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Mario Kart MB
https://www.mariokart64.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl Mario Kart >> Super Mario Kart >> Video requirement for Top 10 times https://www.mariokart64.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1594308460 Message started by Lafungo on 07/09/20 at 07:27:40 |
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Title: Video requirement for Top 10 times Post by Lafungo on 07/09/20 at 07:27:40 Hello everyone, I am opening this topic to discuss a new rule that I suggested to Sami and that he approved and will be introducing to the rankings shortly. The rule is as follows: all new Top 10 times are required to have a live recording (via capture card), with the exception of times driven at a live event (like CDM or a gaming expo) for which a camera recording of the replay is acceptable. I communicated this new rule to several players in the community, and several points were brought up about this rule that need to be addressed. The goal of this topic is to resolve those details and to give everyone a chance to provide their input. Here are some points that were brought up: - Why the capture card requirement? Why not allow (good quality) camera recordings? - What if a player doesn't have the (financial) means to acquire a proper recording setup? - Is a capture card recording of a fixed-camera replay acceptable? - What happens if a player sets a Top 10 time but doesn't follow the rule, such as if a lower-ranked player unexpectedly flukes a Top 10? - Today videos for Top 10, tomorrow requirement extended? - What counts as a "live event"? - Can there be a grace period before the rule comes into effect? --------------------------------------------------- I'll start with my personal responses to the above questions: - Requiring capture card ensures decent video quality (which is the main objective of this rule) while keeping the rule as simple and unambiguous as possible. While we could add a clause about "good quality camera recordings" or such, it would add ambiguity and room for future headaches that I think would be best to avoid. - I think there are a few things to point out for this one. First, it takes a large number of gameplay hours to reach the point where a Top 10 time is even possible. This means that players have a long time to prepare a recording setup as they improve at the game. Second, getting a recording setup can be quite cheap if you go for bare-bones equipment. Finally, if a strong player is in a precarious situation and really can't afford to purchase the necessary equipment, I think we can figure things out as a community to help them out. - I see two ways of approaching this question. On the one hand, requiring footage of the run itself ensures the rule remains simple and unambiguous, and avoids situations of "oops, I got a mobile replay" or "oops, my replay desynced", etc. On the other hand, we could say that it's the responsibility of each player to decide whether they want to risk their PR not counting towards the ranking by choosing to record the replay instead of the run itself. I think at this point I'm leaning towards the latter option. - Given the current strength of the charts, fluking a Top 10 time is practically impossible, in that no one who is ranked significantly below the overall Top 10 is going to get a Top 10 time without a serious grind. As for the consequence of not following the rule, it's simple: the time doesn't count for the rankings and isn't added to the site. - I think that Top 10 is a good cutoff given the current strength of the charts, but it would be better if the cutoff were based on a static threshold. I think the best option in the future would be to set the requirement at a specific standard (presumably the highest one), but that should wait until the standards rework is done, which is a completely different project and most likely won't be done for another several months at least. - I think we can use common sense for what counts as a "live event", but essentially any event with at least, say, 10 people gathered (so one player going to another's house doesn't count as a "live event"). - I think that having a grace period makes sense to allow people to prepare a setup if need be without having to stop grinding for PRs. Perhaps we could even have a sort of transitional period during which (live / fixed-replay) videos are required for Top 10 times, but they can be recorded with a camera rather than a capture card. I'm not sure how long this should last, but perhaps we could say until the end of August (so a bit under 8 weeks from now). Something else that I think is worth mentioning is that a lot of the players setting Top 10 times in recent months are already using capture cards to record their times. I've compiled a list of all players who have set a Top 10 time since the start of 2019 and whether they've uploaded any capture card recordings (with example links of each player's most recently uploaded Top 10 video): Akita Sounori - no https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm37075945 Aron Langerak - yes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC_pwsiK1po Christian Wild - yes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6bFm8JEC70 Eric Olden - no https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaKdPO4eWmA Ethan McCormac - yes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulabk4m2XGs Florent Lecoanet - yes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvRD6D6lvPo Guilherme Arantes - yes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDmbYRkza5o Jerome Coiffard - no https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmdyiHJuSzg (note that this isn't his current PR, and that he hasn't uploaded a video since December 2018...) Joe Bernier - yes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r2OAZEW3N0 Jonathan Toole-Charignon - yes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqmTWueNsvg Julien Holmiere - yes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8o5lkjYbbo Karel van Duijvenboden - yes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wmaqvs_e9Pk Martin van Haasteren - no https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMuc87uvMPM Matt Ballard - no https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zeu_4zuerJY Nori Ishi - no https://twitter.com/ishiyakiimon/status/1261637241023066112 Pierre Coste - yes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3y_QnH-ShQ Sami Cetin - yes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI5Oibks_Jk 11/17 |
