30th November 2023, 5:54 AM
(This post was last modified: 1st December 2023, 5:36 AM by Master Raiden. Edited 2 times in total.)
Blocks
Blocks are what stand between you and victory. Understanding the properties of the different types of blocks will allow you to take advantage of them and help you get through levels more quickly.
In this section, I will uncover the inner workings of various blocks relevant to speedrunning and how you can use them to gain an edge in your runs.
Vanish Block
Vanish Blocks disappear momentarily when touched by a player, sliced with a sword, or hit with a laser.
The Vanish Block is a dynamic block that consists of three phases – the Vanishing Phase, the Invisible Phase and the Regeneration Phase.
The Vanishing Phase begins when the block is touched. It takes about 0.4 seconds (10 frames) to disappear completely.
Then the Invisible Phase will start. The block will disappear completely for 2 seconds (54 frames) before it begins to re-appear.
Then the Regeneration Phase begins. The block takes another 0.4 seconds (10 frames) to fully regenerate.
Note that during the Vanishing and Regeneration phases, the Vanish Block is still solid.
Touching a Vanish Block while it is regenerating will cause it to begin vanishing from its current state.
For example, if a Vanish block has been regenerating for 0.1 seconds (3 frames), touching it will cause it to vanish completely in 0.1 seconds (3 frames).
A Vanish Block will not re-appear if you are occupying its space. If you are in the way when its 2 second Invisible Phase ends, another 2 second Invisible Phase will begin. Only when you vacate the space will it finally begin regenerating at the end of its current Invisible Phase.
Because of this, it can be better to remain patient as you wait for a Vanish Block to re-appear. While you can try timing your movement to stand on the block as soon as it starts regenerating, a failed attempt means you could be waiting up to 2 additional seconds for its next Invisible Phase to end.
An interesting property of the Vanish Block is that it can be frozen with an Ice Wave even if it has vanished completely and will immediately become solid again, although not visible.
Crumble Block
Crumble Blocks can be destroyed with repeated hits from players, swords and lasers.
A Crumble Block has 10 health which means it can sustain a maximum of 10 hits before it is destroyed.
Ideally, you would deal 10 damage at once to instantly destroy the Crumble Block and prevent it from slowing you down.
The damage you deal to a Crumble Block on impact is based on your speed. The faster you are going, the more damage you can do.
Here's what Speed you need to deal the following amounts of damage to a Crumble Block:
1 – 1 damage
23 – 2 damage
46 – 3 damage
69 – 4 damage
92 – 5 damage
116 (48 with Speed Burst) – 6 damage
138 (59 with Speed Burst) – 7 damage
162 (71 with Speed Burst) – 8 damage
184 (82 with Speed Burst) – 9 damage
208 (94 with Speed Burst) – 10 damage
You can increase your speed and the damage you deliver by boosting yourself with a sword or laser gun. Since your speed is highest at the moment you use these items, it is best to use them as late as possible.
A well-timed shot from a Laser Gun can allow you to destroy a Crumble Block instantly with as little as 69 speed.
When crawling, you can only deal 1 damage to a Crumble Block. However, you must have at least 1 Speed and 43 Acceleration.
To instantly destroy a Crumble Block from above, you will need to be falling from at least 5.5 blocks above, equivalent to 62 jump (with 1.0 gravity).
Crumble Blocks cannot be destroyed in a single hit from below regardless of your upwards speed.
Hitting a Crumble Block with a sword or laser will deal 1 damage.
To tell how much damage you have dealt to a Crumble Block, look for the pieces of rock that come out of it when you hit it. Two pieces will come out for every unit of damage dealt.
Crumble Blocks can still be damaged and destroyed when frozen with an Ice Wave.
When falling at high speeds, you will smash through Crumble Blocks instantly.
However, despite getting destroyed in a single hit, Crumble Blocks can be used to slow down your fall.
Since jumping increases your upwards speed, you can hold Up as you break through the Crumble Blocks to reduce your falling speed. The more jump you have, the quicker you will slow down. Eventually, you will slow down enough to stop your fall entirely.
Interestingly, Crumble Blocks can be strengthened.
By holding Up as you are crawling under a Crumble Block while on a Down Arrow Block, the Crumble Block gains 2 health per frame. There does not appear to be a limit to how much health it can have.
Using existing Mines to shorten speedruns is far more common than using placed Mine items not only because of the places where Mines can be found in levels, but also because there is no time lost in placing the Mine.
The combination of Mines and Water is powerful and can allow you to benefit from the Mine's explosive boost without getting stunned. Hitting a Mine while you are swimming (not running) in water will prevent you from being stunned. However, you must hit it in the right way.
Touching a Mine from above and below will always allow you to get away unharmed.
