Isaac runs are usualy 7 characters in a row or more, but there are one character categories. There is also an any% category but it's not ran much and there is no leaderboard. The idea is to take the polaroid to sheol or the negative to the cathedral, ending the run faster. I don't remember how it works on the original game though.

I did exactly that for a game I run and mod. There is no difference between starting a new save and loading an auto save from a fresh start (other than skipping character creation which isn't timed), so it was ruled as an accetable practice. However the community was very small, and the use of copied savefiles turned out rather impractical as far as I could tell.

If it works for your game, makes little to no difference to the run, and saves everyone a constant wait at the start, then I'd say go ahead. I think the only concern it may raise would be it could be considered as a segmented run or an invalid one from a different perspective. But it's not uncommon to see savefiles use or manipulation in runs nowadays anyway.

And ultimately the community decides, if you're the only active runner and mod then you're the community for now. Don't forget that if more people show up and start running the game, they get to voice their opinion on that or anything else, and if someone makes a strong case for a change it should be seriously considered.

If you edit the theme of your profile and pick a color it will replace the dark green, this way you can make it more readable.

Yeah splicing is editing segmented runs to one continuous video looking like an RTA. There is a good video about cheating in general which includes some splicing: These are specific examples but he mentions ways to detect splicing, and there are plenty of sources in the description for more. I don't know the first thing about detection, I hope it helps.

You're not stuck, but you won't get immediate results yeah. I don't know about opening a new leaderboard. If it separate content from the same game my guess is it won't be accepted. If it's a separate game even if it shares the name then maybe you can request a new leaderboard.

Only moderators of the game can add categories, I suggest contacting them. Try the game's forum or their contact information on their profile. Beyond that it's often a community decision, so if there are or will be several runners for that category it would probably be added. If the moderators are inactive and not answering any contact attempt you can also request to be moderator yourself, it may require to submit a run and to give them a few weeks to respond.

About external software, livesplit autosplitter scripts are based on reading the game's memory, so clear accessible flags would help a lot. If they are burried under a bunch of pointers it may be difficult to track them. But if the game already include a reliable timer it may not be necessary.

A fast pace movement based game sure sounds appealing for speedrunning. It may depend on runners' taste in games but if it's well built you probably will get a healthy SR community.

right clic > edit layout > layout settings > check "always on top" bottom left corner

Rules may say if the run goes by in game time or real time, and I've seen some requiring a timer, but not a specific one. I don't know if they are supposed to do so or not, for real time you will still have to time it one way or another though. Not sure if you can go by the video length itself, it may not be accurate due to compression or other factors.

It mostly depends on the game, and the rules made for it by the community. Check the leaderboard for the game you're interested in, you should find a "View rules" button at the top right. Some runs use in game time, while others require a separate timer. If not mentioned in the rules, it's usualy the latter, if unsure try to contact the community for that game via the forum or discord. You could time your run after capturing it, but it may be easier to time while running. In the end you're going to need a precise measurement of your run one way or another, else how would you know if it's wr or not?

Are you speaking about a livesplit auto splitter? You can start with the documentation there: https://github.com/LiveSplit/LiveSplit/blob/master/Documentation/Auto-Splitters.md They also link a discord a the end of the page.

To sumnarize you need to look at the memory of the game with another program like cheat engine to identify where information about loadings is stored (and more if you want auto splits for chapters, bosses or whatever) then write a script to use with livesplit. This takes some work, and knowledge in computer science would help.

Either they are inaccessible to us or they are listed as a "region" of one of the long list of countries, couldn't find it with a quick look.

Yeah I've stopped for the good part of a year because I got tired of the games I was running, and didn't find any other game I wanted to run. I've almost exclusively ran games I've loved so I'm not picking up random games nor do I do tournaments with games I don't run already, I guess it depends on each runner's dynamic. I know some people just love speedrun and will always look for a new game to run.

The little i watched there was no actual commentary. Looks like a stream uploaded to YT.

What speedruns have you personally attempted?

The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth and Afterbirth+, as well as moded versions Steamworld Dig A Link to the Past randomizer Secret of Mana (2018) The Age of Decadence

How long have you been speedrunning for?

4 years give or take

What platform do you use? Do you use any specific equipment or software?

PC, OBS for capture/streaming

How do you prepare for a speedrun?

I often have a coffee I feel it helps.

How do you stay composed during your run? What do you do if you fail?

Trying to stay focused. I tend to stay away from streaming those days as the chat is a distraction to me, I don't know how people deal with this. But it's also nice to have people to speak with during runs ^^ I also like to have music it helps me focus, and hearing the same game music for the 100th time isn't very interesting. If I fail I reset, take a break or stop for a time, I don't get angry but it can get a bit frustrating at times.

How seriously do you take speed running?

Not too seriously ;) Although I have been in cash prize tournaments, I wasn't serious competition so I didn't have too much pressure.

What do you do in emergency situations for example toilet/snack breaks?

I never had runs long enough to have emmergencies. Maybe when I was learning ALTTPR or SOM, but then the timer didnt matter much. If I need a snack or drink I try to have it at hand, take a bite or a sip during a game transition/loading/whatever. Other breaks would wait until a reset.

How did you get started here? What/who lured you in?

I first learned about speedrunning through youtube with a show called 88pmh then Speed Gaming. They were doing commentary on recorded tas and sr, and invinting runners to show their run. GDQ also peeked my interest at the time. I couldn't record much but I started doing The Binding of Isaac runs race style on my own. Then the guys from 88mph/SG presented a run of Steamworld Dig as an easy to pick, all around speedrun (some rng, a bit of routing, a few tricks, some sequence breaking). They started a small community around it so I gave it a try. They later developped the Ultime Decathlon (10 games to learn and race in a limited amount of time) which is still running, I didnt stick around. I got started on TBOI speedrun and it remains my main sr.

What's the most important thing in speedrunning? Whats the ultimate goal?

Go fast :) Have fun, tackle a new challenge in a game you already completed.

Do you play or just watch? Why do you like it so much?

Both. It's a way of keeping playing a game when I exhausted the content but still want some more. It's very impressive to watch, satisfying to achieve. It's competitive without getting nasty. "Sane competition" I don't know if it translates well. It's also nice to be involved in a community with tournaments, recasting and so on.

How has speedrunning and/or this community impacted your life?

I guess it's mostly an extension of gaming as a hobby for me.

I thought I'd explain in both languages so it benefits both him and anyone passing by. I also thought it wouldn't go that long. TBH I don't log in discord that often. But if it's an issue I won't keep answering here.

Tu peux commencer avec un temps negatif sur livesplit. Ca se fait sur certaines runs ou la video doit montrer le lancement du jeu mais le temps commence quand tu prends le control.

Ah alors click droit > control > Global Hotkeys pour que LiveSplit prennent les inputs hors focus. Tu peux aussi definir une touche pour activer/desactiver ca a loisir.

Right click > control > Global Hotkeys to get LiveSplit to take imputs out of focus. You can also set a key to toggle it whenever.

I've timed a new game autosave load compared to starting after a character creation. They are subject to loading variations, however I get 12-13 seconds on either most of the time. The inconsistencies are due to ramdomly longer loads, which was already the case with the regular start. I went ahead and modified the rule to allow for an autosave start. I also added the console use interdiction just in case. I will generate and share saves for the two routes.