Backwards Long Jump: Difference between revisions

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''See also: [[List of Major BLJ Locations]]''
The '''Backwards [[Long Jump]]''' hyperspeed method, or '''BLJ''' for short, is the most famous [[hyperspeed]] method in Super Mario 64. Due to their versatility, BLJs are commonly used in all kinds of [[Speedrun|speedruns]] and [[Challenge|challenges]].


The Backwards long jump or BLJ is a way of building up a lot of speed very fast by long-jumping backwards. It is the result of a minor oversight by the game's programmers/developers: There is no reasonable limit on Mario's speed when it becomes negative. Therefore, by long-jumping backwards in a position where you can continue to long-jump backwards, you can build of lots of speed very fast. BLJs can be done on certain slopes, stairways, and obstacles. To perform a BLJ, do a long jump with Mario facing away from the obstacle/stairway/slope but move backwards towards it (by holding the joystick in the opposite direction). Mario will collide with the obstacle/stairway/slope, leaving him on the ground and enabling him to backwards long jump again. Mario's speed becomes negative at this point, and BLJing repeatedly causes a negative speed increase of approximately 45-50% of Mario's currently stored speed at that time.Once the desired speed is reached, simply stop BLJing and Mario will zoom off backwards at an incredibly high speed. If you continue BLJing long enough, Mario's speed, stored in a float, will eventually reach -229399772256808620000000000000000000000, then tick over to -1.#INF, and crash the game.
When Mario initiates a long jump, his horizontal speed is multiplied by 3/2. A BLJ occurs when a backwards long jump is interrupted before the effects of drag can counteract the speed gain from the 3/2 multiplier. This does not occur with forwards long jumps because long jumps have a "hard cap" of +48 horizontal speed which Mario's speed cannot exceed. No such cap exists in the negative direction because normally the "soft cap" of -16 speed from drag is easily enough to stop any speed gain.


The key aspect of BLJs is Mario's capability of retaining negative speed temporarily. Eventually, the speed will increase back to 0, however there are a few frames within a BLJ in which his speed doesn't deplete instantly. These frames allow for repeated BLJs, thus increasing his speed.
There are several different types of BLJs. The distinguishing feature of different types of BLJs is what they use to interrupt the long jump:
* Slope BLJs use slopes by going up the slope.
* Stair BLJs use stairs by going up the stairs.
* Elevator BLJs use the upwards movement of an elevator or other object.
* [[Side BLJ|Side BLJs]] use two floors at slightly different levels by oscillating between them.
* Ceiling BLJs use an exposed ceiling or low-hanging ceiling by making Mario hit his head and start travelling downwards faster.


You can use BLJs to:
BLJs can also be [[Pause Buffering|pause buffered]] to increase the amount of long jumps that can be performed in a given amount of time or space.


* Gain enough speed to pass through doors, such as:
The BLJ glitch was patched in the [[Super Mario 64#Shindou|Shindou release]], and therefore also the [[Super Mario 64#iQue (Chinese)|iQue version]]. This also means that any emulator releases of these game versions lack the BLJ glitch, namely the [[Super Mario 64#Japanese 2|Japanese Wii VC release]], the [[Super Mario 64#Japanese 3|Japanese Wii U VC release]], and all versions of [[Super Mario 64#Super Mario 3D All-Stars|Super Mario 3D All-Stars]].
*: Star doors
*: Doors requiring a key (although the room behind will not load)
* Zip backwards on the ground at very high speeds (if obstacles are avoided)
* Jump over incredibly large gaps (since when over the air, Mario will have the same BLJ jumping physics but with the massive speed still present)
* Pass through some loading zones, like the water wall needed to enter Dire Dire Docks
* Pass through some types of walls (like the iron gates in Bob-omb Battlefield.)
* Go into [[Parallel Universes]]  


==Slope BLJ==


A slope BLJ is performed by interrupting a backwards long jump using a rising slope. Because Mario usually lands immediately after long jumping (assuming a steep enough slope), slope BLJs are normally pause bufferable.


=== Types of BLJs ===
==Stair BLJ==


While all BLJs work by the same principal, there are many different methods of performing them. There are numerous places where a BLJ can be performed throughout the game (virtually every level contains at least one), and it is unlikely that all such locations have been discovered.
A stair BLJ is similar to a slope BLJ, except using stairs instead of slopes to achieve the rising floor effect. Stair BLJs often cannot be performed when there are wall hitboxes sticking out from the stairs because the walls prevent Mario from landing on the higher floor. Similarly to slope BLJs, stair BLJs are often pause bufferable.


Stair BLJs are often used for bypassing doors in the castle.


==== Stair BLJ ====
==Elevator BLJ==
Stair BLJs were the first kind of BLJs to be discovered. A Stair BLJ consists of long jumping backwards onto stairs, which are basically tiny floors, which Mario can run directly over. BLJing on stairs works similar to Elevator BLJs because they both consist of Mario's jumps being interrupted allowing for more jumps to be performed, however the timing must be precise.


