Speedrunning is the intention of completing a game as fast as possible. Over the last little while, the speed running community has really grown quite large, coinciding with dedicated streaming services (twitch), and an improved method of organizing the community as a whole (speedrunslive).
There are three main ways in which games are usually run -
RTA (real time attack)/single segment - these two terms are used essentially interchangeably in the speedrunning community, where the runner sits down and plays the game in one sitting using real time from the decided cutoff points (usually start file to lose character control). There's some debate over whether save + quit is considered single segment, but the term has been used quite loosely recently. This is generally the most common way games are run.
Multiple segment - The run is composed of multiple segments, usually split up by save points. The runner will usually replay each segment until satisfied with the time, and then "stitch" them together.
Tool assisted speedrun (TAS) - the run is played with the help of specific tools and usually advanced frame by frame in order to manipulate RNG and for frame perfect tricks, greatly improving the time.
Not mentioned previously is the type of completion that the runner wishes to achieve. Most commonly run are any% and 100%, where any% is complete the game as fast as possible and 100% is "specified full completion". While in some games, it may be obvious (Super Mario 64, gather all 120 stars), other games have slightly arbitrary definitions for 100% completion (in Ocarina of Time, you don't need to collect any dungeon map or compass). Depending on the game, however, there are other completion goals that can be achieved. Ocarina of Time, for example, has a category called Medallions, Stones, and Trials, in which the runner has to collect every medallion, stone, and complete Ganon's trials while finishing the game.
Of note in the speedrunning community are the races. Races are RTAs that are done by multiple users competing for the best time, and can have any arbitrary completion goal depending on the game.
The only specific way in which races differentiate from running is the potential for bingo, in which a a bingo sheet is randomly generated with 25 different goals, and the runners race to complete a row, column, or diagonal.
My personal favourite part of the speedrunning community is the marathons. Two major ones are happening quite soon, with ESA (European Speedster Assembly - see schedule here http://europeanspeedsterassembly.com/#schedule) and SDGQ (Summer Games Done Quick - http://marathon.speeddemosarchive.com/schedule). Both of these marathons work towards gaining money for charitable causes, and have done great work in the past (for example, Awesome Games Done Quick 2013 raised almost 450,000 dollars for the Prevent Cancer foundation).
If anyone wants to get started, here are a few streamers who are really great at their game. If you don't find anything interesting there, check out speedrunslive.com, where pretty much every game you can possibly imagine will be streamed at one point or another.
http://www.twitch.tv/cosmowright - Windwaker
http://www.twitch.tv/siglemic - Super Mario 64
http://www.twitch.tv/nedeahs - Ocarina of Time
http://www.twitch.tv/ennopp112 - Majora's Mask
http://www.twitch.tv/werster - all of pokemon
Lastly, if anyone is interested in racing even casually, a few of us have started racing games over Skype and IRC, even at varying skill levels. We're hoping to get more people around, so if anyone is interested, feel free to join us at #speedrunraces at synirc.net or post any ideas for potential games/times in this thread. If there's a game that you think anyone outside of yourself owns, don't be hesitant to throw the idea out there!
Planned Races:
??
Previous Races:
July 10th - Super Mario 64 (70 Star beat Bowser)
moi: sux
Walrein: 2:38:20.0
There are three main ways in which games are usually run -
RTA (real time attack)/single segment - these two terms are used essentially interchangeably in the speedrunning community, where the runner sits down and plays the game in one sitting using real time from the decided cutoff points (usually start file to lose character control). There's some debate over whether save + quit is considered single segment, but the term has been used quite loosely recently. This is generally the most common way games are run.
Multiple segment - The run is composed of multiple segments, usually split up by save points. The runner will usually replay each segment until satisfied with the time, and then "stitch" them together.
Tool assisted speedrun (TAS) - the run is played with the help of specific tools and usually advanced frame by frame in order to manipulate RNG and for frame perfect tricks, greatly improving the time.
Not mentioned previously is the type of completion that the runner wishes to achieve. Most commonly run are any% and 100%, where any% is complete the game as fast as possible and 100% is "specified full completion". While in some games, it may be obvious (Super Mario 64, gather all 120 stars), other games have slightly arbitrary definitions for 100% completion (in Ocarina of Time, you don't need to collect any dungeon map or compass). Depending on the game, however, there are other completion goals that can be achieved. Ocarina of Time, for example, has a category called Medallions, Stones, and Trials, in which the runner has to collect every medallion, stone, and complete Ganon's trials while finishing the game.
Of note in the speedrunning community are the races. Races are RTAs that are done by multiple users competing for the best time, and can have any arbitrary completion goal depending on the game.
The only specific way in which races differentiate from running is the potential for bingo, in which a a bingo sheet is randomly generated with 25 different goals, and the runners race to complete a row, column, or diagonal.
My personal favourite part of the speedrunning community is the marathons. Two major ones are happening quite soon, with ESA (European Speedster Assembly - see schedule here http://europeanspeedsterassembly.com/#schedule) and SDGQ (Summer Games Done Quick - http://marathon.speeddemosarchive.com/schedule). Both of these marathons work towards gaining money for charitable causes, and have done great work in the past (for example, Awesome Games Done Quick 2013 raised almost 450,000 dollars for the Prevent Cancer foundation).
If anyone wants to get started, here are a few streamers who are really great at their game. If you don't find anything interesting there, check out speedrunslive.com, where pretty much every game you can possibly imagine will be streamed at one point or another.
http://www.twitch.tv/cosmowright - Windwaker
http://www.twitch.tv/siglemic - Super Mario 64
http://www.twitch.tv/nedeahs - Ocarina of Time
http://www.twitch.tv/ennopp112 - Majora's Mask
http://www.twitch.tv/werster - all of pokemon
Lastly, if anyone is interested in racing even casually, a few of us have started racing games over Skype and IRC, even at varying skill levels. We're hoping to get more people around, so if anyone is interested, feel free to join us at #speedrunraces at synirc.net or post any ideas for potential games/times in this thread. If there's a game that you think anyone outside of yourself owns, don't be hesitant to throw the idea out there!
Planned Races:
??
Previous Races:
July 10th - Super Mario 64 (70 Star beat Bowser)
moi: sux
Walrein: 2:38:20.0
