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1
News and Updates / Re: Submissions are back up
« on: December 02, 2020, 02:15:17 am »
I am glad to hear this. As I talked to you about earlier this year, can you prioritize one addition to this site, which is submitting proof/comments for existing submissions without changing the submission value itself? This will remove the need to create false record history entries to get that task actioned.
2
News and Updates / Re: We're back, but submissions are disabled temporarily
« on: April 27, 2020, 03:18:13 pm »
That's great that The Sonic Center is back online with improved technologies and server. Can't wait to submit some more records. It definitely is a significant loss to parts of the Sonic community when TSC is offline. Hopefully some more advancements to the website can come in the future.
3
Gaming and Grazing / Re: So...what's up?
« on: October 09, 2016, 08:04:40 pm »
Nothing much on my end as far as Sonic gaming. I've been really busy in school, so I don't have much time to play video games for fun or competitively at this time. Been doing well outside of video gaming though in numerous endeavors. I visit TSC every day and always check up on the site, as it will always hold a special place in my life. Even in inactive times like this, it still sees submissions come in so it's not all bad I guess.
4
News and Updates / Re: Administrator Title Change
« on: May 03, 2015, 05:53:25 pm »
All right, I wanted to post my thoughts on this whole subject earlier but felt I was a bit too late once some emotional posts started to occur. At the request of Zeupar and some rethinking on my part, I felt that it is necessary to get my opinions down. Firstly I want to wish Thorn and Paraxade well, as they obviously have decided that it is time for them move on as their priorities have shifted. Good luck, and have fun with your current projects. I really appreciated the efforts you two took to help the site and get things done.
Now, I've been a member of TSC for just about 8 years. Not the longest compared to when I could have joined and to other older members, but pretty long. I've seen members come and go, great battles in many games between myself and other competitors, and impressive acts of skill in video games in general. I was very active in the TSC IRC channel from 2007-2010 and such great times were had there from the constant general talk, to competing, to organizing Super Smash Bros. Brawl matches; it was a great community. Now, I took a leave for about 3 and a half years from competing and online communities in general, so I missed a lot of the decline of the older member activity and growth of the newer communities that occurred in 2011-2013. However, my research showed that TSC was great and active, although the community started to shift in behavior and style, which is okay.
Fast forward until now, and I see a site that is dying in certain parts, but not the whole. I know the site is outdated and needs an active developer as well as many new features, but I believe the driving spirit is still there. The individual communities that the site has broken into still compete, drive competition, and that ends up on the site in the form of videos, guides, and submissions. I may be biased since I'm part of the Sonic Heroes community which is doing well in terms of activity, but I see the Sonic 06 community thriving as well and other communities doing well. If you look at the site, we still get submissions in each day, which is great. I know the community has split and many people have said they are leaving (which is sad) but that is life. People move on, and decide to do other things. Take DsS's post for example: He is a great person who gave his heart to Sonic gaming and competing for many years and just has decided it's time for him to move on. It's the way of life, in a way a circle of life. I thought I was done with competitive gaming (for many reasons) back when I took my leave in 2010, and I did so for over 3 years. However, the spirit and fire that was inside me never died, and I ended up returning to the scene and communities, which I felt was a great choice I made. You never know, people that leave may be back someday, as interests change and often return to what they used to be, and with that comes new perspective. You just never know, as you can find yourself stopping activities you thought you never would abandon, and vice versa.
Now, obviously the site is in need of a lot of help, and the parts of the community that are leaving only add to that issue. I do agree that the past history of the site needs to be kept preserved, but not at the expense of future progress. If the site can be made better, do it. Otherwise I think it is a bad choice if you want the site to die or keep declining for histories' sake. Things change and sites evolve; I'm pretty sure that people would rather take the site evolving, getting better and progressing rather than dying. There is still a market in this day and age for video game competition sites, and I wholeheartedly want to see TSC keep going and become better. I still see new members coming in, and although old ones are leaving (which is entirely their decision, they choose what they want to do with their lives), there can still be hope for the site. I do not know how much longer the current activity state of TSC will keep going on, but there is no doubt that upgrading the site will bring in new competitors and community members in general. The site is not "dead" yet, but it is hard to tell when exactly it will die, if it does at all. I don't know if the site needs a reboot, upgrade or complete restructure. I do know though that I will be with TSC for as long as I can.
TSC is an incredible website that has given me access to meeting many great players and people over the years, and I won't leave the site after what I have experienced. What good will it do for me to leave a site that still has competition, good people and good times to still be had? Obviously that may not be the case now for other players, but for me, I'll be here and keep competing. Whether the site doesn't get any help and dies someday or gets the upgrades it needs and flourishes once more, I'll be here competing as it's fun, I learn more things, and there is no better database/website for the highest-level Sonic gaming. I don't think TSC should be chasing its past and trying to become what it once was in terms of "prime level style/activity"; embrace the fact that the site's largest growth period probably is over, and focus on the future. Acceptance of that will help build direction and focus for TSC's next steps. In addition, that mindset/outcome may come with activity comparable to its prime, but that is hard to say.
I'm willing to help the site in any way I can, and I don't see a reason to stop competing here at this time. I really hope that the people that can make a difference in the Administration of this site do so, and continue to do so. Good luck to all of the current Administrators, especially FlyingFox, Zeupar and GerbilSoft to keep on managing TSC, as those three are the most active now that I can see from this viewpoint.
All in all, TSC is place that I think can still be viable in the present day, and it really all comes down to the community and players involved. If there is no interest anymore, the site dies. If even a couple people want to still compete and see what this site has amassed over its 12 year history, then it's a win for TSC. You never know who will come around one day and change things. Remember, your past can be both beneficial and detrimental. Do not fear over using the past as a positive/driving factor, but know how to utilize that correctly. I wish all players luck that are leaving or have left, and remember, you may be surprised about what you decide upon in the future.
I'm glad to still be a part of TSC, and I know a bunch of other people are too. I know this was a long post so I may have forgotten something, but I felt I made myself clear about my own thoughts. A possible expansion post might be necessary if I feel the need to write something else. :P
Now, I've been a member of TSC for just about 8 years. Not the longest compared to when I could have joined and to other older members, but pretty long. I've seen members come and go, great battles in many games between myself and other competitors, and impressive acts of skill in video games in general. I was very active in the TSC IRC channel from 2007-2010 and such great times were had there from the constant general talk, to competing, to organizing Super Smash Bros. Brawl matches; it was a great community. Now, I took a leave for about 3 and a half years from competing and online communities in general, so I missed a lot of the decline of the older member activity and growth of the newer communities that occurred in 2011-2013. However, my research showed that TSC was great and active, although the community started to shift in behavior and style, which is okay.
Fast forward until now, and I see a site that is dying in certain parts, but not the whole. I know the site is outdated and needs an active developer as well as many new features, but I believe the driving spirit is still there. The individual communities that the site has broken into still compete, drive competition, and that ends up on the site in the form of videos, guides, and submissions. I may be biased since I'm part of the Sonic Heroes community which is doing well in terms of activity, but I see the Sonic 06 community thriving as well and other communities doing well. If you look at the site, we still get submissions in each day, which is great. I know the community has split and many people have said they are leaving (which is sad) but that is life. People move on, and decide to do other things. Take DsS's post for example: He is a great person who gave his heart to Sonic gaming and competing for many years and just has decided it's time for him to move on. It's the way of life, in a way a circle of life. I thought I was done with competitive gaming (for many reasons) back when I took my leave in 2010, and I did so for over 3 years. However, the spirit and fire that was inside me never died, and I ended up returning to the scene and communities, which I felt was a great choice I made. You never know, people that leave may be back someday, as interests change and often return to what they used to be, and with that comes new perspective. You just never know, as you can find yourself stopping activities you thought you never would abandon, and vice versa.
