Crystals For Life 2014

2013-10-10 11:17:51 am

Sure is nice to see a second cut be an addition, not a cut!

One question from a bystander: Did Withhelde pull out? I thought she offered Star Ocean 3 (among other things), and I don't see her mentioned above.

Poxnor

2013-10-10 11:37:55 am

Moo! Flap! Hug!

I won't be discussing Round One cuts in the public forum with third parties.

garik16

2013-10-10 01:35:22 pm

Quote from Poxnor:

I won't be discussing Round One cuts in the public forum with third parties.

Sorry, then! Just was curious. Look forward to the event.

Caracarn

2013-10-11 12:46:00 am

another reason I have for wanting FF9 is that it's a much more relaxed speedrun for a marathon than FF7 is. A slots run would be really stressful, especially if I start missing it a lot.

In any case, I really disagree with having X-2 as my one game. It's not that I don't like the game, but it's by far the worst choice for a marathon out of the 5 games I offered.

FFgamer86

2013-10-11 12:55:47 am

SDA Speedruns: 1

There is still Round 2 Caracarn, and in either case, I know you will put on a good show for all the viewers. Your one of the most enjoyable people to watch and it doesn't matter what game you end up running, it will be a huge success.

Poxnor

2013-10-11 08:07:35 am

Moo! Flap! Hug!

Caracarn, you might not be aware of this since you weren't at the last C4L. But, there was near-unanimous consent that FF7-FF10 all needed a break. There hasn't been a lot of change in them over the past year, and other games could use some love, as it were. The reason FF7 was on the table was because a slots run would be significantly different from the previous route.

If FF7 is off the table (i.e., slots would be terrible for a marathon run), then FFX-2 is unquestionably the best game you offered.

I hope you realize that FFX-2 would make a great marathon run. It's a fun, fast-paced game. I'm aware that donation incentives are lacking, but the same could be said of FF9 (which is not even on the table for previously stated reasons).

Take a breather, and think about whether you really want to object so strongly to FFX-2 being included.

Caracarn

2013-10-11 03:10:04 pm

Honestly, if I could go back, I probably would have only offered FF9 and FF10. (FF10, by the way, IS significantly different from last year). Also, how does FF9 lack donation incentives? There are 8 names to donate for.

The only way I would have wanted X-2 is if I was playing it AND another game. Since I'll only be playing one game, I want it to be one of the main series. If FF7 is really the only one of 7-10 that you will consider, then I will take it, even though it was my last choice. It's the most popular and has good donation incentives.

Alko

2013-10-11 03:20:45 pm

Caution: This user contains Kana ^_^

Quote from Caracarn:

(FF10, by the way, IS significantly different from last year).

Why didn't you add this into your pluggings?

Caracarn

2013-10-11 04:22:34 pm

because at the time, I didn't think it mattered

mikwuyma

2013-10-11 05:43:15 pm

My feelings on The Demon Rush

Why is FFVII slots bad as a marathon run? If it's how repetitive slots can get, Joker Doom is also repetitive and not a lot of people seem to mind. If anything doing a slots run would add a bit of variety to FFVII.

Also Poxnor, I agree that IX could take a break since it's been featured prominently in marathons recently, but stating donation incentives as a reason is not a good one when FFX-2 has almost none and IX at least has 8 names.

Caracarn

Edit history:

Caracarn: 2013-10-11 05:53:01 pm

2013-10-11 05:51:20 pm

the run itself isn't bad, I'm just concerned about missing slots too often. I'm not sure how well I would do it under marathon pressure. I'm willing to take the chance though.

The other games don't have any technique that is so precise, that's why I'm saying it will be a much more serious/stressful run than the others.

Poxnor

2013-10-11 06:24:21 pm

Moo! Flap! Hug!

