Proto:Mario Kart DS/USA Kiosk Demo

This is a sub-page of Proto:Mario Kart DS.

This article is a work in progress.
...Well, all the articles here are, in a way. But this one moreso, and the article may contain incomplete information and editor's notes.

Early in development, Mario Kart DS resembled Double Dash!! much more than it does in the final; these connections can be seen both in-game and unused in this kiosk demo that was used in stores prior to the game's release. On another note, this build is very similar to the E3 2005 demo version(s).

To do:

Upload the map icons of www.unseen64.net

Sub-Pages

Notes

Early Resources

Early Courses
Blue cars are red?

Early Objects
Bullet Bills without eyes?

Early Maps
So many maps from Yoshi Circuit?

Early Modes
Driving with 8 Marios?

Early Audio
Double Dash!! instruments?

Unused Content

Unused Courses
Chequered areas?

Unused Textures
Double Dash!! menus?

General Differences

Prototype	Final JPN/EUR/KOR	Final USA

The top screen was unchanged, but the bottom screen is different compared to any released version as it only has a basic copyright.

Proto	Final

The most notable difference is the different logo, which is the same logo from the older Mario Kart games.

Proto	Final

The graphics and fonts used in the cup selection are different in the Kiosk Demo. All cups are absent except the demo cups Nitro and Retro, which are the final game's Mushroom and Shell cups.

The course names are still written with the Kiosk Demo font in the Korean version of the final game.

Proto	Final

The boot-up banner is also different. It depicts Mario and his kart with their models from E3 2004 (which tends to borrow from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!), rather than the final design.

Proto
Final

Nearly all of the item icons were redrawn and/or enlarged. Additionally, the demo uses a few textures from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. The Blooper also has its appearance from Super Mario Sunshine.

Proto	Final

Donkey Kong is called "DK" and has his voice clips directly from Donkey Kong 64 in the demo. Also, Wario has his original long-sleeved shirt in the demo from past Mario games. The icons on the character select screen were spread out in the final version. Most icons are slightly cropped, Toad and DK's faces are redrawn, and Yoshi is smaller overall for the final version. A single pixel is changed in Wario's icon.

Graphical Differences

Countdown numbers

Proto	Final

START text

Proto	Final

The prototype says GO! while the final says START.

Goal text

Proto	Final

The countdown numbers and the goal text are bigger than in the final, but are lacking in detail and paler.

Other differences

The Fake Item Box doesn't exist yet in any form; no graphics or model exist in the ROM.
No smoke particles appear if the player fails the turbo start at the beginning of the race.
Touching other drivers slows you down dramatically.
The map on the bottom screen can be zoomed in and out by sliding horizontally on the touchscreen. This feature still exists in the final, but disabled. It can be re-enabled with an AR code.
Characters' winning animations will sometimes get stuck. Also happens in the final's battle mode sometimes.
If the driver touches the road while upside-down, the driver will instantly flip vertically. A similar reaction exists in Mario Kart 64.
If the player drifts on a boost panel and bumps into a wall with the outer drift side, the player will stand on the boost panel without receiving a boost.

Early Menus

To do:
Document the leftovers in the final game. There are archives in the Scene folder and the address for the current menu is 021653BA (in the Europe version), but simply changing it like you can in the demo doesn't work - the game crashes.

While not appearing in the demo menu, these can be accessed using the below Action Replay code (where "XX" is the ID). Press Select at any time to activate the code.

94000130 000003FB
120E77D8 000000XX
D2000000 00000000

Emblem Editor

ID: 03
Internal Name: Edit
The final emblem editor is called Emblem.

Proto	Final

At this point, the editor has a basic appearance with a more advanced paint bucket and only 3 template pattern. The paint bucket has the option to draw connected pixels with the same colour, draw all pixels with the same colour or to give all pixels on the screen the same colour. The archive, that contains this editor, still exist in the final and contains an improved but still incomplete emblem editor.

Pressing the S on the bottom screen shows 4 options:

1. Option: Save and go to Driver Menu

2. Option: Go to Driver Menu without Save

3. Option: Save and continue

4. Option: Continue without Save

However, the emblem is only black and crashes on real hardware, most likely due to a missing palette file.

Debug Menu

ID: 04
Internal Name: Menu
A debug menu is present in the Kiosk Demo which contains many features. The menu used in this demo is called E3Menu and the menu used in the final is called Menu, like this debug menu. More information can be found on the the Early Modes sub-page.

Communication Error / Test

ID: 05
Internal Name: Test
This screen shows an early communication error screen with some testing features on the bottom screen by pressing X. These include a bottom map test of GCN Yoshi Circuit, a drawing test, and a test showing Japanese text in red. The red text (あいうえおかきくけこさしすせそ) contains the first fifteen letters of the hiragana script, which is the equivalent to the first 15 letters of the alphabet. The white text (仮ポーズ) means temporary pause.

	Bottom Map Test	Drawing Test

06

To do:
Check what happens with these last three values if they're executed on the EU multiplayer kiosk demo? I feel like they might have relation to some sort of 'connection waiting' menu/selection sort of thing (particularly given this one is just after the error screen, idk

ID: 06
Internal Name: Unknown or none in game
Shows the current name of the DS console. Purpose unknown.

The console's name shown on the lower right corner of the top screen.

07

ID: 07
Internal Name: Unknown or none in game
A blank screen. Pressing A or Start will take you back to the Title Screen.

Record Screen

ID: 0B
Internal Name: Record
Another blank screen. Every value after this one crashes the game.

