In order to keep things congruent between the three NG NES titles, we are implementing a global Mesen ban for now.
"Hi,
The mod team have decided to ban the emulator Mesen because of a potential run ahead feature, listed here: https://www.mesen.ca/docs/configuration/emulation.html. "Run ahead allows the reduction of input lag by the number of frames specified. CPU requirements increase proportionally with the number of run ahead frames specified."
We've noticed other boards for speedgames ban it too and we'd like to implement a ban across all NES ninja gaidens as well.
All currently submitted runs done with Mesen will be approved, but future submissions will be rejected"
(Written by Backslash)
@Neural89 Except not all emulators have run-ahead.
What this essentially does to put it in laymen's terms is reduce input lag to a point that is even lower than with original hardware. This is why so many communities are banning emulators that use that feature as it effectively reduces the "skill gap" between players, making some of the harder strats easier to perform. RetroArch also has that feature, but there is a notification that appears when you enable it at least. Mesen has no indicators, which would make any sort of cheating using the feature untrackable.
We've considered this and may end up going that route. For now, its banned entirely to keep things simple.
The problem with different versions is that we have to make sure of the version each and every verification that uses Mesen. This can lead to runs being denied for not showing the version# by mistake and that's not something we want.
We are doing our best as mods to keep things fair among all players. And unfortunately until we fully understand the 'new' Run Ahead feature and how it could be abused without detection, we decided for now, it is best to put a ban on those emulators.
Just so anyone coming back to this topic knows, the Mesen ban has been lifted. It's now permitted for any run. However, once your run reaches a certain time(ex. 13:30 for Any%), the entire emulation window and Mesen's input display must be visible in your video.
