Low%Map analysis
Low%Map analysis (without OoB or Space-Time-Beam, but distinguishing cases according to GT-Code): (unfinished)
Approximation for TAS, without GT-Code, for PAL and NTSC (simultaneously):
First of all, I will keep some obsoleted TAS-routes in here, because they had some good ideas and maybe could still have some potential to improve the best approximation if they are changed/adapted suitably.
Oldest, obsoleted TAS-route, in the manner of X-Ice:
http://i.imgur.com/gO4nE0b.png
Additional squares (the orange squares aswell as the pink squares which will be automatically added if one enters the map-square directly below it) (neglecting the necessary ones):
Ceres: 0
Crateria: 27
Brinstar: 40
Wrecked Ship: 6
Norfair: 54
Maridia: 37
Tourian: 7.
Altogether (neglecting necessary squares): 171
Altogether with the necessary squares: 255 + 7 + 171 = 433
I tested this route, and it is certainly feasible for TAS, but it is only an approximation and I plan on improving the approximation later.
Some information on this TAS-route here:
When the routing for this Low%Map approximation was done, I focused on Low% options (but at that time, I did not know about Low%IceBooster/Speed-Grapple) since those categories skip huge areas, and in particular, this approximation is some kind of extension of the X-Ice category. Major items that are contained in low% categories are Gravity, HighJump, Ice, Speedbooster, X-Ray, Powerbombs, Grapple; but some of these items (Gravity, Grapple, Speedbooster) would require a lot of squares to be added to the route, thus I did not consider the corresponding options in that much detail.
Explanation on the route and items that can be collected in this approximation:
Ball; 1.Missile; Bombs; Terminator room (mushroom room) E.-Tank; early SuperMissile; Missile in early SuperMissile´s room; Brinstar R.-Tank; upper Charge-room Missile; lower Charge-room Missile; Charge; Spazer; Ice; Charge-room Powerbombs [via freezing the lower red refill bug in Charge-room such that its right frozen side is slightly within the 1*2-crumble-block (using an appropriate horizontal shot for which Spazer is used) at the Powerbomb-room´s entrance, to roll a little into the crumble-block, and destroying it by laying a bomb such that the ball inside it lands "on" that block]; X-Ray; {Kraid}; Varia; Botwoon E.-Tank [after some TAS-1-wall-climbing, ice-climbing, and inbounds X-Ray-Climb in the Snail room]; {then Draygon and Ridley [using an ice-ceiling-clip in Mickey-Mouse room]}; Moat-Missile; {Phantoon}; left WS-SuperMissile; {Tourian}.
An obsoleted PAL route:
So actually, I found a 3-Map-Squares-Improvement (only) for PAL that adds HighJump (and HighJump-E.-Tank aswell as HighJump-Missile), subtracts X-Ray, adds squares in Snail room and subtracts individual squares in Charge-PB room, Brinstar-R.-Tank room and the lavapit:
http://i.imgur.com/mQzKBs9.png
Another obsoleted route, for NTSC (and probably for PAL, too but the Everest room diagonal shinespark through squares without hitting the Grapple-block at a stalactite was not checked there):
I found a better TAS-route only for NTSC version, which is a 1-Map-Squares-Improvement over the (oldest, obsoleted) X-Ice route:
http://i.imgur.com/WsLkOEw.png
It skips Ice, gets HighJump and Ridley-Powerbombs, skips Spazer and a square in lavapit and skips Charge-PB-room and area close by in favour of Red-Brinstar-PB and one in Everest room and four in the 3rd Tourian-Escape-room, adds squares in WS for a Shsp.-Suit setup and one square in Tourian refill-room and adds a square for Mainstreet room X-Ray-Climb with Blue-Suit.
