Automating Speedrun Routing: Overview and Vision

Speedrunning in general means to play a video game fast, i.e. using all means at one's disposal to achieve a given goal in the least amount of time possible. To do so, a speedrun must be planned in advance, or routed, as it is referred to by the community. This paper focuses on discovering challenges and defining models needed when trying to approach the problem of routing algorithmically. It provides an overview of relevant speedrunning literature, extracting vital information and formulating criticism. Important categorizations are pointed out and a nomenclature is build to support professional discussion. Different concepts of graph representations are presented and their potential is discussed with regard to solving the speedrun routing optimization problem. Visions both for problem modeling as well as solving are presented and assessed regarding suitability and expected challenges. This results in a vision of potential solutions and what will be addressed in the future.