Live-a-Live 12 Hour Speedrunning Challenge FAQ

Q. What is this game?
A. Live-a-Live is a Squaresoft RPG for the SNES. There are 7 different scenarios to start off with, each set in a different time period and each with a different twist on the gameplay style and/or presentation. The Caveman chapter, for example, has no dialogue at all. The Modern Day chapter consists solely of fights, with a Megaman-style select screen. Its opposite would be the Sci-Fi chapter, which is strictly plot-based aside from the final boss.

Q. Why this game?
A. Because it owns.

Q. Are you looking at any pre-existing runs for reference?
A. I am doing all the routing myself before looking at anything else. I've been told they exist, though.

Q. How far along are you?
A. I have routed Masaru's chapter and most of Cube's chapter so far. If I have time, I'll show off the former, since the latter is mostly about optimizing movements in cutscenes and the fastest way to deliver coffee.

Q. Why Sundown?
A. It was either going to be this or Cube. Sundown's is short, simple, and much more interesting than Cube. Ninja is something in-between simple to route and not simple to route, but the other three will take way longer than 12 hours.

Q. So how will this work?
A. The chapter is based around setting traps to foil a gang lead by the notorious O. Dio, leader of the Crazy Bunch. Or not and taking on the whole gang. The basic places to start will be doing a few runs where I set all the traps, then doing a few runs where I set none of the traps. Depending on which is faster, work from there to see how many I can eliminate.

Certain townsfolk will set traps faster than others, and some traps are more efficient than others. The two most effective traps are the shovel and dynamite, taking out 2 and 4 enemies respectively. The two most effective trappers are the sheriff and Annie. In the all traps setup, I'll want to start from the slowest, then work my way giving the orders from there. There is also an RNG factor with one of the townsfolk, whose speed varies from third-fastest to the slowest. After all the traps I want to set are set, I order drinks until the gang arrives.

Besides this, I'll need to time whether it's faster to kill Mad Dog or run from him. Each comes with its own cutscene afterwards.

Q. Why the lowish stream quality?
A. Because my computer isn't the best. I plan to get a new one ideally before the end of the year, though. Routing should be completed by that time, and that's when I'll start doing full runs.