Then, only the room before Draygon remained. The idea was to somehow obtain another spark suit before fighting Draygon so that the room before Draygon could be escaped after disposing of her. This was achieved by doing an incredibly complex spark charge, using advanced "speed-keep" techniques, in the room known as the Colosseum (two rooms before Draygon). It turns out you can prevent the speed counter from resetting with careful enough movement, even if the counter has not reached "4" yet (which is when blue echoes would appear). In this case, the first two increments of the counter are achieved by the time I jump from the door of the save station, and the last two are achieved upon reaching the floating spiked platform. This platform gives just enough distance to increase the counter from 2 to 4, finally producing the spark that is then used to produce yet another spark suit.

I noticed that, without Grav, all of Samus's animations occur at half of their normal speed underwater (including landing after a d-boost), and Samus is simply much slower in general. For this reason, the method of our discovery involving d-boosting into a slope did not initially work at Mt. Everest; however, I discovered that Samus could be given double the normal amount of knockback frames by utilizing the R-Tank's automatic refill, to compensate for the reduced animation speed underwater. I thereby successfully managed to overcome Mt. Everest with a spark while still maintaining a spark suit. The spark suit would later be used to break through the pipes blocking access to Botwoon.

Even with these discoveries, there were still two rooms preventing being able to complete the game with 13% of items while staying in-bounds - the Maridian mountain (also known in the community as "Mt. Everest") on the way to Draygon, and the room before Draygon upon her death.

Not long after, I had the thought that since it's possible with spikes, it should be possible with enemies too. This turned out to be true in various situations involving a d-boost. D-boosting into a frozen enemy, into a slope, and into quicksand can all produce a spark suit, so long as the spark is started on the same frame the knockback timer ends. Even something as simple as being 2 pixels deep inside the ground so that the d-boost makes Samus land immediately can produce one as well. It's worth noting that the reason why this is easier to perform with spikes is that they provide 10 knockback frames, whereas enemies only provide 5.

Thanks to the research put forth primarily by EternisedDragon (ED) and myself, skipping Grav in low% was made a reality. In the summer of last year, ED discovered that if Samus unmorphs after being knocked back from a spike, and initiates a spark on the same frame the knockback timer ends, a spark suit will be created. This immediately gave me hope that 14% could be reduced, so I began researching that possibility.

This is the first submission of 13%, which is 1% lower than both currently-published in-bounds low% runs by Saturn and Namespoofer.

In terms of the combination of items I used in this run, the only differences that could be made to them is to obtain a second R-Tank in place of an E-Tank, or a third Super Missile pack in place of a Missile pack. There would be no benefit to the former, and although the latter is possible, it may not be faster for various reasons, but it is technically an option. Otherwise, all items that I have listed are mandatory given the constraints and given that I do not use underflow.

Even though all branches of 13% that use underflow would be faster to use because of how much time the ammo would save on bosses such as Ridley and MB, there were various reasons why I opted against using it:

There are different combinations of items that make up 13% that can be used to beat the game without utilizing out of bounds; however, every one of these different combinations foregoes Charge in place of a PB pack (and may trade Speed for a different item, such as Ice), and involves what is known as "Draygon underflow." Draygon underflow is a method of underflowing Samus's ammo count by activating a Crystal Flash while Draygon has grabbed Samus, and then using the directional inputs used to free Samus from Draygon's grasp to cause ammo values to underflow. You can read more about this here

This run uses a branch of 13% I refer to as "Speed-Charge". The items of that branch and the reason for acquiring them are as follows:

13% is the minimum amount of items required to beat the game while staying within the game's boundaries. As mentioned earlier, until 2015, this amount used to be 14%.

After Phantoon's demise, it is time for Tourian, where the Metroids are handled with Power Bombs just like the 14% Speed run.

After Draygon's demise, I traverse the "forgotton highway" and enter the Wrecked Ship from the back just like the Reverse Boss Order run.

For the purpose of surviving MB's rainbow beam, the R-Tank is a substitute to one E-Tank. Since the E-Tank after Botwoon cannot be reasonably skipped without Grav, it is collected as the third tank (second E-Tank).

The run has a similar beginning to other in-bounds runs until the first Super Missile pack is collected. I grab the nearby R-Tank primarily for its previously-mentioned use at Mt. Everest. Since Phantoon is being handled last, the Super Missile pack behind Spore Spawn becomes the fastest option as my second Super Missile pack, and the Missile pack on top of Charge Beam's location becomes the fastest option as my second Missile pack.

Due to skipping Grav, a lot of backtracking is reduced by not being forced to encounter Phantoon before other bosses, makingthe best boss order. Although collecting a third Super Missile pack is less viable with this order, the route still turned out to be significantly faster than the alternatives. Just like in Taco's unfinished Any% TAS, moonwalk is activated due to its various benefits - benefits that will be greatly obvious during Ridley and Maridia.

Most of the inputs in this run are not directly comparable to previous runs due to 13% being dramatically different. Additionally, due to using a more-accurate Lsnes emulator, the magnitude of lag and length of door transitions are inherently greater than before, and I had to deal with these factors accordingly due to optimizing the run for real time.

Beginning --> Green Brinstar

From Ceres Station -> Bomb Torizo, no improvements were found. The lengthy diagonal room containing the first E-Tank, known as the Terminator room, was traversed at a much faster speed due to the discovery of the soft unmorph or "slopekiller" exploit, which Taco's WIP showcased. The lengthy diagonal room containing the first E-Tank, known as the Terminator room, was traversed at a much faster speed due to the discovery of the soft unmorph or "slopekiller" exploit, which Taco's WIP showcased.