But if you are approaching the Mine from the side, be sure to hit the Mine with your body, not your head.
If you hit a Mine from the side with your head, you will get stunned.
ㅤ
Safety Net
The Safety Net is a block that takes you back to the last safe block you touched.
It is a non-solid block. This means Hats, Alien Eggs and Lasers can pass through it, and players are unable to stand on them. Its hitbox is also slightly smaller than that of regular, solid blocks.
Your speed is reset when you hit a Safety Net, although your acceleration to top speed is not.
This means you can use them to quickly slow yourself down which can help with controlling your movements at high speed areas.
Safety Nets can also allow you to move back to a certain block in a shorter time than it would take to run there. They can be used as a form of teleportation to help optimize your runs.
Safety Nets can also be used to reduce your stun period after hitting Mines which can reduce the time lost from hitting Mines and allow you to regain control of your movement much more quickly.
When you are hit with a Sword, Laser, Lightning or Mine, you will be stunned and unable to move for about 2.2 seconds (60 frames). Hitting a Safety Net prior to being stunned will reduce the amount of time until you regain control.
When you hit a Safety Net, your player will begin flashing. During this period, your stun "timer" is counting down. If you are stunned during this period, your stun will end when your player stops flashing. Your player will flash 8 times before the timer ends, so you can use this to time your movement into a Mine to minimize your stun time.
ㅤ
Ice Block
Ice Blocks preserve your momentum when you are standing on them. They slow down your acceleration, but also slow down your deceleration.
Accelerating while in contact with an Ice Block will cost you time. If you need to gain speed, jump so that the Ice Block can't hold you back.
When you are travelling at speed, Ice Blocks can help you retain your speed for longer. When you approach a section with Ice Blocks, try to carry as much speed as possible onto them. This is particularly helpful in crawl spaces.
Boosting yourself with a Sword or Laser Gun is also far more powerful when done on Ice Blocks.
Blocks are what stand between you and victory. Understanding the properties of the different types of blocks will allow you to take advantage of them and help you get through levels more quickly.
In this section, I will uncover the inner workings of various blocks relevant to speedrunning and how you can use them to gain an edge in your runs.
Vanish Block
Vanish Blocks disappear momentarily when touched by a player, sliced with a sword, or hit with a laser.
The Vanish Block is a dynamic block that consists of three phases – the Vanishing Phase, the Invisible Phase and the Regeneration Phase.
The Vanishing Phase begins when the block is touched. It takes about 0.4 seconds (10 frames) to disappear completely.
Then the Invisible Phase will start. The block will disappear completely for 2 seconds (54 frames) before it begins to re-appear.
Then the Regeneration Phase begins. The block takes another 0.4 seconds (10 frames) to fully regenerate.
Note that during the Vanishing and Regeneration phases, the Vanish Block is still solid.
Touching a Vanish Block while it is regenerating will cause it to begin vanishing from its current state.
For example, if a Vanish block has been regenerating for 0.1 seconds (3 frames), touching it will cause it to vanish completely in 0.1 seconds (3 frames).
A Vanish Block will not re-appear if you are occupying its space. If you are in the way when its 2 second Invisible Phase ends, another 2 second Invisible Phase will begin. Only when you vacate the space will it finally begin regenerating at the end of its current Invisible Phase.
Because of this, it can be better to remain patient as you wait for a Vanish Block to re-appear. While you can try timing your movement to stand on the block as soon as it starts regenerating, a failed attempt means you could be waiting up to 2 additional seconds for its next Invisible Phase to end.
An interesting property of the Vanish Block is that it can be frozen with an Ice Wave even if it has vanished completely and will immediately become solid again, although not visible.
Crumble Block
Crumble Blocks can be destroyed with repeated hits from players, swords and lasers.
A Crumble Block has 10 health which means it can sustain a maximum of 10 hits before it is destroyed.
Ideally, you would deal 10 damage at once to instantly destroy the Crumble Block and prevent it from slowing you down.
The damage you deal to a Crumble Block on impact is based on your speed. The faster you are going, the more damage you can do.
Here's what Speed you need to deal the following amounts of damage to a Crumble Block:
1 – 1 damage
23 – 2 damage
46 – 3 damage
69 – 4 damage
92 – 5 damage
116 (48 with Speed Burst) – 6 damage
138 (59 with Speed Burst) – 7 damage
162 (71 with Speed Burst) – 8 damage
184 (82 with Speed Burst) – 9 damage
208 (94 with Speed Burst) – 10 damage
You can increase your speed and the damage you deliver by boosting yourself with a sword or laser gun. Since your speed is highest at the moment you use these items, it is best to use them as late as possible.
