RTABC
For the guide, please see RTABC Guide
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Real Time A Button Challenge | |||
Abbreviation | RTABC | ||
Individual stars collectible | 87 | ||
Overall stars collectible | 53 | ||
Is beatable | Yes | ||
Presses required for Any% | 0 | ||
Presses required for 120-Star | 58 | ||
Star Details | |||
BoB | |||
WF | |||
JRB | |||
CCM | |||
BBH | |||
HMC | |||
LLL | |||
SSL | |||
DDD | |||
SL | |||
WDW | |||
TTM | |||
THI | |||
TTC | |||
RR | |||
Secret | |||
Castle | |||
Bowser |
The RTABC (Real Time A Button Challenge) is a variation on the popular A Button Challenge, where all gameplay must be done in real-time.
Completed Runs
The current RTABC 70 Star world record, achieved by PurpleJuiceBox, finishes with a total of 22 A Presses and with a time of approximately 4 hours, 32 minutes, and 52 seconds.[1] The current RTABC 120 Star world record, achieved by BillyWAR1, finishes with a total of 216 A presses and with a time of 8 hours, 36 minutes, and 6 seconds.[2] The current RTABC "Max Stars 0xA" world record, achieved by Zyon, finishes with a total of 37 stars and with a time of 4 hours, 41 minutes, and 36 seconds.[3]
The RTABC spreadsheet contains leaderboards for individual stars, stages and full game categories; optimal routes for 70 Star, 120 Star, and Max Stars 0xA; conjectured improvements, and many other useful references.
A Presses Left
A unique A press refers to a single circumstance under which the A button must be pressed during a run. This circumstance may occur multiple times, leading to multiple A presses; if a workaround is found for the unique A press, all of those individual A presses may be saved.
Currently, a theoretical 120 star run would take 74 A presses, a theoretical 70 star run would take 6 A presses (1 in BitFS, 1 to go to BitS, and 4 in BitS), and 52 stars are possible without pressing A. Out of the 74 a presses left in the 120 star run, 51 of them (give or take) are unique. Below is a table listing all of them:
A Press # | Multiplicity | Stage | Purpose |
---|---|---|---|
#1 | 1 | BoB | To shoot from the cannon |
#2 | 1 | JRB | To collect the chest star |
#3 | 1 | JRB | To ground pound the blue coin switch |
#4 | 2 | BBH | To get to the third floor |
#5 | 1 | HMC | To jump from the pole for reds |
#6 | 1 | HMC | To get to the Toxic Maze star |
#7 | 2 | HMC | To jump dive from dorrie's back |
#8 | 1 | HMC | To ground pound the blue coin switch |
#9 | 1 | LLL | To collect the elevator star |
#10 | 1 | SSL | To get onto the entrance to the eyerok battle |
#11 | 2 | SSL | To get out of the pyramid elevator |
#12 | 1 | DDD | To jump off of a cloned pole |
#13 | 1 | DDD | To jump off the back pole for 2 red coins |
#14 | 1 | SL | To shoot from the cannon |
#15 | 1 | THI | To double jump to a higher platform and collect red coins |
#16 | 1 | THI | To dive to the upper platform and grab the high red coin |
#17 | 4 | TTC | To double jump off the lower hand |
#18 | 4 | TTC | To wall kick to a higher platform |
#19 | 3 | TTC | To get off the elevator by the pole |
#20 | 1 | TTC | To jump past the moving bars |
#21 | 1 | TTC | To wall kick to the moving bars star |
#22 | 1 | TTC | To jump off the pole by the elevator for the thwomp star |
#23 | 1 | TTC | To get on to the first rotating block |
#24 | 1 | TTC | To get on to the second rotating block |
#25 | 1 | TTC | To get off the rotating block |
#26 | 1 | TTC | To wall kick to the above platform |
#27 | 1 | TTC | To sideflip on to the wall |
#28 | 1 | TTC | To wall kick up to a higher platform |
#29 | 1 | TTC | To get on the whomp |
#30 | 2 | RR | To get on the ship |
#31 | 2 | RR | To get past the first tall blue block |
#32 | 1 | RR | To get past the second wide blue block |
#33 | 1 | RR | To collect the Swingin' in the Breeze star |
#34 | 1 | RR | To jump on a fly guy and fall slower |
#35 | 1 | RR | To shoot from the cannon |
#36 | 1 | PSS | To collect the box star |
#37 | 1 | WMotR | To shoot from the first cannon |
#38 | 1 | WMotR | To shoot from the second cannon |
#39 | 1 | BitFS | To get past the pole |
#40 | 1 | BitS | To jump up the first platform |
#41 | 1 | BitS | To jump up the second platform |
#42 | 1 | BitS | To grab the red coin on the sloped platform |
#43 | 1 | BitS | To get past the pole |
#44 | 1 | BitS | To get past the pole with the red coin |
#45 | 1 | BitS | To jump from the last red coin's platform |
#46 | 6 | Castle | To enter THI |
#47 | 6 | Castle | To enter TTC |
#48 | 1 | Castle | To go to RR |
#49 | 1 | Castle | To go to BitS |
#50 | 1 | Castle | To enter SA |
#51 | 1 | Castle | To go to WMotR |
Some A presses require A to be held, but not pressed. These A presses are called Half A Presses and can come from a previous A press instead of a new one, so saving one wouldn't actually lower the A press count.
