Just wanted to throw this here since I've already completed a run of this game, and wanted to voice ideas on what categories should be included.

Firstly, I think there should be a split between NG and NG+ runs, since starting from a fresh save file means you begin with the standard dodo (which is by far the slowest) and have to buy additional dodos if you want to move any faster. If you're starting form a completed file though, you can immediately start runs with either the cosmic or golden dodo, which gives you max speed right out the gate.

This brings me to my next point: Since you can beat this game without going through every single level, having three main categories seems appropriate. The first category would be Any%, where you play through however many levels it takes to beat the game. This would have to be NG only though, since having a NG+ file means you could potentially already have access to all the levels already. The second category would be All Levels, where you play through all 60 levels in order. This could be played with either NG or NG+, since the only thing that would really change between the categories/subcategories would be what dodos you use. I've already completed a run of All Levels NG+ for reference, where I begin time upon hitting the play button on level 1, and end time on the frame the level 60 completion screen appears: The third category would be All Stars, where you complete all 180 objectives in the game that award you stars. Either NG or NG+ runs would work here, though NG would be much easier to track, since the star count would begin at 0. NG+ can still meet the objectives, but since a completed file may already have a non-zero amount of stars unlocked, there'd have to be extra scrutiny in the verification process if included on the leaderboards.

Those are my ideas on how the DP leaderboards could be handled going forward. I know the leaderboards have just recently been added, so I wanted to make my thoughts known while they're still fresh.

woah. I actually didnt expect anyone to come across this game, let alone make a speedrun. I will implement all of your ideas and tysm for all of this!

My pleasure! I got hooked on the idea of running this game almost immediately after beating it, so I'd been giving plenty of thought to different categories and such. I appreciate you responding so timely and openly!