I noticed that there's a Google Docs leaderboard and the leaderboard here on speedrun.com. I also noticed that the Google Docs one also has the Glitchless category, that doesn't exist here. So what's the main leaderboard of this game, the Google Docs one or this one? And if it's this one, why there's no Glitchless category here?
We don't use the spreadsheet anymore - in fact I forgot that it even existed. It will be retained for archive purposes. I have now specified that it is no longer in use.
There are no glitchless categories here because no one runs them anymore. Everyone jumped over to glitched because it is significantly faster. From what I recall (4 or 5 years ago) there was very little to no difference between 100% and Max%. That's why if you look at the spreadsheet there are hardly any runs in the "glitched" 100 and Max categories because there was so little tech that the runs were basically identical. At the time any% was so ridiculous that it made the current any% look like a cakewalk. Any% glitchless was different to any% in that there wasn't sequence breaks or large skips but was difficult in a different way in that you had to conserve health a lot more.
With respect to adding them to the leaderboards: there are issues that there are already too many categories and to then have glitchless categories for both console and emulator and then their respective runs is simply unnecessary. There are further issues that there are no longer any videos for the glitchless runs from the leaderboards to add them in.
Simply put: the glitchless runs are noncompetitive and I would not urge anyone to run them. If anyone wants to run any%, 100% or max% without using glitches then we will just put them into those categories as they still fit the same category definitions.
EDIT: for clarifications
I'm training for a no glitchless any% run, It would be great if there was a no glitchless category, Because i could stay in first place. xD
I am currently discussing with the other mods regarding the requirement for a Glitchless category.
I haven't rejected your run - I was tidying the leaderboards and it must have auto-rejected it cause I deleted the category.
Will let you know the outcome on the glitchless category and you can submit then.
EDIT: in fact for now I will put it into any% and if it gets changed I will move it.
Okay so we are not going to have a glitchless category at the moment. The runs will be filtered into the relevant category.
It is considered that glitchless runs are basically slow versions of the standard runs. Therefore it is not recommended to speedrun on glitchless.
The other issue we have is how glitchless is defined as there is a degree of disagreement on what is and isn't a glitch (and in that respect, what a glitch is even defined as).
Not to go too much into it but one definition is:
Glitching is an activity in which a person finds and exploits flaws or glitches in video games to achieve something that was not intended by the game designers.
another is
An error or malfunction. A glitch tends to be a small error that can affect an entire operation from running smoothly or efficiently. For example, a web designer may find a small glitch in his programming which may alter the font color of a web page.
These are two different definitions of what a glitch even is. One relates to programming faults, the other relates to the exploit of any flaw in the game.
For example, under one definition jumping over the straw in Scarecrow fields to get the life bottle is not a glitch because it isn't the result of a software or programming fault (it was a conscious design by the developers to place the corn in such a way) so by this definition it is acceptable.
Then under the other definition, it is a glitch because it's an exploit of what the developers intended - you are supposed to get the machine part and cut through the corn (they may have placed the corn in that way but it doesn't matter cause it's not what they intended).
Then take inventory glitch and level looping:
The fact that you can double tap to close and reopen the inventory and move in the space between it opening and closing is not a programming fault. It was just poor design on behalf of the developers - the game was designed in such a way, it was an oversight on their part. So in this respect it is not a glitch.
On the other hand, it's an exploitation of what the inventory is used for and travelling out of bounds is clearly not what the developers intended.
To discuss another game: Pokemon Red/Blue. In their Any% Glitchless category they allow you to use Poke Doll on Marowak and dig inside buildings. They are not developer intended but they are allowed. By one definition they would be a glitch and other not.
So if they are allowing you to use Poke Doll and skip an intended Key item in that game (Silph Scope) which skips a whole game area. How is that any different to say wanting to skip a whole level out of bounds?
You can now understand why it is difficult to determine what is and isn't acceptable. The category would be a long list of you can't do this but you can do this and it will probably never be agreed as to what is acceptable unless you ban absolutely everything which then again could be challenged. Considering that a "glitchless run" would be a slow version of what is now the accepted routes for this game we are not adding glitchless to the leaderboards.