An obsolete TAS-route (for both versions):
(Obsolete due to God-Mode)
I found a better route once again. This time, it is a 6-Squares-Improvement for PAL and NTSC over the (oldest, obsoleted) X-Ice route. It skips X-Ray (-10), adds Ridley-Powerbomb (+1), adds Snail room squares (+4), and skips a square in the 3rd Tourian escape room that could have been skipped all the time (-1), but at that time I did not notice it, and it uses Low%Ice-PB methods:
http://i.imgur.com/ks2raAr.png
Additional squares (the orange squares aswell as the pink squares which will be automatically added if one enters the map-square directly below it) (neglecting the necessary ones):
Ceres: 0
Crateria: 27
Brinstar: 30
Wrecked Ship: 6
Norfair: 55
Maridia: 41
Tourian: 6.
Altogether (neglecting necessary squares): 165
Altogether with the necessary squares: 255 + 7 + 165 = 427
Here would be a concept for an obsolete TAS-route (only for PAL, due to pre-Draygon escape) that is not confirmed being possible:
http://i.imgur.com/ge8UxBq.png
In this case, compared to the so far best approximation in the Ice-PB manner, HighJump would be added (+6), Draygon Shinespark-Suit would be used in 3rd Tourian escape room (-3), Brinstar R.-Tank and a square in lavapit aswell as a square in Charge-Powerbomb room would be skipped (-1*3), squares in Snail room would be skipped (-4), and, if needed, BlueBrinstar-Powerbombs would be gotten (+2 or +0). The issue in here would be that a ceiling-Crystal-Flash would have to be executed (either even combined with a powerbomb-drop by a snail, if one wants to skip BlueBrinstar-Powerbombs and the corresponding squares) (using Flatley-turnaround spinjumps off a snail at the right height at the door shell, and pushing Samus down quickly at the ceiling by unmorphing right after laying the powerbomb there) beneath the crumble-block at the ceiling next to the door to the left in Snail room to break it and climbing onto another snail to clip through the upper crumble-block layer to get up.
The currently third-best, confirmed possible TAS-route (for both versions):
New improvement again. Now, it is an amazing 27-Squares-Improvement for PAL and NTSC over the (oldest, obsoleted) X-Ice route, due to God-Mode exploits, and funnily this new route includes X-Ice-PB route strategies again. It skips the lavapit route, uses the reverse Lower Norfair route, and adds Ridley-PBs for Blue-Suit at Draygon for a Shinespark-Suit later via Flashsuit from Shinespark to skip some squares in the 3rd Tourian escape room:
http://i.imgur.com/vh3RDwb.png
Additional squares (the orange squares aswell as the pink squares which will be automatically added if one enters the map-square directly below it) (neglecting the necessary ones):
Ceres: 0
Crateria: 27
Brinstar: 40
Wrecked Ship: 6
Norfair: 47
Maridia: 37
Tourian: 3.
Altogether (neglecting necessary squares): 160
Altogether with the necessary squares: 239 + 7 + 160 = 406
The currently second-best, confirmed possible TAS-route (for both versions):
In comparison to the third-best approximation, this route here uses 14%X-PB (i.e. "PowerScope") strategies, and increases the complexity of the route and techniques used within it drastically.
Regarding map squares, it adds 2 squares for the BlueBrinstar-Powerbombs, adds 1 square for refilling in Tourian, skips the 10 squares for Ice aswell as 3 squares for Spazer ad 6 squares for the Charge-Powerbomb area but adds 12 squares for the early powerbombs, and finally adds 1 square for an inbounds X-Ray-Climb in Maridia-Mainstreet that is subtracted in the Everest room.
Regarding the included techniques, one gets 15 Powerbombs in total (for necessary complicated Crystal Flashes), enters LNF from its back, generates FlashSuit at the Ninja-Pirates that is turned into BlueSuit via Crystal Spark near the GlassTube to keep the ability for a precise shinespark in Everest room after a necessary inbounds X-Ray-Climb, executes a Ceiling-CF (or R-Mode Force-Stand ceiling-clip) in pre-Botwoon room, generates FlashSuit turned into BlueSuit at Draygon to use the shinespark in order to get back up in pre-Snail-room after another needed inbounds X-Ray-Climb, and generates FlashSuit once more but this time using Mini-Kraid for a shinespark in the Tourian Escape to skip even some further squares, which makes it the most complex route for any meaningful SM category that so far exists.
http://i.imgur.com/YOOHBcs.png
Additional squares (the orange squares aswell as the pink squares which will be automatically added if one enters the map-square directly below it) (neglecting the necessary ones):
Ceres: 0
Crateria: 27
Brinstar: 45
Wrecked Ship: 6
Norfair: 37
Maridia: 37
Tourian: 4.
