Hello, speedrunning community,

I was wondering if it was allowed to use external programs, such as RivaTuner Statistics Server, to limit FPS. This would have a use for speedruns, as certain speedrunning tricks are easier to perform on lower framerates. While the game does have a 'target framerate' option, which can act like a frame cap, it is a little annoying to use while in the midst of a speedrun.

To be honest, I already know that it is most likely not allowed, as it's an external program, after all. However, I'd like to argue for their use.

Doom Eternal, obviously similar to Ultrakill in nature, and in the existence of their wonderful speedrunning communities, is heavily dependent on fps. Fps affects an enormous number of techniques, and so they've capped the fps for all speedruns at a maximum of 250 to avoid people with better hardware having an insurmountable advantage over the rest of the community. I am not suggesting an upper bound for fps, but I would like the ability to temporarily lower it at will. This would have great utility for making some highly inconsistent techniques much more consistent, improving the enjoyment factor of crafting a speedrun.

The in-game FPS cap is annoying to use, because it requires several inputs, while a program like RTSS can toggle an FPS cap simply at the push of a button.

If something like this were to be allowed, the rules would specifically state which external programs are allowed. Because it obviously wouldn't be good if everyone was using different external programs in the making of their speedruns.

This is merely a theoretical idea. I am not saying that this needs to, or even should, happen. It's just something to consider. I'd like for anyone and everyone who wishes to discuss this topic to please share their opinions in the comments of this thread, and most importantly, to do so respectfully. This is a simple internet discussion; no one should take it too seriously. Thank you for your time.

Kind regards,  ballsguy

thank you for your contribution ballsguy

the ingame options being slightly less convenient does not consititute altering of the rules imo

No for variety of reasons. The Doom Eternal team heavily regulates the use of macros ie you can only use the macro they provide. That is not something that is reasonable for us to create, moderate, and maintain as the game is constantly evolving because it is still in development. (this is the same reason why texture mods are not allowed). Not allowing any sort of external program also helps lower the barrier of entry to game game allowing more people to get into and enjoy Speedrunning it. This again goes back to Doom Eternal as setting everything up to have a valid run is frankly a hassle. I feel anyone should be able to boot up the game, record themselves playing, and have a valid run. Third, like you said there is already an in game option for this. Even if going into the settings is a little bit slow, every game that requires an fps limiter doesn't have this option (beyond just vsync). Lastly I assume that the reason why you would want to quickly cap and uncap your fps would be for zoomies rocket clipping. I can confirm that these are already patched on Hakita's end for the next update so the entire reason for wanting a way to quickly change the fps will be gone. Like I said, The game is still in development and I would rather not rewrite the rules after every minor update (less for my sake and more for everyone that has to follow these rules). It is much easier to just hold off for now and see where things end up. I hope this clears things up about why the ruling is the way it is. Let me know if you still have any questions about this or any thing else. B.G.B.