Michigan, USAOut of respect for the developer I don't think we're going to "share the goods" here. But, hint hint, it MIGHT be a very good idea to join this Discord if you haven't already. ;)
Well, the most common answer - so common it's a meme - is play what you like. Just about any game can be the basis of a good speedrun if it's something you're willing to play long past its replay value as a casual game. Try to narrow the umbrella a little bit - what kinds of games do you enjoy? Platformers? RPGs? Shooters? What about speedrunning draws you in and makes it exciting for you? Super-advanced movement tech? Route planning and creative use of items? Glitch abuse? Your answers to those questions can point you in the right direction. (I like RPGs and I like abusing glitches. Pokemon Gen I. Or, I like platformers and abusing glitches. Donkey Kong 64.)
When you say "web," does that mean it has to be browser-based? If not, not to be self-serving, but I just started a speedrun.com hub for a nifty series of puzzle platformers by NAL Games called Innoquous. The first four are freeware, available for download from his site.
Edit: I should have checked your profile first. I'm sorry, didn't realize you already ran tons of games. The questions are still good to walk through to point you to your next conquest!
If you have any ideas for this game's Speedrun.com presence - rulesets, categories, background images, top-3 medals, etc. - please post it here! Before you post, though, do a quick check to see if there is already a thread for your specific topic.
Thank you!
-Busker
If you have any ideas for this game's Speedrun.com presence - rulesets, categories, background images, top-3 medals, etc. - please post it here! Before you post, though, do a quick check to see if there is already a thread for your specific topic.
Thank you!
-Busker
Hello, everybody!
I'm BeardedBusker. My main speedgame is Out There Somewhere. I got a copy of Innoquous 5 in one of the Steam sales, then found the others (which are freeware), then noticed that there was no community page here for the games yet.
From Innoquous 3 onward, there is a built-in Speedrun mode, and I am told that some sort of global leaderboard functionality is still in the works for Innoquous 5. However, I will get this speedrun.com hub up and running all the same, just to have a place to congregate and organize!
If you have category suggestions or questions, it is probably best to post in the forum for the specific Innoquous title you're thinking about.
I will get a Mod Application Thread running for each game in the near future. Bear with me!
I will try to get categories set over the next week or so as of this posting (23 January 2017). Pardon my dust!
Have fun, and go fast!
-Busker
Perhaps I shouldn't indulge this thread, since we have a few odd troll posts roll through here, but despite your demeanor you do seem eager to learn, so here goes...
PMs are in "Coming Soon!" state, as they have been for a while. Nobody's going to get rich and famous building and running a highly-functioning site for a niche gaming community, so I hope you'll forgive them that and be grateful for everything we do have. I see you've donated - good for you! Encourage your friends to do likewise, and consider subsequent donations, so that the people behind the scenes can afford to spend more time on this site.
You state that you "just don't have the time" to read around and lurk, which is considered standard newbie behavior in any community, gaming or otherwise. Isn't it a little ironic, then, that you posted this to impose on somebody else's time? I know we go fast here, but you may want to hit pause and look in the mirror.
Finally, a clarification about how GamesDoneQuick is structured: they are their own organization, formed originally from the all-stars at SpeedDemosArchive and then SpeedRunsLive. Many big names from those communities are behind the scenes here and at other gaming and speedrunning tools - LiveSplit, FrankerFaceZ, etc. However, game selection ultimately goes through GamesDoneQuick. Speedrun.com has nothing to do with that process. If it's unacceptable to you that we have no Atelier, you can voice your concern by submitting when the SGDQ submission list goes live later this year.
Hi, Sam! Thanks for checking back in!
It has become a bit of a meme to decry 2016, but it was a wonderful year for OTS speedrunning. The community grew, we found a few new regulars even as a couple old stalwarts moved on to other things... and it's a very multinational game now! The top 15 times in Any% IGT come from 9 different countries.
Over the summer, we even had a bit of a live presence, with a community race channel at twitch.tv/otscommunity . We had one set of races get double-digit viewership, with Saint and Amora even popping by in chat! This is something I would love for us to resurrect, since Mars (formerly known as Taiyo) and Thisishowmymindworks gave us a couple thrilling new categories.
After saying I would on four different occasions, I am really-really "retiring" as an active OTS runner now, but all anybody has to do is say the word "race" and I am THERE. I'm also happy to keep making tutorials as long as people find them useful, or to hop on Discord voice chat and walk you through things.
