Hey fellas,

Sneaky and I have been looking for new timesaves recently and we've come up with a couple. We only tested on the PC version. Here is one of them. (We are still refining the other, bigger one).

It's a small time save that essentially uses the main hub elevator as the savewarp spawn for the end of any%. I'd like to call it ElePort but the name isn't that important. I estimate it saves 2 seconds.

Here's how it works. Normally, when you spawn on an elevator, it activates the elevator. However, if your last area change (LAC) was riding that same elevator, then a delay will be added and it won't immediately activate. You can test this by taking the elevator to the main area, quitting, and loading. Upon spawning, because your LAC was by means of the elevator, you indeed have time to get off the elevator before it activates.

I found that, oddly enough, the LAC is detected across all saves. We think it's a global variable that may have been applied later in development, and is not tied to the save files. This means that if you preset a secondary save file to spawn on the central hub elevator, you can exploit that to be able to quickly savewarp to the elevator on a main file.

So, optimally, you set a secondary file to spawn at the bottom of the main elevator. Then, you run the regular any% route, but avoid the forest save. Then, after killing Rol-qayin, quit as usual, but load the secondary file. Ride the elevator up on your secondary file, then quit as soon as you load the main area. Load your main file, and you'll spawn at the top of the elevator and be free to run to the final area without activating the elevator.

It requires one extra quit and load, and you have to ride the elevator halfway up. But it's slightly faster than spawning in the forest.

Here is a demo video. https://secure.twitch.tv/6oliath/v/76822872

We have some ideas on how this works and why it's in the game. What do you all think of it?

The question is: is it allowable to manipulate data using a preexisting save?

On instinct, i don't believe using a second file will be allowed. Have to check with the mods, but i remember Zelda skyward Sword having save files mess with each other so the community banned using save file glitches. That was a much larger glitch though so idk

For the record, I am against using one save's data to make any changes to data on a run file.

Nujumkey, I think this was what you are referring to: http://zeldaspeedruns.com/ss/premade-files/file-duping

On the same page, it establishes why it is not speedrun legal: the trick "requires a file be already made".

I think this is a good precedent. While Skyward Sword has a small community like that of Titan Souls, some of their key runners have pretty extensive experience with running games. We should follow suit.

It would save a few seconds at most, and I'm fairly comfortable with performing the glitch, so I will not be upset if it is ruled to be legal. I just think that's not the decision most consistent with general speedrun rules.

Would appreciate your input, @Melestara and @papertwo and @Reyneur, if you are still around.

Honestly don't feel it has any place in a run. If you quit out of the file you're doing a run on and go on another prepared file for whatever reason I'd, personally, consider the run void. It's a neat little "bug" or "side-effect" to mess around with though.

I think I'm going to have to agree with SNeaky on this one. I think its really cool and props to you for finding this neat trick! But I don't like the idea of multiple files being used for a single run.