Worthless categories WR master
This 'no major skips' single-segment category is quite outdated. It has seen no serious competition for as long as I know (at least 5 years, probably 8 years), and the currently displayed run of 4 hours 26 minutes could most probably be improved by about 1:10 to 1:20, as a rough estimate - maybe even sub-3 hours is reasonable.
Instead, consider No Levels Early. The definition of NLE is less restrictive than 'no major skips' but is also much clearer: you can beat the game however you wish, but you cannot enter lobbies that were not unlocked and you cannot skip satisfying B. Locker's banana requests. In short, you cannot enter levels early. This category is a relatively new one that was created by the DK64 community as we were in need of a run that was longer than 40 minutes but shorter than 6 hours and a half. The old version, 100GB, was considered too arbitrary since it did not restrict any level except hideout helm, and it also did not require boss keys aside from the bare minimum you inevitably need.
That being said, it uses the Intro Story Glitch to perform the Funky Weapons Glitch, which gives Funky's Weapons at the beginning of the game. This very glitch is what makes any% fall into the 'new game+' category, since it uses cartridge-wide progress (that has to be unlocked once and cannot be erased without fiddling with the game memory) to transfer multiplayer elements on a fresh save file. Note that the progress isn't a file save or anything like that, though. The stuff you get in your file actually comes from the multiplayer mode.
Therefore, NLE would still technically fall into the 'new game+' category, which I guess would be problematic since 'no major skips' is kind of exactly not that.
Now, consider my opinion on the subject. I believe that NLE should replace Single-segment with deaths because:
1. This current definition actually does not exclude the possibility of doing exactly like Manocheese's run, aside from having to buy two guns. With current strategies, I could very well see a no FWG single-segment run be completed in about 47 minutes. The 'no major skips' part is kind of implied, but not even stated.
2. No major skips is vague. What constitutes a major skip? Is skipping shutting off the blast-o-matic a major skip? Is skipping feeding Scoff a major skip? Is skipping Nintendo and Rareware coin a major skip? Is entering a level or a lobby early a major skip? Is skipping buying an instrument to open a door that opens up half of a level by going out of bounds a major skip? Most skips are obviously major or not major, but some can be argued both ways. No Levels Early is as clear as it can be: No entering levels early, period.
3. It has recognition and competition. The community recognizes 3 "official" categories: any%, NLE, 101%. There's a number of small side-categories but these are the 3 that have leaderboards and are recognized. Like I said earlier, the run on SDA right now might very well be the last run of that particular category in DK64, and it was done in 2006. NLE has been pushed down to about 3:10 by Cfox, then all the way down to 2:42 by me and is now getting quite optimized by 2dos, who reached 2:35 not too long ago. There are 12 times registered on the DK64 leaderboards for it, and it is seeing a new runner every now and then.
4. Single-segment is in itself kind of an outdated concept. SDA now allows single segment with resets, and a huge portion of speedruns are now timed in real-time, with use of saves, deaths and resets however it is the fastest, which I think is a better idea than restricting the use of resetting. However, NLE does not abuse resets, using only two, both very late in the run and close together.
So, these are my arguments. In short, I think NLE is a straight-up improvement on the current category on the site because it is clearer, much more recognized, has competition and has much more optimized times than Single-segment with resets. Please overlook the specifics of FWG and not let a minor definition detail keep a good category from being featured on the site over an old, dead one that hasn't seen a run in almost a decade. In my opinion, SDA should strive to show the very best of what the games have to offer, and replacing SS w/ deaths with NLE would definitely be a step in that direction.
Instead, consider No Levels Early. The definition of NLE is less restrictive than 'no major skips' but is also much clearer: you can beat the game however you wish, but you cannot enter lobbies that were not unlocked and you cannot skip satisfying B. Locker's banana requests. In short, you cannot enter levels early. This category is a relatively new one that was created by the DK64 community as we were in need of a run that was longer than 40 minutes but shorter than 6 hours and a half. The old version, 100GB, was considered too arbitrary since it did not restrict any level except hideout helm, and it also did not require boss keys aside from the bare minimum you inevitably need.
That being said, it uses the Intro Story Glitch to perform the Funky Weapons Glitch, which gives Funky's Weapons at the beginning of the game. This very glitch is what makes any% fall into the 'new game+' category, since it uses cartridge-wide progress (that has to be unlocked once and cannot be erased without fiddling with the game memory) to transfer multiplayer elements on a fresh save file. Note that the progress isn't a file save or anything like that, though. The stuff you get in your file actually comes from the multiplayer mode.
Therefore, NLE would still technically fall into the 'new game+' category, which I guess would be problematic since 'no major skips' is kind of exactly not that.
Now, consider my opinion on the subject. I believe that NLE should replace Single-segment with deaths because:
1. This current definition actually does not exclude the possibility of doing exactly like Manocheese's run, aside from having to buy two guns. With current strategies, I could very well see a no FWG single-segment run be completed in about 47 minutes. The 'no major skips' part is kind of implied, but not even stated.
2. No major skips is vague. What constitutes a major skip? Is skipping shutting off the blast-o-matic a major skip? Is skipping feeding Scoff a major skip? Is skipping Nintendo and Rareware coin a major skip? Is entering a level or a lobby early a major skip? Is skipping buying an instrument to open a door that opens up half of a level by going out of bounds a major skip? Most skips are obviously major or not major, but some can be argued both ways. No Levels Early is as clear as it can be: No entering levels early, period.
3. It has recognition and competition. The community recognizes 3 "official" categories: any%, NLE, 101%. There's a number of small side-categories but these are the 3 that have leaderboards and are recognized. Like I said earlier, the run on SDA right now might very well be the last run of that particular category in DK64, and it was done in 2006. NLE has been pushed down to about 3:10 by Cfox, then all the way down to 2:42 by me and is now getting quite optimized by 2dos, who reached 2:35 not too long ago. There are 12 times registered on the DK64 leaderboards for it, and it is seeing a new runner every now and then.
4. Single-segment is in itself kind of an outdated concept. SDA now allows single segment with resets, and a huge portion of speedruns are now timed in real-time, with use of saves, deaths and resets however it is the fastest, which I think is a better idea than restricting the use of resetting. However, NLE does not abuse resets, using only two, both very late in the run and close together.
So, these are my arguments. In short, I think NLE is a straight-up improvement on the current category on the site because it is clearer, much more recognized, has competition and has much more optimized times than Single-segment with resets. Please overlook the specifics of FWG and not let a minor definition detail keep a good category from being featured on the site over an old, dead one that hasn't seen a run in almost a decade. In my opinion, SDA should strive to show the very best of what the games have to offer, and replacing SS w/ deaths with NLE would definitely be a step in that direction.
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