Development:Super Mario Kart/November 29, 1991 Proto/Early Maps

This is a sub-page of Development:Super Mario Kart/November 29, 1991 Proto.

The displays below show the AI checkpoint bounds and flow map, which give an idea of what the structure of the track would look like. Since the track layouts themselves are part of the assets not included in the Intel Hex file, we cannot be 100% sure of what the tracks would have been down to each specific tile placement. For this reason, raw track images cannot be provided here. However, there is a file called drive-data which was used as the checkpoint zone data before December 1991. The data from this file is what will be shown below. Combined with this data will be also data that comes directly from the game itself, specifically the finish line and starting coordinates data.

Another one of the lost files is the file for the positions of the overlay objects (item panels, zippers, etc.), so there is unfortunately no way to know what the data would have been for the overlay positions.

This prototype includes 21 maps (rather than the usual 24) since only 1 battle map exists in this build.

The key to understanding the data is found below:

RACE maps

CIRCUIT-1 (Mario Circuit 3)

Nov'91 Checkpoint Data	Later Map

• Just about every zone on the track was reworked. The earlier version didn't have most of the speed values set yet.

(Source: MrL314)

OBAKE-1 (Ghost Valley 2)

Nov'91 Checkpoint Data	Later Map

• The track originally had multiple branching pathways.

(See here for a recreation of this track.)

(Source: MrL314)

GRASS-1 (Donut Plains 2)

Nov'91 Checkpoint Data	Later Map

To do: locations of monty moles

Based on the Oct 91 - April 92 layout. It contains a split path that crosses over the lake with the road at the bottom continuing straight.

(Source: MrL314)

CASTLE-1 (Bowser Castle 2)

Nov'91 Checkpoint Data	Later Map

To do: locations of bubbles (copy of locations of moles)

Looks surprisingly similar to the later version. The only real differences is that most of the speed values haven't been set yet.

(Source: MrL314)

ICE-1 (Vanilla Lake 2)

Nov'91 Checkpoint Data	Later Map

• The road at the top is split into multiple zones with some of the ones underneath extruding towards the center of the map, suggesting a vastly different layout.

(Source: MrL314)

DART-1 (Choco Island 3)

Nov'91 Checkpoint Data	April Checkpoint Data

• The bottom has a more sharper curve towards the end, which seems to match the track piece found in several .SCRs in the source files.
• The zones on the right make a more twisted path.
• Uses diagonal zone types that go unused later on.

(See here for a recreation of this track.)

(Source: MrL314)

SAND-1 (Koopa Beach 2)

Nov'91 Checkpoint Data	Later Map

To do: cheep cheep on starting line (talked about above)

The zones on the left go alongside the wall instead of extruding outward into the shallower water section, which may have not existed yet.

(Source: MrL314)

CIRCUIT-2 (Mario Circuit 1)

Nov'91 Checkpoint Data	Later Map

• Most of the track's zones were reworked.

(Source: MrL314)

OBAKE-2 (Ghost Valley 3)

Nov'91 Checkpoint Data	Final Checkpoint Data

• Some of the zones are thinner.

(Source: MrL314)

CASTLE-2 (Bowser Castle 3)

Nov'91 Checkpoint Data	Final Checkpoint Data

• Seems to be based off the Oct 1991 map, with two extrusions for dead ends present.

(Source: MrL314)

DART-2 (Choco Island 2)

Nov'91 Checkpoint Data	Final Checkpoint Data

• The zones on the right don't split into a big bulge where the big puddle is in the final. They instead make a short bend.

(Source: MrL314)

GRASS-2 (Donut Plains 3)

Nov'91 Checkpoint Data	Final Checkpoint Data

• Based off the Oct 1991 map, with a split path on the final turn before the finish line.

(Source: MrL314)

ICE-2 (Vanilla Lake 1)

Nov'91 Checkpoint Data	Final Checkpoint Data

• The top-right and left quadrant zones are wider, corresponding to a T-shaped wall similar in vein to the later April 1992 version of the map.

(Source: MrL314)

SAND-2 (Koopa Beach 1)

Nov'91 Checkpoint Data	Final Checkpoint Data

• Most of the checkpoints are reworked.
• The target placements on the right suggest the shallower water section may have had less holes.

(Source: MrL314)

CIRCUIT-3 (Mario Circuit 4)

Nov'91 Checkpoint Data	Final Checkpoint Data

• A different and much shorter layout that contains a jump!
• Uses the later-unused diagonal zone types.

(See here for a recreation of this track.)

(Source: MrL314)

CIRCUIT-4 (Mario Circuit 2)

Nov'91 Checkpoint Data	Final Checkpoint Data

• Different layout that contains another extra jump at the top.

(See here for a recreation of this track.)

(Source: MrL314)

OBAKE-3 (Ghost Valley 1)

Nov'91 Checkpoint Data	Final Checkpoint Data

• Checkpoints were reworked and a shortcut was added later.

(Source: MrL314)

CASTLE-3 (Bowser Castle 1)

Nov'91 Checkpoint Data	Final Checkpoint Data

• The zones are thinner.

(Source: MrL314)

DART-3 (Choco Island 1)

Nov'91 Checkpoint Data	Final Checkpoint Data

• The top-right turn is much wider.

(Source: MrL314)

GRASS-3 (Donut Plains 1)

Nov'91 Checkpoint Data	Final Checkpoint Data

• Based on the Oct 91 - April 92 versions of the map, the road at the bottom continues straight instead of forming a big twist.

(Source: MrL314)

BATTLE maps

BATTLE-1

This map can be understood to be the Battle Map used in this prototype due to its theme (Donut Plains), starting locations, and build dates. This map is internally known as both a backup to the B1 map in the sugiyama/CAR directory, and by "battle1" in the kimura/kart/data/mode7/scr/battle directory, the former dated October 23, 1991, and the latter dated October 24, 1991.

Nov'91 DP Battle Map	Final DP Battle Map

Interestingly, if we take a look at the remaining data in drive-data.bin, we actually see a few copies of the same data. Taking the data that can be used, we obtain the image on the left. This seems to be a remnant of even earlier GV2 zone data, which can be seen if we directly compare the two pieces of data.

GV2 early data

Earlier GV2 Checkpoint Data	Actual Nov'91 GV2 Checkpoint Data

To do: list differences

(Source: MrL314)