TR2 no scratch techniques: State of arts

xtimz · 09-01-23, 03:25

This post serves as a survey of the noncombat techniques of no scratch play of TR2.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Wbq8N8D2hM
You don't need to read the non-English texts. I'll duplicate them here in much greater details. Each place usually has 2 videos. The first is the normal play. The second is the no scratch play. I'll omit the first if it's unnecessary.

The following health bars appear in the video.

We denote: HP = Health Point, HL = Health Loss. Lara's full HP is 1000. So, HP + HL = 1000. The 7 health bars from top to bottom are:

HP = 138, HL = 862: The Deck.
HP = 383, HL = 617: Wreck of the Maria Doria.
HP = 490, HL = 510: Ice Palace.
HP = 817, HL = 183: Wreck of the Maria Doria (twice).
HP = 940, HL = 60: Living Quarters.
HP = 995, HL = 5: Bartoli's Hideout, Catacombs of the Talion, Ice Palace, Temple of Xian.
HP = 1000, HL = 0.

==================================================

Bartoli's Hideout: The double gate.
Normal play: HL = 5.
No scratch play: Roll before the drop.
I don't know who discovered it. It was first used in speedruns, for example: by xRikux89 in 2010.6.18, and by apel in 2011.3.12. It was introduced and explained by xtimz (post #30) in 2013.9.3. You might wonder why Lara didn't roll in xRikux89's video. I don't know.

Opera House: The trapdoor.
No scratch play: Touch the edge of the ceiling.
It's folklore. First showed by rrcarroll (post #11) in 2007.10.1.

Wreck of the Maria Doria: The fragile tiles.
Normal play: HL = 617.
No scratch play: HL = 183. The video uses a very difficult way. There're many easier ways.
The first way was discovered by "Tomb Raider Master" in 2005.9.3. Other ways include those, for example: by RadxxRyan in 2007.7.15, and by akci (post #154) in 2008.5.20. I don't know which one is the easiest.

Note that no scratch is possible in the mobile version, discoverd by Eycore in 2021.9.15.

Wreck of the Maria Doria: The wooden boat.
Normal play: HL = 183.
No scratch play: Change route and use a fence bug.
I don't know who discovered it. It was mentioned by peeves (post #151, #153) in 2011.4.27 and (post #30) in 2014.5.3, and by akci (post #22) in 2019.2.5. And apparently no one knows the technique in the bug-allowed challenge thread in 2008. So it must be discovered between 2008 and 2011.

Living Quarters: The gold dragon.
No scratch play: HL = 60.
It's folklore. First showed by akci and rrcarroll (post #312, #314) in 2008.7.8.

The Deck: The raft.
Normal play: HL = 862.
No scratch play: I think it's a kind of fence bug. There's a fence around the raft preventing Lara from pulling up. But fence always has bugs so that Lara can pull up from the edge of fence. Discovered by chreden in 2011.4.30. Introduced by laravision (post #5) in 2013.8.25.

The Deck: The jade dragon.
No scratch play: Touch the wall during jump. Discovered by akci (post #181) in 2008.5.24. Explained by rrcarroll (post #321) in 2008.7.12. A much easier way was introduced by Troye in 2020.6.19. But he didn't claim to be the discoverer. So I don't know who discovered it.

Catacombs of the Talion: The drained pool.
Normal play: HL = 5.
No scratch play: Dive bug. Discovered by akci and rrcarroll (post #217, #220) in 2008.6.2 - 6.3.

Ice Palace: The dark room.
Normal play: HL = 5.
No scratch play: Dive bug. Discovered by akci (post #31) in 2019.2.17.

Ice Palace: The gong.
Normal play: HL = 510.
No scratch play: Discovered by xtimz (post #32) in 2013.9.4.

Temple of Xian: The temple's roof.
Normal play: HL = 5.
No scratch play: Dive bug. Discovered by rrcarroll (post #243) in 2008.6.7.

==================================================

Thanks in advance for pointing out errors and/or providing more information.

xtimz · 09-01-23, 03:32

Update:

Currently empty.

Fishta · 10-01-23, 02:52

Great post. One thing I wonder is, maybe you are able to reduce health loss in fragile tiles section in Maria Doria via instant releasing grab. That can slightly reduce HL I guess? You have a video demonstrating this thingy as well so you are familiar with that anyway.

xtimz · 10-01-23, 05:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fishta

Great post. One thing I wonder is, maybe you are able to reduce health loss in fragile tiles section in Maria Doria via instant releasing grab. That can slightly reduce HL I guess? You have a video demonstrating this thingy as well so you are familiar with that anyway.

I tried, but it seems that trick only works there, not any other places even in TR4. I don't know the theory of that trick.

