Optimal Completion First Cycle Challenge - 2012 Edition

Hello everyone.

Original topic :
http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/197770-the-legend-of-zelda-majoras-mask/52230489
My second attempt (and success) :
http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/197770-/56786442

Back in 2010, I tried this challenge and succeeded in completing it using a few glitches, including one that allows you to save 5 HOURS. At that time, I promised I would post a detailed schedule of my run, which I never did. I later found out that my notes were very incomplete and were not detailed enough for sharing.

For the last 3 months, I've been working on a new Optimal completion first cycle challenge. For those who remember, the goal is to obtain every possible item in the first 3-day cycle (not counting, of course, the initial deku cycle - which can also be optimized for the purpose of this challenge). As usual, I chose the "reuniting Anju & Kafei" version, which is much harder but in my opinion feels more complete and "perfect" than saving the old lady from the bomb shop (as both cannot be accomplished in the same cycle).

ABSOLUTELY NO GLITCHES WERE USED IN THIS RUN (unlike in previous runs, where i had used some minor glitches - not this time!). Not even the glitch that lets you enter Sakon's hideout after 7:00pm. Yes, it means I choose to lose 5 hours.

I would also like to mention that I am playing on an N64. No emulator, save states or other devices were used to improve my performance.

The goal of this run is to obtain every obtainable item in a cycle 3-day run, except the following:
- Bomb mask
- All-night mask
- Fierce Deity's Mask
- Anju's grandma's HPs (2)
- Mayor Dotour's HP
(all of which are impossible to get in this cycle).

EVERY other item, upgrade, and great fairy's gift has to be obtained.

I will first provide my schedule, followed by my comments.

1st Day
Song of Healing
Deku Mask
Withdraw 36 rupees
Clock town owl statue
** 6:03
Clock Town stray fairy
Bottle (Red potion)
Give red potion to Koume
Spring Water
Southern Swamp owl statue
** 7:29
Pictograph Box
7 Magic Beans (60 Rupees)
Sonata of Awakening
Song of Soaring
Woodfall owl statue
** 9:42
3 Stray fairies from Woodfall
Hero's Bow
** 10:55
Great Fairy's Mask
Mountain Village owl statue
** 11:34
Pictograph of Tingle
Snowhead map (20 rupees)
Romani Ranch map (40 rupees)
Talk to Goron baby
Lens of Truth
50 Rupees from Lens of Truth cave
** 12:23
Goron Mask
Goron's Lullaby
** 13:06
Snowhead owl statue
** 13:16
Watch Business scrub go down the hole
Moon’s tear
** 13:41
Land title deed
Peahat HP
Southern gossip stones grotto
Milk road owl statue
** 14:02
Bomber's Notebook
Kafei's Mask
Mayor Dotour’s ID
** 14:12
Swamp title deed
Swamp hut HP (Goron jumping)
Pictograph contest HP
** 14:18
Room Key
Arrange meeting with Anju
** 14:21
3 Stray fairies from Snowhead
Fire Arrows
** 15:43
Powder Keg
** 16:43
Epona's Song
** 16:52
Garo’s Mask
** 16:56
Scarecrow’s song
Red Potion (30 Rupees)
** 17:00
H&D shop, day 1 (-10 rupees, +50 rupees)
Stone Mask

1st Night
Captain's Hat
Song of Storms
** 18:28
Zora Mask
(Great Bay Coast owl statue)
OWL SAVE :
HP from Pirate's Fortress
Pictograph of pirate
Hookshot
1st Zora egg
** 20:44
Great Bay map (-20 rupees)
Ikana Canyon Map (-40 rupees)
Deposit egg
** 20:53
HP from Oceanside Spider House
Giant's Wallet
Seahorse
Beavers’ bottle
Beavers’ HP
Waterfall HP
Zora Cape owl statue
** 2:01
Western gossip stones Grotto
Kamaro’s mask
Dodongo HP
100 rupees from Dodongos
** 2:22
Rosa sisters HP
Sword master HP
Bio Deku baba grotto HP
** 2:54
Bremen Mask
** 2:57
SH Scarecrow HP
** 3:05
Shoot “Them”, first time
** 3:23
First half Swamp spider house
** 3:59
Letter to Kafei
Bug
???’s ID
Anju’s grandmother’s ID
** 4:07
Shoot “Them”, second time
** 4:25
Mask of Thruth
** 5:00
Swamp tree HP
** 5:08
Bottle of milk
** 5:15
Drop Kokiri Sword for upgrade (-100 Rupees)
Mountain title deed
Mountain title deed HP

2nd Day
Don Gero's Mask
Razor Sword
** 6:33
Treasure chest shop HP (-30 rupees)
H&D shop, day 2 (-10 rupees, + 50 rupees)
Deposit Anju’s letter
Big quiver (-20 rupees)
Town shooting gallery HP (-20 rupees)
** 8:13
Goth’s remains
Oath to Order
** 10:47
SH Great Fairy’s gift (double magic meter)
** 10:55
Goron pond sunken chest HP
Gold dust
** 11:43
3 sea snakes Zora eggs
Seahorse HP
** 13:22
Drop 3 Zora eggs
** 13:29
GB Scarecrow HP
3 pirates Zora eggs
** 15:06
New wave bossa nova
**
10 Deku nuts
Talk to WF temple frog
Odolwa’s remains
Deku princess
** 16:38
Talk to Laundry Pool frog
Pendant of Memories
** 16:44
Indigo-go’s jam session HP
Ocean title deed
Ocean title deed HP
** 16:59
Deliver Pendant of Memories to Anju
** 17:02
Doggy racetrack HP

