Jinjo Manipulation Guide

A guide to Jinjo Manipulation in Banjo-Tooie Speedrunning

[WHAT IS JINJO MANIPULATION?]

In Banjo-Tooie there are many different patterns for the Jinjos (over 30). Their locations are always the same; it's their colors that change. What does this mean and why does it matter? In speedruns of Banjo-Tooie having a bad pattern will lose you time. The amount of time you lose is different depending on the category. There's one pattern that's considered the best for most categories and is pretty much the standard to go by. Usually the fastest routes require this specific pattern so it's a good idea to use it.

Manipulating patterns is pretty simple to do. Jinjo patterns are decided when you start a new file, so if you start a file then save & quit that file will have an always-chosen Jinjo pattern, which you can use forever. All you have to do is copy it and you're good. Detailed explanation a bit later.

Where does the time loss from Jinjos come from? It's different depending on the category but the main reasons are...

1) Jinjo cutscenes. You get a cutscene for the first Jinjo you collect as well as one when you finish your first Jinjo family. If the very first Jinjo you get happens to be white then you only get one cutscene, saving a bit of time.

2) Just not having enough Jiggies for Jiggywiggy visits. By getting Jiggies from Jinjo families earlier in the run you can get faster Jiggies and even have fewer visits to Jiggywiggy. The best routes take advantage of this if possible.

[TIMING DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MANIPULATED AND EMPTY FILE RUNS]

Okay, so one of the problems that people have with manipulated runs is that you're not starting the run on an empty file, which skips the opening cutscene making manipulated runs have a slight advantage on empty file runs. The 'advantage' is roughly 3.77 seconds. Just to simply state it - this timing difference is SUPPOSED to be added to your time when you do a run with manipulation. If you DO NOT add the time then you're doing it wrong and are being very naughty. Please don't make me spank you. When you add the time is up to you; you can run your timer up to 3.77 seconds at the start (some timers have a feature for this) or you can simply add the time to your total after you've finished your run.

Manipulation is not supposed to give you a timing advantage. Please make sure to add the 3.77 seconds if you intend to use Jinjo manipulation.

[HOW TO GET AND USE A JINJO MANIPULATED FILE]

Here is a list of the Jinjo patterns:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/194mbfRICPB6GzxN1TovvQMR92vCiqHGgNiooNlT_szs/edit#gid=1923736742

The best pattern mentioned earlier is under White - C

Colors to look for are

Spiral Mountain:    purple (used to check pattern)

Wooded Hollow:  purple - tunnel
Mayahem Temple: purple - pool
Mayahem Temple: orange - kickball
Mayahem Temple: orange - bridge
Mayahem Temple: white - Jade Snake Grove

Here are the steps needed to get a file:

• Start an empty file
• Skip the opening cutscene
• Mash pause then save & quit as soon as possible
• You should now have a file that reads: "GAME 1/2/3 (depends on the file you chose): TIME 0:00:03, 0 JIGGIES."
• Copy that file to another file, giving you 2 of the same file
• Start up one of the files and check the Spiral Mountain Jinjo like this:

1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HSu2WywuWA
or
2) Walk underwater ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRvyk66213Q ► then check ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsKzvBYYP6g

• If it's not purple or one of the colors you're looking for just delete the files and try again from the start
• If it is one of the colors you're looking for continue playing up to MT and check the other Jinjos to see if it is the pattern you're looking for
• If it's not the pattern just start over again

Jinjo patterns are random so this could take a long time or a short time. Just keep at it and you'll get it eventually.

Once you have a file with a pattern on it you can just copy that file to file 1 when you're doing attempts. Jinjo patterns will be a thing of the past.

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[EASY JINJO MANIP WITH A GAMESHARK]

• If you have a GameShark you can get the best pattern with a code, see here: https://pastebin.com/3d2br0rU
• The Jinjo doc listed above added GameShark codes for each pattern. That'll make getting the specific pattern you want a breeze so long as you have a GameShark.