How Gaming's Most Iconic Challenge Was Invented - The History of the SM64 A Button Challenge Part 1

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Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
01:16 - 2000 - Walton Dell's Web Site
05:04 - 2001 - Chris "humantree" Oldfield
06:45 - 2002 - Curtis Bright
07:55 - 2007 - GameFAQs thread, leaderboards
12:00 - 2011 - 20-star TAS
13:10 - 2013 - Final dead period
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[@Bismuth9]

It appears the joke at 9:25 didn't land. That's my bad for expecting people to know everyone on that list. On another note (pun intended), the music for this video is now available for Tier 2+ Patreon supporters! www.patreon.com/bismuth9

[@jansenart0]

What feels better, playing it or not worrying about it being struck?

[@fb1179]

really...

[@Bismuth9]

@@jansenart0 Believe it or not, my piano arrangements actually got a fraudulent claim

[@OutbackCatgirl]

@@Bismuth9 In a way, that just means you're absolutely killing it with these covers. Seriously, I didn't realise you'd arranged them! :D Say, don't suppose you have a rough list of song covered in this? one or two are escaping my attempts to pin them down to a name i can google.

[@mattiviljanen8109]

@@Bismuth9 Well, I see that as a compliment :) Nice calming music to have my morning coffee with, thank you!

[@MarioLuigi0404]

That image of Pannen wondering how to kick is worthy of being put in an art museum under the title “humble beginnings”

[@pinecone606]

especially with AB kicks being essential to his most notable video

[@jansenart0]

But first, we have to talk about parallel universes!

[@geelzwarteaardbij]

Someone should make a NFT out of it

[@ds27315]

@@geelzwarteaardbij No.

[@jongyon7192p]

@@ds27315 whats NFT?

[@branchy2000inc]

Pannen being the clueless gamer blew my mind. Was not expecting a twist like that in a video about SM64

[@thesaucypickle9866]

Everyone starts somewhere

[@dryoshiyahu]

I don't know why, but that 'plot twist' hit me really hard. Knowing the rise he had from zero to hero put a lump in my throat.

[@degeneratemale5386]

I thought pannen was just some omniscient being that showed up one day

[@kingofflames738]

Almost as much of a plot twist as Summoning Salt being the world record holder of one of the games he made a video about (at least at the time of uploading it)

[@branchy2000inc]

@@kingofflames738 lmao yeah that one blew my mind too

[@TJ-Henry-Yoshi]

What a legendary origin for the craziness that became this challenge. It's not very often we get glimpses into the very beginnings of projects as great at this one.

[@origamiscienceguy6658]

If one of Bismuth's videos doesn't dunk on TJ "Henry" Yoshi, I'll be very upset.

[@RichConnerGMN]

person reading this, if you're here to say it, please leave and reevaluate your life choices.

[@qualifiedawesomeness9968]

The legend himself

[@dtracers]

What I am most excited for is the final part! There is a rush to get it in in time. But if it works out then the final part will be a perfect close to this journey

[@DanielVCOliveira]

I KNEW you would show up. I really hope you get mentioned in one of the next parts

[@pinecone606]

I keep thinking about what that Pannen comment is actually saying. Paraphrased, he's asking a reasonable question: "how are you doing AB kicks without an A press?". Interpreted another way, he's asking "if you're doing a jump kick doesn't that mean you have to count that A press?". The reason the video was marked 0xA is because he's holding out the A press used to enter the level, and the terminology for 0.5xA hadn't been discussed yet. So in a manner of speaking, a young Pannen is saying "an A press is an A press. you can't say it's only a half" 😂

[@ARandomSpace]

Ironic!

[@alpha9775]

Okay you just blew up my brain. Thanks

[@tasnica2438]

"You know, TJ Henry Yoshi, you remind me of myself when I was your age..."

[@randomclips9715]

the video was marked 14xA though...

