Many of the best (non-assisted) speedruns out there are incredible shows of skill (for example QdQwav, the HL2 speedrun etc). These runs aim for absolute perfection, and the runners play levels again and again and again to squeeze that last tenth of a second.
However, there are some speedruns at SDA which I simply can't understand. For example, take the Doom Episode 1 speedrun at SDA (made by Drew 'stx-Vile' DeVore). Or take for example the Final Doom TNT run (by the same runner). Those are not speedruns at all! I don't get it.
I have seen Episode 1 of Doom beaten probably in half the time compared to the run available at SDA. The latter does tons of unnecessary detours for no obvious reason, kills tons of enemies for no apparent reason and all in all seems to be just a playthrough instead of a speedrun.
The Final Doom TNT run is even worse. For a while I was thinking "is this a 100% run?" (ie. all kills and secrets) because for a moment it looked that way (the page at SDA doesn't mention it being such a thing, though). However, after a while it was clear that it was not a 100% run because he wasn't killing *all* monsters. However, he takes a lot of time killing monsters seemingly for no good reason. It looks just like a playthrough (made by someone who knows the game well) and not a speedrun.
I don't get it. What's the idea? What's the point?
I see what you mean.
Some people would rather see Playthrough than speedruns to know everything about the game. For example, i would rather watch a complete playthrough of RPG games, to see all of the game.
But on the other hand, i love to see speedruns of other games such as megaman, battletoads, etc.
But i dont think playthroughs should be on SDA. SDA is "speed" demos archive.
the main reason should be sda's quality criteria, which has changed, just like here, at tasvideos.
both "runs" (in fact the doom one is just a divx compilation) are very very old (between 98 and 2003), and I guess that back then, playthroughs were acceptable.
let us remember that the first runs on this very site had a very discutable quality up until recently ; criterias evolve (tools too), the (quickly growing) size of the list made the judges (and the watchers) asking for more and more spectacular shows, so it does explain it all.
I never sleep, 'cause sleep is the cousin of death - NAS
I have seen Episode 1 of Doom beaten probably in half the time compared to the run available at SDA. The latter does tons of unnecessary detours for no obvious reason, kills tons of enemies for no apparent reason and all in all seems to be just a playthrough instead of a speedrun.
The best episode 1 time for DOOM 1 is 5:00, currently (the SDA is worthless for DOOM records really). If you honestly think you (or anyone!) can beat the game [1] in 3:23 or less (in a speedrun, not a TAS!), I'd love to see it, but until then, I'm not going to believe it.
Good luck, though. (For reference, BTW, entryway's current record for a TAS movie of DOOM 1 episode 1 is 3:45.)
1. Episode 1 of DOOM 1, that is, on Ultra-Violence, using doom2.exe, using C-N's timing rules (i.e., the time DOOM reports after E1M7).
Warp,
I understand and share your concern. Still, I actually watched those doom runs and thought they were pretty good, and at the end of the day, entertainment is more important than speed. Am I right?
JXQ,
I fully understand your problem as I can relate to it myself. I would guess it's because if we're not over the top obvious about it being a joke, someone (perhaps even someone important, not just the pirate or whoever) might misunderstand it, and we wouldn't want that. AM I RIGHT? OR AM I?
All the best,
F
Joined: 1/9/2005
Posts: 219
Location: The Netherlands
I think LagDotCom is right.
I'm no Doom expert and i don't keep up with the latest fastest times.
However, stx-Vile does his runs on SS NM. I've tried to play NM but it's killing me. Surely other people can finish it, but stx-Vile is speedrunning, single segmentedly on nightmare. I think he needs all those secrets with the health and ammo boosts in order to stay alive.
You can't compare an UV run with a NM run.
Edit: however, i agree that a lot of runs on SDA are highly improvable. Lately though, runs for games i know fair enough have been improved, but still, SDA isn't nearly as strict as it should be. People send in super crappy speedruns just so another self-respecting speedrunner improves it, just because he can't bear seeing the crappy run online/listed.
That's just wrong.
I've also heard stories that SDA accepts a lot of runs just because it wants to grow, but those may just be stories.
"People send in super crappy speedruns just so another self-respecting speedrunner improves it, just because he can't bear seeing the crappy run online/listed"
yeah, but thats cool. it's not like they have to improve the run.
Super Mario Bros. console speedrunner
- Andrew Gardikis
People send in super crappy speedruns just so another self-respecting speedrunner improves it, just because he can't bear seeing the crappy run online/listed.
I think similar behavior has appeared on TASvideos as well in one or more occassions.
>However, there are some speedruns at SDA which I simply can't understand. For example, take the Doom Episode 1 speedrun at SDA (made by Drew 'stx-Vile' DeVore). Or take for example the Final Doom TNT run (by the same runner). Those are not speedruns at all! I don't get it.
I think you are very misinformed here.
The Doom Episode 1 speedrun up on SDA is the current Nightmare record, according to COMPET-N:
http://www.doom2.net/~compet-n/database/cn.cgi?record:udoom:movie+2005:7
And it has stood since 2003. If you think you can do better, then by all means. :) Myself, I can barely get trough 3 levels in NM even though I consider myself very good at Doom.
Even the best TAS UltraViolence Episode 1 is 4 minutes, so I don't understand where you could have seen a movie that is about half as short.
You mean that in nightmare mode you have to, for example, in e1m2 make a HUGE detour to the outside of the complex instead of going as straightforward as possible to the exit? I have hard time believing that.
The exact same question could be asked of e1m1, actually.
>You mean that in nightmare mode you have to, for example, in e1m2 make a HUGE detour to the outside of the complex instead of going as straightforward as possible to the exit? I have hard time believing that.
Good luck surviving that level without the chain gun. (Try it in NM and you'll see.)
Really, the Doom speedrunning community is still very competitive and has a lot of skilled players; if his video was as bad as you say it is, it would have been beaten in no time.
>The exact same question could be asked of e1m1, actually.
200% armor for the win. Check how much damage he sustains. (That, and it's probably also shorter than going around.)
