posting this here so it doesn't get forgotten in a sea of discord messages

this is a spot that i found where you can do lekukie V3 setup to get good subpixels for this strat - first frame jump gets 19 (no subpixel loss), second frame gets f7 (two subpixel loss GOOD), third frame gets d5 (three subpixel loss GOOD), fourth frame gets 19 (eight subpixel loss GOOD), fifth frame gets C4 (bad mushroom block subpixels)

imo this should be easier than doing 4-1 fpg

XD

4-4 clip is typically seen to be a very inconsistent trick as hitting the walljump pixel, which is required to clip into the wall, is subpixel based, and you need to do consistent duck jump speeds to consistently land the trick. This would not be the case, however, if you remove the duck jumps before doing the clip, as you would have consistent subpixels up to the clip.

Unfortunately, subpixels don't align for you to simply run to the wall without losing any subpixels previously in the level. This setup, however, aligns you perfectly for the clip without having to do any duck jumps, making the positioning aspect of the trick 100% consistent:

1: Buffer a jump at the start of the level. Buffering a jump only loses ~2.5 frames in 4-4, so this is barely a time loss, and you can still get every 4-4 framerule including high 352 with a buffer.

2: Jump off the top row of blocks without doing a duck jump. This appears difficult, but is actually a four frame window, as a full jump on frames 132-135 will get you down there. I aim to jump when Mario is on the shaded tile on the ground here

3: Jump fairly early off the row of 2 blocks before doing the wall clip. This isn't required, but is useful as it gives you a larger window to release A to land at the correct time - think first pillar vs second pillar for TAS 8-2. Jumping on 212 - 216 gives you a two frame window to release A (maximum leniency for top route 4-4 clip afaik), whereas jumping on 217+ makes the A release frame perfect.

4: Buffer down mid air, and full jump on frame 000 or frame 001. You can run into issues with certain smaller jump heights (1 frame jumps on frame 000 / 3 frame jumps on 001 simply won't clip in), so it's safer just to full jump. Release down after jumping but before you hit the wall.

By following these steps, you should be able to get 4-4 with up to 100% consistency, as any "luck based" variance from doing duck jumps before the clip is removed. The only possible mistakes are jump timing related, or messing up down inputs.

Common mistakes are: - Releasing down too late: if you do everything else perfectly and Mario catches on the walljump pixel without clipping in, you must release down earlier. - Bad jump height: if you don't clip in at all despite doing everything else perfectly, and Mario just bounces off the wall, you are likely doing a bad jump height (1 frame jump on frame 000 / 3 frame jump on frame 001). Full jumping into the wall should fix this.

Demonstration on FR 1519 (WR framerule):

sidenote: the delay from buffering makes patterns on 1519 WAY better as turns are almost nonexistent if you go quickly after clip

XD

Apply this to a standard SMB1 single cart rom: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AnvYYyQjk0DHiUEPMozNdjOOtcOw?e=tKb9g4

This shows the fastest strats that I could come up for in this game. A couple frames could probably be saved in 1-4 through a better fast accel and possibly not ducking above the first fireball, but this is pretty much perfect.