14% Grapplebooster

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Super Metroid Category
14% Grapplebooster
14% Grapplebooster
WORLD RECORD
1:58:47
1:33 IGT
Full Category
World Record Holder
World Record Holder:
bobbob
WORLD RECORD RECORDING

Category Details

Timing
Start Timer:
On Start Game
Stop Timer:
Entering Ship Animation
Location
Begin At:
Ceres Station
End At:
End of Zebes Escape
Collection
Percentage:
14%
Bosses
Major Bosses:
All
Mini-Bosses:
Boss Order:
KRDP
Glitches
No
No


14% Grapplebooster is one of the 14% categories that that has a known, recorded, RTA completion. A total of 14 items are picked up during the entire run and focuses on using Grapple and Speed Booster for level progression.

This category is possible due to a discovery by EternisedDragon that allows blue suit to be generated by incorporating a bomb explosion with a shinespark as Varia Suit is acquired.

In spite of this, the current world record run never uses a blue suit, instead using spikesuits and a slopespark. These techniques eliminate the need for L+R Walljumping.

Prerequisites

To finish this run, you need to know how to:

The blue suit route and spikesuit route are very different in requirements.

Blue suit route requirements:

Spikesuit route requirements:

Collected Items

Morphball.png Bombs.png Charge.png Grapple.png Speedbooster.png Varia.png Etank.png Etank.png Etank.png Missiles.png Supermissiles.png Supermissiles.png Supermissiles.png Powerbomb.png

With the blue suit route, it can be difficult to survive the hell run to Speed Booster (from the Gamet well and back) without pausing and with only two Energy Tanks, the Brinstar Reserve Tank can replace one of the Energy Tanks listed above for partial pause abuse. It can also potentially be utilized similarly in other areas. Note that such utilization can cause a substantial loss of real time in a speedrun, but could save game time as game time would cease not only during pause screens, but would also cease for any frame that Samus is at 00 energy, including those during pause fade-outs.

Alternatively, the player can instead choose to acquire a third Energy Tank before the Speed Booster hell run, such as the one in the ceiling of blue Brinstar.

Regarding lava dive - as the player has neither Gravity Suit (meaning gravitation jump is not an option) nor Hi-Jump Boots (meaning the "GT Code" category method of simply walljumping up is not an option), they must use either the EternisedDragon method or the sniqwc3 method for completing the dive (or carry a spikesuit). Note that just like Reverse Boss Order, Speed Booster should be disabled during this, otherwise it will hinder horizontal momentum, making it much more difficult to execute properly and leaving Samus with less energy.

Blue Suit Routing

The route can follow 14% Iceboost up until Varia, except skipping Ice and going to Crocomire to get Grapple.

Since Main Street cannot be climbed from the bottom with the tube broken with this equipment, the blue suit generated at Varia must be carried up Red Tower, through Wrecked Ship and Forgotten Highway (using L+R Walljumping and horizontal bomb jumping to cross East Ocean), through West Sand Hall and then through Maridia as in 14% Iceboost.

This means that one could choose to kill Phantoon before attempting this, so that Phantoon does not have to be killed with a blue suit. This does not seem strictly necessary, but would make attempts shorter.

Note the horizontal bomb jump in East Ocean is not short.

Crossing West Sand Hall on NTSC is particularly difficult: This is done with a damage boost off of an Evir particle in 12%, except that now one has to do it with a blue suit. This requires performing a mid-air morph/unmorph, which decreases jump height making the damage boost even more difficult. On PAL, the increased jump height means one does not have to do a damage boost. This should still be possible with a blue suit. Thus, completions of this category should probably be attempted on PAL.

Fish Tank is further reason to attempt this category on PAL, since this must be climbed with L+R Walljumping. On NTSC, this is considerably more challenging.

After making it to Mt. Everest, the category may become easier than 14% Iceboost since no enemy climbing has to be done: One must simply grapple through Mt. Everest, grapple up Aqueduct, walk through the Botwoon hallways (killing Botwoon), and then grapple through Halfie Climb Room and Colosseum.

The Draygon fight should also be easier than 14% Iceboost, since one would have the option of grapple jumping to escape her room rather than having to snipe kill.

To escape Maridia would either require left wall underwater walljumps in Botwoon Energy Tank Room, performing a Grapple-Bombjump-Jump in this room, or going through East Cactus Alley Room. None of these options are easy. Also, one would probably traverse West Sand Hall again (although now without a blue suit, but still no Ice so still considerablly harder than 14% Iceboost).

