GUIDES & MAPS
- Red Candle, speed tech and info for all stages of learning http://redcandle.us/The_Legend_of_Zelda
- Walkthroughs for various routes: https://sites.google.com/view/orderoftheate/the-legend-of-zelda
- Room Tutorial Series (advancing players, incomplete): http://redcandle.us/The_Legend_of_Zelda/Room_Tutorial_Series
- All Z1 Game maps: http://nesmaps.com/maps/Zelda/Zelda.html
TEACHING VIDS
- Screen Scroll tutorial. How to wrap Link around the screen:
- Added screen scroll tech. Instant turnaround -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBI-0vvfNDU
ROM PATCHES
- REMOVE FLASHING PATCH -- Approved for speedrun attempt use: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aSn3oQ4mnRJuqaNJS6UzZfdwpk7aZ9LC/view
- PRACTICE ROM PATCH - not for use in speedrun attempts - (READ the README.txt) -- https://www.speedrun.com/the_legend_of_zelda/resources/2qzpq
SAVE STATE PACKS
- Everdrive N8 Pro, level-2 starting routes: https://www.speedrun.com/the_legend_of_zelda/resources/zie90
- Everdrive N8 Pro, 3-first routes: https://www.speedrun.com/the_legend_of_zelda/resources/jl5vt
- Everdrive N8 OS v1.23 (may work above 1.23), Level-3 manipulations, help videos included: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Qt4RvVZCKd7IQ8zGKdy15qKjUShmDrao/view?usp=sharing
MISC.
- Global Count Tracker: https://doctorblue.github.io/Zelda-Global-Tracker/
- OBS -- Record and/or livestream your runs: https://obsproject.com/download
- avidemux -- Examine, time, cut, and re-encode your recordings: http://avidemux.sourceforge.net/
- Livesplit -- Display a run timer: http://livesplit.org/introduction/
- somewes.com -- Get exact run times from VODs or local recordings: https://somewes.com/frame-count/
Would it be possible to add a subcategory button for this?
In accordance with this old sticky post -> https://www.speedrun.com/zelda1ce/thread/6up72
The game rules and relevant category rules have been updated. All Japanese runs submitted during the lapse have been re-timed, with time added as if they were run with English text.
In the Category Extensions, Up&A is always allowed unless the category is Deathless.
Short answer: If your submitted time is not competitive, it's fine.
Long answer: If you play copyrighted music during your runs, it's likely that your Twitch video on demand will become completely muted. If Youtube, the same could happen. This is because broadcasting copyrighted music while playing an unrelated video game doesn't qualify as "Fair Use". Any run that is submitted without intact game audio is less authentic than with game audio. That also includes having Free Use or Public Domain music drowning out the game audio. High authenticity matters to the mods when you're submitting competitive times.
Follows this thread from main board: https://www.speedrun.com/the_legend_of_zelda/thread/14xq4
Noting the exception that Extensions did already have some Game Rules listed, where the main board previously listed no Game Rules listed.
We've updated our "Game Rules" today, answering some frequently asked questions where every potential runner can easily read them.
The rules seem rather lengthy, but the only changes to our previous verification standards are as follows (and I'll expand on each): --We are explicitly allowing P2 Up+A to be bound to a single input. --We are now provisionally accepting runs on ARM/Mobile devices (e.g. smartphones). --We have a recommended emulator core list. --We are asking users to indicate what emulator, FPGA, or hardware mods were used.
P2 Up + A single binding. First of all, speedrunners had already been taping, clamping or rubber banding buttons on original hardware. The net effect for the runner is that one less button needs pushed. We accepted runs that did this. So, we're expanding the rules to allow all our potential runners that convenience. When previously asked about it we didn't think it was unfair if anyone had used a trick to make P2 Up + A a single input, but we discouraged runners from doing it in the future. Our ableist rationale was that it's trivial either way. But the fact is that while for most of us there is no difference between pressing one button or the two, for someone out there it could make a difference. We'd rather even the field for such a runner. But this allowance is intended to be limited to P2 Up+A. We don't intend for runners to further expand this rule for any other purpose. If you want to duplicate P1 input to P2, which due to a quirk in the game's program can cut a lot of lag frames, you have to do it manually.
About Smartphone emulation I've done preliminary testing and found no inaccuracy. We've researched the programs and what we learned has given us some confidence in their quality. The recommended smartphone apps use well-known x86/PC cores like Nestopia and FCEU. So, we don't have any specific reason to think they are advantageous, or less accurate than x86/PC emulators which themselves are not perfect. Should we find a significant inaccuracy in any gaming device we will of course examine it and per our standards for comparison to original hardware, remove runs that gained an advantage due to CPU/PPU inaccuracy.
We are recommending emulator cores now, as this is one of our most frequently asked questions. There are multiple resources on the internet, but this contains tables http://emulation.gametechwiki.com/index.php/Nintendo_Entertainment_System_emulators#cite_note-libretro-1
Indicating emulator, FPGA, modification use. As we're allowing a new platform provisionally, we'd like to keep a better public record of what programs are being used in case we do need to go back and check videos. We're expanding that to all platforms. No comment would imply unmodified original hardware. We will message you to get that information if you do not add it.
In other words, besides us not making mods of any Tom, Dick or Harry who comes asking, we're also not making mod of anyone just because they ran the game at some point or happen to be friends with another mod. It's not a sign of respect to have been made a mod (though we do respect them for the work they do), nor is it meant as disrespect to not have been made a mod. Moderating the board is just some work that needs done.
