New Super Mario Bros. Wii/Unused Objects

This is a sub-page of New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

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.

To do: There are more!

While New Super Mario Bros. Wii ported over quite a few assets from its DS predecessor, it added many of its own. Both the borrowed assets and new ones have some unused objects among them.

Unused Objects

Moving Stone Block

Sprite 27 and 28

Yet another port of an object from the DS game (with the same low-res textures), this little stone block is a simple moving platform/blockade. Sprite 27 moves vertically, 28 horizontally. Comes with lots of different options: can be event triggered; you can change its direction, speed, and move distance; you can make it slow down gradually; and you can edit its height and width. The last one also includes a rendering error, where the middle part will be empty if it's set to anything more than 0.

A similar (functionality-wise) block exists in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, used in 1-Tower.

Moving Stone Blocks

Sprites: 30, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, and 86

Similar to sprites 27 and 28, but with a new model and texture, and, with possible spikes! Also has a load of different options: is event triggerable, you can set its speed, delay before movement and return, movement direction, width and height and movement distance. This time, though, no rendering bugs are involved.

Random Event Controller

Sprite 36
Allows an event (like a switch being pressed) to activate one of up to four event IDs specified.

Red ! Switch

Sprites 42 and 45
The red switch from World 3 as an object which turns on red outline blocks like its counterpart from the DS game. It also has all the basic functionality of other switches. Sprite 45 is a brick which contains this object.

See-Saw Platform

Sprite 49

This platform also uses test_lift.arc and is a port of the New Super Mario Bros. one from 1-2. It bobs to the left/right slightly by itself and dips sharply when a player stands on it. Can be event triggered, you can change the tilt limit and its length.

Four Self-Rotating Platforms

Sprite 52

These are the 2-Tower platforms from New Super Mario Bros. They use test_lift.arc as their model. The rotating speed can't be changed, but the direction can.

Rising Player Platform

Sprite 55

A port of the 7-2 platform from New Super Mario Bros. platform, also using test_lift.arc. It's also similar to this game's 7-Tower Wiimote-controlled grinder, but the tilt is controlled by the player walking on it. There are a lot of options regarding this platform: You can set it, so it disappears if the player isn't standing on it for a brief amount of time, you can change when it starts rising (immediately upon level launch or as soon a player steps on it), and also the direction of its movement.

It seems that the platform glitches and stops moving once it reaches a certain height.

Key

Sprite 77

A simple key which, when collected, spins and flies toward your Star Coin counter. No sound plays, however, and nothing gets triggered.

Trampoline Wall

Sprite 87

Also uses test_lift.arc, it bounces the player in the opposite direction when touched. It can be glitchy (shoot you high in the air) if you mess with it enough. The height can be changed.

Autoscroll Block

Sprite 91

Appears as a simple blue block with an arrow. Can turn on autoscrolling, as it sets Sprite 91 (the autoscrolling controller) nybble 7 to 3 (start autoscrolling without events).

Rotation-Controlled Platforms

Sprites 97 and 107
They load test_lift.arc, but it's unclear how to make them show up in a level and work.

Amp Generator

Sprite 108
Generates a stream of Amps which will follow an on-screen line path. Has lots of options; movement speed, delay between spawning, number of amps spawned, and Z-order option.

Cheep Cheep

Sprite 116
An early version of Cheep Cheep. This object uses different settings, so the color is always red.

Swinging Pendulum Lift

Sprite 123

Ported from the DS game, along with their model and textures. They work like the World 6-Castle ones of the DS game, except that these self-rotate (you don't need to attach them to a rotation controller for them to move). You can adjust their swing arc, speed, and size.

Loose Arrow

Sprite 143

A simple arrow which can point to all eight directions. Has the same graphics used in the DS game for, among others, 2-3. It seems dark due to weird shading.

Jumping Cheep Cheep

Sprite 150
The final game uses a generator for this variant of Cheep Cheeps. There is one setting which makes them wait after they landed.

