There are many contentious strategies that cause arguments within the community in the area of speedrunning, as gamers seek to complete games in record time. One example is the Dragon Wing Jump from the popular game “Only Up.” While some believe that it is an accidental flaw, many speedrunners defend it as a valid skip that increases the game’s excitement and skill.
In this post, we look at how experienced speedrunners from speedrun.com explain why the Dragon Wing Jump should be considered an exploit rather than a glitch.
Exploiting Game Mechanics for Momentum Transfer
At first appearance, the Dragon Wing Jump appears uneven and unintended, allowing players to seemingly skip an entire section of the game. However, speedrunners who have extensively researched the technique believe it is more correctly classified as an exploit than a glitch.
Speedrunners can get a large jump in speed by using the interaction between the dragon wing and the player character, driving themselves forward and bypassing crucial areas of the game. To effectively complete the jump, skilled speedrunners must use exact timing and execution, exhibiting their mastery of game mechanics.
It is important to note that the dragon’s wing tip movement is critical in achieving significant speed during the jump. The exploit would not provide the same results if the animation was slowed or changed. As a result, while the animation makes the technique appear glitchy, it is nevertheless based in the game’s physics.
The Skillful Art of Consistency
Critics often argue that the Dragon Wing Jump should be classified as a glitch due to its inconsistent nature. However, top runners who have mastered this technique offer a different perspective. They attest to its consistency and regard it as one of the coolest features in the game.
The Dragon Wing Jump demands a combination of ability, timing, and practice to master. Experienced speedrunners spend hours improving their exploit execution, ensuring they can perform it consistently during their runs. While there is a learning curve, top runners show that the approach is completely replicable with significant dedication and expertise.
Furthermore, deleting the Dragon Wing Jump would have far-reaching ramifications for the speedrunning community. It’s not just a bug that can be “fixed” without affecting other components of the game. Disabling this exploit would disable inertia-based motions, making some jumps, such as the Drone to Windmill maneuver, difficult to perform. As a result, the game’s dynamics would be drastically altered, severely reducing the opportunities for skilled speed runs.
The Dragon Wing Jump issue originates from the concept of what constitutes a bug in the context of speedrunning. Some claim that any unintentional shortcut or variation from the planned path is a glitch, while others emphasize the significance of distinguishing between glitches and intentional exploits. The speedrunning community has long struggled with these concepts, and the discussion and rule sets are still shaped by the dispute.
