I'd like the active runners' opinion on this.

In my experience, savestates (including the suspend points built into Nintendo Classics/Virtual Console) conventionally aren't allowed in speedruns, even if loaded before the timer starts.

Currently, this game doesn't specifically have a rule against it. Should this be added to the rules?

If starting a run from a savestate is allowed, it would probably become optimal to do so, to start from a fixed RNG seed.

I agree.

Though I don't have much experience in this game, it's standard practice elsewhere. You typically would start a run of SDX (for example) after a soft reset so that every run starts from the same seed. It's just a fair and consistent way to organize the board.

On the contrary, it can be fun and simple to set up a good RNG value before the timer starts so that it may be carried through the run like in K64 (though as far as I'm aware it doesn't involve virtual console save states).

Basically, the way I feel is if it becomes an engaging way to interact with the game I think it can be optional. Otherwise it makes sense to add a small rule so as not to confuse newer players (as was clarified to me when I was starting out).

I hope my feedback isn't out of place, sorry for butting in.

Sorry for the slow response.

I want to follow a format that makes it easier for the moderators to approve things.

I think clear rules will also make beginners feel more at ease, so please consider it.

I haven't been running this game lately, but since there seems to be no progress in this discussion, I wanted to share my opinion.

Your decision to reject a certain runner's run—which included a pre-start save state—caused a bit of controversy in Japan.

If the run had involved RNG manipulation, I would consider the rejection justified; however, from what I could verify, no RNG manipulation took place, so your decision to reject it felt somewhat unreasonable to me. If you are not going to accept that type of run, I believe it is essential to clarify the rules.

I believe it should be clarified in the rules too. I'm just not sure what the rule should be, and I don't feel like I should be deciding the rule by myself, especially since I seem to be the only non-Japanese runner of this game in recent years, and I'm not especially active.

I don't have a reason to doubt that specific run's legitimacy, but I worry that allowing starting from a savestate would encourage every run to start from a savestate for predictable RNG.

One option is: add a rule against starting from a savestate, but allow that run to be submitted again, since it's not a top ~5 time and it predates the rule?

And maybe also add the RNG manipulation rule from SNES Star Stacker ("Any video submissions that utilize RNG Manipulation MUST include the setup done before the run begins.") While GB Star Stacker doesn't currently have RNG manipulation, it seems like a good rule to have in case it's discovered in the future, and this would also prevent cropping a savestate load out of a video of an RNG-manip run.