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This changes EVERYTHING: Mario All-Stars Physics Patch

E

Eric C

Member
So this all started today because none of the little kids in my extended family wanted to play the original NES versions of Mario, they all thought it looked "too ugly" They instead wanted to play the All-Stars version. Now I couldn't let them grow up playing Mario with broken physics so when I came home tonight I had to find a solution.

As most people know when Nintendo made Super Mario All Stars for the SNES they changed the physics from the original NES versions of SMB and The Lost Levels. To many people that change was simply unacceptable. I myself own both the SNES cartridge and the Wii disc and have still never beat the All-Stars version of SMB or LL.


I wondered if anyone created a patch for the SNES rom to fix this... Someone has! I feel the world should know about this patch. According to this page only 26 people before me have downloaded this patch so I assume most of the world doesn't even know it exists.

http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/167


I own the combined SMAS + SMW cartridge so that's the patch I used.

I applied the smasw_brickfix.ips
to the "Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World (U) [!].smc" size 2,621,440 bytes rom
using IPSharp
and it worked perfectly for me.

I first tried LunarIPS but that didn't work. IPSharp changes the header automatically so the patch will work. This patch requires a header for some reason.





Also I've done what NINTENDON'T. The patch also works with the rom that's on the Wii Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary disc.

First I tried to put the SMAS + SMW rom onto the Wii disc, but the disc wouldn't load. :(

But here's what I did to patch the actual file on my Wii disc. Took me less than 15 minutes, and most of that time I was checking to make sure I didn't mixup the patched an unpatched files.

1. Using WiiScrubber 1.4 I extracted the LZH8SVME.rom from my Wii ISO. The rom is located under the "content5" part of the disc. If you don't know how to make an ISO for the disc you own, search google for a "how to" guide.

2. LZH8SVME.rom is compressed so you have to use something like lzh8_dec.exe to decompress it. lzh8_dec.exe IS A COMMAND LINE PROGRAM, SO YOU HAVE TO KNOW HOW TO USE THE COMMAND PROMPT. I renamed the uncompressed rom to something like SMAS-Wii.smc and tested it in a PC emulator, it worked but with messed up sound. Nintendo purposely separated the sound from the rom so that's exactly what should've happened.

3. Next I used IPSharp to apply the smas_brickfix.ips patch to the Wii Rom. If you want to you can test the patched rom in a PC emulator again to make sure it still works, the sound should still be messed up.

4. This brickfix.ips patch also adds a header to the rom, that header will have to be removed before the rom can be put back on the disc. I used snesROMUtil.exe to remove the header.

5. Now finally you can use lzh8_cmp.exe to re-compress the rom. I renamed it back to LZH8SVME.rom lzh8_cmp.exe IS A COMMAND LINE PROGRAM, SO YOU HAVE TO KNOW HOW TO USE THE COMMAND PROMPT.

6. Finally I used WiiScrubber 1.4 again and this time replaced the LZH8SVME.rom file on the disc with the new patched one.

I used "USB Loader GX" to load my patched ISO and it booted up perfectly. Now after 18 years since the cartridge was released... people can FINALLY play the All Stars version of SMB and LL on official Nintendo Hardware without messed up physics!

All Credit should go to BMF54123 the creator of the patch, and Nintendo for being lazy enough to use an almost untouched SNES rom so the SNES patch could still work on the Wii disc.
 
...

I can understand the physics complain in Sonic games but... Mario? And only because of the behavior when hitting blocks?

I'm sorry but I don't see the problem here.
 
Ericsc said:
I myself own both the SNES cartridge and the Wii disc and have still never beat the All-Stars version of SMB or LL.
Click to expand...

Because of a fucking tweak in the physics? Really? And in a 2D game? You simply couldn't try and, you know, adjust?
 
BY2K said:
...

I can understand the physics complain in Sonic games but... Mario? And only because of the behavior when hitting blocks?

I'm sorry but I don't see the problem here.
Click to expand...

In SMB1 and Lost Levels, you don't do much beside run, jump, and hit blocks. When you change one of those, you're changing a significant portion of the game.

I had always just resigned myself to playing the NES originals anyway, but I might give this a whirl one day.
 
Brick physics

In the NES version, Mario bounces back very quickly after breaking a brick block. When Mario jumps and breaks a brick in All-Stars, he is pulled upward for a split second. Unfortunately, this small change wrecks the rhythm of the original game; in All-Stars, instead of rebounding off a brick block without losing speed, when Mario makes a running jump and breaks a brick that is connected to another block, he'll bump into the adjacent block and fall straight down, resulting in a total loss of momentum.

This change affects both Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, but Super Mario Bros. 3 was spared, thankfully.
Click to expand...
It's a pretty big change especially if your play style is all about momentum. I'm happy to stick with my "ugly" characters though.
 
...no idea there was anything off in the All-Stars games. Though, those were the ones I mostly played without playing the NES versions.
 