[@FirstLast-mn4re]

Pannenkoek really went from not knowing how to kick without using the A button, to traveling to parallel universes without using the A button.

[@fazaazafg]

yeah in just 2 years as well

[@Vasses935]

Greatest character arc in anime history.

[@Se7enDsinSGaming]

@@Vasses935 stronger than goku 😆

[@kkmac7247]

@@fazaazafg 7 actually

[@fazaazafg]

@@kkmac7247 oh whoops

[@Mswordx23]

(spoiler?) That Pannen reveal and that transition into the file select music was absolutely glorious.

[@RichConnerGMN]

you should probably do this instead

[@felixroux]

@@RichConnerGMN What an insightful reply.

[@RichConnerGMN]

@@felixroux thank you

[@yeet3279]

@@RichConnerGMN Yes indeed

[@Tyree42069]

@@yeet3279 Among us

[@EdsonCruz]

I really wish that people saw Pannen for what he is aside from the memes; a scientist, genius, creative and overall amazingly passionate player. Thanks for this Bis

[@bucketfullabiscuits7865]

I remember seeing this from a comment by him, but I could be mistaken. I think he’s a college professor

[@EVPointMaster]

@@bucketfullabiscuits7865 Pannen mentioned that he was a collage student during the making of the Watch for Rolling Rocks video, so I don't think that's the case.

[@kkmac7247]

@@bucketfullabiscuits7865 I remember hearing that, but it could just be the Mandela effect

[@rksworld4405]

@@kkmac7247 point is: who would be surprised if he was^^

[@IronicHavoc]

I also wish people acknowledged the test of the ABC team too. Pannen goes out of his way to mention every person involved in the description and even brings them up pretty frequently in the videos themselves, but most people just attribute everything to him.

[@gobbleguk]

Viking Bomb must be what someone thought Bullies were.

[@Marcotonio]

Yes, if you read the picture he says the viking bombs are in lava levels trying to push you off the edge. Lel.

[@huh968]

yeah it's pretty clear but it's just a funny name

[@AdvancePlays]

It's not what "someone thought" they were - it's an official alternate name for them. A least peripherally official, as that's what they were called in all the licensed Prima guides that talked about them.

[@Real_Artician]

@@AdvancePlays Oh... I haven't thought about Prima Guides in a long time. Fun story, Prima and Brady we're both pretty bad at making shit up when they weren't sure what something was called. The only thing that made them ever "officially licensed" was that they paid the publisher, and occasionally the publisher would let them know some tricks and secrets, but they never got to talk to the devs, so they never got to actually talk to people who understood the game. They just had people figuring the games out.

[@gobbleguk]

@@AdvancePlays Lmao I forgot about Prima. I remember browsing the Wiki before and seeing how Prima has a lot of “interesting” alt name choices.

[@g.d.8065]

The end genuinely brought a tear to my eye. Any one of us, in any context, could be the kid who innocently asked "How'd you do that?"

[@bsharpmajorscale]

But only one of us becaming a SM64 knowledge LEGEND.

[@Eidenhoek]

Agreed.

[@Jrose11]

Ahhh this takes me back to watching Pannenkoek2012 videos, very excited to watch this!

[@yata7450]

ayy how is it jrose

[@degmcgee]

nice seein ya here

[@ZandorDaysev]

Thanks for your vids, man. Helped through a lot of sh*t in my live.

[@Hazaak.]

lol funny seein you here, next video in my recommended is chansey run xD

[@shaunduggan8605]

Look up uncommentated pannen

[@Kosmicd12]

Woah I didn't know my man BrianMp16 would be in this! What a legend! edit: Also Ennopp, wow lol

[@Dorriedude]

hi

[@Lettuce1]

Hi i am a lettuce

[@PyroclasticMind]

@@Lettuce1 well done!

[@Sqidzies]

@@Lettuce1 wow cool

[@sebweber99]

Saw your name on the list of Bismuth's Patreon supporters. It's nice to see that you creators are supporting one another as well.

