So, I'm about to jump into the max% wizard category here, but I wanted to verify something. Crow has this category, but his time looks like it kept running after what the rules specify to be the final moment (final action / cursor change for knocking down Ad Avis). I believe his run should actually be considered ~24:46. Am I wrong about some aspect of this?

Cool. That definitely helps clarify.

I got the recording stuff you recommended and have been playing around. I may send in an initial version before long.

Awesome! Thanks so much for your replies.

I'll check out those specific programs and see about starting to record attempts. Also very glad to hear there's something that will prevent crashing. I'm not sure if the crash you mentioned is associated with the wonky colors (which usually turn into a crash) or the game freezing while loading Mage's Maze, but those are issues I've run into consistently. I actually got 25 minutes into the run with the only things to do left being Mage's Maze, the interactions at the Hero's Tale Inn, and the final sequence with the brigands. It was very frustrating, to be sure. (If the fix you mentioned doesn't solve those and you happen to know other ways to fix them, I'd be more than appreciative.)

I think I have the route pretty laid out, so I think I'll give LiveSplit a go. (In theory, if played optimally, I should be able to do about 33 minutes.)

One other question: I was looking at rules on Speed Demos Archive, and it mentioned not quitting and re-loading the game. (The segmented vs single segment rules, specifically.) Does this mean that, if the game crashes or I get killed, my run is over? Or is this meant to refer only to situations where you run bits separately and can re-do them for lower times?

I'm glad to be here. I've been a spectator for a while, and this seems like a great way to get my feet wet.

I figured an semi-obscure category would be fun, so I went for the VGA version's 100% mage run. Checked out Puri's runs on the EGA, goofed around a bunch, and so on. Then after playing through 8 or 9 times over the last couple of days and optimizing the route, I timed a couple play-throughs. Much to my surprise, the best one was 41m59s, which looks to be faster than the current record.

I have no idea how to do more, though. Like, how would I submit that? How would I record it right? How do you set up splits? I realize these are a lot of basic questions, but is there some sort of "So You Want to Be a Speedrunner" guide sitting around here somewhere?

It's been a fun test run, and the idea of progressing into a 100% mage run for each segment and possibly even the full collection sounds very fun. But I could use some guidance. Any help is much appreciated.