Speedruns

What Is A TAS: Tool-Assisted Speedruns Explained
11Aug By NWB SpeedrunsNo Comments
Speedruns, TAS

What Is A TAS: Tool-Assisted Speedruns Explained

If you’re reading this article, you’re probably wondering what a tool-assisted speedrun is. The answer is quite simple, but I’m aware that it can seem more daunting than it is. In short, a TAS is a tool-assisted speedrun. The tool assistance can include assigning specific inputs to automatically play out throughout the game, frame-by-frame advancements, and even unintended button presses such as up and down or left and right at the same time. TAS are built, but not performed by humans either for entertainment or examination of a video game's limits. A TAS is often used to see how fast a game can theoretically be beaten. This is different from a normal speedrun where a speedrunner will strive to beat a game as fast as humanly possible. How do they achieve this extreme theoretical s...
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5 Best Gaming Chairs – Ergonomic, Fairly Priced, Comfortable
6Aug By A.M. ReidNo Comments
Gaming Gear, Speedruns

5 Best Gaming Chairs – Ergonomic, Fairly Priced, Comfortable

Obliterating your enemies shouldn’t kill your back in the process. Gaming chairs are designed to support you through all your battles while keeping pains, aches, and poor posture at bay. There are plenty of factors to consider when choosing a gaming chair. The shape, size, style, material, and your budget, to name a few. Here are our top picks! These gaming chairs are sure to have your back (even when your teammates don’t). The Best Overall Gaming Chair – Secretlab TITAN Evo  No chair makes your butt feel like a champion quite like the Secretlab TITAN Evo does. It provides everything you could possibly want as a gamer in dire need of back pain relief, from 4-way lumbar support and a full length, reclinable backrest, to a pebble seat base that promotes good posture. It even has a m...
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How to Speedrun the Toughest Games Like a Pro
5Aug By Spirit ViceNo Comments
Guides, Speedruns

How to Speedrun the Toughest Games Like a Pro

All speedruns are impressive to some degree, but none more so than those of games that are extremely difficult casually. Games like Dark souls, Hollow Knight and Cuphead are usually very difficult for the casual player. So much so that one could be forgiven for thinking that learning to speedrun such a game would be impossible for us mere mortals. This article will talk about some of the ways that you can make running your favorite game more accessible. While we'll focus somewhat on difficult games, but these tips are by no means exclusive to those games. They can be applied equally to all speedruns. Having the Right Gamer Mentality Let's start off by addressing the issue of speedrun accessibility in general. One of the most common misconceptions in all speedrunning communities is...
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How to Discover New Games to Speedrun
22Jul By CallumNo Comments
Guides, Speedruns

How to Discover New Games to Speedrun

With so many options to choose from, figuring out what game to start speedrunning can be a headache. "Which console should I choose?"..."What type of game should I play?"..."Which category should I try first?" Thankfully, there are some great resources out there to help you decide. Throughout this article, I aim to cover all the basics for pinpointing what type of games you can get started speedrunning with. Let's get started! Steps to Discovering New Speed Games Search SRC Games You Enjoy Scouring Compilations Your Gaming Niche Useful Documentation Community How to Search for a Game on Speedrun.com Speedrun.com is the most popular leaderboard for speedrunners to post their personal bests and compete with one another. The website features a whole host of f...
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How Communities Help Speedrunners Achieve the Impossible
18Jul By Riley KelferNo Comments
Community, Speedruns

How Communities Help Speedrunners Achieve the Impossible

Collaboration is Key The opportunity to connect, compete, and collaborate with others may be one of speedrunning’s most appealing aspects. With the success of the Games Done Quick fundraising events, it’s it has lead to extensive coverage from major news outlets. We continue to recover from a pandemic that has disrupted our daily lives. So it is not entirely surprising that individuals would increasingly turn to the internet for some much-needed social interaction. Yet the history of speedrunning reaches far beyond the pandemic. For many, its appeal is not rightly described as a mere distraction from the trials of daily life. More than just a “social” activity, speedrunning is exemplary among internet communities. It provides an environment where people pool their talents to achieve goa...
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Speedrunner Miniland Ties Super Mario Bros. TAS to World 8
16Jul By thegoodjakewardNo Comments
Personal Bests, Speedruns, TAS

