How do I submit my times?

See here.

Why have two charts: NonPRB and PRB?

NonPRB charts do not allow shortcuts or glitches. PRB charts allow shortcuts and the PRB glitch. We track them separately because it's a different style of playing the game.

What's a shortcut? What's PRB?

A shortcut is any trick used to advance yourself in the race by using Lakitu (the guy on the cloud), jumping over barriers, or cutting a big part of the track in an unintended way.

PRB (Prolonged Rocket Boost) is a glitch. If you get the biggest rocket start at the beginning of a race and continually mini-turbo without losing top speed for even an instant, the game lets you travel over all terrain at top speed. The effect of PRB is lost as soon as you lose top-speed (for example, you mess up the timing of you mini-turbos). In some tracks, you can do this for the whole race and cut many corners by driving off-road at high speed.

To get the 'fastest times', you would use shortcuts and PRB where possible.

What's allowed in NonPRB racing?

In order to create the most comfortable playing rules, the PRB glitch is allowed at the beginning of some races: if the best 'natural' racing line requires the player to perform miniturbos quickly enough that it will cause PRB, then it is allowed in that section of the race. We say that it must be 'natural' racing, because doing PRB on purpose usually means that you will be taking a route that you would not normally take if you didn't know about the PRB glitch. Although PRB can get faster times, it's annoying to do and can make time trials less fun. This is why we provide two sets of charts: one for people who want to PRB or use shortcuts, and one for people who want 'pure' mini-turbo racing through the course without any shortcuts or glitches.

If you don't label your times in your submission, it is most fair to NonPRB players that we assume your times were raced using PRB and shortcuts. It's in your best interest to label your scores properly because if your score was really NonPRB, it should get a better rank in the NonPRB chart than in the PRB chart... but we will put it in the PRB chart if we don't know how your score was raced.

If you didn't know about the PRB glitch before reading this, your scores are probably NonPRB.

Ok, but really, what exactly is allowed? This is a records site for crying out loud.

You can see a detailed list of course-specific rules that we believe embody our concept of 'natural' racing here.

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Specific PRB rules
We try to make these rules fair, so the point where it becomes abusive enough to be prb-racing is far enough into the race where it can't be done by accident. Below is a list of races where prb driving is possible, and the latest point in that race where you're allowed to use prb-racing. If you think a race belongs here that isn't listed yet, please let us know. Also let us know if you think any of these rules are unclear.

F8C: Prb-racing is not allowed, except for clipping through a small amount of grass just after the first MT of the race.
CCB: Zippers may not be used to prb through the water.
LM: Prb-racing may be used to clip the grass on the sides of the road before entering the house.
DH: Prb-racing may not be used to cut through the sand to the right of the trees and to the left of the pyramid.
DS: The zipper near the end of the race may be used to cut through the dirt on the last corner.
MC: Prb-racing may not be used to cut through the grass to the right of the first goomba. Prb may be used to cut through the sand on the first turn, and after passing the goomba to the left, grass clips on that straight are allowed. If prb is still in effect when you reach the normal shroomspot, you may not release an MT until the prb has worn off, or you may shroom here (shrooming is suggested).
PG: Prb-racing may not be used to cut through the flowers at the normal shroomspot.
WS: Zippers may not be used to prb through any mud.
MC1: Prb-racing may not be used to cut through the sand inside the pipes on the second turn. Prb may only be used before those pipes on the sand to the left of the straight after the first turn.
PC: Prb-racing is not allowed, except for cutting through the grass inside the first turn.
LC GCN: Prb-racing is not allowed (jumping off the zippers rather than sliding off is suggested).
DP1: Prb-racing may not be used to cut through the grass at the normal shroomspot. If prb is still in effect, you may not release an MT until the prb has worn off, or you may shroom here (shrooming is suggested). Prb may only be used to cut through the grass before the bridge.
FS: Prb-racing may be used up to and including the big jump over the snow.
KB2: Prb-racing may not be used, except for cutting through the grass before reaching the first area with water.
LC GBA: Prb-racing may only be used to cut through the grass up to and including the first 180 degree right turn. Prb may not be used to cut through the grass on the following left turn.
CI2: Prb-racing may not be used, except for cutting through the mud straight ahead from the start as you go through the gap in the wall.
SG: Prb-racing may only be used up to and including the clouds next to the first rainbow colored ramp jump. After jumping over the gap, you may not release an MT until the prb has worn off.
YC: Prb-racing may be used up to and including the shortcut over the water.
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Are these times really true?

