SM64org:Backwards Long Jump

The Backwards Long Jump is a glitch in Super Mario 64 where the player long jumps forward but then moves successive long jumps backwards in order to gain negative speed high enough to go through objects such as walls and doors. Backwards long jumps cannot be performed on all surfaces.

For the sake of this article, "backwards long jump" is shortened to BLJ, and "long jump" is shortened to LJ.

History

In 2003, a Mexican gaming magazine published a discovery in which the BLJ was performed on the Endless Stairs in order to reach Bowser before having 70 stars. Although many were skeptical at first, the glitch turned out to be real, and as Curtis Bright is credited with discovering, it could also be performed on the stairs leading up to the 50 star door.

Later discoveries proved that BLJ's could be done on various surfaces

Performance

BLJs can be done on certain slopes, stairways, and obstacles. Do a long jump facing away from the obstacle but moving backwards against it. When you LJ again after landing, Mario won't get any air time, so he can immediately LJ again. Each LJ will give you a speed boost, and you can abuse this to gain a high speed. When Mario has the desired speed, stop LJing and hold the analog in the opposite of the direction you want him to go. The greatest speed you can reach with a BLJ is -1.#INF.

You can see a short compilation of stair/slope BLJs here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkVK1Ccwi2Q

Types of BLJ's

Slope BLJ

Possible on very steep slopes that do not cause Mario to slide. Most of the slopes on the roof of the castle are suitable for this kind of BLJ.

Elevator BLJ

This probably the easiest one to do. BLJs are possible on rising elevators because the elevator will catch up to Mario as soon as he leaves the ground, interrupting the first jump and allowing him to jump again. The elevators in Hazy Maze Cave and Big Boo's Haunt are good places to practice.

Ceiling BLJ

These are probably the trickiest locations to find because some of them are invisible or are just plain easy to overlook. Mario doesn't even have to get jammed in order for it to work since in a tight space Mario's speed does not return back to normal before he can BLJ again. One example of this is under either of the Lobby pillars.

Stair BLJ

The first kind of BLJ to be discovered. A stair BLJ involves using tiny ledges, getting Mario trapped inside and BLJing. This makes Mario appear on top of the step. This effect must be prolonged to build up Mario's speed. This can be done going up a stairway, thus using a multitude of tiny ledges to build up speed, or by facing sideways and by just using one step or ledge. To achieve this effect, Mario must first be almost parallel with the step, then land on it and slide onto the lower step. It should be noted that some stairs are actually slopes thus cannot be BLJed on. Two classic areas featuring this BLJ opportunity include the stairs leading to the 50 star door and the endless stairs leading to Bowser in the Sky.

Side BLJ

An additional discovery is the Side BLJ, allowing users to be on the last stand-able frame on a step and BLJ parallel to that step. It has its most effective use in the castle, where speed runners have used side BLJ's for quicker access to Bowser in the Dark World as well as direct access to Dire, Dire Docks (and later Bowser in the Fire Sea).

Tricks

0 Input BLJ

When you have no input on the analog in between the "A" button presses for a BLJ, your speed will not decrease, thus exponentially increasing the speed at the end result of the BLJs. This only applies when Mario does not leave the ground between "A" button presses.

Pause BLJ

Normally, you can only press the "A" button fifteen times per second because the game runs at thirty frames per second. If you had thirty continuous "A" frames, you'd just be holding "A" down, not tapping it. However, if you pause while pressing the "A" button, you are given an opportunity on the next frame to release the "A" button. You can follow that by repressing it when it's not paused (therefore letting you BLJ the equivalent of thirty times per "in-game" second). This is useful when you need more speed to travel a long distance. It isn't as helpful as it seems as it takes three extra frames to do a Pause BLJ. In order to save time you need the extra speed to save at least 3 frames.