Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell

Edit history:

SDAVerification: 2014-07-08 03:22:11 am

2014-06-07 02:43:52 am

Game Page: http://speeddemosarchive.com/SplinterCell.html

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (Any %) (Segmented) (Hard)

Decision: Accept

Congratulations to Michael 'CotySA'!

Thread title:

SDAVerification

2014-06-07 02:43:54 am

Run Information

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (Any %) (Segmented) (Hard)

Verification Files

http://v.speeddemosarchive.com/scell_new

Please refer to the Verification Guidelines before posting. Verifications are due by June 21, 2014.

Please post your opinions about the run and be certain to conclude your post with a verdict (Accept/Reject). This is not a contest where the majority wins - I will judge each verification on its content. Please keep your verification brief unless you have a good reason otherwise.

After 2 weeks I will read all of the verifications and move this thread to the main verification board and post my verdict.

ShadowDraft

2014-06-07 02:18:27 pm

Get over here!

On which system was this run played out?

UraniumAnchor

2014-06-07 02:32:02 pm

Not a walrus

PC, looks like.

Paperboat

2014-06-08 04:16:42 am

XCOM Timesheet: http://goo.gl/BWDqbC

A few things to mention here. First off some of the segments seem to have been cut funny. Five segments which ive counted seem to have a reset included and one goes way past the point at which it ends. I assume this wasn't intentional. Also the end of a few segments is a bit abrupt. SDA timing rules say that the timing for a segment stops at the first system dependent activity, so usually the actual save, but the end of some segments show no evidence of a system dependent activity. If autosaves aren't displayed, then so be it but I see them in other parts of the run so it makes me wonder. Most likely all of these potential problems can be easily solved but I felt they were worth pointing out.

A/V is good and i see no cheating. As for play quality, I readily admit I am not the best possible judge here. However using the ILs on SDA as a baseline, the improvements are impressive. Of course I recognize that it is not completely fair to compare a segmented run to an IL table, nevertheless, when watching side by side on two monitors, the runner saves time not just on every level, but seemingly on every single trick, shot, jump, stairway, etc. Several small routing improvements also knock substantial chunks of time off. This run was clearly the work of careful and dedicated segmentation and I recommend it be ACCEPTed as soon as the videos are cut properly.

(also, oh my god, the cringeworthy Chinese accents make me sad)

A few things to mention here. First off some of the segments seem to have been cut funny. Five segments which ive counted seem to have a reset included and one goes way past the point at which it ends. I assume this wasn't intentional. Also the end of a few segments is a bit abrupt. SDA timing rules say that the timing for a segment stops at the first system dependent activity, so usually the actual save, but the end of some segments show no evidence of a system dependent activity. If autosaves aren't displayed, then so be it but I see them in other parts of the run so it makes me wonder. Most likely all of these potential problems can be easily solved but I felt they were worth pointing out.

A/V is good and i see no cheating. As for play quality, I readily admit I am not the best possible judge here. However using the ILs on SDA as a baseline, the improvements are impressive. Of course I recognize that it is not completely fair to compare a segmented run to an IL table, nevertheless, when watching side by side on two monitors, the runner saves time not just on every level, but seemingly on every single trick, shot, jump, stairway, etc. Several small routing improvements also knock substantial chunks of time off. This run was clearly the work of careful and dedicated segmentation and I recommend it be ACCEPTed as soon as the videos are cut properly.

(also, oh my god, the cringeworthy Chinese accents make me sad)

Onin

Edit history:

Onin: 2014-06-08 08:05:26 am

2014-06-08 08:03:22 am

Edit: Oh actually those ILs are the most recent, never mind me.

Obviously the biggest difference would be that this run is segmented, not ILs. So the question is how much time is saved from that segmentation. I've only looked at a few levels so far so I'll add to this later.

Soliduz Znake

Edit history:

Soliduz Znake: 2014-06-11 05:43:03 am

2014-06-10 08:42:42 am

currently watching the videos. I'm no expert at Splinter Cell but i've seen other no kills runs before.
in the Police Station 2.3 video at 0:16 i'm confused why the runner quit the game then reloaded the level. was it a minor mistake?
edit: okay finally watched all videos. smooth rhythm. the runner makes this game look like a platformer :). everything was planned and executed to perfection. accept.

Paperboat

2014-06-10 09:37:02 pm

XCOM Timesheet: http://goo.gl/BWDqbC

Soliduz, I interpreted that as an incorrectly cut segment. He accidentally included his previous reset in the video

ShadowDraft

2014-06-11 11:04:46 am

Get over here!

