Is using a calculator considered tool-assisted?
6 years ago
Texas, USA

There's a game I'm working on that has random item drops, but if I use a probability density function based on the information given on the first stage (requires a calculator), I can calculate the most likely route in later stages. Is punching numbers into a calculator considered tool-assisted?

tuff_lover likes this
England

I would certainly ask about it for whichever game you're thinking about, and you should definitely let the rest of the runners know about such a tool, but I wouldn't say so. It takes a bit of the R out of the RNG is all.

Texas, USA

That's about what I figured, but I'm kinda new to this (and kinda love it), so I'm not sure where these lines are drawn. I figured it's a question that a lot more people than I have, but I suppose I'll be the scapegoat who actually asks, lol. Thanks all!

England

honestly if you're literally punching shit into a calculator mid-run to improve your route that actually sounds kind of hilarious and cool

But no, it's not TAS. TAS has a very specific definition.

United States

Well darn anyone who uses a timer mid-run is cheating too RIP everybody.

More seriously- I would draw the line at a tool telling you what to do. A calculator or spreadsheet (or notes) to track HP, help remember routes or determine what RNG seed you're on? That's fair game. A solver telling you what to do? At that point, you'd basically be a proxy for the tool playing the game. (word games come to mind for this) A sokoban solver, however, would be a route planning tool and would be fine- the player still has to learn the route. For a calculator or spreadsheet, the player still has to interpret the results and determine what to do next.

Aureus_Lunae likes this
Texas, USA

For anyone still paying attention to this thread, the video for the run in question is here:

North Carolina, USA

Tool assisted means the inputs themselves were performed by a programs function. Peripheral tools such as chairs, clothes, monitors, etc. don't perform any input to the game.