FAQ

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

How do I TAS?

Basic Mupen64 TAS Tutorial

What is STROOP?

Main article: STROOP

STROOP (SuperMario64 Technical Runtime Observer and Object Processor) is a diagnostic tool for Super Mario 64 which displays and allows for simple editing of various game values and information. It can connect to a running emulator and update values in real time. Some core features include views of loaded/unloaded objects, Mario structure variables, camera + HUD values, an overhead map display, and many more.

What is Mupen?

Main article: Mupen64

Mupen64 (Mupen for short) is an N64 emulator. A variant of Mupen64, Mupen64-rr, is most commonly used for TASing Super Mario 64. This is what most people in the TAS community mean when they say "Mupen". There is also an emulator known as Mupen64Plus, which does not have TASing capabilities, but is commonly used for RTA.

Why Mupen over BizHawk?

Most TASes of Super Mario 64 are done on Mupen64-rr. This is for one main reason: .m64 files can be played back on console, known as Console Verification, whereas bk2 files cannot, due to the way they handle input during lag frames. BizHawk polls inputs on lag frames, as opposed to Mupen64, which does not, and SM64 doesn't either. BK2 files (BizHawk movie files) can still be converted to m64 files, however, so some still use Bizhawk.

Where can I get an SM64 ROM?

A quick google search can help you with that. Unfortunately we cannot provide links here because of copyright.

What different challenges are there?

As of now, there are 13 challenges that have gained decent popularity, along with many minor ones. Some of the more well-known include:

• The UBER Challenge
• The Pacifist Challenge
• The A Button Challenge
• The B Button Challenge
• The Z Button Challenge
• The Coinless Challenge
• The Capless/Cannonless Challenge
• The CCC Challenge
• The ABZ Button Challenge
• The Low Doors Challenge
• The No Joystick Allowed Challenge
• The Floor is Lava Challenge
• The Same Input Challenge

See the Challenge and Other Single Button Challenges pages for further info on these and others.

How many A presses are left?

An any% run takes 0 A presses when performed on Wii VC. A 120 star run currently takes 13 A presses when performed on the original Japanese N64 version. Here's a table showing these counts on all game versions:

	N64 JP (Original)	N64 US	N64 PAL	N64 JP (Shindou)	iQue	Wii VC JP	Wii VC US	Wii VC PAL	Wii U VC JP	Wii U VC US	Wii U VC PAL	64DD Version
Any%	1	1	1	1	1	0	0	0	1	1	1	1
120 Star	13	16	16	17	17	16	15	15	17	16	16	Impossible

Is a 70 Star 0 A press run being developed?

Yes; though it is not yet confirmed to be possible, the run is being TASed until BitFS. This is because we have a good blueprint for how to do BitFS on the N64. There is currently no plan to make a 70 star no A press run on Wii VC because verifying these runs is difficult.

What's the next A press save going to be?

Currently, the next A press in line to be saved is Bowser in the Fire Sea on the N64, which would bring the A press count from 14 to 13, using Bully Battery and a Squish Cancel combined together. This save would bring the A press count down to 13.

How are you decompiling the game?

After we discovered the compiler that Nintendo used for Super Mario 64, we obtained the raw assembly from the ROM, and reverse engineered C code that compiles into it. This was a long and tedious process, but after a couple years, the game has been fully decompiled.

Why does Mario lose his hat when he dies from going out-of-bounds (OoB)?

Mario's default state is, surprisingly, with no hat on, and on each frame it checks whether he's wearing the hat and sets the proper graphics flag. However, when Mario goes OoB, a large portion of the central Mario code stops running, including that check. Hence, Mario doesn't actually lose his hat; he just forgets he's wearing it.

When I record an AVI on mupen, the sound works but the screen is just black. How do I fix this?

This is a bug that occurs when you use the gl64 video plugin when aero is enabled on your computer. One fix is to use another video plugin, or to disable aero on your computer. The latter is only possible on Windows 7, but unfortunately not on later versions.

How do you continue off of a TAS you created earlier?

Play it to where you want to continue, then save a state. Disable read-only mode and reload the state. The file will now start recording inputs from that point, erasing any you had previously made after that point.

I just got through the 8 Star Door to Bowser 1 by grabbing onto it with a ledge grab! Is this useful?

No. Clipping through the door with a ledge grab is a side effect of the patch in the SM64 Editor program that "improves collision". It is not actually possible in the original game.

Mario's animation doesn't update when you dive recover against a wall. Is this useful?

No. It is a purely visual glitch and has no effect on gameplay.

I was doing a BLJ on the endless stairs and warped straight to Wet-Dry World. Is this new?

No. You clipped through the wall and went above the painting. The game checks whether or not you entered paintings by checking whether or not you are above floor triangles behind them, even when you are really high up.

Mupen is open, but the Mupen window disappeared and won’t come back, even when I restart. What do I do?

This is a glitch that occurs when Mupen is closed while minimized.

To fix it, you must maximize the Mupen window and then drag down the top of the window, which will restore it to a normal window. To maximize the window without it actually being present, you can do one of the following:

• [Windows 7 Only] Open task manager, right click on the Mupen program, click maximize
• Right click on the Mupen icon in the task bar with shift held, click maximize
• Hover over the Mupen icon in the task bar, right click on the preview, click maximize

Deleting Mupen’s config file also works.

Mupen's TAS Input Plugin window doesn't stay focused when clicking on the main emulator window. What do I do?

This is a bug that was introduced in Windows 10 Version 1809. Some solutions have been provided using macros, but the easiest solution is to simply click on the joystick area and hold the click outside of the tas input window. When you release the click it should still follow the mouse. Then click on Mupen, and from now until you close the rom, it will behave normally.