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Title: Re: Video requirement for Top 10 times Post by MikeH on 07/09/20 at 07:56:50 I don't understand why, when the goal is simply to have more high quality video's of fast pr's, this warrants not counting said pr when the video doesn't meet these, in a sense 'random' requirements. Seems like far too harsh a measure to me. |
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Title: Re: Video requirement for Top 10 times Post by Aron Langerak on 07/09/20 at 08:26:15 Totally disagree by making this a permanent rule. I agree that all players who are taking the effort to play for top 10 times should have a livecapture-setup. This will improve the quality big time overall. I strongly disagree that a record would not be count in if there is not a perfect video of it. It would mess up the real ranks eventually. |
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Title: Re: Video requirement for Top 10 times Post by SparksF1 on 07/09/20 at 08:42:23 7F4C51500F063E0 wrote:
I agree with Aron's points here. Say goodbye to the Universe. It's about to implode [smiley=beer.gif] |
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Title: Re: Video requirement for Top 10 times Post by Zarkov on 07/09/20 at 08:45:54 I completely agree with Aron. By all means strongly encourage anyone nearing top 10 times to have a live capture setup, but outright disallowing any top 10 time with out a live video is far too harsh. I thought were all about the charts being as accurate as possible? You could very well have a situation in which a time is legit and has a video, but isn't allowed on the charts because the video of it hasn't met some harsh quality requirements. Then what, you have to keep track of these times separately? |
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Title: Re: Video requirement for Top 10 times Post by Eric Kart-man on 07/09/20 at 09:01:57 Problem the Kartel has had in general is the capture we use makes it look worse than a phone recording. Welcome any help I guess. I've really cut back on playing because of the outcry, not stopping CI2 flap. |
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Title: Re: Video requirement for Top 10 times Post by SparksF1 on 07/09/20 at 09:05:21 I'm Going to make a reasoned point here. In SMK i'd trust the top 10 players completely. But lets imagine a scenario On a certain day Neo decides to play some SMK He sets up the snes. Cap card. Laptop etc All going well and he goes into the grind. He badly wants the KB1 5 lap record and hits a PR. Just short of the current WR. So he clips the video out and gets it ready for uploading. Neo as the SMK God he is decides to play more. And bang hits the WR. Smashes it out of existence in a way only Neo can. Now heres the problem. During that run OBS had an Issue and didnt encode the video properly. Now its a worthless live recording. So the replay gets captured and can anyone tell me the possibility of a fixed camera on this track? But the record cannot stand because of a proposed rule. To me thats wrong but i do understand the motivation for better vids and proof |
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Title: Re: Video requirement for Top 10 times Post by Firewaster on 07/09/20 at 09:21:50 725F584B5059513E0 wrote:
I'm very glad something like this is being implemented going forward. I'm sure it's the right step to make and from the get go I offer to help anyone getting this to work. That being said, there's one point I think it's pivotal which is the grace period. The least we can do is give people time to adapt to the new situation. I'm glad it's been looked into already by the people responsible for the rules, and I hope that's what's decided in the end. Also I think there could be exceptions for camera-captures, but I'd like to see that being judged beforehand (the player presents his setup and Sami, or someone else, says if that level of quality is acceptable). I look forward to the new world full of great quality videos of every great race ever produced by the community. And again I am more than willing to help in any way possible. |
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Title: Re: Video requirement for Top 10 times Post by Danger M on 07/09/20 at 09:47:45 I vote no. Good quality videos should be what we aim for, but denying a time to the site that has video proof just because that video doesn't meet some notional quality threshold doesn't sit right with me (which tbh my S10 phone can take much better quality videos then many peoples capture setups, especially if I attach it to tripod stand). edit: just to add, than I'm onboard with all top10 times requiring a video, just not with the specifications of how that video needs to be made. |
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Title: Re: Video requirement for Top 10 times Post by Eric Kart-man on 07/09/20 at 09:55:55 18372C3B293F2D2A3B2C5E0 wrote:
I'm very glad something like this is being implemented going forward. I'm sure it's the right step to make and from the get go I offer to help anyone getting this to work. That being said, there's one point I think it's pivotal which is the grace period. The lest we can do is give people time to adapt to the new situation. I'm glad it's been looked into already by the people responsible for the rules, and I hope that's what's decided in the end. Also I think there could be exceptions for camera-captures, but I'd like to see that being judged beforehand (the player presents his setup and Sami, or someone else, says if that level of quality is acceptable). I look forward to the new world full of great quality runs of every great race ever produced by the community. And again I am more than willing to help in any way possible.[/quote] I'm all for this as well, not knocking the proposition just simply don't have the means at the moment. Don't want to lose my CR on CI2 due to inactivity. Im confidient I can re-set my time properly live streamed . |
