Illinois, USANow that the NEScathlon is over, we are back to requiring a reset at the beginning of each run.
If you are new to running NG3 this simply means, if using an emulator, you must reset the game before each run and include that reset in the video submission.
Thank you -t0
In order to keep things congruent between the three NG NES titles, we are implementing a global Mesen ban for now.
"Hi,
The mod team have decided to ban the emulator Mesen because of a potential run ahead feature, listed here: https://www.mesen.ca/docs/configuration/emulation.html. "Run ahead allows the reduction of input lag by the number of frames specified. CPU requirements increase proportionally with the number of run ahead frames specified."
We've noticed other boards for speedgames ban it too and we'd like to implement a ban across all NES ninja gaidens as well.
All currently submitted runs done with Mesen will be approved, but future submissions will be rejected"
(Written by Backslash)
With the significant increase in NG runners over the past several months, I wanted to give a friendly reminder to head on over to the NG Discord. Feel free to invite any ninjas or ninja's in training you may know as well!
It's a fun-loving community full of advice and encouragement! Plus, it's the ONLY place where talking to ninjas about ninja stuff is acceptable...
...But I'd recommend staying away from the guy in the red and black outfit. He's rude, smells like chimichangas, and isn't even a real ninja >.>
Hope to see you there!
With the significant increase in NG runners over the past several months, I wanted to give a friendly reminder to head on over to the NG Discord. Feel free to invite any ninjas or ninja's in training you may know as well!
It's a fun-loving community full of advice and encouragement! Plus, it's the ONLY place where talking to ninjas about ninja stuff is acceptable...
...But I'd recommend staying away from the guy in the red and black outfit. He's rude, smells like chimichangas, and isn't even a real ninja >.>
Hope to see you there!
It is important that you record and submit your videos with a 4:3 or "Pixel Perfect" screen ratio.
Stretched screens either with HDMI widescreen or emulation make it harder for the mods to determine if a run is running at accurate FPS (frames per second).
Stretched screens, even by small proportions, make games appear to be running at a faster FPS than they are. Likewise, a squished screen makes it look slower. As mods, we can manually try to correct this when verifying, but its extra work and will not always guarantee we get the ratio corrected.
If we are unable to determine the correct FPS, your runs will be denied.
You can directly change this on your TV or Screen, or within the emulator you're using. And if you absolutely must play with a stretched screen, you can even fix it in OBS by altering the aspect ratio of the video.
Thank you, -Twin
Im posting this here in case there is anyone unsure of why there are 2 seperate versions of the rom and not sure which to choose. As far as I know, either of the roms are completely acceptable to use for speedrunning the game and submitting to SRC.
First off, I am part of the team that made the romhack. Originally when we released the game, the menu defaulted to Merc mode (hard mode) because we felt that players would 1st play Mercy, then Merc, and then settle on playing Merc mode from there on out.
However, since everyone has been running Mercy mode, we decided to release an "updated patch" that swaps the menu to Mercy mode (easy mode) as default.
The entire point of the updated version of the game is a simple quality of life improvement so runners no longer need to go through the menu each time. They can simply pick the "version" they want to run and start the game. The ONLY difference between the roms is a menu swap, which isn't even included in the timing.
Hey all, this may seem like a silly question, but what is the proper way to frame count a run?
Let me throw out an arbitrary number: 38075 frames
What is the most accurate way to determine that time down to milliseconds?
Thanks
So my biggest frustration with NG2 are the wall slashes. When you're slashing, it's so easy to accidentally use your subweapon. Is there a trick to this I'm not seeing? Maybe a specific way to hold the controller or dpad?
I find if I rotate the controller a bit, it helps some, but I still find myself accidentally using the sub when I go really fast.
If there is a specific strat or tech thing, would someone mind making a short tutorial or adding a picture so I can see it? I'm a visual learner, I need to see it to understand it.