Now, obviously the site is in need of a lot of help, and the parts of the community that are leaving only add to that issue. I do agree that the past history of the site needs to be kept preserved, but not at the expense of future progress. If the site can be made better, do it. Otherwise I think it is a bad choice if you want the site to die or keep declining for histories' sake. Things change and sites evolve; I'm pretty sure that people would rather take the site evolving, getting better and progressing rather than dying. There is still a market in this day and age for video game competition sites, and I wholeheartedly want to see TSC keep going and become better. I still see new members coming in, and although old ones are leaving (which is entirely their decision, they choose what they want to do with their lives), there can still be hope for the site. I do not know how much longer the current activity state of TSC will keep going on, but there is no doubt that upgrading the site will bring in new competitors and community members in general. The site is not "dead" yet, but it is hard to tell when exactly it will die, if it does at all. I don't know if the site needs a reboot, upgrade or complete restructure. I do know though that I will be with TSC for as long as I can.
TSC is an incredible website that has given me access to meeting many great players and people over the years, and I won't leave the site after what I have experienced. What good will it do for me to leave a site that still has competition, good people and good times to still be had? Obviously that may not be the case now for other players, but for me, I'll be here and keep competing. Whether the site doesn't get any help and dies someday or gets the upgrades it needs and flourishes once more, I'll be here competing as it's fun, I learn more things, and there is no better database/website for the highest-level Sonic gaming. I don't think TSC should be chasing its past and trying to become what it once was in terms of "prime level style/activity"; embrace the fact that the site's largest growth period probably is over, and focus on the future. Acceptance of that will help build direction and focus for TSC's next steps. In addition, that mindset/outcome may come with activity comparable to its prime, but that is hard to say.
I'm willing to help the site in any way I can, and I don't see a reason to stop competing here at this time. I really hope that the people that can make a difference in the Administration of this site do so, and continue to do so. Good luck to all of the current Administrators, especially FlyingFox, Zeupar and GerbilSoft to keep on managing TSC, as those three are the most active now that I can see from this viewpoint.
All in all, TSC is place that I think can still be viable in the present day, and it really all comes down to the community and players involved. If there is no interest anymore, the site dies. If even a couple people want to still compete and see what this site has amassed over its 12 year history, then it's a win for TSC. You never know who will come around one day and change things. Remember, your past can be both beneficial and detrimental. Do not fear over using the past as a positive/driving factor, but know how to utilize that correctly. I wish all players luck that are leaving or have left, and remember, you may be surprised about what you decide upon in the future.
I'm glad to still be a part of TSC, and I know a bunch of other people are too. I know this was a long post so I may have forgotten something, but I felt I made myself clear about my own thoughts. A possible expansion post might be necessary if I feel the need to write something else. :P
5
Hiya Folks / Re: Hiya!
« on: April 01, 2015, 05:59:54 am »
Welcome to TSC ByronVilla! TSC is an awesome place with many resources. I've already spoken with you yesterday and your commitment to speedrunning and playing Sonic Heroes competitively is good; I wish you luck. We are here to help you if you need help with strategies and whatnot, so have fun!
6
Wikkity! / Re: Topic 6 - What's your favorite soundtrack from a Sonic game?
« on: December 30, 2014, 05:05:33 am »
I like all of the Sonic game soundtracks I believe, but if I had to pick a few to name as my favorites, I would go with Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, and Sonic 2 as my favorites. I would choose Sonic Adventure 2 as my overall favorite soundtrack as well. I say this due to how much I like each level’s song in each game, and how the theme songs for the games are as well.
If I had to pick an individual level’s song as my favorite, I would say Emerald Coast is my favorite Sonic song for a stage ever. For theme songs, Eggman’s theme from SA2B is awesome, as is a bunch of the other theme songs. I basically like all Sonic music, as most people do. I have heard some people say that no matter how bad a Sonic game may be, you can always count on the music being great. Other mentions for best individual level songs are City Escape, Final Chase, Green Hill Zone, Hot Crater Act 1, and Seaside Hill, to name a few. Too many songs to name; I would name all of them if I could. :P
If I had to pick an individual level’s song as my favorite, I would say Emerald Coast is my favorite Sonic song for a stage ever. For theme songs, Eggman’s theme from SA2B is awesome, as is a bunch of the other theme songs. I basically like all Sonic music, as most people do. I have heard some people say that no matter how bad a Sonic game may be, you can always count on the music being great. Other mentions for best individual level songs are City Escape, Final Chase, Green Hill Zone, Hot Crater Act 1, and Seaside Hill, to name a few. Too many songs to name; I would name all of them if I could. :P
7
Wikkity! / Re: Topic 5 - What's your WORST stat on TSC?
« on: December 30, 2014, 04:51:29 am »
Hmm, this is an interesting topic... I could pick a lot of records that I didn't really spend much time on, but I think picking a record that I tried a bit more on for a game I spent a long time on would be better. So, I think this record probably is my worst stat on TSC, for the amount of effort put into it vs. its place on the chart.
http://www.soniccenter.org/members/pokemonmaster888/sonic_heroes/special/special_stage_7/bonus
This is not a very good score, and is in the green tier. I will improve it sometime, but for the time I spent playing that level vs. the place I am in, it is not good at all. Special stages in Sonic Heroes are interesting, but the controls make them odd to play. I don't really have a better record to bring up for this subject, so I will settle on that one for now.
http://www.soniccenter.org/members/pokemonmaster888/sonic_heroes/special/special_stage_7/bonus
This is not a very good score, and is in the green tier. I will improve it sometime, but for the time I spent playing that level vs. the place I am in, it is not good at all. Special stages in Sonic Heroes are interesting, but the controls make them odd to play. I don't really have a better record to bring up for this subject, so I will settle on that one for now.
8
Wikkity! / Re: Topic 4 - What's your favorite competition category?
« on: December 30, 2014, 01:36:02 am »
My favorite competition category is probably time attack. I have an affinity and knack for ring attacks and boss attacks too, so the window between all three is pretty close. I like time attack the most as it is what Sonic is all about; going fast and trying to get the best time possible. It tests your skill as time attacking is usually longer than boss attacking and requires more patience, as the longer playtime for each level can result in more areas to make mistakes. I think time attacking is an overall tough category to compete in, but so are the others as well...
I enjoy ring attacks as it is fun manipulating the level and finding a lot of different strategies to collect rings, and it also gives you a break from trying to go as fast as possible. Ring attacks display your creativity, and I have a lot of fun doing them for various Sonic games (AS LONG AS THEY DON’T INVOLVE RANDOM/LUCK BASED CRITERIA!) :( Team Chaotix RAs and Sonic Adventure RAs are not fun to me; I don't like the idea of having random stuff determine whether or not I get a good score.
Boss attacks are really fun too. Finding the best strategies to defeat bosses is another thing that I like to do, as it also displays creativity. I like to play boss attacks for various Sonic games, and the differences from game to game is exciting, as new strategies and techniques are required to defeat those bosses as fast as possible.
One category I like to do but haven't really dabbled in too much is score attacking. I like the concept, but just don't play that mode that often. I plan to do so in the future more often though, because to be a great player, you need to be good at all phases of competition. I probably will try score attacking more sooner rather than later, but usually every Sonic game is different for the calculation and set-up of how to do score attacks. I'd have to spend a lot of time doing that for multiple games, and I have other phases of some Sonic games to deal with first.
Special stages are the least played category of mine; someday I will practice them more and get better at them.
So, I like all of the competition categories, but time attack is probably my favorite, with ring attack and boss attack tied for a close second.
I enjoy ring attacks as it is fun manipulating the level and finding a lot of different strategies to collect rings, and it also gives you a break from trying to go as fast as possible. Ring attacks display your creativity, and I have a lot of fun doing them for various Sonic games (AS LONG AS THEY DON’T INVOLVE RANDOM/LUCK BASED CRITERIA!) :( Team Chaotix RAs and Sonic Adventure RAs are not fun to me; I don't like the idea of having random stuff determine whether or not I get a good score.
Boss attacks are really fun too. Finding the best strategies to defeat bosses is another thing that I like to do, as it also displays creativity. I like to play boss attacks for various Sonic games, and the differences from game to game is exciting, as new strategies and techniques are required to defeat those bosses as fast as possible.