[@KoalaBread]

The Pannen reveal legitimately gave me chills

[@ruben._._34577]

Me too

[@TheGoukaruma]

Gave me chills in several PUs.

[@antoniasalinas513]

@@TheGoukaruma hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha youre funny

[@Sockren]

@@antoniasalinas513 thank you :)

[@Kaitri]

Wasn't it obvious?

[@weatherton]

That opening jump montage was beautiful. We're so fortunate that the first real 3D adventure game nailed the controls so well and provided such a high skill ceiling. Also, great topic here Bismuth, I've been following Mario 64 challenges (including A button) for years and remember many of the pages, posts and people you referenced here. Excited for Part 2!

[@Mswordx23]

Holy crap it's Drew friggin Weatherton

[@alsen99]

Me before pannen reveal at the cluesless gamer section: " Lol, he definitely didn't know anything about SM64, I wonder when will pannen show up" After the reveal: "Pannen, I am so sorry..."

[@jamesknapp64]

Me not knowing anything about SM64 runners other than Cheese and his 120 star records: "Now I'm really interested in who this Pannen guy is."

[@drakez341]

@@jamesknapp64 pannen made A button challenge history, being the main contributor to dropping the A press count lower than you would imagine. (I wont say the number to not spoil anything, but know its low)

[@RengokuGS]

Time of first "Clueless gamer mention?"

[@MDLuffy1234YT]

@@RengokuGS hey, how did you kick in the air without pressing A to jump? *Proceeds to completely dissect the game's engine Akira style without looking at a single line of code. All in the name of trying to get all of the scuttlebugs into one room for one big jamboree, and maybe figuring out how to get rid of those pesky A presses along the way*

[@thelordandsaviorgigachadrr888]

@@MDLuffy1234YT no but like where's the timestamp

[@nerdporkspass1m1st78]

13:28 “Remember this clueless gamer from five years ago? This is pannenkoek2012.” Dude, when I rewatched this clip, I started crying. There are so many tears in my eyes. And the song afterwards... the ridiculous clips and strats that Pannen invented himself... this is one of the greatest moments in KZbin history.

[@mattiviljanen8109]

I got goosebumps instead..!

[@a-zadri]

Yo same. It was unexpectedly touching.

[@krauser9517]

I cried too man... that was astonishing.

[@JDLupus]

I read your comments and then rewatched the clip and cried myself.

[@XJ-0641]

We love you Pancake Man,,,,,

[@geotalemobile2157]

Dude, that cliffhanger - I really didn’t expect to by this hyped for the second part before the credits even finished for the first, but here we are!

[@raghavpatel720]

It’s amazing how much bismuth has grown in the last 3 years

[@TalkSickMass]

He deserves to have more subscribers and views as much as SummoningSalt

[@Minuey]

@@TalkSickMass SummoningSalt deserves wayyyy more than million, as well as Bismuth

[@Codricmon]

Yeah, he's, like, 17 feet tall by now. When will it end?

[@VeritasGames]

Top tier tracks man - mad respect!

[@dreaming_dolce]

Wow, didn't expect to find you here! I use your music playlist for my streams! Just wanna say thanks

[@Mateo-vz4fl]

Pannen in 2009: "hey, how did you kick in the air without pressing A to jump?" *discovers tons of crazy ABC strats* "nvm figured it out" Amazing video can't wait for the next parts

[@poudink5791]

has anyone figured it out? to my knowledge, you can't do air kicks without pressing a to jump, because the only states that allow it are the jump and the double jump. a falling state will always do a dive instead of a kick.

[@doteleven5890]

@@poudink5791 half a press

[@jonahschwab]

Using the file select music for Pannen's introduction is the most fitting thing ever

[@jakecheyne4966]

Bro literally made me cry on the reveal that clueless gamer was actually pannenkoek

[@Znernicus]

LOL the sad credits music while the years go by hahaha this is some genius production

[@javierborquez]

9:27 "it's a shame none of those guys ever did anything else of significance" ouch, that was intense

[@figboot]

Yeah, especially that sonicpacker guy. I definitely never see his name around anywhere.

