I did research for this game in 2020 and I'm currently looking at it again.

In 1A, the first boost as well as the boost after entering the ground, I was not able to gain any speed by pausing (regardless what timing and how long I wait until I unpause each time), but it's easily possible to keep speed for longer by spamming the B button so the game does a "no nitro sound".

53.92 is the best possible time in TAS at the time of writing, and it should be possible for RTA to reach times better than 54.06 (the current RTA WR) or 54.04 (the best time RTA could achieve without pausing and without using "no nitro sound") easily.

@Iverbeth

Correct, that is one of the only remaining soft-locks in the game even up until the current version 1.2.1

I documented version differences here: https://tcrf.net/Tsioque/Revisional_Differences#Further_Changes

A legitimate way of getting any game version on Steam here: https://tcrf.net/Notes:Tsioque#Downloading_all_versions (Although as I said, the current version 1.2.1 is the best choice, given our current knowledge)

And the last page of the bug report thread here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/393190/discussions/0/1748980761800580313/?ctp=6 (I'm Mr Noob)

I saw your latest run from 1 month ago and noticed you aren't using the better tower skip. In the room with "Goldie" (the knight with the coin), after you piss him off and he comes for you and you run downstairs, but before the game transitions into the minigame, there is a split second where you can quit out and if you resume, the game loads with Tsioque already coming up the stairs again exhausted and Goldie is gone. If you cannot figure it out I will make a video for you. I had already described this in my previous post in April 30, 2024, under point 6.

I can now safely say version 1.2.0 and 1.2.1 are the best choice. Reasons:

• 1.1.2 changed most quit/restarts in the speedrunner's favor so anything before that is automatically bad.
• The timing for skipping the tower minigame (quitting when the guard chases you) is slightly better on version 1.2.0 making that version the best choice. No important change between 1.2.0 and 1.2.1.

Version 1.1.3 changed some animations. Worth noting is the ever so slightly longer animation when the guard reacts to Tsioque dropping the medallion a 2nd time ( https://tcrf.net/Tsioque#Guard.27s_Second_Reaction ) , but I don't think it is so much longer as to nullify the "better timing" advantage in 1.2.0 mentioned above.

Looking at the source code in "TsioqueSteam.swf" revealed that the "fabric cutting" minigame becomes skippable if you fail it 3 times where you have to spend at least 1.5 seconds each time. Something you might want to do if you can't be bothered completing it in less than 5 seconds.

Damn... Because the minigame can now be skipped, that means older versions are viable again.

There are things like double-clicking on the fridge to warp to it that won't work on the latest version.

I will take some time looking into differences and bug fixes. I will be sure to add findings to the tcrf page as I go along.

I have all versions except 1.1.4 and possibly others that I haven't seen gone live. As I said in the other forum topic, it might be possible to write a patch program so anyone can run any version. Luckily this game can be run separate from Steam.

I'm writing up the route from scratch in order to attempt a new speedrun.

I'd like to point out a few time savers that I found that aren't used in the current speedruns listed (by Iyerbeth and me).

I'm on version 1.2.1.

In the elevator room, save/restart when the lever close-up starts closing saves 1.0 second.

In the elevator room, save/restart right after clicking on the spear saves 1.5 seconds.

In the elevator room in the spider web, save/restart right after clicking on the first stick saves 3.5 seconds.

In the elevator room after climbing up, save/restart when Tsioque picks up the sticks (when she reaches for the 2nd one), saves 1.0 second.

An optimal wall sneaking game would save about 25 seconds.

The stairs running mini-game can be faster by 50.3 seconds by failing three times on purpose and then clicking "skip".

At the stairs guard, after dropping the chandelier on him, save/restart when he chases after Tsioque and the coins left your inventory but before the mini-game fades in. This skips the stairs minigame and therefore obsoletes the above timesaver. The skip saves ~1 minute 40 seconds compared to doing the mini-game the normal way without failing on version 1.2.1.

I confirmed both these tricks work on version 1.1.3, before the mini-game was changed ( https://tcrf.net/Tsioque#Revisional_Differences ).

There might be more. I still have half the game left to look at.

I'm looking for and documenting version differences in all three versions of the game (EGA, VGA, CD).

On EGA (16 color version), you can use map in Hook Isle outside area in order to be teleported to the beginning of the room. You could do this after hiring Meathook for your crew to skip having to use rubber chicken on cable to go back across the cliff.

The current WR video doesn't use this, but I'm not sure if EGA version is viable.

Fair enough. Maybe that means the inventory is limited to 50 slots or some other such value that it expects it won't carry more items than that. Thanks for testing.

I know this is 3 years old, but just wanted to give my two cents. So you can edit files to skip the song while keeping the game in English. I'm not so involved with speedrunning anymore as I used to, and communities tend to allow such things more easily (such things as intro skip in Wind Waker and Mario Sunshine for example).

But I'm against these things. I think it's part of the game and a challenge and trial to the speedrunner to accept the game as it is. If a game has a 6 minute long intro, then you have to put up with that. I like to see it as an endurance test to the speedrunner. That being said, it's a shame to see such things allowed these days... Although they are community decisions.

So about the song skipping. Without editing files you can only skip it in other languages. So if you ask me, I think the speedrunner should have to accept the way the game is and play the non-English version. That's the endurance test to the speedrunner for this game, imo.

The game's communities make the decisions in the end, but it still doesn't feel right to me. It feels hacky and cheat-y to me. People could say "oh so you hacked that part of the game".

Just out of curiosity, what happens if you keep doing that? Does inventory have 256 slots or more?

On this video, someone pointed out in the comments a possible bug that lets you pick the mirror without using the portrait cutout on it. I haven't played in ages nor following the speedruns for this game, but just wanted to point it out here just in case it leads to something.

@Ropetupa I believe I found a slight hickup (bug?) In Goodsoup hotel. I found a way to get the mirror from the lobby, without switching it with the cutout from the painting. Some others may have found it too. But I haven't seen it in any of the easter egg-lists of this game.

@legendofmi Thanks! Can you explain how you got it and I will give it a go.

@tonib.2371 @legendofmi I always "killed" myself to get the mirror He doesn't check the inventory then