Texas, USAWhen I took over moderation of the Fatal Fury Special game on SR.com, I would never think that a controversy would arise in the game, but yet, though internal, I wanted to write a few words on a potential controversy over a run that was third place, our investigation of said run, and why we ultimately rejected said run.
The SNES-ANY category of the game was a category since its inception, was intended to be a catch-all grandfather category for those who do play on SNES console or emulator and still want to have the benefits of a speedrunning category. I hold the current WR in that category, though it should be noted that I did so under the current rules of the category, which, translated to mean, there were no rules.
Since my stewardship of the game began, I implmented a number of changes to the game, up to and including timers being at the default 60 seconds, Timing using RTA methodology, and new timing rules. It is that part where the confusion began for this run. It is with this tradition in mind that similar rules were implmented in another game that I manage, King of Fighters 98 Ultimate Match.
Backstory:
On the 18th of November (Pacific time), Felipe83 submitted a run to the SNES-ANY category to Fatal Fury Special. It was rejected outright due to a lack of timer. Then on the 25th of November, he submitted another run of the game, this time with a timer, that was accepted and verified on the 26th of November.
The Problem:
The problem arised when the person who verified the run in question came to me with a problem on a unrelated run. I then viewed the run in question and noticed that something was off with the timer. The start of the video displayed .20 on the timer. So I investigated further and noticed that the rejected run and the new run BOTH had the same play with the enemy selection screen - Both runs panned over to Big Bear before selecting Andy Bogard. After presenting the evidence that I had, the other moderator then presented something else - that the ending score was the same, 523600. This presents a major problem. It opens the door for splicing. And as we all know, splicing goes against the fundimentals of speedrunning, even if he added a timer to the splice.
Therefore:
I will be forced to reject the run in question, and ask that Felipe submit a clean run. If he can do so, then great, we will accept the new run at face value, though precautions will be taken that it is not the same run being submitted for the third time.
With that said, I wish you happy speedrunning.
Again, I stress that 2FA shouldn't even be up for discussion here. It should be required for everyone, even if it is just Google Authentication.
However, since some of you have stressed on how easily 2FA can be defeated, I should add to the conversation that the only well-known case of 2FA being defeated is when Boogie2988 (a popular YouTuber) had his phone number spoofed by a hacker and the rest of his internet presence erased as a result. So while 2FA can be defeated, it is EXTREMELY rare and people who attempt to circumvent 2FA are themselves committing a crime (a few US crimes come to mind).
Anyways, I think that I am done in this thread. I made my point, and it would be beating a dead horse to proceed further in this thread.
To be honest, I think that 2FA should never be a topic of discussion and mandatory for everyone, not just game moderators like myself. It should have been a thing since the November vandalizing of this site.
After a three-way conference call, we have decided that Online Submissions is now officially open. Sorry for the delay in this decision being made, but I didn't want to take this decision lightly. That said, however, I do have a guideline that you should follow if you do go and submit an online run, and that is to disclose somewhere that you are doing one. No disclosure? No running at the Lone Star SpeedFEST.
In other news, I am still looking for staff for the Lone Star SpeedFEST. While I don't have a firm cutoff date for volunteers for the Lone Star SpeedFEST, I will have one. So if you want to help out in getting this off the ground, then volunteer today.
One last thing for this month and that is GameFest has finally put up the document regarding the Lone Star SpeedFEST here. This page will be replacing the document that was found in the Guidelines and Regulations thread soon.
Well, that is it for the news this month, but I will reply with more if future meetings this month prove fruitful.
What if I live out of State? Then you will be briefed on the details of the department via Discord. Either join the Lone Star SpeedFEST's discord here or the AnimeFEST Discord (invite link pending). If you join the Lone Star SpeedFEST discord and you are confirmed to be a volunteer, then you will receive the Volunteer role.
Volunteers! If you want to volunteer for the Lone Star SpeedFEST, here is the information that YOU need to know:
Qualifications
- You must be willing to work a MINIMUM of 16 hours during or before the convention.
