Poland
SupporterAlready added category with proper rule set stating, that generally no sub weapon should be used anywhere even for fun, when it hits nothing just air, since I feel, that full restriction is the best way to avoid any future problems and it makes things more clear. Funkmasterzero's run was added as well. GG on finished run with joker glitch.
Since most of the community agreed, '1 Loop' category was removed today from the leaderboard.
Those are generally good points to keep some old categories as legacy, but they don't apply in this case in my opinion. As for past runs, as mentioned most of those runs submitted were exactly the same runs as any% just with bonus stage as addition, so we are not losing here any history, rather just removing almost the same category with redundant bonus at the end. All of 1 Loop runners have their times submitted in any%. Besides, some of those any% runs were later improved without submitting to 1 Loop anymore, which shows lack of interest in this category as well. As for additional interest in this game, it didn't benefit in this matter at all for last years as it can be seen from dates of runs. Newest run there is over 2 years old and rest of them more than 3 years old. It shows that this category is mostly dead and it was already even before putting it under 'miscellaneous', which happened over year ago.
It was discussed so far with some speedrunners, that 1 Loop category (under miscellaneous) doesn't make too much sense, thus it should be removed. It's almost the same as the Any% cateogry just with added bonus stage at the end after stage 12. Additionally, every bonus stage ends after huge 4.2 sec frame rule, so as it can be seen on leaderboard, each place usually differs by those 4 seconds, which makes it less interesting to be competable. Above all that, it's not too popular one with just few runners mostly from few years ago and current record doesn't even go for quick last bonus with popping last few balloons, showing that there wasn't even interest in going fast for 1 Loop category. Taking all that into account, if most of the community agrees, 1 Loop category will be removed in few days.
Nice, congrats on first ever finished low% run. I already added category and your run there with rules, so that you cannot pick up anything expect K's and necessary items as we agreed.
As far as I know, there are no advantages in japanese version in terms of speedrunning and it's practically the same game. Additionally, if I'm not wrong, there is as well no new Walrus technique and it's just the suspicion, that Walrus gives a little better RNG in the japanese version. From what I observed, it seems possible but as well seahorse seemed to be giving worse RNG than in US version. Anyway, this is nothing major, not even new minor strat, game is speedrun exactly the same way with just potentially slightly different RNG. So in my opinion, there are no grounds to split the leaderboard for different categories.
Yes, in my opinion low% corresponds to using just basic weapon and only items, which are necessary and as Dragondarch said, K can be hardly considered as item pluus it doesn't help in any way. Well, you can actually get extra life from them, but that would be a little exaggerating and additional life wouldn't help in any way in technically optimal run.
As for just picking up items, I would be more down to allowing picking them, just not using it. It feels more according to low%, where it's still low%, if nothing additional is utilized plus most of the boards I know have this rule implemented (Ninja Gaiden, Castlevania or Darkwing Duck, where it was actually recently changed to picking weapons just not using them).
However, I'm fine here with setting rule this or that way, depends what most people like.
That's exactly my feeling as well. It's not drastically different form any%, actually it would need just some small adjustments on level 1,2,6,7, 8 and 9, where most of them aren't even harder, but just a little of a slowdown. I think stage 7 would be the biggest alteration and challenge in it, but besides that, as said, I'm not certain, since it's just too similar run to Any%. Anyway, I'm not 100% opposite to it too, depends what other runners think of it. Definitely interesting category would be low%, if someone was brave enough. That would be completely different speedrun and much more challenging.
Those categories are going to be removed and moved here. Reason is, that this is separate collection, which you even not running on NES, but on newer machines (even though still using some NES emulator inside obviously). They had their own categories there anyway due to the fact that they differ in terms of lag, timing etc. Additionally, that way, it will be easier to make special categories just for this version like "Boss Rush", which is not valid on NES release and wouldn't fit there too well.