2nd Night
Bunny hood
Milk
Romani’s mask
** 20:12
Ice arrows
Talk to GB temple frog
Gyorg’s remains
** 3:04
Circus Leader’s Mask
Chateau Romani (-200 rupees)
Business Scrub HP (-100 rupees)
Eastern grotto
Ikana Graveyard HP
Ikana Canyon owl statue
** 4:37
Drop Razor sword for upgrade
** 4:40
WF Great Fairy’s gift (extended spin attack)
WF chest HP
Talk to SS frog
Deku garden HP
Mask of scents
** 6:19

3rd Day

Frog choir HP
Gilded sword
** 6:23
Powder keg (-50 rupees)
Old lady from bomb shop’s ID
Bombchus (-40 rupees)
Fish
Red Potion (-30 rupees)
** 6:30
10 bombs (rolling on Ikana grass spot)
Gibdo’s mask
** 6:42
Poe sisters HP (-30 rupees)
Mirror shield
** 7:31
Ikana Castle HP
+ 400 rupees
Elegy of Emptiness
** 9:34
H&D shop HP (-10 rupees)
** 9:53
Biggest quiver (-20 rupees)
Swamp Shooting Gallery HP (-20 rupees)
** 11:24
Fisherman’s jumping game HP (-20 rupees)
** 12:39
Stone tower owl statue
** 13:10
(Deposit 391 rupees)
Keaton’s mask
Express mail to Mama
** 13:18

3rd Night

Light arrows
12 ST fairies
Twinmold’s remains
** 18:25
GB Great Fairy’s gift (extra defense)
** 18:36
Give Express mail to postman
4 fishes
** 18:45
Laboratory fish HP
** 18:51
200 rupees
Ikana Buisness scrub HP
Help Kafei at Sakon’s hideout
** 00:00
3 ST fairies
** 00:27
Great Fairy’s sword
** 00:31
Empty wallet, total = 2304 rupees
** 0:33
+400 rupees
Ikana shrine HP
** 1:51
Empty wallet, total = 2704 rupees
** 1:53
+ 500 rupees
Dampé’s bottle
** 3:02
Empty wallet, keep 20 rupees, total = 3184 rupees
Sell Big Poe (+200 rupees)
Sell 4 fairies (+80 rupees)
Big Bomb bag (- 100 rupees)
** 3:06
Biggest Bomb bag (-200 rupees)
Boat cruise target shooting game HP
** 3:55
Postman’s hat
+500 rupees
** 4:26
Empty wallet, total =3684
** 4:28
Couple’s mask
100 rupees from employee’s room
** 4:32
Mailbox HP
Keaton’s quiz HP
Northern gossip stone grotto HP
** 4:43
478 rupees
** 5:04
Deposit rupees, total 4162 rupees
Get 30 arrows
** 5:06
+500 rupees
** 5:36
Deposit rupees, total 4662 rupees
** 5:38
+350 rupees
** 5:59
… no Bank HP :(
... NO MOON :’(

Yes... you read right. I failed. By about 5 minutes.

FIVE MINUTES.

I am saved in Clock town, at 5:59 (right before the moon crashes), with, in my wallet, the last 350 rupees I need for the last item I need to collect : the Banker's HP. I only need to deposit those, and then climb Clock tower.

But I'm out of time.

On the brighter side, I can now confirm that this challenge IS possible WITHOUT using any glitches! I hope this will inspire more people into trying it out... It's a very, very fun and interesting way to get deeper into the game. You REALLY feel those precious minutes ticking away, I can tell you that!

How do I know for sure that it's possible? Well, I am certain that some parts of my run can be improved. I wouldn't be surprised that someone could be done by 5:00 am. My run was really sloppy at times, especially my Great Bay temple run, which wasn't so great but I was so sick of restarting that I chose to be lazy... I also messed up big time while fighting the aliens. Because of a miscalculation, I had to come back a third time to shoot the aliens, while in my last run I managed to fend them off by shooting them each only 2 times. Only there, I lost about 10 minutes... What a costly mistake!!

So, I hope you enjoyed the schedule... I went to the trouble of writing down everything just for sharing it with everyone. Have fun with this awesome game! I am myself going to need another 2 year break! ;)

Oh, and if you're wondering about the Red potion on day 3... that was a mistake. I didn't need any! I thought I needed some for the mummies in the well...

How many rupees/heart pieces did you prep beforehand in the deku cycle?

I had a file that was up to about 8:00 AM first day of this but I deleted it less than a week ago D:

Would love a video. Preferably with audio commentary!

In the preparation (deku) cycle, I got :

Clock town map
Woodfall map
Magic meter
North clock town tree HP
Postman's counting game HP
??? (toilet hand) HP
Deku playground HP
Clock tower HP
Bomb bag
1517 rupees in bank

that is so awesome. i want to try this.

how did you get the postman's hat and the bottle of chateau romani from madame aroma on the same cycle?

You are right - I forgot to include Madam Aroma's bottle in the "did not get" list. I chose the Postman's hat over the bottle, because it seems more "optimal" to me to free the postman!