AntarcticaMetzix - [quote]Overall, the only little issue I see is the timer on the vod is messy but every person can use resolution toggling which is the fairest thing right now compared to vsync.[/quote]
Fwiw the fairest method right now is TAS as switching between different resolutions can take more or less time depending on your hardware.
We're mostly running a PC game, so I don't think there will ever be a completely level playing field, but at least for me, advocating for tools over the config file method of resolution toggling is just about the convenience of it all - especially because some people are saying one of the problems of res-toggling is the way it messes up streams and viewer experience, Dxtory reduces the impact of both those issues. (Under the assumption, of course, that clipping-type exploits remain in the game. If we revert to Legacy-style runs, then that's obviously moot.)
Beyond this discussion I guess we should also just try and find some other ways to make the game more popular again, if possible.
I mean, what's happening is people found crazy ways of destroying the game, and they turn out to not be very fun in some cases, and we're trying to figure out what to do about it. I know you don't want to use res toggling, in the same way I don't feel like going back to 3-hour runs as the only existing category... I think tools would help cut down on how clunky and annoying res toggling is, that's all.
That's why I think a good solution would be to have categories for both. Could rename Legacy to Glitchless or something to increase its standing. We'd then have Glitchless, Any%, All Missions, and maybe throw in a No Major Glitches category that would exclude res toggling (and maybe vsync, but I don't have a particularly strong opinion on that one way or another).
That's why I think switching to allowing tools is the best solution. It doesn't require resolution toggling, it doesn't mess up desktops (which is a huge pain and one of the reasons I only ran Any% once to get a time on the board), it doesn't even require messing with config files - although I personally don't think that's a good argument one way or another as we already do that even for Legacy runs (mouse scroll to use/button mash).
As opinions seem pretty divided, maybe the best solution would be to add another category that does not allow for res toggling (or what amounts to res toggling) but keeps crouch clipping. The hardware issues regarding vsync definitely are a problem, but like I said about res toggling, someone who doesn't feel like they want or can run a category like that, wouldn't have to. I just personally think the skips and routes res toggling allows are too interesting to give up on.
I'm gonna go ahead and say we should go with option 5: Keep all the clips, allow Dxtory (or similar) to facilitate them.
My thoughts on some specific issues:
Yes, the game does not look pretty at 5 FPS. I think using a tool will help this issue somewhat because we should not get bad flickering or tearing anymore, but it's still a slide show. The actual clips only take a few seconds, of course, so over the course of a run (more on the categories below) viewers and runners would only have to deal with this for a short amount of time. And using a tool actually helps with this! I just tried it out in a few spots, it takes less time to set up, it takes less time to turn it off, there is no black flickering, and you can be a lot more precise with how long you have to use it, which also cuts down on the time the toggle is active.
Any% is probably a dead category. I think if we keep clips, then All Missions will become the category of choice for most people. It shows off a lot of the game and, unlike Any%, which is three minutes of exposition, five minutes of running, two big clips, and then more running, is actually fun. I have to say I haven't been a big fan of Any% since the shotgun route (because it was basically completely luck-based) anyway, so I wouldn't be terribly upset about this. There are other games where the true Any% route is not the first choice for most runners - Super Metroid comes to mind, the most famous categories are Any% without major glitches (heh) and 100%.
I would hate it if we ended up banning clips and everyone went back to 3-hour runs. Sections of this game just drag on for so long, and I have stared at Axel's butt too many times and for too long to be enthusiastic about going back to that after we've discovered all these neat tricks for getting around that. I also don't think this will magically make the game more popular again or anything. Alien: Isolation speedruns are a niche within a niche, I don't think we will ever have more than a handful of people running this game. All Missions seems like a good compromise between keeping sweet speedtech while still showing off the actual game. You have the benefit of skipping long and tiresome parts, but things like M14 Nest and Reactor sections (not to mention runkiller M16 :D ) are still in. But Legacy runs simply take a very long time. Most runners can only really do one attempt per stream, which I think can also contribute to people losing interest. Not that I blame runners for it, I hate having to start over after dying in M11 or something (because of all the previous boring crap), but I remember when I got into this game how cool it was to catch Psycho streaming it - and how much it sucked if he had a bad mission and would end the stream early because starting over again after already putting, like, an hour and a half into a run was a lot of wasted time. Legacy runs are fun sometimes, but I'd be pretty annoyed if that became the only category again.
Initially I thought I would be in favour of banning toggling and keeping clipping, but I have to say I've changed my mind on that. Some of the crouch clips are very RNG-heavy, using resolution toggling (as in, tool-assisted FPS change) levels the playing field there and makes it easier for everyone to get the big clips without having to try over and over until they get it right. I was pretty much unable to run
So I think we should focus on making the game better to watch (by using tools), more fun to play (by running All Missions or Legacy), and getting new people involved (by doing things like regular races like Ruuj has suggested and is currently planning). No one has to run Any% - I did it to get a time on the board, I'm done with that category now - having fun should still be the main concern, but for me at least that would not be a three-hour run or lucking out on an elevator clip when a very consistent method is available. Maybe a good compromise there would be to create another category that does ban toggling. You know, no major glitches! :D
What Curbstompers said.
I do think we should start sorting by IGT (I personally couldn't realistically run before, my hardware is just too old to be anything approaching "competitive" because of how long level/in-level load times are), but as far as older runs are concerned, if other games use option 3, then that seems like a consensus we should adopt as well.
Slightly related, I just realised I should get back into Mirror's Edge...
Nice find!
You can even activate the robot first, it gives you a few extra seconds to attempt to stun the guard.
