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Comment by fortyseven

6 years ago

UPDATE: They do! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Super_Mario_speedrunni... (see also, replies)

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I'm not saying this kind of thing isn't impressive -- because, duh, it's amazing! I just don't think it should count as a record. Or at least it should have it's own category.

For me it just crosses a line between exploiting a side effect or minor bug, and... well, this.

If I could somehow glitch physics at the quantum level in real life, to instantly warp me to the finish line of a race, is it fair?

Is it in the _spirit_ of the race?

It'd be incredible, sure, and on paper, yes, you went from point A to B faster than a cheetah. But it's no longer a race concerning the physical fitness of the contestants. It's about systemic exploitation.

I guess this question bleeds into the idea of physical augmentation and enhancement, and quickly into some Deus Ex stuff, if you push it enough.

Love the hack, just pondering the ethics of it being a record.

5 comments

fortyseven

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berbec  6 years ago

It is it's own category. https://www.speedrun.com/smb3 has the following:

100%: "Beat the game, entering and completing every stage and Hammer Bros. fight" Any %, warpless: "Beat the game as quickly as possible without using any wrong warps or warp whistles. Warp whistles may be collected but not used." Any %, no wrong warp: "Beat the game as quickly as possible without using any wrong warps." Any %: “Time starts on pressing Start on the title screen. Time ends when Mario is visible in the princess' chamber. If the game crashes, the run is invalid."

The run shows is an Any% run.

chki  6 years ago

I'm not a speedrunning expert but I think that there are usually subcategories for "glitchless" runs, where you can only use the intended game mechanics. So your suggestion has already been approved by the speedrunning community.

nkrisc  6 years ago

It's not really any different to how we have different categories for racing. We have categories for people in cars, and categories for people running under their own power, etc.

Does the fastest lap record for some track take away from any sprinting record?

Even if there was a running race and car race on the same track I don't think anyone would have any issue differentiating between the various records that would exist.