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Title: Re: Video requirement for Top 10 times Post by Sami de la SMK on 07/09/20 at 10:10:33 Hi Jonathan, Thank you for making this post. Can I just clarify the first line you mentioned in your post; it is not definitely agreed / finalised yet, as there is a lot to discuss. So whatever we finalise later will take effect then. The more I have thought and discussed with players about it during the day has added more ideas. There are lots of positives and negatives so we need to come up with something that generates a balance for the players and respecting the quality videos that we should be providing at the high level, given the movement in technology so far. We have spoken to some of the players and got lots of different thoughts. I will go through two points I remember that Guilherme highlighted a while back where there was an issue with on the videos in general. This will be a basis also for answering some of the bullet points by Jonathan. 1. The Non-Fixed Replay Camera (mainly affecting 5-laps). While the video is valid, it is just hard for the eye to follow when you really want to view specifics from behind the kart normal view. Therefore live recording has been a great solution to that. We don't have a standard fixed cam replays that MK64 has unfortunately. 2. General quality of videos with camera. The CRTs being filmed by various camera / cell phones with cameras over the years have not always agreed. With flat screens (some of which don't have much delay) they tend to show the picture more clearly without flicker / lines moving down the screen etc. But the majority of us are using CRT TVs. So it depends on the screen type you have too / lighting in the room etc. Now to your points, I'll add more later if something comes to mind as I still have some work to finish off. - Why the capture card requirement? Why not allow (good quality) camera recordings? Capture Card is ideal, but if the quality of the camera is good then it fulfills point 2 above, but not point 1. But there are alternate options below where camera recordings would work. - What if a player doesn't have the (financial) means to acquire a proper recording setup? This can be a bigger problem then we initially thought. It didn't occur to me that some people might not have a PC or laptop at this time. Therefore it is not the case of just getting the required capture card / cable device (that part is straightforward and as long as the PC is not ancient and recognises it that is fine). However, due to the Worldwide situation more than other years, some people have been out of work or even lost their jobs recently, have kids and bills to pay and so on. So they may have had a PC before if they are at a high rank, but not anymore due to their financial situation, or whatever it may be. I don't think forcing a player to buy a laptop or PC even if it is a cheap one is a road we want to go down, at the very least for the short term. So we need to think of alternate options to help there as you said too. - Is a capture card recording of a fixed-camera replay acceptable? Yes in my opinion. Guilherme set this up for someone at a previous CDM, it was live streamed too anyway so there are two videos. Also alternatively, recording with a camera from a live captured device, if it is not possible to transfer a file, but replay the live run on that TV: We had this example raised to me, where the recording from the TV is saved onto a capture video recording device in quality there, but not to a PC. This replay of the live run would then need to be recorded then with a camera; this is fine with me on the basis that quality of the actual camera recording itself is good. There are examples and I haven't heard any complaints of the quality. This can be reviewed case by case and it depends on the screen type used. But also we would need to have a rule in place that players can't say "oops, I accidentally recorded the replay". Note: This wouldn't happen with the example in this paragraph; as the player would have live recorded their session on their HDD device / video recorder device. They would have had to have deleted the file, which would have to take care not to. It would have to be the responsibility of the player to ensure when they are approaching the Top 10 ranks, to only record the live runs and not a replay with a turning camera, fulfilling quality of the video (point 2), and of course then the fixed cam situation (point 1). - What happens if a player sets a Top 10 time but doesn't follow the rule, such as if a lower-ranked player unexpectedly flukes a Top 10? Whatever specific rules / changes we put in place, we need to ensure that players are well aware of it when they are starting to come close. As Jonathan clarified, the Top 10 is getting tougher and as people are playing, that boundary continues to sharpen. Therefore with some grace period they need to be warned and should be aware by that time to not record a replay or a use a poor quality camera. - Today videos for Top 10, tomorrow requirement extended? Ideally want to keep this fairly static and not have to change things all of the time, so the Top 10 rank sounds good, but the new standards will probably be in the ballpark of this area. Though they are more of a human-made concept for fun / additional target setting, we have a history of not getting that consistent (but certainly we will do a better job this time with thanks in advance to the input of many players). Just in case, I would probably lean more towards sticking with the Top 10 idea. The standards are taking a long time to discuss, therefore the decision on this should take longer too in line with that if we do go down the standards road. - What counts as a "live event"? Obvious ones are CDM, ASMKC, any of the Fun Cups, or a official video game expo such as Stunfest, Replay Events, EGX etc which some of us have been to and run tournaments / done official demonstrations. Agreed, having a mate or two round the house wouldn't be an option. However, even if you have an audience watching at a big event, the video may still be of a replay, and may still be with a poor quality camera (or it might be good quality). Now here is the catch... The only backup option is that you may have to use live recording equipment at CDM only. If you don't want to carry a laptop around with you to a TV, it would be a fight over maybe 2 streams if more than 2 people out of 40+ want to do some PRs. This would be during the break times which is a no show as the stream is pretty much constantly used minus meal times once it starts. It would leave just the final day, and there are always many who set records there each year. A solution would be to provide x number of laptops that can live record and players can borrow them if they risk setting Top 10 PRs at CDM. Otherwise a player can't just set a Top 10 PR on a TV without and record the replay on their camera, that would have to stop. Or when at a video game expo, it might be difficult to get on a live capture device (again you would have to purchase a laptop, take that with