Speedruns
Recording Speedruns
The single best suggestion for anyone wanting to perform and record a speedrun is to use a timer! And not just a clock running alongside, but an actual timer that is started at the same moment as the speedrun, and visible during the entire attempt.
If streaming your speedrun through a computer, and not just recording with a camera, there are existing speedrun timers that are very effective for this purpose. This is the most common way currently used to time a speedrun attempt.
Speedrun Timer Resources:
If streaming your speedrun through a computer, and not just recording with a camera, there are existing speedrun timers that are very effective for this purpose. This is the most common way currently used to time a speedrun attempt.
Speedrun Timer Resources:
- FramePerfect - a speedrun timer app for iOS and Android.
- LiveSplit - a very commonly used timer for PC that is very customizable
- Time Split Tracker - small speedrun timer for PC and Mac
- WSplit - lightweight speedrun timer
Creating Speedrun Tracks
When creating a speedrun track, there are a few important pieces to make sure to address in the rules to allow for clarity in timing and play.
First, the start and end points for timing the run should be clearly spelled out. The points should be easy to identify for both a player, and an adjudicator, when watching the video. The start point should correspond to a player action, such as pressing start or beginning movement, or an obvious cue on the video. The end point should also be obvious, and a good practice is to tie it to the last moment of player interaction.
In general, the keys with timing a run need to be obvious to everyone, and consistent in how they work, so there's no disputing what the start and end points are. It's also recommended that if a game has an existing speedrun community with generally accepted start and end points, those should be used.
Second, the rules should be clear on the scope of what's allowed during a speedrun. Notably, mention of the use of various glitches, going out of bounds, wrong warps, and the like should be covered, even if there are currently no known ways to do any of the above. This doesn't mean there should be a complete list of individual glitches and if they're allowed, but they should be covered in general.
This may mean that it's best to have a discussion on the rules of a speedrun before attempting to create the track. Also, again, if there are existing accepted rule sets in a community around speedrunning that game, consider using those known rule sets.
First, the start and end points for timing the run should be clearly spelled out. The points should be easy to identify for both a player, and an adjudicator, when watching the video. The start point should correspond to a player action, such as pressing start or beginning movement, or an obvious cue on the video. The end point should also be obvious, and a good practice is to tie it to the last moment of player interaction.
In general, the keys with timing a run need to be obvious to everyone, and consistent in how they work, so there's no disputing what the start and end points are. It's also recommended that if a game has an existing speedrun community with generally accepted start and end points, those should be used.
Second, the rules should be clear on the scope of what's allowed during a speedrun. Notably, mention of the use of various glitches, going out of bounds, wrong warps, and the like should be covered, even if there are currently no known ways to do any of the above. This doesn't mean there should be a complete list of individual glitches and if they're allowed, but they should be covered in general.
This may mean that it's best to have a discussion on the rules of a speedrun before attempting to create the track. Also, again, if there are existing accepted rule sets in a community around speedrunning that game, consider using those known rule sets.