When I took over moderation of the Fatal Fury Special game on SR.com, I would never think that a controversy would arise in the game, but yet, though internal, I wanted to write a few words on a potential controversy over a run that was third place, our investigation of said run, and why we ultimately rejected said run.

The SNES-ANY category of the game was a category since its inception, was intended to be a catch-all grandfather category for those who do play on SNES console or emulator and still want to have the benefits of a speedrunning category. I hold the current WR in that category, though it should be noted that I did so under the current rules of the category, which, translated to mean, there were no rules.

Since my stewardship of the game began, I implmented a number of changes to the game, up to and including timers being at the default 60 seconds, Timing using RTA methodology, and new timing rules. It is that part where the confusion began for this run. It is with this tradition in mind that similar rules were implmented in another game that I manage, King of Fighters 98 Ultimate Match.

Backstory:

On the 18th of November (Pacific time), Felipe83 submitted a run to the SNES-ANY category to Fatal Fury Special. It was rejected outright due to a lack of timer. Then on the 25th of November, he submitted another run of the game, this time with a timer, that was accepted and verified on the 26th of November.

The Problem:

The problem arised when the person who verified the run in question came to me with a problem on a unrelated run. I then viewed the run in question and noticed that something was off with the timer. The start of the video displayed .20 on the timer. So I investigated further and noticed that the rejected run and the new run BOTH had the same play with the enemy selection screen - Both runs panned over to Big Bear before selecting Andy Bogard. After presenting the evidence that I had, the other moderator then presented something else - that the ending score was the same, 523600. This presents a major problem. It opens the door for splicing. And as we all know, splicing goes against the fundimentals of speedrunning, even if he added a timer to the splice.

Therefore:

I will be forced to reject the run in question, and ask that Felipe submit a clean run. If he can do so, then great, we will accept the new run at face value, though precautions will be taken that it is not the same run being submitted for the third time.

With that said, I wish you happy speedrunning.

I am going to open the door, for now, guys, but I am a candidate for a manager position at a gaming convention here in Dallas, TX called GameFEST. I know that 8 months is a bit of short notice, but can anyone consider traveling to this convention and do some speedruns?

Todd Rogers is wiped from the history of Twin Galaxies and banned as of 8:30 AM US Eastern Time this morning. His Guinness records will eventually be wiped too. Take a bow Omnigamer. You did God's work today.

Summary Decision: http://www.twingalaxies.com/showthread.php/175364-Dispute-Dick-Moreland-Atari-2600-VCS-Dragster-NTSC-Game-1-Difficulty-B-Fastest-Time-Player-Todd-Rogers-Score-05-51?p=945911&viewfull=1#post945911

Full Decision: http://www.twingalaxies.com/feed_details.php/104/twin-galaxies-dragster-dispute-concludes-with-banning-of-todd-rogers/5

Hello Fatal Fury Special fans, Sanji Himura here with an update on a thread that I posted a month ago.

After consulting with other fighting game fans that I know, I have decided to make public rules changes that I have contemplating over the last month or so (part of which you can see in the other thread, but I will list them down below). Feel free to look through them and make a comment on them.

These rules changes will go into effect in 24 hours from this post.

The first thing that I wish to address is categories. I will change the categories to the following list:

Arcade - Lvl. 1 Arcade - Lvl. 4 Arcade - Lvl. 8 Arcade - ANY

SNES - Lvl. 1 SNES - Lvl. 4 SNES - Lvl. 8 SNES - ANY

Here are the basic rules that will qualify you into any specific category:

1. You must display the settings menu in your video for verification. If a run doesn't display your difficulty, then it will automatically be placed in the ANY category for verification.

2. Altering the round timer is expressly forbidden. Round timer should be at the default 60 seconds, and should be displayed when you show your difficulty. Any alterations to the timer will have the run rejected.

3. The run timer will start when you select your character, and should stop when the final blow is dealt in your final fight. If your final fight is Ryo, be sure that you denote it on the run.

Platform specific Rules:

Regarding Ryo (as a player-controlled fighter):

Prior to my moderatorship of the game, there was a bit of a misbalance in regards to the use of Ryo as a player controlled character. Under the old rules, it was fine if you were playing in the SNES version, but not in the Arcade version. This restriction on arcade players is dumb, and I am lifting it, but with a restriction of my own. See below for more details.

Therefore, I am formatting the rules to be as follows:

Arcade (difficulty specified categories):

Goal: Beat the game as fast as possible.

Game Setup:

1. The game difficulty is to be set up on video prior to your run to match the difficulty in the category that you are attempting. Any runs that do not meet this requirement will be placed in the ANY category.
2. The round timer is to be set at 60 seconds, no more or no less. Any alteration to the round timer will have the run rejected outright.
3. No alterations to the dipswitches are allowed. If a run is found to have altered the dipswitches, then the run will be rejected outright.
4. Emulator Players: Your Real Time Timer must be displayed in the same video as your gameplay. Your run will be rejected if it fails to display a timer.

Game Rules:

A. Timing

1. Start your timer when you select your character.
2. Stop your timer when you deal the final blow to Krauser/Ryo. Note: If you fight Ryo, select the option that will tell us that you fought Ryo in your run.

