The Merc Olympics

Channel:

Escargot

Subscribers:

761

Published on April 27, 2020 1:06:52 AM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSzf0lRIWfs

Game:

Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction (2005)

Duration: 7:42

200 views

11

Findings:
1. Most animations are exactly the same speed for every playable character, with the notable exceptions being running & front-facing takedowns
2. Jacobs does front-facing takedowns save 2.2 seconds over Mui and 1.4 seconds over Nilsson. Nilsson saves 0.8 seconds over Mui. Route calculations assume front-facing takedowns only, since it's the fastest option for all characters
3. Mui/Nilsson run at 9.2m/s. Jacobs runs at 8.4m/s. I.e. 1 second saved per 96.6 meters.
4. Mui's footsteps are totally silent, enabling her to evade detection where not possible with Nilsson or Jacobs. Mui's stealth mechanic does not appear to have any effect on an NPC's line-of-sight. I also don't think weapon "loudness" nor the time it takes to acquire a disguise are affected. I'm not sure if this will serve any benefit in most categories, but it doesn't hurt, since warps depend primarily on line-of-sight
5. Jacobs takes 20% less damage from all damage types than Mui and Nilsson
6. Jacobs' dialogue for the intro cutscene saves 8.8 seconds over Nilsson and 5.4 over Mui. Mui saves 3.4 seconds over Nilsson
7 Jacobs' dialogue after Song's verification saves 3.7 seconds over Nilsson and 0.9 over Mui. Mui saves 2.8 seconds over Nilsson

What's the verdict on who's the fastest?

NG+:
Jacobs is probably the best choice. Jacobs saves 10.7 seconds from dialogue & takedowns over Mui and the total A→B distance ran in a NG+ is a little less than 1,000m. Mui is an extremely close second choice, though.

Any%, 100%, No Helo, & Pacifist:
Mui is the best choice.

Completionist:
Jacobs is the best choice. From 67 front-facing takedowns alone, Jacobs saves 106.3 seconds over Nilsson and 147.4 over Mui. To make up for that gap with Nilsson, we'd have to run from point A→B more than 10,250 meters.

Other Statistics