One category I like to do but haven't really dabbled in too much is score attacking. I like the concept, but just don't play that mode that often. I plan to do so in the future more often though, because to be a great player, you need to be good at all phases of competition. I probably will try score attacking more sooner rather than later, but usually every Sonic game is different for the calculation and set-up of how to do score attacks. I'd have to spend a lot of time doing that for multiple games, and I have other phases of some Sonic games to deal with first.
Special stages are the least played category of mine; someday I will practice them more and get better at them.
So, I like all of the competition categories, but time attack is probably my favorite, with ring attack and boss attack tied for a close second.
9
Wikkity! / Re: Topic 3 - What's your CRAZIEST run on TSC?
« on: December 30, 2014, 01:00:44 am »
The one run I have done that I would say is my craziest run ever was my old Frog Forest - Team Sonic time attack record.
http://www.soniccenter.org/members/pokemonmaster888/sonic_heroes/times/frog_forest/sonic
This was done at the very end of May 2008. Back then we didn't know about any crazy stuff like bop boosting or end of level super glide jumps, so to save time you really had to squeeze out little time savers here and there. I was mainly competing with ShadowJacky at this time for the first place, and I had found a couple tricks that I thought he hadn't discovered yet, which gave me an advantage. I did tell him about them in TSC’s IRC channel, but I don't think he understood the biggest trick I explained, which involved a big jump from a platform near the first propeller to the long vine going around the hollow "tree", midway through the level.
I spent about 5 hours straight playing that day to get 2:24.98, and it felt like a HUGE accomplishment then. You can always look back and see how things changed over time, and now that record of mine is smashed to pieces with the discovery of the bop boost glitch strategy. It's kind of ridiculous to think that the current WR is now 1:23.00 faster than my old WR, and if you told us sub 1 minute would be possible in the future in May of 2008, we would have thought you were crazy. I still have not yet improved that record (although I have tried briefly), but I will definitely do so shortly.
In the end, I value that record highly due to the amount of time I put in, and to the landscape of the Sonic Heroes competitive scene at that time. It was one of the greatest records I have ever done, and funnily enough, it is now pretty easy to beat with the bop boost strategy. So yeah, my craziest record is a 6 and half+ year old one, but I will always remember the path I took to get it. :)
http://www.soniccenter.org/members/pokemonmaster888/sonic_heroes/times/frog_forest/sonic
This was done at the very end of May 2008. Back then we didn't know about any crazy stuff like bop boosting or end of level super glide jumps, so to save time you really had to squeeze out little time savers here and there. I was mainly competing with ShadowJacky at this time for the first place, and I had found a couple tricks that I thought he hadn't discovered yet, which gave me an advantage. I did tell him about them in TSC’s IRC channel, but I don't think he understood the biggest trick I explained, which involved a big jump from a platform near the first propeller to the long vine going around the hollow "tree", midway through the level.
I spent about 5 hours straight playing that day to get 2:24.98, and it felt like a HUGE accomplishment then. You can always look back and see how things changed over time, and now that record of mine is smashed to pieces with the discovery of the bop boost glitch strategy. It's kind of ridiculous to think that the current WR is now 1:23.00 faster than my old WR, and if you told us sub 1 minute would be possible in the future in May of 2008, we would have thought you were crazy. I still have not yet improved that record (although I have tried briefly), but I will definitely do so shortly.
In the end, I value that record highly due to the amount of time I put in, and to the landscape of the Sonic Heroes competitive scene at that time. It was one of the greatest records I have ever done, and funnily enough, it is now pretty easy to beat with the bop boost strategy. So yeah, my craziest record is a 6 and half+ year old one, but I will always remember the path I took to get it. :)
10
Wikkity! / Re: Topic 2 - What level in any Sonic game have you played more than any other?
« on: December 30, 2014, 12:36:45 am »
The one level I have played more than any other level in a Sonic game is most likely City Escape. SA2B was the first Sonic game I ever owned, and I've spent countless amounts of time playing that level for fun. Some of the playtime was dedicated to competition too. I played City Escape the most probably back in 2003-2005, and just had a great time exploring the level and wandering about. There are many levels I've played for a long time throughout many of the Sonic games, but I'd have to say City Escape takes the top place.
11
Wikkity! / Re: Topic 1 - Your opinion of TSC
« on: December 30, 2014, 12:28:38 am »
I think The Sonic Center is an awesome website; certainly the best site I have found for the highest level Sonic the Hedgehog video game franchise competition. TSC has a ton of competitive resources in the form of videos, guides, and the community, so newcomers can start out and learn quickly how to become better at the games they want to play. I have met some great people, and made a lot of friends through the years here. I think I discovered TSC back when I was searching for Sonic Rush fastest times in December 2005-January 2006, but I did not join the site until May 2007. I wish I hadn't waited that long, as joining much earlier would've been a great asset to me for improving my competitive skills. The forum is a great archive of past discussions, and I enjoy reading through them (although I haven't read through a lot of the older topics; I plan to some day when I have a bunch of free time). I definitely share a lot of the opinions of other members in this topic, and I'm glad many people have found TSC to be a great place to compete, learn and have fun.
TSC is an overall incredible place to compete, and I have had so much fun doing so over the years. I am glad to be a member here, and I definitely would recommend this site to other people so that they can come and hone their own skills. I am excited to see what TSC has in store for the future, and to keep competing here as well.
TSC is an overall incredible place to compete, and I have had so much fun doing so over the years. I am glad to be a member here, and I definitely would recommend this site to other people so that they can come and hone their own skills. I am excited to see what TSC has in store for the future, and to keep competing here as well.
12
Wikkity! / Re: Topic 7 - What do you hope you'll get for Christmas tomorrow?
« on: December 24, 2014, 11:02:23 pm »
For Christmas I'm mainly hoping to get Pokémon Omega Ruby, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and the 2014 50th Anniversary Hess Truck. There are some other gifts I want, but those 3 are the top on my list. I'd like to get some money as well, but we will see about that.
13
Hiya Folks / Re: Hello TSC!
« on: November 03, 2014, 01:25:43 am »
Hello Softspeak! Welcome to TSC! I am also studying computer science in college; what kind of lessons/topic material are you learning about right now? TSC is a great place for the highest-level Sonic gaming competition. The people here are friendly and will help you out if you have any questions. I wish you luck in competing, and make sure to have fun while you do so.
14
Wikkity! / Re: How you came up with your username!
« on: October 30, 2014, 03:29:22 am »
I came up with my username as I have had a lot of experience with the Pokemon franchise, and I considered myself to be a "master", so I named myself that. I chose the three 8s as 8 is my favorite and lucky number, and I thought three of them would be a good balance. I created my "Pokemonmaster888" name back in January of 2006, and I'm proud to go by the name. It is now a classic name to me, and probably is my favorite name of all the usernames I've gone by through the years (a lot of my older usernames were from prior to 2006).
15
News and Updates / Re: TSC's birthday and submission enabling, deletion and praising
« on: October 25, 2014, 12:13:54 am »
Happy Birthday TSC! I'm glad to see that the submission downtime period is over and that competition is back up and running. I also can't believe it's been a year since TSC's 10th anniversary, time flew by quite fast. I look forward to continue competing myself again soon, as I've taken a bit of a break from Sonic games for the time being. Best wishes for TSC's future, and for these awesome new updates to be implemented! TSC! TSC! :D
Also, go Lugia! Glad to see my favorite Pokemon of all time getting some well deserved praise! (Ho-Oh rocks as well, don't get me wrong :))
Also, go Lugia! Glad to see my favorite Pokemon of all time getting some well deserved praise! (Ho-Oh rocks as well, don't get me wrong :))
16
Beef / Re: A message to all — is our community dying? How can we help TSC?
« on: August 30, 2014, 07:37:21 pm »
First off, I stated what I thought TSC needed to do to evolve and advance in the big emulator debate topic back earlier this year. When I saw this topic, over the past couple of weeks, I started to come up with more ideas that I thought would potentially help TSC. However, a number of other members have already stated similar ideas already, but it can't hurt to add more support/another opinion for these ideas as well. My ideas/opinions come from what I have seen in the public on TSC, and what I have seen from talking to people about these issues.
