Hi everyone,
So I think there is an issue with the way runs are kept/removed from the leaderboards. Obviously I have some skin in the game because my WR was removed for using the table tech glitch. But, I am told that my use of that glitch was pointed out by the current WR holder. Obviously, when it comes to a leaderboard like this, objectivity is key.
Off the bat, I have no problem with my run being disqualified for using a glitch that was removed. At the time, it was a perfectly legitimate way to play the game but due to it being removed and considered a "major change" my run was invalidated. Glitches are an enormous part of speedrunning, so not utilizing glitches is strange in that regard. I feel like it is hard to classify "major change". Where do you draw the line? Seems arbitrary. I feel like either runs should be tagged as "old version" or ALL old version runs should be eliminated. For instance, was there a mimic? Well "Mimics no longer teleport when re-entering their room, and can now follow you out of reward rooms" is a big deal. You can save time pulling them out of the rooms towards where you need to go. Even something as small as "Homing bullets caught by the Red Wizard now behave correctly" could impact the time.
I think it is an all or none situation. I realize this impacts the speedrunning community because having your run removed doesn't exactly feel good, but the game is in active development, so we are at a bit of an impasse, and I don't think subjectively deciding what constitutes a major glitch is the right way to go about it.