After this, the category would proceed like 14% Iceboost again. The only major differences would be: WRITG should be done with IBJ (or the precise wall jump), the Ridley and Mother Brain boss fights would be longer (like 14% Speed vs. 14% Ice), and the Speed Zebetite Skip would have to be done.

East Ocean Kamer

An explanation from bobbob regarding the east ocean kamer:

"if against a wall and L+R walljumping, every other jump you won't move away. this is because the walljump pose "ignores" subpixels, so you'd need to move further than a pixel in a frame which doesn't happen when suitless underwater. this isn't true for enemies. Thus every jump you will end up moving away from it: every other jump you initially glide into it, but you will still quickly move away. this means you have to have an even, fast rhythm: It needs to be fast so you don't glide away every other jump (so you only move towards the platform and don't "rebound"), and it needs to be even so you move away the same amount as you move towards. If you move too much towards, you'll "rebound" faster, and then your next jump pushes you away, and then you'll be too far away. the kamer is kind of awkwardly positioned so you could practice on a frozen fish, which should have the same behavior."

Because of this, previous runs have used turbo to achieve this even, fast rhythm. This can be done on turbo settings of 2 frames on + 1-2 frames off or 3 frames on + 1-3 frames off. Other settings may be possible, but it's recommended to use one of the above.

Spikesuit Routing

For the spikesuit method, Varia can be picked up early.

Ridley can also be fought this first trip into Norfair, although note the Botwoon Energy Tank cannot be skipped so it would have to be a 2 tank fight if done before Draygon.

Before heading into Maridia, a spikesuit should be generated.

The tube gravity jump (see the WR run) is not too difficult, and should be much easier than routing through East Ocean. Thus, this is probably recommended. However, note that PAL can get through East Ocean with a Grapple-Bombjump-Jump without underwater walljumping, so this is an option.

From here, there are five Early Maridia routing options:

Option 1: Fish Tank Climb
The usual Fish Tank Climb could be performed, and the spikesuit saved until pre-Botwoon. This is probably the evident choice if L+R Walljumping is being used.
This option is the only one that skips the need to generate a slopespark in Red Fish Room (see the WR run). All other options use a shinespark, so need to regenerate.
Option 2: Shorter Climb
The spark may be used to climb Fish Tank, and then shorter underwater walljump climbs can be used to get to a grapplable spot in Mt. Everest. This is what the current world record run opts for. Note if Fish Tank is crossed, these underwater walljumps are "safe" in that falling does not lose that much progress (or require re-generating the spikesuit).
Option 3: Shortest Climb
The spark may be used to climb Fish Tank, and then a very short underwater walljump climb may be performed to get into Mt. Everest. From here, a double Grapple-Bombjump-Jump may be performed to get up to a grapplable spot. See this clip: https://vimeo.com/745044420
This option has the shortest required underwater walljumps on NTSC. However, they are done in a "dangerous location", in that if you mess it up you most likely have to go re-generate the spikesuit and come back.
Note if you mess up the Grapple-Bombjump-Jumps, you can reset the room by unmorphing just before the transition and landing at the top of Fish Tank. You would have to re-perform the underwater walljumps.
Option 4: Climb Main Street
It is possible to climb Main Street, using a combination of a shinespark, underwater walljumps, and Grapple-Bombjump-Jumps. This is quite difficult, and may require multiple first try Grapple-Bombjump-Jumps as well as require chaining them into each other or into underwater walljumping.
Option 5: Climb Main Street without Underwater Walljumping (PAL only)
PAL can complete this category without any underwater walljumping, by climbing Main Street. This shows the method: https://vimeo.com/745045478
Yes, it is that bad.

After this is done, the slopespark in Red Fish Room must be generated (unless Fish Tank Climb was done and thus the spikesuit is still unused). This is then used in pre-Botwoon, and Botwoon is killed.

To cross Botwoon Energy Tank Room, either a Grapple-Bombjump-Jump or underwater walljumps are used.

In Colosseum, a spikesuit is generated via shenanigans (see the WR run). This is used to escape Draygon.

Finally, to escape from Aqueduct, the damage boost across West Sand Hall is probably the best option. Theoretically, a Grapple-Bombjump-Jump in Crab Shaft would probably work as well.