Big ? Switch

Sprite 153
Spawns a "big" version of the normal orange ? switch, but uses the normal ? switch model. Unlike the used one, this sprite needs another Switch object in the level, otherwise the game crashes.

Giant Brick Block

Sprite 157

This ugly, shading-less block can be easily destroyed, and can contain just about any item (even the key mentioned above). Hitting it produces the same sound, as hitting a normal brick with small or mini Mario.

It has a nybble which sets the amount of times it can be hit before it breaks.

Path-Controlled Platforms

Sprites 160 and 287 Sprite 160 uses the grabbable ice block graphic, while sprite 287 uses test_lift.arc. They're complete, and have lots of options: width, height, movement ID, starting node, and an option which decides what the platforms do at the final node of the path.

Balloon Powerup

Sprite 171
Appears during the Coin Battle/Free For All modes, but it's not used as a sprite. Its only nybble makes it show up. The powerup cannot be changed, and is always a Mushroom.

One-Way Gate

Sprite 174

Another port of a New Super Mario Bros. object, this gate allows the player to cross only from one direction. Very glitchy; the only usable ones are "enter from the right" and "enter from the left" ones; you go right through the "enter from the bottom" one, and "enter from the above" can only be used once.

Conveyor Belt Spike

Sprite 222

Attaches itself to a conveyor belt and moves alongside it.

Floating Coin

Sprite 225

This sprite, when placed underwater, will create a coin, which will float on the water. It's unknown why it was unused, but it's probably because it looks slightly weird when tilting on the water.

Giant Wiggler Generator

To do: Get this to work.

Sprite 241
Requires a path, but may not work at all.

River Controller

Sprite 243 This sprite will create a current in all water objects in the level. It doesn't have any graphical representation of it, though. You can set the current force and the direction. Some objects have been coded to use this, such as the Floating Barrel and the Lily Piranha, but they always go to the left (even if the current is set to the right), with much higher speed than set on the sprite.

More of these objects were likely planned, as there are references in the code to RIVER_PUKU, RIVER_PAIPO, RIVER_PAKKUN, RIVER_STARCOIN, and a few others.

There's also sprite 244, "RIVER_MGR", which does nothing.

Cheep Cheep Formation Generator

Sprite 247
Generates Cheep Cheeps in many formations. There are also different settings for the number of rows, the row width and direction.

Rotation-Controlled Deactivation Block

Sprite 252
Looks like a normal ? Block, but can be attached to a rotation controller. When hit, it deactivates set event. You can also choose how many times the block can be hit before it turns used.

Rotation-Controlled Pipes

Sprite 254
A very buggy sprite – it requires a Spinning Rotation Controller, but even then it's quite random when it appears and when it doesn't. You can set its length and the direction it will face at the start of the level.

Rolling Barrel

Sprite 288
Starts rolling as soon as it appears on screen. Breaks if it hits a wall. Will only knock back the player (won't hurt him).

Meltable Ice Cube

Sprite 294

A simple meltable ice cube, with steam coming out of it. Most likely scrapped in favor of ice cubes with coins in them.

Giant Buzzy Beetle

Sprite 296

A scaled-up version of the Buzzy Beetle, complete with a speed setting. Doesn't recognize if a platform ends, and because of that can walk on air. You can stand and ride it safely. It can only be defeated with a POW Block.

Wiimote-Controlled Doors

Sprites 319 and 320 They look like a giant door. Mario always goes behind them, even if the door is on a different layer from him. You can open the doors by tilting the Wiimote to the right. Sprite 319 opens like any normal door, while 320 slides to the right.

Bubbles with Controller

Sprites 328 and 329

This sprite spawns bubbles which push Mario through the water. There are options for size, spawn delay, bubble move speed and direction. The Bubble cannon ID lets you assign it to sprite 329, which has the same options, with bubble size replaced with starting spawn delay. The kanji on the bubble says "temporary".

Larry Koopa Controller

Sprite 415
An early version of Larry Koopa. The final game uses sprite 192.