A/V: Ignoring the missing cuts quality looks to be good.

No cheating detected.

Aside from a few smaller mistakes this is a pretty clean segmented run with really nice improvements over the ILs. Enjoyed the tight jumps already present in the tutorial.
I'll accept this aswell.

Onin

2014-06-11 11:27:06 am

Watched most of it.
Only thing I could hold against it is the relatively minor difference between the process of ILs and segmenting, since every level is done in either two or three takes and they're not all that long as is. Most segments have some really tight jumps and/or AI manipulation, and any other minor time losses (especially lockpicking) is optimized pretty well, so I guess the run pays off its segmenting acceptably. Does make me wonder how viable these strats are for ILs, but well, the runner already put a lot of effort into ILs before so chances are he'd have done these as ILs if it were feasible.

That means accept ofcourse. When's single segment runs? :>

SDAVerification

2014-07-08 03:22:38 am

Decision posted.

CotySA

Edit history:

CotySA: 2014-07-31 01:08:46 pm

CotySA: 2014-07-31 01:06:19 pm

CotySA: 2014-07-31 01:03:41 pm

2014-07-31 01:02:19 pm

Oh, I totally forgot about this. Cheesy

Thanks to all verifiers!

I didn´t cut my files, I´m sorry if this caused any inconvenience.

To answer some questions:

-The last mission ends abruptly, because the end credits video immediately starts when you touch the exit door. My recording software automatically cuts at that point, because cutscenes in this game have a different resolution than the actual game. I also sent the end credits video so they can get merged.

-I started off recording IL runs but I wasn´t very successful and because I really wanted to involve all the new stuff I discovered I decided to do a segmented run.

There are still a few spots in the run where I spotted poor movement and I also know about three more timesaving jumps, but they don´t save enough time so that it would be worth running these missions again.

Two of these jumps are even for a segmented run extremly risky, I actually knew about them before I recorded these missions. For example in Defense Ministry you can jump from the balcony directly to the kitchen window, but it´s extremly hard and since you will be hanging on the windowsill and have to climb up it only saves about 2-3 seconds.

-I´d love to stream singlesegments but unfortunately this causes weird framerate issues, which affect my aim, my movement (I can´t jump as far as usually and my walkingspeed decreases if I walk off a platform... really weird stuff) and even the AI of my opponents. Basically the whole game feels unsmooth.

Maybe I will also submit improved ILs for the three DLC missions in the future. I also routed them but I was very annoyed by a weird bug in the Vselka Infiltration mission, so I decided to not record these missions for now.

When I go too fast at a certain point in this mission I can´t complete it. I will be stuck in the compressor room, because the three guards, who are supposed to breach this room, are for some weird reason stuck in the staircase, so the door will never open. This only happens when I record, so it´s also a framerate issue. I would have to waste time on purpose...

Well that´s the way things are standing at the moment, thanks again for accepting this run. Cheesy

Oh, I totally forgot about this. :D Thanks to all verifiers!

I didn´t cut my files, I´m sorry if this caused any inconvenience.

To answer some questions:

-The last mission ends abruptly, because the end credits video immediately starts when you touch the exit door. My recording software automatically cuts at that point, because cutscenes in this game have a different resolution than the actual game. I also sent the end credits video so they can get merged.

-I started off recording IL runs but I wasn´t very successful and because I really wanted to involve all the new stuff I discovered I decided to do a segmented run.

There are still a few spots in the run where I spotted poor movement and I also know about three more timesaving jumps, but they don´t save enough time so that it would be worth running these missions again.

Two of these jumps are even for a segmented run extremly risky, I actually knew about them before I recorded these missions. For example in Defense Ministry you can jump from the balcony directly to the kitchen window, but it´s extremly hard and since you will be hanging on the windowsill and have to climb up it only saves about 2-3 seconds.

-I´d love to stream singlesegments but unfortunately this causes weird framerate issues, which affect my aim, my movement (I can´t jump as far as usually and my walkingspeed decreases if I walk off a platform... really weird stuff) and even the AI of my opponents. Basically the whole game feels unsmooth.

Maybe I will also submit improved ILs for the three DLC missions in the future. I also routed them but I was very annoyed by a weird bug in the Vselka Infiltration mission, so I decided to not record these missions for now.

When I go too fast at a certain point in this mission I can´t complete it. I will be stuck in the compressor room, because the three guards, who are supposed to breach this room, are for some weird reason stuck in the staircase, so the door will never open. This only happens when I record, so it´s also a framerate issue. I would have to waste time on purpose...

Well that´s the way things are standing at the moment, thanks again for accepting this run. :D