It's not that big of a change, since I beat SMBLL on All Stars and never noticed it happening. Good for the three sperglords whom this glitch has actually bothered, I guess.
 
So this all started today because none of the little kids in my extended family wanted to play the original NES versions of Mario, they all thought it looked "too ugly" They instead wanted to play the All-Stars version. Now I couldn't let them grow up playing Mario with broken physics so when I came home tonight I had to find a solution.
Click to expand...

The idea of withholding fucking Mario Bros. from children over the minute physics change on hitting blocks is the most hilarious things I've ever heard

"can I play supa nintedno?"

"NO"

"whyyyyyyyy"

"BECAUSE THE PHYSICS ARE BROKEN!"

"what's a fisick"

"YOU ARE NO RELATIVE OF MINE"
 
Yep, I totally agree with the brick physics. I always play SMB for speed and because of the upward movement in the all-star version, it is almost unplayable for me.
 
First the thread in OT by the guy who got physically ill from listening to mp3s, and now a thread where OP apparently won't let children play SM All-Stars because the physics are broken.
 
On one hand, the information in the main post is actually interesting and I'd like to give it a chance one of this days. So, props for the well done tutorial.

On the other hand, you should just let the kids plays the games the way the games were meant to. If they really like it; they might jump into the classics and notice the differences themselves.
 
Combichristoffersen said:
and now a thread where OP apparently won't let children play SM All-Stars because the physics are broken.
Click to expand...

Block Physics.

mrIt9.gif
 
jooey said:
Because of a fucking tweak in the physics? Really? And in a 2D game? You simply couldn't try and, you know, adjust?
Click to expand...

Never had to adjust, I've always had the original NES cartridges with the superior music. :P

BigJiantRobut said:
The idea of withholding fucking Mario Bros. from children over the minute physics change on hitting blocks is the most hilarious things I've ever heard

"can I play supa nintedno?"

"NO"

"whyyyyyyyy"

"BECAUSE THE PHYSICS ARE BROKEN!"

"what's a fisick"

"YOU ARE NO RELATIVE OF MINE"
Click to expand...

What? Nobody withheld anything. They played Mario all day.

Combichristoffersen said:
First the thread in OT by the guy who got physically ill from listening to mp3s, and now a thread where OP apparently won't let children play SM All-Stars because the physics are broken.
Click to expand...

Where did I say I withheld anything?

When I said "Now I couldn't let them grow up playing Mario with broken physics so when I came home tonight I had to find a solution."

doesn't that imply that they were infact playing it? I guess my sarcastic tone came off to seriously. How could they grow up playing with "broken physics" if they weren't playing it?

Just thought it was cool that someone made a simple patch for it AND it worked with the Wii disc too.

Berordn said:
In SMB1 and Lost Levels, you don't do much beside run, jump, and hit blocks. When you change one of those, you're changing a significant portion of the game.

I had always just resigned myself to playing the NES originals anyway, but I might give this a whirl one day.
Click to expand...

freddy said:
It's a pretty big change especially if your play style is all about momentum. I'm happy to stick with my "ugly" characters though.
Click to expand...

perfectchaos007 said:
Yep, I totally agree with the brick physics. I always play SMB for speed and because of the upward movement in the all-star version, it is almost unplayable for me.
Click to expand...

At least some other people noticed the change.
 
I remember the first time I realized the brick thing in the remake. In level 4-1, there is a pit with some low hanging bricks, in the original you can jump over the pit while breaking the block, in the All-Stars version you jump the pit, hit the brick, get caught between the other bricks and fall to your death.

kprrc.png


I simply had to change the way I went to beat the level so it's not a big deal, but it's still nice to see someone fix it.

EDIT: note that this is only a problem when you're big.
 
Find it weird how many "wow, how nerdy" comments this is getting. If you've ever played the NES/SNES versions side-by-side it's pretty noticeable.

It's about the same as the bad rolling physics in newer Sonic games.
 
I'm actually with the OP on this. I never liked playing the Mario games on All-Stars for a number of reasons. Physics being the main one. It really is a huge turn-off when the momentum just stops after hitting a block, which I do regularly while running in SMB1 on the NES just to make it more interesting.

Then there's the graphics and the feeling they set. The most obvious example would be in world 8 of SMB3. On the NES version all the levels there have a completely black background with some minimalistic patterns from time to time. Even the pipes are black and white. This set the tone of the level to be more dark and haunting because, well it's world 8 and you should be scared. In the SNES version on the other hand the backgrounds are all forest-y and colorful. This isn't a huge complaint though.

8-1 on the NES
8-1 on the SNES

I'll just stick with the NES versions.
 
Aaron Strife said:
Find it weird how many "wow, how nerdy" comments this is getting. If you've ever played the NES/SNES versions side-by-side it's pretty noticeable.

It's about the same as the bad rolling physics in newer Sonic games.
Click to expand...

