Z-Factor v1.3

[MetroidMst]

So, I'm starting a discussion for speedrunning Z-Factor and potential routing/room strats. I have a new route than the one I've used previously. (Which was very safe.) Some considerations are:

• Need enough ammo for the power outage of Tourian.
• Super Secret Room - Yes/No?

So the route I've got up to the point where it would split off between SSR or the "regular" path:

Code Select Expand

---CRATERIA---
Morph
Missile
Missile
Bombs
ETank

---BRINSTAR---
Varia

---NORFAIR---
Missile
Hi Jump
Missile
Missile
Supers
ETank
(Lava dive #1)
Ice
(Lava dive #2)
Missile
Wave
Power Bombs

---BRINSTAR---
Missile
Power Bombs
Missile
Charge Beam
Super Missile
Energy Tank

---MARIDIA---
Speed Booster

---BRINSTAR
Spazer?
Energy Tank
Grapple Beam
Power Bombs (Yellow KiHunter room)

???
(Either WS or Super Secret Room)
Now, I've got every single item I'm collecting listed, and the reason for ammo-heavy collection with this route is that I do not have Charge Beam for Crocomire, and the part in Tourian where you need to take out the Zebetites. This requries a sinlge GGG in Crateria (Across from BT), but it completely skips SpoSpo and the entirety of Green Brinstar from the early section. This gate drops you off right next to an Energy Tank and the elevator drops you off right by Varia Suit. This allows for cleaning up Norfair the first time around.
Norfair has some issues to be aware of, mostly regarding Energy. It takes two different lava-dives for Ice Beam and Wave Beam. The Ice Beam dive requires a little over 100 Energy to be safe, the Wave Beam dive requires a little over 230 Energy. The problem is, you have two ETanks with this route, and the Wave Beam dive is right after the Ice Beam dive. Some enemies guarantee health drops, but only small ones.
I also collect Hi-Jump before the beams because there are two Missile packs on the way/nearby to Hi-Jump, which help out with Crocomire, and quite honestly Hi-Jump is not in a great location until going into Lower Norfair, but you will want it before then.
After Norfair, heading back to Brinstar to collect Charge Beam, another Super Missile, and another ETank. Then the orb boss. To get back to Brinstar quickly, you have to do a room from a direction it isn't meant to be done, and it certainly isn't an easy thing, but it is doable. Then comes Speed Booster, then either Spazer or Kraid and then Grapple. Smiley suggests getting the PB in the room with the WS Ki-Hunters nearby so you have enough ammo to Crystal Flash. (This allows faster entry to Lower Norfair later.) And here is where the route diverges.
This is going to take some pretty serious testing, because the routes will be wildly different depending on if the player heads to the SSR, or heads up to the Wrecked Ship like intended.

Code Select Expand

???
(Either WS or Super Secret Room)

---WRECKED SHIP---
Super Missile
Gravity Suit (Two pixels showing in left tube to roll across crumble blocks safely)

---CRATERIA---
Missile
Energy Tank (x2)

---MARIDIA---
Space Jump
Plasma Beam
Spring Ball

---NORFAIR---
Energy Tank

---TOURIAN---
POWER OUTAGE
MOTHER BRAIN
ENDGAME




???
---WRECKED SHIP---
SCREW ATTACK
GRAVITY SUIT
PLASMA BEAM

---MARIDIA---
SPACE JUMP
SPRING BALL

---NORFAIR---
SKIP GOLD TORIZO
ENERGY TANK (After Ridley)

---WRECKED SHIP---
PHANTOON

---TOURIAN---
POWER OUTAGE
MOTHER BRAIN
ENDGAME
Here is why I am considering the SSR for a potential route:
PROS

• Gravity/Plasma before any of the remaining three Major bosses. (And Botwoon)
• Would allow the player to return and clean up Zaridia/Lower Norfair before heading back up to take out Phantoon.
• Less backtracking overall.

CONS

• Take the player at least 10-15 minutes to get through Zaridia suitless. (Other route could potentially be at Phantoon/Gravity Suit at this point.)
• Low health in high-damage area.

So that is where I am at. I tried to at least set a time with the "regular path," but have died multiple times so far in very dumb ways, so right now I don't have a time to share with this route. There are some other things to discuss. First is Spring Ball. It is a bit out of the way, but makes one room in Lower Norfair completely trivial. Without it, that section becomes a nightmare.
Second is the Morph tunnel before Gravity Suit. I made a note about pixels in the route, and this was done with some testing on my part. This is for the tunnel with the crumble blocks. You can see a bit of the Morph Ball on the left side of the tube you enter, and if you line it up to see two pixels in the left end (Part of the right end will still be visible), then you should be able to roll through without stopping.
Third is that Zebe skip is still possible, but if you had trouble with the one in Stardust, this one will also prove difficult. It is very similar, but possible a little harder because the terrain offers a hazard.

So that is what I've got right now. Any suggestions or ideas is welcome. I especially am curious about the SSR route, since that changes the entire route if it happens to be close to the other route. If anyone has any times on how long it takes to get to it, I'd like to know. The divergence between the two options probably means they'll both have to be run and timed to see what difference there is.

[Metaquarius]

Getting Ice Beam/Hi-jump after Power bombs could be faster if you can perform IBJ consistently. And you can get a quick and easy missile pack before Croco in the Dessgeega room, you don't seem to mention it in your route.

[MetroidMst]

Was this item moved from 1.0 to 1.3? My item knowledge is based entirely off of 1.0, so there might be a couple of items better placed.

Also curious if you have any insights into the potential of including the SSR into the route.

[foosda]

how to skip a large portion of suitless maridia for SSR, courtesy of leo, mikara, and I:

[spoiler]
http://www.twitch.tv/leodox/c/6710266?t=58m32s
[/spoiler]

truth is, its just not faster to do SSR, unless you can come up with a better route than this