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On some games (mostly RPGs), speedrunners use decor elements to skip some zone(s) of the game (for instance in the Duke's Archive in Dark souls).

Since using decor doesn't look like a bug, is it still considered as 'utilising a glitch'? Would the Speedrun still be considered glitchless if you do these kind of moves?

Here is an example of such use of decor

Robotnik
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RiddlerNewComer
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    I'd personally say if it skips some of the game, it's a glitch. However the best way to get the 'community' opinion is to take a look at a site like the games done quick. – djsmiley2kStaysInside Jan 26 '16 at 13:55
  • i don't understand the decor part, but abusing level design is differently as to glitching the game. Elevators don't have "security walls" and you can hump off to your death, the player in the clip knows where the exit is and simply jumps over the elevator , for me glitching would be do specific actions to be able to traspass not traspasable terrain, like in dark souls 2 if jumped over a specific ledge you could fall out of the game but not to the death and wander through it until the last boss withouth killing any previous bosses. – xerido Jan 26 '16 at 14:50
  • You're talking about how he rolls onto the balcony? I would hardly call that a glitch.... There is stuff like this all over Dark Souls, much of it is intended. I agree completely with @xerido. The player is not using some exploit to break the game. It looks completely legitimate to me. – Broots Waymb Jan 26 '16 at 14:51
  • Yeh I was showing the balcony as an example, there are a lot of these skips in speedruns and I wanted to try some glitchless speedruns too this is why I wanted to know if there were precised rules on these kind of skips for instance – RiddlerNewComer Jan 26 '16 at 14:53
  • But i still would enjoy an aclaration of what he means about using decor, because depending on the game it is using a glitch or it is intended. It is not the same to take a detour in dark souls through jumping in a balcony, than jumping through an elevator in wow to Access a zone that shouldnt be accesible that way. – xerido Jan 26 '16 at 15:03
  • Unless you're like...rolling through a wall, or phasing through a door, I wouldn't really consider taking advantage of the environment as a glitch. Even if you found some way to get to an inaccessible area, as long as you got there legitimately (i.e. oversight on the developers part) it's not a glitch (IMO). – Broots Waymb Jan 26 '16 at 15:04
  • I don't really know how to put this with english words other than using decor... It might sounds specific but for instance rolling voer a balcony, jumping over a fence after jumping on a ennemy to skip a big part of the game, things like that that don't include going out of the map or using bugs – RiddlerNewComer Jan 26 '16 at 15:12

1 Answers1

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Taking advantage of the level design and in-built shortcuts with the tools provided by the creators is normally accepted as a glitchless speedrun.

For example:

  • The warp portals in world 1-2 in the original super mario bros
  • Using the thief's key or the ledges in the graveyard in Dark Souls
  • Abusing a boss's weaknesses (e.g. undead bosses in Final fantasy which are instant win with Phoenix feather or revive spell)

Anything that makes the game behave in non intended ways is considered a glitch.

  • Stopping bosses or monsters from even attacking or damaging the player
  • Going trough normally-impassible terrain
  • Instant-killing unintended way
Robotnik
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xerido
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  • Impasible terrain is like a wall or void I assume, but going over a fence is still fine then? for instance at that moment https://youtu.be/PJq3Z0PmmcQ?t=258 . (Sorry if i'm a bit lame but the line between glitch and not glitch is so thin..) – RiddlerNewComer Jan 26 '16 at 15:31
  • I understand your suffer, everything depends on the behaviour of the game and his rules, in your video, i can't clearly say if it is glitching or not because i didn't play bloodborne, if all the fences are jumpable, except those that are too high or end in a "out of bound" place then i would considere this "jump" in the video not a glitch, he doesn't end traversing impasable terrain. pretty grey area – xerido Jan 26 '16 at 15:40
  • Thanks for help man, I guess sometimes it is hard to judge whether or not it is a glitch :) +1 ! – RiddlerNewComer Jan 26 '16 at 15:50