Super Mario 64 has been decompiled

signal · Jul 12, 2019

Not sure what is safe to post here since the two main sources are 4chan (with a download link) and gbatemp forums with no download link (is gbatemp linking allowed?) but this should be OK to post at least: https://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/cbymz3/super_mario_64_has_been_decompiled/ You can maybe read through some of the reddit comments too if you have questions.

e:

jediyoshi said:
A better conversation of it is up on the emulation subreddit

https://www.reddit.com/r/emulation/comments/cbro9u/super_mario_64_has_been_decompiled/

SM64 PC port with mod support when

jediyoshi · Jul 12, 2019

A better conversation of it is up on the emulation subreddit

https://www.reddit.com/r/emulation/comments/cbro9u/super_mario_64_has_been_decompiled/

Regulus Tera · Jul 12, 2019

It begins

RestEerie · Jul 12, 2019

wait...so you are saying they managed to get the source code out of this decompilation?

huge if true although they better don't distribute it openly lest it incur the wrath of nintendo. Source code for a closed source project is considered intellectual property and under protection.

unicornKnight · Jul 12, 2019

RestEerie said:
wait...so you are saying they managed to get the source code out of this decompilation?

Not exactly

They actually rewrote all the functions from reading MIPS assembly and compiled it with the original compiler, adjusting the code until it produced identical output to a vanilla ROM.

Amazing.

Deleted member 2809 · Jul 12, 2019

Does this mean that rom hacks won't have top trash tier music now ?

RestEerie · Jul 12, 2019

unicornKnight said:
Not exactly

Amazing.

ah..so it's more like reverse engineering then...

Regulus Tera · Jul 12, 2019

I hope we can play SM64 on an ATM after this

jediyoshi · Jul 12, 2019

RestEerie said:
wait...so you are saying they managed to get the source code out of this decompilation?

huge if true although they better don't distribute it openly lest it incur the wrath of nintendo. Source code for a closed source project is considered intellectual property and under protection.

It's already leaked. It can be used to create the original ROM.

Mocha · Jul 12, 2019

I'd love to read the source code on that just to see how everything works.

RestEerie · Jul 12, 2019

Regulus Tera said:
I hope we can play SM64 on an ATM after this

does your ATM even do 'project reality', bruh? It needs to be able to do 'silicon graphics' at least ;)

Fredrik · Jul 12, 2019

I'm guessing that this isn't all that legal...

But it's certainly amazing.

What programming language is used? While I'd rather look at the super mario bros code, since it's laser focused 2D platforming perfection, I can still imagine that the SM64 code is interesting for anyone who play around making their own games.

Miles Davis · Jul 12, 2019

I'll take a sequel.

Rush_Khan · Jul 12, 2019

The mods for SM64 were already mind-blowing. I can't imagine what kind of mods this breakthrough could lead to.

Deleted member 44129 · Jul 12, 2019

Can someone please explain to my layman self what this means and how it works? Why did it take so long. Isn't it like unbaking bread and giving someone the flour?

Madao · Jul 12, 2019

so this is pretty much the same thing as the Metroid Prime PC port?
sounds like this could bring a lot of new possibilities to the game. i hope more N64 games get this treatment.

johan · Jul 12, 2019

can't wait for raytraced mario 64

PennyStonks · Jul 12, 2019

God_Of_Phwoar said:
Can someone please explain to my layman self what this means and how it works? Why did it take so long. Isn't it like unbaking bread and giving someone the flour?

I guess in your analogy it would be taking a loaf of bread with its obscured recipe and finding out the original recipe.

Fliesen · Jul 12, 2019

God_Of_Phwoar said:
Can someone please explain to my layman self what this means and how it works? Why did it take so long. Isn't it like unbaking bread and giving someone the flour?

It's more like taking a glass of Coca Cola and figuring out the formula, so it can be reproduced 100% accurately.

Kouriozan · Jul 12, 2019

Rush_Khan said:
The mods for SM64 were already mind-blowing. I can't imagine what kind of mods this breakthrough could lead to.

Yeah, Kaze Emanuar is just so good at modding Mario 64.

Mipmap · Jul 12, 2019

I hope pannenkoek2012 makes some cool discoveries with the info.

thuway · Jul 12, 2019

Will this mean I finally get my Mario 64 remake in unreal engine 4

flyingman · Jul 12, 2019

thuway said:
Will this mean I finally get my Mario 64 remake in unreal engine 4

No it means you will get any Mario 64 engine based natively running on any playform ever.

So in theory OO64 could be running on PS4 pretty easily.

flyingman · Jul 12, 2019

Fredrik said:
I'm guessing that this isn't all that legal...

But it's certainly amazing.

What programming language is used? While I'd rather look at the super mario bros code, since it's laser focused 2D platforming perfection, I can still imagine that the SM64 code is interesting for anyone who play around making their own games.

C of course. 5th generation games are written with C before that you could get assembly i think bunch of MIPS code.

TripaSeca · Jul 12, 2019

Amazing. the code was almost manually remade. Remarkable feat.

TheMadTitan · Jul 12, 2019

thuway said:
Will this mean I finally get my Mario 64 remake in unreal engine 4

You know how Doom runs on ATMs? This means we can get Mario 64 running on ATMs. And printers.

