Okay, after trying some stuff with the intro, here's what I think:
You don't have to be precise when skipping the intro cutscene, you can pre-hold A during the loading screen. Given that the loading screens before and after are inconsistent, maybe timing can start on clearing the first dialogue bubble.
You can skip the opening cutscene, which IMO counts as a first action. You can also skip the dialogue before getting control. Is the time between file select and control inconsistent?
If IGT is confirmed to be inaccurate, it shouldn't be used. Consoles losing to PC because of loading isn't great but false times are worse.
All Weapons and No DLC Weapons? I can get behind that.
E: They should probably be called Any% and Any% No DLC respectively.
Have they? Well that's interesting. I'd personally still prefer if they weren't allowed (it alters the early game way too much) but I'm totally okay with them being allowed if everyone else is on board. We'd need to make a specific list of which ones are/aren't restricted.
I'm definitely interested in giving this a go. I'm afraid I don't have any sample articles to show off, but I wrote a short analysis of a Halo 4 mechanic not too long ago. Hopefully there's enough there for you to see my writing style.
I've got a lot of free time on my hands currently, so devoting time to researching different runs and events is no issue. Thanks in advance for the consideration!
If there was enough support for planets/main missions only (NG+ Story?) I could see them becoming their own categories. The thing is, we already have 4 "not IL" categories and 3 don't get any attention, so adding more doesn't make a lot of sense unless there's demand for them.
Side missions only feels kinda silly, personally.
You've submitted more than a few runs with incorrect labels, though you might not have noticed because at first I edited them for you instead of rejecting them. There was also a run you verified while you were mod that had the wrong difficulty selected. You can edit existing runs (and it's best to do so as they're still saved on your profile under "obsolete runs").
Being straight up honest: I don't like that you claimed "faster verification" as a reason for being a mod. I get to every run within 24 hours, and mods have more responsibility than just hitting a button when a run comes in. It makes it sound like you want to bypass moderation rather than help with it.
I'm happy to discuss this with you elsewhere so as to not clutter this forum.
I can understand your reasoning behind adding him as a mod. I never intended to be the sole mod for Destiny, but the other two mods seemed to have given up on trying to moderate it. I've left them as mods because they were around before me and I don't want to step on any toes. I'm also very active - I'm just doing more R&D than actual runs at the moment, as there's an update to the game coming soon that will make various things faster.
I opted out of the "Other" folder on Twitch. I also checked Twitter/YouTube/the forums and there were no messages. I don't believe Zecora should be a mod as he has submitted several runs under the wrong category and/or with the wrong variables despite me letting him know he's doing it. I don't feel like I can trust him to appropriately check other runs.
Edit: I've also just noticed he's adding unnecessary mod comments to other people's runs.
Yeah hi, Zecora never messaged me about being a mod for Destiny. I would like him removed.
From Retro Tracks rules:
[quote]Starts when you press "OK" after selecting the Shell Cup[/quote]
Is the loading time between OK and the race starting the same as the loading time between hitting Next Race and the race starting?
Also this is a valid point not addressed:
[quote=burkhalter83]You could apply it to 32 track and Nitro cups, but not retro,since the first race of retro, you would be starting in the middle of a cup, rather than at the beginning. i.e., you'd be in first place from Rainbow Road, rather than starting in 12th from the Versus screen per the results for Retro.[/quote]
I think the leaderboards will only show your fastest time, UNLESS you change the filter at the top of the page to only show 150cc runs, at which point it will show your fastest 150cc run.
If you think someone has been submitting times incorrectly, you should message the mods and let them know.
Yeah they are, but with the way speedrun.com formats the leaderboards, they fit better in the full-game area.
I totally forgot to update that timing rule when I changed the categories around. The only thing is, since the levels with end cutscenes don't show "mission complete" at the end, we need a unified point where the run would be considered complete, no matter which mission you end on.
I think that for now, just using RTA is best. I really doubt the full game categories will become extremely competitive, and getting into complicated timing rules can drain the fun out of doing runs.
50cc and 100cc are left out because 150cc is faster and speedruns are about speed. 200cc is faster than 150cc so it should be included.