A well-timed shot from a Laser Gun can allow you to destroy a Crumble Block instantly with as little as 69 speed.
When crawling, you can only deal 1 damage to a Crumble Block. However, you must have at least 1 Speed and 43 Acceleration.
To instantly destroy a Crumble Block from above, you will need to be falling from at least 5.5 blocks above, equivalent to 62 jump (with 1.0 gravity).
Crumble Blocks cannot be destroyed in a single hit from below regardless of your upwards speed.
Hitting a Crumble Block with a sword or laser will deal 1 damage.
To tell how much damage you have dealt to a Crumble Block, look for the pieces of rock that come out of it when you hit it. Two pieces will come out for every unit of damage dealt.
Crumble Blocks can still be damaged and destroyed when frozen with an Ice Wave.
When falling at high speeds, you will smash through Crumble Blocks instantly.
However, despite getting destroyed in a single hit, Crumble Blocks can be used to slow down your fall.
Since jumping increases your upwards speed, you can hold Up as you break through the Crumble Blocks to reduce your falling speed. The more jump you have, the quicker you will slow down. Eventually, you will slow down enough to stop your fall entirely.
![[+]](/forums/images/collapse_collapsed.png "[+]")
Falling through Crumble Blocks - Example![[Image: 1DFsEz8.gif]](https://i.imgur.com/1DFsEz8.gif)
Interestingly, Crumble Blocks can be strengthened.
By holding Up as you are crawling under a Crumble Block while on a Down Arrow Block, the Crumble Block gains 2 health per frame. There does not appear to be a limit to how much health it can have.
ㅤ
Mine
A Mine block behaves exactly the same as a placed Mine item.Mine
Using existing Mines to shorten speedruns is far more common than using placed Mine items not only because of the places where Mines can be found in levels, but also because there is no time lost in placing the Mine.
The combination of Mines and Water is powerful and can allow you to benefit from the Mine's explosive boost without getting stunned. Hitting a Mine while you are swimming (not running) in water will prevent you from being stunned. However, you must hit it in the right way.
Touching a Mine from above and below will always allow you to get away unharmed.
But if you are approaching the Mine from the side, be sure to hit the Mine with your body, not your head.
If you hit a Mine from the side with your head, you will get stunned.
ㅤ
![[Image: auCjUe7.png]](https://i.imgur.com/auCjUe7.png)
![[Image: 9md1Wwg.png]](https://i.imgur.com/9md1Wwg.png)
![[Image: WyBfMOa.gif]](https://i.imgur.com/WyBfMOa.gif)
![[Image: ESdlHoZ.gif]](https://i.imgur.com/ESdlHoZ.gif)
Safety Net
The Safety Net is a block that takes you back to the last safe block you touched.
It is a non-solid block. This means Hats, Alien Eggs and Lasers can pass through it, and players are unable to stand on them. Its hitbox is also slightly smaller than that of regular, solid blocks.
Your speed is reset when you hit a Safety Net, although your acceleration to top speed is not.
This means you can use them to quickly slow yourself down which can help with controlling your movements at high speed areas.
![[Image: dqP6GtY.gif]](https://i.imgur.com/dqP6GtY.gif)
Safety Nets can also allow you to move back to a certain block in a shorter time than it would take to run there. They can be used as a form of teleportation to help optimize your runs.
![[Image: MEzueJm.gif]](https://i.imgur.com/MEzueJm.gif)
![[Image: E1641AY.gif]](https://i.imgur.com/E1641AY.gif)
Safety Nets can also be used to reduce your stun period after hitting Mines which can reduce the time lost from hitting Mines and allow you to regain control of your movement much more quickly.
When you are hit with a Sword, Laser, Lightning or Mine, you will be stunned and unable to move for about 2.2 seconds (60 frames). Hitting a Safety Net prior to being stunned will reduce the amount of time until you regain control.
When you hit a Safety Net, your player will begin flashing. During this period, your stun "timer" is counting down. If you are stunned during this period, your stun will end when your player stops flashing. Your player will flash 8 times before the timer ends, so you can use this to time your movement into a Mine to minimize your stun time.
ㅤ
![[Image: imnzB4A.gif]](https://i.imgur.com/imnzB4A.gif)
Ice Block
Ice Blocks preserve your momentum when you are standing on them. They slow down your acceleration, but also slow down your deceleration.
Accelerating while in contact with an Ice Block will cost you time. If you need to gain speed, jump so that the Ice Block can't hold you back.
When you are travelling at speed, Ice Blocks can help you retain your speed for longer. When you approach a section with Ice Blocks, try to carry as much speed as possible onto them. This is particularly helpful in crawl spaces.
Boosting yourself with a Sword or Laser Gun is also far more powerful when done on Ice Blocks.
