RTA Guide/New Players: Difference between revisions

Welcome to the SDGQ 2025 Ukikipedia page! We're glad you're here! Ukikipedia is a central resource hub for information about SM64 and getting into speedrunning.

[Video from us at GDQ: "Hi, this is Beeve etc. etc. thanks for coming to the ukikipedia page. please look around and try out SM64, we hope you'll like it... or whatever we want]

== Why It's Worth Playing ==

Super Mario 64 is an iconic title and watershed moment in gaming, but what makes it so much fun? Similar to games like Super Smash Bros. Melee, the mechanics are fluid and satisfying, the skill expression is amazing, and advanced techniques raise the skill ceiling to impossible levels. In the 29 years since this game's release, very few titles have rivaled the level of control and precision that is possible in Super Mario 64 (2 of those being Sunshine and Odyssey!). But don't take it from us; here's videogamedunkey ;)

== Setting Up ==

=== Emulator ===

Emulator is the easiest way to start playing! Follow this guide to set up Project 64 v1.6, the approved PC emulator for speedruns: https://wermi.neocities.org/emuguide/#support

If you're not on Windows, you can find your platform's approved emulator here: [[RTA Guide/Emulator]]

==== Casual / ROM Hacks ====

If you're interested in playing ROM hacks (mods), now is a great time to start! There's the newly released Mario Builder 64 v1.1 (Super Mario Maker-esque level creator), IronMario 64 v1.2 (IronMon-esque hardcore randomizer challenge), and a huge variety of fun and impressive new hacks being made all the time! Parallel Launcher is super easy to use and generates a ROM file from simply double-clicking a patch file. Prolific ROM hack creator Kaze shows how to set it up in under 2 minutes:

Excited to start playing yet? We highly recommend the Usamune Practice ROM: https://goo.gl/NTR61H https://sites.google.com/view/supermario64/usamunepj/usamunerom?authuser=0

Scroll down a page on the Google Doc to get to the download link. Here's a video introduction of how to use it:  

Note: The first 1:30 of this video is slightly outdated. You now just download an HTML that you can open to patch the ROM, which the doc explains.

Try out the presets- they range from vanilla to practice mode!

== Tutorials and Resources ==

Feel free to explore Super Mario 64 to your heart's content, but if you're looking some guidance, here's some great videos to start out:

=== Movement Guide ===

This video by SeanRaider explains the various movement options in Super Mario 64 and how they flow together. It's a great resource for any new player to understand the game:

Here's a couple tips we hope will help you starting off into the gameplay of Super Mario 64!

*Mario moves with a lot of force, but most actions lock you into the direction you're facing. With great power comes great responsibility!  

** This can be advantageous, but especially when you're starting out, line up your angle and check your spacing when performing actions.  

** When swimming or flying, small movements around the neutral zone will often give you enough control.

* The camera is hard at first (and often later), but when you make friends with it, you'll find it can work really well in a lot of cases. The game design combined with the camera allows you to do a lot of movement in the 8 notched directions (if your controller has notches).  

** The left and right C buttons feel inverted from most modern games because you're actually controlling the camera's position, not Mario's perspective!  

** For a better general-purpose camera, try Mario cam C-down. It will pan to follow behind Mario and you can press C-left or C-right twice to turn it by 45 degrees.  

** If the camera's stuck somewhere you can't see Mario, try double-tapping R to go into and out of Mario cam to reset it.

=== 16 Star Walkthroughs ===

This tutorial by Squeex (2024 Best Speedrun Streamer) also walks through the entire 16 run with super simple strats to help new players do their first runs:

"All good 16 Star runs begin with a perfect bridge skip and a great attitude. Let's figure out how to do one of the two."

=== All Categories RTA ("Real Time Attack") Guide ===

Ready to dive into speedrunning Super Mario 64? Here's the main page with links to lots of other great community resources: [[RTA Guide]]

There are many ways to enjoy Super Mario 64: playing casually, speedrunning, TASing, ROM hacking, and more. It's "just" a game, but to many of us, it also means a community: a shared space for growth, cooperation, competition, and social connections. Being part of this community has been rewarding in ways we never anticipated. If you want to see what it's like, try chatting in a Twitch stream or joining races and grassroots tournaments. There's an annual Summer League starting soon where players get drafted onto teams and earn points with PBs. And don't forget to join the Super Mario Speedruns Discord!

https://discord.com/invite/sm64

Even if you just enjoyed watching the run, we still appreciate you taking the time to be part of this. Looking for some other SM64 content? There's always streamers live on Twitch, and great YouTube videos for entertainment, information, inspiration, and everything in between. Here's a playlist of just a few of our favorite SM64 videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_5wP6CEc-wPKqXKjmPdD6fmhEcyv195n

-Badroenis, GTM, Artemis, and Beeve