Speed Run Challenge

Zystral

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I would like to take part in this, but I think it must be specified what is meant by speed run: in-game clock, or real time? Because with lots of save state abuse and soft resetting, you could get a ludicrously low in-game time at the cost of a few hours SRing.
 
I always have that feeling where I just have to check every corner, battle every trainer... even freaking search every place for items with the item finder xDDD
And at least SEE all pokemon if Im not catching and at least evolving everything that I can lol. I need that feeling of completeness when playing a game D;

So speed runs in pokemon sounds like its not for me... unlike for example Metroid games where you can clearly define whether you go for 100% items or just shortest time etc.
 

Taylor

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For starters, I think we could run the emulator on which ever speed participants feel comfortable with. Remember that soft-resetting to a certain point in the game means you're not progressing so much as reverting back to a previous checkpoint in-game, which isn't jumping further ahead by any means.

Assuming we allow for whichever emulator speeds are necessary for each competitor, then that is as far as we go in terms of "cheating the system". You obviously will not be permitted to use cheats such as "walk through walls", étc. I would have declared "no solo runs" due to the extreme ease of plowing through original games with just one Pokemon, but ultimately a speed-run intends for the fastest time possible and therefore it's best we schedule when, where and how when we all know who is available at what time.

Allow me to reiterate, I intend for us to group together on Skype so we can chat whilst playing through the version of our choosing. Mostly everything in-game is up to the discretion of its users, but the aim of the competition is to see if we can break records and challenge one another to see who has the fastest fingers on Smogon. To add, memorizing the story itself is also key because we know how difficult it can be remembering how to solve some of those grueling puzzles, and particular battles which have proven to be a struggle in the past (Chikorita starters facing Falkner, for example).

Thoughts, interests?
 

Joeyboy

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Very interested in this, in class atm but I think this is a great idea. Gunna do some research and watch a couple speed runs later :)
 

McGrrr

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*Bump*

Has anybody tried to speed run B2/W2 yet?

I managed a first HoF time of 3:41 (sub 3:30 may be possible), but I used this guy after the first gym (and a teleport Mew for HMs): http://www.pokecheck.org/?p=detail&uid=2193766

Obviously my run is worthless because I essentially broke the game, but I'd like to know of any legitimate tries!
 
Yeah Using Legendaries / traded Pokemon is like cheating :)

I don't know if Speeds Runs exists, it's counter productive to the spirit of Pokemon isn't it ?
 
Bumping this topic because speedruns are awesome and the only Pokemon challenge I do (eff Nuzlocke). It doesn't seem like the race ever happened, but I'd love to have a speedrun race against other Smogoners. :) You got any questions about speedrunning, feel free to ask.

Here's a list of my personal best times and some links to some of the cooler Pokemon runs. I'm currently working on a Pokemon Blue speedrun, I'll see how that turns out.

PBs (including a world record):
-Pokemon Yellow: 2:03 (one minute short of the world record ;_;)
I also had a speedrun where I traded in items from Pokemon Stadium to get a L100 Nidoking and get to Saffron City early by transferring a drink, but I forget the time and this would obviously be a separate category.
-Pokemon Gold: 3:55 (have an outdated 4:15 run up on SDA under the name Brown_Bomber
-Pokemon Sapphire: ~2:30
-Pokemon Diamond: 3:58 (world record, though I could shave a few minutes with an optimal Piplup)
-Pokemon White: ~4:00-4:30 (pretty bad "single-segment" run)


Speedrun links:
A 0:00 in-game timer run of Pokemon Yellow. Seriously.
A "Gotta Catch 'Em All" tool-assisted (emulator) speedrun of Pokemon Blue. If you had any sort of childhood in the '90s, this should delight you.
This is outdated, but I thought some people would enjoy this anyway (hint: wait until the end).
A 1:54 Pokemon Sapphire run.
A 100% run of Pokemon Colosseum by our very own Toothache in 7:17.
Westerlobe's channel, a channel of an active Pokemon speedrunner (he made the run that was linked to in the first post). He also streams on Twitch at SpeedRunsLive if you want to see speedrun attempts in real time.


Yeah Using Legendaries / traded Pokemon is like cheating :)

I don't know if Speeds Runs exists, it's counter productive to the spirit of Pokemon isn't it ?
1. Using legendaries is not cheating. If it's in the game, you abuse it to get a good time. Trades are considered a separate category.

2. How are speedruns counterproductive? I realize some people like to take their time and enjoy the game, but it helps others learn more and more about the game.
 
Alright, I just wanted to say Werster (who was linked in the above post) is one of the best speedrunners hands down. I avidly follow him, and off the top of my head, he has the WR in : Red, Yellow, Gold, Crystal, FireRed, Emerald, Sapphire, and maybe HeartGold.

And nice Yellow run, that's solid!
 
I'm thinking of doing an Emerald speedrun, any tips? I'm pretty new to this but I know the game well.
 
I'm thinking of doing an Emerald speedrun, any tips? I'm pretty new to this but I know the game well.
First of all, only train one or two Pokémon that are powerful and available early. I know in my LC speedrun, my best friends were my Wingull and Geodude, whom I caught within the first two gyms. Second, I recommend teaching powerful but accurate moves - any sort of miss can lead to long, drawn out battles. Additionally, save before important battles - restarting is also your friend. Lastly, change the text speed to fast and turn off battle animations, as they merely waste time (and catch a Zigzagoon - it triples as a meat shield, a Pickup market, and an HM bitch). Best of luck!
 
