This debate won't continue into anything constructive if we don't lay down rules or at least key points to rely instead of what we are tried and trying to do.
(couldn't find good sources from officially recognized institutes, sorry)
0. Let me recap my own research first:
- There were much more different opinions than exactly matching views so far in the thread.
Sheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kEjJk6uFgubSlqcFp2IntZvbrW7VsjI6KKuWiRfPMRI/edit#gid=0
- I've tried my best to differentiate the most common views and challenge the rules through defining the problem: why it's a problem, who could intervent the problem, how to intervent it.
As you can see on the 2nd page of the sheet linked above, the conclusion is:
- We don't have official informations of these closed systems (consoles), nor the softwares (video games) we TAS. This means we have to define ourselves a set of rules with seemingly arbitrary ones
(Arbitrary is defined as something that is determined by judgment or whim and not for any specific reason or rule).
- The primary problem of this is that TASing a video game is definitely wasn't an expected nor intended to support this activity by the console/video game developers. There were many defenses implemented against misuse by hackers, crackers, reverse engineers, pirates, etc.
- The secondary problem is
edit: how we should define these. We have many users in the community, TASers with varying knowledge and the staff themselves. Who should come up with rule changes? What should be required to accept or reject them? And in the end... will it match viewers expectations?
1. Ok, let's start with
facts:
A
computer is a machine that can be programmed to accept data (input), process it into useful information (output), and store it away (in a secondary storage device) for safekeeping or later reuse. The processing of input to output is directed by the software but performed by the hardware.
- Input devices accept data in a form that the computer can use; they then send the data to the processing unit.
- The processor, more formally known as the central processing unit (CPU), has the electronic circuitry that manipulates input data into the information people want. The central processing unit executes computer instructions that are specified in the program.
- Output devices show people the processed data-information in a form that they can use.
- Storage usually means secondary storage. Secondary storage consists of devices, such as diskettes, which can store data and programs outside the computer itself. These devices supplement the computer's memory, which, as we will see, can hold data and programs only temporarily.
- A
general PC is a collection of unknown hardware with unknown software running on it. Consequently a PC game will need to be written to run well on a minimum-spec while also taking advantage of a higher end machine.
Now let's go for
consoles.
- The term "video game console" is primarily used to distinguish a console machine primarily designed for consumers to use for playing video games, in contrast to arcade machines or home computers
- A
game console gives you a very specific set of hardware, running a very specific set of programs.
2. The problems revisited of this debate
- TASVideos movie rules are written by multiple members of the higher staff. These rules seems to be perfectly in line of the goals stated:
TASVideos.org is
committed to providing the best in tool-assisted speedruns and superhuman play.
Our runs are held to high standards, and
only high quality runs will be published on the site.
We also prefer quality over quantity — a poor quality run will not be accepted whether it is a game new to the site or an improvement to a pre-existing run
- In order to make a change in rules, we need someone from the higher staff because of: knowledge/experience of these various consoles and games before trying to define a new rule; coming up with a solution that serves the original goal of the site; someone with authenticity to drive/control this debate to get an official word of status.
- Most TASers or simply users of the community don't have that deep knowledge/experience nor insight to these problematic techniques, so they might be not 100% sure they really meant what they wanted to say.
- If we would draw a Venn diagram of currently allowed and the currently not allowed techniques, we will see fast that we have some arbitrary lines. Most of these cuts were rooted to the main problem surrounding the site in it's early days: People will outright say "this is cheating" because of the uninformed/uneducated and too powerful, nearly magical stuffs going on while they never had achieve this level of optimality/superplay themselves nor had an idea of this being a possibility.
Well... conclusion? I don't know. I think I should draw at least the Venn diagram so we can see how many techniques allowed and disallowed has commonly shared keypoints that make the arbitrary cuts really arbitrary. Other than that, I think a "leader" is really needed. In the end, do we have a problem? Is this debate is useful for anyone (else besides me, trying to gain more access of potential techniques)?