Now, I wanted to get this thought out early in my post: I thought what I had to say would definitely help out TSC more, but after seeing Thorn's first post in this topic, I understand that no new coder(s), no new admins/moderators, and no new features will help the site to be stable and thrive in the long run if the community is split into factions, and does not come together as a whole. If the core and community of a site is dead/split, then you have a big problem. Sadly, at the moment I am not quite sure what we could do to unite these factions of the community and try to revive the core of TSC somehow, it will take some thinking into the matter. I think though that if any of us are willing to work together on that issue, we can find a solution.
Here are some of the ideas I had which could help the site out in some way. I'm putting them here for reference, and just to get some general ideas out in the public so at one point if/when the time is right, these can be considered/implemented. As I said before, some of these ideas if not all were already said, just wanted to give my support for them too.
1. Twitter integration, where you can see new guides/videos/submissions from TSC all delivered to your tablet, computer, or phone. New forum posts, news updates, and general member-written updates could be delivered via Twitter also.
2. The new features that are planned to be implemented as stated by the Administration in the past, like separation of platforms for the charts, a proof system, etc. As Zeupar has suggested, a medal table and member-country system to provide more ways to compare the competition for TSC would be a cool thing to have too.
3. Another level of staff on the site. A group of people, "moderators" would take the load off of the Administrators, and do work around the site while the Administrators could focus on work more suited to that position. I know this has been planned as well, based on what has been said in news posts earlier this year. I know Thorn said in his first post that no new staff would help the site at all if the community was split, but if that problem was to be fixed and these new features were implemented that needed a lot more work to be done, establishing a moderator team to do that work would be a good idea. Also, as you see old members leave the site, you would have an established group of trusted people to pick from quickly to take over the site's Administration if an Administrator were to go inactive. It is a succession system sort of idea that would come with assembling this team of people. However, as Thorn has said, this doesn't seem to be possible at this time, but maybe in the future it would be a tangible thing to do.
4. Bring in some new people to code the site. I know GerbilSoft is busy with his own life at the moment, and doesn't have time to code the site as he would like to have. Bringing in at least 2 people and maybe having a back-up coder as well to code these new features and to regulate the site would be a good idea, I would think. If your site isn't being updated as it could be, and your userbase is getting the idea that the Administration/Developers aren't doing their job, then all efforts should be made towards getting help. Websites and technology are constantly changing entities, and need to have people working on them regularly to be successful. I know it may be difficult to find people who will want to code, but efforts definitely should be made to do so.
5. I think full game speedrun leaderboards on TSC would be a good idea to have. Now, we all know that full game speedruns and speedruns in general are very popular across the internet right now, and I'm not sure when/if that will craze will die down anytime soon. I think that it could be feasible for TSC to update itself and adapt to the changing times by implementing a system for full game Sonic speedruns, but it may not be what the Administration wants. As Thorn said, he would rather see the site "die" rather than have it change into something different from it's roots. I don't think that full game speedruns would be what TSC's roots are about, and I agree with Thorn's statement to some extent. However, with most things in life, you have to constantly re-invent yourself and adapt to the times in order to be successful (even if you don't like it), and it would be a shame to see the site die when it could have been saved by some in-depth planning and implementation of features that have been shown to be successful in other forms on the internet. I know that many members would be mad and upset if the choice was to have TSC die when it could have been saved, even if the process of saving it was controversial over the decisions to save it and what would be changed. I also don't think the idea that, "other sites do full game speedruns so well, they'd most likely do it better than us" is a good way of thinking to have at all. If you see websites doing well with this system, try to take parts of what made them successful, put your own spin on it and make it your own. Not pursuing a tried and tested idea yourself due to possible failures/bumps in the road just doesn't seem to be the right way to go to me.
6. An official TSC Skype group would be a good thing to have, as Skype is a very popular media program right now. We know that past groups have died out and now there are multiple split faction groups running, but for the group to succeed, careful planning will have to be thought of. Maybe having 2 owners of the group that are totally dedicated to TSC as shown in the past and present running it would work. To make the group the official TSC Skype Group, maybe they could organize activities, hold events, just have things in the group that none of the other groups would have, to make it different. This is one topic I'm not too sure about and what could work, but in general I would just like to see an official TSC Skype group survive and flourish.
I wanted to give my viewpoints of how I have seen the site evolve over time. I joined in May of 2007, and at that time through at least 2009 the TSC IRC channel was hugely popular. A bunch of things were going on, multiple get togethers and events were hosted in the channel, and the channel itself was flourishing. However, technology evolves, and now Twitter and related faster forms of social media have taken the lead in the popular ways of communication, which is why I really think TSC should take up one of those new media platforms. Correct me if I am wrong, but you can still have the current crowd and also attract new people to the site by integrating functionality with Twitter or related websites. Even if you aren't competing, you can still be very active on the site by watching videos, forum interaction, guide reading, stat research, etc. Nowadays I see the site mildly active in competition terms, the forum is ok I guess in activity level, just the more in-depth interaction between member to member is what is not happening, as Thorn has stated already. The IRC channel is not active due to people having moved to other media platforms, but I am not quite totally sure why the community has split into factions itself. Again, I do believe though that this problem can be fixed, it just needs hard work put into it.
I also wanted to bring up the idea of leaderboards and how they can survive in the current day. I do think that even though a lot Sonic games have their own in-game leaderboards now, there are many things that can be done to make sites like this a unique and different experience while also having leaderboards/charts for Sonic games too. I'd rather see a site develop and change, while also holding true it's founding qualities, then dying out. Sites like these that assemble all sorts of records and submissions for a host of games can still be viable in this day; they just need something more than just having leaderboards, and TSC already has this. It's not just only a site with leaderboards. It has references for all people to look at, and a community as well, even if that community has fallen on some hard times lately.
There are probably a few other ideas for TSC that I haven't mentioned that I'm still thinking of. It seems like a lot of people have ideas, so talking to each other to try to further the idea process is a good idea. I'm researching more things about this topic at hand now, and hopefully I'll find more suggestions/answers to some of these problems that TSC is facing at the moment.
In the end, I'd like for TSC to change and advance with the times. I definitely would not like to see a site like this stay the same or die out when there are so many things that can be done to evolve TSC, and make the site a better experience for the members, guests, and staff alike. I believe that TSC can advance while keeping at least some if not all of its founding beliefs/qualities intact. I see a lot of people willing to help the site and that do care about the site; we just need to work together to get these problems solved.
Now, I wanted to get this thought out early in my post: I thought what I had to say would definitely help out TSC more, but after seeing Thorn's first post in this topic, I understand that no new coder(s), no new admins/moderators, and no new features will help the site to be stable and thrive in the long run if the community is split into factions, and does not come together as a whole. If the core and community of a site is dead/split, then you have a big problem. Sadly, at the moment I am not quite sure what we could do to unite these factions of the community and try to revive the core of TSC somehow, it will take some thinking into the matter. I think though that if any of us are willing to work together on that issue, we can find a solution.
Here are some of the ideas I had which could help the site out in some way. I'm putting them here for reference, and just to get some general ideas out in the public so at one point if/when the time is right, these can be considered/implemented. As I said before, some of these ideas if not all were already said, just wanted to give my support for them too.
1. Twitter integration, where you can see new guides/videos/submissions from TSC all delivered to your tablet, computer, or phone. New forum posts, news updates, and general member-written updates could be delivered via Twitter also.
2. The new features that are planned to be implemented as stated by the Administration in the past, like separation of platforms for the charts, a proof system, etc. As Zeupar has suggested, a medal table and member-country system to provide more ways to compare the competition for TSC would be a cool thing to have too.
3. Another level of staff on the site. A group of people, "moderators" would take the load off of the Administrators, and do work around the site while the Administrators could focus on work more suited to that position. I know this has been planned as well, based on what has been said in news posts earlier this year. I know Thorn said in his first post that no new staff would help the site at all if the community was split, but if that problem was to be fixed and these new features were implemented that needed a lot more work to be done, establishing a moderator team to do that work would be a good idea. Also, as you see old members leave the site, you would have an established group of trusted people to pick from quickly to take over the site's Administration if an Administrator were to go inactive. It is a succession system sort of idea that would come with assembling this team of people. However, as Thorn has said, this doesn't seem to be possible at this time, but maybe in the future it would be a tangible thing to do.