Roo was someone who understands all too well what our job is. He had a WR get rejected because of substandard recording.
At a minimum, to be a mod, be able to answer yes to the following:
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Will you learn how to accurately time runs? This includes downloading VODs and putting them into video editors that will count frames, and other methods.
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Is your SRC account secured with two-factor authentication? Can we trust you won't compromise your own account or sabotage our board?
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Have you actively and positively participated in the Z1 speedrunning community for a long time?
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Do you really want to verify potentially any and all runs that come through the leaderboard? It's not fun.
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Do you want to collaborate and communicate with other mods to maintain and improve the board?
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Will you learn our standards for verification, why those are the rules?
bottom of the page here: https://www.speedrun.com/zelda1ce/individual_levels
I'm not clear if you're asking for Linear 100% to also be Glitchless. I am a little intrigued by how awful some of the combat rooms in 100% glitchless sound. Book and Red Ring rooms in particular are total garbage. Bubbles in a diamond room -- BARF! I'm not seeing the appeal of forcing level order AND 100%. 100% categories of this game already suffer from a lot of extra walking to get barely useful stuff, and we already have diluted the boards with six 100% categories when only one is decently competitive. But, I think you should run what you want, post your results and see who gets interested.
However, no Deaths or Up+A as a category variant has been done to death. I'm not going to dilute the leaderboard by tacking that restriction onto our categories, or by making categories that are otherwise too similar to existing ones.
You should not use that in a timed run, because it's not part of the original game's program and most of the other players will not have the same feature on their gameplay device.
Edit: Oh yeah, and a little while back it was confirmed that ACE will work on Switch.
Mesen and puNES are currently regarded by multiple resources as the most accurate emulators.
https://emulation.gametechwiki.com/index.php/Nintendo_Entertainment_System_emulators http://tasvideos.org/EmulatorResources/NESAccuracyTests.html
FCEUX doesn't rank well, but it's still accurate enough to be accepted.
Nesticle is inaccurate.
Pick an accurate emulator and if the program has any input lag reduction or predictive computation (e.g. RunAhead) or VSync type features they should be disabled because they cause inaccurate, sped up emulation.
There's been a whirlwind of ideas and WRs over the past few days. One idea was what is done in this video by Neerrm which is not a PB for him, but it is a unique route that runners should be aware of.
Using only Flybot's charged up slam move he does the run in six fights, same as my 1:45 and his 1:47 runs, but with Two At-Bats instead of one.
The obvious benefit of using a Flybot is being able to completely avoid being hit while charging up a massive attack as soon as the fight gets underway. The downside to Flybot is that hovering and charging drains its power so quickly that you need almost a full bar to deal over 200 damage with a charged attack. For a 6F/1AB route (used in the WR runs) to go fast, you must get into fights with the 3B at a distance no less than 76M from home plate, and then with the SS at 85M. At the start of every fight, the distance between your runner and the next base is counted up, and during that time your maximum power bar for the fight is drained. Flybot won't have enough juice to deal a massive hit during those fights. So our solution was just to do 2 at-bats, so every fight would start with a low distance value and a high power bar.
However, Neerrm theorized that a Flybot 6F/1AB route could be feasible if done similarly to the 1:45 and 1:47 Tank runs. Do 255 damage to SS, 3B and C in the first fights. In the second fight with SS and 3B, still using your first batter/runner, whittle down the opponent to about 46 with your gun, then do a small charged slam to finish them. We don't have any working math to determine if that would be faster or slower than the current prevailing route. Nor am I aware of what might be causing fully-charged attacks to sometimes have their damage reduced from 255.
We ended up launching "100% Plus" which is an expansion of the "100%" main board category.
In addition to everything required in 100%, 100% Plus also requires collecting all nine Maps and Compasses, and buying the Magical Shield. The player does not have to buy another the shield if one is lost to a Like-like.
Also, in 100% Plus the player has more freedom with regard to spending Heart Containers. You will be allowed to choose Red Potions instead of Heart Containers in the overworld caves, and you'll be allowed to pay old men in Second Quest with Hearts instead of 50 rupees.
The reason for allowing players to spend hearts, choose potions and lose the shield is to make the category more friendly at the entry-level via more routing choices, which has been one of the main tenets for the Category Extensions board.
(The reason the category name is written out as "100% Plus" instead of "100%+" is to avoid confusion between this category and "100%".)
The Quest variable-as-subcategory is game-wide. For any current of future category that does both quests, submit runs to the default variable, First Quest.
A previous discussion which took place in Z1 discord was summarized in the sheet linked below.
Some folks want a category that does main board 100% plus collect all maps, all compasses and purchase a shield. For that proposal, an ongoing point of debate is whether the player should be allowed to take potions from the Potion or Heart Container caves.
Out of the same discussion another idea was a category that finished with every item slot filled with any item. For example, a blue ring would be enough. Bombs do not count as an item slot, so upgrades are not required. The player doesn't need to finish with a rupee or bomb at all. One last idea was to finish the Letter side quest. This category seemed interesting in that the routing is a lot more open ended and could be approached differently by players of different goals or skill sets.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nL4eTEDE2Jv_CCVqwN7hN6ecgNspC_gwFbdyf3jZ3sM/edit#gid=0