- Must be at least 16 years of age and must provide valid proof of your age. If you have any questions regarding proof, please email volunteer@animefest.org
- Attend the pre-convention staff meeting. Time and location of this meeting is TBD.
- Prior convention experience is a plus, but not required.
What is in it for you?
- Free admission to GameFEST and AnimeFEST
- The ability to purchase staff t-shirts
- Crash space. Note: you have to be 18+ and volunteer a minimum of 24 hours to even qualify. Also note that you will be paired with 3-4 other people of the same gender and that space is limited.
- Up to a $20 reimbursement for parking, DART or TRE passes dated between August 16th to the 20th.
Sounds Good. What do I do?
Fill out this form here and request that you want the Programming department. Make a note that you want to work the Lone Star SpeedFEST. I look forward to working with you.
Well, I was told that I would not have priority over the hotel internet. However, word of mouth over the marathon has now officially reached three states. They are, Michigan, Minnesota and Illinois. I fully anticipate that runs will be submitted for the marathon post ESA.
That being said, I fully look forward to the Lone Star SpeedFEST in 2020 and beyond as I have a site in mind that will ultimately allow what I need for the marathon to succeed. I will be making the announcement for 2020 in a separate thread. Keep in mind that our ultimate goal will be that the marathon will stand on its own.
Anyway, that is what I was working on for February. The next update will happen in March.
This year, the Lone Star SpeedFEST is going to be held at the site of the GameFEST and AnimeFEST conventions, and that is the Sheraton in Downtown Dallas. If you decide to book, make SURE that you mention AnimeFEST if you decide to call when you reserve your room. Here is more information about the room and the incredible rates that you may get:
Room cutoff date: July 17th, 2019
Rates:
- Double Queen Room: $159 (plus tax)
- King Room: $159 (plus tax)
- Junior Suite: $179 (plus tax)
- Executive Suite: $199 (plus tax)
The hotel is conveniently located for runners arriving from DFW International Airport or Dallas Love Field and local runners like myself.
Sheraton Dallas Hotel 400 N. Olive Street Dallas, TX 75201 Phone (to the hotel): (214) 922-8000 Toll-Free: 1-800-325-3535
City of Dallas Parking Map Please refer to here if you are planning on driving to and from the marathon/Convention.
Airport Transportation If you need a ride to and from the hotel to the airport, I strongly recommend the Super Shuttle. The rate to and from DFW Airport is $19 per person/Direction and it will be $12 per person/Direction if you are coming from Love Field. To reserve your shuttle today, call 800-BLUEVAN or visit their website
Trains
The hotel is located between Pearl and St. Paul stations on all DART trains. Please note two things. There is NO overnight parking at the stations that you may originate from, and the last train leaves at midnight. If you miss your train, you would probably need another way home or hope that you can find a room downtown.
There are two ways to get to Dallas if you are from Fort Worth. The TRE (Trinity Railway Express) is the fastest route, but the train doesn't run on Sundays. Then there is the longer TEXRail, but it provides a walking transfer to the DART Yellow line and it runs on Sundays.
Repeating this now so that there is no confusion. I am not allowed to provide runners with a free pass to the convention. If you submit a run, you do so with the understanding that you have to buy your own way into the convention. This isn't my call.
Please let me know if it still needs some work.
Run Submissions now open. They will be available from now until July 1st at the stroke of Midnight US Central time.
The following is a report on what I am working on for the month of January of 2019.
Well, it is been a whirlwind month so far. Right now, the Convention is on a budgeting stage, which means so am I at this point. I don't know precisely what I am going to buy for the marathon and what will be available for me to use.
Well, that is all for this month. I will make the next report soon.
All aboard the Hype Train. Are you excited for the Lone Star SpeedFEST? Post your excitement here.
I will also take any questions that you may have here.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dsbbLC1jVEh5p6dhgfWI9TlzHf-7Pe0PRT9K4OdRGdQ/edit?usp=sharing
The TL;DR of it all:
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Admission to the convention (either through AnimeFEST or GameFEST) will cover admission to the Lone Star SpeedFEST. Runners that are attending should know ahead of time that barring volunteering for the convention itself, I can not provide free passes due to convention rules.
