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This page is intended to document significant changes to the [MovieRules|Movie Rules] over the course of the site’s history. This is far from a complete list, with emphasis being placed on more recent rule changes.

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! Lowest completion in Standard (2024-08-10)

"Low%" and goals similar in nature are allowed alongside "any%" and "100%".

! Standard goals based on difficulty settings (2024-07-11)

For games with several difficulty settings, we allow up to 3 branches to co-exist: easiest, hardest, and also anything else that's faster.

! Different standard goals no longer supersede one another (2024-06-08)

Superseding is only possible if a later completion point is reached within the same goal
* Games without an ending have several available end points
* A movie that plays all sub-games can obsolete individual sub-game movies

! Glitchless was allowed as a standard goal (2023-08-08)

Completing the game as fast as possible while avoiding all known glitches (defined per game in accordance with the community).

! Playarounds no longer need to beat the game (2023-04-20)

Movies that aim [Movies-play|solely for entertainment] no longer need to end with game completion. They can end at any logical or artistic stopping point the author wishes.

! Full single loop movies for games without an ending are allowed (2023-03-11)

Movies that end sooner will be obsoleted by the ones that play further. Here's the [MovieRules#MovieMustBeComplete|full list of available ending options].

! Triviality is no longer a rejection factor (2022-12-31)

We came up with a [Glossary#VideoGame|video game definition] to decide which kind of content we want to accept to [standard], and for something that doesn't quite fit we will either have a community discussion or require that it fits into [Alternative].

! Game show games are allowed for Standard (2022-11-13)

Videogame versions of game shows (Jeopardy, Family Feud, Hollywood Squares, etc) had been barred from Vault/Standard. This bar has been removed, allowing speed-oriented runs of game shows.

! Multiplayer branches in Standard (2022-10-31)

Up to 3 branches are allowed in Standard for multiplayer games:
* Minimum players (usually 1)
* Maximum players (usually 2)
* Some other player count if it's faster than both of the above 

! Board games are allowed for Standard (2022-10-09)

Videogame simulations of real-world board games (Chess, Monopoly, etc) have always been disallowed from the Vault tier, and then from the Standard class, but the community agreed that the ban should be lifted.

! SRAM-anchored submissions are allowed for Standard (2022-09-09)

Runs that [MovieTagGuidelines#StartsFromASavedStateOrSram|begin from SaveRAM] are now allowed as standard branches.

! External codes are allowed in certain situations (2022-07-18)

[Glossary#CodeModification|External codes] that modify the game are judged as [MovieRules#GameChoiceInGeneral|unofficial games] if modifications are severe enough. Otherwise, external codes are allowed for Alternative only if they unlock gameplay or content that in-game codes can't access.

! Maximum score category allowed for Standard (2022-07-14)

Runs that aim to achieve a game's maximum score are now universally allowed as standard branches outside of full completion.

! In-game codes that add gameplay are allowed for Standard (2022-07-14)

[Glossary#CodeModification|In-game codes] that add gameplay are allowed for a separate branch, as long as such codes are used optimally. Codes that modify or disable in-game mechanics are not allowed, unless they unlock an in-game item or a skill that does that. 

! In-game codes are allowed for Alternative (2022-06-03)

If usage of an [Glossary#CodeModification|in-game code] results in a movie that looks unique and entertaining to the general audience, it's okay to use it.

! ROM hacks allowed for Standard (2022-05-02)

As long as the hack is well done and different from the base game, it's accepted as a separate game. Overly obscure hacks can be accepted if they are really good.

! Complete Rewrite (2021-11-27)

We have completely rewritten, reorganized, and simplified our rules page. The original rules page is now available at [LegacyPages/MovieRules]. Major changes to the rules will continue to be made in the coming months.

! Forgoes Major Skip Glitch added to Standard (2021-10-01)

We added a new goal to Standard: [MovieRules#ForgoingMajorSkipGlitch|Forgoes Major Skip Glitch]. If a run fits the [MovieTagGuidelines#MajorSkipGlitch|tag description],  and there is some sort of consensus that it fits, it can be considered for publication regardless of entertainment.

! Clarification regarding second loops (2021-09-13)

We made the following clarifications for second loops for standard:
* Completing only the primary quest is always allowed for Standard.
** Completing only the secondary quest can be preferred for Standard if it's a [MovieRules#WeAllowPlayingUnlockableContentUsingInGamePasswords|built-in hard mode].
* If the game has unique gameplay in the secondary quest, it needs to be included in the primary movie.

! Tier Revamp (2021-08-14)

A complete revamp of what we previously called [LegacyPages/Tier|Tiers] was launched. Instead of tiers, they are now [Class|Classes]. With the exception of [Stars] which operates exactly how it did before, Classes are determined by game and by goal. The [Standard] class replaces [LegacyPages/Vault|Vault], movies that have standard goals and use standard games go here by default, regardless of perceived entertainment value. Standard goals and standard games currently mean whatever goals and games were acceptable in Vault under the old system, but we plan to expand this shortly. The [Alternative] class is now for movies whose games and/or goals are non-standard. The entertainment requirement for this class remains the same.

As of September 14, 2021, movies have been sorted between Standard and Alternative. If there's anything that's in the wrong place, bring it up in [Forum/Topics/17329|the class changes thread].