Subway Surfers - Foros - Time Off Ground Category Discussion

Issue with Power-Ups: Some power ups such as the pogo stick and jet pack give an easy time boost (25 seconds for maxed jet pack) and could potentially make the runs luck dependent on getting back to back jetpacks. This is why I think there should be separate no power-ups categories because they can truly change how long a run lasts. The time difference between no hoverboards (with power ups) and no hoverboards (no power ups) is very drastic and shows again the importance of separate sub-categories.

Hoverboard Selection Meta: With the possible addition of this category it is essential to talk about the possible different hoverboard choices you can make when deciding to do this run. So far with my testing I believe that the Great White board is the best one so far, but even that choice has issues. All boards, with the Smooth Drift and Super Jump Special Power, automaticity pick up all power ups bellow it and could cause an issue for the Hoverboards (No Power-Ups) category. Something like the Skull Fire board or any board with double jump, might be better a better choice due to the fact that they don’t automatically pick up power ups and allow for more creative and free movement. Things like this add to the complexity and variety in this category and could maybe cause people to re-look at other previous categories with Hoverboards.

Issues with Keys and Ads: I personally don’t believe a separate keys category should exist. For one it would just add another sub-category variable and would result in 9 different sub-categories. Secondly, I don’t like the idea of adding a run that basically requires you to either spend real money to get keys so that you can do the run, or force you to bring out coins or ads to buy them. I want as many people as possible to try to do the run and adding such barrier would be pointless. It is also just not very viable for this specific type of run due to the fact that the key usage would wipe out all non-ground platforms and would end the run anyways.

The reasoning for the 30x 10000 start: The reason I believe this should be in place is that it makes all runs have the same standard starting speed. Obviously the further you go into a run the faster you start going and so due to this run having to start at any time one you are off the ground. It would make everything more standardized and not get people going all the way to Mac speed before starting their run. This is up for debate honestly and I’m not sure if this is the best idea for a rule but I think it would add more simplicity.

Analysis on General Run Category and its sub-categories:

Hoverboards (Power-ups): This is the longest sub-category. With the combination of hoverboards and power-ups this run can be done for a long time. While I do not know what the average time would be, I did not find it to be too easy and often found my self screwing up and ending my run. I don’t believe this run could be infinite, due to the inherit RNG, but could be pushed to longer and longer times based on skill and luck. The possibility though for RNG based power up combos, as outlined in “Issues with Power-Ups”, could pose an issue once this run gets more and more perfected. Overall I think sub-category should be added.

Hoverboards (No Power-Ups): This subcategory is kind of the sweet spot for this category. With the possible RNG based Power-Up combos now against the rules, this makes necessary more skillful movements in order to stay off the ground as well as not picking up Power-Ups. This allows for more diversity in the Hoverboards selection as discussed in “Hoverboard Selection Meta”. This run is very doable but can be pushed further and further with more skillful movement and planning. I think this is the best sub-category for this overall category.

No Hoverboards (Power-Ups): This category is similar to the Hoverboards (No Power-Ups) in possible time, but is much more reliant on RNG. As discussed in “Issues with Power-Ups”, the use of RNG based Power-Up combos is almost essential to longer runs. While this is a problem, the run still takes a lot of skill to execute and isn’t too reliant on RNG. While I think this sub-category isn’t the best example of what skillful based runs can be, I don’t think it is a bad addition.

No Hoverboards (No Power-Ups): This category is a bit of an issue. Overall this a very short run. There are many times when doing this run where it is impossible to continue and you are forced to reset. This is not very fun and makes the run very RNG reliant. While I think it is up for debate wether this sub-category is added, I personally believe it should purely because it would balance out the other categories and would provide a more RNG based run for people who are into that.

Overall: I think this Category and it’s sub-category’s and would be an incredible addition to the Subway Surfers Speed Run Community and would bring new, more skill based, compitition and be overall beneficial to the community. Thank you to sweatyhands and SirLucas for pushing for this category to be added and providing resources to help add this category. I hope this post can add discussion and maybe even more ideas. Thank you, zachlewis13