[@adealtas]

@@figboot I bet he can't even beat Koopa the Quick like a real man

[@TheJmax04]

Pannenkoek being revealed as the clueless gamer asking about 0.5x A presses is a glorious full-circle moment.

[@pyroscar5816]

The thing with Pannen is just that one meme of just someone asking how to shoot and then getting a quadruple kill and just saying ‘Nvm I got it’

[@RichConnerGMN]

nice profile pic

[@pyroscar5816]

@@RichConnerGMN Thanks it's based

[@Turkwithknife]

I hate your pfp

[@cheesepop7175]

@@RichConnerGMNno it sucks

[@cheesepop7175]

i HATE your profile picture

[@rtyuik7]

13:35 - i love how the "File Select" tune is now pretty much Pannenkoek's unofficial theme song...like, not only was it used in This Video once his name was mentioned, but there are countless other videos nowadays that have a "But First, Let's Talk About..." cutaway, and they all use SM64's "File Select"...

[@guitaristwilllane]

wow that pannen reveal with the soft piano version of file select was just **chef's kiss**

[@LaceSabatons]

"Remember clueless gamer? Well, that…was Panenkoek2012" Oh shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-

[@carameldotzip]

There will be 19 parts. One for each a-press.

[@WannabeMarysue]

Thank you for the effort of looking through and documenting the old, early 00's world records. A lot of WR history videos just start with a glance at SDA maybe, and rush to get to the "new" stuff (the stuff already easily organised on contemporary leaderboards). Its always nice to see extra effort put into the history. I especially love the reenactments of old techniques as described in emails. Its great to see them brought to video.

[@SlowestGuyy]

I'm already excited for Part 2, even before watching the video

[@Turkwithknife]

I’m here to bring you back to the video

[@Greennoob2]

what's cool about the pannenkoek reveal is that it shows how he was immediately interested in understanding more about the game. It's not about what you know, but what you want to learn.

[@mikesimpson3207]

The file select music starting up when Pannen appears is so perfect. Actually got me feeling a little sentimental there. Pannenkoek's famous video explaining parallel universes was the first time I ever got genuinely invested in TAS/challenge videos, and it's the whole reason I started watching speedruns at all. I've followed his updates and explainers ever since, getting excited when an A press is saved, felling frustrated whenever he posts about a strat that just barely doesn't work (looking at you, JRB star almost being collectible in the demo). Truly incredible stuff, some of the most fascinating work of any kind on KZbin.

[@NorthBus]

At 13:55, during the Pannen reveal, the auto-captions erroneously read "[Applause]". Though failing to accurately caption the audio, it somehow faithfully captioned the feeling in my heart.

[@Abyssoft]

This might be my favorite video from you; I love the old school history in speedrunning and seeing someone mention David Wonn is really awesome since he contributed so much to glitch hunting in the 90s and early 2000s.

[@alexpenev]

As Bismuth said, all the ancient history lives in the minds of only a 3-5 people and Bismuth did well to hunt down a few of them. Apart from the co-inventors mentioned in the video I think I remember Andrew Kent and Louis Phillippe Sabbagh were also on board in the first year. Hopefully some of them hear about this vid because it's a trip down memory lane.

[@Abyssoft]

@@alexpenev I've used Wonns website in a couple of my videos, it's really fantastic that those resources are still up for people to see, and that some of the golden age of speedrunning greats are still around, like yourself.

[@LBoomsky]

I thought id find you here lol

[@Oakshield2]

The old web pages at the beginning of the video give me so much nostalgia. I loved that "un-clean" geocities kind of design compared to today's every site trying to look like it's from an iphone screen and there being only one search engine and most of the internet is split between google and facebook. Some soul was lost in that.

