- I've been having this issue with the last few games I've done speedruns for (Slime Rancher, Touhou Luna Nights, Sonic Adventure DX and now Final Fantasy 1) and I always come across this issue where I love doing the run and practicing the first day, maybe two or even a week with TLN but then that excitement just kinda stops. Sometimes it feels like I have to do runs or I have to practice even if it's for half an hour but then I just hit this wall where it isn't new and exciting anymore. Yes I'm having fun but I don't have a drive to go through it as often as I should in order to get good and do the runs I want to.
Like right now I started to run Final Fantasy 1 only a few days ago after watching RPG Limit Break and I am having fun with it but today when I was going through the game to make save files for practice, I made it around half way before I just wanted to go do something else. I'm thinking about other games I can speedrun that are shorter or maybe I'd prefer this or that or I just want to go play something casually. I always end up taking a break with my runs/practice and never come back and it feels really bad. How often should I practice or even do runs, and how long for practice? Once a day for practice? Every other day? Maybe do runs whenever I feel like it but just continue practicing?
- It took quite a lot of trial and error before I more or less settled on Final Fantasy 1 and it's really hard to describe why and why I continue thinking about running other games. I've thought about trying to run Mega Man, Final Fantasy 13 or get back into Touhou Luna Nights and it's been wearing me down and ruining my mentality. Maybe I'm just not enjoying Final Fantasy 1 that much if I'm thinking of other games, but I suppose I could always come back after trying other games but it's really hard for me to make that kinda decision.
Edit: I do want to point out I haven't actually timed any runs for a long time, I do have the idea that maybe timing my runs will make me have more fun and enjoy them more but I'm just kinda worried about remembering where to go or strategies before doing my runs, so I've been holding off on timing runs :(
While this may seem generic/obvious, you should try to see how much you want to practice. It differs for a lot of people. It sounds like you're practicing for quite a bit daily, so you may want to do it only every other day. Listening to music while practicing or streaming attempts might help. Just remember that you don't have to do runs if you don't want to. Even big speedrunners can get burned out.
Definitely seems like I'm getting burnt out too fast and not having the greatest mentality when I continue looking around for a game to speedrun despite enjoying my current game.
Sounds like you're just trying to do too much. Speedrunning should be a fun activity, don't go too hard on it.
Take it easy. Getting good can be important depending on your goals, however sometimes it takes a while, you can't always rush things.
The important part is having a good time.
Also, maybe interacting with the communities for your games would help, especially if they do races. It's a good opportunity to practice, derust, and have fun without taking things too seriously.
Plus, you can learn things from others. It may sound weird, but just talking about strats can be enough. Some strats are easy enough to be learned that way.
Pretty much what xDrHellx said.
Try to find your motivation for speedrunning. Do you want to simply improve your time? Do you want to try to get a certain position (WR/top 10/etc)? Do you want to run at marathons? Or do you simply want to have fun replaying a game and possibly improve your time?
Speaking about myself, I mostly find playing game fun, and like to try to improve my own times. So, in a sense, I don't really practice any of the games I run. When I'm feeling like it, I'll simply attempt to do runs and see how, and if, I improved. I'll of course practice at times, but for some specific objective: to get consistent at a trick, to learn how to react to something etc. For example, right after an attempt, or at failing an attempt, I may practice a trick that I know I fail a lot a few times. However, since I take a more casual approach to speedrunning, I don't feel a need to force myself to grind to get my time down.
I agree that interacting with the games' communities is a good idea. Even outside of races, just being able to interact with fellow runners of the same game is really fun.
My goal and how I see it right now is to be a top runner for a game while having the option to run a second game just for fun or to go to when I get burnt out on the other.
[...] I haven't actually timed any runs for a long time, I do have the idea that maybe timing my runs will make me have more fun and enjoy them more [...] [...] My goal and how I see it right now is to be a top runner for a game [...]
In my opinion, these two things don't work well together. If you want to be a top runner, and thus to keep improving your time, you must be able to gauge how much you are improving. It seems only natural to me that you'd lose interest in practicing by not seeing any returns from it.
You shouldn't submit your time to the leaderboards if you aren't happy with it. However, you should definitely keep a timer up when doing runs, if only to have a ball park estimate of whether you are doing better or worse than before (if you don't want to have splits, or feel overwhelmed by the idea of having them).
Regardless of that, I have some harsh advice... I don't feel like trying to be a top runner is a healthy goal at all. If you aren't enjoying the path (practicing/doing lots of runs to get better), then you definitely won't enjoy when/if you reach your goal. I have the impression that most people go about this the other way around: they play a game so much that they end up running it. Heck, I ran a game for 5 years before I decided to set up its leaderboard (though I'm probably a really strange person).
So... maybe stop trying to actively speedrun a game and start trying to find a game that you really enjoy playing. For example, something that I enjoy outside of speedrunning is playing Mega Man 2. I did learn Metal Man's, Bubble Man's and Heat Man's zips (though I only try Bubble's on Legacy, with the rewind function), but other than that I just play the game as usual.
[quote]My goal and how I see it right now is to be a top runner for a game while having the option to run a second game just for fun or to go to when I get burnt out on the other.[/quote]
Might be better to just start your second game with a casual playthrough then. I think it would be better for you that way.
If you like the game enough after playing it casually, you could consider running it. I think in the long run that would help, otherwise i believe you would end up taking the second game too seriously, or just not like it enough to keep things fun.
(It's possible that it works differently for you, but for me, that goes well)
As a response to GFM I will time my runs (obviously) but I like to start off learning the route and practicing to a point where I only need notes rather than the guide. Sometimes it takes a week and other times only a couple days, I don't really want my first actual run to be where I'm lost after say... finishing Ice Cavern. It's also not that I don't have fun practicing (I've enjoyed practicing segments of a run on my previous speed games, turn on music and try to get better), it's just that I'm not sure what kinda game I'd want to grind out since that is a huge time investment. The grass is always greener, especially to someone who has issues making decisions based on preference.
There's definitely games I've loved casually and some I've been down right obsessed with for periods of my life. Probably the biggest being Mega Man and Pokemon when I was younger and now Final Fantasy.
I've decided to continue practicing FF1 and trying out some other games on the side, watch runs of said games and maybe give them a try. I plan on giving Mega Man 1 a chance on my next work night off. I've also considered that maybe I'm just not super into the category I'm currently playing in FF1 (I still enjoy the game) and may try out glitchless or all bosses. Thank you for all the responses!