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[SpinDashMaster]

I'd first like to grant special thanks to the Emerald Challenge staff from SCD. They've done so much to improve (and rebuild) this series. Had it not been for them, you might not even be reading this right now. Give them a big hand!

It's time to unveil the new Master Emerald Series. Of course, these challenges will be long and tiring. A lot of you (according to much of the feedback recieved on the old SCD) aren't too happy about going deep into a challenge and suddenly failing in an instant. I must agree, that would be rather unfair.

So, I'm going to grant you a special tool to aid you, to counterbalance the extreme difficulties of the challenges. I'm allowing something unprecedented in the world of Sonic gaming: the use of Super and Hyper forms.

With all that said, there is only one last announcement I need to make here:

IT'S TIME TO PARTY ALREADY!~

Let's get started with the first challenge!

'Round we go again. As you know, this challenge is a test of speed. I've set a seemingly ridiculous time limit on you. But, if you use the tools you're being given to your advantage, this challenge ought to be a breeze. Get ready, everyone, 'cause here comes the Green Master Emerald Challenge!

Green Master Emerald Challenge: With the Super Sonic or Super Knuckles codes enabled, complete Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in less than 30 minutes, real time (not level times). Time starts when Emerald Hill 1 begins, and stops when the screen whites-out on Death Egg Zone.

The allowed games for this challenge are as follows:

• Sonic the Hedgehog 2
• Sonic 2 & Knuckles

The next challenge will be released on Sunday, October 1st, at Midnight EDT.

This article is © 2006 SDM. Copying of this article is strictly prohibited.

[yse]

Everyone knows the story behind this one. Nothing new to see here.

I'll give you the version already hosted on TSC because I'm not sure I have it on my computer any more. XD

Also Master Purple looks intriguing. :o I'll get around to it.

[Thorn]

Okay, I've gotta get off the PC ASAP, and my watch battery died, so I'm unsure of the time, and I have no idea if I can get back on the PC tonight, so I'll post it here just in case it's a winner.

[Phallus-beast of the Underdark]

Just watched your run Thorn, and unless I miscalculated, you were exactly 3 minutes and 30 seconds over the time limit, sorry dude D:

[Thorn]

*leaves topic*
*comes back panting and wheezing*

Okay... how... about... this one?  I used my computer clock, and I'm praying that it isn't runinng slow anymore as this was seconds shy on my timer.

...although I know these things don't fix themselves, so I'm not expecting a good response *crosses fingers*...

*steps on RPG's stopwatch*
Now guess at it like I have to.

[Phallus-beast of the Underdark]

Thorn....I just watched your latest attempt and I have the following to comment...


1) It was a damn sweet run, that was a completely enjoyable [length of time of .giz] of my life...


2) You hit the 20 minute mark 17 seconds into Metro 2, and I thought to myself "Hes surely got this wrapped up now"...


3) I then worked out rough estimates of times for the remaining stages, and my heart was in my mouth right up until the Death Egg screen fade...


4) The first time you died in Death Egg, I honestly blurted out "NOO!" as if it was my own run...


Enough points I think, your run has been timed at....


30 minutes and 15 seconds.


Sorry dude, you missed it again :(

[Paragod]

damn man that sucks, that run was so nice overall, and you were only  16 seconds over the target :( all because of that 1 death

from the looks of it i'll never get a master emerald, mainly because something like this requires skill,knowledge, and consistancy over a 30 minutes period which I don't have.

[Thorn]

Argh... I WILL nail this, and damn the expense!

*runs to Dollar Store*
*finds a Stopwatch*
$1?!? DAMN THE EXPENSE!!!

...another .giz soon, and this time I won't get the shakes during Death Egg, I will nail the Chemical Plant shortcut, I won't fall through the floor in Metropolis 3, and I might even risk the Oil Ocean and Hill Top shortcuts, which usually force me into bottomless pits.

EDIT: Got it.  I lied a bit, the game still forced me through the floor, but for all but the last occurance of that I found ways to get anround it.  In Metropolis 3, I found a thru-the-wall passage I'd never seen before that put me right back on the route I fell thru.  Also, no Hill Top shortcuts, didn't wanna die.

[Shadow Jacky]

for some reason it stops playing after the first act.

[Phallus-beast of the Underdark]

CONGRATULATIONS THORN

Unless my timing was off, your run weighs in at 28 minutes and 54 seconds.

CONGRATULATIONS!

[Thorn]

for some reason it stops playing after the first act.

Only thing I can picture being a problem is if you're not using SCD's ROM, from one of the topics on the main Challenges board.  I've had no problems viewing my run, and apparently, since it was graded, it's not the Internet transition that's the problem either.