[@Kosmicd12]

Look closely at 7:11 :)

[@Bebert_vrt]

Wow Name reveal , hi kosmic btw

[@cup795]

I dont actually know your name so I'm lost

[@gibbeldon]

@@Bebert_vrt If I recall correctly it is not the first time his name appears in a video unmentioned.

[@Merluch]

@@cup795 same

[@dimusnail]

I don't get it. Can someone explain?

[@lennartmiau6504]

I got a bit mad at 9:24 before I realized you were joking. You absolute madman. Also, "nice video dude", doesn't even begin to encompass the level of research you must've put into this, but it's what you're getting.

[@jongyon7192p]

I used to be a big fan of the walton dell website! still alive today!

[@StalinkTz]

pannen being clueless gamer literally exploded my brain

[@QuintessentialWalrus]

Mother of God, I haven't thought about Walton Dell's Website in about 20 years. It looks exactly like I remember it from elementary school, but I didn't even know I remembered it until right now... Thanks for hitting me with the most visceral feeling of nostalgia and ennui I've felt all year.

[@GameDevYal]

Omg, I remember me and my siblings printing out a guide from Walton Dell's site for how to unlock Luigi and then spending weeks trying to perform all the steps. Seeing the site again brings back memories...

[@nerdporkspass1m1st78]

Well, the final episode just aired. Time to binge the whole ABC series again

[@felipeluz5035]

I entered this video thinking: - Wow, that'll be interesting. I've followed pannenkoek for a while, and it'll be nice to see how he started the challenge! :D Little did I know, pannenkoek just appeared "recently" on the challenge's history. xD

[@dynaboyjl.4220]

That transition to the file-select music at pannenkoek's reveal gave me chills lol. I have way too many associations with this video game i've never once played

[@waffling0]

the reveal at the end almost made me tear up. basically the only thing i knew about the ABC was what was on pannen's youtube channel, so it was really interesting to see all of this history from before he was involved! can't wait to see the next entries in the series

[@syber-space]

You know it's a good day when you see Pannen and Bismuth in the same video...

[@NOLISTENTOME]

Didn't realize I'd recognize some of these blasts from the past. Myles was a legend on the sm64 gamefaqs forum. I remember coming up with my own little "contests" when i was like, 13, like a diving competition (dive from the top of the castle into the moat as stylishly as possible), and I remember Myles throwing his hat in and raising the bar on everyone pretty much immediately. He was killer at mario golf too.

[@content02]

Pannen deserves so much love. His work is so amazing ! I've been following the ABC for so many years, this video makes me emotional. Thanks Bismuth, I can't wait for the second part !

[@ItsZorroDood]

That clueless gamer Pannen twist was amazing!

[@spydertekd9370]

I love the subtle sarcasm littered in the vid lol

[@papyrussemi2848]

Oh, how life would change for Pannen. From someone with little clue how to air-kick to a world-renowned Mario quantum physicist

[@hitzcritz]

I was not prepared for that plottwist at the end, I'm really hyped for part 2!

[@memostardust]

finding out cluelessgamer was pannenkoek was an insane reveal- the way this video was written is wonderful as someone whos been loosely following the progression of the a button challenge. the piano music was also a really nice touch!

[@artstrange3230]

Something about seeing old Mario games being narrated by you gets me melancholic. Mario 64 means a lot to me. Mario himself was a huge part of my childhood. My parents used to work double shifts to get food on the table, and we spend hardly any time together. My uncle gave me a Super Nintendo when I was little more than a baby and Mario was essentially my caretaker for a good part of my childhood, along with my grandmother, who passed away recently. I discovered your Mario 64 TAS explanation, followed with your Super Mario Bros videos, and I've been keeping up with every major explanation you put out. Seeing the past broken down like this just... gets to me. It's like I'm looking back at what I once experienced through someone else's perspective. It's really hard to explain. In this case, the piano arrangements really do set the mood. It's like, realizing Mario 64 is only one year younger than I am makes me feel old and strikes me with a bittersweet fondness that I've been platforming side by side with Mario for so long that I don't even think about it as something meaningful or otherwise, but seeing what others have done with him makes me feel small, and in awe of the creativity and talent others have, as if I'm not only seeing the past, but experiencing it along with them. Mario has always been special to me. Seeing videos like yours somehow... in someway, gives a different meaning to my relationship with the Super Mario series. Thank you, Bismuth.

