FAQ
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
How do I TAS?
Why Mupen over Bizhawk?
Most TASes of Super Mario 64 are done on Mupen64. This is for two reasons, one, the M64 file can be played back on console, known as TASBot#Console Verification and two, Bizhawk polls inputs on lag frames as opposed to Mupen64, which doesn't. BK2 files (Bizhawk movie files) can still be converted to M64 files however.
What is 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?
Mupen (otherwise known as Mupen64) is an emulator used for N64 games and Super Mario 64 that is most commonly used for TASing
Where can I get a SM64 rom?
A quick google search can help you with that. Unfortunately we cannot provide links here because of copyright.
How many Challenges do we have?
As of right now, we currently have 11 challenges.
- UBER Challenge
- Pacifist Challenge
- A Button Challenge
- Coinless Challenge
- Capless/Cannonless Challenge
- CCC Challenge
- No Buttons Allowed/Buttonless Challenge
- ABZ Button Challenge
- Low Doors Challenge
- No Joystick Allowed Challenge
- The Floor is Lava Challenge
How many A presses are left?
An any% run takes 0 A presses, performed on Wii VC. A 120 star run takes 23 A presses, performed on N64 JP original 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 | Disk Drive Edition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any% | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 120 Star | 23 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 25 | Impossible |
Is a 70 Star 0 A press run being developed?
No.
A WiiVC TAS is not being developed because there is no way to console verify a TAS on WiiVC at the moment and even if there was, WiiVC polls inputs on lag frames, meaning that the TAS would become desynced over time.
What's the next A press save going to be?
The short answer is we don't know. We are always attempting new ideas and new methods in order to make another save, but ultimately we are never absolutely certain that what we try out will achieve one. The current progress has been on Tick Tock Clock as of recent, which has managed to save 2 A presses.
How are you decompiling the game?
Essentially, we've figured out the compiler that Nintendo used for Super Mario 64 and then we get the raw assembly from the rom, and see what C code compiles into that. This is a long and tedious process but many prominent members of the community have made excellent progress so far.
Why does Mario lose his hat when he dies from going out-of-bounds (OOB)?
The default hat state is to not wear a hat, and each frame it checks if he's wearing a hat and sets that graphics flag. But when Mario goes OOB, most mario code doesn't execute, including that check. So 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?
This is a bug that occurs when you use the glN64 video plugin when aero is enabled on your computer. One fix is to use another video plugin. Another fix is to disable aero on your computer, which is only possible on Windows 7, not Windows 8/10.
How do you continue off of a TAS you created earlier?
Play it to where you want to continue, then save a state. Then make sure read-only is disabled and load the state