Green & Pink Brinstar

In the Dachora hallway, one of the bombs used on the wall was placed 1 frame earlier by manipulating subpixels. The Spore Spawn Super Missile pack collection has never been attempted before in these conditions, but I developed a clever d-boost for it. The Spore Spawn Super Missile pack collection has never been attempted before in these conditions, but I developed a clever d-boost for it. For the remaining rooms towards Red Brinstar, no improvements were found. For the remaining rooms towards Red Brinstar, no improvements were found.

Red Brinstar

Before reaching the PB pack, no improvements were found. When leaving the PB pack's room, I noticed that it's faster to not jump right in front of the door. Performing certain actions right before entering doors can cause extra processing time to be added to the transition. This is usually due to the sound effects associated with the actions performed. For this reason, I wait until transitioning into the next room before jumping. When leaving the PB pack's room, I noticed that it's faster to not jump right in front of the door. Performing certain actions right before entering doors can cause extra processing time to be added to the transition. This is usually due to the sound effects associated with the actions performed. For this reason, I wait until transitioning into the next room before jumping. In the elevator room, I reduced PB lag by a few frames. In the elevator room, I reduced PB lag by a few frames. Taco's updated method of using a bomb spread in Red Tower is a few frames faster than the one the currently-published runs used. I was not able to improve upon it. Taco's updated method of using a bomb spread in Red Tower is a few frames faster than the one the currently-published runs used. I was not able to improve upon it. To save time later in the run, the glass tube needs to be destroyed upon visiting it for the first time. To save time later in the run, the glass tube needs to be destroyed upon visiting it for the first time.

Kraid's Lair

PB lag in the first room was reduced by 1 frame. Minikraid's hallway was improved by 3 frames at the cost of some energy due to Minikraid's stone attack pushing Samus forward. It was a bit of a lottery win since previous runs had been pushed back by Minikraid's spikes instead. Minikraid's hallway was improved by 3 frames at the cost of some energy due to Minikraid's stone attack pushing Samus forward. It was a bit of a lottery win since previous runs had been pushed back by Minikraid's spikes instead. The highlight of this area is certainly Kraid himself. ED theorized that destroying Kraid's stones might be able to reduce lag, which indeed it did. Then, I accidentally noticed that having Samus take damage while Kraid is rising would reduce it even further, due to the game only having to draw Samus every other frame during her invulnerability period. The highlight of this area is certainly Kraid himself. ED theorized that destroying Kraid's stones might be able to reduce lag, which indeed it did. Then, I accidentally noticed that having Samus take damage while Kraid is rising would reduce it even further, due to the game only having to draw Samus every other frame during her invulnerability period. All in all, the Kraid fight was improved by an enormous 53 frames over Taco's WIP. All in all, the Kraid fight was improved by an enormous 53 frames over Taco's WIP. While collecting Kraid's drops, I discovered something neat - if Samus's energy drops to zero on the same frame an energy drop is collected, Samus will not perish, regardless of how much damage was dealt. I utilized this to not only d-boost 1 frame earlier to collect the drops, but also save 15 energy. (01 -> 00 -> 20 instead of 01 -> 21 -> 05) While collecting Kraid's drops, I discovered something neat - if Samus's energy drops to zero on the same frame an energy drop is collected, Samus will not perish, regardless of how much damage was dealt. I utilized this to not only d-boost 1 frame earlier to collect the drops, but also save 15 energy. (01 -> 00 -> 20 instead of 01 -> 21 -> 05) A few frames were saved by exiting the lair with a d-boost. A few frames were saved by exiting the lair with a d-boost.