The trick was discussed here:
https://www.tombraiderforums.com/sho....php?p=7856812 (post #15, #16, #17)
akci also said the "safety drop save bug" doesn't work in TR2 here:
https://www.tombraiderforums.com/sho....php?p=8043861 (post #31)

Fishta · 11-01-23, 03:02

Oh, I'm not sure if it is TR4 excluded, as I haven't done that in other TRs.

Quote:

https://www.tombraiderforums.com/showthread.php?p=8043861[/url] (post #31)

In this thread akci said

Quote:

Hang from the edge as if doing the safety drop, and make a save. Press roll while reloading. Shortens the fall by one click.

Quote:

IIRC it was discovered in TR4, I only ever tried it in a custom level, the one I was playing at the time. And from there I just assumed that it would work in the other episodes. Oh well, one of these days I might just finally learn not to make assumptions.

Looks like akci was talking about another trick. And I haven't heard of it : 0
I'm amazed you remember every thread of them XD

xtimz · 13-01-23, 03:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fishta

I'm amazed you remember every thread of them XD

There's no secret. I read every single related post again and carefully in two days. So I'll remember them for a short peroid.

Fishta · 14-01-23, 03:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by xtimz

There's no secret. I read every single related post again and carefully in two days. So I'll remember them for a short peroid.

OMG, that is very exhausting, but I appreciate that.

tomee · 16-01-23, 17:24

This takes me back to the time I did a pistols only, no scratch playthrough of TR2. That was back in.. *checks old threads*, dear lord, 12 years ago.

I remember I decided to keep it glitchess, so some of the damage remained unavoidable, but there are a couple new tricks that weren't known back then. Most notable to me is the jade dragon area in The Deck and the drop near the gong in Ice Palace.

I also remember there was this goldfish in Temple of Xian, just before the spider cave segment that gave me absolute hell. I was stumped for over a week and was just about ready to give up on the pistols only part of the challenge when I was finally able to complete it miraculously. I wonder if any consistent strategy has been discovered since then.

xtimz · 17-01-23, 04:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomee

I remember I decided to keep it glitchess, so some of the damage remained unavoidable, but there are a couple new tricks that weren't known back then. Most notable to me is the jade dragon area in The Deck and the drop near the gong in Ice Palace.

Ah yes, bugs are always important for no scratch play. I'm astonished when I saw in the following video that a newly found "reversed qwop bug" allows Lara fall unlimited height (at the beginning of Opera House) without a scratch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4sIgvVK1os (from 22m45s to 22m50s)
I think (or wish) it might be useful for the fragile tile at the beginning of Wreck of the Maria Doria. But there's no way for me to check, at least for now, since I have absolutely no idea for that bug.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomee

I also remember there was this goldfish in Temple of Xian, just before the spider cave segment that gave me absolute hell. I was stumped for over a week and was just about ready to give up on the pistols only part of the challenge when I was finally able to complete it miraculously. I wonder if any consistent strategy has been discovered since then.

I'm a bit embarrassed that being an expert

of no scratch play, I've never accomplished the goldfish thing. Thankfully this post only deals with noncombat things. The only informative post I know is the following by akci.
https://www.tombraiderforums.com/sho....php?p=8037372 (post #22)

tomee · 17-01-23, 17:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by xtimz

I'm a bit embarrassed that being an expert

of no scratch play, I've never accomplished the goldfish thing. Thankfully this post only deals with noncombat things. The only informative post I know is the following by akci.
https://www.tombraiderforums.com/sho....php?p=8037372 (post #22)

I discussed this briefly in my old thread. The idea basically is that when you press and hold action for Lara to adjust herself for the lever, there's a small split second where she's actually immortal, even if the fish is actively biting you. You can use this to your advantage by for example approaching the lever from the left side, but stopping to the right of it (the red line in the screenshot) and holding action. There's a small chance that the fish meets you just as Lara is adjusting herself and you can survive the bite and pull the lever as the fish is swimming away.

I don't know if there's a way to make it consistent. Even with my knowledge and experience, this took me 4 or 5 days to achieve. On top of the random movement of the fish, the attacks are also RNG. Sometimes it bites only once, sometimes 5 times in a row.

16-01-23, 17:24	#8
tomee Tomb Raider Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Hungary :/ Posts: 15,530	This takes me back to the time I did a pistols only, no scratch playthrough of TR2. That was back in.. checks old threads, dear lord, 12 years ago. I remember I decided to keep it glitchess, so some of the damage remained unavoidable, but there are a couple new tricks that weren't known back then. Most notable to me is the jade dragon area in The Deck and the drop near the gong in Ice Palace. I also remember there was this goldfish in Temple of Xian, just before the spider cave segment that gave me absolute hell. I was stumped for over a week and was just about ready to give up on the pistols only part of the challenge when I was finally able to complete it miraculously. I wonder if any consistent strategy has been discovered since then. __________________ My signature was removed because it was vulgar. Now I can't choose my own till March 2014. If I edit this one I will be suspended till March 2014.

