Good day!

We're glad to have you check out Owlboy as a speedrun. To get optimal times while playing the game, we have implemented the use of a load remover. This ensures fair conditions for everyone, whether you have a good or a bad PC. Please be reminded that runs without loads get prioritized on our rankings, so even if you get a good time with loads, it will be ranked underneath all runs without loads. This means that all runs submitted without loads must show the timer on screen. This program doubles as an autosplitter thanks to @VisMajor. You can also refer to this outdated video by Metro72. It's very old and doesn't have the correct files, nor does it have the autosplitting feature.

Links to everything mentioned here are at the bottom. You can use the content menu to navigate directly to them.

[section=What you'll Need] Before we start, we need to make sure you've got everything that's needed for setting up the loadless timer.

• The most popular and easy-to-use split program around is LiveSplit[big]¹[/big] and it is currently the only one that supports our load remover.
• Once you've downloaded the program you will need the external files to execute and activate the load remover. These files are available in the tool section of the resources page[big]²[/big].
• You don't need a specific layout in LiveSplit for this to work, but you're free to add one.

[section=Adding and Executing the Components] Now that you've got all the necessary files needed for your load remover, you're almost ready to start your timed runs! Feel free to set up your splits as you'd like. The autosplitter only works during loading screens between map transitions. I recommend placing your splits there.

• Firstly, you will have to extract the files from the .zip you downloaded. The files OwlboyAutoSplitter.exe and OwlboyLiveSplitLibrary.dll must be placed in your Owlboy Steam directory (~\Steam\steamapps\common\Owlboy). Owlboy.asl, the main LiveSplit component, can be put anywhere you'd like, but I recommend using your LiveSplit directory.
• For your next step, you need to add the component to your splits. To be able to do this, you'll have to edit your layout by right-clicking the splits. In the appearing window, click the + on the left and select 'Scriptable Auto Splitter' under 'Control.' Double click the newly added tab and enter the .asl's file path[big]³[/big].
• On the same page you can also choose where you want the program to split for you. Keep this list unedited if you want to do all of your splits manually. The splits up until "entering dream sequence" are relevant for any%, the others are additional splits for any% No OoB and All Bosses. Note: [small]You can still add manual splits! You are not limited to the automatic splits at all, they're just a method of ease.[/small]
• For the autosplitter to work, you have to start using OwlboyAutoSplitter.exe to start the game instead of the regular executable. Set your comparison for LiveSplit to 'Game Time' to see your loading times being removed.

Please pre-load the very first initial cutscene once to ensure the timer starting correctly!

• With this set, you're good to go and can start your runs with loads removed! Keep in mind that the timer starts automatically.

[section=Crashes and Errors]

• My game crashes immediately after starting OwlboyAutoSplitter.exe! This is a known, but easy-to-fix issue. The most likely error that's occurring is the lack of the 32-bit version of the Visual C++ Redistributable[big]⁴[/big] on your machine. Simply download and install it and retry starting the game.

• My timer doesn't stop between loading times! Please check if your timer is comparing against game time and not real time. Additionally, make sure you've actually inserted the Owlboy.asl file into LiveSplit correctly and saved your layout afterwards.

• I have an issue that isn't listed here! Join us over in the Discord server and put your question into the #help channel. Your fellow runners will be there to aid you as best to their abilities.

[section=Links and Suggestions] For a bit of convenience, you can create a desktop or start menu shortcut for your OwlboyAutoSplitter.exe. This way you won't have to navigate into your Steam directory every time.

Unless you have a second monitor, you cannot play the game in fullscreen mode and see your timer at the same time. If you want to show LiveSplit on your stream or video, I suggest the program OBS to record. You can give your splits a bit of transparency with OBS, letting you record your game and timer at the same time.

¹: http://livesplit.github.io/downloads ²: https://www.speedrun.com/tools/OwlboyAutoSplitter_v1.3.1.2_57q20.zip ³: Imgur Link ⁴: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=746571