the rules have been updated to be a little clearer.

submissions must use the 1 lap race setting (not time trial), and the racing line assist is strongly discouraged.

runners should note that runs using racing line may be removed, or moved into their own sub-category, out of respect to those who have followed the no-racing-line rule to date.

Please ensure that all runs from this point are included with a Timer shown on the run.

Runs added without a timer will be kept on the board, unless there is reason to recheck / retime.

Also, there was some confusion about the exact end-split. Some were added with the first frame of cutscene, some were using the victory screen. This applies to much older runs for the most part.

In an effort to assist verification and help make things much clearer, please adhere to the main rules when making submissions. The Rules section has been tidied up reflect this.

*should any runs on the board require retimed that been skipped, let me know :)

having tried out and enjoyed the Point to Point routes, especially the Seattle run multiple times now, can I request we create new PointToPoint categories for modern versions of ATS ? (new routes would be nice, but I mean new categories for existing routes).

I was aware of handling differences between old versions and newer, plus some reworked areas here and there. my current Seattle is over 80 RTA seconds faster than the leaders, using the different techniques, yet is still a few IGT minutes slower. the route appears the same, but with such a big RTA difference, something else is going on between versions (either bigger or more slow-zones, or something else).

I think effectively enforcing people to use an alpha version from years ago to compete is unfair, plus with most states still to be added, it just doesn't make sense. perhaps once it did where the changes weren't as pronounced, but this difference really is huge. in other speedrun boards where a game is in development, we see categories being locked in to cater for newer versions. perhaps this should happen here ?

could we also enforce a fuel consumption setting that is the same for all too, not based on the ECO skill, and possibly default road events ? there is nothing in the rules to specify what settings to use currently and clearly, and for longer runs these are quite important.

updating can be a nuisance, but we are seeing bigger differences in some of these runs, and ahead we will see more routes added. perhaps we need to look at this a bit more.

would it be possible to change the leaderboard ordering (ascending/descending) as it seems to be the wrong way round at the moment. thanks :)

more of a quick heads-up really, but I've noticed runs are not being verified with the supplied 'played' dates. it's a little trivial, but the statistics page records runs by these values. changing them to date of verification means record runs that did stand for some days or weeks (waiting to be verified) often get hidden or unrecorded because of the erroneous values. as the board is now getting busier, I thought I'd bring this up :)

The category rules have been updated slightly, adding the requirement to specify emulator (if any) used, and more clearly specifying timing.

Please note, smartphone emulators are discouraged (as is common on the site), and may be removed due to inaccuracies.

I have updated the rules to include a requirement that recent versions of emulators must be used.

The current leaders run, while being a good one, appears to have been made with a now obsolete emulator and game version (presumably ~0.90 of the game). As such, it has several issues (sound and timing). I am keeping the run on the board as a guide for others for the moment, but this may change if we get more runs.

To ensure a fair and meaningful board, if using emulation, please use recent versions where the game has been more accurately emulated properly.

Glitches :

There is a glitch on the Spectrum version whereby any legs (a single 501 round) the AI scores against you carry over into the next match.

This is easily identifiable with the leg scores on the left. This means if you lose a leg against an opponent in Match 1, for instance, the second match opponent will start 1-0 up instead of 0-0 (each match being best of 3).

Another glitch (possibly intentional) is that the Player only needs to win one leg in the Final against the AI to win. The AI (presuming match starts at 0-0) needs to win 2.

Runs & RNG :

Like many old games, there are patterns to the RNG the game uses to generate dog appearances and pints (that cost time).

When starting a game immediately (no practice attempts first), the starting opponent will always be the same, the dog will always appear in match two, with specific pint appearances.

For this reason, please ensure runs are made from restart, so runs and splits can be compared more effectively.

just a heads-up, but yt is flagging some Commando videos with a content id claim, surprisingly. it looks very obscure, related to a cover song made in 2001. runners may wish to monitor this just in case with any current / future uploads.

The Goal Time Deduction rule was implemented to encourage positive, attacking play, rather than simply scoring a goal and keeping possession each game.

At the moment, it is still more efficient to score a goal, keep possession, and have as few attempts on goal as possible (owing to time lost when keeper saves or ball goes out of play).

A 7-second deduction overall should both reward the player for scoring, yet also keep things in check for players wanting to play the possession game and save time that way. If anything, this figure is too low and only becomes efficient with high scoring figures each game.

This is still an experimental rule and may change: normal RTA is still required for each run in any case. Additional categories will be added later.

hello !

would it be possible to finalize the rta/rta-ns5/igt issue, and perhaps tidy up the rules just a little ?

at the moment it's very confusing to know which category to submit to. it's also encouraging lots of duplicate runs, which are never nice to see.

can we remove rta, and set default to rta-ns5 for each category, igt as the second option ?

also, should igt (that is, eu4 igt) really be used ? it does seem to create more issues than it solves.

hopefully some of this will get resolved soon ! :)

Recent runs have raised some issues about the current category and rules for SC4. Here are some suggestions:

Subcategory for Loans, without Loans -loans are a normal part of the game, but they do trivialise part of the run when using them. Alternatively, a loan cap.

Disallow neighbor deals / connections -as these play a role, the existing region may affect the run without the runner realising.

100k+ Category -it's clear there's room for an additional category. 50k will remain, but there's scope for more creativity and challenge.

At the moment, the first 2 areas will be ignored, runners have the choice. Multi-tiles may be used, but the run must show them being made.

*the behind-the-scenes numbers (even with non-neighbor tiles) are not well-defined, plus areas off-screen cannot be verified easily on the region map, so this may change.

Will be adding a new category shortly.

while most of the 8-bit versions tend to use the same formula, there are still differences between them. will list some of the main ones for those interested in running.

All Versions--- The game uses 4 main maps, split into 2 sections.. those before the bridge on each map (midpoint) and after. Most versions recycle this 4 map idea infinitely, slightly altering the sections (eg. jungle to marshland) giving 8 unique maps.

C64--- The fastest of the versions, possibly the shortest. The original version had 3 maps instead of 4, recycled with fewer differences also. Some sprite issues when multiple bullets and sprites are present. the 2015 Nostalgia version reworked this to 4, matching most other versions, improving sprite issues and adding gfx.

Spectrum--- Another popular version, no music with only sound effects, limited palette, quite fast but considerable slowdowns at the end of maps, grenade throwers more common and hazardous. An unofficial 128k version had music included, although rare.

Arcade--- Where it all began. Notoriously difficult, very little time to react to bullets and enemies make this perhaps the hardest. Few region differences, other than initial loading screen.

Atari 2600--- The most radically different, does have its charm and does well with the hardware. Not to be confused with the Atari 7800 version.

Amiga / Atari ST--- While having better arcade-like graphics being 16-bit, both suffer from the vertical resolution, grenade reach is very short, bullets survive longer, fewer sprite issues when action is intense.

NES--- Deviates slightly from the 4 map x 2 formula offering 16 areas (although similar recycling occurs), includes unique features such as underground bunkers and item pickups (other than grenades), slower gameplay and a continue option, many sprite issues. the NES version has its own board here: https://www.speedrun.com/commando

If there is a version you would like included, post it below !

Twitch doesn't like certain songs on the in-game radio, these can be disabled on the main menu however. Youtube doesn't appear to have any issues. Will add as necessary.

• By the Bay

@Lizstar can I suggest we have a separate category for the Windows and DOS versions, if you get a chance ?

been running both this week, the differences are quite significant. krayzar created a thread about specific differences, might make a post there later :)

not super critical though.