Literally copy-pasting from your pastebin because it'll look better here and I don't have to worry about looking like I'm hijacking because I didn't write it, aha! Having more resources in one thread can only be a good thing. Aim your upvotes at /u/senichi

~~

What game should I speedrun?

You should speedrun a game that you love to play. If you're serious about speedrunning a game, that could mean practicing for possibly upwards of hundreds of hours to beat your time. You might be playing the same segment of a game over and over again before you're finally happy with your performance in that section, and you could be playing for many hours before that happens. For this reason, you want to pick a game that you won't get bored of quickly. A game that you're happy playing for possibly hundreds of hours so you can get a time that you're happy with before you get bored of it.

How do I start speedrunning?

Once you pick a game, there are different ways you can start speedrunning. Here's the method I like to use after picking a game.

1. Figure out if other people have run the game. If they have, figure out what categories exist. Some games have multiple categories that you might like or not like. For example, if you would prefer a short run, you probably don't want to do a 100% category.
   
   
2. Pick a category. In the rare case that nobody has run the game you want to run before, you get to pick your own ategory. This can be something like "any% - beat the game as fast as possible" or maybe you want your run to focus on collectibles or completion. If other people have run the game you want to run, then you might want to pick a pre-defined category so you're not completely in the dark.
   
   
3. Look into runs that people have submitted in various places. You can check Speedrun.com or YouTube, or just Google your game and the category to see runs of it. Watch the world record run, then look for a runs with worse times that might use a different route. The world record run often uses strategies that are risky and hard to do, so you might not want to jump into a game using that route.
   
   
4. Find guides. When you think you've seen enough routes, you want to either start looking for tutorials (this is usually only an option for the popular games to run), or if you picked a game that isn't a popular speedrun game, you might need to just use any submission videos as your "tutorial".
   
   
5. Play the game. Run the the game slowly using the strategies outlined in any tutorial you found, or by copying what you saw in a video. If possible, try doing any tricks or strategies that are new to you multiple times before moving on. Stay on this step until you feel fairly comfortable with your game. If needed replay the game slowly a few times and use the speedrun tricks.
   
   
6. Do a run. Make it official. Find a timer, for this run any timer should do fine, and time your run from start to finish. Don't worry about your final time. A lot of people have terrible times in their first run, but that's totally okay, it just means it'll be easier for you to beat it later on.
   
   
7. Practice. When you finish your timed run, you should have a pretty good idea on what you need practice with. Some things you thought you were confident on might be more difficult in an actual run. Practice anything you had trouble with in your first run.
   
   
8. Repeat. From here on, you pretty much just repeat steps 6 and 7.
   
   

   I'm getting bored of my game! What do I do?
   

   
   Don't worry, that's not abnormal. Since speedrunning requires so much dedication towards a single game to get a good time, it's common for people to get burnt out or bored before they're happy with their personal best. If you're getting burnt out, I recommend simply taking a break. There's no harm in leaving your game alone for a month or longer and playing other games. Maybe even learn a new game for fun if you still have the speedrunning itch you want to scratch. If you continue to play a game that you're starting to get bored of, you risk getting bored of it on a much longer term, and possibly resenting the game or even outright start to hate it. Who knows, maybe when you come back to the game feeling refreshed, it might be even easier to get a new personal best.
   
   

   What capture device should I use, and how do I set it up?
   

   
   First ask yourself this question: Do you want a cheaper capture device, or would you rather have a good quality device?
   
   If you want a cheaper device, many people recommend the GV-USB2. It's considered the best SD capture device on the market, so if you're recording the older consoles that don't need HD video, then this should work perfectly.
   
   If you want a higher definition device, I recommend the Elgato GameCapture HD. It's very easy to use and the output is excellent. Keep in mind that, at the moment, if you use the GameCapture HD, you might have to use XSplit instead of OBS to stream. OBS currently has an issue with the GameCapture HD that causes it to desync, and in my experience XSplit doesn't have this issue
   
   In addition to the capture device, you will need TWO Composite Video Cables, and you will need THREE splitters.
   