you and ask if you can connect it up to their equipment, if they don't ask you to PAT test it). It is a bit annoying if you already have a desktop PC where you run live recordings at home, but if you have the money for it, then that is the plan B). Maybe a 30 minute slot on an Event's live stream could happen if you are extremely lucky depending on the event you are going to and who you know there. So having an audience at an event is actually irrelevant. We are going back again to the points previously suggested by Guilherme above: 1. Fixed cam and 2. Quality. So we can't have that both ways if players are just going to set Top 10 times on random CRTs at a huge event without a live capture, we are back to square one. But in my opinion we can, as that is a good place to show what we can do. I just avoided playing tracks which my camera doesn't agree with. Certain events have particular lighting also which affects the display I have noticed. If it is about the live audience seeing the run as a top priority, then Nori made a valid suggestion: The player can set the camera up and live record them showing their hands playing during the live run. It is less comfortable for the player, but if they are prepared to do it, it is just as good as people watching it at any event and solves the fixed cam issue too. There are examples out there on video, Tttmario did some MC1 example runs 11 years ago like this which was pretty cool. So while that is an extreme alternate option, it is one that would work on top of other live recording methods. But if they can just record live any other way in good quality, that should be what to aim for. - Can there be a grace period before the rule comes into effect? Yes, but due to all of the above and depending on what we decide specifically, and when we decide it, it may need to be longer than a matter of weeks / month or two. Lets get some more thoughts first. Again like mentioned further above the standards have already been in discussion for some time and there still a way to go. If there is anything else that comes to mind I will let you know. In my conclusion we want to have quality videos on the Top 10 and not allow poor quality camera replays to still be cropping up; but also allow some flexibility / a workaround somehow for players who may not be in a position to get the necessary equipment / PC at a specific time. Historical videos can't change even if quality is awful here and there, but we just have to accept those. Just a reminder again about the video feature, please ensure that you don't add music or anything to your videos like we did back years ago as YouTube has been much more strict with their rules on that. I don't think anyone is doing that now anyway. We don't want to have various videos getting blocked later resulting in broken links etc. Thanks and sorry for the long post and if there is any grammar mistakes etc. I need to finish some work and eat then do more preparations at home so I'll probably be offline for most of the evening. EDIT: Just seen the posts by all others so far. Very good points and after a good think today I believe we are all in the same direction. Quality videos needed to a degree but also with flexibility if it is just not possible to use a specific live capture for now. It is interesting that some capture devices don't show the right quality. Often it may be the settings or some other reason. But for the record Eric's videos are good quality in my opinion and we absolutely do not want to turn anyone away from playing because of some harsh changes. |
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Title: Re: Video requirement for Top 10 times Post by SparksF1 on 07/09/20 at 11:10:14 43717D79100 wrote:
Just going to explain my current setup. I done a complete bodge on my splitter setup by taking a SNES cable and soldering 2 composite cables to it. Works quite well and i'm pretty certain my settings are as good as can be. I plan a big update to this in the future. I'd love an input capture. However these always look a bit off when i watch videos. More research is needed on this. Finally there are quite a few Top 10 times that are achievable for a titan level player running a track very hard. Theres 3 that i have in my sights right now. But i dont want to hit them with crap video I trust this community to do the right thing. And this debate is very worthwhile also nobody should ever feel restricted from running this game. Capture at all levels is valuable and makes the game more welcoming to new players |
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Title: Re: Video requirement for Top 10 times Post by NORI ISHI on 07/09/20 at 17:51:33 Lafungo-san Hello State my opinion. I'm very against the requirement to record with live capture for all top 10 recordings. Write the reason First, this rule enhances the sense of closure of members. A top 10 record can actually be easily accomplished for a very talented player. There used to be a new Japanese player called Mura. He set the best 10 records for BC1 and BC2 very easily, once a week for each. I remember that BC1 had a record of 1.25.4X. However, he was using SNESmini, he could not participate in the world ranking by the rules of that time, and he had a suspicion of many other old Japanese players, so he was disappointed and stopped playing. I know him well, but he's never cheated. He was just too talented. He was improving 10 times faster than mine. BC2 started at about 1 minute and 44 seconds and updated the record at a pace of 1 second every day. In his case, it was very difficult to even buy an actual SNES machine against his family. From the current world situation, new rules can be a burden for many players. New players will often play on consoles such as the Nintendo Switch or SNES Mini. Even though they have a big wall just by preparing a cathode ray tube TV and a new SNES real machine, forcing the use of capture cards further may not be able to include the record of new talented players in the ranking Would increase. When playing on SNES mini etc., I also think that live recording as proof that there is no fraud is necessary, but when playing using SNES real machine, I think that there is no need for new rules beyond this. I agree that it is better to leave the video as clear as possible, but it should not be forced, but on the contrary, it is a proof that the replay video on the analog LCD TV or CRT is playing on the SNES real machine I feel like Since SNESmini is connected via HDMI terminal, it cannot be connected to old TVs. On the other hand, isn't live recording easier for making illegal videos? Also, I think that there may be a recording failure when playing while recording. If the recording fails when my personal best comes out, it will be a very sad situation. Say my current playing environment. I play on old digital TV I'm always live recording the play from that TV to the HDD of the old DVD player, showing it on the TV and shooting it with my smartphone. Since it's an LCD TV, it doesn't include scanning lines, so I think it's a good recording. It's easy to prove that a player is playing on a real SNES machine. Just turn on the power of SNES and record the video with the controller until the time is displayed like this image. https://youtu.be/mgHx505rejI I am poor. Not working due to illness. I don't have the money to prepare a PC or capture card just for Mario Kart. If this rule is applied, play may be interrupted. [ch12288] |
