RTA Guide/Emulator

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:

Project64 1.6 (Windows only, recommended)
OpenEMU (Mac only)
Rosalie's Mupen GUI (Windows, Mac, and Linux)

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.)

v • d • e RTA Guide

Platforms	Nintendo 64 • Virtual Console • Emulator

Categories	0/1 Star • 16 Star • 70 Star • 120 Star • 31 Star • 50 Star • All ! Boxes • Nonstop

General Gameplay	Movement Guide

Courses and Stars

Castle Movement	Lakitu Skip • LBLJ • SBLJ and DDD Skip • 50 Star Door and Endless Staircase BLJs

Bob-omb Battlefield	Big Bob-omb on the Summit • Footrace with Koopa the Quick • Shoot to the Island in the Sky • Find the 8 Red Coins • Mario Wings to the Sky • Behind Chain Chomp's Gate • BoB 100 Coins

Whomp's Fortress	Chip off Whomp's Block • To the Top of the Fortress • Shoot into the Wild Blue • Red Coins on the Floating Isle • Fall onto the Caged Island • Blast Away the Wall • WF 100 Coins

Jolly Roger Bay	Plunder in the Sunken Ship • Can the Eel Come out to Play? • Treasure of the Ocean Cave • Red Coins on the Ship Afloat • Blast to the Stone Pillar • Through the Jet Stream • JRB 100 Coins

Cool, Cool Mountain	Slip Slidin' Away • Li'l Penguin Lost • Big Penguin Race • Frosty Slide for 8 Red Coins • Snowman's Lost His Head • Wall Kicks Will Work • CCM 100 Coins

Big Boo's Haunt	Go on a Ghost Hunt • Ride Big Boo's Merry-Go-Round • Secret of the Haunted Books • Seek the 8 Red Coins • Big Boo's Balcony • Eye to Eye in the Secret Room • BBH 100 Coins

Hazy Maze Cave	Swimming Beast in the Cavern • Elevate for 8 Red Coins • Metal-Head Mario Can Move! • Navigating the Toxic Maze • A-Maze-ing Emergency Exit • Watch for Rolling Rocks • HMC 100 Coins

Lethal Lava Land	Boil the Big Bully • Bully the Bullies • 8-Coin Puzzle with 15 Pieces • Red-Hot Log Rolling • Hot-Foot-It into the Volcano • Elevator Tour in the Volcano • LLL 100 Coins

Shifting Sand Land	In the Talons of the Big Bird • Shining Atop the Pyramid • Inside the Ancient Pyramid • Stand Tall on the Four Pillars • Free Flying for 8 Red Coins • Pyramid Puzzle • SSL 100 Coins

Dire, Dire Docks	Board Bowser's Sub • Chests in the Current • Pole-Jumping for Red Coins • Through the Jet Stream • The Manta Ray's Reward • Collect the Caps... • DDD 100 Coins

Snowman's Land	Snowman's Big Head • Chill with the Bully • In the Deep Freeze • Whirl from the Freezing Pond • Shell Shreddin' for Red Coins • Into the Igloo • SL 100 Coins

Wet-Dry World	Shocking Arrow Lifts! • Top o' the Town • Secrets in the Shallows & Sky • Express Elevator--Hurry Up! • Go to Town for Red Coins • Quick Race Through Downtown! • WDW 100 Coins: With Secrets / With Reds

Tall, Tall Mountain	Scale the Mountain • Mystery of the Monkey Cage • Scary 'Shrooms, Red Coins • Mysterious Mountainside • Breathtaking View from Bridge • Blast to the Lonely Mushroom • TTM 100 Coins

Tiny-Huge Island	Pluck the Piranha Flower • The Tip Top of the Huge Island • Rematch with Koopa the Quick • Five Itty Bitty Secrets • Wiggler's Red Coins • Make Wiggler Squirm • THI 100 Coins

Tick Tock Clock	Roll into the Cage • The Pit and the Pendulums • Get a Hand • Stomp on the Thwomp • Timed Jumps on Moving Bars • Stop Time for Red Coins • TTC 100 Coins

Rainbow Ride	Cruiser Crossing the Rainbow • The Big House in the Sky • Coins Amassed in a Maze • Swingin' in the Breeze • Tricky Triangles! • Somewhere Over the Rainbow • RR 100 Coins

Castle Stars	BitDW • BitFS • BitS • Bowser Battles • TotWC • VCutM • CotMC • PSS • SA • WMotR • HMC Toad • Upstairs Toad • Tippy Toad • 15/50 stars MIPS

RTA Guide/Emulator

Permitted Emulators

Obtaining the ROM

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