Peace, love, and DOWN WITH GRIGORI!,
Busker
Well, I thought about picking up INK, an indie platformer on Steam (the same route through which I found my main speedgame, Out There Somewhere). I just haven't had the time to commit to learning a whole new speedgame. What drew me to it were its amazingly fluid controls, low spec demands (I stream from a laptop), the fact that it doesn't need to explain anything through narrative (making it as fun to watch as to play), and the fact that a developer graciously donated a copy to me.
I still intend to complete and submit a run of INK within the next couple of months.
Hi, guys! I just learned that our leaderboards are able to sort times both ascending and descending, meaning that the longest time can be displayed on top. So, I came up with kind of a fun diversion category: Grigori's Rocket Rodeo!
...Maybe not that title. That sounds like an innuendo.
In Grigori's Rocket Rodeo, your mission is to stay alive on the unwinnable opening shoot-'em-up for as long as possible. Time begins on New Game and ends when the crash cutscene is called. IGT is more convenient than RTA, which would have to start after the tutorial dialogue. Plus, no need to verify - there's literally no way to game the system on this one, so I guess in theory screenshots would count as proof.
An obvious con is that the opening cycle is really easy to predict. This video makes it look a lot harder than it is. I see 20- and 30-minute times being no problem for anyone truly determined.
But, if anyone else thinks this could be fun, check this out!
Also, I forgot that OBS records ALL speaker audio, not just the stuff you're thinking about recording, so enjoy the audio from Prettz's stream of Dark Souls III while you watch!
Welcome! I have a cheesy personal saying for learning to speedrun (and learning to do most things in life): "Do your best, forget the rest!"
If you're doing the following two things:
- Thinking about going fast
- Having fun
You're a fine speedrunner! See you around. :)
The tutorial monster strikes again! This time with some chat!
To get the most out of this, I recommend being fairly comfortable with Any% IGT - but please branch out sooner, not later! I want the All Collectibles leaderboard to grow just like Any% IGT has! (I was the 28th new runner, and we're up to 44 now!)
Thanks for doing what you do! I've been following Star Fox Adventures from afar... I keep hoping that something is going to be that "big one" that will shave major time off the run.
Triple post alert! Busker needs to be shadowbanned from SR.com! Where did we find this guy?
Here's an intermediate tutorial. Again, the run is "slow" on this one, but I take the time to do a couple tricks two or three times. I got a 7:16 using only the strats in this video (and back then, that was good for 4th place!), so 7:30 is definitely a realistic goal when you start implementing some of these strategies.
Depending on viewer interest I can make separate tutorials for boost jumps and air jumps, as well as perhaps Triple Crossed Skip.
If I remember Taiyo's intentions correctly, this would be a Misc category, so I personally think that we can be as arbitrary or as formalized as we want in those categories, and base it strictly off of what people want to run. Going back to our old reform discussion thread, I do remember that you said Diplomat admittedly made the current 107% less enjoyable, though you felt that in principle it made it a better category. I do agree that this category isn't so much a "what should happen to 107%" category as "here's another category."
At the time, when I suggested having separate runs of "HAPTKEYM," "Diplomat," and "107%," it didn't sound like there was a ton of interest in running these. As people do runs, we could/should definitely make leaderboards for them, though. Those three achievements, far more than any of the others, do represent completion "milestones" worth tracking in runs. That also gives us more possibilities for SRL races. I love the Any% IGT ones, especially since the leaderboard is so active this summer, but maybe a bunch of new categories would entice people to branch out since we'd have a level playing field.
As you said, though, polishing and formalizing the rules for "All Achievements" is a big priority, since that category would likely be a main category once we've got everything concisely spelled out.
So, in sum, speaking as a mod, my inclination would be to approve this as a Misc. category, but not merge 107% into it or replace 107%. Ghuia, Rezoons, Prettzl, and I will of course discuss this a bit, based on how opinions come out in this thread. Based on your run, I'm trying to extrapolate a ruleset that matches the language of the main categories. How does this look:
Complete the game as quickly as possible, while meeting the conditions specified below, using the In-Game Timer (IGT) for timing.
- In addition to completing the game, the run must include killing all enemies (as defined by the "Have a Plan to Kill Everyone You Meet" achievement).
- All runs must be completed using the Steam edition of Out There Somewhere.
- The IGT must be visible for the entire run. (In Options, select "Show Game Time.")
- Video must begin before selecting "New Game."
- The IGT begins on the first frame that Yuri's spaceship can be controlled, and ends when the final shot hits Grigori's spaceship.
