Hello. I'd like to raise a controversial issue. A patch was once approved for the game that apparently modifies the game code to some extent and adds new features not intended for the original version. The main complaints revolve around two issues that can actually impact player performance: a camera bug and the red screen turning off when taking damage. As an experienced player, I can confidently say that the red screen, which obscures the player's view immediately after taking damage, affects their assessment of the game immediately after a boost, giving them an unfair advantage in the patch compared to the vanilla version. Players can react faster, which simply saves time. Why is this a problem? This brings us to the issue of game modding and speedrunning logic in general. Speedrunning communities typically strive to formulate rules in a way that discourages unnecessary use of mods that provide real advantages. Using unofficial "convenient" versions creates unhealthy competition and fundamentally changes the essence of speedrunning. After all, we play specific games, trying to adhere to the principles of competition. Regarding the camera bug: it can be fixed by player actions, so why should we deviate from the original version of the game because of it? I understand the situation, for example, in Mafia 2. There, the game really does crash completely randomly, and the community simply has no solution, allowing players to replay chapters by pausing the timer and using anti-crash patches (which don't change the gameplay).
The situation is different in Half-Life 1, where crash bugs are recognized as an integral part of the original game, which players must overcome on their own, and these options are available: pick up weapons differently, kill additional enemies, etc. So, the logic is quite clear: if we exploit bugs that speed up our progress, then we should also combat the bugs that hinder it, because they're all in the specific version of the game we need. I believe that approving an unofficial speedrun patch would only be worthwhile under critical circumstances, which don't exist, or if the patch truly didn't change anything from the original. As far as I know, the red screen can't be removed in the original version of the game. Why was this approved? I missed the moment this patch was added, but I still want to weigh in. I looked for a vote, but there wasn't one. "Game Customization options are all set to their defaults," it says in the rules. Doesn't that mean the red screen should be enabled? To sum it up, I'm in favor of completely banning the patch for speedrunning, with all old runs remaining on the leaderboard. I know this is a rather radical decision, so I'm also bringing up the red screen issue for discussion. It can be disabled and banned without reverting the patch, leaving only the fixed camera.
I'd also like to discuss the topic of changing the FOV via binds. This is also controversial for several reasons, but the main one is that it can't be configured in-game. With Quicksaves and Quickloads, these features are included by default and can be reconfigured even using a keyboard and mouse app. In the case of FOV, it's completely "coded" through a settings file. Also, players use multiple commands on a single button. What constitutes scripting, which, then, is allowed here? It turns out that scripting is allowed by the rules, and this could be a very big problem. Personally, I'd like to express my opinion that this should be prohibited in runs. Regarding zoom, there's no sniper rifle in TFE, and zooming was never intended in the lore, and Sam doesn't have optics in his eyes, etc. NETRICSA doesn't mention any of this. Shooting is assumed to be from a distance with a normal FOV, which is why there is no such function.
I also wrote this letter on Discord and copied it. You can join the discussion there too.
Да не конфликт это вообще даже, а так просто рассуждения и обсуждение для общего понимания. Ну, скажем, спор, некое противостояние
