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 one reason only - 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 for many it comes down to personal preference.
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 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 11 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 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, performed on Wii VC. A 120 star run currently takes 20 A presses, 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 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 22 | Impossible |
Is a 70 Star 0 A press run being developed?
No.
A Wii VC TAS is not being developed because there is no way to console verify a TAS on Wii VC at the moment, and even if there was, Wii VC polls inputs on lag frames, meaning that the TAS would become desynced over time; and as was previously mentioned, 70 Star is not currently possible 0x on any N64 version.
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?
After we discovered the compiler that Nintendo used for Super Mario 64, we obtained the raw assembly from the ROM, and are reverse engineering C code that compiles into it. 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)?
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 Windows 8 or 10.
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.