Thanks
I'd like to make a few suggestions to make it easier to get your runs verified and avoid being rejected. These are all completely optional but are a way to help both you and the mods.
These are not "rules" and are not a means for rejection by themselves. But they are all advisable and helpful in proving legitimacy in your submissions.
Please note, these are all general suggestions, and not specific to NG3 or any particular game. : : -- Only submit the PB run itself, along with the required reset beforehand. Adding any ending to the vod is up to you. But I'd recommend including at a minimum, 5 seconds worth after the final split. Be sure to exclude any other videos or other runs before or after the run itself.
-- Having the controller/ keyboard clicks audibly in the vod is very helpful. This makes it easier to line up your movements in the game with the actions on your controller or keyboard.
-- Add some form of communication option in your Speedrun profile. So if a mod has a question, they can contact you directly. Otherwise, they have to reject your run just to tell you something.
-- Handcams or whole body cams (waist up) that capture your controller are a great means to verify legitimacy. Along with button inputs on screen.
-- Include the game audio, straight from the game, as you are playing it.
-- Do not cover the game screen with anything during the run, like extra windows, other videos, etc. Certain games may have moving parts or indicators that mods will look for to verify legitimacy. If parts of the game are covered up, it can be harder to detect if a run is spliced or cheated. Which means the likelihood of a run being rejected is higher.
-- Frame-counting a vod is generally a good idea. It takes only a minute or so to do it and can help in distinguishing time accuracy. It can help distinguish between 2 people with the same ranking for example and is usually a requirement for the top 5 or so placements. If you want more info on this, please contact me or ask about it on here. : : I'll add more suggestions as I think of them. But again, these are all generic, they are not rules, and are just meant to help everyone out.
I don't want seem like I'm trying to beat a dead horse, but I feel the need to bring this up.
So I have a soft modded Wii that lets me play emulated games on there. So I got a new controller today, a Wii Classic controller to use with it.
With real NES controllers, my all time fastest mash speed in MashyMashy is 8.4/s using the NES Dogbone controller. With my new Wii Classic controller, my mashing jumped up to 9.0 to 9.5/s instantly....with 2 handed mashing and I wasn't even breaking a sweat.
I bring this us because it has me revisiting the topic of emulators, controller, keyboards, etc. I know this is already been discussed at length, but with my new finding, I'm wondering whats going on. Is my controller + emulator cheating? If it is faster somehow, should that be allowed? Or are my real NES controllers just not up to snuff?
As I said, this topic was discussed at length on the NG3 forums. But this is sort of new, so I'm bringing it up here.Would appreciate some feedback. Thanks
Watching Arcus today, he was having trouble with one of his controller, finding that it can do everything except mash well. While he also has a 2nd controller that mashes well, but doesn't do everything else well. And brought up the question of would it be allowed to swap out controllers in the run?
I too have had this issue and was considering doing it. But figured it might be a good time to ask the community.
Personally, I see nothing wrong with it. It's not like you're switching out to a turbo controller or something, which doesn't work on NG anyhow. It's really hard to find a controller where everything works well on without spending hundreds of dollars and going through dozens of controllers. I've personally spent well over $100 in the past month trying to find 1 working controller and am as close as I'm going to get without spending a lot more.
So thoughts? Should this be allowed or not?
---- I want to be clear, I am in no way questioning Arcus' time on his NG WR, that is not why I'm asking this. I've been doing a lot of frame-counting as of late, and want to know what is most accurate. ----
Start:762 End:42716 Frames: 41954 / 60 = 699.233 seconds = 11:39.233
Ok, so I was frame counting Arcus' newest WR vod, his 11:39.233 using the software YUA and had to use an online calculator that allows you to punch in the frames and it automatically gives you the time in return. Since I'm new to using YUA, I couldn't find a way to get a time back from the software, even though I'm sure there is a way. The Frames to time calculator is found here: https://current360.com/apps/timecode-calculator/tc.html . Using either the 59.97 or 60FPS setting and punching in the frames, it came out to 11:39.14. Sounds good to me. PS. I didn't have access to a normal calculator so I used the online one. Using a normal calculator would have probably been better :P
I ended up confirming with Beastworm, who was also frame counting it for fun. He was using the software Avidemux. Beastworm said his frame count came to the exact same start and end frame, with an equal 41,954 frames, exactly as mine did. However, his total frame count time came out to 11:39.592 which was very odd. The software he was using gave him the time directly on it after selecting the frames.
