Define "glitch".
No zips, go through walls, etc.
Like if you first played the game.
Zipping isn't a glitch. It's an ejection routine intentionally programmed into the game. Going through walls isn't glitching either provided the wall isn't solid to begin with, or if it gets unloaded somehow.
I don't remember what happened the first time I played the game as I was about 3-4 years old, but I do know that there's been a lot of crazy shit that's happened to me even when I didn't try to do anything funny.
Then of course there are a lot of things that aren't glitches, but still shouldn't be included as it ruins the competition like this.
My point is that either you try and create a definition where you pinpoint every little thing YOU don't think should be in a run, which in turn means other's might oppose your definition of "glitchless" and consequently ruin any competition for the category you just created. Or you try and pinpoint just the stuff that matters, like the points-exploit in the last link, that everyone can agree would ruin competition and everyone is happier.
You're free to play the game any way you want, but there's no prestige without competition and I personally agree with the stance TSC has taken.
Er... you do realize that
we don't actually agree that the birds are a problem, right?
I don't think it ruins competition, it just changes what we're competing in. Like, say, ring recs with ? boxes, it's just testing stamina and patience. S2 tests SD/dexterity. S1 is knowledge and very specific timings.
The rules that decide the rules are: non-arbitrary, non-timed maximums (which we define as skill-less) are excluded (see: Eggman standing on a light for infinite points is disallowed, as is the
Gamma-Hot-Shelter thing), but MG1 rings is fine). Anything that cannot be done on some original hardware is excluded (which is the "original game" stigma).
Aside from that, it's good to go. Uncontrolled glitches (usually hardware glitches) are generally considered unfair because they aren't reproducible and lends unfair advantage, but I don't think that's ever come up here that I know of. Codes are cheating explicitly, and are noted as WoG, and disallowed *within* competition (beginning to end of a give run), though can be used for utility (level select save-states, for example).
We seek mastery of the game as it exists as code and the challenges set forth within the software. Everything within the game we can use to do that that's part of that challenge is viable (which excludes codes). We're about low times, high scores, and every ring we can find.
