We will be using this forum to ask and answer any specific questions people may have about the game. Feel free to post questions below. Anyone can ask and anyone can answer.
CALCULATING IGT:
Someone was asking about how to locate in-game time. When you complete a race, the timer freezes for a few frames before the screen fades to black. This final time for the race is what we use to calculate IGT. It's a bit of a crude method, since quality of the recording can have an adverse effect on the clarity of the timer, but no such issue has arisen yet. We add together all of these times throughout the run to get the total IGT,
We don't necessarily require IGT anymore. For a while the boards were ranked by IGT, so a lot of older runs had IGT calculated after submission. For now, if you want your IGT calculated, you can submit your run with both your real time and your IGT (calculated by using the above method) and a moderator can double-check its accuracy for you. It is still optional in the RTA categories, though.
If you wish to submit an IL (Individual Level) run, you will need to have proof of IGT. It is a good idea to include the results screen, as it will clearly display the time. Otherwise, we just use the same method as mentioned previously.
OoB vs. No OoB:
OoB stands for "Out of Bounds". As you may have discovered on your own, whether intentionally or unintentionally, Sonic R has a ton of edges that can be clipped out of. This can make the game incredibly frustrating, because there are times when you can clip through a track simply by brushing up against it. This may be disadvantageous, as some clips can throw you back to an earlier part of the track.
Other times, these clips are intentionally used to make races faster. I recommend watching an OoB run (Any% and 100%) if you have not yet.
So what do we count as OoB? Well, you may have noticed in the Any% No OoB category that there is a trick performed by Knuckles on Radiant Emerald that skips a large portion of the track. To do it, you have to jump at a specific part of the track and glide over to the the overhanging path. You can then clip into the wall and continue finishing the lap. A few people have asked why this trick is allowed in the category, while clipping in other places is not. The truth is, clipping IS allowed in No OoB. However, clipping outside of the track boundaries is not. You never actually leave the boundaries of the level in Radiant Emerald when using the Knuckles glide strat. Instead, you clip into a later part of the track.
So next time you accidentally clip out of a track, you don't need to assume that your run is void. As long as it is an in-bounds clip, it doesn't violate the rules of No-OoB. I'm sure there are many other useful clips that are left undiscovered, so if you fancy yourself a glitch-hunter, then there are plenty of opportunities for discovering new strats.
Can I submit a 10 year 6 month time for the 100% PC category? I first played this in 2006 and just 100% finished it.
I don't think you can do that. The highest possible submission time is 100 hours OpieOP
I use wined3d to play on Win7 and I think it should be recommended over DxWnd. Also, are there rules against editing sonicr.inf? You can use it to set max draw distance like on Gamecube, and to set custom resolutions.
Generally in speedrunning, modifying the game itself is disallowed. There are exceptions with certain games, of course. I would strongly discourage editing the .ini file, but the truth is, it may go unnoticed by a moderator. We aren't perfect, and we still know little about the PC version, as it is one of the more uncommon platforms for this game.
NOTE: This is my opinion, and my opinion on this is unofficial, since the moderators haven't really discussed this in detail. I will say this: If the differences between the unedited and edited game variants are just resolutions or other visual changes, then it probably won't cause you an issue. What we really scrutinize in PC and emulator runs are unfamiliar out-of-bounds clips, abnormal game/character speeds, or any alteration to the game that presents a clear advantage to the runner. Just be aware that if your run displays any of these or similar characteristics, it may likely be rejected.
It's just a configuration file, it doesn't control anything you could really cheat with. I could understand changing resolution to be too sketchy since no version officially allows that, but I think draw distance should be fine since it's the same result as playing on Gamecube or PS2, it doesn't give an unfair advantage over other versions.
@crabixx 10 years and 6 month?... Can it slow down? I do not think you did not do it on purpose, lol XD
