Help define Railway Empire speed running rules and guides.

Basic Ideas: Time is measured real world (in game) time to successfully complete a set of chapters / scenarios. (Not scenario completion date)

Separate runs by DLC as well as base game chapters and scenarios.

100% = All tasks completed including optional tasks. Any% = Required tasks only

Ignore gold vs green checkmarks Ignore final ranking

No known glitches. No mods or cheats permitted.

Separate categories for PC vs console versions.

Other ideas? Disagree with any of the above?

Submit your recommendation in this thread.

Those seem reasonable. Start and end point? I went with the first word uttered by the NPC (as I believe you did), since you can't do anything prior to that. End point would be when the "Chapter Complete" dialog box pops up (as you did). Of course, the video would need to run until the final rating screen for verification of 100% score if one is going for that.

Also ... I think all these runs should be required to use Realistic tracks. The Easy mode with ghost trains that can magically run through each other is pretty lame.

Agree. Already covered...

https://www.speedrun.com/railway_empire/Chapter_1_The_Great_Plains#gameRules

Rule controversy: Per current rules...

Time starts when game map is visible. Time ends when 'Success' banner displays for the final campaign or scenario.

This requires that for 100% runs all optional tasks be completed prior to the last required task. In order for the success banner to indicate completeness it must pop after the final task is completed.

There has been a submission of a 100% run that continues after success splash screen, claiming a time when the last optional task is completed.

Looking for input on a rule change.

I'm biased on the situation, but the overall goal is to compete all objectives as quickly as possible. Purposefully slowing down objectives in order to complete them in a specific order is against that overall goal. Also, the splash screen showing early (all else being equal) puts the runner at a disadvantage since the clock keeps running during the cutscene and splash screens.

I am glad that this was posted and asked about, because it would result in a rule change and others should be allowed input, but in my opinion a rule shouldn't be in place that forces sub-optimal play.

How would you rephrase the rule? What becomes the timer stop trigger? Does it change when completing optional tasks first vs last?

The main goals should be to keep the verification effort to a minimum while still giving flexibility to runners to complete tasks in the order that lets them go fast. A nice secondary goal would be giving flexibility to someone to not lose their run by forgetting to show post-game proof in 100% runs, as long as this doesn't compromise the main goals. Here's my proposed rules for when a run is considered to end:

Time is stopped when the last task required for the category is achieved. The last task is considered achieved when "This chapter was a success" appears on the screen or when "task completed" appears on the screen by the task list. For 100% runs, additional proof needs to be given that all tasks were achieved. Proof that all tasks have been achieved can be demonstrated by showing the post-game rating screen, showing a completed tasks screen, or by providing time-stamps in the description saying at which point in the video each individual task was achieved. The post-game rating screen is the preferred method for keeping verification efforts to a minimum.

I think the above keeps the 2 main goals in mind and achieves the secondary goal as well, while not forcing you to go through more effort or bookkeeping to verify that 100% was achieved if someone forgets to record the post-game screen. If this is too much, then the last option for 100% verification can be removed.

Let me know if you'd like me to continue re-writing the rules to gather together what's in this thread, the official rules, and covering some other gaps that exist (like DLCs). I'd be happy to do so. I don't have any issues with any of the other rules, but I do think there are some gaps, like pause mode and DLCs, that should be addressed in the rules.

RULE UPDATE:

GAME RULES: Old Language: Time ends when 'Success' banner displays for the final campaign or scenario.

New Language Time ends when 'Success' banner displays for the final campaign or scenario. (See 100% for alternative time rules)

100% RULES: New Language 100% timer may end when success banner displays OR upon Task Completion for final task. Rating screen showing all tasks completed must be provided for moderator verification of 100% runs.