Invisible Spin Jump Coin

Sprite 417
Spawns a coin when the player performs a spin jump nearby. Never used, but the behavior is the same as the decorative flowers that are used.

Final Boss Brick

Sprite 481
While this technically appears in the game (the falling golden bricks that are displayed when Giant Bowser is defeated at the end of the game), it's not used as a sprite. It has a nybble that sets its size, but the game will crash if said nybble is set too high.

Duplicate Sprites

• Sprite 190 is a duplicate of sprite 51 (Tilt Platform)
• Sprite 226 is a duplicate of sprite 205 (Giant Bubbles from 7-2).
• Sprite 421 is the standalone fake ghost house door. Used ones are simply real doors with a setting enabled.
• Sprite 218 is a duplicate of sprite 221 (Invisible Coin Block), except with its settings hardcoded to always produce a single coin.

Unusable Objects

Early Micro Goomba

Not a sprite, and can only be spawned through further hacking. This actor, named EN_MAME_KURIBO, spawns a miniature (about half in size) Goomba, which gets destroyed and flies offscreen when touched. If Mini Mario touches it, he gets sent up as if he jumped on it. This is how Micro Goombas acted in the DS game.

They were scrapped in favor of Super Mario Bros. 3-style Micro Goombas.

Smashed Pipes

These were created by Mega Mario in the DS game. They're functional, but impossible to spawn through normal gameplay.

Big Coin

EN_ITEM (the actor that handles all the powerups) has an internal type which, when spawned, creates a gigantic coin that hops up and then explodes into a bunch of smaller ones. The player is awarded 30 coins. There is no way to spawn this via any of the sprites in the game.

Broken Objects

• EN_GAKE_NOKO - deletes itself upon level launch. Loads the fence Koopas. It seems the original intention was to have Koopas walking on shimmy ledges in mountain levels.
• EN_REVERSE - attempts to load a file which doesn't exist in the final game (Sample/tobira.bti), and crashes the retail game. If you add the file to the disc, it reveals that it's some sort of a portal which, when you press Up button, changes the layer Mario's on to 2.
• MASK - used internally by the game to handle lighting, but it can also be created from a level (and does nothing if so).
• TAG_THUNDER - named in the same way as the object that creates the wind effect, but seems to do nothing
• KAWANAGARE - located right next to RIVER_MGR, possibly was going to be related. Kawanagare means "to drown"
• EN_BLUR, LIFT_TORIDE_ROLL, DUMMY_DOOR_PARENT, DUMMY_DOOR_CHILD, EN_WALLINSECT, WALLINSECT_MGR, EN_HELPOS, EN_BOYON, EN_REMOCON_TORIMOCHI, EN_IWAO, EN_GHOST_JUGEM, SHIP_WINDOW, AC_BLOCK_GROUP, BRANCH, SLOW_QUICK_TAG - no code at all.

Unused Settings

Rolling Object Generator

Sprite 204

The sprite which generates rolling spike balls has an option to spawn the unused rolling barrels instead.

Parabeetle

Sprites 291 and 292

There's an option for the flying Parabeetles that makes them stand still and face the player, face the background or fly to the right side.

Big Cheep Cheep

Sprite 334

There's an unused setting of the Big Cheep Cheep sprite (334) which lets you spawn big aggressive green or shy yellow variations of Cheep-Cheeps. The green one is used once in the entire game (in 1-4).

Yoshi Cookie

Sprite 357

Sprite 357 will spawn a cookie if one of the parameters is changed. Exact same function as the Yoshi Fruit.

Unused Features

• Banzai Bills have an unused setting which increases their size, although their collision isn't resized. Could be an early test for King Bills.
• There's an animation for a King Bill dying. They can be killed in the DS game by punching a block while the King Bill is above it.
• Doors can be attached to a rotation controller and sway or spin, although they can't be entered correctly when this option is enabled.
• The drifting death clouds from 8-1 can be put into a sprite location. They're instant-death no matter which powerup you have, but you can sway them away with a spin jump. There's also an option which will make the clouds fall behind the scenery.