Hey guys! We've decided to clarify a few things regarding the rules that weren't set in stone beforehand, and were the reason for a lot of misunderstandings, so I hope this post makes it more clear as to what you need in your runs!
1. Audio Requirements:
For Demo Any%: Any run that's faster than 4 minutes needs to have clear audio of the game, otherwise it will be rejected
For AFL: All AFL runs (1.87, 1.70, Any%, Max%, etc) need to have audio. This is done because AFL runs are already quite long and effortful, so having audio recorded isn't that much more effort.
For Demo 100%: All Demo 100% runs should have audio recording. This isn't as strict, and exceptions can be made, but please try to have audio recording.
For Character Set mobile runs: You should try to record audio for all of those. A specific time hasn't been set, and it's not an auto-reject if your run doesn't have audio, but if it's WR or a competitive enough time it should have audio, and a run not having audio can be grounds for rejection.
For AFL Quarters (category extensions): For the most part, all of those should have audio. If it's something obviously competitive, like a sub 30 Q1 , or a top 3 time, then that's almost always an auto-reject, but no audio can be grounds for rejections in less competitive runs too. Try to record audio in all categories whenever possible, it makes things a lot easier!
2. Screen Stretching:
Screen stretching has been both allowed and not allowed for a long while now, so this rule definetly needed some clarifying. We banned screen stretching in stuff like $1000 trip that'd allow you to see the win trigger, but if you look at the current Demo WR it's obviously slightly stretched, so what's the deal?
In an attempt to find a good balance between allowing a small amount of screen stretching that gives a bit of an advantage but still keeps it fair and balanced and not allowing extensive screen stretching that breaks the game and isn't fun, we went through multiple ideas and tested until we settled on 1:1,2. You might be wondering what that exactly means! I'll try my best to explain with examples, and give you an easy way to figure out how to measure this incase you aren't familiar with this sort of thing. So first off, this is an example of what around 1:2 looks like, aka normal full screen.
1:2 (allowed, by a lot, obviously) ^^^ The up/bottom sides are double the size of the left/right sides, thus 1:2 (close to 1:2). This is the standard way to play the game.
Here's what 1:1,2 looks like, aka the absoloute limit on screen stretching. This means that if the screen is anything below 1:1,2 , it gets rejected.
1:1,2 (This is allowed, but is the limit on what's allowed. Anything below that is banned) THIS IS ALLOWED ^
Our original idea was 1:1, which means that the left/right sides and the up/bottom sides are equal, but that was deemed a bit too much, so we settled on a comprimise with 1:1,2. Now, incase you're wondering how to make your window 1:1,2 , here's what I did:
1) Take a ruler
2) Measure the left or right side of your window
3) Multiply that by 1,2
4) The result is how long your up/bottom sides should be.
If they're anything LESS than that, the run can get rejected. I recommend going a bit above 1:1,2 , to make sure you're still in the safe incase something went wrong in the calculations.
Another way, that's far more reliable, is instead of using a ruler, using a programme to count the pixels (Lightshot, the screenshot app, also does this! If you go to take a screenshot it shows you the exact resolution, and you can use those numbers to figure out what 1:1,2 is)
These are a few more examples on what's allowed and what isn't, so you get a better picture of what this looks like. You'll see below each screenshot text that either reads "This is allowed" or "This is not allowed". The text refers to the image above it.
^ THIS IS NOT ALLOWED (1:1 SMF)
^THIS IS ALLOWED (1:1,2 TrapTrac)
^THIS IS NOT ALLOWED (1:1 TrapTrac)
Note 1: For this entire post I've been using "1,2". I know in some parts of the world that's written as "1.2". Don't get confused, it's the exact same thing.
Note 2: Pressing "100%" in the flash player is banned
Note 3: This was about vertical screen stretching. Horizontal screen stretching is for the most part not allowed. Quirks of the game or your monitor that show a bit more to the left or the right than you otherwise could are ok, as long as they don't give you a significant advantage.
Note 4: This applies to both full game categories and to ILs
3. Handcam required for Demo WR: Given the competitive state of the Demo leaderboards, a clear handcam will now be required for all future world records in the Demo category. The handcam will need to have a clear view of your mouse and keyboard, and it's preferable that the camera has a top down view. Any Demo World Record submission that doesn't have a handcam will be rejected.
4. Mouse cursor showing required for full game runs: Your mouse cursor will need to be visible throughout your run for full game categories for the same "sub x" requirments as having audio enabled (which you can see earlier in the post). That means your mouse cursor must be visible for these runs:
Demo Any% sub 4
All Demo 100%, AFL quarter and AFL runs
If any of you need clarification on any of these rule changes, feel free to DM or just comment here! Byeee <3
Once again this summer we're hosting Happy Wheels Racing League for the 2nd time! In this post I'll try to address any questions you might have, more specifically:
1: When and what is it?
2: How do the leaderboards/points work?
3: PRIZE POOL! (What do the winners get?)
***1: When and