[Shadow Jacky]

I grabbed mine from another site because I kept getting disconnected from SCD's server.

oh well...

[yse]

*cough*givemebackmyemerald*cough*

[Rane]

I had no stopwatch ready, but this should be just under the 30 minute mark.

Initials: Rane
Thorn EDIT: Dude, you are gonna hate me for this...

First things first, I realized after my run that you can double-click your PC's clock to open up a clock.  I didn't think of that ether, no sweat.  When I saw you floundering around in Emerald Hill a bit, I didn't tihnk you were going to make it.  Then I started to watch your run, and I realized that you were aiming to become Super Sonic ASAP in each level, not to take the fastest route.  You made it to Death Egg with just enough time to spare, and since you'd been catuious the entire marathon, I was thinking, "no way he'll die, he's got this."  Then you did the unthinkable... you only landed four hits per attack cycle.  I was SCREAMING at the screen "hit him now, now damnit!"... but you didn't.

Your total time was 30:13.
*runs away crying*

Rane Edit:
Nice, coming home from university and there is a reply already :-)

I don´t hate you for this. :-) I´ll just play it again, i´ve got better over the last few tries anyway and i already know where to shave off the 14 seconds needed.

About the "unthinkable" Death Egg:
4 months ago i thought you could hit the boss only when he falls down and bows. :-)
I had actually planned in 2:20 for Death Egg, so my real goal was "Reach Death Egg before your clock hits 28 minutes".
Thanks for the pointers, and stay tuned for my next try. ;-)

[Rane]

Ok, have fun with my next attempt! Overall, most zones were a bit faster than in the previous run, except CN1, which was a mess. :-)

Btw, this run made me hate CP, those annoying loop bugs and fall-through-the-floor-glitches made me restart about 20 runs...

Edit: Forgot the attachment again. :-)
Thorn EDIT: 29:34.  Works for me.

Your knowledge of the different routes is up there with all of the high-ranked players here on TSC.
What I'd love to see before you attempt Master Blue is some technique tweaks: jump off of loops 3/4 of the way around, commit to your moves instead of stutter-stepping and doubling back, etc.

[Rane]

Your knowledge of the different routes is up there with all of the high-ranked players here on TSC.
What I'd love to see before you attempt Master Blue is some technique tweaks: jump off of loops 3/4 of the way around, commit to your moves instead of stutter-stepping and doubling back, etc.

Well, thanks, i will see what i can do, but i´ll have to get Super Blue out of the way first anyway :-)

I just watched my 2 runs again and i know exactly what you mean.
Those missteps and backtracking makes most of my runs look bad, and i lose several seconds to these mistakes in each level.
What i noticed myself is that i tend to jump a second time whenever i miss a jump, often bumping into walls in the process...

This said, i have to thank you all for these challenges, you got me hooked on speedrunning :-)

[Thorn]

^We all do it.  It's just that you likely know the first two levels of each game like the back of your hand, so the first five minutes should be almost thoughtless.  I just wanna see you commit.  I can look at the .giz files you submit and tell when you're feeling good about a level: Your Emerald Hill 1 run in this challenge wasn't the fastest, but there was clearly technique.  If you could show that all the time, well, it'd be incredible.  And when you DO hafta think, make it quick.  If you're deciding "do I wanna jump off of this downhill for the speed boost, or roll...", then you've already passed the hill while you thought.

Also yeah, Super Blue is a bitch.  And you should be thanking SDM for these challenges, he designed them.  Now, when TSC subsites open up, if we get challenges going on The Unofficial Sonic Center... then you can thank me :)

[yse]

The key, I find, is to think about that sort of thing about three seconds before you come up to it. If you're playing the level as you see it, that's well and truly too late: you need to be playing the game in your mind three seconds ahead.

[Nelspike TX]

Finally! I think I made it, TSCs.

Time spent - 29:59:80

I lost once, that's why, and I was like almost dying to see if I completed it.

Here goes just in case.

Initials:

<RPG: That was DAMN close :O>

[stanski]

/ asshole braggart mode on/

In real time, my speedrun (without super sonic) comes out to 24 minutes. I don't see how this challenge can be even close to the same category as the one with 2p S3K played over kaillera.

/ asshole braggart mode off/

[Omega Knuckles]

Well after many months of consideration and the release of SCD's achievement challenges, I was finally arsed to do this challenge.

Real Time total: Approximately 29:08.182
Game time: cba to check, lol

Initials ---> Knux <---

Credit to Rane for the route(stole it off his video : D).