I see under the rules that Zsnes should not be used, nor Snes9x 1.4.3 and earlier. Is there a list of preferred emulators? Sadly, I don't have actual hardware and I'd like to be as legit as one can on emulation until I can get a console and cart/everdrive.
I actually had a similar question-- is the VC port for the game allowed? I haven't seen anyone on the entire leaderboard running with it so far, but I also don't see anywhere that it's banned. I might guess it has different load times and lag, so I could see it as possibly being an unfair advantage, and so I thought I'd check before jumping in.
And if VC IS allowed, are injected WADs of the game acceptable? As a Brit, it's really hard to get a legit copy of both the US system and the US version of the game, and being the sole runner of the EU port doesn't sound like a lot of fun. :P
WiiVC is allowed. However, as you noted, there haven't been any submissions on SRC running on that hardware so you'd be piloting the run and we'd probably need to scrutinize it further.
I'm personally not familiar with how injecting into WADs impacts the game or if it will even work at all. I'd recommend being the one who blazes the path for EU - the category is too empty - never know who will join in!
From what I remember hearing from other communities that allow them: injected WADs don't impact the game itself at all-- they're really just the game downloaded from a non-official source-- but where you save the game in the Wii's memory can impact the game's boot-up times if you aren't careful to allocate it in the right place. But that wouldn't even be a problem for ActRaiser runs, since timing starts within the game and there are no save/resets (at least not in any route I've seen so far!). So if I'm correct about that, it shouldn't have any impact at all. I have an NTSC Wii, but no way to access the eshop to download the game from Nintendo's own shop, so I have to get the download from someplace else.
Regarding VC acceptability in general, I could try going to a few places that are known to be very laggy on SNES like the Tanzara fight, and we could try to compare. However as a new runner I'll obviously be nowhere near you guys' skill level so it might be a little tricky. Can you think of any other places/situations that would be a good demonstration of lag (or lack thereof)? Stardust on the Ice Wyvern, maybe?
And I might work on the EU category for the game, too. I do have my husband's PAL Wii that has the official virtual download of the game back from when he was younger. So hey, why not do both! Switching between PAL and NTSC movement certainly sounds... interesting. But starting with what everyone else is doing seems sane, as there are no EU tutorials and I've heard there are some gameplay differences between the EU and NTSC (and JP) versions. And in any case, as a former American, the US version was actually what I grew up loving.
In terms of lag, the Tanzra fight (especially while projectiles are on screen) is a strong example. The Wyvern fight, especially in Northwall 2, is another good example. And yes, typically Stardust use causes lag during fights with Wyvern or Kalia depending when it's cast. There are several other instances of lag such as the end of Marahna 2 stage or the bubbles screen in Northwall 2 stage.
With regards to the EU action only stages mode (I forgot what it is called on that version), it will be need to be routed because there are health upgrades and spells that carry over to the next stage. So it needs to be determined whether taking time to get an extra HP for damage boosting in future levels in worth it, and also some spell management as well. I've been too busy with other projects, so I didn't look into it further for TASing.
In the pro mode for PAL version there is magic and health upgrades?! That doesn't seem correct.
Right, it's taken me a few days to set up the game and get my capture card to do... anything, and I still don't have audio, but here's a link showcasing the lag in the Northwall 2 Bubbles Room + Ice Wyvern fight:
Captured from an NTSC Wii. I can do one of Tanzara or wherever else too, but just from this it looks to me like the VC emulation and lag are actually fairly comparable to the original hardware. But what are the community's thoughts?