Early Characters

Daisy (0x09), Waluigi (0x0A), R.O.B. (0x0B), and Shy Guy (0x0C) exist in the Kiosk Demo, but are unfinished as they use the files for Peach, Luigi, Mario, and Yoshi.

Yoshi

Yoshi was originally of medium weight class (evident by the values in KartModelMain.carc/charphysicalparam.bin file), but ended up being light in final.

E. Gadd

Professor E. Gadd was going to be a playable character in Mario Kart DS, but was later replaced with Dry Bones. He uses Toad's models, graphics, and voice clips with Mario's kart decorations and large portrait. His ID is 0x08.

Early Vehicles

All characters use their Standard kart in the Kiosk Demo, rendering the alternate versions unused. Karts from the second category do not exist yet and are using duplicates of the Standard Kart (except Poltergust 4000).

Proto	Final

Proto	Final

Proto	Final

Proto	Final

Proto	Final

These karts still exist in the final game's files as they can be found in the unused KartModelMenu.carc and KartModelMain.carc archives.

Early Cups

All cups from the final game are present in the Kiosk Demo. The Shell, Banana, Leaf and Lightning cups were called SNES, N64, GBA and GCN Cup and they only featured the courses from the corresponding console.

It's worth noting that SNES Koopa Beach 2 and Choco Island 2 were swapped around at some point as indicated by the course order of the SNES cup.

Unused Items

Boo

This item exists both in this prototype and in the final game but it cannot be obtained under usual ways. It is possible to obtain it with AR codes, but attempting to use it crashes the game.

620f9170 00000000
b20fb0f0 00000000
2000001c 0000000e
20000024 00000001
d2000000 00000000

Chain Chomp

The Chain Chomp from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! makes a small appearance in this demo, but was later replaced with the Bullet Bill. While the item does flash by in the item roulette (as seen in this expertly-timed screenshot), you cannot receive it. It is possible to obtain it with AR codes, but attempting to use it crashes the game.

620f9170 00000000
b20fb0f0 00000000
2000001c 00000010
20000024 00000001
d2000000 00000000

Bowser Shell

A texture for the Bowser Shell from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! can be found in the game's files as well. However, this item does not appear in the item roulette, as there is no data for it.

Purple Koopa Shell

A texture which shows a purple Koopa shell. Again, there is no data for such an item. A small icon of a triple purple shell for use on the item roulette and the bottom screen exists.

Bottom-Screen Icons

Each of the three unused items has a corresponding bottom-screen icon. Note that only an icon for Triple Purple Shells exists - there is no icon for a single Purple Shell, proves the item was planned to only have a triple variant.

Placeholder Green Shells

Item IDs 0B and 0D appear as Green Shell in the item machine and your character's icon in the racers list. They can be achieved using AR codes, but using them crashes the game. The ID for the actual Green Shell is 00.

620f9170 00000000
b20fb0f0 00000000
2000001c 0000000X
20000024 00000001
d2000000 00000000
(Replace X with B or D)

The following video shows these unused items in action:

Unused Text

GADD

DAISY

WALUIGI

HVC-012

SHYGUY

Text used by the early characters.

TEST MESSAGE J 1

TEST MESSAGE J 2

Present in root/Data/Scene/Test.carc/Test.carc/test.bmg, a file which itself goes unused.

コースをすすんで
2つのドカンのあいだを　とおれ！
せいげんじかんは　25びょう。

コイン40まいを　ぜんぶあつめろ！
せいげんじかんは　50びょう。

クリボー6ぴきを　ぜんぶたおせ！
せいげんじかんは　30びょう。

はぐれワンワンよりも
さきにゴールしろ！

コイン50まいを　ぜんぶあつめろ！
せいげんじかんは　60びょう。

コースを　2しゅうまわれ！
せいげんじかんは　100びょう。

あかいクルマよりも
さきにゴールしろ！

さくせいちゅう・・・

Found in /data/Scene/Menu_ja.carc/mission.bmg is Japanese mission objective text. Roughly translated, it means...

Go through the course and pass between the two pipes!
Time limit: 25 seconds.

Collect all 40 coins!
Time limit: 50 seconds.

Defeat all 6 Goombas!
Time limit: 30 seconds.

Reach the goal before the runaway Chain Chomp!

Collect all 50 coins!
Time limit: 60 seconds.

Make two laps around the course!
Time limit: 100 seconds.

Reach the goal before the red car!

Under construction...

"Under construction" was likely used as temporary text for undeveloped missions.

The final's mission descriptions don't have the "Time limit" line, and the Chain Chomp mission's description here is the only one kept in the final.

Unused Models

To do:
There could be more... But I'm still looking! ~Francofantino

Shy Guy

There is an unused Shy Guy model that seems to be unfinished because he has no arms. It is in the same folder as the Yoshi model which was used as a placeholder model for Shy Guy. This model does not exist in the final version, except in the Download Play version. This is proof that Shy Guy was meant to be playable normally.

Root Info

Build: 2005 5/30(Mon) 18:20:47

The date when the demo was compiled, present in root/data/Boot/builddate.bin. This is shortly after E3 that year, which reflects its similarity to the E3 2005 demo.

MarioKartDS
★Demo Version★
Nintendo

The demo's DS menu banner text.

Unused Snapshots

These all seem to be taken from screenshots which were publicly released in late 2004/early 2005.

root/data/Scene/Record.carc/snap01.nbfs	root/data/Scene/Record.carc/snap02.nbfs	root/data/Scene/Record.carc/snap03.nbfs