Chances are, yes. We try to keep a clean slate, and eventually we aspire to have all the top players proven by video. Like for our sister MK sites.

O rly? Well, how do I go faster?

Practice. Watch movies. Learn. Practice some more.

What is Average Finish? ARR? Total Times? How does the players list rank people? So many statistics!

They are explained in their respective pages. They are just specific indicators which help in determining which players are best.
We generally use the AF as the main ladder. The rule of thumb: if you want to pass someone, just go and beat the snot out of their times.

When should I prove myself?

We'll tell you when. Usually the top players have to prove themselves. The reason for this is that we aim to run a site exhibiting characteristics of integrity and honesty. But also, we want the newer players to see the strategies and skills of the top dogs.
If you feel you are getting a ton of awesome times, go ahead and preemptively prove yourelf.

How do I videotape my runs?

For the DS? Umm.. good question. We don't know a good way to do it yet, but the most feasible solution seems to be to tape a digital camera to your DS (or both to something else) so that the camera doesn't shake much, and just play...

Your layout sux0r! And the graphics don't even look like a real DS!!!1

PEBKAC. Please use a decent browser and decent screen resolution. We recommend Firefox @ 1024x768+. Also, your DS might look different. The layout was drawn from scratch, using this guy as reference.

Oh. Uh... then j00 guys sux0r!!!11cos(0)

Chances are good that we sux0r a lot less than you!

Heehee, okay, I was just kidding! Geez, calm down! Umm, how's stuff work? I r interweb noob.

PHP is a scripting language, and we like those. To make the site look pretty and to chew up your valuable bandwidth, we've made gigantic images in Photoshop. We try to stick to random standards, so content is, for the most part, xhtml+css.

Behind the scenes, we run a PostgreSQL RDBMS. In the right hands, PG is very versatile and tweakable and powerful (and free <3). That makes it kinda mediocre in our hands (but still free <3), and it does its job. We use it mostly because our DB ninja-admin is stubborn and doesn't know how to use anything else. But he likes to use all the procedural language support that mySQL lacks. The data in the database is updated by the updaters, so most of the pages are always up-to-date with what we know about your scores. PHP takes it from the DB and throws it in your face, presented with bandwidth-chewing gigantic images.

For submissions, we don't want you guys to modify your own data. That's ebil to the max! Instead we have a moderated YahooGroups account that we force you to submit to. It both serves as an archive and a place where our updating team can collect your scores. We try to save some time by parsing lots of YahooGroups submissions in bulk, using an automated ninja Javascript parsing thingamajig that extracts details such as score and course. Sounds scary, but it's pretty noob and requires updater-supervision. The semi-automated updating process saves us from typing, and is painless if you guys cooperate and write your submissions in a free-form but sensible manner. But, if you're mean and make us have to do some work, we can make mistakes or oversights in our supervision. Anyway, the point is: any mistakes in the updating of your times are your fault, not ours!

You guys are so cool.. you're my new $DEITY! Can I have your babies??! Please, oh please? How do I make it up to you?

We accept cash (XAU or XPT preferred), or sister pics. So far, we've received a grand total of nil. But you can be the first! You want to be the first, right? Right?! As for the baby making... there's a queue, you know.

Who is maintaining this FAQ?

Erm. That guy! *points at random, unsuspecting passer-by*. Yeah, feel free to bug him.

Ooh, ooh, can I borrow some of your really awesome CSS, styles, ideas or graphics?

With permission. You can ask the webmaster/admin (Mark Jones), artist/php-ninja/db-ninja (Alex Penev), or CIC/php-ninja (Sean 'sully' Sullivan).

Happy Karting,
The MKDS Team.