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Title: Re: Video requirement for Top 10 times Post by Sami de la SMK on 07/09/20 at 18:56:14 Thank you Nori-san for your details, I have just finished an all nighter of clearing work at home, thought I would reply quickly. As we discussed a lot earlier today I completely agree it is absolutely wrong to reject records if they are not live captured. It is also not appropriate to expect players to have to purchase a PC when the quality of their videos are very good on the TV / recording equipment they are using. We will all continue to do our best to provide good quality videos, and we do, whatever the best method may be for the individual as Eric gave some examples. Patience is key. Technology will improve as Moll clearly mentioned with his cell phone quality, and some years in the future there may be some other invention that can be used to capture quality videos, live or however which is cheap and easy, maybe even free, who knows. Point is we have everything we need, and we will also in the future. Until then we should continue as we are. Thank you Paul and everyone else for your input too, it is very clear now. We absolutely do not want to push players away yet again because of unnecessary decisions. I need a few hours sleep, been hauling 38 bags of rubble and rubbish all night, just finished what I wanted to do and absolutely shattered. Thank God it is Friday tomorrow even though I have to try to work. Have a good end of week everyone. Next week we will celebrate the new site designs. Goodnight. |
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Title: Re: Video requirement for Top 10 times Post by Harvey Kartel on 07/09/20 at 20:00:32 I don't see what the problem is with mobile-cam replays, as long as the camera follows the Kart in a reasonable manner. The run is still being recorded on video, after all. Most of my own videos are mobile-cam replay. I try to keep the camera behind the Kart the best I can, though I do make mistakes sometimes (see my 1'01"72 on MC1 PAL Non-NBT). I don't currently have a capture card and never saw the need for one since I always felt that replays were acceptable. They only really desync on a few tracks, to my knowledge-- and rarely, at that-- and when they do you can just try to film the replay again until you get the same RNG results for it to say in sync with your actual run. The new PP looks awesome by the way. I especially like the track select page that shows a rotating map of each track with its current WR written in the SMK game's font along with its holder. |
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Title: Re: Video requirement for Top 10 times Post by Antistar on 07/10/20 at 01:42:02 Why not renaming this topic into "Video requirement for M+ times" ? [smiley=johncleese.gif] On a more serious note, I find all of this extremely strict, and most of the answers (from top players or lower-ranked ones) confirm my feeling. I am personally able to record myself live but have not been during two entire years recently, just because I had a very old capture card my computer didn't want to recognize. As a 99% retired player I would definitely not have bought a capture device just to record a potential single PR per year, but if I had performed one, that would automatically have been a top 10 one (as far as I can remember, I now have 79 top 10 ranked times and only one which is ranked 11th, so…). But I would have been able to record the replay with my iPhone (in very high quality then), and even show clearly that it has been played on an original SNES, which a capture device cannot prove. How in the world could a video, taken from a camera/smartphone showing a fixed replay on a TV where the switched on SNES is plugged in, could not be a legitimate proof? I agree there is a true issue with the proof quality that has been highlighted before and I agree on this, but do we really need to be so harsh when it comes to the proof rules, especially for non-WR times? What we need is good quality video first, and it can be almost as good (if not better) with most mobiles phones and cameras today as it can be with the cheaper capture devices – not mentioning those can freeze during the attempt we want to have on tape, like Paul mentioned earlier. I will take my own situation again as an example, but let's say I don't have a capture device and want to improve my MC3 flap because I never gave a single try to the pipejump strat. I might do it pretty quickly based on my experience of top level in this game but will definitely not beat the WR at my first clean completed lap attempt, and will get "just" a top 10 ranked PR. Can you tell me why and how there would it be a problem if that one, which would not be a WR and not even a CR, was recorded with a fixed replay (since the pipejump helps in that way) from my iPhone, as long as I care to make sure the recording quality is good? |
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Title: Re: Video requirement for Top 10 times Post by Sami de la SMK on 07/10/20 at 01:47:27 1834273C3A6D63550 wrote:
Hi Guillaume, thanks for your detailed feedback as well, and from Nick. Absolutely 100% correct and all agreed. This subject is closed now, the feedback is very clear and my apologies for any inconvenience. Thanks again and have a good weekend. |
