RTA Guide/Emulator: Difference between revisions

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An emulator is an unofficial platform that is supported on the official leaderboards. Emulators are the second fastest supported platform. They have the same load times as N64, but do not lag at all during gameplay.
'''Emulators''' may be used for speedrunning Super Mario 64 in lieu of an actual console. They are the second-fastest platform allowed, having no lag but the same load times as N64.
 
Due to being very inexpensive (if not free) to set up, it is strongly recommended for new runners to start out on emulator first to get a feel for the game, before committing to the high cost of a decent console setup.
 
== Permitted Emulators ==
== Permitted Emulators ==
These emulators are permitted for the RTA leaderboards.
'''Only these three emulators''' are permitted for the RTA leaderboards:
 
* [https://wermi.neocities.org/emuguide '''Project64 1.6'''] (Windows only, recommended)
* [https://openemu.org/ '''OpenEMU'''] (Mac only)
* [https://smolalli.github.io/rmg/ '''Rosalie's Mupen GUI'''] (Windows, Mac, and Linux)


* Project 64 (v1.6 only) | [https://wermi.neocities.org/emuguide/ '''→ Setup Guide''']
Newer versions of Project64 are banned from the leaderboards as load times tend to vary across computers, whereas load times are fairly consistent on version 1.6.
* OpenEMU
* Mupen64plus


Other versions of Project64 are banned from the leaderboards owing to load-time inconsistency. The setup guide covers installation and optimal configuration.
If you are using Project64 or Rosalie's Mupen GUI, '''you ''must'' set Counter Factor to 1''' in your emulator settings to remove emulated lag, otherwise your run will be rejected on Speedrun.com. If you are using OpenEMU, in which Counter Factor ''cannot'' be toggled, please indicate so in the run's description when submitting.
== Obtaining the ROM ==
You will need a ROM of either the '''original Japanese''' (NTSC-J 1.0) or '''North American''' (NTSC-U) version for speedruns.


OpenEMU and Mupen64plus are allowed so that Mac and Linux users can play too. Any of these emulators can be used on any platform, but Project64 is recommended for Windows.
Distributing official ROM files is illegal, so they cannot be provided here; you will have to obtain one on your own. N64 ROMs are stored as either <code>.z64</code> or <code>.n64</code> files, or a <code>.zip</code> containing one of the two (''never'' as an <code>.exe</code> file).
== ROM Acquisition ==
 
N64 ROMs are stored as either .z64 or .n64 files (never as an exe file). They can be obtained by using a cartridge dumper to copy the ROM from your own Nintendo 64 cartridge, which is legal in some countries like the USA. Distributing ROM files is illegal. To verify that you have the correct ROM, you can compare your ROM's MD5 hash to the following:
To verify that you have the correct Super Mario 64 ROM, you can use [https://brikr.github.io/is-my-rom-ok '''this tool'''] to compare your ROM's MD5 hash to the following:
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|-
| NTSC-J (Original) || <code>85d61f5525af708c9f1e84dce6dc10e9</code>
|'''NTSC-J 1.0'''<br><code>Super Mario 64 (J) [!].z64</code>||MD5:<br><code>85d61f5525af708c9f1e84dce6dc10e9</code>
|-
|-
| NTSC-U || <code>20b854b239203baf6c961b850a4a51a2</code>
|'''NTSC-U '''<br><code>Super Mario 64 (U) [!].z64</code>||MD5:<br><code>20b854b239203baf6c961b850a4a51a2</code>
|}
|}
== Versions ==
 
While any version of Super Mario 64 can be played on Emulator, there are only 2 relevant versions (since the benefits of NTSC-J Shindou are irrelevant due to the fact that lag is not present on emulator).  
The other two versions, namely the '''European version''' (PAL) and the '''Shindou Edition''' (NTSC-J 1.3), should be avoided:
=== NTSC-J (Original) ===
* The European version runs ~17% slower, at 25 FPS rather than 30 FPS. This results in significant timeloss compared to any other version of the game.
This is the first Japanese release. This version has a shorter intro cutscene, less text overall, and small differences in a few stages. it is faster for 1 Star, 16 Star, and 120 Star
* The Shindou Edition patches out BLJs, making any category below 70 Star impossible, and suffers from slower load times. (Shindou's primary benefit of less lag is irrelevant due to emulators completely bypassing it.)
=== NTSC-U ===
 
This is the North American release. Text boxes scroll more quickly and 15 star MIPS runs more slowly in this release. It is faster for 0 Star and 70 Star
 
{{RTA Guide Nav}}
{{RTA Guide Nav}}

Revision as of 04:28, 26 September 2024

Emulators may be used for speedrunning Super Mario 64 in lieu of an actual console. They are the second-fastest platform allowed, having no lag but the same load times as N64.

Due to being very inexpensive (if not free) to set up, it is strongly recommended for new runners to start out on emulator first to get a feel for the game, before committing to the high cost of a decent console setup.

Permitted Emulators

Only these three emulators are permitted for the RTA leaderboards:

Newer versions of Project64 are banned from the leaderboards as load times tend to vary across computers, whereas load times are fairly consistent on version 1.6.

If you are using Project64 or Rosalie's Mupen GUI, you must set Counter Factor to 1 in your emulator settings to remove emulated lag, otherwise your run will be rejected on Speedrun.com. If you are using OpenEMU, in which Counter Factor cannot be toggled, please indicate so in the run's description when submitting.

Obtaining the ROM

You will need a ROM of either the original Japanese (NTSC-J 1.0) or North American (NTSC-U) version for speedruns.

Distributing official ROM files is illegal, so they cannot be provided here; you will have to obtain one on your own. N64 ROMs are stored as either .z64 or .n64 files, or a .zip containing one of the two (never as an .exe file).

To verify that you have the correct Super Mario 64 ROM, you can use this tool to compare your ROM's MD5 hash to the following:

NTSC-J 1.0
Super Mario 64 (J) [!].z64
MD5:
85d61f5525af708c9f1e84dce6dc10e9
NTSC-U
Super Mario 64 (U) [!].z64
MD5:
20b854b239203baf6c961b850a4a51a2

The other two versions, namely the European version (PAL) and the Shindou Edition (NTSC-J 1.3), should be avoided:

  • The European version runs ~17% slower, at 25 FPS rather than 30 FPS. This results in significant timeloss compared to any other version of the game.
  • The Shindou Edition patches out BLJs, making any category below 70 Star impossible, and suffers from slower load times. (Shindou's primary benefit of less lag is irrelevant due to emulators completely bypassing it.)