4. Bring in some new people to code the site. I know GerbilSoft is busy with his own life at the moment, and doesn't have time to code the site as he would like to have. Bringing in at least 2 people and maybe having a back-up coder as well to code these new features and to regulate the site would be a good idea, I would think. If your site isn't being updated as it could be, and your userbase is getting the idea that the Administration/Developers aren't doing their job, then all efforts should be made towards getting help. Websites and technology are constantly changing entities, and need to have people working on them regularly to be successful. I know it may be difficult to find people who will want to code, but efforts definitely should be made to do so.
5. I think full game speedrun leaderboards on TSC would be a good idea to have. Now, we all know that full game speedruns and speedruns in general are very popular across the internet right now, and I'm not sure when/if that will craze will die down anytime soon. I think that it could be feasible for TSC to update itself and adapt to the changing times by implementing a system for full game Sonic speedruns, but it may not be what the Administration wants. As Thorn said, he would rather see the site "die" rather than have it change into something different from it's roots. I don't think that full game speedruns would be what TSC's roots are about, and I agree with Thorn's statement to some extent. However, with most things in life, you have to constantly re-invent yourself and adapt to the times in order to be successful (even if you don't like it), and it would be a shame to see the site die when it could have been saved by some in-depth planning and implementation of features that have been shown to be successful in other forms on the internet. I know that many members would be mad and upset if the choice was to have TSC die when it could have been saved, even if the process of saving it was controversial over the decisions to save it and what would be changed. I also don't think the idea that, "other sites do full game speedruns so well, they'd most likely do it better than us" is a good way of thinking to have at all. If you see websites doing well with this system, try to take parts of what made them successful, put your own spin on it and make it your own. Not pursuing a tried and tested idea yourself due to possible failures/bumps in the road just doesn't seem to be the right way to go to me.
6. An official TSC Skype group would be a good thing to have, as Skype is a very popular media program right now. We know that past groups have died out and now there are multiple split faction groups running, but for the group to succeed, careful planning will have to be thought of. Maybe having 2 owners of the group that are totally dedicated to TSC as shown in the past and present running it would work. To make the group the official TSC Skype Group, maybe they could organize activities, hold events, just have things in the group that none of the other groups would have, to make it different. This is one topic I'm not too sure about and what could work, but in general I would just like to see an official TSC Skype group survive and flourish.
I wanted to give my viewpoints of how I have seen the site evolve over time. I joined in May of 2007, and at that time through at least 2009 the TSC IRC channel was hugely popular. A bunch of things were going on, multiple get togethers and events were hosted in the channel, and the channel itself was flourishing. However, technology evolves, and now Twitter and related faster forms of social media have taken the lead in the popular ways of communication, which is why I really think TSC should take up one of those new media platforms. Correct me if I am wrong, but you can still have the current crowd and also attract new people to the site by integrating functionality with Twitter or related websites. Even if you aren't competing, you can still be very active on the site by watching videos, forum interaction, guide reading, stat research, etc. Nowadays I see the site mildly active in competition terms, the forum is ok I guess in activity level, just the more in-depth interaction between member to member is what is not happening, as Thorn has stated already. The IRC channel is not active due to people having moved to other media platforms, but I am not quite totally sure why the community has split into factions itself. Again, I do believe though that this problem can be fixed, it just needs hard work put into it.
I also wanted to bring up the idea of leaderboards and how they can survive in the current day. I do think that even though a lot Sonic games have their own in-game leaderboards now, there are many things that can be done to make sites like this a unique and different experience while also having leaderboards/charts for Sonic games too. I'd rather see a site develop and change, while also holding true it's founding qualities, then dying out. Sites like these that assemble all sorts of records and submissions for a host of games can still be viable in this day; they just need something more than just having leaderboards, and TSC already has this. It's not just only a site with leaderboards. It has references for all people to look at, and a community as well, even if that community has fallen on some hard times lately.
There are probably a few other ideas for TSC that I haven't mentioned that I'm still thinking of. It seems like a lot of people have ideas, so talking to each other to try to further the idea process is a good idea. I'm researching more things about this topic at hand now, and hopefully I'll find more suggestions/answers to some of these problems that TSC is facing at the moment.
In the end, I'd like for TSC to change and advance with the times. I definitely would not like to see a site like this stay the same or die out when there are so many things that can be done to evolve TSC, and make the site a better experience for the members, guests, and staff alike. I believe that TSC can advance while keeping at least some if not all of its founding beliefs/qualities intact. I see a lot of people willing to help the site and that do care about the site; we just need to work together to get these problems solved.
17
Competition Central / Re: Record Ranking Project
« on: July 26, 2014, 10:35:52 am »
This topic is interesting, I like to organize and make best lists of things as well, so this should be fun to compile. I am only doing Sonic Heroes so far as that is the game I have the most experience in, and it will take me a bit more time to find records for other games that I think would be worthy of a list like this. I didn't find a whole lot of records, but I have listed the ones I think deserve to be on such a list. These records are just numbered for organization, they are not in any specific order or rank. Let's dive into it.
Sonic Heroes
Times
1. Hang Castle, Team Rose - 0:38.28 by Sonicspeedruner - This stage is so short yet very difficult to get right. The door clip is annoying and various parts of the stage are tough to pull off correctly. I have spent a lot of time in the past on my 0:43.64 and am I bit hesitant to try to improve it due to the length of time it would take to possibly improve. This is a great time.
Extra
1. Grand Metropolis, Team Rose - 1:24.34 by ShadowJacky - This is a tough one to get right. There are a lot of stops and quick jumps to make that can slow you down a lot, as Team Rose is slower than the other teams. It just is a technically difficult level, one that I have had trouble pulling off a good time successfully. Current record by more than 5 years, and he says it can go below 1:20.00 as well. :O
Rings
1. Ocean Palace, Team Rose - 432 Rings by chainchumper - This is the max it seems for this stage, and he is the first and only person in 1st place so far. You have to do the power formation flight glitch to be able to make it behind the start to get rings there, and then use the thundershoot gauge trick to make it past the goal ring. That is difficult as the camera does not cooperate with you during the big expedition over the ocean past the goal ring, and making it over to the other side of the stage takes time, patience, and effort. An overall test of skill, and a good record to try to get if you want to show off your ring attacking prowess.
2. Grand Metropolis, Team Sonic (Extra) - 499 Rings by 5 players - I have tried this 5 minute timed ring attack before and it gets really close to the time limit. It is a tough one to do as you have to go a lot of places around the stage to get rings, and by the nature of the stage you just don't have that much time to get the old max of 499. This level is just a flat out tough one, and you need to have skill to get 499 rings within the time limit. I'm sure all 5 players who have this record can attest to that.
3. Rail Canyon, Team Dark - 539 Rings by Pokemonmaster888 and OmegaDJ - This ring attack is a hard one that requires an imagination and thinking for the 539 rings to be gotten. The first set of trick rings is the hardest, while the other ones are not as difficult. I'm not going into detail here about the strategies; you can refer to my guide I wrote about it years ago: http://www.soniccenter.org/guides/sonic_heroes/guide289 I personally thought it wasn't too difficult, but as the test of time has shown (and also the fact my guide is out there), only two players have this score after almost 7 years. I encourage you guys to try it and see what you can do with this level. Maybe a lot of people haven't seen my guide; I just know that if you take the time to analyze this level and think of the possible moves you can do, you might be able to pull off this score.
Bosses
1. Egg Hawk, Team Sonic - 0:16.36 by Sonicspeedruner - This boss is a quick one, the strategy to get it done though is a bit tricky. You have to either button mash very fast to get the fire dunks to go quick enough to defeat him, or you have to time the button presses to get them done quick enough. For some reason on my controller/game the more I restart the level, the slower the fire dunks become. Sometimes the fire dunks don't hit the cockpit either, which seems to be random. It's just an awesome time that beat bertin's record of 0:17.11 by close to a full second.