[@PerfectArawin]

I just gotta say, the musical transition from "happy happy" to "sad" at 11:30 is honestly, perfectly done. Like, I've come back to the video 3 times now, just to appreciate that moment again and again. It fits the mood so well, and really makes the video memorable to me. (The rest of the series is good too! I watched all 5 released up to this point now. It's a super interesting story! But this one moment in the first video really stands out as a beautiful moment.) Bravo!

[@alphabulblax1649]

13:28 Top 10 Anime Plot Twists

[@cheaterman49]

Makes me very happy that the "clueless gamer" wasn't simply a (perhaps slightly unfair) jab at a stranger, but in fact a very awesome plot twist :-) congrats on your writing and narration haha!

[@thraxlol]

Please add part 3 to this playlist :D Much love!

[@Cosmignon]

As I wait for the premire, I'm so excited for this. I know it's been meme'd a lot but the A Button Challenge and vids like pannenkoek2012's rolling rocks commentary are so legitimately facinating. I'm looking forward to hearing where folks even got the idea for this challenge.

[@keiyakins]

Yeah, the reason it's memed to hell is that it's a legitimately good explanation of something utterly fascinating... and yet also kind of absurdly narrow.

[@waffling0]

it always annoyed me how people made that video into a meme, because it's so legitimately good, like one of the all-time great youtube videos. i know people joked about it because it was good but it felt like the memes kind of undermined the quality of the video

[@1020Uki]

"is a shame none of these guys never did anything else of significance again" I know how you meant that but lol Also my eyes and ears were waiting so hard for that "Pannen" namedrop

[@thekilla1234]

"Players simply assumed they had solved it" This is always the calm before the storm when it comes to speed running.

[@MishKoz]

That cliffhanger at the end was fantastic. I guess I never considered a time before PannenKoek in the history of the A button challenge. I think his influence on the game as a whole is too big to really comprehend. His Watch for Rolling Rocks video single-handedly got tons of people interested in this challenge, or hell, taught people what a TAS is. And even now, 5 years after that video, whenever he uploads something on his uncommentated channel, pretty much everyone I know who's into Mario 64 talks about him. Splitting this game's history into before and after Pannen really does make sense, and I'm really looking forward to part 2 of this.

[@Seanderson3]

the fact that this premiere isn't even started and i see part one excites me

[@arandomperson12345]

Oh man, that was an incredible twist at the end there. Anyway, thanks to Pannenkoek and the rest of the team for working on such a fascinating challenge!

[@TheMaplestrip]

This early history of the A-button challenge is really great to see! Amazing research work, Bismuth!! Gotta say I laughed at ~9:22. SilentSlayers and sonicpacker are the only TASers in that list I'm familiar with, through their activity in the _Super Mario 64_ TAS challenges of the past few years. I would hope that that still counts as significance, even if they didn't ABC :p

[@martinepstein9826]

13:28 That's the greatest plot twist of all time.

[@martinepstein9826]

Great music cue too

[@jacque6583]

last year i got a bad stomach flu and spent my bedridden time bingewatching all of pannenkoek's videos, this video makes me very happy to see. great work!! ill be looking forward to part 2.

[@zeryle]

Dude this actually made me cry, I been watching this community grow for years, I'm just so amazed what has been archived in all this time.

[@Nippek]

Just realised how perfect it is that you have released exactly 64 videos

[@Ben-kz2km]

It's clever to do these videos in parts. This way, each part becomes a closed story. Long videos like those by Summoning Salt quickly get outdated with their "and that's where the world record stands today" at the end.

