EnglandDefaulting to the position I always use when this topic comes up in various games: Split the categories, but do not define them as "RNG Manipulation" and "No RNG Manipulation"
Just call them Single Segment and Non-Single Segment, or some variant thereof. The point of RNG manipulation as it's used in the run is that you need to reset the console to gain a significant advantage, otherwise the most you're likely to get out of it is a good starting deck, and maybe a single MBD drop off Campaign Heishin if you're some sort of framecounting robot.
If you can't reset, you can't manip for drops. Simple as that.
Further info on why I think a category split is necessary to begin with: I am of the opinion that the usage of RNG manipulation as it's currently used in the run changes the character of the run significantly enough for it to be considered a different category. There are many other games that use RNG manip and have those runs counted on the same board as the non-manipped runs, but the application is entirely different. It's more about getting favourable outcomes that you could otherwise get through regular play without manip if you were lucky enough and just increasing consistency, more or less. Grinding for MBD on Heishin 1 is something that nobody would ever, ever do in a non-manipped run, and pretty much every duel thereafter is almost entirely based around throwing your hands to reach MBD as soon as possible. It's just not the same speedrun, IMO.
As far as I know the site doesn't offer this functionality yet, it's something I'd also like to see. The workaround you suggested is the best there is so far; remove the stat that's irrelevant for a specific category. You've then just got to hope that it's clear to runners which they're supposed to be tracking, so make sure it's explicitly stated in rules.
Very welcome changes so far, the biggest thing that I'd like to see changed at this point is that the WR History graphs in Statistics don't currently work. These are very useful for WR Progressions and the like, so I'd like to see these back ASAP!
I've changed the IL leaderboards to make No Death Abuse the default category. It's not really fair to have Death Abuse as the default when this gameplay style is no longer possible due to patches, and most of my times were without video in the first place.
Thank you for being so receptive to the feedback given so far, it bodes well to know that if we have a serious problem with stuff we won’t just be shouting into the void.
As far as I’m able to tell, most if not all of the issues highlighted can be reasonably addressed by giving users more options to choose from. Most of what I’m seeing is variations on “I’m stuck with this one thing and I don’t like it” in which case you should just strive to give users as many options as possible be it colour sliders for text/banners/themes etc. I appreciate that there’s logistical reasons for why certain limitations may need to exist, but I’d like to see as many options as possible
I quite like the new layout itself but the removal of custom backgrounds is no bueno. Seconding everyone else asking that you reconsider this element of the redesign in the future in some form, if you're that concerned about crappy backgrounds existing there's a better solution than "Nobody gets them".
Seconding, consistent framerate with indirect capture is much better than inconsistent framerate with direct capture. Just do your utmost to ensure that all the details such as the ingame timer are still clear and visible.
To give a more thorough explanation than my esteemed colleague above:
Undertale uses two action keys during text scenes, Z and X. Z immediately displays the remaining text in a text box, and X progresses to the next text box when the text has finished displaying (I may be getting these keys reversed, but the basic point is correct.)
These actions are mirrored by two keys you can use with the right hand: Enter and shift. Ultimately all that is required to text mash is to use the two action keys in rapid alternate succession; a TAS could achieve optimal text mashing by using only Z and X on alternating frames, but this is obviously not possible for humans, so we use both hands to facilitate faster mashing. (Note how some older runners such as TGH on occasion use a controller for specific cutscenes where you don't need to move immediately after the text finishes, on these occasions they're doing this "TAS style mashing" where they're just alternating between two buttons very quickly)
There are two main 'methods' of mashing, at least these were the two methods that were common when I ran actively: Random mashing, and Piano mashing. Random mashing is exactly what it sounds like; you just go wild on the keys and hope for the best results. I don't like this method very much as it has no guarantee of consistency since you have little control over key rollover (Performing the same action on multiple keys on the same frame), but some high level runners like Cookiepocalypse get really good results with this style.
