What is the best possible outcome from the Manic Miner first cavern, from starting the game, using only one life? As the score depends on the AIR meter (timer), the faster you do it the more points you get.
The Manic Miner caverns are very deterministic and the pace is so slow it is possible to discuss the optimal solution to the level.
I know speedrun players do this type of thing, but as of this writing I've not yet seen a player optimize the first cavern to this point. It is difficult to do so it might be frustrating to start a speedrun with an approach that might have something like 1/10 chance of succeeding.
I'm counting score, not time, though, but they should be the same thing in Manic Miner.
I found one video with far more than 1724 but it appears to have slightly different version and rules. I don't think you can use the conveyor belt to go right after collecting all items.
The route is straightforward but there are a few points about timing.
Start the game by holding down the "right" key so as to start walking immediately. This should ensure the monster is always in the same sync. Overall, you need to keep moving constantly in order to reach the "watershed" moment of the cavern.
Running right 1:
Leap 1: Jump on the platform, after walking under the plant
Leap 2: Jump on the brick platform
Don't jump against the brick platform, you may lose horizontal motion=time.
Leap 3: When over the crumbling platform, try to jump near to the edge of the platform.
This is indicated by having two of the crumbling platform tiles intact. If one of them has 1 line crumble, you've jumped a tiny bit late.
There is probably no way to reach this point so early that you could jump or fall over the monster. Either would be revolutionary. I believe it to be impossible.
Leap 18: Jump over the monster, and land on the conveyor belt before falling offing.
Fall to the platform below.
Running right 3:
(Note: The route left and right under the whole platform is slower)
Leap 19: Jump over the plant, not hitting the monster.
If you are not headed for the 1724 score, this can still go wrong, depending on the success of Leap 15. If you were late there is simply no gap left.
Final score:
1722 is a quite common result. I learned to see after falling after the monster whether I'd get 1720, 1721, 1723 or 1724. It depends on how close you can get to the monster before jumping with it.
How was it done
Although I did play the cavern from beginning to end, I did use practice approaches. I used the online Qaop emulator with the F2/F3 remember/recall function. Otherwise, exercising the later points of the run would always depend on the success of the earlier parts.
This also helped in trying out alternatives. Some emulators might have a proper time reversal function which would make it even easier.
I also recorded many videos of the attempts, and analysed some of them frame-by-frame to see what could be improved and if some changes are really faster or not.
I had to play the cavern through once from start to finish to create the video, and I guess to have at least some kind of integrity.
The route is straightforward but there are a few points about timing.
Ok, here's the Youtube video:
The video is the best explanation, but I have split my approach along the points of a direction change. First you go right, then left, then right again, left again and once more to right.
I'll also explain why some alternative routes fail.
Start the game by holding down the "right" key so as to start walking immediately. This should ensure the monster is always in the same sync. Overall, you need to keep moving constantly in order to reach the "watershed" moment of the cavern.
Running right 1:
Leap 1: Jump on the platform, after walking under the plant
Leap 2: Jump on the brick platform
Don't jump against the brick platform, you may lose horizontal motion=time.
Leap 3: When over the crumbling platform, try to jump near to the edge of the platform.
This is indicated by having two of the crumbling platform tiles intact. If one of them has 1 line crumble, you've jumped a tiny bit late.
This doesn't seem to make a difference, but try at least not to jump later than that.
Leap 4: Immediately jump right to collect the item.
Running left 1:
Leap 5: Immediately jump left to the conveyor belt and continue moving.
Leap 6: Jump left over the plant, onto the brick platform.
Leap 7: Jump left off or drop off the platform, doesn't seem to matter.
Leap 8: Jump over the monster.
Leap 9: From the very edge of the conveyor belt, jump directly onto the higher platform. If you don't succeed, the whole run fails.
9b. Walk left just the tiniest bit and turn around-
Running right 2:
Leap 10: Immediately jump right to get to the top platform and continue moving.
Leap 11: Immediately jump right to collect the item.
Leap 4: Immediately jump right to collect the item.
Running left 1:
Leap 5: Immediately jump left to the conveyor belt and continue moving.
Leap 6: Jump left over the plant, onto the brick platform.
Leap 7: Jump left off or drop off the platform, doesn't seem to matter.
Leap 8: Jump over the monster.
 |
| The good spot |
9b. Walk left just the tiniest bit and turn around-
Running right 2:
Leap 10: Immediately jump right to get to the top platform and continue moving.
Leap 11: Immediately jump right to collect the item.
If you failed to do 9b you'll hit the stalactite.
Leap 12: Time the jump to collect the second item as soon as possible, but not hitting the stalactite.
As you fall on to the second crumbling platform zone, continue walking and do Leap 13 almost immediately. It doesn't seem to matter too much how well the platform crumbles, but it's worth taking a note of.