   Here's a picture of how to set up your capture device using the GameCapture HD and a Nintendo 64 as an example. The setup would be the exact same using the GV-USB2 and any other console that uses composite cables. If using the GameCapture HD and HDMI cables, the GameCapture HD has an HDMI in and HDMI out port, so you would just use two HDMI cables, one going from your console to HDMI in, and another going from HDMI out to the TV.
   
   

   Who currently holds the world record for <game>? How can I find more information about <game>?
   

   
   There are multiple ways to figure this out.
   
   

9. Google it. Just Google "<game> speedrun world record" and see if anything pops up. Look for the fastest time and there's a decent change that's the world record.
   
   
10. Check Speedrun.com. A lot of smaller communities and even some larger ones use Speedrun.com because it's easier than making a whole new page. Check this site for the game you're curious about and see if you find anything.
    
    
11. Look for Wikis. This subreddit has a wiki that lists a lot of different sites that might host leaderboards. Check to see if the game you're looking for has a wiki on that list, and if not, try Google again to see if there are any wikis not listed in there.
    
    
12. Ask around. Go to Twitch and look to see if anyone is streaming the game you're curious about. You might find someone speedrunning the game right now, and then you could ask them or see if their Twitch bio has any information about it. If that doesn't work, you could check out the weekly noob question thread and ask about the game. Someone else might know where you can find the information you're looking for. You could also send a message to someone that runs the game on Twitch if you know anyone that does, even if they're offline. Speedrunners are generally happy to spread information about their game and would be happy to answer any of your questions.
    
    

    Can I use an emulator?
    

    
    This varies a lot from game to game. Different communities deal with emulators in their own ways. The usual answer to this question is yes, but it's considered a different category. The reason for this is because emulators are often not perfect in their emulation, so there might be differences in framerate, which affects your time, or sometimes even entire tricks are possible only on emulator.
    
    Some games don't accept emulation at all, but that only means that any runs that you do on emulator won't be able to go on the leaderboard. You still might want to use an emulator for exclusively practice because emulators let you use save states that make it easier to repeat the same part over and over again. Just keep in mind that while using an emulator you might be practicing at a different framerate than on console, or you might be dealing with slight input lag.
    
    The FAQ on SpeedRunsLive has a list of emulators that are commonly used and banned.
    
    In the end, the answer to whether or not you can use an emulator is specific to whatever game you're playing. These are only general guidelines and may vary on your game.
    
    

    What's that timer program I see on peoples' streams, and how can I get it?
    

    
    There are multiple timer programs that are listed on the Tools sections of SpeedRunsLive. The most popular timer program at the moment is LiveSplit, but in the end it's personal preference.

Easycap clones ($5-10~)

If you're extremely short on funds you can play the easycap clone roulette and hope you get one that kinda works maybe.

You might end up getting one that just happens to suite your needs fine.... or you might not.

Not Reccomended, but cheap

Used Dazzle DVC100 ($20~)

Dazzles can be somewhat cheap used, they're still not the best capture cards money can buy and have some driver issues, but it's a popular choice and works for a lot of people well enough. Can be found on ebay for pretty cheap.

Probably the cheapest option aside from the "Easycrap" clones

KWorld ($30~)

/u/TLoZSR mentioned a while back that he was a fan of This KWorld Capture card.

I've seen a few of his videos with it and they look perfectly fine.

EZCaps ($30-$35~)

I've heard ok things about the legit EZCaps (not the cheap clones)
If you go this route make sure you're not ending up with a fake!

I don't have any personal experience with them.

GV-USB2 ($50~)

This defiantly deserves an honorable mention, although isn't anywhere as cheap as a used dazzle. Default settings out of the box are great, picture quality is very good, good drivers, and pretty much no complaints. Oh and here's an amazon link I guess (can be hard to find elsewhere). Box / driver installation is in Japanese, but not too difficult to figure out.

