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Mario Kart: DS / WiFi Connection thread

robo_robo

Member
koam said:
I want to reserve this but has anyone seen it anywhere for less than $49.99 Canadian? I'm pretty sure it will be $39.99 somewhere on day 1.

How much is the game in the US?

It's 34.99$ at amazon.ca if you can wait until the 21.
 

Aurora

Member
Wow. If this whole issue with not being able to play all tracks online is true then wtf Nintendo?

I don't see the point at all.
Someone said that some players might not have unlocked the courses yet. So what? Either block them from accessing matches with said tracks or just let them participate anyway. They have the full game so not having the track unlocked would make no difference.
 

DDayton

(more a nerd than a geek)
20 playable would be a really strange number, given that there are 32 courses spread over 8 cups. That's cutting out three complete cups -- and there is simply no way that 3 entire cups qualify as "unlockable bonuses" that aren't online simply for that fact.

Either the guys couldn't play with a player who didn't have that course unlocked, OR 12 of the courses are too detailed/big/complex for online play. I'm assuming it's the former, as 12 seems really too many to make any sense.
 

Aurora

Member
DavidDayton said:
20 playable would be a really strange number, given that there are 32 courses spread over 8 cups. That's cutting out three complete cups -- and there is simply no way that 3 entire cups qualify as "unlockable bonuses" that aren't online simply for that fact.

Either the guys couldn't play with a player who didn't have that course unlocked, OR 12 of the courses are too detailed/big/complex for online play. I'm assuming it's the former, as 12 seems really too many to make any sense.

Yes I agree. Or maybe they didn't unlock any of those 12 courses and meant it like "you can only play with the standard 20 courses when you first start." and once you unlock the rest they are also unlocked online.
 

koam

Member
Hmm, sounds like they are.. or this preview is inaccurate..

Mario Kart DS - New Details Revealed

With just six weeks to go until the game launches in Europe, Nintendo has revealed some more info about the multiplayer modes we can expect to find in Mario Kart DS.

There will of course be a DS Download option so you can play against up to seven opponents, even if only one person has a copy of the game. There are three multiplayer modes - Racing, which offers you a choice of eight tracks, Balloon Battle and Shine Thief, both of which have three arenas.

If you've got a game card you can choose your own character and use personalised icons, but if you're downloading from another player, you'll have to play as Shy Guy. All DS Download races and battles are limited to the 100cc engine class.

So if you want the full range of character, track and engine class choices, you'll all need a copy of the game. The other advantage of multi-card play is that each player's win/loss ratio is saved and tracked, so you can see who's the overall champion. Plus you can trade ghost data, and players you race will be automatically added to your Friend roster so you can play against them via the new Wi-Fi Connection service.

Speaking of which, up to four players will be able to race simultaneously via Wi-Fi. You can race against your Friends only, Rivals (players of your skill level, as identified by the Nintendo servers), Recent Opponents, Regional Racers (players in your country only), or World Racers (players anywhere in the whole wide world).

All tracks will be available, and each player will vote for their course of choice - it's majority rule. If there's a tie, however, a track will be chosen at random. You can play as whichever character you like when online, and use your personalised player icons too.

So how do you get connected? Well, your first option is to go to an official Nintendo hotspot - still no word on where we can expect to find these, unfortunately. Or you can use your own wireless router, if you've got one. If not, you might like to invest in the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector which links up to your PC's broadband connection.

Nintendo has got an extra treat in store for those who are planning to buy a DS when Mario Kart arrives - well, providing you live in the US or are prepared to import, anyway. From November 28 stores will be stocking a special Mario Kart bundle, containing a copy of the game, a Hot Rod Red DS, a chequered flag wrist strap and some decal stickers to decorate your handheld with. It'll retail for $149.99 - around $15 less than the price of the DS and game if bought separately.

No such bundle has been announced for Europe so far and Nintendo was unavailable for comment, but we live in hope. Mario Kart DS will hit our shops on November 25, the same day as the Wi-Fi Connection service launches.

source
 
gamefront.de

Japan: Erste 'Wi-Fi Connection' HotSpots installiert

29.10.05 - Nintendo hat in Japan die ersten HotSpots für die 'Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection' in Geschäften installiert. Das berichten mehrere Ladenbesitzer. Für einen ersten Funktiontest wurde mit Mario Kart DS und Animal Crossing: Wild World gespielt.

Nintendo installed the first WiFi spots in japanese stores. They tested them by playing MKDS and AKWW.

