Hello,

I am starting to explore the speed running world and I have some questions.

Some might be "stupid" questions, so sorry about that.

1. Using Livesplit, how can a speed runner press the button to create a new time split while playing? Since the speed runner is concentrated on pressing the buttons of the joypad.

2. What chat do you use for live viewers?

3. How can the speed runner follow the chat and respond to questions while playing? I mean, the chat looks kinda of small so I am surprised on how the speed runners are able to respond to the chat while playing.

4. How do you show a NES or SNES or Dualshock pressed buttons while playing? Is it possible using original hardware and not an emulator?

5. What do you think is the best emulator for NES and SNES?

6. What do you use to quick reset and go back in game states? Is it possible only with emulators? I see speed runners that quickly are able to reset the game and start again (while for example NES classic mini and SNES classic mini would take a while even with save states)

7. I see that sometimes speed runners are doing challenges of speed running a game after another one... what is their setup to quickly switch from a game to another one?

8. How do you connect via hdmi an original NES or SNES?

9. How do you guys share game boy games video via hdmi?

10. Similar to a previous question but, using for example a PS4, how do you show your Dualshock usage in the streaming?

11. What do you guys use for TAS for NES and SNES? And, is it correct to say that TAS can only be done with emulators and not original hardware?

12. I see a lot of speed runs where speed runners are able to glitch games. I tried to replicate many of them but always not successfully (like for example Castlevania 2 level floor drop, Zelda SNES quick ending, Tomb Raider corner bug to get to the top of the wall..). Is there any resource - video that explain how to execute those "basic" glitches?

13. I tried to execute glitches with original hardware, emulators, NES classic Mini, SNES classic mini... is it possible that in NES and SNES classic mini is not possible to execute glitches because of the emulation? Like bugs got fixed?

14. I see that speed runners cannot perform is NES classic Mini, SNES classic mini like they do with original hardware... is it because of the emulation and a micro delay in the button response?

Thanks for taking the time to respond to all the questions, and I hope that all the questions are useful for others.

Answering the questions that I know how to answer:

1. In Livesplit settings there is an option "Global hotkeys". When it is on, the hotkeys always work for Livesplit, no matter which window is focused.

2. Save states can be used only emulators. I assume that quick resets of games also happen on emulators.

3. Info about Tool Assisted Speedruns can be more easily found in the http://tasvideos.org/ TAS is indeed usually built on emulators or other programs that help you slow the game, frame advance, and many other stuff.

4. There is no single source that will explain "every single glitch that exists". If you want to learn and practice a game, you should look at the guides posted for that game, questions asked by other on the game forums, etc. Each community know their game best. You can always ask in the game forums or discord channel if you have any difficulty with something.

Okay first of all its speedrun, speedrunners, speedrunning... Please dont seperate the words.

Lets give some of the answers a shot that have not been answered yet:

2. Just the Twitch chat. You can use chatty if you like but this is simply preference

3. Just a matter of practice. Actually in a lot of speedgames on the highest level, streamers tend to look occasionally on chat if they have a split second. You cant pay attention to the chat all the time unless you are willing to perform a bit worse.

4. There are tools for showing emulated button presses. If you use original hardware there are input displays that you can commision/buy

5)Ask the respective game community if an emulator is allowed in the first place. Some games ban them. For best emulator? Idk personally.

6)Most consoles have a hard reset button. Save states are normally banned in most speedruns unless the game gives you such a mechanic like that(quick save/quick load).

7. They close the game and open the next one. Simple as that. If its console runs they have the respective games/consoles already next to them and might just need to change inputs for the capture card.

8. Upscaler. I know the Framemeister but I dont know what other options are available and also on the lower end on prices.

9. Game boy player is the only thing that comes to my mind. That or Wii U VC. And the game boy player asks again for either an upscaler if you want to capture it through HDMI or a composite/svideo capture solution.

10. Input display

11. You could run a TAS on a native console with a so called TASbot but recording the inputs are all done on emulator. I recommend looking at: http://tasvideos.org/

12. Ask in the respective communities. Most have a discord. Check the ressource tab, check the guides section, check the forums.

13. Ask the game communities.

14. Once again:

Ask the game communities.

I'll try to answer these questions as well.

1. Splits are often conveniently timed so they come at places of downtime during runs, such as level endings. Some speedrunners invest in foot pedals, though this isn't a necessity by any means. Autosplitters also exist for some PC games which handle split timing automatically. Really though, with just playing a few runs, your body adjusts to splitting easily, it's just one button more. (There's a reason speedrunners at live events comment that they reach for a split button that isn't there; because it becomes part of the route.)

2. I'll add that older retro controllers require additional hardware setups working with input display software (think Arduino) so both the console and a computer can receive controller inputs at the same time. Software-only options are much easier when playing on PC with modern controllers. I'm personally unsure which programs are the most popular, though I'm currently using OpenJoystickDisplay. For keyboards, NohBoard Rewrite seems to be the most capable.

3. Emulators are often made for specific purposes, so "best" can be subjective. The more accurate an emulator is, often the more tougher it is to run games at full speed. It's not a bad idea to take a look through what TASVideos has to say but this will vary based on game community preferences and what works on your computer.

4. Also, I believe a few specialist cartridges which play ROMs on official hardware have savestate capability, but you won't encounter this often.

5. Playing through some home console, so Super Game Boy 2 (not 1) for SNES/SFC, Game Boy Player for GCN, and officially emulated games such as on Wii U VC (or theoretically 3DS VC, but that doesn't make things easier to capture). The Game Boy Player is probably the most capable of these options if you want to avoid emulation.

6. To clarify, TASes which are subsequently verified on original hardware (i.e., some hardware [TASBot] sends the inputs through a controller port) are considered "console verified".

7. I don't believe any glitches were patched; it's simply emulation, not porting. Don't take my word if any glitches don't work, though, and ask your game's community.

8. The primary reason that the official "classic" devices aren't used is slower framerate, though input lag is also a factor. It's not that runners can't speedrun on these devices, it's just that there's better ways, especially when considering modern emulation.