2. Egg Emperor, Team Sonic - 0:15.98 by Sonicspeedruner - This is his video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caED9mx6bts The Egg Emperor strategies have been improved numerous times in the past, and now the first Egg Emperor time to be under 16 seconds has a sick strategy. You don't even have to leave the first platform anymore! This is just a solid time, especially due to the fact that getting your teammates to stick to the Egg Emperor's weak spot is a bit difficult. I have been going back and forth with Sonicspeedruner for all of the Egg Emperor times, and with this new strategy, I look forward to keep battling with him for the Egg Emperor bosses. This is a flat out impressive time.
Well, that's all for this list. I'll post sometime in the future when I research more games/stats that could be on my next list. I'll try to research games I am not familiar with as well to include more stats that could be informative to other people.
Sonic Heroes
Times
1. Hang Castle, Team Rose - 0:38.28 by Sonicspeedruner - This stage is so short yet very difficult to get right. The door clip is annoying and various parts of the stage are tough to pull off correctly. I have spent a lot of time in the past on my 0:43.64 and am I bit hesitant to try to improve it due to the length of time it would take to possibly improve. This is a great time.
Extra
1. Grand Metropolis, Team Rose - 1:24.34 by ShadowJacky - This is a tough one to get right. There are a lot of stops and quick jumps to make that can slow you down a lot, as Team Rose is slower than the other teams. It just is a technically difficult level, one that I have had trouble pulling off a good time successfully. Current record by more than 5 years, and he says it can go below 1:20.00 as well. :O
Rings
1. Ocean Palace, Team Rose - 432 Rings by chainchumper - This is the max it seems for this stage, and he is the first and only person in 1st place so far. You have to do the power formation flight glitch to be able to make it behind the start to get rings there, and then use the thundershoot gauge trick to make it past the goal ring. That is difficult as the camera does not cooperate with you during the big expedition over the ocean past the goal ring, and making it over to the other side of the stage takes time, patience, and effort. An overall test of skill, and a good record to try to get if you want to show off your ring attacking prowess.
2. Grand Metropolis, Team Sonic (Extra) - 499 Rings by 5 players - I have tried this 5 minute timed ring attack before and it gets really close to the time limit. It is a tough one to do as you have to go a lot of places around the stage to get rings, and by the nature of the stage you just don't have that much time to get the old max of 499. This level is just a flat out tough one, and you need to have skill to get 499 rings within the time limit. I'm sure all 5 players who have this record can attest to that.
3. Rail Canyon, Team Dark - 539 Rings by Pokemonmaster888 and OmegaDJ - This ring attack is a hard one that requires an imagination and thinking for the 539 rings to be gotten. The first set of trick rings is the hardest, while the other ones are not as difficult. I'm not going into detail here about the strategies; you can refer to my guide I wrote about it years ago: http://www.soniccenter.org/guides/sonic_heroes/guide289 I personally thought it wasn't too difficult, but as the test of time has shown (and also the fact my guide is out there), only two players have this score after almost 7 years. I encourage you guys to try it and see what you can do with this level. Maybe a lot of people haven't seen my guide; I just know that if you take the time to analyze this level and think of the possible moves you can do, you might be able to pull off this score.
Bosses
1. Egg Hawk, Team Sonic - 0:16.36 by Sonicspeedruner - This boss is a quick one, the strategy to get it done though is a bit tricky. You have to either button mash very fast to get the fire dunks to go quick enough to defeat him, or you have to time the button presses to get them done quick enough. For some reason on my controller/game the more I restart the level, the slower the fire dunks become. Sometimes the fire dunks don't hit the cockpit either, which seems to be random. It's just an awesome time that beat bertin's record of 0:17.11 by close to a full second.
2. Egg Emperor, Team Sonic - 0:15.98 by Sonicspeedruner - This is his video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caED9mx6bts The Egg Emperor strategies have been improved numerous times in the past, and now the first Egg Emperor time to be under 16 seconds has a sick strategy. You don't even have to leave the first platform anymore! This is just a solid time, especially due to the fact that getting your teammates to stick to the Egg Emperor's weak spot is a bit difficult. I have been going back and forth with Sonicspeedruner for all of the Egg Emperor times, and with this new strategy, I look forward to keep battling with him for the Egg Emperor bosses. This is a flat out impressive time.
Well, that's all for this list. I'll post sometime in the future when I research more games/stats that could be on my next list. I'll try to research games I am not familiar with as well to include more stats that could be informative to other people.
18
General Sonic / Re: Rank your favorite Sonic games that you have played
« on: July 14, 2014, 12:05:10 am »
I beat Sonic 3D Blast today, and I liked the game a lot. I own Sonic 3D Blast for PC/Steam, which is the Sega Genesis version of the game. The gameplay was much different than most Sonic games, but I found it fun and not as annoying/boring as other people have said. The music was awesome, I liked all of the songs. The graphics were cool, and I didn't have a problem with how the game was presented. The controls were loose, but once you learned them it was easier to play the game. I used the control stick on my Xbox 360 controller, which made it easier to control Sonic. It probably is harder to play the game using a control pad.
I liked the game because I found the collecting aspect of the game interesting, and I thought that the difficulty of the game was pretty well balanced. Each Zone had different things to bring to the table, and the music fit the levels well. I did find some things annoying though, like losing flickies each time you got hit, and the positioning of Sonic on the level being hard to judge due to the camera angle. I would recommend the game to other people, because I think that people can have a fun time playing this game if they have the correct expectations. The game is not a fast paced platformer like most Sonic games, so it is a bit unfair to compare it to those games because it is so different from them.
I ranked Sonic 3D Blast in my list at 16th place, above both Sonic 4 Episodes due to the fact that both of them aren't full games. It was difficult for me to rank those 3 games, which is the other reason why I went ahead and put Sonic 3D Blast ahead of them. Overall, I think the game is a good game, but you need to have a different mindset when playing it. You can't really compare it to most Sonic games, due to the fact that the gameplay and goals of the game are so different from the other Sonic games.
I liked the game because I found the collecting aspect of the game interesting, and I thought that the difficulty of the game was pretty well balanced. Each Zone had different things to bring to the table, and the music fit the levels well. I did find some things annoying though, like losing flickies each time you got hit, and the positioning of Sonic on the level being hard to judge due to the camera angle. I would recommend the game to other people, because I think that people can have a fun time playing this game if they have the correct expectations. The game is not a fast paced platformer like most Sonic games, so it is a bit unfair to compare it to those games because it is so different from them.
I ranked Sonic 3D Blast in my list at 16th place, above both Sonic 4 Episodes due to the fact that both of them aren't full games. It was difficult for me to rank those 3 games, which is the other reason why I went ahead and put Sonic 3D Blast ahead of them. Overall, I think the game is a good game, but you need to have a different mindset when playing it. You can't really compare it to most Sonic games, due to the fact that the gameplay and goals of the game are so different from the other Sonic games.
19
News and Updates / Re: TSC Twitch Team!
« on: July 12, 2014, 02:21:42 am »
I just got a Twitch account yesterday, so I'm streaming PC games at the moment until I buy a video capture device. Then I can stream console games.
http://www.twitch.tv/amd888
http://www.twitch.tv/amd888
20
General Sonic / Re: Sonic Boom Trailer
« on: June 23, 2014, 06:15:45 pm »
The E3 trailer definitely looks like a different kind of Sonic game. It looks interesting as well. The combat sections look kind of like the Werehog's levels in Sonic Unleashed. I hope the controls are good and the gameplay is diverse and fun, so that those sections will be more fun than the Werehog's levels. The other sections look cool too, that energy beam could be a good gameplay aspect if it is done right and doesn't get too repetitive.
I'm looking forward a bit to this game; I may buy the Wii U version if it gets good reviews and if I like what I see and hear from it. I have to decide on it more though, but it doesn't look too bad right now. I hope the game is finished, well made and the controls will be good, otherwise that will make me mad and probably make me think again about buying it. Since it is a different Sonic game than the recent games and is a spin-off, people will be more critical of it. I definitely want to see the game be a success, be good, and for it to sell well.
