Game:

Spyro the Dragon (1998)

Duration: 6:20

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13

Also known in the community as "frogussy", this trick consisting of 4 precise proxies in a row is one of the most difficult tricks in the game. It is prominently featured at the end of WaffleWizard's TAS for the Vortex speedrun category of Spyro the Dragon.

After nearly 9 and a half hours of practice attempts, and countless more of researching to find setups and visual cues, this is the first time it has been performed to completion in real-time. Many times before others have managed the first two proxies, but getting the final scenery proxies in the smokestack/chimney is so incredibly precise, that it was never completed.

To give context for just how hard this entire trick is, this requires a glitchy animation proxy by setting up the gnorc in a very precise spot between being on ground and falling into the water. You then do not have time to react to whether you angled them right and must just go for the chargeglide and angle Spyro well enough for a good proxy.
The animation proxy is also very precise, as you need pretty decent height to make it over the wall and out of bounds, which leads immediately into a turnaround glide into another precise position to the first of potentially 3 scenery proxies. This one is the most lenient, as you only need to get enough height to make it to the archway, however getting to the roof is ideal.

If you are too low after the turnaround, you cannot make it, and if you are too high, you can get stuck in the corner and have to wait to void out.
The Active Camera mode is set to have better visual confirmation on the height gained after getting a scenery proxy from the chimney, as otherwise the camera tends to get stuck under Spyro and there is little visual reference on your height, leading to a blind turnaround glide. I then bonk into the wall to normalize Spyro's position more favorably, and press Dpad Right to turn Spyro to both setup a more favorable angle for the glide into the scenery + clear the stored momentum from bonking. From there, it is a short hop and slightly delayed glide, and hoping its enough (and that you dont clip through inbounds to the building which is unrecoverable, or get launched to the side into the water.)

Then, the chimney proxies.
If you get the absolute max height "Ultra" proxy, as I call it, then you can simply turnaround and glide to the vortex easily, often not even needing a charge to make it onto the final platform. This is ideal for RTA, due to the alternative of the current TAS method. However, getting an Ultra is so incredibly difficult. As far as I can tell is unit/subpixel precise and sometimes impossible from certain positions and angles. The setup I do prior to the proxy is meant to try and create a better window for getting one, as well as minimize the chances for failures and clipping back in-bounds.

More common is getting the lower height the current TAS gets. This also requires a turnaround, but you must then get a second scenery proxy off the top of another chimney, referred to as the "bounce". This bounce is also so precise I have only gotten it one other time in all the attempts and research I have done into this trick, including with savestates and tool assistance. I am still in shock I managed to get it for this successful real-time attempt after deciding to just go for it and hope. Most bounces you get will not be good enough to make it, and there is no time to react to adjust your height and angle for it RTA, not to mention there is no setup for it to begin with. TAS Height proxies are within a range, so you basically have to just hope a bounce is good enough if you go for it. If its good enough though, it is also just a simple glide to the end after.

So in summary:
- A position and angle precise enemy setup and animation proxy
- An Out of Bounds Scenery/Squeeze Proxy
- Potentially a blind glide around to a small spot you can stand on, if you land on the arch instead of the roof
- A subpixel precise scenery/squeeze proxy, with no guaranteed setup, and the possibility of clipping through the wall or falling into the water.
- Then finally another mid-glide scenery proxy "bounce" off the top of the chimneys, with absolutely no setup or time to react and adjust for it.

I am so happy to have managed this in full in real-time even once. As of writing this, no one else has completed this trick in full in real-time. Thank you again to everyone who spent time with me over the 3 days of attempts at this, and have followed on my journey with this game so far.

Waffle's TAS, which showcases the trick at 18:50:
https://youtu.be/p6OBnMuDDRA?t=1130

Music:
Crinkles - Frosty
Crinkles - Carbon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87cjy8SUOc0&list=PL3FD2_5mPId8DpKBO5ry0_rS5mtQICjkF&index=17

For more about this trick:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/18VJz0SoyD7qbr0s4EPOy0snmb85eFLWrjvTx0IIfV0k/edit?usp=sharing

Completed on January 7th, 2023
Emulator: Duckstation
Player: Xeirla

Thanks for watching ❤
~ Xeirla

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