Game:

SaGa Frontier (1997)

Duration: 1:48:59

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141

This is a single-segment speed run of all characters of Saga Frontier. Specifically, this is part one of a single-segment speed run of all characters of Saga Frontier completed in 6 hours, 40 minutes, and 56 seconds. Timing is from power-on until arrival in the 2nd Division. This was done on a PS2, SCPH-30001. The fast disk option was used. The controller model used was SCPH-10010. This was recorded with a DVD recorder.

Note that all four parts are medium quality anri-chan encodes. If you listen carefully to the last second or so of each video, you will notice some audio weirdness. I actually used an earlier version of anri-chan, 3.1, as encoding with the most current version created even more audio weirdness. I could pester someone on the SDA tech support forum about this, but I am not submitting this run, so I would feel guilty about doing that.

Some Credits:
knbnitkr: I first learned of early termination of the rune event from his TAS; apparently this was known in the Japanese SaGa community a number of years prior. I also first learned of the use of SnkeOil during Overdrive from his TAS.
gure and Achey: Two other Japanese TASers from whose runs I learned of enemy avoidance methods and event triggers. Also, I think skipping "The End" in Blue's chapter was discovered by gure.
start_button: I used large portions of his route for Riki's chapter. Start_button has also devised a roue for Blue's chapter that is faster than the one used in this video.
masago53: The brilliant use of Hidebehind in Asellus' and Emilia's chapters is masago's idea. Once again I borrowed large portions of his route for these characters' chapters.
Pearl: If it weren't for Pearl's old RTA, then Lute's chapter would have been much slower. I had dismissed the Junk Shop as initially too slow; however, after reading Pearl's route, it was pretty clear that I could save time by exploiting it.
Zaraktheus: He has compiled a wonderfully useful mechanics FAQ; his tranlations of the combo data on sakura made planning for this run much easier.
http://www.uri.sakura.ne.jp/~saga/sf1/: A Japanese Saga Frontier website that was also terribly useful in planning all along the way.

This run has some periodic ugly sloppiness, but I really just wanted a successful attempt. I am not going to note every menu mistake or movement error, but those things are occasionally very apparent.

Asellus:
Asellus came first as the method used was quite luck reliant. At one point I used a much safer method that involved recruiting TimeLord, but all else equal that method is around 10 minutes slower.

This chapter is unfortunately quite sloppy. There were three unplanned battles. LionPrincess was rather unlucky; it's possible to end that battle in a single turn: AsuraRevenge from a dead Silence + BoltBreath or PhantasmShot or Implosion. Orlouge took four turns as opposed to the optimal three. However, that I even managed to survive Orlouge was surprising.

The stuff with the in-battle status menu in the DevilSquid and FireSage battles is semi-deliberate. I play from power-on; all elements of the in-battle PRNG are rather fixed in this state. Certain things outside of battle effect the in-battle PRNG; movement between screens, opening the menu, enemy motion on the overworld, etc. Basically assuming my usual movement, I was always dying to MightyCyclone during the second turn of the DevilSquid battle. I needed a consistent way to avoid that, hence the in-battle status screen stuff seen in the run.
Unfortunately, the stuff I did might have been superfluous as I entered a battle prior to facing DevilSquid. But for the sake of consistency and frustration (I had an attempt earlier in day end 52 minutes vs. Orlouge.) I did it anyway. There was a fair amount of fumbling vs. FireSage (Asellus' primed action would have been Asura had I not entered the battle prior to DevilSquid), but at least AsuraRevenge ended the battle as I wanted it to. Oh, interesting things happen to the in-battle PRNG on the Region Map screen. Also, there is a screen in the Magic Kingdom without any enemy actors that can influence the in-battle PRNG as well; it's the big room with the goddess statues and rain.

Riki Part 1:

The first portion of Riki's chapter goes relatively well. The Junk Shop could be faster. Mollasite could have not used RavaBarrire on its second turn. The mouse could have been captured a bit faster on the first screen of the caves.
The MagmaSlijmes fight took seven turns as opposed to the optimal six as Kylin was killed during the sixth turn.

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