And your calculator.

signal · Jul 12, 2019

TheMadTitan said:
You know how Doom runs on ATMs? This means we can get Mario 64 running on ATMs. And printers.

And your calculator.

But can you get a painting that allows Mario to jump into the Doom world 🤔

Kaim Argonar · Jul 12, 2019

Amazin. Can't wait to see weird stuff.

TheMadTitan · Jul 12, 2019

signal said:
But can you get a painting that allows Mario to jump into the Doom world 🤔

That's crazy enough to be a fun gaming experience.

Someone needs to make that shit asap.

spineduke · Jul 12, 2019

ray traced sm64 please

Nemesis Warlock · Jul 12, 2019

Mipmap said:
I hope pannenkoek2012 makes some cool discoveries with the info.

Apparently Pannen was on the team, but that's just a rumour atm

Laxoon · Jul 12, 2019

Does this mean they can make something like GZDoom for Mario 64? If so this is like massively, massively huge.

-shadow- · Jul 12, 2019

They reverse engineered the entire thing? That absolutely crazy!

Spark · Jul 12, 2019

Laxoon said:
Does this mean they can make something like GZDoom for Mario 64? If so this is like massively, massively huge.

Yes, it means someone can make a native PC port with updated visual effects, modern controller support and full mod support. No more fiddling with an emulator.

Zacmortar · Jul 12, 2019

God, I wish all the games that lost their source code(Like Silent Hill 1-4) could get fans this obsessed to completely reverse engineer them :/

PeakPointMatrix · Jul 12, 2019

Spark said:
Yes, it means someone can make a native PC port with updated visual effects, modern controller support and full mod support. No more fiddling with an emulator.

So like upgrading character and stage geometry to modern standards? Tinkering with animation? A Mario with a facial rig that emotes in 3D during gameplay?

gofreak · Jul 12, 2019

Laxoon said:
Does this mean they can make something like GZDoom for Mario 64? If so this is like massively, massively huge.

Not legally... I guess GZDoom/ZDoom was possible because Doom was made open source.

Regulus Tera · Jul 12, 2019

Zacmortar said:
God, I wish all the games that lost their source code(Like Silent Hill 1-4) could get fans this obsessed to completely reverse engineer them :/

Super Mario 64 was one of the earliest 3D games so there's a lot less to work with, comparatively, than the later Silent Hills. Those games would take an even longer time to get decompiled.

anexanhume · Jul 12, 2019

unicornKnight said:
Not exactly

Amazing.

That's actually reverse engineering.

But I'd be willing to bet there are various ways for differing source code to result in the same compiled files. Not that it matters for execution.

I wonder if they could write a routine that brute forces this by matching compiled code segments until complete.

Jayveer · Jul 12, 2019

God_Of_Phwoar said:
Can someone please explain to my layman self what this means and how it works? Why did it take so long. Isn't it like unbaking bread and giving someone the flour?

In terms of how code is compiled into binary form to run on the target machine there are different levels of coding. With just straight writing things in hexadecimal being the lowest, assembly code being even lower and c code also considered low level programming these days but considered higher levels programming in the past.

Through the use of a disassembler (something like IDA) you can read the assembly code of an executable. Knowing both how the machine code works, and starting to piece together different states and global variables as you go along through different subroutines, you can implement c functions for the various subroutines and then the overall program, a very time consuming effort, in this case it was even more time consuming because the guys involved were trying to get a 1:1 match on the code, by recompiling their c code and seeing if it matched. That is if this is the same project I'm thinking of by the guys from the pret discord, I thought their project was private but I'm guessing someone leaked it.

Spark · Jul 12, 2019

PeakPointMatrix said:
So like upgrading character and stage geometry to modern standards? Tinkering with animation? A Mario with a facial rig that emotes in 3D during gameplay?

I mean maybe lol. I doubt any hobbyist would dedicate all the time and money into developing that level of product. Right now the most feasable thing to expect is a port with modern controller support and maybe updated lighting effects.

signal · Jul 12, 2019

Jayveer said:
That is if this is the same project I'm thinking of by the guys from the pret discord, I thought their project was private but I'm guessing someone leaked it.

Leaked from the n64 decomp discord apparently.

truncated_pachyderm · Jul 12, 2019

Mario 65 when

Quacktion · Jul 12, 2019

Finally, we will find Luigi!

Deleted member 14663 · Jul 12, 2019

Mario 64 raytracing please

Deleted member 2809 · Jul 12, 2019

Is raytracing the worst current meme ?

DieH@rd · Jul 12, 2019

Next up, Mario64 on the oscilloscope!

thuway · Jul 12, 2019

I wonder if they can remake Mario 64 with Mario Galaxy visuals now

Ninjadom · Jul 12, 2019

Another couple of noob questions, why has it taken 23 years? What's the actual importance of this?

Deleted member 41520 · Jul 12, 2019

Fredrik said:
I'm guessing that this isn't all that legal...

I'd guess that the actual act of retro-engineering how a game works isn't illegal at all

But distributing it or sharing it or making ROMs with it probably, almost definitely is

Super Mario 64 has been decompiled

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