09-01-23, 03:25	#1
xtimz Explorer Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Red China Posts: 524	TR2 no scratch techniques: State of arts This post serves as a survey of the noncombat techniques of no scratch play of TR2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Wbq8N8D2hM You don't need to read the non-English texts. I'll duplicate them here in much greater details. Each place usually has 2 videos. The first is the normal play. The second is the no scratch play. I'll omit the first if it's unnecessary. The following health bars appear in the video. We denote: HP = Health Point, HL = Health Loss. Lara's full HP is 1000. So, HP + HL = 1000. The 7 health bars from top to bottom are: HP = 138, HL = 862: The Deck. HP = 383, HL = 617: Wreck of the Maria Doria. HP = 490, HL = 510: Ice Palace. HP = 817, HL = 183: Wreck of the Maria Doria (twice). HP = 940, HL = 60: Living Quarters. HP = 995, HL = 5: Bartoli's Hideout, Catacombs of the Talion, Ice Palace, Temple of Xian. HP = 1000, HL = 0. ================================================== Bartoli's Hideout: The double gate. Normal play: HL = 5. No scratch play: Roll before the drop. I don't know who discovered it. It was first used in speedruns, for example: by xRikux89 in 2010.6.18, and by apel in 2011.3.12. It was introduced and explained by xtimz (post #30) in 2013.9.3. You might wonder why Lara didn't roll in xRikux89's video. I don't know. Opera House: The trapdoor. No scratch play: Touch the edge of the ceiling. It's folklore. First showed by rrcarroll (post #11) in 2007.10.1. Wreck of the Maria Doria: The fragile tiles. Normal play: HL = 617. No scratch play: HL = 183. The video uses a very difficult way. There're many easier ways. The first way was discovered by "Tomb Raider Master" in 2005.9.3. Other ways include those, for example: by RadxxRyan in 2007.7.15, and by akci (post #154) in 2008.5.20. I don't know which one is the easiest. Note that no scratch is possible in the mobile version, discoverd by Eycore in 2021.9.15. Wreck of the Maria Doria: The wooden boat. Normal play: HL = 183. No scratch play: Change route and use a fence bug. I don't know who discovered it. It was mentioned by peeves (post #151, #153) in 2011.4.27 and (post #30) in 2014.5.3, and by akci (post #22) in 2019.2.5. And apparently no one knows the technique in the bug-allowed challenge thread in 2008. So it must be discovered between 2008 and 2011. Living Quarters: The gold dragon. No scratch play: HL = 60. It's folklore. First showed by akci and rrcarroll (post #312, #314) in 2008.7.8. The Deck: The raft. Normal play: HL = 862. No scratch play: I think it's a kind of fence bug. There's a fence around the raft preventing Lara from pulling up. But fence always has bugs so that Lara can pull up from the edge of fence. Discovered by chreden in 2011.4.30. Introduced by laravision (post #5) in 2013.8.25. The Deck: The jade dragon. No scratch play: Touch the wall during jump. Discovered by akci (post #181) in 2008.5.24. Explained by rrcarroll (post #321) in 2008.7.12. A much easier way was introduced by Troye in 2020.6.19. But he didn't claim to be the discoverer. So I don't know who discovered it. Catacombs of the Talion: The drained pool. Normal play: HL = 5. No scratch play: Dive bug. Discovered by akci and rrcarroll (post #217, #220) in 2008.6.2 - 6.3. Ice Palace: The dark room. Normal play: HL = 5. No scratch play: Dive bug. Discovered by akci (post #31) in 2019.2.17. Ice Palace: The gong. Normal play: HL = 510. No scratch play: Discovered by xtimz (post #32) in 2013.9.4. Temple of Xian: The temple's roof. Normal play: HL = 5. No scratch play: Dive bug. Discovered by rrcarroll (post #243) in 2008.6.7. ================================================== Thanks in advance for pointing out errors and/or providing more information.

09-01-23, 03:32	#2
xtimz Explorer Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Red China Posts: 524	Update: Currently empty.

10-01-23, 02:52	#3
Fishta Hobbyist Join Date: Aug 2013 Posts: 41	Great post. One thing I wonder is, maybe you are able to reduce health loss in fragile tiles section in Maria Doria via instant releasing grab. That can slightly reduce HL I guess? You have a video demonstrating this thingy as well so you are familiar with that anyway.