Movie Goals

!!! Movie goals

There can be all sorts of [MovieTagGuidelines|goals for movies], the most traditional ones are [fastest completion] (often referred to as "any%") and full completion (such as "100%", "all levels", "best ending"). There are also additional goals that may greatly diverse from those ("playaround", "pacifist", "newgame+", "maximum kills", and so on). We have certain restrictions that determine which goals can be published. These restrictions are different for each class.

!! Standard

The Standard class hosts movie goals that are the most common, the least subjective, and serve as tool-assisted superplay records. This is currently limited to [fastest completion] time (any%) and full-completion (such as 100% or all levels).

The movie goals eligible for standard are subject to additions in the near future. We'll be placing those goals under intense scrutiny to create consistent rules for them.

Movies that [MovieTagGuidelines#AimsForInGameTimeInsteadOfRealTime|aim for in-game time instead of real-time] are only allowed for Standard if that goal makes gameplay shorter. If optimizing for the in-game time makes actual gameplay longer, such a movie is not eligible for Standard.

Save-anchored movies are not eligible for this class.

[MovieRules#GamesWithAdditionalLevelSetsOrGames|Independent game modes] are treated as separate games, and are allowed for Standard as separate movies. Independent mode is defined as a one that inherently offers more than 50% of unique gameplay (for example, more than a half of unique bosses or unique levels). This includes character choice and other in-game options.

A movie that uses codes[#1] (even secret ones) to play an unlockable level set, use a built-in hard mode, or enable cosmetic changes improving the game, is eligible for this class. Other unlockable content not present from the game start is disallowed, unless it is required for full-completion.

Using [MovieRules#PcGameEnvironmentMustBeLegitimate|unintended PC environment] is not allowed for Standard.

!! Moons

The Moons class hosts movies whose goals do not belong to Standard. In order to get published, such movies need to be entertaining to the general audience.
* The goal choices should clearly communicate what needs to be accomplished in order to obsolete it.
* Goal choices need to offer new TAS material to be accepted. Choices which have no goal other than to create a new game branch are rejected.


!! Full completion rules

This section talks about all classes.

! A clear consensus is required on what constitutes full completion.

* Some games reward the player for something internally defined as maximum completion goal.
* Sometime full completion requirements are explicitly mentioned in the game instructions.
* Full completion can only consist of optional one-time, irreversible, or otherwise strictly limited accomplishments that can be objectively measured and maximized.
* Conditions that are imposed unofficially by players are only eligible if they originate from fundamental gameplay features.
* Community agreement is required when defining newly invented full completion goals, or if existing definitions need to be revised.

! Full completion criteria must be reached through in-game actions only.

* [ArbitraryCodeExecutionHowTo|Arbitrary code execution (ACE)] is not allowed for any full-completion category for Standard. Arbitrary code execution of ROM data and memory corruption tricks to write arbitrary values to memory are also not allowed.
* If a game has a progress counter, it must be incremented by gameplay means intended to do so. Modifying the progress counter through ACE or memory corruption is not allowed.
** Cases where a collectable item is put into the player's inventory automatically via regular in-game means or a programming oversight are allowed as long as the above rule is observed. An example of this is the automatic collection of Varia Suit in ''Metroid: Zero Mission'' which is considered collected by the game upon killing one of the bosses (the corresponding collectable item is removed from its usual location at the same time).
* If full completion is counted by obtaining a set of items, these items must be collected through in-game methods. Using memory corruption to place items into inventory is not counted towards full completion.
* If full completion is counted by fulfilling a set of conditions (i.e. state flags in game memory), these conditions must be met through in-game mechanisms. Using memory corruption to set completion state flags is not allowed.
* If a progress counter is incremented by collecting a set of items or fulfilling a set of conditions, all individual components of this set must be collected or fulfilled. Inflating the progress counter by collecting or fulfilling the same component multiple times is not counted towards full completion.

! Maximum points

Maximum points or score is allowed as a full-completion category under the following conditions:
* There is no other way to define full completion for the game due to the lack of meaningful secondary objectives or collectable items not necessary for the fastest completion.
** If a way to define full completion is discovered later on, a movie that achieves it is eligible to obsolete the existing "max score" publication.
* If a certain technique can be repeated indefinitely to delay game completion and score points until saturation (maxing out the counter, "counterstop") or [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integer_overflow|overflow] (dropping from high value to zero or negative), this technique should not be used. If such a technique is required to complete the game, that game is ineligible for this category.
** ''Examples'': Backwards warps, farming extra lives and dying, "Clock stopping glitch" in NES Punch-out.
* If a game automatically resets the score as you progress (for example, in every level), "max score" must be reached in every such segment.
* A "max score" movie must [MovieRules#MovieMustBeComplete|complete the game]. Playing beyond the defined completion point is not allowed.