Norfair

The descent from the elevator into the first heated room was improved by about 5 frames by better centering of the door, and shooting it open earlier by performing a downback instead of morphing and unmorphing towards the door. Rising Tide showcases yet another major change to real time optimization strategy, which I touched on briefly earlier. Rooms that include the quaking sound effect (with rising lava/acid accompanying the sound) will cause a transition to take 18-42 frames longer than normal to load. This is because the game is programmed to wait for everything to clear out of the sound queue before the door will load. Amusingly, I discovered that the sound of a PB explosion will clear the sound queue out entirely, causing doors to load instantly, and saving around 20 frames in this room. Rising Tide showcases yet another major change to real time optimization strategy, which I touched on briefly earlier. Rooms that include the quaking sound effect (with rising lava/acid accompanying the sound) will cause a transition to take 18-42 frames longer than normal to load. This is because the game is programmed to wait for everything to clear out of the sound queue before the door will load. Amusingly, I discovered that the sound of a PB explosion will clear the sound queue out entirely, causing doors to load instantly, and saving around 20 frames in this room. I entered Bubble Mountain with slightly more speed than Namespoofer did, which saved 2-3 frames for the midair CWJ sequence. The d-boost towards the next room was improved by a few frames as well. I entered Bubble Mountain with slightly more speed than Namespoofer did, which saved 2-3 frames for the midair CWJ sequence. The d-boost towards the next room was improved by a few frames as well. If the top of the Bat Cave is reached with perfect movement, the screen will be at an extremely low position. I fixed this issue by staying in the air for a bit after walljumping up and then jumping towards the transition to perfectly center the screen. I followed this up with a perfect unmorph (slopekiller) to save over 10 frames in the next room. If the top of the Bat Cave is reached with perfect movement, the screen will be at an extremely low position. I fixed this issue by staying in the air for a bit after walljumping up and then jumping towards the transition to perfectly center the screen. I followed this up with a perfect unmorph (slopekiller) to save over 10 frames in the next room. I used a PB in Speed's room for the same reason explained previously, saving 10-15 frames. I used a PB in Speed's room for the same reason explained previously, saving 10-15 frames. The hallway before/after Speed is not a simple mad dash like in prior runs. Instead, I charge a spark and cleverly apply it to obtain a spark suit in the Bat Cave while farming the respawning Gamets. Here, I also disable Speed due to the upcoming lava dive, which will be explained later. I specifically disable it in front of the door to the Bat Cave because unfortunately, this is yet another room that contains the quaking sound effect, but thankfully, pausing the game will stop the game from producing such sounds, and after unpausing, I can leave the room before the game has time to restart the quaking sound. The hallway before/after Speed is not a simple mad dash like in prior runs. Instead, I charge a spark and cleverly apply it to obtain a spark suit in the Bat Cave while farming the respawning Gamets. Here, I also disable Speed due to the upcoming lava dive, which will be explained later. I specifically disable it in front of the door to the Bat Cave because unfortunately, this is yet another room that contains the quaking sound effect, but thankfully, pausing the game will stop the game from producing such sounds, and after unpausing, I can leave the room before the game has time to restart the quaking sound. The spark suit is created by clipping inside the slope next to the Gamet well, and then d-boosting to land and activate the spark immediately. This also allows me to farm two Gamet waves while waiting for the spark suit to be created. A third and final wave is farmed afterward due to upcoming energy/ammo requirements. The spark suit is created by clipping inside the slope next to the Gamet well, and then d-boosting to land and activate the spark immediately. This also allows me to farm two Gamet waves while waiting for the spark suit to be created. A third and final wave is farmed afterward due to upcoming energy/ammo requirements. Back at Bubble Mountain, I reduced PB lag by killing another Waver, as otherwise, it would continue moving while off-screen. In general, entities that continue moving while off-screen cause additional lag because the game continues to calculate their position every frame. I center the door to the room below perfectly during my descent. Back at Bubble Mountain, I reduced PB lag by killing another Waver, as otherwise, it would continue moving while off-screen. In general, entities that continue moving while off-screen cause additional lag because the game continues to calculate their position every frame. I center the door to the room below perfectly during my descent. In the purple shaft below Bubble Mountain, I gained additional speed for the CWJ in the next room, saving around 12 frames. In the purple shaft below Bubble Mountain, I gained additional speed for the CWJ in the next room, saving around 12 frames. The room before the lava dive was improved by farming one more Viola to acquire one more PB and reduce PB lag, saving a few frames. The room before the lava dive was improved by farming one more Viola to acquire one more PB and reduce PB lag, saving a few frames. To understand what happens during lava dive requires understanding how lava functions. When Speed is not present, lava will not reset Samus's dash speed upon making contact with it. When it is present, having any dash speed will result in it resetting. A spark automatically sets the speed counter to 4 even if Speed is disabled. Normally, this makes sparking diagonally impossible in lava, and although sparking horizontally is possible, the speed of the spark will be tremendously reduced. To understand what happens during lava dive requires understanding how lava functions. When Speed is not present, lava will not reset Samus's dash speed upon making contact with it. When it is present, having any dash speed will result in it resetting. A spark automatically sets the speed counter to 4 even if Speed is disabled. Normally, this makes sparking diagonally impossible in lava, and although sparking horizontally is possible, the speed of the spark will be tremendously reduced. ED discovered earlier that pausing and unpausing the game while Speed is not present will reset the speed counter but not dash speed. From there, I found out that there's exactly one frame in lava where if you pause while initiating a spark, the horizontal speed component of the spark will not reset. While unpausing, the game removes the speed counter but maintains horizontal speed, thus allowing a spark to be performed diagonally in lava. ED discovered earlier that pausing and unpausing the game while Speed is not present will reset the speed counter but not dash speed. From there, I found out that there's exactly one frame in lava where if you pause while initiating a spark, the horizontal speed component of the spark will not reset. While unpausing, the game removes the speed counter but maintains horizontal speed, thus allowing a spark to be performed diagonally in lava. Even with having to pause, this saved around 3 frames compared to doing a vertical spark, and conserved 26 energy. Even with having to pause, this saved around 3 frames compared to doing a vertical spark, and conserved 26 energy. Speed is re-enabled while initiating the Lower Norfair elevator. It is specifically re-enabled here because pausing and unpausing while activating an elevator that travels downwards will cause the transition to occur 48 frames earlier than normal. Instead of scrolling Samus all the way off the screen before transitioning, the game will transition as soon as Samus touches the bottom of the screen. Speed is re-enabled while initiating the Lower Norfair elevator. It is specifically re-enabled here because pausing and unpausing while activating an elevator that travels downwards will cause the transition to occur 48 frames earlier than normal. Instead of scrolling Samus all the way off the screen before transitioning, the game will transition as soon as Samus touches the bottom of the screen.

