Difference between revisions of "Speedruns"

Revision as of 22:17, 13 January 2011

The goal of completing a game or a part of a game where time is the most essential measure of success.

Many games, e.g. racing games, depend on completing some activity as quickly as possible. Even so, after one has manage to be the quickest one can try to be better than one was previously or quicker than others have been in other game or play sessions. Similarly, if one has managed to complete a game or a section of a game that didn't depend on time one can have a new challenge in trying to solve the same part quicker. Such attempts are called Speed Runs.

Examples

Skilled players of the arcade version of Pac-Man managed to reach what has turned out to be the maximum score due to a software bug. The first such perfect score took about 6 hours, but players have found challenges in trying to do this quicker and in 2010 the time has been shaved to less than 4 hours^[1].

Racing games such as the Need for Speed series and the Mario Kart series let players try to beat previously time lap records. For the Mario Kart series, players can in the Time Trial mode compete against the ghosts of others players' (and the developers') performances and for internet connected versions even download performances to compete against.

The number of stars collected for completing a puzzle in Cogs depend on number of moves and time. Since the unlocking of new levels only depend on total number of stars, players can proceed to complete all levels and later return to fully complete specific levels as a form of Speed Run.

Using the pattern

Speed Runs requires the setting of Time Limits. These can be explicit which works well with making them parts of Goal Hierarchies or Handicap Achievements.

Goal Hierarchies

Turn-Based Games limit number of moves

Real-Time Games

Replayability

Need for Speed series

Portal

Dedicated Game Facilitators Gameplay Statistics

Game Mastery

Diegetic Aspects

Replays in the form of Ghosts are a way of making the challenge of Speed Runs have presence in Game Worlds as Geospatial Game Widgets.

Interface Aspects

Narrative Aspects

Consequences

Being a pattern dealing with trying to meet Time Limits, Speed Runs also cause Time Pressure and very likely Tension as well.

Relations

Can Instantiate

Goal Hierarchies, Handicap Achievements, Tension, Time Limits, Time Pressure,

with ...

Can Modulate

Can Be Instantiated By

Ghosts Replays

Can Be Modulated By

Possible Closure Effects

Potentially Conflicting With

History

New pattern created in this wiki.

References

1. ↑ Wikipedia section on perfect plays of Pac-Man.

Acknowledgments

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