Mike: touché. I should have phrased it as donation incentives per hour are actually reasonably comparable between IX and X-2. Either way, that wasn't the salient point. There was a scene in Futurama that applies, though: "You are technically correct -- the best kind of correct." Wink

FFGamer86

2013-10-11 06:34:49 pm

Come on Caracarn, If I can do blindfolded Zell card and an Omega Weapon on the fly, then you can certainly do FF7 Slots run during the marathon. Thats what safety saves are for.

MetaSigma

2013-10-11 08:39:49 pm

Evermore Extrodinare ᕦ(° Д°)ᕤ

But you have to remember FFGamer it's different for every person. Where as I'm completely able to just laugh even about very stressful/serious stuff in a marathon. Others might not be able to handle or work the same way under such conditions. I'm 100% confident Cara could do it, but in the end he needs to be the one who's comfortable with it, or at the very least is willing to step out and just let it happen as is.

FFgamer86

2013-10-12 03:02:11 am

SDA Speedruns: 1

True Meta.

Also glad to see you running a game again this year. Will be looking forward to meeting you again, plus everyone else.

magicfreak500

2013-10-12 09:28:17 am

so i really want to put this in i think that there are speed runs we just dont like. for an example i wont ever do a zero run with mmx4. not that i get stressed on it just dont like that catagory.

Withhelde

Edit history:

Withhelde: 2013-10-14 03:25:57 pm

2013-10-14 03:25:04 pm

Thinker & Dreamer

So, the reason as to why I am not allowed to attend C4L is because numerous third-parties have stated to Poxnor that they take issue with me and that I am belligerent and rude at marathons.

Considering that I am extremely nice and helpful at marathons, and no one I talked to can even imagine people considering me belligerent, I would like to ask who thinks I am a problem to other people so we can talked things over and get things straight (as Poxnor wants to respect the privacy of these people and suggested I make a public post).

Poxnor

2013-10-14 03:28:35 pm

Moo! Flap! Hug!

Confirming Withhelde's request: She has been accused by multiple people, whose word I trust unequivocally, that she has refused to practice games for past marathons and that she has been belligerent to other marathon attendees in the past. But, other people have come forward to defend her. Given the sensitivity of this situation, I feel that she full deserves the right to defend herself. Please act accordingly, and discuss whether you would trust her to rock SO3 for C4L.

cyghfer

Edit history:

cyghfer: 2013-10-14 03:53:19 pm

2013-10-14 03:52:53 pm

I am not attending nor have any real association with C4L but as someone who has interacted with Withhelde at previous marathons as well as on our own time, I want to say that the gist I've gotten of this situation is absurd, and I hope that her ability to attend is reconsidered.

I would be very curious to see what kind of complaints have been leveled regarding "belligerence" - Withhelde is not an antagonistic person. I'm sure that if she & any others have had disagreements in the past, it was due to misunderstandings rather than ill intention.

Some of her past marathon performances might not have been the best (in some cases it has not been her fault - see King's Bounty & Holy Diver in Kings of Poverty), but I will vouch for her ability to run SO3. She has the WR currently and did a number of runs in preparation for SGDQ, thinking that she would be able to play the game for that marathon. I think it would be pretty foolhardy to bar the WR holder for a well-liked RPG from performing for an RPG-themed marathon.

If there's anything else I could speak about on this matter, I'd be happy to.

I am not attending nor have any real association with C4L but as someone who has interacted with Withhelde at previous marathons as well as on our own time, I want to say that the gist I've gotten of this situation is absurd, and I hope that her ability to attend is reconsidered.

I would be very curious to see what kind of complaints have been leveled regarding "belligerence" - Withhelde is not an antagonistic person. I'm sure that if she & any others have had disagreements in the past, it was due to misunderstandings rather than ill intention.

Some of her past marathon performances might not have been the best (in some cases it has not been her fault - see King's Bounty & Holy Diver in Kings of Poverty), but I will vouch for her ability to run SO3. She has the WR currently and did a number of runs in preparation for SGDQ, thinking that she would be able to play the game for that marathon. I think it would be pretty foolhardy to bar the WR holder for a well-liked RPG from performing for an RPG-themed marathon.