I use it personally and I really like it

These are all SD capture cards with composite/S-video, composite will look not so great regardless of a powered splitting setup, however it's defiantly recommended if you use S-Video (powered splitters can cost $30-50~), alternatively you may be able to get by without splitters if you have a video cable with both S-Video and composite (s-video would go into your capture card), but you may also lose a bit of quality that way if the cables aren't too good.

https://kb.speeddemosarchive.com/Splitters explains a fair bit

Good Luck!

Here are a couple of more resources where you can read up on RGB capturing:

https://blz.la/rgb/

http://retrorgb.com/

http://retrogaming.hazard-city.de/

During ESA2014 we used a couple of different scalers. Initially we wanted to used several XRGB minis, but that plan fell through. So we used these in combination:

CM-393 (also known as Centaur Pro): A SCART to HDMI scaler. Will only work with NTSC consoles. In the case where we wanted to catpure PAL sources, we had to run the video signal through a DVD-recorder to conform the signal to proper PAL. PAL60 will also have to go through a DVD-recorder. For that purpose we had several KiSS DP-558 units available.

We also used Cypress CP-255i: A more high-end scaler, basically plug and play. But does not have an input for SCART. For those cases we had Sync Strikes. Or SCART (RGB) to YUV converters. http://www.amazon.com/SPECIALTY-AV-SCART-Component-Converter-Genesis/dp/B004XSSDPO

Seriously, those RGB to YUV have saved our asses more than once. It's a great utility. Works just fine for hooking up your retro consoles to a PVM or a TV with only component inputs. (Assuming it accepts 240p).

As for the future. We opted for a solution which would allow us to stick to one scaler. We went for the Extron DVS-304. This model has been discontinued but can be found in Ebay. This little beauty accepts anything analog. And you should be able to score one for less than 100$.

Since you can get scaled RGBHV output, it's very easy to replicate the output to any source. Which might not be very helpful for personal streaming, but it is godlike for marathons.

There is still a model in production Extron DVS-304 DVI.


tl;dr: There's no easy solution. But SCART (RGB) is nothing more than Red + Green + Blue + Sync.

To add to the other two suggestions, I'll add what I believe are two far better solutions: The GV-USB2 and USB3HDCAP

The GV-USB2 is a USB dongle-style capture card that only captures composite/RCA video and S-video, which is the best you'll get from the Gamecube without expensive cables. It's about $35 USD.

The Startech USB3HDCAP is more expensive, but it will capture HDMI for newer consoles and PCs, as well as composite, S-Video, Component (the best video signal out of a Wii and easy to get cables for), and even RGB. It's probably the best quality card there is at its price and it's offered me a far better user experience than Elgato's devices have for me. I also know PJ DiCesare uses it for his runs and he has excellent capture quality. It's currently on sale for $182.

Importantly, both will capture video at 60fps which I'm not convinced the standard def EZcap will do, and without the added noise and delay I find Elgato devices tend to add.

Hopefully this helps.

I'm pretty sure they (read Sony) patched out any backwards compatibility in the old PS3s a few years ago so that's a poor way to go. Good news is NTSC PS2s CAN play games from other regions using a modchip (which is difficult to set up) OR, and I recommend this method, a 'magicswap'. Basically, it's a disc that comes with a tool to open the drive after the game has booted but without resetting the console. The disc is labeled an NTSC and once you take it out and put a different region's disc in the software on the first disk boots the game you want. The PS2 doesn't check region after the initial boot so it works perfectly from what I remember. This was popular back in the day so people in the USA could play Final Mix versions of Kingdom Hearts since they were only released in Japan. I'll edit a link in for the thing soon.


