Standard for End Point of Speedrun

2015-07-30 07:47:32 pm

Hey guys,

I need some advice on a speedrun that I have planned, with regards to how to time it accurately. There is no on-screen timer displayed at the end of the game and the only time the menu is opened during my planned route is around the 1 hour point of a ~2 hour 30 minute run as it's inefficient to do so anywhere else, so using the in-game timer will not be possible if my understanding is correct.

So I know that time should end right at the final input before the end of the game, but the game in question has the following sequence right at the end:-

-> Final Input 1
-> Long unskippable cutscene 1 and credits
-> Skippable Cutscene 1
-> "The End" screen
-> Unskippable Cutscene 2
-> Small amount of gameplay (About 5 inputs)
-> Skippable Cutscene 2
-> "To be continued" screen
-> Skippable dialogue
-> Save prompt (for postgame bonuses)

I'm uncertain as to whether the "end of the game" for speedrun timing purposes comes at:
- The final input before the end credits
- The final input before the "The End" screen (so when skippable cutscene 1 after the credits is skipped), or
- The final input before the "To Be Continued" screen (so when skippable cutscene 2 is skipped).

I've only been able to find one other speedrun of the game in question, and it has counted its end point as being the end of the post-credits small amount of gameplay, before skippable cutscene 2. Which just seems weird. So my question is: Is there a standard definition for the end of the run that would help this confusion? I can't see anything in the rules or FAQ. Apologies if this is posted in the wrong place.

I've omitted the name of the game because I was hoping that I'd get a more general answer, rather than one tailored to the game itself.

Thanks for reading, guys. Any input is greatly appreciated.

Thread title:

Hey guys,

I need some advice on a speedrun that I have planned, with regards to how to time it accurately. There is no on-screen timer displayed at the end of the game and the only time the menu is opened during my planned route is around the 1 hour point of a ~2 hour 30 minute run as it's inefficient to do so anywhere else, so using the in-game timer will not be possible if my understanding is correct.

So I know that time should end right at the final input before the end of the game, but the game in question has the following sequence right at the end:-

-> Final Input 1
-> Long unskippable cutscene 1 and credits
-> Skippable Cutscene 1
-> "The End" screen
-> Unskippable Cutscene 2
-> Small amount of gameplay (About 5 inputs)
-> Skippable Cutscene 2
-> "To be continued" screen
-> Skippable dialogue
-> Save prompt (for postgame bonuses)

I'm uncertain as to whether the "end of the game" for speedrun timing purposes comes at:
- The final input before the end credits
- The final input before the "The End" screen (so when skippable cutscene 1 after the credits is skipped), or
- The final input before the "To Be Continued" screen (so when skippable cutscene 2 is skipped).

I've only been able to find one other speedrun of the game in question, and it has counted its end point as being the end of the post-credits small amount of gameplay, before skippable cutscene 2. Which just seems weird. So my question is: Is there a standard definition for the end of the run that would help this confusion? I can't see anything in the rules or FAQ. Apologies if this is posted in the wrong place.

I've omitted the name of the game because I was hoping that I'd get a more general answer, rather than one tailored to the game itself.

Thanks for reading, guys. Any input is greatly appreciated.

Vibex

2015-07-30 08:12:46 pm

Honestly I think you can do whatever you want. If you are the only one running the game, set the standard yourself. If I was doing it I would end it at the final input. The 5 inputs after the credits just sound trivial.
But if someone else has already run the game, just do what they have done so that you can accurately compare times.

UraniumAnchor

2015-07-30 08:16:33 pm

Not a walrus

For what it's worth SDA would likely not include the gameplay bit in the middle of the ending, see Amazing Mirror for another example (you can shoot the boss for bonus points during the credits sequence).

HoboWithaShotgun

2015-07-31 09:54:32 am

Wake up and be awesome

Your situation is similar to the one I faced when speedrunning Watch Dogs. So for example, the game ends with you pressing one button to kill someone, simple enough. Then a 8 minute unskippable credits slide rolls along, which sucks. Then AFTER the credits, there's one additional mission your forced to do (which is really just either kill a man in one shot, or walk away). None of the Watch Dog runners wanted to include such a trivial and useless mission, since we'd have to sit through the goddamn credits, wasting so much time, just to press one more button. So we decided the timer should stop when we kill the guy before the credits roll, and now it's official. While I haven't talked with any of the SDA admins about where the official time would end if I submitted it here, I'm sure they'd also agree.

Mindez

2015-07-31 10:13:43 am

Alright. The unskippable cutscene and credits sequence is actually around 9 minutes long, so that's pretty much the answer that I was hoping for. Thanks for the replies, guys.

I guess I should probably include in the run all the way through to the 'to be continued' screen when I come to submit the run for SDA verification, just in case there's any dispute about it.