Lower Norfair

The elevator room uses the same strategy that both Namespoofer's 14% and T&K's Any% used; however, I left the room while in midair. Doing this triggers the grounded pirate to fire at Samus while the room is brightening, causing the room to load 10-20 frames faster than usual. The pillars room also uses a shared strategy involving performing a CWJ while maintaining blue echoes, which happened to have much more lag on Lsnes compared to snes9x v1.43. For an unknown reason, holding UP and RIGHT near the end of the speedkeep reduced 16 frames of lag. The pillars room also uses a shared strategy involving performing a CWJ while maintaining blue echoes, which happened to have much more lag on Lsnes compared to snes9x v1.43. For an unknown reason, holding UP and RIGHT near the end of the speedkeep reduced 16 frames of lag. Thanks to Reeve, a spark suit is obtained in the worst room in the game, and the spark that produces the spark suit here is used to spark up through the platform and through the middle ceiling. I managed to better center the screen while entering the next room, saving around 13 frames. Thanks to Reeve, a spark suit is obtained in the worst room in the game, and the spark that produces the spark suit here is used to spark up through the platform and through the middle ceiling. I managed to better center the screen while entering the next room, saving around 13 frames. The spark suit is used in the Amphitheater, followed by yet another PB to clear out the quaking sound, saving around 15 frames. The spark suit is used in the Amphitheater, followed by yet another PB to clear out the quaking sound, saving around 15 frames. While departing the Amphitheater, a spark is charged to slay and farm two of the three Kihunters in the next room. This also reduced lag from the two PB explosions by 150-180 frames. While departing the Amphitheater, a spark is charged to slay and farm two of the three Kihunters in the next room. This also reduced lag from the two PB explosions by 150-180 frames. In Wasteland, there's an important detail regarding the Kzans (spiked platforms) that doesn't appear to have ever been explained, despite being present in runs for nearly the past decade. If you d-boost off of a spike and turn around immediately while facing downwards, Samus will be pushed 10 pixels downwards due to the turnaround ending on the same frame that the knockback timer ends. This technique was performed on the first Kzan and saves 1-3 frames compared to not using it. It could have been used for the second Kzan, but the screen would end up in an awkward position, making it useless for realtime optimization. In Wasteland, there's an important detail regarding the Kzans (spiked platforms) that doesn't appear to have ever been explained, despite being present in runs for nearly the past decade. If you d-boost off of a spike and turn around immediately while facing downwards, Samus will be pushed 10 pixels downwards due to the turnaround ending on the same frame that the knockback timer ends. This technique was performed on the first Kzan and saves 1-3 frames compared to not using it. It could have been used for the second Kzan, but the screen would end up in an awkward position, making it useless for realtime optimization. Because I enter the steel pirates' room with low E-Tank energy, I can perform a faster strategy by having a vertical spark 'crash' right above the floor, saving 40-50 frames combined between their room and the room after. Although I may appear to have low energy, I still have enough energy in the R-Tank to ensure I receive more than just energy from the first pirate's drops. Because I enter the steel pirates' room with low E-Tank energy, I can perform a faster strategy by having a vertical spark 'crash' right above the floor, saving 40-50 frames combined between their room and the room after. Although I may appear to have low energy, I still have enough energy in the R-Tank to ensure I receive more than just energy from the first pirate's drops.

Ridley

Personally, the Ridley fight is one of my favorite parts of this run. I was able to greatly reduce PB lag and completely eliminate all other lag from the battle. The inclusion of moonwalking allowed me to prevent all turnarounds that would have otherwise affected beam-charging time. During the encounter, I realized that, compared to morphing while in the air, each PB can be used 2 frames faster if Samus instead morphs on the ground from an already-crouched position. This occurred four times, thus saving 8 frames. During the encounter, I realized that, compared to morphing while in the air, each PB can be used 2 frames faster if Samus instead morphs on the ground from an already-crouched position. This occurred four times, thus saving 8 frames. Additionally, I was able to reduce the lag and shot delay after each PB, saving 140-150 frames over Namespoofer's Ridley during the PB explosions. Additionally, I was able to reduce the lag and shot delay after each PB, saving 140-150 frames over Namespoofer's Ridley during the PB explosions. If I had the same ammo as Namespoofer (5/15/5 instead of 10/10/5), this Ridley fight would be ~4.5 realtime seconds faster than his due to the reduction of lag, elimination of unnecessary turnarounds, and less delay between shots. If I had the same ammo as Namespoofer (5/15/5 instead of 10/10/5), this Ridley fight would be ~4.5 realtime seconds faster than his due to the reduction of lag, elimination of unnecessary turnarounds, and less delay between shots.

Norfair Escape

I was able to collect Ridley's drops and leave slightly faster, and throughout many of the rooms leading up to Wasteland, I was able to save frames over prior runs. Upon entering Wasteland, I use the spark charged before leaving the steel pirates' room to create another spark suit and spark through the first Kzan. This spark suit is maintained until Maridia, and this location provided the best opportunity to obtain it. Upon entering Wasteland, I use the spark charged before leaving the steel pirates' room to create another spark suit and spark through the first Kzan. This spark suit is maintained until Maridia, and this location provided the best opportunity to obtain it. 2-5 frames were saved while leaving the boulder room as I was able to open the door to the next room earlier while maintaining more speed. 2-5 frames were saved while leaving the boulder room as I was able to open the door to the next room earlier while maintaining more speed. The Three Musketeers room is very laggy and did not go exactly the way I wanted it to as I was unable to, given the circumstances, manipulate the Kihunters to be completely out of the way. At the very least, I managed to reduce the amount of lag frames to 7. The Three Musketeers room is very laggy and did not go exactly the way I wanted it to as I was unable to, given the circumstances, manipulate the Kihunters to be completely out of the way. At the very least, I managed to reduce the amount of lag frames to 7. Upon escaping Lower Norfair, using only bombs to break away the pillars is 11 frames faster than using a PB due to 90 less lag frames. Upon escaping Lower Norfair, using only bombs to break away the pillars is 11 frames faster than using a PB due to 90 less lag frames. Again, at Bubble Mountain, I killed the additional Waver to reduce PB lag. Again, at Bubble Mountain, I killed the additional Waver to reduce PB lag.

