Hazy Maze Cave: Difference between revisions

|overview_2=STROOP- HMC 2.png

}}'''Hazy Maze Cave''' is the sixth course of ''[[Super Mario 64]]''. It is located in the room behind a door without a star number in the basement and is accessed by hopping into a black-colored pool.  

==Course Versions==

This course has no differences between versions.

==Coins==

This course has a total of 139 coins. There are no known ways to clone coins or extend the coin limit in this stage.

{{HMC Coins}}

==A Press Counts==

In the A Button Challenge, six out of seven stars can be collected without A presses. The other star, [[Watch for Rolling Rocks]] requires 0.5 A presses.

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|colspan=3|*Involves scuttlebug raising. <br/>**Requires PU movement and scuttlebug raising.

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===Entering Hazy Maze Cave ''(0x)''===

:''Video: https://youtu.be/uDtInisrqqM ''

It should be noted that MIPS used to be required to drain the moat to access [[Vanish Cap Under the Moat]], which can now be done faster without MIPS by exploiting the misalignments at one corner of each pillar. Unlike ground pounding the pillars with MIPS, which uses only the object (MIPS) and not the star, grabbing the ledge leading to HMC requires MIPS to be present and Mario collecting its star.

===Swimming Beast in the Cavern ''(0x)''===

:''Video: https://youtu.be/kd5TgsxVT7Y ''

Conveniently, there is a well-known glitch that allows Mario to clip through the elevator by standing at a certain black spot on the wall. When the elevator descends from above, the object collision will cause Mario to go past the wall and fall into the underground cavern, heading towards the island where the star is located.  

===Elevate for 8 Red Coins ''(0x)''===

:''Video: https://youtu.be/lT3SnMMLY0w ''

Jumping off a pole requires an A press, as it is the only way to get to the nearby platform without external help. In the past, Pannenkoek collected the star in 0.5 A presses<ref>SM64 - Elevate for 8 Red Coins - 0.5x A Presses [OUTDATED]: https://youtu.be/NXVJKPQu7rI</ref> by utilizing high negative speed to traverse the course and land on the moving platform necessary to reach the red coins located on higher platforms. An A press was held until this point in order to conserve speed up the elevator. In order to build such speed (more than 1500), Pannenkoek started [[Hyperspeed Walking]] (HSW) using the ceiling under the gate to keep him in place, navigated to the upper part of the course, and then bounced on a prepositioned scuttlebug to cross a large gap to clip into the red coins room.  

Finally, Mario enters the room, grabs the pole, and patiently waits for the raised scuttlebug to drop down, pushing Mario to the nearby platform. Mario runs to the moving platform and begins completing all eight red coins to complete the mission. To reach the star (which is 300 units high<ref>Star Heights: https://youtu.be/xE7hrQ8sHhU?t=2m17s</ref>), Mario bounces on a nearby scuttlebug.

===Metal-Head Mario can Move! ''(0x)''===

:''Video: https://youtu.be/69NMgKGFKC0 ''

Mario arrives at the underwater cavern, and he presses the switch with a metal cap to open the gate. To begin the setup of hyperspeed, Mario enters the hallway to let the scuttlebug spawn for Mario and angle it away from the door; this is done to avoid the scuttlebug jumping when it sees Mario entering with super speed when facing Mario, causing Mario's bounce to fail.

A faster strategy is then available once the HSW strategy is discovered, allowing Mario to build up the required speed much faster. As early as the strategy is known, it was not made into TAS until a documented it<ref>SM64 - Metal Head Mario Can Move 0x Faster with HSWing: https://youtu.be/49TSYXdgt4I</ref>.

===Navigating the Toxic Maze ''(0x)''===

:''Video: https://youtu.be/b5zwE4ALeoI ''

Mario has to enter the toxic maze for the star. The hardest part is exiting the maze via the doors on higher platforms, without pressing A to jump. To avoid pressing A, Pannenkoek needs very good RNG to set the swoopers flying at desirable angles and bounce on three of them at the right moment. The reason such strategy can work is that swoopers fly in three different heights: low, middle, and high; this allows Mario to bounce on them in ascending order. Afterwards, Mario can ride the elevator and collect the star.

===A-Maze-Ing Emergency Exit ''(0x)''===

:''Video: https://youtu.be/lwcGE7Js1QE ''

The two main difficulties are exiting the toxic maze and crossing the gap to the A-Maze-Ing Emergency Exit platform. In the past, Pannenkoek utilized Hyper Speed Walking again to collect the star in 0.5 A Presses<ref>SM64 - A-Maze-ing Emergency Exit - 0.5x A Presses [OUTDATED]: https://youtu.be/QNn6hvOlH7o</ref> until the scuttlebug raising technique is found.

Mario transports the scuttlebug to a point close to the A-Maze-Ing Emergency Exit star and then exits the maze by bouncing on a Monty Mole and a flying swooper. Once Mario reaches the door leading to the star, the prepositioned scuttlebug is then being raised for 35 minutes. Finally, Mario manipulates it to lunge towards the midpoint, allowing him to bounce on it and clear the gap, landing on the platform. Mario then collects the star.

===Watch for Rolling Rocks ''(0.5x)''===

{{main|Watch for Rolling Rocks}}

:''Video (newest strategy, uncommented, 5.4 hours): https://youtu.be/mgNMKnkZEKY ''

The star is located on a very high platform, normally requiring wall kicks to reach. In the past, the star was completed with 1 A press by using Hyper Speed Walking to generate enough speed to reach it with a double jump (the height gained is proportional to the speed). Eventually, a method was found that allows Mario to gain virtually unlimited speed, allowing access to [[Parallel Universe]]s and reach the destination with 0.5 A presses. The A press is held up until this point for conserving speed up the elevator with repeated AB kicks.  

The breakdown of the route is as follows: First, Mario transports a scuttlebug to the corner of the Watch for Rolling Rocks platform. Then, Mario raises the scuttlebug to roughly the height of the platform for Mario to bounce on later. Next, Mario begins accumulating speed with Hyper Speed Walking and navigates to the slippery slope on the island to build up speed faster. The speed-building process takes 2 hours to complete. Once the [[syncing speed]] for accessing PUs is reached, Mario begins his PU movement to navigate the top part of the course, and finally lands on the platform by bouncing on a scuttlebug and ground-pounding at the [[misalignment]]. From there, Mario grabs the star normally.

===HMC 100 coins ''(0x)''===

:''Video 1 (main strategy): https://youtu.be/oqji_Lr1lFc ''

:''Video 2 (alternate, faster strat): https://youtu.be/-F61DW6eFHo ''

Multiple techniques are required to get 100 coins in Hazy Maze Cave, as resources are limited. Using good maneuvering, Mario dives onto a high platform to kill a Mr. I and then proceeds to the underwater cavern by clipping through a wall. Mario then collects most of the coins there before returning to the upper part of the course using the elevator and enter the toxic maze.

Later in 2015 (in the second video), Pannenkoek found a way to collect the topmost blue coin by bouncing on the third swooper. The primary obstacle is that there are very few swooper paths that do this since the swooper needs to stay close to Mario when the VSC to ground-pound movement is performed. Additionally, the said swooper must head towards the blue coin when the switch's effect is active. Altogether, it takes a lot of effort to find a swooper path that satisfies all of the above. With 99 coins, Mario uses a Monty Mole and the fourth swooper to simultaneously land on the exit platform and collect the swooper's coin, spawning the 100 coin star. With this strategy, Mario can collect the star at the exit of the toxic maze, instead of having to collect the 100 coin star within the maze with no way out, forcing him to exit the course by dying and then reenter it.

==References==

<references/>