Hello, it's me again. Shortly after we released our biggest GTA LCS rules overhaul, @NABN00B informed us of its potential flaws. We quickly started working on a "hotfix" to provide the fairest experience for everyone. And today I'm happy to present the changes.

For every category, we now have this: [quote] Every failed attempt reaching at least as far as the Slacker (2nd mission) requires a full game restart before starting a new run to avoid any invalidating NG+ effects. [/quote] And for "All Rampages" and "99/100 Hidden Packages" it is a bit more specific: [quote] Every failed attempt reaching at least as far as the Slacker (2nd mission) or 9mm Mayhem sidemission start ("godbike" acquisition) requires a full game restart before starting a new run to avoid any invalidating NG+ effects. [/quote] I know, I know, that sucks. And I'm going to be the first one to admit it. But what are these "invalidating NG+ effects" - are they really that bad? NG+ effects are effects that don't reset after starting a new game. The most prominent example is the working lift bridge connecting Staunton Island and Shoreside Vale. We already tried to counter that in our previous update, but more things have surfaced. The biggest one of them is disabling roads. Some missions disable roads, and if you start a new game (or load a save file) while roads are disabled, they are going to stay disabled. It may lead to an unfair advantage, and this rule change addresses it. What is the first mission that does that? If your guess is "Slacker", you're wrong. It is actually "Home Sweet Home" (but "Slacker" does it too). So, what do runners have to do now to make sure their runs are valid? It's simple: if you reached Slacker and need to reset, restart your game. If you reached 9mm Mayhem and need to reset, restart your game (relevant for "All Rampages" and "99/100 Hidden Packages"). Or simply restart your game after every attempt to be safe. This is still required for WR contenders anyway. Once again, we understand the inconvenience, but there's nothing we can do. There might be more hidden NG+ effects we are not aware of, so it's easier this way. Let's all thank NABN00B by putting #teamBlameNab in your submissions for bringing this up.

This leads to a change in this rule: [quote] Runs that wish to be considered world record require a starter save load between each new attempt reset, or a full game restart in case of a lack of one, because of possible NG+ effects and for extra cheating prevention purposes. Loading/restarting process must be included in the submission video [/quote] There is no longer a point in loading your starter save between attempts (but it is still recommended to have and use it, for more info refer to this guide).

Moving on, we have another rule change: [quote] Runner is required to show the beginning of their run's statistics in the stats menu (up until and including the 6th line which is "Number of saves") after finishing the run to confirm the eligibility of the used starter save, in case of using one, and/or confirm that no cheats were used in a run. [/quote] Important: this rule is slightly adjusted for every category, so make sure you read the updated rules first! I think this is quite self-explanatory. It doesn't take much time on the runner's side and makes the verification process a lot easier.

And last, but not least: you are now allowed to use AJS in 100% runs. There was no rationale to forbid that in the first place, so we are lifting this rule. Can't wait to see PS2 players unlocking the car spawner for Car-azy Car Give Away!

And there you have it. These rules are taking effect in 2 weeks, so make sure to submit your old runs. Already submitted, but not yet verified, runs are not going to be affected.