Skips and No Skips Sub-Categories
7 years ago
Alberta, Canada

Title says it all. I was wondering if you guys could add skip and no skip subcategories.

No skip would be to use the entire intended route and hit all checkpoints. It would also to be not to skip and roads at all, which includes cutting corners

United States

Making up faster alternative routes by flying and driving on buildings is an intended game mechanic, and always has been since before development started. You can't even get diamond medals on many of the official maps without using offroad routes. That's just how intended it is, the devs actively want you to do it. As it says on the Steam store page: [quote]Your car has abilities that not only allow you to drive on the track, but upside down and on buildings and walls! You can also fly to discover new shortcuts and paths.[/quote] If this wasn't the case and it was an unintended bug or glitch, then maybe, but because it is a fully intended feature and core mechanic of the game, there would be no point in having a category for that except to cater to those who simply don't like the offroad routing aspect, and, to be frank, speedrunning isn't really about what techniques you like or dislike. If you intend to run a game, all the base/core game mechanics should be the starting point for runs of the game, with glitches or bugs - not "disliked" intended mechanics - being what determines the categories and filters.

Not to mention, it can be extremely difficult to classify what is or isn't a skip in many cases. For example, in Corruption, there is a hidden teleporter that requires you to drive on buildings to get to (video). Certainly, the teleporter was intentionally placed in the map, but it isn't part of any "on-track" route. This could be seen as an "intentional skip" (or shortcut). Is this allowed in a "no skips" category? Saying either yes or no seems like a rather arbitrary distinction. Some would want it allowed in such a category while others wouldn't.

An even more vague example is shown in this video, 3 examples, in fact: First, on the second 180 transfer, I bypass it and land on the next flat track. Second, I fly over the shards. Third, I drive on a building near the end to bypass having to fly up and back down. All three of these would be extremely difficult to classify. You may say no to all three, while some may say yes to one or two, and others may say yes to all three. Which leads me to this:

If there ever was an in-game "required checkpoints" type of mode, then sure, because then the game would be setting the rules for what routes are allowed or not, but that category would also include offroad routing, similar to what is shown in my Monolith video. The routing would just be between checkpoints instead of between the start and end.

Most likely there will never be a "no skips" category because it can be extremely difficult to classify what is or isn't a skip - it's completely subjective when you're able to freeroam like Distance allows you to. The closest thing would be a "required checkpoints" category if it is included as a mode in the game itself. But for speedrunning purposes, there is no need for that distinction as it stands.

Edit: Also, just FYI, most people are holding off on doing runs and submitting times to this board until after full release because all the boards are going to be cleared (both in-game and here) at full release. I went ahead and posted a set of ILs on here though just so they would be populated.

Edited by the author 7 years ago
BrofessorScales likes this
Alberta, Canada

okay, thanks for the reply :)

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