For example, in this speedrun: They allow the runner to go through character creation before they start the timer.

What parts of game set-up am I allowed to do in this game before I'm supposed to start the clock?

I saw a video on youtube about the history of the Super Mario 64 Any% Speedrun world record:

About 11:29 of that video, he mentions a cheater who was caught in 2017 splicing together multiple runs by making hard cuts whenever the screen was faded to either black or white.

Is there a webpage out there that explains in detail how this splicing was uncovered? Because if the screen is solid white or solid black, I can't imagine how you would find evidence of any cuts.

I always thought that a 100% speedrun of this game would be a massive task, but it would be the absolute tits if someone actually did it! Not only would it be absolutely epic, but there would never be a definite strategy! Since you have to do every quest, and some quests offer exceptional rewards (such as the skeleton key or various useful shouts), that means there are infinite possibilities for quest order that could potentially shave huge chunks of time off later quests!

What do you say we discuss some potential rules for a 100% run?

The first and foremost rule I think we should all agree on is ... segmented runs must be permitted! Asking someone to do 100% of Skyrim in a single sitting is just cruel. Even a frame-perfect run of this game at 100% would take at least 12 hours, minimum!

After we agree on that, we must ask ourselves ... what counts as 100%? For me personally, I would, at the very least, require every quest in the game to be completed, but only the finite quests. Some radiant quests will repeat only a finite number of times (such as "A Few Words With You"). Those must be completed as often as the game allows. The infinite repeating quests are the only ones you can skip.

I would also argue that all the shouts must be acquired. Nearly anyone who aims to 100% Skyrim casually will agree that this is an important aspect of 100%ing the game.

Then again, for speedrunning purposes, does this require that the shouts not only be acquired, but also be unlocked with dragon souls? Dragons only spawn at random. So ... do shouts have to be unlocked? We'll have to decide on that later.

As for glitches, bear in mind ... you can't use any that actually cause entire quests to be skipped. This means you can't do the tutorial skip that has recently been discovered, since "Unbound" counts in your quest log.

There would be a de facto level requirement of 80. After all, if we're going to do every quest, level 80 is when the Ebony Warrior gets unlocked.

You'll also have to become a vampire, since that's the only way to trigger the quest "Rising at Dawn." You may opt to do that quest last (or at the very least, after you've done every other quest in the game that involves combat), due to the buffs vampirism may give you in combat.

You may want to make use of the fortify restoration/alchemy loop to make your time as easy as possible. Also remember that some quests are forever blocked if you do other quests first, such as "The Straw that Broke" being forever precluded if you acquire the quest "Contract: Kill Narfi," even if you haven't completed that quest yet. That's something the runners would have to keep in mind while planning their routes.

Speaking of quests being blocked, that's probably the toughest question we would have to discuss when framing a set of rules. What about when a glitch prevents further progression in a quest or questline? Not all bugs are patched up with the latest patch, and some of these bugs appear to spawn at complete random. So it's impossible to tell when a bug might prevent a quest.

On the other hand, if those quests are to be excused from the 100% requirement, does that open the possibility of runners strategically forcing such glitches to spawn with the express intent of being given this waiver? Because that seems like it's directly sabotaging the spirit of the 100% run.

Sure, there are some quest-blockages that are not only well-documented, but are also completely in the player's control, like the aforementioned Dark Brotherhood blockage of "The Straw that Broke." The onus is on the player if they block their own quests. But what if it can't be proven that it's the player's fault the quest got blocked?

So what do you guys think? Is this worth creating a set of rules over?

My watching of AGDQ runs says otherwise, Arctice.

Here's a run where the game crashed about fifteen times:

Mods are not normally allowed in this game because the game is unstable enough as it is, and mods only make the game more volatile and subject to whim of individual systems.

But what if ... there was a mod out there that worked to stabalize the game and make it crash less often?

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/48262/?tab=2&navtag=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nexusmods.com%2Fskyrim%2Fajax%2Fmodfiles%2F%3Fid%3D48262&pUp=1

I'd like for the speedrunning community to take a look at this, and similar, mods to see if using them might stabilize the game enough to allow a limited number of non-gameplay-changing mods (e.g. SkyUI) as long as the stabilizing mods are mandatory.

EDIT: Here's another stabilization mod that shows promise:

I'm contemplating trying my hand at some runs. If it turns out I'm good enough, I may volunteer for some charity runs with AGDQ.

However, before I get started, I'd like some tips. Namely ...

1. I have a life. Will I need to put in 60+ hours per week in practicing my runs in order to get really good at them?
2. What are some basic “drills” I can do to help improve my speedrunning skills? I've noticed that some AGDQ runs have the guys pressing random buttons to keep the blood flowing in their fingers (in one Yoshi's Island run where the fire alarm went off, the runner actually spent about ten minutes doing nothing but that, to get the blood flowing again). Are there any OTHER basic drills you recommend?
3. Along the same vein, are there any means of testing my reflexes to see if I have what it takes to be a good speedrunner?
4. How do I experiment with and discover new glitches to pitch to the community? The only glitches I've ever found in any games are those that other people have spelled out to me.
5. Mods are not allowed. But … what about official DLCs? Like Skyrim's Dawnguard/Dragonborn, for example? Are they allowed?
6. Any OTHER advice you can provide?

Thanks