Rules update (June 3rd, 2020)
3 years ago
United States

Runs submitted before June 3rd, 2020 are grandfathered in under the ruleset which existed prior to these new additions.

The run will be considered invalid if

  • A save file from a previous speedrun/playthrough/instance of the game is loaded at any point during the attempt ------The runner is permitted to create save files during the run through autosaving and/or saving at the various apartments (These save files can be loaded at any point during the run in which they were created)
  • There isn't adequate video/audio proof of the attempt ------The run must be contained in a single upload (no multipart uploads or missing sections) [LOCALLY RECORD!] ------In-game sound effects are audible on the video and are not delayed ------Video resolution is at least 360p ------The video is not too dark or too bright to see the run clearly ------Video is in full color (no black and white, other than when killed/busted) ------Video file framerate is at least 25 FPS with no excessive stuttering or frame drops for extended periods of time ------The video begins prior to the first black frame and ends after the first frame of the final cutscene (Include at least a few frames of the first/final white splash screen and at least a few of the final cutscene) ------Everything the runner was able to see in-game during the run must be visible in the submission video (no cropping of the game feed in post)
  • A cheat is entered
  • A banned memory monitoring tool was used ------Memory monitoring tools are outright banned (minus the exceptions). If you're using a tool which monitors the game's memory to provide you some sort of information, you're breaking the rules. EXCEPTIONS: Auto-splitters (splitting on mission start/end, objective complete only) and loadless timers
  • The submission video has been tampered with (cuts, splices, sped-up, etc.)
  • A modification is present in the game's files (Xliveless & downgrading the game/in-game radio is allowed)

Runs use the “Time Without Loads” (loadless) timing convention, which means it measures the real time that has passed from start to finish, minus loading times. Acquiring this time is accomplished by using the load time removal tool which is integrated with LiveSplit. You will need to use this tool in order to have an accurate time for the “Time without loads” column on the leaderboard. You can find the “Alternate Timing Method” here - https://livesplit.org/components/. Once properly installed, it can be added to your layout just like any other component. It’s found under “Information” in the layout editor. This timer must be clearly visible at all times during the broadcast and submitted proof video.

  • If the moderators cannot verify the run’s loadless time for whatever reason, the run’s RTA time will fill both “Time without loads” and “Time with loads” on the leaderboard

The in-game FPS limit is 250 frames per second. The game literally speeds up when you go beyond this value. You must limit your framerate to, at most, 250 frames per second.

  • An FPS monitor must run while the speedrun is taking place and this same FPS monitor must be clearly visible at all times during the broadcast and submitted proof video
  • The FPS monitor must be of appropriate size and color
  • If you give your FPS monitor its own background (text background), make sure the font color contrasts well with this background
  • If the FPS monitor is not shown, even for a few seconds, at any point during the video, moderators will take a closer look to determine if measures should be taken in regards to the legitimacy of the proof video
  • As long as the FPS achieved does not go beyond the limit of 250, any and all tactics used to achieve a higher/lower frame rate are allowed to be used prior to the run beginning, as well as during the run (hotkey toggling on/off the following: overclocking, underclocking, frame limiting, resource intensive processes (example: toggling on the recording feature in your streaming software, which will record at an extremely high quality, thus reducing your FPS for the duration of the recording), etc.), as long as the game's files are not modified in the process
  • You are allowed to have multiple FPS limiting tools running at once (i.e., you can have a program like RivaTuner limiting the FPS to 250, while also having a program like Bandicam prepared to lock the FPS to a lesser value when needed)

The run must begin on a Wednesday (in-game).

  • This is the day the game is designed to begin on when a player starts from a fresh install. If you clear your saved games folder, you'll always start on a Wednesday
  • Vehicle/pedestrian spawns are partially controlled by whether it's a weekday or the weekend, and some are controlled by specific day(s) of the week
  • The day of the current session will carry over when the player starts a new game from the pause menu (e.g., You’re halfway through an Any% attempt and decide to reset. The current day is Friday. You pause and select ‘New’ within the menu. When you gain control of Roman’s Taxi at the start of the new game, the current day will be Friday). This is not allowed. If the current day is Wednesday when the player decides to start a new attempt, the game will begin on Wednesday. This is allowed.
Edited by the author 3 years ago
Nasho, Derpeth and 2 others like this
United States

In regards to Any% runs submitted prior to June 3rd, 2020 which lack a loadless time, what I'll be doing to keep these runs fairly ranked, to the best of my ability, is knocking exactly 11:00 off of the "with loads" time and using this as the "without loads" time. The value of 11:00 is the average load to loadless difference of all nine runs with a loadless time on the Any% leaderboard.

For 100% runs, because Stig's load to loadless difference is 18:59, and his is the only submission with a loadless time, the deduction will be 18:59.

For All Pigeons, a 13 second deduction.

For All Stunt Jumps, an 18 second deduction (hoxi's run has a 1:56 difference, this will not be considered due to it being a major outlier).

For Classic, a deduction of 5:27 because that's the difference in hoxi's run, the only run on that leaderboard with a loadless time.

Stig: For Most Wanted, a deduction of 3 seconds of loads + 2 seconds for each death.

Stig: For Sweatshirt, deducted Rave's loads time from all Sweatshirt times, and added ms to non-ms submissions.

Edited by the author 3 years ago
United States

It should also be noted that for any runners with an "artificial loadless time" (-11:00), if you complete a run which beats your current 'with loads' time, but doesn't beat the 'artificial loadless time' currently on the board, please still submit this run so you can have an accurate time on the leaderboard. None of these runners should have trouble beating their 'artificial loadless time' to begin with.

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