Edit: This is the disk thing. Not sure if they have a PAL version though so keep that in mind. It costs $35 and if you plan on using a 1st generation PS2 (the fat one that has a motorized disk tray) you'll need to get an opener tool which is only $4. One thing I forgot is that this also removes security checks so you can play backups using this too. (Possibly even load off a hard drive/USB but I'm not sure on that)

GameCube and Game Boy Player is the standard setup. The startup disc for the Game Boy Player can be a bit pricey these days, but you can softmod the GameCube and use the free Game Boy Interface software as an alternative.

From there, you can get an HDMI adapter and HDMI capture card (lots of those to choose from). Or if you need to save some money, a good S-Video capture device like the IO Data GV-USB2, an S-Video splitter, and a GameCube S-Video cable will still get you a pretty decent-looking capture. Either way, set it up in OBS and you're good to go.

I'd suggest also getting an SNES controller adapter. I find it way nicer than using the GBA as a controller. There's also one for Wii Classic Controllers if you prefer.

I play on a Wii with a Sewell HDMI adapter and a BenQ RL2460HT monitor as I no longer have room for a CRT on my desk, so I get your struggle. To answer your questions:

> What would be a good delay time for my price? (ie is 1ms overkill)

That is response time, i.e. how many milliseconds it takes for a pixel to change color. It is not how much input delay you have; for instance, my BenQ monitor I mentioned has 9ms of delay.

> Is refresh rate going to matter?

If you're only running your GameCube on it, no. Go with 60hz and don't look back.

> Would it be cheapest to find a monitor with component, or try to find a component to HDMI converter?

You're going to find that almost no PC monitors have component. The closest you can get is finding something with a VGA input that can also do YPbPr, but that's such an oddly specific situation that it will be easier for you to use something like this S-video to HDMI adapter instead.

> I want sound through headphones, what would be the best way to do that?

At $150 you should be able to find a monitor that includes an audio out that you can plug your headphones into.

> Should I settle for something like 720p, as the monitor is only going to be used for Gamecube speedrunning?

Closest you can get to is 1366x768 resolution, but at your budget a 1080p monitor is easily afforded.

> I have three monitors currently, one that isn't being used but all of them only have VGA and DVI ports, no HDMI. Is there something I could use to convert component to VGA/DVI that's cheap and effective? If so, how would I play sounds?

At your price point you can get a monitor that has low input delay, a headphone jack, and HDMI.

While a small CRT is both cheap and would fit your needs, it also can take up a lot of space on your desk, so again I understand the need to go with a LCD instead. I think your biggest obstacle is going to be finding a way to connect your GameCube to the monitor, but I (among other people like LylatR) have had good results using the Tendak S-video to HDMI adapter that I linked to earlier.

Personally I use this https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01H5KKRLO/
1 ms input delay, and it's on the cheaper side of lower lag LEDs. As for converters I don't know specifically what you should get, but converting component to hdmi is converted easily and you really won't notice any delay difference so just about any converter is good. Composite on the other hand you're better off just getting a CRT. I just use a random $20 converter I found at Best Buy.

I can't speak much on the NES but I've streamed the SNES plenty.

When you say "horizontal lines", does it look this this? That's interlacing, which is characteristic of older TV and consoles, and that can be fixed to an extent with software. Amarec is a popular program used to capture video, and it's able to de-interlace. If you're capturing directly with Xsplit or OBS they should have de-interlace functions too (though in my experience OBS's can be pretty cruddy unless they've improved it recently).

If you're interested in quality I also highly suggest getting an S-video cable. I'm not sure if the Dazzle 710 can capture S-video but my Dazzle DVC-100 can. According to Amazon this is the one I use with my SNES. S-video makes things look cleaner, gets rid of rainbowing effects and dot crawl.

Irrelevant game? Maybe you've heard of a game called Doom? Pretty popular. A company named id software developed that game. Guess where they got the money to develop that? From their previous wildly successfully series, Commander Keen. Since you seem to like books, I'd recommend picking up a copy of Masters of Doom, which tells the whole story of id's success. A little history goes a long way.

