Petbug & Speedruns

[Pepsi]

Is the Petbug allowed in Speedruns?

This simple question raised a somewhat huge discussion recently. I want an official answer to be assured that tactics and ideas I have/use won't void potential future records.

Please notice, that I am not talking about the Toolbox-Coin-Drop-Feature. I am referring to the manual usage of Minipets to e.g. deactivate foes for a couple of seconds.


Personally, I don't think it is worth banning.
Since ANet added the 10sec cool-down, you cannot use it for much more than avoiding interrupts on your most important skills. However, we developed tactics and found safe-spots to avoid these, anyway - so the Petbug just adds some safety to risky playing-styles that are used in Speedruns.
In other words, using the Petbug just saves time and money.

On the other hand, it is a game-changing glitch and I totally get anyone who wants it banned from Record-Runs. People told me that stucking Skeles in Pits or glitching Dhuum is the same thing, but I don't share that opinion at all: There is no reason, why the Petbug is working.
You can explain, why Dhuum glitches or Skeles get stuck. Deactivating foes by popping a Mini-Pet or dropping an item is just inexplicable.

So yeah - I don't want to make this longer than it has to be: May we use it or not?

[Karia]

Can it be done only with the help of a third-party-prgogram? No? So its valid. You cant punish a player not use a ingame mechanic even if its stupid like hell. Everyone has the same option in this case and if its doable JUST DO IT! Old DoA Records are valid too although jumping to places you shouldnt get to isnt cool

[roflmfao]

It is not really "inexplicable" anyway. Minipets are allies which (similar to Ghosts-in-a-Box) were meant to be purely cosmetic, but because of how the game is coded, they are still normal allies to some extent. This means that when you activate one, it causes the enemy AI to reconsider targeting options. Just like when you run into aggro that a tank is holding, the AI basically notices a new potential thing to kill in range, and thus needs a moment to think about it. Only it is then told "Just a minipet, nothing to see here". But that takes time during which it goes to default behaviour (autoattack only, don't use skills you might want for that new target). While Toolbox doesn't directly support it, it is possible to target minipets and cast spells on them. Minipets holding weapons are holding the special "ghost weapons" when affected by a Weapon Spell. That shows that they are treated like fairly "standard" units by the game. Hence it can also happen that the Sapping Nightmares in The Deep start using Chaos Storm when there is a minipet present that wields a staff.

[Nika]

If we treated these kind of bugs like every other one, we had to allow it. And this is the way i feel with the petbug. It's easy enough to recreate and there is no need for a third party tool.
I've a different opinion abou the Goldcoin-Glitch, where ACTUALLY the same occurs, but the way the game is changed differs a whole lot. And this situation is hard to recreate iwthout a third party tool, or insane clicking skills.

In the end i think, our goal as a speedrun community is to achieve the best possible times. Therefor is no discussion needed about the Petbug.

[hudini]

im not doing any record but recreating the coin glitch drop bug is easy af without any 3rd party, just go test it in isle of nameless.

[Jang]

Well hudini is right it's no problem at all to use that bug manually. However I wouldn't use it because sooner or later it makes stuff boring. I still don't think it should be forbidden though because there are some things especially on low party size runs that can be really fucked up without it (e.g. solo uw Dhuum).