Editing Speedrunning (section)

=== Gameplay strategies ===
[[File:SuperTux 0.4.0 Ice in the Hole speedrun.webm|thumb|Speedrunners often find unconventional routes that save time.]]
Routing is a fundamental process in speedrunning.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Matt Sayer |date=2016-11-23 |title=VICE - Routers Are the Pros Who Make Speedrunning Possible |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/routers-are-the-pros-who-make-speedrunning-possible/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200706135906/https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/jm5gw3/routers-are-the-pros-who-make-speedrunning-possible |archive-date=July 6, 2020 |access-date=2020-07-06 |website=Vice.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":622">{{Cite book |last1=Groß |first1=Matthias |last2=Zühlke |first2=Dietlind |last3=Naujoks |first3=Boris |title=Applications of Evolutionary Computation |chapter=Automating Speedrun Routing: Overview and Vision |series=Lecture Notes in Computer Science |year=2022 |volume=13224 |pages=471–486 |doi=10.1007/978-3-031-02462-7_30 |arxiv=2106.01182|isbn=978-3-031-02461-0 |s2cid=235294112 }}</ref> Routing is the act of developing an optimal sequence of actions and stages in a video game. A route may involve skipping one or more important items or sections. Skipping a part of a video game that is normally required for progression is referred to as ''[[sequence breaking]]'',<ref name=":622" /> a term first used in reference to the 2002 action-adventure game ''[[Metroid Prime]]''.<ref name="SnyderBook">{{Cite book |last=Snyder |first=David |title=Speedrunning: Interviews with the Quickest Gamers |publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] |year=2017 |isbn=9781476630762}}</ref> Video game [[Glitch|glitches]] may be used to achieve sequence breaks,<ref name=":622" /> or may be used for other purposes such as skipping [[Cutscene|cutscenes]] and increasing the player's speed or damage output.<ref name="SnyderBook" /><ref name=":422">{{Cite web |last=Li |first=Roland |date=2014-01-09 |title=Making money as a Zelda speed runner |url=https://www.polygon.com/features/2014/1/9/5280786/making-money-zelda-speed-runner |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330221338/https://www.polygon.com/features/2014/1/9/5280786/making-money-zelda-speed-runner |archive-date=March 30, 2019 |access-date=2020-04-20 |website=Polygon |language=en}}</ref> Some people, called ''glitch-hunters'', choose to focus on finding glitches that will be useful to speedrunners.<ref name=":0"/> In some games, [[arbitrary code execution]] exploits may be possible, allowing players to write their own code into the game's memory. Several speedruns use a "credits warp", a category of glitch that causes the game's [[End credits|credits sequence]] to play, which may require arbitrary code execution.<ref name=":82">{{Cite web |date=2021-05-01 |title=How Super Mario World Speedrunners Beat The Game in 40 Seconds By Writing Code With Koopa Shells |url=https://www.thegamer.com/how-super-mario-world-speedrunners-beat-the-game-in-40-seconds-by-writing-code-with-koopa-shells/ |access-date=2022-03-12 |website=TheGamer |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Speedrunners Shatter Ocarina of Time World Record By Warping Into The Credits |url=https://kotaku.com/speedrunners-shatter-ocarina-of-time-world-record-by-wa-1841045682 |access-date=2022-03-12 |website=Kotaku |date=January 16, 2020 |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Paper Mario Speedrunner Skips Straight To Credits With Help From Ocarina Of Time |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/paper-mario-speedrunner-skips-straight-to-credits-with-help-from-ocarina-of-time/1100-6488228/ |access-date=2022-03-12 |website=GameSpot |language=en-US}}</ref> The use of glitches and sequence breaks in speedruns was historically not allowed, per the rules of Twin Galaxies' early leaderboards. When speedrunning moved away from Twin Galaxies towards independent online leaderboards, their use became increasingly common.<ref name=":522">{{Cite web |last=Platts |first=Kieren |date=2020-03-24 |title=Keeping Up: An Introduction To Speedrunning {{!}} Redbrick Gaming |url=https://www.redbrick.me/intro-to-speedrunning/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200414025813/https://www.redbrick.me/intro-to-speedrunning/ |archive-date=April 14, 2020 |access-date=2020-04-20 |website=Redbrick}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Orland |first=Kyle |date=2021-04-09 |title=How a speedrunner broke Super Mario Bros.' biggest barrier |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/04/new-super-mario-bros-record-breaks-speedrunnings-four-minute-mile/ |access-date=2022-03-13 |website=Ars Technica |language=en-us}}</ref>