If there's anything else I could speak about on this matter, I'd be happy to.

Josh the Funkdoc

2013-10-14 04:23:57 pm

spread the dirt to the populace

Well, I already mentioned some of this to Poxnor, but since it's public now, I will give my 2 cents.

First of all, the charge of not practicing games is absurd from what I have seen. I think this most likely refers to this past SGDQ, and if so I will say that Withhelde actually put in more total practice time for that event on her one game than I did on my 3. If you're going to "punish" her for that, then you should also punish me for barely beating Liger's time in Batman!

Holy Diver at Kings of Poverty was not the result of a lack of effort, as I was checking in with her and she was working on it. It was the result of adding that game on too short notice and not knowing about a lot of the Japanese strategies for that game. And King's Bounty was obviously 100% luck - the only mistake there may have been mine for including that game in the lineup.

I've played like garbage at my fair share of marathons, with far less valid reasons than Withhelde's had (and cyghfer definitely has, too!). It's just that those have been online marathons with a fraction of the GDQs' viewers, so people don't remember that. If you go to enough marathons, it's going to happen at some point.

JRPGs are Withhelde's passion when it comes to speedrunning, and she has much more of a history with SO3 than with anything else she's run in a marathon. You will have nothing to worry about with the quality of this run, period, and she's come up with a lot of clever tricks that will surprise fans of the game.

As to the other issues, I am obviously in a unique position here. In the time I've gotten to know Withhelde, she has been one of the kindest people I have known anywhere, and the last thing she wants to do is hurt others. We have had our issues at times, but they are the result of communication rather than, say, arrogance or malice. I think sometimes she may have assumed it was the other person's fault if she did not properly communicate her thoughts & intentions to them, and this is something we have discussed in the recent past and something she understands more now. I would be very interested to hear more from those who do have problems with her and offer my thoughts if desired.

Thank you very much, and I would be very willing to discuss more in detail if anyone wants.

Well, I already mentioned some of this to Poxnor, but since it's public now, I will give my 2 cents.

First of all, the charge of not practicing games is absurd from what I have seen.  I think this most likely refers to this past SGDQ, and if so I will say that Withhelde actually put in more total practice time for that event on her one game than I did on my 3. If you're going to "punish" her for that, then you should also punish me for barely beating Liger's time in Batman!

Holy Diver at Kings of Poverty was not the result of a lack of effort, as I was checking in with her and she was working on it. It was the result of adding that game on too short notice and not knowing about a lot of the Japanese strategies for that game. And King's Bounty was obviously 100% luck - the only mistake there may have been mine for including that game in the lineup.

I've played like garbage at my fair share of marathons, with far less valid reasons than Withhelde's had (and cyghfer definitely has, too!). It's just that those have been online marathons with a fraction of the GDQs' viewers, so people don't remember that. If you go to enough marathons, it's going to happen at some point.

JRPGs are Withhelde's passion when it comes to speedrunning, and she has much more of a history with SO3 than with anything else she's run in a marathon. You will have nothing to worry about with the quality of this run, period, and she's come up with a lot of clever tricks that will surprise fans of the game.

As to the other issues, I am obviously in a unique position here. In the time I've gotten to know Withhelde, she has been one of the kindest people I have known anywhere, and the last thing she wants to do is hurt others. We have had our issues at times, but they are the result of communication rather than, say, arrogance or malice. I think sometimes she may have assumed it was the other person's fault if she did not properly communicate her thoughts & intentions to them, and this is something we have discussed in the recent past and something she understands more now. I would be very interested to hear more from those who do have problems with her and offer my thoughts if desired.

Thank you very much, and I would be very willing to discuss more in detail if anyone wants.

Raelcun

Edit history:

Raelcun: 2013-10-14 04:42:11 pm

2013-10-14 04:40:33 pm

We require more minerals

Even just details on these accusations without who it was who leveled them upon her would be helpful.