Piano mashing by contrast is more methodical, and is what a lot of runners, myself included opt for. Referring back to what I said about the action keys being Z and X, mirrored on the right hand with Enter and Shift, the technique is to use a rolling action with your index/middle fingers on alternating hands to achieve a rapid Z > X > Enter > Shift > Z > X > Enter > Shift in an infinite sequence. The co-ordination required to do this efficiently can be tricky to develop, but it comes more easily with practice. My favourite way to practice this without having access to have any special tools is to open Notepad and perform the action for an extended time. If you output something that looks like this:
zx zx zx zx zx zx zx
Then you're doing it correctly. If it looks something like this:
zxzx zx zx zxzxzx
zxzx xz zxz x XZ zx
Then you're making a lot of errors. Notice as well how in the first instance there are no capital letters, this indicates that by the time I'm pressing Z, I've already released Shift, this is an important habit to develop early on if you intend to run the latest versions of Undertale as there are bugs concerning input rollover; if a key is currently pressed, the game will not register input from the opposite corresponding key. This is not present in the 1.01 version which a lot of people run, so you have a lot of options to consider.
Make your submissions here, two submissions per runner: https://t.co/Y3ZJGqWTTK
Marathon: Escape To The City (ETTC) Venue: Online Stream: https://www.twitch.tv/drakodan Moderators: Myself This is a fundraiser marathon to help SuperSonic raise the funds to get to ESA and peform his Sonic 1 Glitchless run. It will run on my stream on the listed dates for 12 hours each day, 10AM-10PM EST. Date: June 8th-9th
I recommend joining the Discord server and directly asking for help in the Sonic Adventure 2 channel in that case, you'll be able to describe the issue in greater detail and receive better help in response.
Could be worth trying a couple of things like running Sonic Adventure 2 and the Spades Tool as an Administrator, and making sure the MANIFEST file for Spades Tool is present in its file directory. It's been ages since I've set it up or fiddled with it, but I recall that being a necessary step in the configuration.
There's registry settings you can change so that Windows will never force a shutdown without your express permission, the fact that it's not default is baffling to me though.
Please check the forums before just creating a thread. This has been reported... At least ten times over the last couple of days.
The site staff. All of the site moderators responding in this thread have social media links, and the site Discord is easily accessible through the More menu at the top. These sorts of issues when aired publicly never amount to anything but a shitstorm of flaming, and it honestly can just worsen your case instead of help it.
Oh boy one of these cases again.
Why are you not having this addressed privately? There's OBVIOUSLY nothing that can be done without more specific details being provided, and this isn't the sort of thing that should be discussed publicly in the first place. Just take it to DMs.
Just because a mod will retime your run as part of their duties doesn't mean you should just expect them to do it for you, though. Game moderators can have a tough time keeping up with submissions if a game is active, and it's not fair to make their job harder by adding to their workload. Please make every effort to time your own runs (It's really not rocket science.) and only defer that responsibility if there's some technical knowledge involved that prevents you from accurately calc'ing the time.
Many people do opt for a 6-button, yes, and others still are fine with the original 3-button. Worth trying different options and seeing what works for you.
If you'd like to ask more questions and get faster responses, you should also join the community Discord server, which is shown on the left-hand side.
You're almost always going to need to ask for regulations and rules on a game-by-game basis, so a specific game's forum is a good place to ask these questions, or directly contacting the moderators.
Generally speaking with controllers, you don't have to stick with the original hardware as long as the controller you're using doesn't facilitate actions that can't be used on the original controller (Such as no simultaneous up+down inputs, no turbo etc) and this is the case for Sonic 2 at the very least.
The leaderboards themselves are where you post your times, such as the Sonic 2 boards. The moderators will ensure that your details are correct before verifying (or reject the run if anything is blatantly wrong, please read the rules before submitting a run.) but we do ask that you do make an effort to submit correct timing, as it makes our workload a lot easier.
