Since submissions are likely going up in a few days, we should work out some rules for competition in Secret Rings. Here's a recap of everything we know so far:
Action Bonus-Number of pearls collected
Enemy Bonus-Number of enemies defeated times 3.
Ring Bonus-Ring total times 3. Rings added to your total by abilities do not count towards your ring bonus.
Technical Bonus-Total hits/death multiplier; for hits, 2.0>1.5>1.2>1.1>1.0, for deaths 2.0>1.0, for failure .3.
The timer slows down with Time Break.
Bonuses are carried over after death, but any bonuses obtained after the checkpoint from which Sonic is respawning are not. After death, the clock is reset to what it was at the last checkpoint reached, and any increases to the soul gauge are carried over.
Now, a recap of what is not know and needs to be tested.
-What the maximum time is and what happens when it is reached.
-The full list of abilities and their effects
-Whether the regular timer matches the time break timer frame by frame (for example, the actions performed during time break might register as taking less time than in regular mode-the only way to test this is a frame by frame comparison).
-Nothing else, really.
The major issue that will need to be dealt with is death with the soul gauge. Should we take action to prevent this and, if so, what should be done? A death limiter seems like a good way to prevent this, but that has its problems, especially in some of the harder missions.
Assuming that we decide to take such a preventitive measure, should death abuse involving the soul gauge be grounds for a freestyle division?
This should serve as a launching point for further discussion. Personally, I'm all for death abuse being part of the main divisions, but I won't be competing here so my input probably isn't as important as someone who will be.
Also, I shall hereon call 'death abuse with soul gauge' 'pearling'. It's a fitting title and technique names have to start somewhere.