If people aren't comfortable coming forward, then just giving more details to Poxnor so that he could share them and they can be answered to properly seems like it would be more helpful than a bunch of people trying to speak up against some vague complaints.

I don't know Withhelde that well, but upon hearing that I was honestly shocked. It just didn't seem to line up with what I know of her from our couple of interactions.

Josh the Funkdoc

2013-10-14 05:08:46 pm

spread the dirt to the populace

The "refusal to practice" seems to be the main charge in play here. This most likely stems from the fact that Withhelde did not stream her practice for SGDQ (neither did I, for the record), leading people to assume things when the run went over estimate.

Besides what I mentioned, she also made sure to get plenty of practice on the marathon PC, which was much different from her usual setup in terms of input lag/screen tearing/etc. The reality is that Super Marisa World is a very hard game for the wrong reasons (e.g. god-awful controls), making the variation between PCs a more significant issue than it would normally be. She did not use this an excuse to give up, but did what she could in the time available to adjust.

UraniumAnchor

2013-10-14 05:24:05 pm

Not a walrus

I can't speak for the practice or lack thereof, but I've never seen Withhelde be anything but nice, especially given that I did something incredibly stupid once (not worth going into here) that she had every right to be pissed off about, so I'm confused where the "belligerent" thing is coming from.

Klaige

2013-10-14 05:36:54 pm

As someone who's never spent any time with Witheheld in person I cannot fairly give any testimony on her, that being said I think this is extremely slippery slope that's being stood on. To say someone cannot attend an event because of their actions or character better come with an EXTREMELY good reason backed with concrete evidence and no bias towards that person/situation. You need to have done something damn near unforgivable in any factor and ther be absolutely no doubt about what happened to levy that kind of a stiff penalty. To not include someone in a charity event because "People I trust say X" and not have any names or concrete examples attached to it is pretty damn unfair. Maybe someone you trust has a personal bias against that person, or maybe they minsterpreted something that happened at a prior event.

If the policy becomes "I think this person is rude so im gonna convince the marathon organizer they should be banned" you are going to end up with a lot of people left out in the cold for attending marathons.

Again, I can't comment on witheheld fairly because i've never personally interacted with her, but there seem to be a lot of people who HAVE that are extremely confused by these allegations, and that says quite a bit IMO. If you're gonna ban someone from a marathon, there better be crystal clear reasons why that can't be refuted, because that is an extremely harsh penalty for somoene in this community.

As someone who's never spent any time with Witheheld in person I cannot fairly give any testimony on her, that being said I think this is extremely slippery slope that's being stood on.  To say someone cannot attend an event because of their actions or character better come with an EXTREMELY good reason backed with concrete evidence and no bias towards that person/situation.  You need to have done something damn near unforgivable in any factor and ther be absolutely no doubt about what happened to levy that kind of a stiff penalty.  To not include someone in a charity event because "People I trust say X" and not have any names or concrete examples attached to it is pretty damn unfair.  Maybe someone you trust has a personal bias against that person, or maybe they minsterpreted something that happened at a prior event.

If the policy becomes "I think this person is rude so im gonna convince the marathon organizer they should be banned" you are going to end up with a lot of people left out in the cold for attending marathons.

Again, I can't comment on witheheld fairly because i've never personally interacted with her, but there seem to be a lot of people who HAVE that are extremely confused by these allegations, and that says quite a bit IMO.  If you're gonna ban someone from a marathon, there better be crystal clear reasons why that can't be refuted, because that is an extremely harsh penalty for somoene in this community.

splixel

2013-10-14 05:38:00 pm

[setz]

Even if all of this is true, it seems kind of childish.

All parties involved should be able to put past grudges aside for events like this. If two people don't like each other that should be perfectly fine, that should be between them, and they should be able to handle it in their own way, and keep it out of a marathon, but should not be the basis for refusing entry.

That said, If Withhelde, or anyone, was rude at past marathons, someone probably should have taken her aside and talked to her about it. I don't see anything wrong with expecting people to act like adults, but at least act like adults in the treatment of it.