There has been a lot of discussion regarding the chosen timing method for TRA runs for quite a while now. IGT (in-game time) has been traditionally used, which in itself brought about some problems (such as not counting time in cutscenes, QTE or menus). Ever since the introduction of savewarping, IGT timing has been considered less favorable due to the time lost when loading a save, which lead to the rule of save & load over quite & resume. It was made clear that, in the case of the existence of an autosplitter/load time remover, RTA (real time) timing would be used. Thanks to apel, an autosplitter is now available, and the timing method will indeed be switched to RTA w/o loads.

What does this mean for new runs? From a technical viewpoint, you should use the new autosplitter and, if possible, submit a recording showing its use. This avoids tedious manual timing for the moderator team. This is not strictly required, but encouraged.

From a gaming viewpoint, take note that cutscenes, QTE and menuing now contribute to your total time, so route accordingly. Dying during a QTE is now a serious time loss, and certain parts of the route can be replaced by different, previously useless strats to save time. One such example is the skipping of the uzi QTE in Natla's Mines. Also, take note that switching aiming modes now also counts towards your time.

What does this mean for old runs? The old runs have been manually retimed to match the new timing method. This means that the loading times have been removed.

How do I use the autosplitter? Download the autosplitter from the Resources section of TRA which can be found in the side panel. Then, using LiveSplit, rightclick its window and go to Edit Layout -> Press "+" -> Control -> Scriptable Auto Splitter. Double click this new entry to edit it. Click the Browse button and search for the file you just downloaded. Confirm all your open windows until your back at the base window of LiveSplit. Rightclick it, and then Compare Agains -> select Game Time.

The autosplitter will automatically start in the Caves level and split whenever you confirm a level end/statistics screen. This means that you need the same amount of splits that you visit for the autosplitter to time an entire run. For the current route, this would be 8 splits (3 in Peru, 2 in Greece, 1 in Egypt, 2 in Lost Island).

Does this affect ILs? Individual level speedruns will still be timed by IGT for now. They do not contain any load screens or the possibility to save and load.