Maridia

I'll begin this chapter by explaining why moonwalking is incredibly useful in Maridia. Taco discovered that momentum is stored if Samus moonwalks and then begins to move forward on the next frame. Not only does this allow Samus to both gain more dash in a shorter distance and charge a spark in a shorter distance, but also allows her to immediately obtain 0.32768 momentum right when she starts to move forward underwater. Without Grav, momentum only increases by 1024 subpixels per frame underwater, which is quite slow, so it saves many frames by being able to start moving with 0.32768 momentum instead of 0. Outside of the test run, there aren't really any comparisons to other runs available for a lot of rooms in Maridia. Mt. Everest, Colosseum, and Draygon are perhaps by far the most interesting aspects of this run in this area of the game. Outside of the test run, there aren't really any comparisons to other runs available for a lot of rooms in Maridia. Mt. Everest, Colosseum, and Draygon are perhaps by far the most interesting aspects of this run in this area of the game. By careful manipulation of Samus's speed and height, I was able to perform a gravitation jump from the broken tube up to the closest platform in the room above. By careful manipulation of Samus's speed and height, I was able to perform a gravitation jump from the broken tube up to the closest platform in the room above. Four door jumps were performed in Maridia, and they all saved a bunch of time since it means not having to perform as many awkwardly-slow walljumps. The one at the start of Fish Tank is actually mandatory for scaling the room. Similarly, dispatching the Skultera is also mandatory, as it would otherwise swim into me during the peak of the climb. Four door jumps were performed in Maridia, and they all saved a bunch of time since it means not having to perform as many awkwardly-slow walljumps. The one at the start of Fish Tank is actually mandatory for scaling the room. Similarly, dispatching the Skultera is also mandatory, as it would otherwise swim into me during the peak of the climb. At the start of Mt. Everest, the walljumps were performed in such a way to keep one of the Scisers off-screen long enough so it wouldn't path into me during my ascent up the hill, but would reach the top of the hill soon after me. With that Sciser in position, I allow the Sciser on the far right to scale the mountain so that the large energy drop will be placed in my spark's path, then I pop the Powamp so that its projectile, which luckily deals very little damage, will grant me invulnerability so I can position myself inside the Sciser. At the start of Mt. Everest, the walljumps were performed in such a way to keep one of the Scisers off-screen long enough so it wouldn't path into me during my ascent up the hill, but would reach the top of the hill soon after me. With that Sciser in position, I allow the Sciser on the far right to scale the mountain so that the large energy drop will be placed in my spark's path, then I pop the Powamp so that its projectile, which luckily deals very little damage, will grant me invulnerability so I can position myself inside the Sciser. I pause the game on the frame that the knockback counter hits 1, then set the R-Tank back to auto. ED discovered that during the unpause, the R-Tank activates automatically due to being at 0 energy, and invulnerability frames continue to deplete during the R-Tank's 1-energy-per-frame refill. The invulnerability period from enemies lasts 95 frames, so 100 energy is just enough to consume all of the invulnerability frames. I pause the game on the frame that the knockback counter hits 1, then set the R-Tank back to auto. ED discovered that during the unpause, the R-Tank activates automatically due to being at 0 energy, and invulnerability frames continue to deplete during the R-Tank's 1-energy-per-frame refill. The invulnerability period from enemies lasts 95 frames, so 100 energy is just enough to consume all of the invulnerability frames. After the refill completes, 5 new knockback frames are immediately provided due to still being inside the Sciser and due to the previous knockback timer not having time to expire before the R-Tank activated. Additionally, I pause and unpause the game again because otherwise, the screen would remain black until the next pause, which wouldn't occur until Colosseum (and would displease most viewers). The additional knockback frames provide me enough time to activate a spark on the slope, thus forming another spark suit. I pick up a large energy drop from both the Sciser on the hill and the Sciser that was on the mountain. Obviously, I wouldn't have made it up the mountain without those, given the energy I had. After the refill completes, 5 new knockback frames are immediately provided due to still being inside the Sciser and due to the previous knockback timer not having time to expire before the R-Tank activated. Additionally, I pause and unpause the game again because otherwise, the screen would remain black until the next pause, which wouldn't occur until Colosseum (and would displease most viewers). The additional knockback frames provide me enough time to activate a spark on the slope, thus forming another spark suit. I pick up a large energy drop from both the Sciser on the hill and the Sciser that was on the mountain. Obviously, I wouldn't have made it up the mountain without those, given the energy I had. Importantly, I was kept above 29 energy upon the spark crashing. Being placed below 30 total energy causes an 'energy bomb' effect where every item drop would become energy until 49+ energy is reached again, which, because of my ammo, would hinder me greatly with Botwoon coming up. Importantly, I was kept above 29 energy upon the spark crashing. Being placed below 30 total energy causes an 'energy bomb' effect where every item drop would become energy until 49+ energy is reached again, which, because of my ammo, would hinder me greatly with Botwoon coming up. In the Aqueduct, RNG or something similar seems to control the time it takes for the Yards (snails) to 'wake up.' I manipulated this time to be the shortest amount possible for each jump during the climb. In the Aqueduct, RNG or something similar seems to control the time it takes for the Yards (snails) to 'wake up.' I manipulated this time to be the shortest amount possible for each jump during the climb. Taco created a useful drop prediction LUA script, which helped me manipulate the correct RNG to generate the best set of drops from Botwoon. Taco created a useful drop prediction LUA script, which helped me manipulate the correct RNG to generate the best set of drops from Botwoon. In the Colosseum, the first two increments of the speed counter are gained by the time Samus jumps out from the save station. Unfortunately, the distance in the save station is necessary to obtain the second speed counter for the initial spark, so skipping it is currently impossible. In the Colosseum, the first two increments of the speed counter are gained by the time Samus jumps out from the save station. Unfortunately, the distance in the save station is necessary to obtain the second speed counter for the initial spark, so skipping it is currently impossible. A bomb is used to reach the nearby ledge. Unmorphing is the only way to remain still while maintaining the speed counter value. Unmorphing places Samus in the 'fall state', and morphing from there without resetting the speed counter is normally impossible; however, ED discovered that this isn't the case if you hold down, pause, release down, unpause, and start holding down while the game is unpausing. This causes the game to perform two down inputs in a row without space between them, allowing Samus to morph without resetting the speed counter. A bomb is used to reach the nearby ledge. Unmorphing is the only way to remain still while maintaining the speed counter value. Unmorphing places Samus in the 'fall state', and morphing from there without resetting the speed counter is normally impossible; however, ED discovered that this isn't the case if you hold down, pause, release down, unpause, and start holding down while the game is unpausing. This causes the game to perform two down inputs in a row without space between them, allowing Samus to morph without resetting the speed counter. Upon reaching the ledge, the next step is to reach the floating spiked platform with a bomb jump. I bounce just before the bomb explodes which allows me to unmorph on the edge of the spikes without rising. Speedkeep is performed during the unmorph, and there's barely enough space for a third increment of speed to be obtained. Upon reaching the ledge, the next step is to reach the floating spiked platform with a bomb jump. I bounce just before the bomb explodes which allows me to unmorph on the edge of the spikes without rising. Speedkeep is performed during the unmorph, and there's barely enough space for a third increment of speed to be obtained. With the speed counter now at 3, I immediately crouch and hold an angle to prevent falling and resetting the speed counter. Then, I d-boost to shift back while maintaining the speed counter. The next bounce doesn't need to be stored with a bomb thanks to moonwalking - I simply bounce on the spike and unmorph. The unmorph occurs further left, so I have to moonwalk a bit before I'm finally able to switch direction and gain the fourth and final speed increment with which to charge a spark and create yet another spark suit. It was worth the effort. With the speed counter now at 3, I immediately crouch and hold an angle to prevent falling and resetting the speed counter. Then, I d-boost to shift back while maintaining the speed counter. The next bounce doesn't need to be stored with a bomb thanks to moonwalking - I simply bounce on the spike and unmorph. The unmorph occurs further left, so I have to moonwalk a bit before I'm finally able to switch direction and gain the fourth and final speed increment with which to charge a spark and create yet another spark suit. It was worth the effort. During this entire procedure, I was able to burst both Mochtroids while receiving the intended drops from them and without spending any additional time to do it. During this entire procedure, I was able to burst both Mochtroids while receiving the intended drops from them and without spending any additional time to do it.