Did it work? I dont know ^^
 

koam

Member
Here's Nintendo's official info on MK: DS

Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection (Online Multi-Player):
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection is a free online game-play service provided by Nintendo to Nintendo DS owners. It offers seamless access to online game play and an environment that is welcoming to gamers of all skill levels. Features include:

2-4 Players racing simultaneously
Choice of playing with:
Friends Only (players registered as Friends)
Rivals (players with similar skills)
Recent Opponents
Regional Racers (players in their country)
World Racers (players anywhere in the world)
No limit on course choice, but each player votes for a course and the course with the most votes wins (in case of a tie, the course is chosen randomly)
No limit on character choice
Players can create and use personalized player icons

DS Download Play (Offline Single Cart Multi-Player):
As with all DS Download multiplayer games, the DS Download Play in Mario Kart DS requires that only one player has a copy of the game. Unlike past DS games, however, DS Download Play in Mario Kart DS allows multiple players who have the game card to play with multiple players who do not have the game card. DS Download Play offers the following features:

2-8 player simultaneous wireless game play
Choice of multiplayer racing, Balloon Battle, or Shine Thief modes
Players who own Mario Kart DS can choose their own characters and use personalized icons
Players who do not own Mario Kart DS must play as Shy Guy; they cannot use personalized player icons
Track selection is limited to eight tracks for racing and three arenas for Balloon Battle and Shine Runner modes
DS Download Play is limited to the 100 cc engine class
 
According to 1up.com Battle Mode is ONLINE and so is survival mode.

1Up.com said:
Mario Kart's multiplayer modes offer three different forms of action: the old fashioned race, the standard pop-the-balloons battle arena, and a special survival mode in which players race to collect Shine sprites, as players with the least sprites are steadily removed from the race. These can be played both locally with the standard DS connectivity or online.

http://ds.1up.com/do/previewPage?pager.offset=1&cId=3145379
 

koam

Member
1UP is definetly wrong. Sorry.

BTW, some of you already have your friend code for the wifi service. You can start posting them so we'll have the definate GAF friend list when the service is available.

I'll edit the main post to include the friend codes.
 

Rlan

Member
Got a quick question, spoil me away!

Is Magikoopa an unlockable character in the game? He was originally meant to be in Mario Kart 64 [Originally Mario Kart R], but was pushed out by Wario [which gave Wario his awesome voice sample :)

And PLEASE tell me Baby Bowser, or any Baby Incarnate, is NOT in the final game!!
 

Tempy

don't ask me for codes
Okay, a few questions concerning online wifi.

* Are there differences between a US and EU dongle because of different laws regarding wifi signals?
* Can I use a US Mario Kart with a EU wifi dongle?
* Will there be problems playing EU DS games with a US wifi dongle?

Basically I'm wondering whether to get a US dongle or wait two weeks for the EU dongle.
 

DDayton

(more a nerd than a geek)
I'm still trying to figure out what I should do to ensure online Mario Kart on day #1. I don't have a wifi router, and I really haven't had a reason to get one so far. The USB device looks really good (especially with the configuration-free setting for the DS), but I can't get that on the same day I get Mario Kart.

Any suggestions, folks? Is there a cheap USB dongle with the same functions as the Nintendo one for about the same price ($30 or so?)
 

Nester

Member
DavidDayton said:
I'm still trying to figure out what I should do to ensure online Mario Kart on day #1. I don't have a wifi router, and I really haven't had a reason to get one so far. The USB device looks really good (especially with the configuration-free setting for the DS), but I can't get that on the same day I get Mario Kart.

Any suggestions, folks? Is there a cheap USB dongle with the same functions as the Nintendo one for about the same price ($30 or so?)

$22.00 with $10.00 mail in rebate

I used one of these, plugged into my wired internet PC, and setup Internet Connection Sharing to get my PSP online before I sold it. Worked fine, no dropped connections or anything like that. Should work for you with 98SE.
 

Aurora

Member
The site is looking good. I especially enjoyed the little preview of the mission mode.

Man I need this game!
 

Aurora

Member
Oblivion said:
http://www.mariokart.com/mkds/launch/index.html

Don't know if that's been posted yet, the Mario Kart DS website.

koam said:
mkds_wp1_800.jpg

mkds_wp2_800.jpg

mkds_wp3_800.jpg

mkds_wp4_800.jpg

mkds_wp5_800.jpg

mkds_wp6_800.jpg

mkds_wp7_800.jpg


They also have a screensaver on the site

Not to burst your bubble but was there really a need to make a mile long post to show the wallpapers when they had already been linked and commented on before?

Edit: Thank you. :p
 

Morts

Member
Tech question:

Someone here told me a few weeks ago that if I had a laptop capable of connecting to the internet wirelessly, that it could be made to act as a wireless router when plugged in to the internet. Would I have to do anything special to make that work?
 

Nester

Member
Morts said:

If you're plugged into a wired connection you could probably setup Internet Connection Sharing through your wireless card or built in wireless to share the connection without getting the USB adapter.
 

Morts

Member
SpeedRazor said:
If you're plugged into a wired connection you could probably setup Internet Connection Sharing through your wireless card or built in wireless to share the connection without getting the USB adapter.

