Believe it or not, people have been speedrunning the classic 1998 FPS Half-Life for over 20 years. Quadrazid‘s 2014 segmented run completely shattered expectations – let me walk you through why it‘s significant.
Half-Life Speedrunning: A Mini-History
After Half-Life‘s launch in ‘98, it didn‘t take long for folks to create self-imposed challenges. The open maps and varied abilities lended themselves perfectly to speedrunning. By May of 1999, less than a year later, someone had posted the first full game speedrun.
This sparked a wave of routing refinement and glitch hunting over the 2000s among a small but dedicated community. Map knowledge and skill optimization pushed the single-segment "Hard Difficulty" run below 40 minutes by 2010.
Then, segmented runs – splicing the absolute best performances on individual maps – drove times lower through sheer consistency. Suddenly 26-27 minutes was possible by 2014. Quadrazid‘s run took it a step beyond.
Breaking Down The Run Types
To understand why Quadrazid‘s run is so absurd, we should first distinguish the various Half-Life speedrun categories:
Scriptless: No assistance scripts. Actions impact gameplay outcomes. Purists love it.
Scripted (S/W): Custom software alters behaviors and events.
Scripted: Mandatory precise sequence of movements and weapon usage.
Quadrazid‘s run is considered segmented. The best moments across hundreds of attempts are stitched together into one fluid pace. Segmented runs are ineligible for official leaderboards…but set records nonetheless.
How In The World Did Quadrazid Set A 20 Minute Time?
In mid 2014, European squad Quadrazid utterly smashed the previous Half-Life speedrun world record with an staggering total time of 20 minutes and 41 seconds. That‘s over 8 minutes quicker than the previous mark!
Let‘s analyze the precise optimization that made this possible:
- Pixel-Perfect Grenade Jumps: Frame perfect hops off grenade explosions to rapidly gain height/distance
- Ruthless Sequence Breaking: Skipping dialogue and transitions through map glitches
- Machine-Like Bunny Hops: Rapid scroll wheel jumps to build & maintain speed
- Intimate Map Knowledge: Memorized fastest paths and shortcuts
Make no mistake – this run represents the absolute peak of human performance. Flawless grenade launches through On A Rail. Pixel-perfect wall clips in Forget About Freeman. They defeat the final boss Nihilanth with literally 1% health left. It‘s wizardry.
Trust me, you need to see this run yourself to comprehend it.
Quadrazid Compared To 2022 Leaderboards
Since it used heavy segmentation and scripts, Quadrazid‘s run isn‘t leaderboard eligible. But how does it compare to today‘s best single-segment records?
Scriptless: 26m30s by KaNanga (2022)
Scripted (S/W): 24m19s by Shar (2019)
Scripted: 25m29s by Muty (2022)
Despite not running single-segment, Quadrazid‘s time still easily bests these records by over 4 entire minutes! The only catch is they played on an easier difficulty than what‘s standard now. Still, good luck finding a more technically proficient playthrough.
Can Anyone Beat This Historic Time?
After over 20 years since Half-Life‘s release, surely there‘s no room left to optimize…right? Has Quadrazid‘s run reached the upper limits of human capability?
Maybe. But never underestimate a speedrunner‘s limitless obsession! Tiny route tweaks or new glitches could still shave off precious seconds. Improved hardware and marathon session gaming could allow top single-segment runs to approach closer to Quadrazid‘s brisk velocity. For now though, their run remains the ultimate benchmark of excellence – and drives players to keep pioneering!
I don‘t know about you, but I‘m inspired to fire up Half-Life and start grenade jumping again myself!
Half-Life Speedrunning Q&A:
What‘s the current Half-Life speedrun world record time?
20 minutes, 41 seconds by Quadrazid (2014)
What run types/categories exist for Half-Life?
The main ones tracked are Scriptless, Scripted (S/W) and Scripted. Segmented runs are done but don‘t qualify for rankings.
How was Quadrazid‘s run so much faster than other records?
They utilized heavy segmentation, stitching together the absolute best performances on individual maps. This minimized mistakes.
Let me know if you have any other questions! I‘m always happy to nerd out about pivotal moments in speedrunning history. Quadrazid‘s run is truly one for the ages – and it still awes today.