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You are expected to abide by the convention code of conduct and Twitch Terms of Service.
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There will be two forms of schedule submissions this year, one through Google Forms and second through Speedrun.com.
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There will be one round of cuts that will take place between a four-person panel that will take place between July 2nd (Convention local time) and July 15th. The schedule will be finalized by August 1st.
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For now, Email and Twitter will be our primary means of communication. Expect DMs from me soon.
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(and perhaps most important) The Convention is NOT providing any consoles to the marathon. Please provide your own.
Our emulation policy: We will NOT provide emulators for games that are available on a console. Arcade emulation is not off the table, so please submit arcade runs.
Aspie here.
Sometimes, it is very hard to meet new people, and when you do get the opportunity to meet them, it is very easy to have a misstep or two. I wouldn't sweat it too big. What you need to do is make very close friends with a few people, and then expand your sphere. I met several people while speedrunning, and I don't regret it one bit.
Sometimes you need to keep it up. Those who want to become your friend will. If not, then that is on their head.
Name: Lone Star SpeedFEST Dates: August 16th - August 18th Streamed at: https://www.twitch.tv/lonestarspeedfest Type: Onsite Location: The Sheraton in Downtown Dallas
AnimeFEST here in Dallas, TX has rebranded itself as World Fandom, and has established a new convention here in Dallas called GameFEST. I am in charge of the Speedrunning marathon that is going to happen (on my suggestion) at the convention. As this is the first year of GameFEST, so this will be our first year (of many hopefully). We hope to accept submissions as soon as humanly possible.
Alright, here are some planning details for the marathon:
- The Marathon should happen from the 16th to the 18th (of August). It will be streamed (provided that I can get all of the equipment together) on my personal twitch channel.
- I am currently unsure who will be providing the consoles. It could be the convention or it could be the runner's responsibility. I will know by next week on their status.
- I will be able to secure two rooms for the marathon. One of which is a panel room that will be used for the event itself, and a second, smaller, room to serve as a practice room.
- Whether or not it will be a charity stream will remain up in the air. I have not broached the subject with the director in our meeting tonight, but if the interest is there, I will.
- I will be working under certain people so I will NOT be getting the final decision in regards to how the marathon will be run. Because I do have to work within the confines of the convention itself.
- I am willing to listen to more experienced marathon organizers in determining how a marathon is going to go.
I am going to open the door, for now, guys, but I am a candidate for a manager position at a gaming convention here in Dallas, TX called GameFEST. I know that 8 months is a bit of short notice, but can anyone consider traveling to this convention and do some speedruns?
I feel that as a moderator in the Fighting Game speedrun community (Fatal Fury Special), I feel that I should weigh in on the matter. There is a number of different reasons why a run is rejected outright. Lying on whether or not that you are using an emulator is certainly cause to reject a run outright, which I suspect is the case here. Not using the default round timer is certainly another (or have the run relegated to a catch-all category). I'm not sure what method that method that moderators are using to verify the runs in the game, but the run being rejected is most certainly not the end of the line. Someone mentioned the SMB community. They require runners that submit times below a certain threshold provide the input file that was recording your button inputs in the run in question. It MIGHT help the runner's case if they provide such a file.
Someone submitted two runs for the same category. Because they were submitted one right after the other, I was looking at the (current) World Record run and approved it first. However, this user submitted a run that would be obsolete if I had a bit of foresight and dealt with it first rather than the current WR run that I can't approve because I approved the WR run first.
I was simply wondering if this is bug, or if there is a way to view the runs in the order of oldest first so that I don't have to deal with a notification again.
I don't know if it is a bug or not, but I have a run that would be obsolete if it is approved, but I mistakenly approved the faster time first. Is there any way that we, as game moderators, can go back and approve older times, or in the alternative, have the times sorted by oldest first by default?