Here's how they work: With a precisely timed BLJ, Mario's vertical position snaps to the next highest stair, ultimately reducing Mario's vertical speed to 0 (allowing him to repeatedly BLJ on the ground). When this occurs, his negative horizontal speed is temporarily stored, allowing him to repeat the process which results in a greater amount of negative speed.
Elevator BLJs are also conceptually similar to slope BLJs and stair BLJs in that they too use the floor under Mario rising to interrupt Mario's long jump. Elevator BLJs use elevators as the rising floor. Elevator BLJs are a common solution for when one wishes to quickly get a lot of speed since while slope BLJs and stair BLJs can only last until the slope or stair runs out or Mario hits out-of-bounds, elevator BLJs can last as long as the elevator is moving and don't need to stop when Mario hits out-of-bounds. Because of this, elevator BLJs are the only type of BLJ that can reach [[PU]] speed.


==Side BLJ==


==== Slope BLJ ====
Side BLJs or SBLJs are the most complex type of BLJ. A side BLJ is performed by oscillating between two floors at slightly different heights to achieve an effect similar to a stair BLJ but without needing a long, wall-less staircase. Side BLJs are performed by first having Mario face slightly to the higher floor (so that when Mario's moving backwards, he moves down to the lower floor), then straining to the higher floor during the long jump so that Mario snaps up to it. After long jumping from the lower floor, Mario ends up on the higher floor due to the straining, but because of the direction Mario is facing he snaps down to the lower floor on the next frame. This can then be repeated.
Slope BLJs are backwards long jumps on steep slopes. To find slopes with this property, locate slopes that permit Mario to stand perfectly still on them. He will not slide off of them.


Here's how it works: When BLJing on a steep slope, Mario's jump is interrupted by the steep ground. With no negative horizontal velocity, Mario's long jumps behave just like the developers intended. However, on steeper slopes, with a negative horizontal velocity, and with ground located behind Mario, the game has no choice but to force Mario's position backwards along with an increased vertical position. This process is repeatable, allowing for Slope BLJs to be performed.
Because side BLJs require 1 extra frame per long jump for Mario to snap back down to the lower floor, they cannot be pause buffered.


A common Slope to BLJ on would be the slopes on the Castle Roof or the tan-colored slopes located by the cannon in the castle grounds.
==Ceiling BLJ==


A ceiling BLJ is performed by having Mario hit a ceiling during his long jumps so that Mario starts moving downwards earlier, meaning there's less time for drag to slow Mario down. Ceiling BLJs can be performed with low ceilings or with [[Exposed ceiling|exposed ceilings]]. [[Lobby Backwards Long Jump]] is an example of this type of BLJ.


==== Elevator BLJ ====
[[Category:Glitches]]
Elevator BLJs are performed on elevators, but not every elevator permits an elevator BLJ!
[[Category:Hyperspeed]]


Here's how they work: BLJs are possible on rising elevators because an elevator's vertical velocity allows them to catch up to Mario as soon as he leaves the ground from a BLJ. This interrups the first jump and allows him to jump again, thus repeating the process of a BLJ.
{{Glitches}}
 
The elevators in Hazy Maze Cave and Bob-omb Battlefield are good places to practice. Elevators that's move in a horizontal fashion, such as the ones located in the volcano of Lethal Lava Land do not have the properties to initiate Elevator BLJs because their vertical velocity isn't fast enough.
 
 
==== Low Ceiling BLJ ====
These are probably the trickiest locations to find because some of them are invisible or are just plain easy to overlook. However, walls above a floor can also act like ceilings. These walls don't necessarily have to be parallel with the ground in order for a Low Ceiling BLJ to be performed.
 
These types of BLJs demonstrate Mario's mechanics to their most basic properties. Mario has the capability of temporarily storing negative speed after a BLJ, and the speed can be increased with repeated BLJs.
 
The most common Low Ceiling BLJ is the one presented within the video (located in the Jolly Roger Bay room). It is literally a low ceiling. Either one of the Lobby BLJs in the main room of the castle are also Low Ceiling BLJs, but they utilize Invisible Wall Hitboxes which act as Low Ceilings.
 
==== Side BLJ ====
Side BLJs are very similar to stair BLJs, since both utilize the vertical position snapping mechanic in the game (mentioned earlier in Stair BLJs). A Side BLJ essentially consists of Mario repeatedly BLJing onto and off of a floor.
 
Here's how it works: When Mario BLJs parallel to the stairs, Mario's vertical position snaps to the next highest stair (when the right angle is utilized). This also requires Mario's facing angle to be slightly askew with respect to the stairs, so that when he BLJs onto the next highest stair, his facing angle & negative speed allow him to drop back down to the original stair with which the Side BLJ was initiated with. As mentioned earlier, when Mario BLJs and snaps onto the next highest stair, his negative speed is temporarily stored, allowing him to repeat the process which results in a greater amount of negative speed.
 
