilarious) yet.

  12. Halo by Have+Blue · · Score: 2, Informative

    A contest for speedrunning Halo for Xbox has just concluded, with a total time of 2:15:15. It's probably possible to do better, this was the first real attempt at it.

    1. Re:Halo by AzraelKans · · Score: 1

      Well.. thats great, they didnt saved a video of the entire run, so thats all I ands just about everyone except themselves can say. Thats... great. Btw: Could you do it again? I didnt saw a thing.

      --
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    2. Re:Halo by daeley · · Score: 1

      Off-topic, but nice user number. :)

      --
      I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate.
  13. Quake done Quick by Swift(void) · · Score: 2, Informative

    Quake done Quick are, IMO, still the best speed runs ive watched, especially Quake done Quick with a Vengence (full run through all 4 episodes on nightmare in 12:23)

    http://www.planetquake.com/qdq/

  14. Computer running is better by Chemisor · · Score: 1

    > I fail to see the point of speed runs

    You get higher FPS :)

  15. Speed runs my ass. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I have to say alot of these "speed runs" are complete and utter crap.

    Someone did a MTPO speed run and watching it had to have cheated to complete it because the fights in the of King Hippo and Mr. Sandman are rediciously faked.

    Unless they are 100% legit play thoughts no photo tricks then it's not a true speed play. Glitches are ok but I mean editing teh video to seem faster just shows they can't really play.

  16. Quake 3 mod - Defrag by beeoffvrah · · Score: 1

    Take a gander at Defrag mod... it may change your opinion of what speed runs really are about. You'll find plenty of excellent examples of people stretching the Quake 3 engine to its limits not to mention beautiful control and timing.

  17. No BitTorrent by wowbagger · · Score: 1

    I'd like to see the HL speedruns, but the FullPlanet mirrors are /.'ed - what, no BitTorrents?

    And how come you don't see anybody do like the old Quake Done Quicker, and put a bit of humor into the demo? I just about died the first time I saw it, when the happy face sprang out at the guy, and then he turns around and berates you for laughing! As well as the running commentary during the run - why don't we see that done a bit more?

    1. Re:No BitTorrent by Radix37 · · Score: 2, Informative
      the FullPlanet mirrors are /.'ed

      FilePlanet is indeed very Full these last weeks ... gamespy doesn't seem to care either. But that's why there's also an archive.org link with no lines or registration bull.

      --
      Speed Demos Archive - Lots of speed runs!
  18. Re:Halo Going Nowhere Fast by ghutchis · · Score: 2, Informative

    They're posting the videos of each level on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays over the next few weeks--the contest just finished. The first level has already been posted and is an impressive piece of work.

    The BitTorrent for the Pillar of Autumn video is here.


    -Geoff
  19. You fail completely. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You call this a troll? My gramma trolls better than this! You could at least make it seem halfway on topic, or not quite so obvious.

  20. Metroid: Zero Mission by MilenCent · · Score: 1

    The coolest thing about this, to me, is Metroid Zero Mission runs, because of the really inventive design of the game.

    Metroid: Zero Mission is a remake of the original Metroid in many ways. Most of the important items are found in the same, or similar, places as they were before. The overall map of Zebes is similar (though there is a huge new area). They added some of the items from Super Metroid, and also a couple of extra items. So far, nothing unexpected.

    But the coolest thing about game, even cooler than the extra section of the game after destroying Mother Brain (which is, indeed, really cool), is that the whole game is designed, not to forbid sequence breaking like most games, but specifically to allow them.

    If you're not on the lookout for them, you probably won't even notice the special blocks that allow you to, say, get the Screw Attack with just missiles, or get Super Missiles early, or get the Varia long before you're supposed to.

    The first time through, it looks exactly like Metroid games (and practically all "big world" video game adventures since then, including Zelda) have always looked: find an item, use it to overcome an obstacle, get the item on the other side of the obstacle, use it to get past the next obstacle, repeat until you win.

    But once you get Power Bombs near the end of the game, you can use them to reveal secret block types, information that can be used the next time through to uncover all the ingenious ways the designers put in to do things way out of sequence, or win the game with 15% of items or less. (The game has special ending pictures for winning with 15% or less items, and another for winning in less than two hours.) But, importantly, those "super secret" passages aren't *added* to the game on replays; they're there the first time through as well, but just very hard to find without prior knowledge.

    I really think this is a major advance in adventure game design, possibly the first since Metroid.

  21. Know the feeling by Snaller · · Score: 1

    Hell, even with some of the newer games i can't be bothered to finish it, and would rather just watch it to the end. I wonder when they'll implement such a feature (and don't say the movie has been invented ;)

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