I'm looking forward a bit to this game; I may buy the Wii U version if it gets good reviews and if I like what I see and hear from it. I have to decide on it more though, but it doesn't look too bad right now. I hope the game is finished, well made and the controls will be good, otherwise that will make me mad and probably make me think again about buying it. Since it is a different Sonic game than the recent games and is a spin-off, people will be more critical of it. I definitely want to see the game be a success, be good, and for it to sell well.
21
Gaming and Grazing / Re: Friend Code and ID Megathread
« on: May 19, 2014, 09:28:48 pm »
My 3DS friend code is 4038 - 6083 - 9678. My Steam ID is Pokemonmaster888, and my Nintendo Network ID is amd888. I don't have a Wii U yet though, so my Nintendo Network ID only applies to my 3DS.
I have a Wii U now, so my NNID (amd888) now applies to both of my systems. You can send me a friend request on the Wii U if you want.
I have a Wii U now, so my NNID (amd888) now applies to both of my systems. You can send me a friend request on the Wii U if you want.
22
General Sonic / Re: Rank your favorite Sonic games that you have played
« on: April 25, 2014, 11:33:12 am »
I just beat Sonic Generations today, and it is a really great game. All of the stages from past games were really cool, and the gameplay was tight and fun. The graphics were very good and the music from the new songs to the remixed songs was outstanding. There is a lot to do in the game and I still have a lot of missions to play and more unlockables to obtain. I have updated my list; I would rank it in 7th place, above Sonic Heroes but below Sonic 1 right now. I hope for Sonic's big 25th anniversary there is another outstanding game too!
23
Information Kiosk / Re: Future feature additions - version differences, proof, chart filtering
« on: April 14, 2014, 11:11:38 pm »
I think this set of new features is a really great idea. Filtering the charts, version choices, and the proof system sound really good. It is what I thought TSC should do and go in this direction. It will make competition much more fun, the site will be newer and updated, so many new features will make the site more fun for older members and new players alike. I do think there should be a bonus for sitewide points for proving stats, because you want to reward players that submit proof.
A feature on a member's profile page should display the number of proven stats they have, which is a helpful feature. The only thing though for people who have a lot of proof already on other websites is that they have to go and upload them all again on TSC, but that should be no problem, it might take a little while though. :P Same with editing your old stats to the version you played on. Just to clarify, will there be a multiple edit page with proof upload from PC/internet link option and version choice so you can edit all of your stats one at a time? I would assume so since the stats page is already based on multiple editing but I just wanted to make sure.
What will be the proposed file size limit for picture proof, and what file types will be supported? Will it be around 1 megabyte and jpeg? A bigger file size limit is helpful so you don't have to crop the image and resize the files which can take a long time if you have a lot of pictures to upload. :P
I think it is great that you can filter by different versions of the game so if you only own one version you can still compete without worrying about the advantages other versions of the game might have. The current leaderboards for the game and related scoreboards for each player will be the same points as now though right by default, or will you be able to filter the whole complete game scoreboard too?
I am looking forward to these changes and for the competition to be even more fun!
A feature on a member's profile page should display the number of proven stats they have, which is a helpful feature. The only thing though for people who have a lot of proof already on other websites is that they have to go and upload them all again on TSC, but that should be no problem, it might take a little while though. :P Same with editing your old stats to the version you played on. Just to clarify, will there be a multiple edit page with proof upload from PC/internet link option and version choice so you can edit all of your stats one at a time? I would assume so since the stats page is already based on multiple editing but I just wanted to make sure.
What will be the proposed file size limit for picture proof, and what file types will be supported? Will it be around 1 megabyte and jpeg? A bigger file size limit is helpful so you don't have to crop the image and resize the files which can take a long time if you have a lot of pictures to upload. :P
I think it is great that you can filter by different versions of the game so if you only own one version you can still compete without worrying about the advantages other versions of the game might have. The current leaderboards for the game and related scoreboards for each player will be the same points as now though right by default, or will you be able to filter the whole complete game scoreboard too?
I am looking forward to these changes and for the competition to be even more fun!
24
News and Updates / Re: An Apology and Handling BS
« on: April 12, 2014, 06:42:42 pm »
I definitely have an interest in being a part of this team and assisting with the proof and false/questionable records process. My games of expertise are Sonic Heroes, Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic Rush, Sonic Adventure DX and Sonic Adventure 2 Battle. I may not be as skilled as some players at the moment at SADX and SA2B but I've been playing those games for such a long time that I know the ins and outs of them pretty well. I also have some expertise about Sonic Battle, Sonic Rush Adventure and Sonic Advance 2 since I've played those games a lot and for a long time, more knowledge for Sonic Battle and Sonic Rush Adventure than Sonic Advance 2. I'm not the best at Sonic Battle, Sonic Rush Adventure or Sonic Advance 2 but I know some glitches/tricks and how they work for those games and feel like I could help out with the process for those too.
I'm usually on TSC everyday so availability wouldn't be an issue. I think it's good that TSC is creating a team to help work on this issue.
I'm usually on TSC everyday so availability wouldn't be an issue. I think it's good that TSC is creating a team to help work on this issue.
25
News and Updates / Re: New rules regarding emulators
« on: April 04, 2014, 01:14:47 am »The discussion contained all of the points I referenced in my post, emulators and non-emulators. I know that there was more to Twin Galaxies than the proof system, and I didn't mean for their problems to be taken only as proof problems.I personally would not like there to be proof required for all stats or even all stats at a certain level. It is too rigorous and will be harder to keep up in the long term. Twin Galaxies had a system like that (even if it was video proof only) and now it seems they are in a tough spot financially/running the company.
You directly related it, which is the step above implying. If you were making two unrelated statements, you should learn to write/type properly; Two different points shouldn't be in the same sentence unless you are trying to say that they are related.
Yes, I know how to type properly. I made a mistake, I should have been clearer in that post. I'd rather not be jabbed at when parts of your past posts in numerous topics were ambiguous/had a decent amount of incorrect grammar and spelling, enough that I was not too sure what you were trying to say. I was merely trying to help get some ideas spread around for TSC, and try to help make the site better.
26
News and Updates / Re: New rules regarding emulators
« on: April 04, 2014, 12:36:09 am »Now that the subject of proof being required for consoles and emulators is brought up, I'd like to say that if TSC goes in that direction video proof should be required for the emulators as picture proof can't distinguish enough information, and picture proof at least should be required for consoles, if proof were required for each submission. There should be a system in place that lets you choose which platform you used. As said before, people can say they played on the wrong system, but no security system or rules system is perfect. The goal is to limit the damage as much as possible.
I'd also agree that a certain place on the chart should be required for proof if that type of system was implemented, as people said, all people should be free to use this site without too many restrictions, and the less competitive player may not want to prove every stat, but that could also lead to problems too. I agree that a proof system should be implemented as soon as possible, regardless of what type of rules are established.
Keep in mind that requiring proof for every stat or every stat at a certain level will weed out cheaters and turn off honest players alike, whether it be 1 person for each category, 5, or any number of people. You have to make the rules well developed but also determine what your target audience is. If you make a system where people can choose what stats they think are false and ask for proof, then you ask for the appropriate proof, which could be an alternative to requiring proof for every submission. The goal of the site should lean toward making competition as fun as possible, making it as easy as possible for players to compete/upholding the rules, and making the site a haven for the best Sonic video gamers in the world.
I personally would not like there to be proof required for all stats or even all stats at a certain level. It is too rigorous and will be harder to keep up in the long term. Twin Galaxies had a system like that (even if it was video proof only) and now it seems they are in a tough spot financially/running the company. You don't need to go all out in making new rules about proof, a well-integrated system where people can ask for a specific type of proof and choose the stats they think are false works well because they can pick stats that are most likely false, and leave the lesser ones alone. Even if those lesser stats are false, you can't win them all. Pick your battles and limit the number of false stats as much as you can. They can choose lesser stats if they want, and those stats should be investigated accordingly. A team of people should be assembled to work on that process if it were to be implemented.
