Hello there, I hope this finds you well.
I would like to submit a request for a new category. One with no major exploits. An Outlast Whistleblower - Insane run with the following conditions: No OoB. No T-Bag Exploit. No Door Fazing (That which skips/bypasses an area/section/cutscene).
A couple of examples are in the Hospital.. we have the 'button press' trick - where you faze in and out of the room, and stand just outside of the decontamination doors waiting for the inmate to finish killing the doctor. Another is just before the furnace sequence, using the gate to faze through an area, skipping the interaction with Frank. These are huge advantages and 'technically' go out of bounds, I'd say for Frank especially. You faze through debris and skip the entire interaction. The other gives you a head start, fazing in and out of the room you should be confined to.
I'm seeing a few players using the "t-bag" exploit to manipulate the AI into a spectating state, as they slip by and make their time saving getaway. Two primary examples being the one-hit wonders, Chris Walker and Eddie Gluskin. I'd much prefer to see players bait them into a 'Berserk Mode' in order to progress, as stealthing won't cut it in a speedrun.
Regarding Chris Walker (Prison Block), an advancing jump to get by would be commendable and fun to watch, showcasing some good movement and not a manipulation. You can even chance running towards Eddie (1st encounter) as to try and squeeze by, similar to how it's used on 'The Twins' earlier in the run.
With The Twins, if your movement is off/timing they can kill you. It's a neat trick, and entertaining to watch. There is still a threat and a chance it could go wrong.. it takes more skill to do that trick than it does to t-bag the bosses. You save time, but don't skip an area/cutscene/event - you instead engage it and get by on movement/timing. No major exploit.
I'm all for saving time, performing satisfying tricks and dancing with the flashy footwork, but to manipulate the AI in such a way (T-Bag Exploit) renders the game with no immediate threat. We are just left with routing/movement.
So, if you could get back to me and look into making a new category that excludes any major exploits like those listed above, I would appreciate it.
Kindest regards - Luke