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Title: Re: Video requirement for Top 10 times Post by Lafungo on 07/10/20 at 03:33:41 I think that it's clear from the responses in this thread that requiring capture card videos is not considered acceptable by the community. However, I would like to emphasize that this aspect of the rule was primarily intended as a clear and easy way of establishing video quality. It's not an integral part of the rule, and we can still have a video requirement without demanding capture card recordings. In addition, I also think that it's clear from the responses in this thread that there is a general sentiment that requiring good quality videos of top times is desirable. This means that there can and should still be a discussion on how to best implement a rule for videos of top times. Therefore, I think that we should have a rule along these lines: all new Top 10 times are required to have a fixed-cam video of good quality. This would resolve many of people's concerns with regards to accessibility, since everyone must have either a PC (use a capture card or even a decent webcam) or a phone/tablet (use the camera) to even connect to the internet and participate in the community in the first place. There are two main things that would still need to be addressed: - what counts as "good quality"? - what happens if someone doesn't abide by the rule? -------------------------------------- For the first point, I think that it's primarily a matter of common sense. The most important criterion is that the gameplay and the time are clearly viewable. This includes things like having a fixed camera in-game, having a fixed camera outside of the game (no excessive phone movement), decent framerate, showing the entire run/screen, minimal flickering... I think that these are all pretty clear, but just in case here are some examples of videos that would not be considered "good quality": - mobile cam: DP1 PAL 1'12"13 by KVD (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je3bykqtBMI) - excessive phone movement: VL2 PAL 51"58 by MJ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UwokqodR6g) (this can be prevented by using a stand) - incomplete run: MC2 PAL 1'07"71 by Martin (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMuc87uvMPM) - incomplete screen: MC3 NTSC 17"11 by Joe (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVe_bAW_clM) - flickering: VL1 PAL 52"09 by Lafungo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3slRjFkftA) - more flickering: example by KVD (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2gVGWMAytI) with a link in the description for how to fix it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp9u6D5mvfw) On the other hand, it's definitely possible to get some decent-looking videos with a camera, which would be considered "good quality". For example: - MC1 NTSC 56"47 by Nori (https://twitter.com/ishiyakiimon/status/1261637241023066112) - CI2 NTSC 12"26 by Eric (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnkcXUYaYs0) - GV1 NTSC 11"67 by Matt (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zeu_4zuerJY) As for what happens if/when someone doesn't abide by the rule, I realize that several people have expressed that they would be unhappy if the time wouldn't be allowed on the rankings. However, I insist that there needs to be some kind of clear consequence, because otherwise there is no point to having such a rule. I think that, especially with the more relaxed approach of only requiring "good quality" videos and not capture card recordings, it's up to each player to ensure that they have a setup that allows them to record "good quality" videos. If the community rejects the idea that any time that does not abide by the rule shouldn't be allowed on the rankings, then we can have something like a warning system, where a player receives a warning for breaking the rule and any further rule breaks (possibly within a fixed period of time) result in those times not counting. |
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Title: Re: Video requirement for Top 10 times Post by KVD on 07/10/20 at 03:42:21 I would like to point out that this is not primarily an issue of trust, but an issue of having good videos of top times. While the recording device can not be 'forced' (as pointed out by various community members in this topic), I am 100% on board with having video requirements for top-10 times as listed above by Lafungo. Fixed in-game camera is the most important criterium if you ask me. This can be secured by always live recording your runs. The simplest approach would be to have a capture card (which is the main reason why we wanted to default to that as a rule), but you can also live record with a phone or webcam device by putting it on a stand / tripod. I did so already back in 2005 for some of my records. Not having money to buy a capture card or PC or whatever is a valid excuse, but inconvenience / laziness of setting up live recordings is not! Assuming everybody has a phone to at least connect to the community at all, as also pointed out above. For flaps live recording is not a necessity (unless you "forget" to crash, that's then at your own risk). This is because fixed replays can be acquired by banging walls / crashing in any of the other laps. However, be careful when you decide to NOT live record the following laps, as they are known to have no replays or desynched replays: -MC1 (the awkward angle of the 2nd boost sometimes makes you clash with the wall sideways, which can cause an out of synch replay) -MC2 (LB is buggy so replays often do not behave) -VL1 and VL2 (anything with breaking blocks is prone to lead to out of synch replays). For the following 5-laps live recording also is not necessary for fixed cam: -GV1, GV2, GV3 both systems (due to blinks when performing platform-jumps, replay is usually / always fixed) -BC2, BC3, VL1, VL2 both systems* (explained below) -MC3 both systems if you're doing the pipeboost (which is almost required for top-10 at this point anyway) -MC4 NTSC (wallhit strat) -MC2 both systems (LBs hit wall no matter what) *On BC2, BC3, VL1 and VL2 when you choose replay after a clean run you can force the second replay to be fixed by letting the victory lap crash into thwomps / icecubes. For this to happen you need to wait like a minute or so after your first replay has finished. |
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Title: Re: Video requirement for Top 10 times Post by Firewaster on 07/10/20 at 04:32:16 14393E2D363F37580 wrote:
I like this new approach better. We want to be inclusive, but as Lafungo mentioned, if the rule isn't enforced it will be quickly ignored. I'm sure everyone wants their records to be immortalized in the form of a nice video, and I hope this can motivate even lower ranked players to present quality footage of their PRs. Also +1 to everything Karel said. |