Draygon

Draygon's movement is interrupted by 5 frames every time she takes damage, so I strike her with multiple projectiles on the same frame during her swoops to condense these interruptions and begin her next round sooner. I end the first mucus cycle by activating the spark suit that I created in the Colosseum and have Draygon immediately grab me, which creates a blue suit. There are a few reasons for having blue suit at this point in the fight: I end the first mucus cycle by activating the spark suit that I created in the Colosseum and have Draygon immediately grab me, which creates a blue suit. There are a few reasons for having blue suit at this point in the fight: Prevents me from taking damage while mobile (relevant in the third round)

Allows me to aim upwards while in midair to continue farming during the last round (if I aimed upwards in midair with the spark suit, it would activate the spark)

Allows me to come into contact with a mucus particle to force Draygon to swim upwards in the final round (otherwise, I would have to use a PB, which would cause a massive amount of lag and reduce my PB count) Because I am not using a PB anymore, I can farm much more in the final round while I wait for Draygon to float far enough left to be able to spark into her without taking damage

In the final round, I was able to farm a dozen drops and deal the remaining damage necessary for the escape spark to finish Draygon off. Draygon's death interrupts the spark by forcing Samus into a standing pose, creating another blue suit with which to escape the next room. In the final round, I was able to farm a dozen drops and deal the remaining damage necessary for the escape spark to finish Draygon off. Draygon's death interrupts the spark by forcing Samus into a standing pose, creating another blue suit with which to escape the next room.