Alright - first, I want to thank you very much - I didn't even know that SDA had such a section. :)
But as you might suspect, I still have a bunch of stupid questions ;)

So, I've found a video grabber on amazon that should work with Windows 8 ( http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Video-Grabber-Snapshot-Videoschnittkarte/dp/B0050NRC2G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377242651&sr=8-1&keywords=Logilink+VG0011 ). If I plug it in my computer is this the equivalent of a capture card or is a capture card needed additionally?

As for the splitters: my tv apparently does't support a s-video signal. So what I have in mind is to get a third party s-video cable for the Gamecube, that I would link with my Gamecube and plug it as the 'input-device' into an external Splitter. Then I'd have to plug my TV and my capture device (see above for device I'd use - it even supports S-video) both as 'Outputs' into the Splitter as well, right?

I hope that I finally understood that concept ;)

Since you say you're not tech savvy, I'm gonna assume you'd rather not hard-mod your N64 to output a component (480p) signal. Also, N64's output resolution is remarkably low so it doesn't take much to capture good looking N64 gameplay.

What you probably want is an S-video cable (this is the kind I use). I know it says for gamecube, but video cables for gamecube, n64 and snes are universally interchangeable, so you're good.

For capture, the best bang for your buck is gv-usb2. For streaming a composite or s-video signal it's pretty much the universal standard.

Hope this helped.

First play through a few and find one that you like. Then play that one a few times and get to where you can play beginning to end without too much trouble.

Watch some speedruns of it. Start emulating those strats into your playthrough and time yourself. ???? Profit.

As far as streaming, cheapest way would be to just emulate, use your keyboard or get an adapter (check Amazon) for your SNES/NES controller, use a wiimote with a bluetooth adapter, ps3 controller, logitech usb, whatever the hell floats your boat.

Use OBS (broadcasting software, google is your friend) to stream on twitch. Look up guides for the set up. It isnt hard, if you have any trouble then report back here.

NOW: if you want to stream from your actual console, here's what you need:

1. Check the tv that you are going to use, see if it has an av OUT port (red, white, yellow jacks and it will say OUT specifically on it) if it does then you DO NOT need a video splitter. Most modern tvs, however, only have av INs, so you WILL need a splitter.
   
   
2. A capture device. These will cost you anywhere from 70 to 100 dollars. HOWEVER, I am a poor bastard and I recently got one of these and while the reviews are a little all over the place I will tell you it works like a charm for me. Well worth the 12 bucks I spent.
   
   
3. If you do need a splitter, I use one of these and you'll want either one of these or a set of these (I personally use the latter but the cord is probably more convenient since its fewer pieces, although they are functionally identical).
   
   If you can't figure it out, all you do is plug the rca (red white yellow cables) from your console into that first adapter i posted. Then plug the the male end of the second cord I posted (or the three separate pieces of the last listing I posted) into the other side of said adapter.
   
   Then you will need two double male rca cords and plug the end of each into the female ends of the cord (or the separate adapters).
   
   From there you just plug one set of the cord into your tv and the other set into the easy cap and the easy cap into your streaming pc. Real easy.
   

Ok, then I will definitely go with the Gameshark. I have no idea what you mean by the keycode, care to explain so I don't screw myself over? LOL
And I didn't notice how cheap some of these are http://www.amazon.com/GameShark-Pro/dp/B00000K4E1/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1414832595&sr=8-2&keywords=gameshark if this is the one you're talking about.
Since I have no idea what you mean by the keycode thing, if I unboxed this in the mail and put in SM64, how exactly would I get a timer + reset button to work? It's the same company by Action Replay I think, and you usually put in custom codes to alter the game, if that's what you mean by key codes. Thanks for the help btw!
Edit: I just found this on Sigs site http://siglemic.net/resources
Edit 2: I can't seem to find a quick reset level button, do you have that?

I use the Wii U Pro Controller with the cheapest generic Bluetooth dongle I could find on Amazon. If your PC has built-in Bluetooth, you can use that instead. Regardless of what adapter you use, all you have to do is install the TOSHIBA Bluetooth Stack and WiinUPro.