- Actions that reset the value of the IGT (e.g. exiting to the main menu) or alter its normal operation (e.g. activating the Smoke Overflow Glitch) are prohibited.
- The use of any external program to modify gameplay (e.g. keybinding software) is banned.
- Modification of the game file is banned.
As for a category title, you know that I'm not a huge fan of appending "%" to categories not named "Any%," "Low%," or an actual percentage number. It's not my call, though - if everyone likes "Carnage%" then that's the name. Let's have that discussion here, though!
Those GBJs are known - just considered high-risk, low-reward. Elmle uses the Upward Sector one. Abbys uses the Crumbling Sector one, though I haven't seen the jump off the breakable block! Abbys does a boost jump off that same block.
Nice work nailing those, though! It's definitely worth a couple seconds if you can consistently get both of those!
Depends entirely on the game's community and the length of the run! Depending on guidelines and rules, remember, some mod may have to sit and scrutinize your entire run... I've had submissions accepted in an hour, when coincidentally the mods checked right after I posted (both my speedgames are under 15 minutes). However, I've also had it go four or five days.
If it's been more than a week, you could see if the mods have any additional contacts in their profile - Twitch, Twitter, Youtube, etc. - and reach out to them there. If you run a less-active game, perhaps the mod has gotten used to going long periods without new submissions.
Hope that helps!
Another week, another race, another double-post!
WHO: The OTS Community
WHAT: OTS Any% IGT Races
WHEN: 29 July 2016, @ 20:00 UTC
WHY: So many of us running now - let's push each other to improve!
HOW: Register on SpeedRunsLive IRC following their instructions: http://www.speedrunslive.com/faq/
Learn a few of the commands for how to join a race channel, enter, etc.: http://www.speedrunslive.com/faq/commandlist/
MAKE SURE TO PROMOTE OUR COMMUNITY PAGE TO YOUR FRIENDS! http://twitch.tv/otscommunity
Make sure to be in the SRL IRC at race time! One of us will make the new race, then you can join the channel. Use .enter to enter, .ready when you're ready, and .done when Grigori is toast!
If you, or someone you know, wants to watch the race and has good Internet, we need a volunteer to stream a window/monitor capture of a speedrun.tv or a multitwitch of the racers. We'll give them a stream key on race day that casts to twitch.tv/otscommunity (which we'll reset after the races).
Finally, join us on discord! Reach me with a Twitch whisper or a Twitter message for an Instant Invite link.
Crynthus, great first submission, my friend! Since you don't have other contacts in your profile and speedrun.com doesn't have PMs set up yet, this is the only way I could think of to reach you.
Just wanted to point out one thing about the strat you used Security room - the gates stay unlocked even if you die after talking to the Alien Guard. So, you only need to talk to him once! In fact, if you can jump around the checkpoint in Security Room, you can actually warp all the way back to the top of Two Shots! I noticed you talked to the Guard three times - good job getting the teleshot off first, but that's probably 15-20s of free timesave for you there. :)
Oh, I didn't mean to diss Deln. It's a good point, truthfully! He actually submitted that while I was typing my dissertation, so I didn't even see his post! :D Now I feel bad.
One common (and sometimes frustrating) response you'll get is, "Play something you like!" That isn't always helpful to someone who is still trying to figure out what games make for good speedruns, but that's also part of the point - ANYTHING can be speedrun! Think of games like the Tetris Attack/Panel de Pon series - RNG defines nearly the entire run, and yet you have players like Bbforky and CardsoftheHeart who get terrific times through endurance, stellar play, and patience.
At its core, speedrunning is just playing with the intention of going fast. Advanced skips, glitches, and WRs are nice, but they're not the sole focus of the hobby. If you find a game you like, beat it, then go back and think about how it can be done faster, and do it, you're speedrunning.
That being said, if you're on a laptop, then surely you know by now that the Steam store is full of buried treasures. Tons and tons of 2D platformers, often available on sale for very cheap. Here's a list that comes to mind (it's going to be a little self-serving, because it includes my main speedgame):
VVVVVV INK Xeodrifter Oniken Super Meat Boy Broforce Out There Somewhere Camera Obscura LIMBO BEEP Oddworld series
They also have tons of classic Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games available. you'll have to check with each community to see if the steam version is allowed or not, but I have to believe a low-powered laptop could handle them just fine.
Hope that gives you a place to start! If not, then just go back to the front page of this site. Look at the recently submitted runs, just scroll down, and click one at random and watch it. You'll start to see some common themes that apply to all games from a speed standpoint!