Altogether (neglecting necessary squares): 156
Altogether with the necessary squares: 239 + 7 + 156 = 402
The currently best, confirmed possible TAS-route (for both versions):
Compared to the second-best approximation, in this route, the 3rd Powerbomb pack in BlueBrinstar is skipped for 2 less squares since one actually can lure (only) the left Beetom in the Gauntlet shaft down without entering another square higher up in that room, in order to obtain R-Mode in the Kago room to the left in which one can stack/synchronize a mass of Kago bugs to deal the required damage to Samus during a Crystal Flash (after some reserve energy was replenished which still works if having one E.-Tank) for which one manipulates a powerbomb drop beforehand, to get FlashSuit. A (potentially at a slope stored) suitless Slope-X-Mode SuperJump can be used at the bottom of Mainstreet room to skip 1 square to the right of this room, and with the same technique in Everest room, one can get onto the first hill from which one can shinespark diagonally to the right through map squares, which skips 1 more square, due to BlueSuit that Samus acquires after a SuperJump.
http://i.imgur.com/zXjAgtd.png
Additional squares (the orange squares aswell as the pink squares which will be automatically added if one enters the map-square directly below it) (neglecting the necessary ones):
Ceres: 0
Crateria: 27
Brinstar: 43
Wrecked Ship: 6
Norfair: 37
Maridia: 35
Tourian: 4.
Altogether (neglecting necessary squares): 152
Altogether with the necessary squares: 239 + 7 + 152 = 398
http://i.imgur.com/yK6hiKE.png
This map here shows the full set of best approximations that are at the same level of used squares. The yellow lines that individually connect two squares shall indicate that one can choose one of those two independently of the choice of any other such squares that are connected via a yellow line, to get a variation of the approximation that uses the same amount of squares, so there are in total 2^5=32 different best Low%Map approximations for TAS.
The best routes so far for PAL and NTSC, among rather small room-internal and item-based variations of themselves seem to be optimal except one spot within Lower Norfair´s huge acid room where TAS probably could travel diagonally between map-squares at one point during IBJ.[For the reverse LNF route, this part is irrelevant.]
Maybe though (in PAL or even in NTSC) it might be possible for TAS to jump out of the Charge-room Powerbomb chamber, up through the crumble-block before it respawns, even without HighJump, which could improve some options.[For the PowerScope route, the Charge-room Powerbombs are irrelevant aswell.]
- - -
[By the GT-Code-less approximation obsoleted] Low%Map approximation for TAS, with (forced) GT-Code, for PAL and NTSC (simultaneously): (unfinished)
This section here is so far completely solved, except for the red part regarding the full set of optimal solutions.
http://i.imgur.com/UBmrw8c.png
Additional squares (neglecting the necessary ones):
Ceres: 0
Crateria: 27
Brinstar: 31
Wrecked Ship: 5
Norfair: 47
Maridia: 35
Tourian: 3.
Altogether (neglecting necessary squares): 148
Altogether with the necessary squares: 255 + 7 + 148 = 410
This approximation should be optimal, and the only theoretical square that could maybe be skipped would be the upper most orange square in the huge acid room in Lower Norfair, by shinesparking horizontally into one of the slopes at that long ground next to the door on the right side (and letting the shinespark stop using appropriate amount of health) to fall through the ground there and moving diagonally to the left suitably, provided it is at all possible. This route also is a lower bound for the number of squares used for optimal Low%Map (without GT-Code) routes for PAL and NTSC.
List of variations of this route that can be made without changing the number of used squares: (To be done)