Having been a Gamecube controller fanatic since 2003, I think the Pro Controller is the first controller I've used that is actually superior for general-purpose gaming (on Wii U or PC). The main advantage that I've noticed is the placement of the D-pad, which actually makes it feel just as important and easy-to-use as the analog stick; the Gamecube's D-pad was shoved out of the way and required the player to contort their hands if they wanted to use it (which very few Gamecube games did).

I'm surprised that Nintendo doesn't include a Pro Controller in any of its main Wii U bundles; having bought my Wii U about two months ago, the Pro Controller has been one of the highlights of the experience. If I were forced to use the Gamepad for all of the games, I doubt I'd play as often (Splatoon being the prime example of a good game that requires Gamepad use and thus sees little play from me).

tl;dr Get the Pro Controller! It's awesome!

I was trying to convey to people just how easy it is to cheat, and I was saying that I'd like to demonstrate it, and they were getting uncomfortable with me saying that. I was hoping to spur people on to beef up security, but instead, it seemed that they rather just continue to ignore that it's possible. I can understand that adding barriers to entry is undesirable, but we have to think of the future. You can't just retroactively decide to add rules for videos that were already made. You can't invalidate all previous runs when you suspect one of being too good, and you can't be selective if there's no true sign of wrongdoing.

If you want to be sure there's a real person putting these inputs in, then a generalized (should work for pretty much anything) method that I'd propose is having mandatory hand cams. You can get a 120 fps camera for about $6 on Amazon right now.

Ok a few points, RCA is the connector type. A male plug is the one you insert into a female plugs. (go figure) A Y splitter looks like A Y and has one input and two outputs. So A RCA with two male ends and a female looks like this You need at least two depending on if your using S-video or not.
Which S-video is the same deal as a splitter.

S-video is like composite but has greater signal separation, if your using a genuine nintendo cable this is recommended as color and definition will be better. If it's a cheaper reproduction they may have used composite video as luma/sync and you may get crosshatching. But better quality on stream and picture. The one below and to the right of your RED on composite on your TV. It doesn't transmit audio so you still need the white and red or L and R audio split.

Anyway after that you may just need a simple extension cord that you can plug the extra male end into to the female on the TV or the GV-USB2 so one male and one female end. If you have spare RCA cables around you can probably get a gender changer for cheaper.

Edit: You can probably also get 1M 2F Y and plug it in using a standard MM cable actually, that would be cheaper.
Edit2: Had the 2M 1F link description backwards.

there are cheap replacements on Amazon and they're better than the originals... and super easy to swap out... just a fer screws, unplug the old, plug in the new and screw it all back together


I got this one... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009MRZAUC/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Something like this is probably what you are looking for: https://www.amazon.com/Infinity-Digital-Control-Computer-USB2/dp/B002MY6I7G/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1542695761&sr=8-3&keywords=infinity+usb+foot+pedal


A bit pricey though. I just split by hand.

My recommendation is to avoid the cheap Chinese pedals you find from a simple "USB foot pedal" search on most sites (although I guess even the good ones are probably still made in China, so just avoid the cheap ones).

I use this one: www.amzn.com/B008EA1K66 (you can find it for much cheaper on eBay). On Windows 7 I was not able to get livesplit to recognize it directly and ended up spending more time than I'd like to admit learning how to use AutoHotkey and writing a script to bind the pedal inputs to something else. I did eventually get it working though.

On Windows 8, Livesplit picks up the pedal directly, so it's really simple.

I suspect that this pedal would be equally good, if not better: www.amzn.com/B002MY6I7G but I haven't personally used it.

You can get a gamecube-style stick for your N64 controller for cheap, almost every runner for the game I play uses one for several levels.

https://www.amazon.com/Redesigned-REPLACEMENT-Joystick-Controller-Thumbstick/dp/B009MRZAUC