Later he tried it again on VirtualDub...which came out as a solid 11:39.233...the same time as Arcus' frame count. I tried VDub myself and also came out with 11:39.233. Things were starting to look consistent.
So the question I'm asking is, what is the "best" and the most accurate way to frame count a vod? Let us say a Twitch vod? What about a Youtube vod? I mean, they are encoded differently correct? Is it software dependent? Or just the way they are encoded? What if the player is recording at 30FPS and it gets encoded by Twitch or Youtube, do we still frame count it and then divide it by the same?
I was told that the way we frame count is to divide by 29.97 for a 30fps encoded vod and 60.059 for actual gameplay or 60fps video playback. So why did 3 separate methods, all with the exact same frame count come back with 3 different results?
The summary of frames and times are down below for review.
Frames: 41954 / 60 = 699.233 seconds = 11:39.233 Avidemux: 11:39.592 Online Frame to Time calculator @ either 59.95 or 60FPS: 11:39.14 VirtualDub:11:39.233 Arcus using VideoReDo software straight from DVD: 11:39.233
Probably not the greatest place to ask about this. But anyone have a quick guide to learning how to TAS? I'm putting together an in-depth NG tutorial and being able to pinpoint the exact spots/ frames you can or can't do something via TAS, would be extremely useful.
Looking for simple, straightforward, and relatively easy to understand :P But any kind of beginners guide would be very much appreciated.
Thanks guys
Is there an accurate method to test that a run in a vod is going at exactly 60FPS (or whatever the exact FPS of the NES runs at) and not like, 0.01 faster or slower.
If there is a way, can you please explain it to me a bit? Would very much appreciate it.
I'm fairly new to NG3 speedruns. But I have almost 2 years of NG1 speedrunning practice under the belt as well as several other games. And from what I know of NG1 and NG2 is that the keyboard allows inputs faster than a real NES controller can output.
For example. I have used my real NES controller and practiced the quick kill for the 1st boss in the US version, for several hours. I can kill him slightly after his 3rd flame, as other runners have achieved. However, even with a turbo controller, which is obviously cheating, I can't get the same speeds that the WR video has, killing the boss on the 2nd flame. Even when I mimic the exact movements, pixel-perfect positioning and attacks, I can't strike my sword as fast as in the video. The US WR video gets in 2 extra strikes that are simply not possible with a controller, saving time on the run. To be sure, I tested things with a keyboard and sure enough, I could kill the boss on the 2nd flame, same as the US WR video. My attacks were noticeably faster and wall climbing was also easier to get consistent on.
There is a reason keyboard use is not allowed in Ninja Gaiden 1 & 2. I think keyboard use should NOT be allowed for runs in the top 10 or so spots for any NES Ninja Gaiden game, let alone a WR run, which I believe was done on the US NG3 run (you can clearly hear the keyboard inputs). I understand that real hardware is expensive and not everyone can get their hands on them, but when we are talking a WR, we need to be as fair and clear about things as possible.
To be clear, I am not calling anyone a cheater. Using a keyboard is not cheating, but it is, in my opinion, an unfair advantage to using a controller as it makes certain things easier and inputs are faster. I think the rules for NG3 have been too slack since it's not as popular as the other two in the series.