Maridia Escape

Abusing the fact that the top of Draygon's entry chamber is not submerged while the bottom of the Colosseum is, I perform a gravitation jump followed by a few bomb jumps, saving a lot of time compared to the test run's strategy. The next large timesave worth mentioning takes place within Cacatac Alley. I manipulated RNG so that the last Cacatac would fire its spike and allow me to boost upwards and ledgegrab roughly a second earlier than if no spike were present. The next large timesave worth mentioning takes place within Cacatac Alley. I manipulated RNG so that the last Cacatac would fire its spike and allow me to boost upwards and ledgegrab roughly a second earlier than if no spike were present. The Sciser maze was improved by 1 frame due to an unexpected discovery by Nymx. If you attempt to unmorph while midair inside of a tunnel, the game will set your subpixel value to 65535, which can push yourself downward by 1 pixel per frame and can let you land much earlier in some situations. Landing is important because while morphed, Samus moves much faster on the ground than in the air. The Sciser maze was improved by 1 frame due to an unexpected discovery by Nymx. If you attempt to unmorph while midair inside of a tunnel, the game will set your subpixel value to 65535, which can push yourself downward by 1 pixel per frame and can let you land much earlier in some situations. Landing is important because while morphed, Samus moves much faster on the ground than in the air.

Wrecked Ship

This area begins similarly to Saturn's RBO run. I sparked through the bottom door of the first room with just enough energy to reach the door, and saved time by perfectly centering the door. In the room after the spikes, I did not jump right before entering the Wrecked Ship's main shaft. As mentioned earlier, jumping right in front of a door adds extra processing time. In the room after the spikes, I did not jump right before entering the Wrecked Ship's main shaft. As mentioned earlier, jumping right in front of a door adds extra processing time. In the room before Phantoon, I used a speedball to break away the block which saved both a frame and a PB. In the room before Phantoon, I used a speedball to break away the block which saved both a frame and a PB.

Phantoon

This is yet another boss battle that has changed significantly. Overfiend noticed an odd glitch involving a spark's echoes that can cause one of its echoes to respawn indefinitely. There weren't any known uses for this glitch until I made it to Phantoon, and it turns out that it's actually helpful during the battle. Spark echoes are considered Plasma/Wave-type projectiles and do not put the beam on cooldown, allowing me to extinguish four of Phantoon's flames in an instant without using the beam, while still encountering Phantoon's fastest one-round pattern of "left fast". Nine out of ten of the flames that Phantoon spawned were farmed, and I am very satisfied with the result. There weren't any known uses for this glitch until I made it to Phantoon, and it turns out that it's actually helpful during the battle. Spark echoes are considered Plasma/Wave-type projectiles and do not put the beam on cooldown, allowing me to extinguish four of Phantoon's flames in an instant without using the beam, while still encountering Phantoon's fastest one-round pattern of "left fast". Nine out of ten of the flames that Phantoon spawned were farmed, and I am very satisfied with the result.

To Tourian

The interesting stuff is not over yet! After re-entering the Wrecked Ship's main shaft, I found another new trick - if you release forward for 1 frame while holding dash, and jump 1 frame later while still holding dash, you will automatically receive 1 frame of dash speed (0.04096), which automatically gives the highest jump speed. This saved 1 frame on one of the staircases, a frame I am very proud about. After re-entering the Wrecked Ship's main shaft, I found another new trick - if you release forward for 1 frame while holding dash, and jump 1 frame later while still holding dash, you will automatically receive 1 frame of dash speed (0.04096), which automatically gives the highest jump speed. This saved 1 frame on one of the staircases, a frame I am very proud about. Besides that, more frames were saved before leaving the Wrecked Ship by perfectly centering the door. Besides that, more frames were saved before leaving the Wrecked Ship by perfectly centering the door. I use the same underwater bounceball strategy as Saturn's RBO run at the ocean; however, Saturn's bounce was not perfect. Midair morph ball momentum oscillates between 1 and 1.49152, but when Samus enters water while morphed and without Grav, this value does not oscillate up to 1.49152 anymore and, upon touching the water, does one of the following: I use the same underwater bounceball strategy as Saturn's RBO run at the ocean; however, Saturn's bounce was not perfect. Midair morph ball momentum oscillates between 1 and 1.49152, but when Samus enters water while morphed and without Grav, this value does not oscillate up to 1.49152 anymore and, upon touching the water, does one of the following: If the value was 1, it will start increasing by 1024 subpixels per frame until 1.32768 is reached.

If the value was 1.49152, it will change to 1.32768 immediately. Saturn morphed on a bad frame which resulted in him touching the water with a momentum value of 1, so he lost 1 frame there. Saturn morphed on a bad frame which resulted in him touching the water with a momentum value of 1, so he lost 1 frame there. In the room after the moat, I shot the door to the connector tube open with a very precise diagonal shot over the Kihunter, allowing me to run the entire time without stopping or slowing down, and killing the Kihunter with blue echoes. In the room after the moat, I shot the door to the connector tube open with a very precise diagonal shot over the Kihunter, allowing me to run the entire time without stopping or slowing down, and killing the Kihunter with blue echoes. At the Landing Site, I shot the magical Namespoofer-style charge shot to open the next door without stopping, but I did so while having 6.36864 dash instead of 6.28672, which probably saved 1-2 frames. At the Landing Site, I shot the magical Namespoofer-style charge shot to open the next door without stopping, but I did so while having 6.36864 dash instead of 6.28672, which probably saved 1-2 frames. Similar to the above, I entered Terminator with 3.08192 dash instead of 2.49152, which probably saved 2-5 frames. Similar to the above, I entered Terminator with 3.08192 dash instead of 2.49152, which probably saved 2-5 frames. Terminator had to be executed carefully, as armpumping on wrong frames will produce lag. Terminator had to be executed carefully, as armpumping on wrong frames will produce lag. In the pirate shaft, I was able to open the red door leading to the statues 1 frame earlier by shooting the last pirate instead of d-boosting from it. In the pirate shaft, I was able to open the red door leading to the statues 1 frame earlier by shooting the last pirate instead of d-boosting from it.