Unfortunately, I don't see damageless/pacifist adding to much value (making it substantially different) or challenge into the speedrun as in some other games. As for pacifist, it would barerly mean not killing few enemies, which are in Zone G, H or J, which is not even harder and barerly slower too in the end. Same with damageless, which would be just resigning from few damage boosts not making it any more difficult just few seconds slower.
It's done. Now, everyone can check, how their favorite chipmunk is doing. No more doubts, no more uncertainty.
Besides, to speed up the process, I applied Chip to every run and then started changing Dale, where it was used, so for now, all obsolete runs are still labeled as "Chip" instead of "Dale", but this will be fixed later.
No, stages are designed in such a way, that tail is never required. It's just additional powerup, which helps, so true low% is possible just hard challenge, since with just bite attack and without heart upgrades, 3 hits anywhere and you're dead.
This is really good idea and justification, so 16 and 99 Rounds categories are added. 10 Rounds category will stay due to already historical reason and fact, that few people took serious effort to get solid times in this category. Additionally, I'm willing to move it as second category and have "16 rounds" as main one, since it's actuall small loop. However, this will have to wait until 16 rounds has at least 2-3 runner, since it's not good idea to have main category empty.
Since, there is new wacky races run using only bite attack ( ), I'm up to adding 2 new categories: "bite only" and "low%". Bite only, as name suggests, would mean not swtching your basic weapon, which you start with. Second one (low%) usually concerns not utlizing any power up at all, so here, it would mean only basic bite attack, no tail as well as hearts upgrades. This true low% run would be for someone desiring ultimate challenge from this game. If most runners are fine with this idea, then new categories will take effect in few days.
For now, empty category "Any% (1p2c)" was added to miscellaneous with mentioned rules and we will see how it develops. I see it being potentially close to any% time, so it can be moved later from "miscellaneous" to standard ones. Additonally, I agree and can leave the runs with "no one" in normal coop now, which were using just one controller.
After discussion in moderation team, ending time is moved to earlier point as stated in current rules: "Timer ends on first frame, when countdown screen appears after scene 3". It's due to the fact, that previous timing method was wrongly chosen, thus it was not reflecting fastest completion properly. Problem is, that even when there is no countdown between scenes due to death, player is still waiting on countdown screen fixed amonut of time, so in the end, death in last scene wasn't making gameplay faster at all, it was just making final split faster. Speedrun should be always about making gameplay as fast as possible and old timing was twisting this a little bit. Additionally, current timing fits most common one, that is finishing around, where you lose control over characater and cannot influence game with any input. Unfortuantely, two runs were already using death abuse in last stage and new timing rule made them few seconds slower compared to the rest, however, it didn't change current world record holder and most places on the board of other runners. We apologize for that, but this change was necessary to reflect fastest playing correctly as mentioned above.
As it was already heard, at least some runners are interested in running this game in the same manner as CnD2 that is 1 player 2 controllers. It seems like valid additional category with some strats and skips still being possible to be executed in the similar way as standard coop (like flying with balloons in Zone I) and some need to be adjusted. Furthermore, the rule saying that 2 chipmunks need to be present through the whole run will stay with small change, that you can kill off chipmunk in bonus section to have it back with full lives in next zone, if it's needed. In my opinion, it will help in some situations and both chimpunks are still there, when you play through zones. Additionally, similar rule as in CnD2 will be added "Due to the nature of the run, it is strongly recommended to stream live attempts, possibly with a webcam that shows the setup you're using to play 1 player 2 controllers." , since it's quite easy to cheat in this category just having someone else sometimes pressing buttons on second controller. Lastly, I'm not sure how to treat current two runs in coop with "No One" describtion. Technically, second person is not playing, but second controller is not used as well in those. However, I would lean more towards moving them to new category, since they fit it a little bit better. If there are no major objections from runners, new category will be implemented in few days in a shape as described.
Sorry for missing this post, using added ROMs on NES classic is valid, since it hasdecent emulation, so as long as you are using original ROM, then everything is fine.
