I think having the timing end of the final hit to Vectron is good, but I'm not sure what you mean by getting control of Piper. If you mean right when she begins falling during the tutorial, then that's not a bad place to start the timer, but it can be hard to start the timer right when the tutorial begins. It's easiest to start the timer right when you press OK to create and start a file.

As for tips, you could skim through the two runs that are up and take note of what teams we use, and what missions we get the epic loot in. Assuming you never have a team member die, you need to get some epic loot to get rep throughout the game. I'm not sure which missions are the best to get them in, though. Good luck on your run!

I want to start running Trip World but I don't know which emulator I should be using for runs. Is there a specific one that's the only one allowed, or is there a couple to choose from?

I start my timer when I click OK after choosing the difficulty for a new file, and I end my timer when I get the "Mission Complete" message for the last mission. But I know PandaParty started once the opening cutscene first starts, and ends when the "Defeated Vectron" message appears. I'd like to get a clear rule for when timing should start and stop so it's easier to figure out what people's times are without any second guessing.