Tourian

Not to sound like a broken record, but this is another interesting area of the run, as I managed to save around a whopping 13 seconds over Namespoofer's 14% in the Metroid rooms combined, due to a better understanding of how to strike all of the Metroids in a room with PBs, and better understanding of RNG to receive the appropriate drops with minimal delay. Lag was also massively reduced. Overfiend noticed that a spark can be used to avoid the forced kneeling pose that occurs at the end of the Super Metroid's drain, as well as MB's rainbow beam drain, allowing Samus to stand up and move immediately. This saved over 2 seconds compared to Namespoofer's style of skip. Overfiend noticed that a spark can be used to avoid the forced kneeling pose that occurs at the end of the Super Metroid's drain, as well as MB's rainbow beam drain, allowing Samus to stand up and move immediately. This saved over 2 seconds compared to Namespoofer's style of skip.

Mother Brain

MB's first phase was improved by reducing lag in a manner similar to Kraid - by abusing the spot on the lower part of MB that deals zero damage and grants Samus invulnerability, reducing the time she's drawn to the screen. I reduced lag further by destroying Rinkas with Missiles that would also strike MB, due to being at point-blank range, and was able to fire without any delays. Being at point-blank range is inherently less laggy due to Samus's projectiles disappearing from the screen immediately. The first shot on MB2's second phase was fired 6 frames earlier by performing a spinjump and unspinning with angle up right before landing on the ground, making the shot travel slightly slower than normal. The first shot on MB2's second phase was fired 6 frames earlier by performing a spinjump and unspinning with angle up right before landing on the ground, making the shot travel slightly slower than normal. Other than the above, the battle is similar to previous runs, except I tried to have Samus perform entertaining movement and exciting dodges. Moonwalking certainly helped in this department. Other than the above, the battle is similar to previous runs, except I tried to have Samus perform entertaining movement and exciting dodges. Moonwalking certainly helped in this department. Lag during MB's redbeam phase was reduced through careful movement and by attempting to fire most of the shots as close to MB as possible. Too many sprites existing on the screen at once often causes lag here. Lag during MB's redbeam phase was reduced through careful movement and by attempting to fire most of the shots as close to MB as possible. Too many sprites existing on the screen at once often causes lag here. Before rainbow beam occurs, there is a timer MB uses which counts from 240 to 0 before each redbeam. Having it as close to 0 when MB's second phase hits 0 health would yield the least amount of downtime before rainbow beam, but I unfortunately only managed to lower it to 77, thus costing 77 frames. I would've had to have redone most if not all of the fight to have potentially improved the outcome. Before rainbow beam occurs, there is a timer MB uses which counts from 240 to 0 before each redbeam. Having it as close to 0 when MB's second phase hits 0 health would yield the least amount of downtime before rainbow beam, but I unfortunately only managed to lower it to 77, thus costing 77 frames. I would've had to have redone most if not all of the fight to have potentially improved the outcome. MB's third phase is handled with the same attention to lag reduction - firing as many shots as possible from as close to MB as possible. MB's death has a weird counter that can make her die faster or slower. I did not compare this to every other run out there, but I noticed that MB died about 20 frames faster than Namespoofer's 14% and Saturn's Any%. MB's third phase is handled with the same attention to lag reduction - firing as many shots as possible from as close to MB as possible. MB's death has a weird counter that can make her die faster or slower. I did not compare this to every other run out there, but I noticed that MB died about 20 frames faster than Namespoofer's 14% and Saturn's Any%. Lastly, I spark while MB is fading away to set my energy to the proper amount for a certain room in the escape. Lastly, I spark while MB is fading away to set my energy to the proper amount for a certain room in the escape.

Escape

The first room had to be executed slightly differently than runs performed on snes9x v1.43 - I had to sacrifice 1 frame of movement in order to reduce about 10 frames of lag. I improved the fourth room by 3 frames by incorporating my new "forwards-release" technique that I used in Wrecked Ship to gain 0.04096 dash, resulting in more distance while still being able to jump with ideal height. I improved the fourth room by 3 frames by incorporating my new "forwards-release" technique that I used in Wrecked Ship to gain 0.04096 dash, resulting in more distance while still being able to jump with ideal height. I improved the climb room by 5-8 frames by being able to land earlier after the spark due to reduced energy. I improved the climb room by 5-8 frames by being able to land earlier after the spark due to reduced energy. Due to better understanding of RNG, I was able to find decent steam patterns for both the Parlor and the Landing Site by changing the frames that pirates perished on in the fourth room and the climb room. Due to better understanding of RNG, I was able to find decent steam patterns for both the Parlor and the Landing Site by changing the frames that pirates perished on in the fourth room and the climb room. Overall, this section was improved by 30-50 frames over Namespoofer's 14% and T&K's Any%. Overall, this section was improved by 30-50 frames over Namespoofer's 14% and T&K's Any%. The final jump to the ship may look suboptimal, but it actually reduced over 10 lag frames, making it the fastest option. The final jump to the ship may look suboptimal, but it actually reduced over 10 lag frames, making it the fastest option.

Additional

There were many other small improvements that occurred throughout this run that I chose not to list because it would have made these notes way more lengthy than they already are.

Taco was kind enough to provide me with the inputs of his incomplete Any% run. I used these as a starting point and also tried to find improvements over them.