Super Mario Kart for the SNES, completed in 150cc mode (all tracks) in 23 minutes and 10.89 seconds.
Emulator used
Snes9x 1.43-improvement9 with Record Resets
(edit by adelikat: removed dead link to emulator. I'm not sure where we can find this version, but link the snes9x downloads because if it is found, it should be linked there
Sync Settings
- WIP 1 Timing ON
- Left+Right/Up+Down OFF
- Volume Envelope Height Reading OFF
- Fake Mute desync workaround ON
- Sync samples with sound CPU ON
Run Attributes
- Aims for fastest time
- Manipulates Luck
- Abuses programming errors
- Starts from SRAM to enable hard mode (150cc)
- Uses resets to save time
- Rams walls to save time
About The Game
In 1992 Super Mario Kart defined the genre of "go-kart racing games" with ahead of its time graphics and gameplay that was kept almost unchanged in the numerous sequels it spawned. Its influence can be seen in console racing games as far apart as Wipeout and Crash Team Racing.
F.A.Q.
Why do you take the corners so wide?
To get the item I want from an item square I need to hit the square on exactly the right pair of frames. To delay hitting them without losing my speed I sometimes take corners wide.
Why do you bump into so many walls?
- To delay hitting item squares
- To make mushroom boosts last longer (long boosts)
- Because I'm moving too fast to avoid them.
Why do you sometimes go over dirt and stuff without hopping?
I'm in a "mini-boost" and unaffected by dirt and stuff.
Why do you change characters after the Mushroom Cup?
I think Koopa is faster for the other cups.
Why do you pause the game occasionally in the Special Cup?
To manipulate luck. I only discovered this works when I was up to the special cup.
For more information on tricks used in this run, see the Super Mario Kart Physics page.
Track Times in Seconds
Mushroom Cup
- Mario Circuit 1: 42.06
- Donut Plains 1: 18.80
- Ghost Valley 1: 37.68
- Bowser Castle 1: 48.62
- Mario Circuit 2: 40.40
Flower Cup
- Choco Island 1: 28.28
- Ghost Valley 2: 29.49
- Donut Plains 2: 48.83
- Bowser Castle 2: 46.57
- Mario Circuit 3: 63.06
Star Cup
- Koopa Beach 1: 34.31
- Choco Island 2: 30.61
- Vanilla Lake 1: 30.64
- Bowser Castle 3: 44.96
- Mario Circuit 4: 16.99
Special Cup
- Donut Plains 3: 24.07
- Koopa Beach 2: 16.64
- Ghost Valley 3: 31.20
- Vanilla Lake 2: 30.94
- Rainbow Road: 31.80
Possible Improvements
- Better routes are known for Koopa Beach 1 and Bowser Castle 1
- Possible to make long boosts last longer by starting them at certain speeds
- Better luck manipulation (using pause throughout)
- Might be possible to skip laps in Choco Island 2 (and possibly other races) by landing inside walls
- Better optimisation of corners
- May be faster to use other drivers
- May be faster to use Lakitu to skip 2 laps on Ghost Valley 3, rather than 1
Thanks To
Comicalflop (for getting me started on this),
A Runnelid, duffjr, Spider-Waffle, zoddtheimmortal, Saturn, Spekkio, SprintGod, Polo and ateam2 (routes, tricks and information),
JXQ (hex-editing),
DeHackEd and Nitsuja (technical help)
And everyone who watched the WIPs and gave me encouragement :)
DeHackEd: Yoink.... Oh, and what did I technically contribute? All I remember is some hex editting advice which I don't remember the outcome to.
Huffers: You helped me compile your version of snes9x for linux - which I eventually hacked into a luck manipulation bot, without which this run would have been impossible