Hi ! I'd like to talk about some stuff about CTR's speedruns
First, I'd like to point out a mistake in MAX% rules which state this : "Timing starts upon gaining control of your character after the first loading screen and ends upon crossing the finish line of the final race against Nitrous Oxide after finishing all the category's requirements." The run doesn't end upon crossing the finish line of the final race againist Nitrous Oxide, but after crossing the finish line of the final race of the final cup. Doesn't matter which cup though.
The next point I want to talk about is the case of Penta. I've been thinking about it a lot of time. He is a character that's only unlockable by a cheat code. And as far as I remember, cheat codes are strictly forbidden in speedrun. Also, he is the only character with perfect stats (Full speed/acceleration/Turn.) except in american version (Low speed, medium Acceleration, full Turn.). So I'd like to debate with you guys to get an official statement about if we should allow or ban Penta for MAX% and All cups
(I'm personally for ban him considering the point mentioned above)
All cups is a category where both character switching and routing is viable and used. Allowing all characters shows off more than Any% and 101% can. As for "it's cheats", the category is already arbitrary as-is, it's also not a commonly run category (at this point).
As for Max%, others will have to answer, I'm pretty sure Penta was never allowed there specifically, maybe you got confused by the character values, those were added when you couldn't seperate them by category, which is possible now and actually on my to-do list since it got added, but it got delayed because of ESA.
Penta is a cheat code so he's banned in categories, All Cups is, as Beta said, arbitrary but even arbitrary categories don't allow cheats unless that's the explicit intent of the category. I don't care much for arbitrary category debate but I'd have to agree with Penta being banned from both Max% and All Cups.
Just ban the guy from Max% and keep him in AC, the point of AC was to do it with the one guy you never get to play as in speedruns anyway. That and nobody cares about AC so it's good to go.
Anyway I went and edited the Max% rules a bit to match what it actually requires. Still need to edit the "Characters" variable a bit since you can use multiple. Probably gonna remove it entirely on that category.
On time trials Penta is just allowed because the community was french and didn't know abot the difference of versions. Then, when they realized the shit, they had no way to back in the past: Penta still allowed and will never be banned. It is not the old community fault, it's naughty dog fault tho. I am just pointing it out because this same discussion already had on TT community.
Well, to make it fair for NTSC-U runners such as Flippy, Almark, ban Penta makes sense; if the goal of the category is optimize the cups anyway, then makes no sense since Penta is a character made to the game, unfortunatelly on a bad way to unlock (It is not a cheat IMO due to one reason: you cannot save cheat files. But you can save and keep Penta on memory card; I mean, if you use Ice cheat and save your file, turn off console and load again: there is no ice cheat on the game). By the way, other characters can also be unlocked by a cheat code, so banning Penta makes no sense on the "cheat argument".
Also, the competition will never be 100% fair even on categories that Penta is not allowed, due to game differences (for example, J completely sucks on every category except All Cups). Unfortunatelly Naughty dog didn't care about it.
In my opinion: using common sense, Penta should keep banned on Max%. About all cups, I really don't know, because I have reasons to agree and to don't agree.
I don't really feel like writing tonight, so I'll just copy paste what I told Redhot on Skype :
"Actually, this solution does satisfy me (ban Penta on MAX, keep him for All Cups) Even though MAX% is classified as Misc. category. I think it should be an actual category. I explain : The definition of speedrun (where I could read it and what I understand from it) is to complete a game as fast as possible With this definition, MAX% is a legitimate category, after finishing the main story with 101%. The game is still incomplete. You have more stuff to do, which are TTs and Cups. However, With "All Cups", you complete nothing except a goal. So it's a valid category for "Miscellanous Category" So that way, for Actual category, we totally ban any form of cheat and we make tolerance for miscellanous category : If the community agree or the goal of a category states it, you're allowed to use certain cheats"