I ask that the NG3 mods please take my consideration into account and look into it. If it is agreed upon, then please look into the current NG3 US WR video and see if you agree that a keyboard was used. If you believe it to be so, perhaps making a separate" keyboard use" category would mitigate things. I do not wish to discredit the amazing run done by Xiuluowentian, simply because he used a keyboard (if he did).
Thank you for taking a look at my request.
I'm getting ready to run PR and was told there is a beginners guide floating around somewhere. I see Sidetrakkd's guide, which I was told is more advanced.
Anyone know of the other guide? I'd like to get as much information as possible.
Also, is there a PR Discord?
Thanks everyone
I'm sure this has been brought up many times. But I wanted to address it here, on my own accord.
Firstly, when it comes to records, SR.com is #1. So much so, that many runners refuse to run Mega Man games simply because they don't want to use the Megamanleaderboards, which is sad that it comes to that, but it stresses the need for changes to be made regarding the Mega Man game series.
I'm sure both leaderboards have their reasons for keeping the games separate. But not everyone knows about the Megamanleaderboards. Whatever the reason, there has to be a simple solution.
Perhaps something as simple as listing each Mega Man game and then placing a link to the Megamanleaderboards site, so people know it exists. Or perhaps it's far more complex, such as talking to the owners of the site and working out some sort of merge or API to sync between. I do not have the technical know-how to suggest something further than that. However, I strongly feel that something like that needs to happen.
If all my speedrun records are on SR.com, then why should I be forced to use the Megamanleaderboards.net site just for my Mega Man records? It seems wrong and inconvenient for everyone, both those who want to see the records and the runner themselves.
As I stated previously, I'm sure this has been brought up more than once. And therefore I am sorry for repeating what has been presented in the past. However, I believe there is a solution somewhere.
Thanks for your time.
Can we get a way to add "likes" or comments to speedruns? I'm not saying we make this a social platform. It just makes sense that we should be able to comment on runs.
_ "So&So get's a new WR in Such&Such" ¤367 thumbs up¤
"hey great job! Well done!" "WR HYPE!" "I knew you could do it!" _
Some of these runners don't have a Twitter account. Or maybe they don't stream regularly, so it's hard to catch them online to congratulate them or to add some encouragement.
Adding an option to send personal messages would also be a great feature. Sure you can ask questions on forums, but it's sometimes easier to just message someone directly.
It should be in the settings whether or not to allow people to message you or not. If you don't want private messages, that's fine, turn it off, no more PMs. But I'd argue that the vast majority of people wouldn't mind getting a question here or there.
All this interactivity would have some downsides. I understand that. We'd have the occasional troll, which is why a "report" feature would need to be added. Which is pretty standard. It would also mean a little more work for mods and admins. To deal with those reports. Website bugs and such aren't that difficult to overcome, especially when the community is made of techies. But overall, the good would heavily outweigh the bad.
Just some basic suggestions, nothing too crazy. This would really add some personal interaction to the site. This is a great community. And from what I've seen over the past year is that most people are encouraging and want to add hype to accomplishments. We should encourage users to do so with comments and thumbs ups.
So, something I'd love to see within this site, is the ability to follow runners. You can follow specific games, which is fantastic, but sometimes, you want to see all the games a specific runners plays.
Maybe I follow someone on Twitch, but can't be there to watch all the time. And would like to know when they get a new PB or WR, so I can go and congratulate them. But if I'm not following the specific games that runner is playing, I wouldn't be notified until I was able to watch them on Twitch, maybe a week or two later.
It would be very beneficial to everyone if you could follow the runners you really like watching but can't spend every waking moment stalking their Twitch. Please make this happen.
[To the web devs: I wanted to report a bug with your contact link (why I'm posting this in the forums instead of contacting you guys directly). Currently, if I click on the "Contact" link, nothing happens. I can see in the HTML that it's supposed to send a user to their email with the address "contact@speedrun.com" but I was unable to locate the "fa fa-at" class in the CSS to determine what the cause might be, as the HTML looks good. Anyhow, thought I'd point this out to you.]