I hope it's as simple as it sounds. Thanks.
 

Tiktaalik

Member
A sort of interesting thing:

Mario Kart DS "bricks" DS's with custom firmware. It's not because Nintendo is trying to stamp out homebrew or anything, but rather that the people who originally wrote the custom firmware used a part of memory that they didn't know Mario Kart DS would eventually use. Anyway, they already made a fix for it that you can download here.

http://dsdev.bigredpimp.com/archives/32
 

koam

Member
Zaxxon said:
A sort of interesting thing:

Mario Kart DS "bricks" DS's with custom firmware. It's not because Nintendo is trying to stamp out homebrew or anything, but rather that the people who originally wrote the custom firmware used a part of memory that they didn't know Mario Kart DS would eventually use. Anyway, they already made a fix for it that you can download here.

http://dsdev.bigredpimp.com/archives/32

This is exactly why I didn't want to use custom firmware prior to nintendo wifi being available. There were registers that people were unsure of and well, there's no reason Nintendo would have had them there just like that. Anyway thanks for the heads up. Considering there's a fix, is it safe to assume that a custom firmware can still go online?
 

koam

Member
Wait a second, trying to get confirmation on this, but it looks like MK: DS is actually saving your WiFi settings into the firmware. That section of the firmware is where Flashme was stored which caused the bricking but is MK: DS actually saves your settings, that would rock.

YES

The DS appears to save your wifi settings onto the firmware. No need to type in your WEP key each time!

Also, I just realized that NOE had confirmed this already:

a little on Mario Kart and the WiFi subject. We already know that the game will bring the configuration options. It will be necessary to make these changes with each game or once done with Mario Kart they keep automatically in the console?

Indeed, the console remembers it. We have up to 3 different configurations, 3 totally configurables profiles individually, and to choose the one that comes in each occasion: the one of house, the one of the work, and the one of hot-spots, to put an example.
 

koam

Member
atomsk said:
wonder when preorders for this will start showing up.

I'm not sure why anyone is buying the Nintendo Dongle. Why don't you just buy a wireless router or a regular usb wifi dongle, they're so much cheaper and do exactly the same thing.
 

Leatherface

Member
Correct me if I'm wrong, but since battlemode is accessible through "lan" play, doesn't that open the door to hacks or mods which will enable us to eventually take battlemode online anyway. I would assume this will be something people will explore fairly quickly.

just sayin' :)
 

koam

Member
Leatherface said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but since battlemode is accessible through "lan" play, doesn't that open the door to hacks or mods which will enable us to eventually take battlemode online anyway. I would assume this will be something people will explore fairly quickly.

just sayin' :)

Yes, it's actually being worked on:

http://akkit.org/dstunnel/
 

GaimeGuy

Volunteer Deputy Campaign Director, Obama for America '16
koam said:
Wait a second, trying to get confirmation on this, but it looks like MK: DS is actually saving your WiFi settings into the firmware. That section of the firmware is where Flashme was stored which caused the bricking but is MK: DS actually saves your settings, that would rock.

YES

The DS appears to save your wifi settings onto the firmware. No need to type in your WEP key each time!

Also, I just realized that NOE had confirmed this already:

:O
 
koam said:
I'm not sure why anyone is buying the Nintendo Dongle. Why don't you just buy a wireless router or a regular usb wifi dongle, they're so much cheaper and do exactly the same thing.

Could you, or anyone else show us one that would absolutely work?
 

dkeane

Member
BobbyRobby said:
Could you, or anyone else show us one that would absolutely work?
Routers that work/don't work
routers1sx.jpg


Or do you mean the Dongle?, from what I've seen they're all about the same in cost.
 

GoutPatrol

Forgotten in his cell
studio810 said:
Routers that work/don't work
routers1sx.jpg


Or do you mean the Dongle?, from what I've seen they're all about the same in cost.

Would you happen to know if a D-Link DI-614+ would work?
 
studio810 said:
Routers that work/don't work
routers1sx.jpg


Or do you mean the Dongle?, from what I've seen they're all about the same in cost.


Whoa, whoa. These aren't the only models that work, right? As in, this is only a partial list?
 

Nester

Member
I was just at Target, the Dlink DI-624 is on sale this week for $29.99. Fully recommended according to that list.
 

callous

Member
Can someone tell me with utmost certainty whether this router is compatible or not?

D-Link AirPlus DI-614+
Details

The 514 isn't and the 624 is, so what do I know. No info on this one on Nintendo's site
 

koam

Member
callous said:
Can someone tell me with utmost certainty whether this router is compatible or not?

D-Link AirPlus DI-614+
Details

The 514 isn't and the 624 is, so what do I know. No info on this one on Nintendo's site

I just answered that :p
 
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