This is the 1P map for the first week of the Super Turbo Speedrun Competition. I've run it a bunch and like it - the locations of safes, wrenches and exits mean it's not trivial to identify the strongest route. I initially saw lots of fast runs posted using multiple characters, but I was able to post a solid time using just the PP. My route wouldn't have benefited from any deliberate death either - there are not really any 'offshoots' that take time to return to stairs from. I might try a Locksmith-to-Pickpocket route later for fun. Aggro can definitely be tricky at some points. I found the coins top center of bottom floor and bottom left of middle floor to be the most run-ruining if badly located.

I'll post my route video nearer the submission time.

I did the level in 2:45 with a pickpocket then a locksmith, but I don't think i can beat your record (2:00) with my route - even though I was playing with very low fps today. I'll have to find a better one.
I think it's a good idea to die in the third floor : the floor is round-shaped so you can clean the left part, die, then clean the right part and finally escape by the opposite stairs

That's true, but running one big circle works ok too (depending on how you dealt with the floor below). I guess a suicide run might work well if you picked up the wrench already - I have to open one safe without the wrench in my route, which probably offsets the time needed to die and respawn. But then, if you have the wrench, would respawning as lookout actually be better (fast stairs without using wrenches, higher run speed, etc.)?

For reference, my times entering stairs were: 18s, 34s, 1m 12s, 1m 38s, 1m 55s (new fastest time [EDIT: now 1m 53s on a sloppier run!]). May help you see where you are losing time. An ideally lucky and aggressive run of my route would probably be a 1m 50s.

OK, I changed my route (this one has no deliberate death) and did the level in 2:20. I also checked my times when I entered into stairs, and it seems like in each floor I'm 3~5s slower than you, which results in a 30s difference in the end. But I don't think it's possible to be faster in EACH floor, except if you're extremely lucky. I've never done the first floor in less than 21s, even whith a "perfect" run, so I think you're actually taking a dotally different route.
In the first floor you're taking the stairs on the left, right?

Yeah, and I always gamble and completely skip checking those darkened rooms top centerish. My fastest finish time now is a 1:48, but with coins hidden in those rooms = 40s penalty :-/

Edit: competition entry video (WR at time of posting) below, with a 1m 41s finish time.

Good stuff, I haven't tried it solo myself, at least not seriously. I'll give this one a go soon!

We should try some hardcore MP runs of this map too (once I'm back from vacation), the 1P time now is almost as fast as the 2P.

We gotta do something about that

HXC MP WOOOO

Someone's excited!

3excited

The run I entered for the competition, WR when I set it (1m 41s): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhE9OcJU9gw

Did I make it too easy or are you just all that good? I can hardly even beat 3 minutes, and it's my own map.

Ha, no, read my first post! Handling aggro effectively was pretty hard. In my original runs, I kept EMP a long time after I could have swapped to wrench to avoid guard-deaths. If you watch the latest video, you'll see how nice the coins had to be for me to hit that time (in fact, I am thinking I might use this example in the WIP speedrunning guide to illustrate why grinding is almost always required for top-tier times). I think I hit 1m 38s a couple times with that route, but had coins left in those darkened rooms on the start floor.

BTW, I think this map layout means it works _really_ well for both 1P and MP.