Speedrunner Miniland Ties Super Mario Bros. TAS to World 8

Speedrunning Super Mario Bros. 1 on NES The original Super Mario Bros for the NES has an incredibly long and rich history when it comes to speedrunning. Its history includes the efforts of a handful of talented runners who have pushed the game to its absolute limits. Early runners like AndrewG, Darbian, and Kosmic helped bring the world record down to an astonishing time of 4 minutes and 55 seconds. In recent years, two runners have been pushing this game to an entirely new level, namely, Niftski and Miniland. Niftski and Miniland were the first and second runners, respectively, to break the 4:55 barrier. These two speedrunners traded the record back and forth before Niftski eventually reclaimed the top spot. He currently has the world record speedrun of 4:54.881. Niftski’s accomplishm...
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Top 5 Speedrunning Tools to Enhance Your Sessions!
27Apr By CallumNo Comments
Gaming Gear, Guides, Speedruns

Top 5 Speedrunning Tools to Enhance Your Sessions!

Top 5 Speedrunning Tools There exists an array of different tools and applications that can be highly useful when it comes to speedrunning. There are endless possible additions you can make to improve the quality of life in your setup - and maybe even gain a competitive edge! From Low Latency Monitors to foot pedals, we will be covering a wide spectrum of different options. 1. Tracking your Progress with Splits Keeping a close track of your progress is very useful when figuring out where you can improve. With splits software like LiveSplit, you can customize what sorts of information you would like to monitor. Ranging from a simple timer to more complex tools. For a quick-start guide to Livesplit and how to get it all set up, take a look at our Quick LiveSplit Setup Guide For Spee...
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How to Practice Speedruns Efficiently – Beginner to Advanced
12Apr By CallumNo Comments
Guides, Speedruns

How to Practice Speedruns Efficiently – Beginner to Advanced

Hidden beneath every great speedrunning achievement, there lays a foundation of practice. Dozens, hundreds, sometimes even thousands of hours of practice. In order to grow as a speedrunner and evolve your gameplay, you'll need to practice. Practice, along with an analytical perspective and a curious mind, is one of the most important skills needed to reach that next level. Throughout this article, we will explore various tools and skills. You can implement these tips into your gameplay to become a more efficient learner and speedrunner. To practice speedrunning efficiently, use save states in emulators or Flash Carts. Get involved with the community to learn and share strategies or tips with one another. Watch the world record run and reference a TAS of the game. And, finally, be sure t...
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5 Blindfolded Speedruns You Have To See! – SGN
9Feb By Logan TookerNo Comments
Challenges, Gaming, Speedruns

5 Blindfolded Speedruns You Have To See! – SGN

As if speedruns weren't impressive enough, let's try them blindfolded! The world of speedrunning is quite vast and exciting. Not only because pretty much any game you think of might have a speedrun of it. But also because speedrunners use various methods to beat the game. Some people have been using dance pads, guitars from Guitar Hero, and VR controllers. There's also hand tracking, and even bananas. That's bananas! However, of all the unconventional ways one could speedrun, one stands out. To many, the most impressive will always be speedrunning blindfolded. Of course, none of the runs we list are the fastest way to beat the game. With that said, the sheer fact that they are doing it blindfolded is something you must check out if you love speedruns. https://youtu.be/wtgtCavisqo T...
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My Speedrun Got Rejected, Don’t Let it Happen to You
22Dec By Sam RoweNo Comments
Guides, Speedruns

My Speedrun Got Rejected, Don’t Let it Happen to You

Your hands are shaking, and your palms are sweating as you glance over at the splits. Seven seconds ahead. This is the run. Just a few more easy hits on the True Final Boss and it's going to be a new PB (personal best). You take the final swing with your ax and kill the boss, slamming your hand onto the space bar to end the split. You nervously look over to check the final time. After weeks of grinding it's finally over. A ten-second PB, enough to climb the leader boards, enough for a new world record. You're so happy, you can't wait to upload this run for your friends and community members to see. You hit the submit run button on SpeedRun.com and eagerly wait for it to be approved. A few days later you wake up and jump online to check the status of your run. You open the website and see...
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