Leap 13: Jump over the plant
After this you need to have just a couple of steps so you can perform Leap 12 correctly.
Leap 14: Jump over the second plant & collect the last item with the same jump.
Immediately turn left.
If you continue walking after the jump you may crucially lose time, but if you have botched Leap 13 and immediately jump leftwards you may fail to pass the plant.
Running left 2:
Leap 15: Jump back over the rightmost plant
Leap 16: Jump over the next plant.
Fall to the platform below from the hole made after Leap 10.
If everything has been fast enough, the monster is approaching from the left and you could walk to meet it.
Note: You cannot go right, as the conveyor belt won't allow you to walk right after jumping on it from the higher platform. There may be versions of Manic Miner that allow this, I've seen such a video, but it did seem a bit wrong somehow. Clearly, it would be faster, if allowed.
Leap 17: Jump "with" the monster to fall behind it.
This is the watershed moment. Too early or too late and you'll hit the monster, or you botch the timing and have to settle for a lower score.
Leap 12: Time the jump to collect the second item as soon as possible, but not hitting the stalactite.
As you fall on to the second crumbling platform zone, continue walking and do Leap 13 almost immediately. It doesn't seem to matter too much how well the platform crumbles, but it's worth taking a note of.
 |
| Going good... |
After this you need to have just a couple of steps so you can perform Leap 12 correctly.
Leap 14: Jump over the second plant & collect the last item with the same jump.
Immediately turn left.
If you continue walking after the jump you may crucially lose time, but if you have botched Leap 13 and immediately jump leftwards you may fail to pass the plant.
The success of the run might depend on what happens here, but I've not perfected the science of it yet. The video shows like I have a tiny pause before walking left.
Generally, if you succeeded in Leap 3, Leap 9 (9b) and Leap 14, you should be in time or even a bit too early.
Leap 15: Jump back over the rightmost plant
Leap 16: Jump over the next plant.
Fall to the platform below from the hole made after Leap 10.
If everything has been fast enough, the monster is approaching from the left and you could walk to meet it.
Note: You cannot go right, as the conveyor belt won't allow you to walk right after jumping on it from the higher platform. There may be versions of Manic Miner that allow this, I've seen such a video, but it did seem a bit wrong somehow. Clearly, it would be faster, if allowed.
Leap 17: Jump "with" the monster to fall behind it.
This is the watershed moment. Too early or too late and you'll hit the monster, or you botch the timing and have to settle for a lower score.
 |
| The position to jump at... |
If you "feel" you are too soon, you could theoretically wait a tiny bit, but I've never succeeded in that.
Although it might not feel like it, the collision detection is exact. The jump should be done in an exact position/posture, so when Willy falls down he has minimal horizontal size.
 |
| Falling just behind the monster, pixel perfect! |
Leap 18: Jump over the monster, and land on the conveyor belt before falling offing.
Fall to the platform below.
Running right 3:
(Note: The route left and right under the whole platform is slower)
Leap 19: Jump over the plant, not hitting the monster.
If you are not headed for the 1724 score, this can still go wrong, depending on the success of Leap 15. If you were late there is simply no gap left.
If you were very early, this jump can be quite easy.
Leap 20: Jump to the brick platform
fall to the bottom floor, walk right to the exit.
That's it!
Leap 20: Jump to the brick platform
fall to the bottom floor, walk right to the exit.
That's it!
Final score:
1722 is a quite common result. I learned to see after falling after the monster whether I'd get 1720, 1721, 1723 or 1724. It depends on how close you can get to the monster before jumping with it.
How was it done
Although I did play the cavern from beginning to end, I did use practice approaches. I used the online Qaop emulator with the F2/F3 remember/recall function. Otherwise, exercising the later points of the run would always depend on the success of the earlier parts.
This also helped in trying out alternatives. Some emulators might have a proper time reversal function which would make it even easier.
I also recorded many videos of the attempts, and analysed some of them frame-by-frame to see what could be improved and if some changes are really faster or not.
I had to play the cavern through once from start to finish to create the video, and I guess to have at least some kind of integrity.
When I had 1724 the first time on video, I managed to accidentally destroy the whole recording, because I had come so used to canceling it :) Then I played some 100 times more before achieving it again, and also understood a bit better what makes the score. After that I was able to get it somewhat more reliably.
I suppose I should play it on the original rubber-keyed Spectrum.
Also I know I perhaps ought to prove this on different emulators than the Qaop. But it does seem to work fine.
To me this is not about speedrunning, I don't think I would have the patience to do that to the whole game. I just wanted to know the objective highest score. If someone writes a robot that plays it better then I'm for it.
To me this is not about speedrunning, I don't think I would have the patience to do that to the whole game. I just wanted to know the objective highest score. If someone writes a robot that plays it better then I'm for it.
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