I've mentioned this a couple times in various spots; I'm doing an overhaul of the timing methods of the series by retiming all the videos I can find. For the most part, the times that current exist will still be there, but there'll be more recorded down for each run for completion sake.

• Real time - Generally useful, but since all the games are on PC (baring console ports) there's still load times that can vary between runners for Tiberian Sun and onward. The older games (TD and RA1) have literally no load times with modern PCs. • In-game time - Also generally useful, except for games who track only minutes (TD, RA1, Renegade) or absent (Generals, RA3¤). It becomes inaccurate when save & load is used. • Time without loads - This can be the best measure for timing, though it does require manual work. For all the RTS games it starts when the player gains control of the battlefield to when "Mission Complete" is shown on screen. Reloads and pauses are not subtracted from the time, so it's acting as real time for when the player is in control. In-game cutscenes are not subtracted since they can be theoretically removed.

Notes on the games:

• The in-game timer for Tiberian Dawn and Red Alert 1 appear to track based on number of frames rendered. On speed 6 for RA1, it records at about 4x the speed of real time, so it's accurate to 15 seconds. It's not super helpful, so real time is more reliable. Still, showing the screen at the end of the mission helps with credibility. • Tiberian Sun, Red Alert 2, and Tiberium Wars provide in-game time accurate to the second after the mission, so they're useful for both individual mission and campaign runs. They can still be skewed with save & load or load times. • Generals doesn't have any kind of in-game timer, so real time is required. • Red Alert 3 has in-game time, but it's not easily available for campaign runs. It's a shame since it means either campaign runs can't use their times for the individual mission leaderboards or runners have to waste real time to check each mission's in-game time.

Unless there's some kind of inconsistency found, I suggest using time without loads as the dominate time for the series as a whole. Real time and in-game time are still recorded, though, for people who prefer those timers. The only problem is RA2's Soviet Leaderboard; using this method would put my run above Volound's, despite how his run is clearly better than mine. The cutscene he doesn't skip in the last mission punishes him. Should skippable cutscenes be excluded from time without loads? I'm not inclined to say yes, but I don't want my run above his either.

It's not a bad idea to exclude the cutscenes that can be skipped by pressing ESC. When you say "reloads and pauses are not subtracted from the time", do you mean that the loading screen is not subtracted? Load times of S/L can vary between people just like the load times of missions.

I should have written that more clearly. "reloads and pauses are not subtracted from the time" -- during the mission itself, not in between missions, is what I meant.

I already mentioned it on Twitter, but the first wave of updates/additions are done. All runs, even the obsolete ones, have been timed so the missions in campaign attempts are included in the individual mission leaderboards, even if they include reloading. Campaign runs still record real time for those who prefer that. Game time is recorded if possible. Times are accurate to the millisecond (which are hidden). Video sources are verified so there's no more broken Twitch links. Red Alert 3 was excluded from this as per crazycharlieh's request.

I'll probably begin the second wave within a month, since I don't have much else to do in the meantime.