Hello, Sheepy Forum community!

I’d like to propose a new categorization system for the Sheepy Speedrun, specifically addressing the impact of FPS (frames per second) on gameplay. It has been observed that there are significant differences in the movement and behavior of the game depending on the FPS, which in turn affects the fastest possible times.

Current Issue

Currently, there is no unified rule regarding FPS, so players who run the game at higher FPS (e.g., 120FPS or more) experience faster character movement and game behavior, giving them an advantage for achieving faster times. On the other hand, players with 60FPS or lower (or those who apply FPS caps) experience slower movement, leading to less optimal times.

As a result, comparing times across different FPS environments is difficult, and there is a potential issue with fairness. To address this, I believe it's important to clearly differentiate between FPS settings and their effects on Speedrun times.

Proposal

To resolve this issue, I suggest splitting the Speedrun categories based on FPS settings as follows:

1. 60FPS Category

• This category will require all players to run the game at 60FPS.
• Additionally, players will be required to use Steam's FPS display feature to show the FPS on screen. This will ensure that all players are indeed running the game at 60FPS, guaranteeing fairness and transparency in timing.
• 60FPS is considered a standard setting for most players and will help maintain fairness in terms of performance.

2. Unlimited FPS Category

• This category will allow players to run the game with no FPS cap, meaning they can use whatever FPS their system supports.
• Players can take full advantage of their PC's performance and run the game at higher frame rates (e.g., 120FPS, 144FPS, 240FPS, etc.).
• This category will allow players with high-performance PCs to compete at their best, extracting maximum performance from their hardware.

Benefits of Categorization

• Fairness: By clearly separating the 60FPS category from the unlimited FPS category, all players can compete under conditions suited to their hardware setup, ensuring fair competition.
• Diverse Competition Environments: This separation allows both players with high-end PCs and those with more standard setups to compete in their preferred environments.
• Accurate Time Comparisons: With clear categories based on FPS, it will be easier to compare fastest times within each specific FPS environment, ensuring transparency in the rankings.
• FPS Display Requirement: Requiring the use of Steam’s FPS display feature in the 60FPS category will prevent potential issues with incorrect FPS settings, improving the integrity of speedrun records.

Request for Feedback

I would love to hear your thoughts on this proposal. Specifically, I’m interested in feedback on the following points:

• What do you think about splitting the categories into 60FPS and Unlimited FPS?
• Do you have any concerns or suggestions regarding the requirement to use Steam’s FPS display in the 60FPS category?
• Are there any other ideas or suggestions related to FPS limitations or category division?
• Any concerns or improvements regarding the proposed categorization?

Speedrunning is about having fun and challenging yourself to achieve the best possible time, but fairness is also crucial. I hope we can come to a consensus on this issue and create a more balanced and inclusive environment for everyone. I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Thank you!

i like the idea. and even though, playing both 60fps and higher, i don't think sheepy's movement is faster, but the responsiveness of the jumps is really not the same. i don't have any real difference between 144fps and 270fps, the other framerates i play at, so 60 and then unlimited seems fine.

i am against the use of the steam overlay, everytime i tried it the game started to lag. every graphics provider has an own software for displaying fps that works just fine, and windows now natively uses xbox gamebar which has a fps display integrated as well.

now if we do that, how do you propose we split the actual leaderboards? i don't think someone has the kind of time necessary to check everything again, and just erasing the leaderboard wouldn(t be fair for all those runners who submitted following the rules at the time.

i have to take away everything i said about the responsiveness at 60fps on the earlier message. i just did 3 runs under 19:30 at 60 fps. it looks like the troubles i had were due to the way i triggered the 60fps using the radeon app limiter, when i now just use the fps limiter of the advanced screen parameters of windows and have no trouble at all.