Post subject: Is using password this way cheating?
Editor, Emulator Coder, Expert player (2154)
Joined: 5/22/2007
Posts: 1134
Location: Glitchvania
I know using password to start a game from a certain level (that is, I mean, to skip the earlier levels) is usually a bad idea for making speedruns. But in some games, there can be an item displaying the password for the current level in the pause menu, which can be cursor-selected and used to restart the current level. To do this you don't need to input the password by yourself. All you need is to move the cursor onto the password and then press the decision button. So can I say that doing this is not password/secret-code cheating but actually utilizing a "Try Again" option? Edit: Clarified. Edit: A better subject.
<klmz> it reminds me of that people used to keep quoting adelikat's IRC statements in the old good days <adelikat> no doubt <adelikat> klmz, they still do
Player (68)
Joined: 3/11/2004
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Location: Reykjaví­k, Ísland
Please clarify. What do you mean? I don't understand what you're talking about.
Joined: 4/30/2006
Posts: 480
Location: the secret cow level
In-game restart sequences have been allowed for certain games, as well as hard resets coded into the actual movie files. Posting a demonstration of what you're talking about (movie file, video) might help us answer your question more specifically.
Editor, Active player (297)
Joined: 3/8/2004
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Location: Arzareth
Restarting the game during the movie is allright even if it involves viewing/re-entering passwords acquired during that movie. Using passwords acquired outside the movie is not allowed without discussion.
Player (206)
Joined: 5/29/2004
Posts: 5712
I don't like the idea just because it's not quite clear when a password is "acquired". Does the password have to be onscreen for just one frame? What if the runner is viewing the memory? If you can view the password coherently in the memory ahead of time, does that count as "acquiring" the password? Or what if you think you should be able to figure out the password for where you are from some code cracking? Or what if you think you simply deserve to have the password immediately after beating a level, and so you reset at whatever time you consider the level "beaten"? I'm okay with resetting to take advantage of a savefile, though, since there's always an exact point that the game writes its savedata.
put yourself in my rocketpack if that poochie is one outrageous dude
Editor, Emulator Coder, Expert player (2154)
Joined: 5/22/2007
Posts: 1134
Location: Glitchvania
I think if you "acquire" the password at a point when a non-tool-assisted player is able to acquire the same password even though it is the first time he has played the game (so he can't "remember" the password), it is okay. I've made a demo of using password given by the game, Young Merlin, to (re)start playing from a certain point. You will see how great this trick is since all the glitch-skipped items are automaticly acquired in several frames. It's said that this game is boring, though. Edit: Text formated.
<klmz> it reminds me of that people used to keep quoting adelikat's IRC statements in the old good days <adelikat> no doubt <adelikat> klmz, they still do