It's a shame that this all started from an issue that was completely blown out of proportion and could have easily been resolved with a little conversation. It sucks that the reputation of some runners and the community could be effected by this.
So, did anyone actually cheat or break the rules?
Absolutely not.
To explain the accusations,
In the game ‘Abe’s Oddysee’ there is a category we run called ‘Any% Glitchless’ which would naturally indicate that the run is to be completed without glitches. However, the rules state that only certain glitches and tricks are banned in this run. The ‘trick’ that the runner was seen doing WAS technically legal, and it’s due to the ‘Glitchless’ title that this misconception has come about.
This ‘trick’ was seen by the guy in question and was apparently used as a good enough reason to create 35 troll accounts to harass, message and demean certain members of the community. If the guy in question had simply asked or even checked the rules instead of immediately bombarding members with abuse, then this situation would have gone down a lot better.
What’s worse is that this individual has created YouTube videos and Facebook posts claiming to have ‘exposed us’ as a bad community and that he is completely innocent in this situation. Like Tweak says, that’s completely wrong and this individual has cut and pasted what he wanted to put in those videos and posts without any real context. The messages are disgusting, the abuse one member in particular got was abhorrent and the way this individual has tried to flip the tables and make us seem like the bad guys is just slimy.
All it would have taken is for this person to ask about the rules or get some kind of clarification, there was absolutely no need for the accounts, the videos and the abuse. After I tried to leave comments on the YouTube video explaining the ‘glitch’ thing, it would seem that the messages have not been approved, further adding to this whole ‘controlling the picture’ thing.
Anyway,
What are we doing to avoid further confusion?
Firstly, when comparing Oddysee and Exoddus on Speedrun.com, there are major differences in structure and rule clarifications. Oddysee is in dire need of a re-design, and is near the top of our to-do list. Hopefully in future it will be much clearer on what the rules are and what tricks ARE and ARE NOT allowed. The ‘Glitchless’ categories will also be renamed ‘NMS' (No Major Skips) just like they are in Abe's Exoddus.
I have to agree, The Oddworld Speedrunning Discord is always open to fans of the OW community. It’s a great place to learn about strategies, meet other runners, join in races and PLENTY of other interesting stuff.
Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I hope I've cleared up any thought you may have and I hope to see you guys around!
ToolOfDestruction
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