Best practices for recording a speedrun for verification

One of the most disheartening experiences for a Minecraft speedrunner is having a phenomenal run rejected for verification due to recording errors. Submitting a speedrun for official leaderboards requires meticulous attention to detail, not just in gameplay, but also in how the run is documented. Proper recording practices are paramount to ensure your hard-earned time is recognized and verified. This guide outlines the essential steps and considerations to guarantee your Minecraft speedrun meets verification standards.

Choosing Your Recording Application

The foundation of any verifiable speedrun is a reliable recording. Selecting the right software ensures clarity, completeness, and ease of access for verifiers.

• OBS Studio: The Community Standard

  OBS Studio (Open Broadcaster Software) stands as the undisputed champion in the Minecraft speedrunning community. This free, open-source software is incredibly versatile, adept at both recording and streaming. Its primary advantages include its cost-free nature, user-friendly interface, and robust capabilities for capturing specific windows, such as your Minecraft game client, ensuring you only record what’s necessary. It also offers comprehensive audio control, allowing you to include game sounds, microphone input, or both. While generally praised, some users, particularly on less powerful setups or laptops, might find it resource-intensive. Occasionally, display capture can hide the mouse cursor, and game capture might initially show a black screen; however, using specific window capture is a reliable workaround for these minor issues. Its widespread adoption means ample community support and guides are available.

• Alternative Recording Solutions

  While OBS Studio is highly recommended, other options exist if it doesn’t suit your needs:

  • Action!: A paid software, costing $20.00 for a lifetime license. Users often describe it as “great” for its performance and features.
  • Fraps: A more basic recording tool. While not free, cracked versions are sometimes mentioned as available, though using legitimate software is always recommended to avoid security risks.
  • Bandicam: Another viable alternative, especially if OBS presents compatibility issues. Be aware that the free version may apply a watermark to your recordings.
  • Quicktime Player (for Mac users): macOS users have a convenient, free, and built-in option with Quicktime Player, offering straightforward screen recording capabilities.

Crucial In-Game Data for Verifiers

Beyond simply recording your gameplay, specific in-game information must be displayed to prove the legitimacy and integrity of your run. This data allows verifiers to replicate your world and confirm its generation.

• The Full F3 Screen Reveal

  At some point during your run, typically at the beginning or end, you must display the full Minecraft debug screen by pressing F3. This screen is a goldmine of information for verifiers, providing vital details such as your current coordinates, biome, and, most critically, the world seed. The world seed is paramount as it allows verifiers to generate an identical world and cross-reference your run. Without showing the F3 screen, verifiers cannot confirm the world’s legitimacy, often requiring you to submit additional world and log files, which adds an extra layer of complexity to your submission. For all Minecraft Java Edition speedruns submitted to leaderboards, displaying the F3 screen is a mandatory requirement.

• World Seed Inclusion in Submission

  In addition to displaying it in your video, the world seed must also be explicitly included in your submission description. This ensures verifiers have easy access to the seed to recreate the world and verify the generation, streamlining the entire verification process.

Demonstrating World Authenticity and Run Integrity

To leave no doubt about your run’s authenticity, your recording must prove that the world was generated fairly and that your gameplay is continuous and unedited.

• Uninterrupted Run Recording

  Your submission must be a complete, unedited recording of the entire speedrun from start to finish. Any cuts, edits, or missing segments in the video can lead to immediate rejection, as they raise suspicion about the run’s integrity. Verifiers need to see a continuous flow of gameplay to confirm legitimacy.

• Showcasing World Generation

  Crucially, your video should capture the entire process of generating the world. This means starting your recording before you even click “Create New World” or similar, and continuing through the loading screens until you are spawned into the world. This step confirms that the world was legitimately created for that specific run and wasn’t pre-generated, manipulated, or hand-picked for an unfair advantage.

• Supplemental World and Log Files

  For top-tier times, or if you inadvertently omitted showing the F3 screen, providing your world files and log files becomes essential. These files offer an exhaustive record of your game session, including detailed world generation parameters and in-game actions. They serve as powerful supplementary proof, allowing verifiers to detect any disallowed modifications or behaviors. Tools like Julti can significantly simplify the process of packaging these files. For example, 1.16 any% RSG runs under 13 minutes typically require this extra proof due to the highly competitive nature of those categories.