Side BLJs can be performed on most stairs (due to some stairs having the appearance of stairs but are actually steep slopes) and on flat platforms which Mario can run directly over.
 
==== Pause BLJ ====
''See also [[Pause-buffering]]''
 
Pause BLJing allows Mario to BLJ 30 times per in-game-second instead of 15. (SM64 is a 30 Frame-Per-Second Game) While BLJing, do the following sequence:
 
    First Frame: (Start) + (Z) + (A)
    Second Frame:
    Third Frame: (Start)
    Fourth Frame:
    Fifth Frame: (Start) + (Z) + (A)
    And so on!
 
Basically, the Start Menu acts like a frame buffer which allows more inputs to be performed within the game timer. These rules apply for BLJing as well. However, this only works on slopes, stairs, and elevators. It does not work with Side BLJs or (some) Low Ceiling BLJs.

Latest revision as of 21:35, 14 October 2024

The Backwards Long Jump hyperspeed method, or BLJ for short, is the most famous hyperspeed method in Super Mario 64. Due to their versatility, BLJs are commonly used in all kinds of speedruns and challenges.

When Mario initiates a long jump, his horizontal speed is multiplied by 3/2. A BLJ occurs when a backwards long jump is interrupted before the effects of drag can counteract the speed gain from the 3/2 multiplier. This does not occur with forwards long jumps because long jumps have a "hard cap" of +48 horizontal speed which Mario's speed cannot exceed. No such cap exists in the negative direction because normally the "soft cap" of -16 speed from drag is easily enough to stop any speed gain.

There are several different types of BLJs. The distinguishing feature of different types of BLJs is what they use to interrupt the long jump:

  • Slope BLJs use slopes by going up the slope.
  • Stair BLJs use stairs by going up the stairs.
  • Elevator BLJs use the upwards movement of an elevator or other object.
  • Side BLJs use two floors at slightly different levels by oscillating between them.
  • Ceiling BLJs use an exposed ceiling or low-hanging ceiling by making Mario hit his head and start travelling downwards faster.

BLJs can also be pause buffered to increase the amount of long jumps that can be performed in a given amount of time or space.

The BLJ glitch was patched in the Shindou release, and therefore also the iQue version. This also means that any emulator releases of these game versions lack the BLJ glitch, namely the Japanese Wii VC release, the Japanese Wii U VC release, and all versions of Super Mario 3D All-Stars.

Slope BLJ

A slope BLJ is performed by interrupting a backwards long jump using a rising slope. Because Mario usually lands immediately after long jumping (assuming a steep enough slope), slope BLJs are normally pause bufferable.

Stair BLJ

A stair BLJ is similar to a slope BLJ, except using stairs instead of slopes to achieve the rising floor effect. Stair BLJs often cannot be performed when there are wall hitboxes sticking out from the stairs because the walls prevent Mario from landing on the higher floor. Similarly to slope BLJs, stair BLJs are often pause bufferable.

Stair BLJs are often used for bypassing doors in the castle.

Elevator BLJ

Elevator BLJs are also conceptually similar to slope BLJs and stair BLJs in that they too use the floor under Mario rising to interrupt Mario's long jump. Elevator BLJs use elevators as the rising floor. Elevator BLJs are a common solution for when one wishes to quickly get a lot of speed since while slope BLJs and stair BLJs can only last until the slope or stair runs out or Mario hits out-of-bounds, elevator BLJs can last as long as the elevator is moving and don't need to stop when Mario hits out-of-bounds. Because of this, elevator BLJs are the only type of BLJ that can reach PU speed.

Side BLJ

Side BLJs or SBLJs are the most complex type of BLJ. A side BLJ is performed by oscillating between two floors at slightly different heights to achieve an effect similar to a stair BLJ but without needing a long, wall-less staircase. Side BLJs are performed by first having Mario face slightly to the higher floor (so that when Mario's moving backwards, he moves down to the lower floor), then straining to the higher floor during the long jump so that Mario snaps up to it. After long jumping from the lower floor, Mario ends up on the higher floor due to the straining, but because of the direction Mario is facing he snaps down to the lower floor on the next frame. This can then be repeated.

Because side BLJs require 1 extra frame per long jump for Mario to snap back down to the lower floor, they cannot be pause buffered.

Ceiling BLJ

A ceiling BLJ is performed by having Mario hit a ceiling during his long jumps so that Mario starts moving downwards earlier, meaning there's less time for drag to slow Mario down. Ceiling BLJs can be performed with low ceilings or with exposed ceilings. Lobby Backwards Long Jump is an example of this type of BLJ.