Using pause button (in-game or emulators) = invalid run and cheating?

[copy-paster]

Imagine you're on PB pace and then some IRL distractions happened to you (ringing bells, couch on fire, taking a piss, take a drink, family call, etc.) but you're still playing, and you paused the game. The thing is since the run is no longer "unbroken" does this mean your run is no longer valid? also is it considered as cheating since it's not a one successful run anymore? regardless if you get a PB result or no.

Haven't see this discussion gets brought up from what I know, also I had this one person always yelling about "you paused the game, run invalidated" on my streams even though I paused the game between stages clear. Of course using pause buffer abuse (see the infamous VixyNyan's Futari drama) is obviously cheating. I just wanted to see what the community thinks about this.

[blazinglazers69]

It depends on your goals.

I would say if you’re going for a 1cc or a high score, it’s best to avoid it if possible. If you’re just playing purely for fun then who cares?

We don’t throw away quarters every time we play a shmup at home, nor do we have save state practice or a plethora of stick or controller options in the arcade so in a sense the “authenticity” will never be 100% right from the get go.

I try to never pause when I’m going for a 1cc to get closer to the arcade experience even though I will never experience it in my home completely. This debate is kind of similar to the mashing buttons vs using auto fire.

I think if you feel you have to ask, you have your answer. Try not to do it, but if you do, the Pause Police will not break down your door.

You might have some naysayers in the comments of your clear saying bUt YoU PAusEd!! But how much do you care about their opinion? If that does annoy you, then do it without pausing.

My 2 cents.

[Lander]

If you're dressing up in a formal suit to perform in front of a board of judges, you probably want to avoid it. But more generally, it's down to the standard you want to hold yourself to. Strict SDA-style single segment rules are well and good if you want to compete in that domain, but otherwise it's no biggie to pause between stages if you have practicalities to attend to. Even mid-stage, if you're simply practicing or having fun.

And you can freely slide up and down that scale of strictness in any given session. In that sense I see it as another version of the question that arises when you see the Game Over screen; will you continue and 'invalidate' the run to gain more knowledge, or kick yourself back to the start out of respect for the competitive framework and refine what you already know?

And it goes without saying that obnoxious people in chat are simply seeking attention; a swift timeout will likely shock them into behaving. Your house, your rules!

[Lemnear]

Priority:
Me->the Game

if i need to pause for any reason, that reason is for sure more important than the game.

In a competitive enviroment you should avoid it...or when you want to stream or record.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

Generally speaking, I'd say no. I find Pausing for IRL distractions throws me off my pace and I play worse when I unpause, so it's not particularly advantageous. I think it depends on the platform; if it's a PC game where pausing was always built in then it's not a big deal. There's one PC game I played that I made it 8 loops in at 45 minutes a loop, and at one I point I said screw it and paused to eat dinner.

An arcade game of course naturally doesn't allow pausing, so if you're playing an infinitely looping game for an absurd length of time and using an emulator's built in pause function, that'd be different from playing in an arcade where you can't pause at all. Or, if you use it, make note of it.

[hamfighterx]

If you're dressing up in a formal suit to perform in front of a board of judges

LMAO thinking about a requirement that high scores only count if wearing proper formal attire. NO ASCOT, NO BATSUGUN HIGH SCORE.

But yeah, if you're trying to do like a live run of an infinite looping game to get a world record, endurance is part of the game and pausing would not be appropriate. If you're repeatedly pausing with the intent of gaining some sort of gameplay advantage (for a non-STG example, something like Mega Man Yellow Devil), then also no.

For most stuff if you're just working on your own scores, who really cares if you have to pause a time or two because life gets in the way?

[Starfighter]

Well... If some of the challenge from the run is coming from the prolonged concentration needed then personally I might consider a pause a minor "cheat", but not to any invalidating lengths. If I needed to pause in a run that later resulted in a 1cc I'd absolutely take it. But just like BareKnuckleRoo I tend to play worse after a pause since I need to be "in the zone" for hectic parts.

[SavagePencil]

It’s only cheating if you’re hitting pause at 30Hz.

[emphatic]

If you came into the shmup playing scene when emulators, save states et al were already part of the "arsenal to get good", using pause to answer the phone should be no big deal. On the other hand, if you only play PCB in a cabinet or supergun, no such luxuries are available to you. This is why MrMonkeyMan's Ketsui PCB scores impresses me a whole lot more than the higher ones, acquired on consoles/emulation, as a full run is the only way to learn the ins and outs of the second loop while playing on the PCB.

[Sumez]

Eh, of course the golden rule is that you are only playing by your own rules and goals. If you don't mind pausing, then pausing doesn't matter.

To me, if I'm playing an arcade game, which are always fundamentally about dealing with intense gameplay in a single unbroken session, then yes, any method employed to pause said game doesn't "count" for a 1cc or score run.
I'm with bkroo in that actually doing so would almost always impact my game negatively anyway, but that's not really what matters in this context.

[BIL]

Hmm, well, on 1 hand, it is kinda naughty in a MAN ON MAN battle w/ur bff JAMMA JEFFRY 2 use ur pause menu (｀w´メ)

But on the other & more importantly (´・ω・)

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN U DON'T PAUSE UR GAME (◎w◎;)

[Jeneki]

I mean I don't really need a pause button. But I do need a paws button.

[BIL]

I mean I don't really need a pause button. But I do need a paws button.

Daww! oho that's a nice nomiss u got there >:3

tbh Saboten makes me do that too!

[To Far Away Times]

Nature calls? Too bad, it's part of the challenge. Forfeit the run or shit your pants to achieve glory.

/s

I can see the argument for chasing WR scores, maybe. But for a 1CC I don't think it makes a difference worth mentioning. (Futari super pause abuse excluded)