• MCSR Fairplay Mod

  The MCSR Fairplay Mod is a useful tool that can assist verifiers by providing a button in chat after typing /seed, which displays essential world information. This mod is distinct from MCSR Ranked, and runs performed with MCSR Ranked are not eligible for submission to speedrun.com leaderboards.

Effective Video Submission Guidelines

Once your run is recorded, how you submit it is just as important as the recording itself. Accessibility and proper hosting are key.

• Preferred Video Hosting Platform

  The most widely accepted and preferred method for submitting your run is by uploading it to a public video-sharing platform, with YouTube being the prime choice. YouTube offers excellent visibility, ease of access for verifiers, and reliable playback. While other platforms are acceptable, ensure they provide similar accessibility without restrictions.

• Ensuring Video Accessibility

  Your uploaded video must be either public or unlisted. Under no circumstances should it be set to private, restricted by geographical location, or protected by a password. Any of these restrictions will prevent verifiers from accessing and reviewing your run, leading to its immediate rejection. The goal is to make the verification process as smooth and unobstructed as possible.

• Navigating Copyrighted Audio

  If your recording happens to include copyrighted music or audio, YouTube’s content ID system might block or mute your video. To circumvent this while still providing necessary audio proof (if required for verification), you can upload the gameplay audio separately. This can be done as an unlisted YouTube video or by sharing it via a cloud storage service like Google Drive. This ensures your main video remains accessible while still providing all requested evidence.

Leveraging Speedrunning Utilities and Tools

The Minecraft speedrunning community has developed several tools to streamline the recording and verification process, especially for complex strategies like SeedQueue runs.

• Julti for Multi-Instancing

  Julti is a powerful speedrunning utility application designed primarily for multi-instancing, making it invaluable for 1.16.1 runners utilizing the SeedQueue mod. Beyond managing multiple game instances, Julti also boasts the crucial feature of being able to package world and log files for submission. This significantly simplifies the often-tedious task of gathering all necessary supplementary proof.

• Jingle for Single Instances

  For runners focusing on single instances or SeedQueue without multi-instancing, Jingle offers similar benefits. It provides useful features like easy window resizing and program launching, and it helps in locating and managing your world and log files. While effective, it’s often seen as a precursor to more advanced tools.

• Toolscreen: An Advanced Solution

  Toolscreen is considered an advanced improvement over Jingle, offering an enhanced recording experience. It works seamlessly in fullscreen, automatically creates Ninjabrain projectors (a common speedrunning visual aid), and simplifies integration with OBS. As an open-source project, it’s widely trusted within the community. However, due to its use of DLL injections for its functionality, it may occasionally trigger false positives from antivirus software. Despite this, it is generally recognized as a legitimate and safe tool by the speedrunning community.

Understanding Timing and Pausing Protocols

Accurate timing and adherence to pausing rules are fundamental to fair competition and successful verification.

• In-Game Time (IGT) vs. Real-Time (RTA)

  Minecraft speedruns are predominantly ranked by In-Game Time (IGT). This metric is crucial because it excludes factors like loading screens, lag spikes, and most pauses, providing a more consistent and fair comparison of runs across different computer specifications. In contrast, Real-Time (RTA) includes all these external factors. For precise IGT measurement, the SpeedrunIGT mod is highly recommended. Without it, verifiers may have to manually re-time your run, which can sometimes lead to discrepancies.

• Navigating Pausing Rules

  Pausing during a speedrun is generally allowed under specific circumstances. These include legitimate pauses during dimension changes (e.g., entering the Nether or End), brief pauses (up to 5 seconds) to adjust settings, or when dealing with genuine external disruptions. Abusive or excessive pausing, especially in faster runs, can result in your run being re-timed or even rejected. For 1.16 RSG any% runs slower than 13 minutes, infinite pausing is theoretically permitted, though top runners typically avoid exploiting this to maintain run integrity and competitive spirit.

By meticulously following these best practices, you significantly increase the likelihood of your Minecraft speedrun being successfully verified. Attention to detail in recording is just as vital as your skill in-game, ensuring your achievements are recognized by the community.