The half a presses are listed below:
Half A Press # | Multiplicity | Stage | Purpose |
---|---|---|---|
#1 | 1 | DDD | To outswim the whirlpool |
#2 | 4 | DDD | To swim with a shell for cloning |
#3 | 1 | WDW | To swim faster and catch the elevator |
#4 | 1 | BitS | To speed kick across the starting platforms |
Possible A Press Saves
Jolly Roger Bay
It may be possible to get speed from the pillar and reactivate it some other place to ground pound the blue coin switch 0x for 100 coins. Ivan178 has shown that it is possible to get speed from the pillar to get Blast to the Stone Pillar 0x.[4]
Shifting Sand Land
A while after Zyon showed a potential A press save in Whomp's Fortress, Ivan posted another clip[5] of him killing a goomba[6], then bouncing on another goomba and collecting the other goomba's coin with good RNG, spawning a 100 coin star that allowed him to get past the pole with a precise Star Dance Clip. This would save the A press to get into the Eyerok battle.
Tick Tock Clock
Currently, the A press count for Stomp on the Thwomp and 100 Coins stands at 11xA. Billy, the world record holder for Stomp on the Thwomp originally planned to get it in 8xA, where the A presses not included being the pole jump at the beginning, which can be solved by using knockback from a bob-omb which had been done in previous stars, and a failed dive onto one of the rotating blocks. Additionally, it was shown to be possible to do Roll into the Cage in 1xA.
Rainbow Ride
On February 10th 2023, PapaQBall shared an idea to save the 32nd A press, to get over the first blue block in Rainbow Ride 0x using VSC from a slidekick bounce from one carpet to another carpet, then ledgegrab up on top of the blue block.[7] Unfortunately, the ledgegrab was too slow. However, pannenkoek2012 showed later that it would be possible to get back onto the carpet with a dive rollout on the edge of the block.[8]
Bowser in the Sky
Currently, the A press count for Bowser in the Sky and BitS reds is 4.5 and 6.5 respectively. One of these A presses can be saved, specifically the one to get across the moving orange bars by the two poles can be saved via a precise dive rollout. Zyon, the current world record holder for BitS, is trying to get it down to 3.5. The half A press can be saved too by grinding the edge of the platform to get an instant double jump, making the currently lowest possible count 3, However it's more precise and not ideal for a 70 or 120 star abc run. Additionally, the A press can be saved for red coins by using cloning to get over the orange platforms multiple times to get the red coin without needing an additional A press, making it's lowest count 5.[9]
See also
References
- ↑ "[RTABC WR] Super Mario 64 in 22 A Presses - 4:32:52" by PurpleJuiceBox
- ↑ "[RTABC WR] SM64 120 Star in 216 A Presses - 8:38:06" by BillyWAR
- ↑ " SM64 RTABC - Max Stars 0xA - 37 Stars in 4:41:36 " by Zyon
- ↑ " SM64 RTABC Blast to the Stone Pillar 0xA 8:54 "
- ↑ " message from Ivan "
- ↑ " followup message from Ivan "
- ↑ " message from PapaQBall "
- ↑ " RR Clearing the First Glass Block using VSC "
- ↑ " [SEGMENTED] SM64 RTABC - BitS w/ Reds 5xA "
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