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Title: Re: Video requirement for Top 10 times Post by Danger M on 07/10/20 at 05:02:49 I would suggest maybe starting off with the rule: All top10 times require a video (be it capture, camera, fixed replay or no fixed). Many people will capture their runs with a capture card anyway (as previous people have said). If someone gets a desynced replay and gets an unsubmittable run, thats a risk that they can chose to take (and may act as an incentive to some to get a capture card or live record certain tracks with phones etc.). Rules on video 'quality' can be proposed later (especially if it proves to be a major issue). |
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Title: Re: Video requirement for Top 10 times Post by KVD on 07/10/20 at 05:25:59 I can get behind that too (Molls post). Not change too much in one go. Requiring videos (no matter the definition exactly) would already represent a very significant step. And it should not discourage anyone from participating either. So perhaps that's the best of both worlds for now. Perhaps we could be a bit stricter with WR videos though. Capture only, fixed cam for WRs? How about it? We don't need to be hardliners on these rules either, we can work with a warning / strikes system for not providing vids. I agree that not counting them for the rankings should be a very last resort only. Ultimately I'll accept anything Sami decides here by the way. Needless to say perhaps, but I'll do so anyway. |
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Title: Re: Video requirement for Top 10 times Post by Sami de la SMK on 07/10/20 at 06:07:38 Karel and Jonathan, I understand your points and I know that you mean well with what you are trying to aim for but in the grand scheme of things it is not going to make things hardly any better, but it is causing more problems as we have already been through. As Jonathan mentioned, whatever the case he is still pushing for at least a warning system which ultimately will lead to what is wanted; a time being disregarded which is exactly the same problem. This will be completely the wrong idea if the time is a valid record as proof goes with a non fixed cam, to be branded "not regarded / didn't happen". Whatever happens this is an absolute no. This has led to enough backlash already. It would effectively mean that all previous Top 10 times and WRs which we 100% accept in our WR history with non fixed cams count, but the new ones in the Top 10 which might be non fixed cam and better quality visually, don't. It is irrelevant saying from whatever date we are changing the rule on that. If we did this then we would have to destroy and never again count any WR history videos (and others that are close) that were with a Non-fixed cam because they should also be branded "not valid" either. I know you might want to jump and say "no that is not the same", but it absolutely is. We can't have it both ways. It is completely not right, as much as not fair to allow a player's hard work on a track to not be real or count if it is from a non fixed camera. It is more of a preference of the look of the video to be that bit nicer, rather than it being any higher level proof itself. There is an old saying "looks aren't everything, but it is what is inside that counts". Most of the World is not following that life rule, and not all, but so many have the opposite mindset, and sometimes take it too far without realising. Many want the best car, the best clothes, the best looking partner, and so on. The better looking thing is not always the only right thing. Without saying something along the lines of "it looks more professional", or "the behind the kart view to see it as a driver would look better, as a tutorial", can we give a reason on what is actually bad about it, without using a sentence like the above? Note that they all carry the meaning of "looks" whether the word is used in the sentence or not. So that is what this is all about. The latter could be solved anyway by watching fastlaps which will more so (but not in every case) have a fixed cam, and be sharper than a course time. Some tracks have fixed cam almost always as mentioned, but again not relevant either way. Of course the looks subject leads on to the quality of the videos; again as already said explained by many of us, comparing to some of the very low quality ones in the 2000s that many of us had, me included. At that time we couldn't avoid that. We really have improved the standard of that, combining better cameras with technology and in some cases of players I spoke to yesterday their tv screens are better than some CRTs for showing a quality display. This is not asking for much on the looks side of things on the video, but that is fine and we have achieved a massive improvement on the display even if it is not 100%. Moll and the guys pointing out even live captures also aren't 100% either. So this is a reasonable amount to ask as far as looks good and in my opinion we have achieved that level of quality. New Technology will come whatever it may be, and later on we will be able to use it, if it is applicable. We are all on the same page here pretty much. We now have a great new design website by Julien, it is again something to improve the looks of the website. That is a fantastic job and it was something deserved for the site after so many years, we all love it. It is a wonderful treat for all of us with respect to Julien, and Alex's support for making it happen. But please remember when it comes to the crunch, more important than that is what is inside that counts. That is the core functionality, and the people itself. Sometimes this is where we are getting a bit lost. We have humans here playing and I am concerned about their feelings, and I am extremely concerned about the mental health and well being of everyone around us as I mentioned a few weeks back. I may be sitting quietly on our various social media platforms a lot of the time and not speaking, but believe me I am reading and noticing things. I do reach out to individuals and they reach out to me about various matters outside of SMK, I know many of you do too and are a wonderful support for your fellow karter. Our community play SMK (and other games) not just to compete, but also as an escape from life's stresses, not just how 2020 has turned things upside down for nearly everyone, but even previous years which have been on my radar and the future. This has to absolutely come first and foremost. To disregard players records from small things such as the non fixed cam issue and cause them to lose interest in this hobby which is one of the things keeping them happy, this is an absolute hard no, and that is my final answer on the subject. I understand some of us want some extra things that suit us, but we have to think of others too. EDIT: Just to add before I go back to work, Molls recent post above is perfectly fine. |
