Since its not in the actual rules for the games, here is the list of the general nes speedrun rules from Whitehat and the community.
Full disclosure, I don't use game audio when I play, as I play while listening to music, and I prefer to keep the audio as just the music. I do livestream all my attempts, and would be glad to play the game live if anyone ever questioned me. This has never been an issue in the past and I hope it continues to not be an issue.
As for aspect ratio, I understand not wanting to see 16:9 stretch, but 4:3 is also technically not the "proper" aspect ratio for NES games. "NES resolution is 256 (*8/7 PAR) x 240. This means that the correct ratio for uncropped video is 1.219:1. (Close to 11:9) Typical emulation defaul crops the top and bottom 8 lines, for a 1.306:1 ratio. (Close to 13:10) In order for 4:3 to be technically correct, you'd need to be showing 219 and 3/7ths of the 240 lines." I don't think this will be an issue as many runners do this across all games, I've never seen anyone questioned about it.
I am definitely not trying to bust chops or anything, I just wanted to put in my 2 cents on a couple issues. I'm not sure a generic rule list can truly work for every game out there. I understand wanting to make things more standardized, and I do agree with many of the items on this list. I think there are also a few that can be amended or not applied to every game. I do understand the reasoning for game audio in many games, to help detect splices. I'm not sure this game is quite the same. It would be really hard to splice a run with the same pieces on the board, same pieces used, etc. Maybe on emulator? I'm not sure. I'm up for discussion, but mainly just wanted to point out a couple things.
Yeah i agree on both points Justin. Alot of people play background music during attempts, including myself. This did come up in a different tetris game, where i basically had the same comment as you, that the splicing of a tetris run would be extremely difficult due to the pieces/timing. There are no issues with playing music while doing attempts.
Same thing goes with aspect ratio, I have also never seen this be an issue. Most of the rules are just general rules, i.e. save states, turbo, resets, etc which should apply to alot, if not most nes games.
I'm fine with many of the emulator requirements, but for me, I would not be able to show the entire emulator window as it would include things on my desktop that I would rather keep private. Also, it would mess with my current layout. If it is absolutely necessary, I would be fine with changing my layout to allow for the emulator window to be shown, but I can assure you that I use Nestopia, which is on the list of accepted emulators. If you need more proof, I am always willing to provide such proof, like a short screen capture that shows the emulator that I use, but I prefer to play with just the emulator window being captured. I also would prefer not to have input display shown as it would cover part of the game screen and would look unseemly during play. Again, if this is something you would like me to do in the future, let me know.
Let me know if you would prefer for me to capture the entire screen in my future attempts.
Also, I do not think that a lot of these rules changes are needed on many of the smaller Tetris communities at this point in time. The GB Tetris is one example. I see no reason to include a lot of these rules yet as there aren't enough players, in my opinion, to actually need to enforce these rules. You can always add the recommended emulators for use, but anything more than that could be seen as over-moderation or adding of too many rules that would dissuade many new players from picking up the game.
In other NES runs, the emulator requirements are a standard due to the precise nature of the game. As stated above, the nature of Tetris might not create the same concerns as other games, and that the main point of adding the document cited was to include in the rules regarding resets, save states, and turbo issues, which may not have been articulated as clearly as i thought. I can adjust the wording to specifically include those concerns too.
Regarding your issue with the full emulator screen, it would generally be preferred if you did capture the entire screen. OBS can capture the emulator window without having to capture the desktop and can fit inside your current layout without having to change anything. I have yet to see a Tetris run denied due to lack of input display; however, I have seen in other games where input logs are requested and runs may be rejected at that point. I would say your are fine without it unless asked upon submission.
Lastly, the rules changes made here only effect the NES Tetris runs. GB Tetris has its own board and rules. Specifically the rules regarding reset screen, no save states, and no turbo are general standards and are not a barrier to entry for new runners.
You'll find the google doc posted on several NES boards. Many of these rules are "suggested or recommended" not "must". It's similar to having the rules that have long been defined on SpeedRunsLive. Of course there are the strict/must have rules per game but the general ones cover those who are new to speedrunning NES games and may not be aware of what is generally accepted practices for runs they submit. The closer you are to the guideline the better the chances for it being verified.
I finally got around to updating the rules to include the items we discussed here and some other basic stuff.
All runs must include video and if using emulator, please do not alter the layout (if using modified for hi score pb runs). Also, please specify emu used (if not on approved list) and if using retroarch, you need to specify version and core used, display frame rate, and must show on video that the run overhead option is not enabled.
I don't think this should change too much, since 95% of runs already do this. Thanks!