I've managed ~4.5 hours with Samurott. Swords dance allows you to beat the E4 quicker than the other starters. Also, make sure you play in Winter; thereby reducing Twist Mountain to a 5 minute distraction.

Soft reset for 21/11/10/12/10/10 Oshawott (not difficult as this only guarantees IVs of 10/10/10/14/10/10) with a neutral nature or the equivalent with -SpD. It's important not to settle for -SpA because you need water gun to 2HKO a bunch of stuff early on. Bear in mind that torrent water gun is your best option before the first gym.

Remember to pick up the X Defend next to the girl who gives you Simisear and the Eviolite before taking on the bug gym; Leavanny is the toughest battle all game.
The BW world record uses Tepig. RNG'd for 31 Att and Spd and above 25 for everything else.

Tepig is the best because he has the best movepool and stats for speedrunning. He gets Flame Charge early and can Defense Curl+Rollout to take down some tough fights. (N3, Cheren on Route 4, Elesa) He can take some hits to set up with X-Attacks if needed, and the only gym that causes serious trouble is Clay, since he is tough with a level 34 Pignite.

http://www.twitch.tv/anembrawl/c/1969937
 
I'm thinking of trying a heartgold speed run all the way to red, but I'm not sure what pokemon to use or what order to do things in (haven't played heartgold for ages). Also, wouldn't writing a general guide for speedrunning be a good idea, and it would help get more interest in this type of challenge.
 

Taylor

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I'm thinking of trying a heartgold speed run all the way to red, but I'm not sure what pokemon to use or what order to do things in (haven't played heartgold for ages). Also, wouldn't writing a general guide for speedrunning be a good idea, and it would help get more interest in this type of challenge.
I've seen a run completed and it was around 4hours long. The guy attempting to achieve a really fast time hasn't played as often as he would've liked but as far as anyone is aware, it is the world record.

His strategy is simple; choose Cyndaquil, teach Fire Blast (TM from Goldenrod) and later pick up Choice Specs located in Lake Of Rage. Typhlosion learns Eruption, Flamethrower and Hyper Beam and essentially powerhouses through most of the trainers in the game with high based-powered special attacks. You can imagine how hard STAB Eruption hits with full HP behind a Choice Specs.

Actually asking this guy for a guide might not be easy because the run is still new to him and I don't think he's ready to hand them out seeing as he is still trying to best his time. You can watch videos of his attempts to get an idea of how his strategy plays out (I will link you to the page if you ask).

I've personally been running Pokemon Blue and my personal best is 2:04 ingame time. The world record is 1:57 so I have some catching up to do, but mostly it's down to keeping my item management up to par and not bonking into walls/trees. Anything else that I can improve on is getting more critical hits. :)
 
Out of curiosity, what is the world record for speed running R/S/E and FR/LG?
Emerald is 3:04:18, though the Sapphire one is much faster (can't remember the exact time off the top of my head). I don't know the FR or LG records, but I do know that the Yellow Blue one was 1:57:xx

Edit: Actually, it was Blue that got the 1:57 record.
 

Stellar

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Mekkah and I just raced to see who could beat the Elite Four in Fire Red first without saving. We both ended up running with starter + Zapdos + HM slaves. I picked Squirtle, he picked Charmander.

We both had some really dumb moments involving losing to a gym leader without having entered the Pokémon Center... I got sent back to Mount Moon from Cerulean, Mekkah got sent back to Viridian from Pewter. I know Mekkah had a few other moments like this, but generally things went pretty smoothly... until we hit the Elite Four.

I exited Victory Road at a solid time of 2:55, but it took me another hour and eighteen minutes to actually defeat my rival. Most of this I attribute to spending 80k on the Ice Beam TM, leaving me with absolutely zero money to spend on Revives or healing items.

Despite this major setback, I ended up beating Mekkah with a time of 4:12. Rival's Rhydon proved to be too much for Mekkah's Charizard/Zapdos to handle. :[

This was fun and we plan to start another one very soon. If you want to join us, hop on #orangeislands and we can schedule a group race!
 

Stellar

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#orangeislands is hosting a Sapphire no-starter speedrun. If you want to watch the race live or participate, join #orangeislands within the next five minutes and give us your gmail account so you can join the hangout!
 
wow timezone is making me miss things. This should be a more regular thing since speedruns are great
 

deinosaur

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Until recently, there was a fairly regular group gameplay called Orange Islands Plays. It has recently been left to die due to my inactivity, but if enough people enjoy it, it may come back. This would be a small OIP, they were very fun.
 

Stellar

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Mekkah and I are currently stopping for tonight on the Weather Institute route.

I have a playtime of 2:29 at the bottom of the route.
Mekkah has a playtime of 3:04 after defeating Archie.

If anyone wants to catch up and join us tomorrow, that's perfectly fine.

Rules:
  • You may not battle anyone other than May/Brendan with your starter at the beginning of the game.
  • You must catch one of the early route Pokémon and replace your starter ASAP.
  • No resetting for better outcomes. You may only save if you need to stop playing.
 
Archie's not in the weather institute, just that bottom bitch of his. But yeah, totally worth it, even though I'm gonna end up losing (or placing 2nd I guess if you consider that others joined in for a while!).

Pelipper blows.
 

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