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Title: Re: Video requirement for Top 10 times Post by Lafungo on 07/10/20 at 07:28:46 Moll's suggestion is certainly better than nothing (i.e. the current situation), but the issue remains that if there are no consequences to breaking the rule then it doesn't really do anything. I'd like to hear what Sami (or anyone else who thinks that there should be no consequences for not following a rule like this) thinks should happen in the following example scenarios: - I continue rising up the ranks, but stop uploading any new videos. I keep hitting Top 10 times, then eventually Top 5, etc. I also improve my CI1 5lap WRs and maybe grab another WR or two. - Same scenario as above, except I only upload videos of my new WRs, and they're filmed Haroon style (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FO9IHOjdatE). - Same scenario, except I only upload videos of my flaps, and they're all mobile-cam with no L/R press (so no rotation of the camera at all). - Same scenario, except I only upload videos of times that I'm "satisfied" with, and coincidentally these are all tracks that I'm bad at (relative to the rest). - Same scenario, except I only upload videos for X% of my new PRs (e.g. half of my new PRs). - All the above scenarios, except that instead of being me, it's done by someone else who has attended CDM and such but has practically no existing videos. |
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Title: Re: Video requirement for Top 10 times Post by Sami de la SMK on 07/10/20 at 08:31:56 4D6067746F666E010 wrote:
Well to put it simply, regarding Moll's suggestion we should be, going forward, making sure that Top 10s and recorded on video (be it capture, camera, fixed replay or no fixed). There are many that haven't been, even former World Records, but we can't turn the clocks back there unfortunately. It is what we do next that matters now. This is different to the fixed cam issue, it is more important for having a requirement of a proof video there, that meets a quality standard that is suitable with the cameras / tech / capture available today. We have that ability today from recent videos we have. So to answer Jonathan's points: 1. To fulfil Moll's suggestion above, this means that one would need to take responsibility to have a video for all Top 10, Top 5 etc. 2. Regarding Haroon video, while it was still a form of proof of the run back then (done in a very unusual way), it was from back in the 2000s during the lower quality videos era too where less care was taken, music used in videos etc. Unfortunately we can't turn the clocks back to change all this, but we do need to be more responsible going forward. To my memory this was only ever done once that way and I believe Karel and others passed it after. So fast forward to today, I believe we agree that we should not do a video in this style. everyone else have made the video recordings the same standard ways. We would just need to define how the run should be shown and stick to this going forward. As it always has been, a replay showing the lap splits, or a live capture if you have it, finishing with the lap splits. 3. Same as point 1, if a video is required with one of the two methods, then that is needed for the course times if they land in the Top 10. 4. If my understanding is correct, it depends if they times are in the Top 10 again, then same as above points will apply. 5. X% is again same as above, if applies to top 10. 6. Do you mean if they have performed them live at CDM but without videos and might have hit top 10s there? Again if i am understanding correct, then going forward, we will just need to make sure players can record a video at least with one of the options (replay or live) in order for their record to be accepted. So in short it is basically what Moll has said. Apologies if I am misreading something, I am running on 3.5 hours sleep and won't get a early night tonight again. Thanks. |
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Title: Re: Video requirement for Top 10 times Post by Lafungo on 07/10/20 at 08:44:28 I'm happy with the gist of your reply, but it doesn't really address the core issue of my post. What I want to know is explicitly what would happen with regards to my times on the rankings in each of those scenarios. |
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Title: Re: Video requirement for Top 10 times Post by Sami de la SMK on 07/10/20 at 08:57:31 04292E3D262F27480 wrote:
If you are setting new records when we have updated the description that a video is required for Top 10, then simply a proof is required for a particular Top 10 chart and a time can not go on the ranking without a video. So this would be for any of the scenarios you mentioned, going forward that reach in the Top 10. But there is the obvious exception; on occasion a player may not be able to upload a video immediately as we mentioned before. Example as Guilherme or someone may have set late PRs on a Monday last week, which is absolutely fine but may not have been able to create all the videos quickly. So we need some sort of grace period to be agreed upon for that. It would be a bit fiddly to have to remove times the week after for example if they don't provide a video (and re-update the rankings) but I highly doubt we will have that situation. But on a rare occasion if it did happen, that's what would be required and I remove their records from the previous week's news which is not hard to do at all, it would just change the rankings a tiny bit for the week after. This is where the trust basis comes in with our Top 10 chart competitors. Similar to WR setting, the video needs to be uploaded ASAP but just let us know if there is any delay due to personal reasons or anything else causing that delay, rather than just leaving it. So it would just need to be defined a little more clearly. |
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Title: Re: Video requirement for Top 10 times Post by Lafungo on 07/10/20 at 09:06:22 That very clearly addresses the issue. Thanks Sami! |
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