prompter: I am trying to learn Portal 2 speedrunning. Can you help me with some of the basics, such as bhopping?

assistant: Sure, I can help you with that!

Bhopping, or bunny hopping, is a technique in Portal 2 speedrunning where you jump repeatedly in order to maintain momentum and move faster. Here are some basic steps to follow:

1. Begin by moving forward and jumping. As you land, jump again immediately.
2. As you jump, strafe to one side using the A or D key on your keyboard. This will help you maintain your speed.
3. As soon as you land, jump again and strafe to the other side using the opposite key.
4. Repeat this pattern, jumping and strafing back and forth, to maintain your speed.

It can take some practice to get the timing right, but once you master the technique, it can be very useful for quickly moving through levels in Portal 2.

Here are a few additional tips for successful bhopping:

- Try to time your jumps so that you land just as your previous jump ends. This will help you maintain your speed and avoid losing momentum.
- Use your mouse to adjust your view as you jump, so that you can see where you're going and avoid obstacles.
- Be careful not to jump too often or you may lose control of your character and slow down.
- Practice on different surfaces, as some surfaces may be easier to bhop on than others.

Good luck with your speedrunning!

prompter: I cannot, sadly.

assistant: Sure, I can help you with that!

Bunny Hopping, or BHopping, is a technique used in Portal 2 speedrunning to increase your movement speed by chaining together jumps. Here are the basic steps to BHopping in Portal 2:

1. Jump forward and move your mouse in the direction you want to go.
2. As soon as you touch the ground, jump again.
3. As soon as you touch the ground again, jump again.
4. Repeat steps 2-3 as quickly as possible, while maintaining the direction you want to go.

It's important to note that timing is everything when it comes to BHopping. You need to jump again as soon as you touch the ground, otherwise you'll lose momentum and speed. It takes practice to get the timing down, but once you do, you can move through levels much faster.

There are also some other techniques that can help you BHop more effectively, such as strafe jumping and using crouch jumps. You can find more detailed guides and tutorials on BHopping and other speedrunning techniques on various gaming forums and websites.

Good luck with your Portal 2 speedrunning!

prompter: I hear that in games made with Source engine you can run faster moving backwards. Can you tell me something about it? Can you share with me your thoughts about why this is a thing in these games (what causes such kind of behavior)?

assistant: Yes, this trick of applying a variation of BHopping backwards, called *Accelerated Back Hopping*, can be used in certain Source Engine games to great effect, gaining great amounts of speed very quickly. This glitch uses the same skills as the previously-mentioned BHopping, with the added twist of turning around midair after initially jumping forward.

This glitch is caused by a quirk of the Source physics engine as implemented in these particular games: when your speed is too fast, it is capped. However, this cap is created by applying force against the player in the direction that the player jumped in. This technique makes it so you're jumping backwards, but the engine applies a force to your front to try to slow you (since you initially jumped forwards), which instead makes you move backwards even faster. With several jumps this creates massive speed, speedrunners use this to skip past large sections of levels, such as the large open-air maps of Half-Life 2.

assistant: In the case of Portal 2, the reason why running backwards is faster has to do with a technique called Accelerated Back Hopping (ABH). Accelerated Back Hopping involves repeatedly jumping while moving backward, which allows the player to maintain momentum and move faster. In Portal 2 your speed is capped when the speed on your jump exceeds a certain threshold. When this happens, the game will try to slow you down by applying speed opposite your viewing direction, rather than your movement direction. As such, when you are moving backwards, the game will effectively accelerate you.

assistant: Certainly! I can certainly provide you with an overview of some basic Portal 2 speedrunning techniques.

Bhopping, or bunny hopping, is a technique in which the player jumps repeatedly in a specific way in order to gain speed and momentum. In Portal 2, this technique is essential for many speedrunning strategies.

To perform a basic bhop in Portal 2, follow these steps:

Begin by holding down the crouch key (usually left control by default).
Begin moving forward.
Jump and release the crouch key at the same time.
While still in mid-air, hold down the crouch key again.
Just before you land, jump again and repeat the process.
With practice, you can begin to chain these jumps together and gain momentum. It's important to note that bhopping does not work on all surfaces, so it's important to practice on different types of terrain to get a feel for when it's most effective.

There are other advanced bhop techniques as well, such as strafe-jumping, which involves jumping at an angle to gain even more speed. However, these techniques are more difficult to master and require a lot of practice.

In addition to bhopping, there are many other techniques and tricks that speedrunners use to complete Portal 2 quickly. If you're interested in learning more, there are many resources available online, including video tutorials and speedrunning forums. Good luck, and have fun learning!

prompter: I would also like to learn about air-strafing, can you please provide some info on that as well?

assistant: Certainly! Air strafing is another important technique in Portal 2 speedrunning, and it involves using the momentum gained from bhopping to navigate through the air at high speeds.

To perform an air strafe, follow these steps:
1. Begin by performing a bhop to gain momentum.
2. Turn your camera in the direction you want to go.
3. Press the opposite movement key to the direction you're turning. For example, if you're turning left, press the right movement key.
4. While holding down the opposite movement key, jump and continue to hold the crouch key.
5. While in the air, use your mouse to adjust your camera angle to keep your momentum going in the desired direction.

With practice, you can chain together multiple air strafes to navigate through the air quickly and efficiently. It's important to note that air strafing requires precise timing and coordination, so it may take some time to get the hang of it.

There are many other advanced techniques and tricks in Portal 2 speedrunning, such as portal conservation and edge glitching. If you're interested in learning more, I recommend checking out some online resources such as video tutorials and speedrunning forums. Good luck, and have fun practicing!

prompter: I think I got the hang of bhopping and air-strafing a bit. I also want to try TAS and no TAS to see how the experiences compare now. What are some good TAS tools for Portal 2?