The site should try to not go overboard and overthink this process. Banning emulators is not good because they are a popular platform, and TSC has made the decision to allow them in the past, so they should still be supported. The people that will leave because of new rules for emulators would leave even faster if emulators were banned. New rules for proof that I mentioned earlier and a new integrated system for both consoles and emulators would work well, to help the site gain some more stability, as that is what it seems the staff is after. The majority of TSC seems to want the site to change, and you have to make a change if you want the site to evolve and grow.
Did you even read the fucking thread? This is supposed to be about requiring proof for emulators. I brought up console proof because that the direction this site should be headed. Now is not the time to discuss is as it. It's also not for every bloody stat, just the ones obtained on emulators. Not everyone uses emulators for all games and stats.
Further the proof system at TG wasn't the problem. It was the airheaded, arbitrary dissection of records/categories; pretty much an issue Cosmo addressed when trying to brainstorm ideas for SRL leaderboards. It caused people to avoid it because they were banning things that detracted from the core of speedrunning: Going fast with nothing but the controller. You're also assuming that this website has a dedicated team to develop. We have one 'developer' or the site's source code and he seems to be apathetic in updating the site. Furthermore the only people interested in working on the site's code have no coding knowledge.
That's not a nice attitude to take. If you don't want to discuss console proof now than why did you bring it up in the first place? The discussion contained all of the points I referenced in my post, emulators and non-emulators. I know that there was more to Twin Galaxies than the proof system, and I didn't mean for their problems to be taken only as proof problems. I'm not assuming this website has a dedicated team to develop at all, I said that some features should be integrated. If GerbilSoft can't/doesn't want to do it, than perhaps the site should find more help to get the site advanced more and continue the site's progress. If you need help, then ask people outside of the site if they are interested in developing. How else will the site grow? The discussion was about emulators and I answered that question, and yes, I did read every post that was made before I posted.
27
News and Updates / Re: New rules regarding emulators
« on: April 03, 2014, 11:43:56 pm »
Now that the subject of proof being required for consoles and emulators is brought up, I'd like to say that if TSC goes in that direction video proof should be required for the emulators as picture proof can't distinguish enough information, and picture proof at least should be required for consoles, if proof were required for each submission. There should be a system in place that lets you choose which platform you used. As said before, people can say they played on the wrong system, but no security system or rules system is perfect. The goal is to limit the damage as much as possible.
I'd also agree that a certain place on the chart should be required for proof if that type of system was implemented, as people said, all people should be free to use this site without too many restrictions, and the less competitive player may not want to prove every stat, but that could also lead to problems too. I agree that a proof system should be implemented as soon as possible, regardless of what type of rules are established.
Keep in mind that requiring proof for every stat or every stat at a certain level will weed out cheaters and turn off honest players alike, whether it be 1 person for each category, 5, or any number of people. You have to make the rules well developed but also determine what your target audience is. If you make a system where people can choose what stats they think are false and ask for proof, then you ask for the appropriate proof, which could be an alternative to requiring proof for every submission. The goal of the site should lean toward making competition as fun as possible, making it as easy as possible for players to compete/upholding the rules, and making the site a haven for the best Sonic video gamers in the world.
I personally would not like there to be proof required for all stats or even all stats at a certain level. It is too rigorous and will be harder to keep up in the long term. Twin Galaxies had a system like that (even if it was video proof only) and now it seems they are in a tough spot financially/running the company. You don't need to go all out in making new rules about proof, a well-integrated system where people can ask for a specific type of proof and choose the stats they think are false works well because they can pick stats that are most likely false, and leave the lesser ones alone. Even if those lesser stats are false, you can't win them all. Pick your battles and limit the number of false stats as much as you can. They can choose lesser stats if they want, and those stats should be investigated accordingly. A team of people should be assembled to work on that process if it were to be implemented.
The site should try to not go overboard and overthink this process. Banning emulators is not good because they are a popular platform, and TSC has made the decision to allow them in the past, so they should still be supported. The people that will leave because of new rules for emulators would leave even faster if emulators were banned. New rules for proof that I mentioned earlier and a new integrated system for both consoles and emulators would work well, to help the site gain some more stability, as that is what it seems the staff is after. The majority of TSC seems to want the site to change, and you have to make a change if you want the site to evolve and grow.
I'd also agree that a certain place on the chart should be required for proof if that type of system was implemented, as people said, all people should be free to use this site without too many restrictions, and the less competitive player may not want to prove every stat, but that could also lead to problems too. I agree that a proof system should be implemented as soon as possible, regardless of what type of rules are established.
Keep in mind that requiring proof for every stat or every stat at a certain level will weed out cheaters and turn off honest players alike, whether it be 1 person for each category, 5, or any number of people. You have to make the rules well developed but also determine what your target audience is. If you make a system where people can choose what stats they think are false and ask for proof, then you ask for the appropriate proof, which could be an alternative to requiring proof for every submission. The goal of the site should lean toward making competition as fun as possible, making it as easy as possible for players to compete/upholding the rules, and making the site a haven for the best Sonic video gamers in the world.
I personally would not like there to be proof required for all stats or even all stats at a certain level. It is too rigorous and will be harder to keep up in the long term. Twin Galaxies had a system like that (even if it was video proof only) and now it seems they are in a tough spot financially/running the company. You don't need to go all out in making new rules about proof, a well-integrated system where people can ask for a specific type of proof and choose the stats they think are false works well because they can pick stats that are most likely false, and leave the lesser ones alone. Even if those lesser stats are false, you can't win them all. Pick your battles and limit the number of false stats as much as you can. They can choose lesser stats if they want, and those stats should be investigated accordingly. A team of people should be assembled to work on that process if it were to be implemented.
The site should try to not go overboard and overthink this process. Banning emulators is not good because they are a popular platform, and TSC has made the decision to allow them in the past, so they should still be supported. The people that will leave because of new rules for emulators would leave even faster if emulators were banned. New rules for proof that I mentioned earlier and a new integrated system for both consoles and emulators would work well, to help the site gain some more stability, as that is what it seems the staff is after. The majority of TSC seems to want the site to change, and you have to make a change if you want the site to evolve and grow.
28
News and Updates / Re: New rules regarding emulators
« on: April 02, 2014, 12:12:57 am »
Just a quick question, are official emulators such the Wii, 3DS, and Wii U Virtual Console ok to use as they were before or will they require proof too? I don't use a lot of unofficial emulators, so I don't know of how they behave compared to official emulators. I've heard that official emulators usually are ok with how they play compared to the original version of the game, but there can be differences sometimes, which is why I am asking.
29
General Sonic / Re: Rank your favorite Sonic games that you have played
« on: February 02, 2014, 02:12:42 am »
I recently beat Sonic 4: Episode 1 and 2 and I thought both games were pretty fun. Episode 2 fixed some of the physics problems that were in episode 1 but I liked both. I thought episode 2 was better because the music, graphics, and style of graphics were better than episode 1. I still really haven't played Episode Metal yet but I will sometime. I put them in my list nearer the bottom though because both games were short since they are episodes, and I thought the regular length games were more fun and had more to do since they were regular length games. I still have to get all of the Chaos Emeralds for both games though. I am playing Sonic Generations right now and it is a really cool game. I also see that the Android/iOS versions of Sonic 1 and Sonic 2 are very cool and I hope to be able to play them fully soon. I still have to play Sonic R, Sonic the Fighters, Sonic 3D Blast, and some other Sonic games, but I am not sure how I'll play some because Sonic the Fighters and Sonic R are not widely available on a lot of platforms.
30
General Sonic / Re: Rank your favorite Sonic games that you have played
« on: November 24, 2013, 04:51:56 am »
I beat Sonic CD, and it is one of my favorite Sonic games ever. I see how people say it is the best Sonic game ever. The only problem I saw was that the stages are a bit short. The stages were very fun, the Japanese soundtrack is one of the best Sonic soundtracks I've heard. A lot of the songs are catchy and fit the levels well. I think that the Super Peel Out is one of the best moves Sonic had in any game. I would put it below Sonic 2 and above Sonic 1 on my list.
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