B. Characters

1. All characters that are plainly visable on the character select screen are legal.

Arcade: ANY

Goal: Beat the game as fast as possible through any means necessary.

Game Setup:

1. You have the option to display your difficulty.
2. You may NOT alter the round timer. The round timer must remain at 60.
3. You may NOT alter the dipswitches.
4. Emulator Players: A Real Time Timer must be displayed next to your gameplay footage.

Game Rules:

A. Timing

1. Start your timer when you select your character.
2. Stop your timer when you deal the final blow to Krauser/Ryo. Note: If you fight Ryo, select the option that will tell us that you fought Ryo in your run.

B. Characters

1. All characters, including Ryo, is legal.

SNES (difficulty specified categories):

Goal: Beat the game as fast as possible.

Game Setup:

1. The game difficulty has to be set up on video prior to your run to match the difficulty in the category that you are attempting. Any runs that do not meet this requirement will be placed in the ANY category.
2. The round timer is to be set at 60 seconds, no more or no less. Any alteration to the round timer will have the run rejected outright.
3. Emulator Players: You must have a Real Time timer displayed in the same video as your gameplay. Your run will be rejected if it fails to display a timer.

Game Rules:

A. Timing

1. Start your timer when you select your character.
2. Stop your timer when you deal the final blow to Krauser/Ryo. Note: If you fight Ryo, select the option that will tell us that you fought Ryo in your run.

B. Characters

1. All characters that are plainly visable on the character select screen are legal.

SNES: ANY

Goal: Beat the game as fast as possible through any means necessary.

Game Setup:

1. You have the option to display your difficulty.
2. You may NOT alter the round timer. The round timer must remain at 60.
3. Emulator Players: A Real Time Timer must be displayed next to your gameplay footage.

Game Rules:

A. Timing

1. Start your timer when you select your character.
2. Stop your timer when you deal the final blow to Krauser/Ryo. Note: If you fight Ryo, select the option that will tell us that you fought Ryo in your run.

B. Characters

1. All characters, including Ryo, is legal.

Hello, one and all, I am Sanji Himura. As a way of introduction, I have been playing video games for nearly 30 years, and 20 of them have been spent in various fighting games such as King of Fighters (my drug of choice when I am not playing Cards Against Humanity online), Street Fighter and Super Smash Bros. and any and most variants in between.

I have decided to become a moderator for Fatal Fury Special on this site because I feel that fighters deserve an opportunity to enjoy the spotlight among great platformers like Super Mario Brothers, Sonic the Hedgehog and other classics. However, like any good political outsider, once I was accepted, I realized that what is shiny on the outside is not always gold.

The first thing that I would like to address is the lack of uniformity in the speedrunning rules for the game. When I completed my run of the game, there is plenty of unknowns that is undefined and wasn't completely spelled out in the rules. Can one alter the timer? Who do I defeat to stop the timer, Krauser or Ryo Sakazaki? It was these questions and more that really opened up and actually produced a WR in this game that if a person who doesn't read between the lines, would see as violating the spirit of the run.

Let's make one thing clear, violating the spirit of the run, perceived or not, is something that I DON'T want to happen on my watch.

That said, I want to spell things out in the rules that would help this game grow as a speed running category, and I have identified a few things that would need to be addressed in both categories (some less than others) that I feel would help the game.

Arcade:

1. Altering the Round timer should be explicitly forbidden through the Dipswitch menu.

2. Make clear when the timer stops (when the final hit lands on Wolfgang Krauser)

SNES:

1. Altering the difficulty is OK, but altering the timer below 60 or above 99 is not ok, and should see the run rejected.

2. Make clear in the rules when the timer stops (when the final hit lands on Wolfgang Krauser)

Both Categories:

1. (a common sense one, but) All submissions should require video proof.

2. Create Categories for both Arcade and SNES for runs that run up to and include the Ryo fight.

Anyways that is all that I have. I am more than welcome to hear your concerns for the category.

First and foremost, I have already submitted the run in question to the site for verification. This is what I should do in the mean time as the run is verified.

Yesterday, I beat the WR in Fatal Fury Special SNES category with a time of 20:26. I submitted the run for verification on the site that morning and went about my day.

That evening, I reran the game and eclipsed my own time, this time a 19:07, when I was streaming runs on twitch. I naturally got the run and submitted the time to the site for verification.

My general question is this. At present, my videos say that the time is unverified. While the verification process is underway, can I claim that the 19:07 time as a World Record pending the outcome of verification?

Not submitting this officially for obvious reasons (I didn't complete the game), but I want to know by the community how well I did for a first time speed running the game. Any advice will be received.

I'm relatively new to speed running the game, and I have heard a lot of talk about frame rules and how they influence the game, in particular, 8-2. I have heard Darbian explain it as if it were a bus leaving a station every 21 frames to go to the next level, but I don't really get that explanation.

Can I get a plain English definition of what frame rules are, and how they precisely influence the game?

My two poisons of choice are Super Mario Bros. and Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! for the NES for now. Just trying to get my groove here.