It's less about it being "nerdy" (shit, I complain about this sort of thing in fighting games all the time) it's just that I found it amusing that the OP started with a story about being annoyed with small children for wanting to play a certain version of the game. Even if it was sarcasm, the idea makes me giggle.

I refuse to buy the "remastered" Star Wars editions myself, but I'm not gonna recommend little kids find a copy of that upscaled original trilogy someone made.
 
Combichristoffersen said:
First the thread in OT by the guy who got physically ill from listening to mp3s, and now a thread where OP apparently won't let children play SM All-Stars because the physics are broken.
Click to expand...

Here I thought my damnation of Chemical Plant zone would be the craziest thing on gaf tonight.
Yet here we are in a thread about block physics in a mario game
 
BigJiantRobut said:
The idea of withholding fucking Mario Bros. from children over the minute physics change on hitting blocks is the most hilarious things I've ever heard

"can I play supa nintedno?"

"NO"

"whyyyyyyyy"

"BECAUSE THE PHYSICS ARE BROKEN!"

"what's a fisick"

"YOU ARE NO RELATIVE OF MINE"
Click to expand...

I had to laugh so hard over this.
 
CO_Andy said:
A lotta work just to get the rom to play on Mario 25th Anniversary.

Why not just snes9x for the Wii :P
Click to expand...

When I tried the rom with Snes9x GX on the Wii I thought I noticed some slowdown.

And after I got it working for the SNES rom, I was just curious if it would work at all for the Wii disc. A few minutes later I found out, it worked.

Also with the disc you can use the WiiMote, you can't use the WiiMote with any SNES games on the VC. Don't know if snes9x gx let you use the WiiMote or not.
 
The original SMB has the best physics in the entire franchise.

I'm ultima_5 and I hereby endorse this message. Come at me gaf.
 
BigJiantRobut said:
The idea of withholding fucking Mario Bros. from children over the minute physics change on hitting blocks is the most hilarious things I've ever heard

"can I play supa nintedno?"

"NO"

"whyyyyyyyy"

"BECAUSE THE PHYSICS ARE BROKEN!"

"what's a fisick"

"YOU ARE NO RELATIVE OF MINE"
Click to expand...
Someone, please, make a comic out of this! :lol
 
I agree with you OP, I remember when I tried All-Stars and immediately felt something off with the physics and I then knew I could not continue playing this version.
 
SMB3 was toned down.
Click to expand...

I'm interested to know how it was toned down? I never knew the SNES versions were different gameplay wise as I never had a NES. Also, I assume SMW used the same physics as All Stars?
 
Huh, interesting. I knew as soon as I played this in 1993 that something was off, less gravity tugging on me. I liked the novelty of the graphics but playing that SMB1 never felt right.
 
i appreciate OP's effort at maintaining the game's original physics (i honestly played both classic & all-stars to death and never really noticed, personally), but...
BigJiantRobut is killing me here.
 
DeathNote said:
i need a video or something explaining the difference
Click to expand...

No video sorry, but in SMB1 on the NES when you jump up under a brick-block to smash it, you immediately bounce back to the ground, keeping your momentum if you were running. In SMB1 on the SNES you instead go through the block that you just smashed from below, so you kind of snag on the block next to it which will stop the momentum completely. It kind of makes sense in a way, that you would go through the block you just smashed because well, you smashed it. But the fact that it stops the momentum and speed you had is what makes it feel so bad for those accustomed to the NES versions.

If you only know SMB1 on the SNES, then think of when you jump up to hit a brick-block when you are small Mario. You immediately bounce back to the ground because you can't break the block. That's how it works on the NES at all times. You don't go up through the block at all.

It's especially annoying when you're running through a corridor with a ceiling that is made from bricks, and you run-jump over an enemy only to hit the block above you so you go through it and snag on the following block making you stop completely and fall in front of the enemy who then runs into you.
 
you should hang up your gamer hat if you can't feel the difference between the NES and SNES versions. naturally, since this patch only fixes the least of the SNES version's issues, i'll stick with the original.
 
Cool thread. Thanks for the info.

I get the whole jokes due to kids thing, but stuff like this:

BY2K said:
...

I can understand the physics complain in Sonic games but... Mario? And only because of the behavior when hitting blocks?

I'm sorry but I don't see the problem here.
Click to expand...

...man. This sounds straight-up alien to me. I can't process this.

"but... Doom? And only because of the behavior when strafing?"

"but... Street Fighter? And only because of the behavior when blocking?"

"but... Tetris? And only because of the behavior when rotating?"

i mean, do you play video games?
 
milkyjay20 said:
you should hang up your gamer hat if you can't feel the difference between the NES and SNES versions. naturally, since this patch only fixes the least of the SNES version's issues, i'll stick with the original.
Click to expand...

I'm so sorry I can't make the difference between the slightest of changes that I don't give a fuck about.
 
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