[@roshibomb4247]

*spoilers for video or whatever* I assumed pannen was going to be mentioned somewhere, but WOW I absolutely never expected him to be clueless gamer. To be fair, I had assumed that was legitamately their name and that calling them "a clueless gamer" was a pun on such, but it's extremely surprising to see pannen of all people be the one questioning how to beat a level without A presses lol. Amazing video, can't wait until part 2 (and any more to come if it ends up needing to be longer lol)

[@qualifiedawesomeness9968]

Idk, pannen's channel name could have actually been "Clueless Gamer" at some point

[@roshibomb4247]

@@qualifiedawesomeness9968 Maybe, but I doubt it.

[@TheNerd484]

I hope that renewed interest can bring Pannen back to making voiced and more in-depth videos. I really loved his style in the two he did make, and his insights into the technical aspects of sm64 are quite good.

[@jongyon7192p]

Nah he's too perfectionist to ever do voiced videos. I think he's said his tone and speech needed to be perfect or wouldn't consider it acceptable for his channel. And since he makes enough money that us pannen fans can NEVER sway his vision of his art, and have their own way, whatever Pannen decides to do is how it will be.

[@TheNerd484]

@@jongyon7192p I just wish he can realize that if he wants to further more interest that any content is better than no content. Even a version of his uncommentated videos where he read the script instead of pasting it on screen would be enough. I've seen his post from a few years ago, and I just hope he can overcome that trauma and learn to love making videos for the craft and not beat himself up over minor flaws.

[@jongyon7192p]

@@TheNerd484 1. The statistics show that most people from WfRR actually seem very disinterested in the uncommentated videos. Plenty of comment threads in the sea of comments in that video, and forums outside of youtube. 2. Besides, furthering more interest is not his goal. Anyone can tell from looking but his channel is primarily just a storage of sm64 knowledge, not an attempt to engage with viewers. But all the effort he put happened to get popular. Some sm64 tasers even got jealous and got into arguments with him and stuff. Even now, I think he doesn't want to be famous. I got a question, why do WE wanna be famous? What good does that really do us? Make us happy? Hell no it won't!

[@TheNerd484]

@@jongyon7192p If he doesn't want to make videos, that's perfectly understandable. I just really loved what he did in terms of the technical nature of the game

[@bane2201]

@@TheNerd484 I agree, he was great at explaining it. But he has to put a lot of time into editing and voicing videos. And he's probably more knowledgeable about SM64 than anyone alive - I assume he feels like it'd be a waste of his time to make a detailed video when he wants to keep dissecting the game. (And I can't blame him.)

[@Miju001]

I am so stoked for this new multi-part video series! I'm sure the N64 0× Secret Aquarium entrance and the Wii VC 0× Bowser in the Fire Sea will be talked about and I can't wait for those c: I hope the videos will mention the ABC Files and the progress with Bullies on N64 Bowser in the Fire Sea, but that's more of a personal hope of mine! I understand if that won't happen

[@dkblitz4538]

Man what a cool video! I hope there’s an extra hour and a half of related content to watch on this very channel!

[@forgiveman]

And now I'm hyped up. We need part 2 ASAP.

[@YoshisaurUnderscore]

I've been following Pannenkoek2012 and the ABC for at least 4 years now, and I love all the insanity that goes into making even a small improvement. I'm hyped for part 2!

[@callmeobsequious]

"Triple jumps but with ✨ SPARKLES ✨" might not objextively be that funny but it's funny to me

[@DrNo64]

11:36 I love the unexpected Transposition to minor key. It's so different to what you'd expect hearing a song like that on this channel. I can't exactly put it into words, but the way the tone breaks expectation and defiantly shifts was a surprise. This was me, pretending to know what music theory is. I'll see you next week to talk about why does the note C exsist?

[@8-bitsarda747]

of all the things on KZbin that could make me tear up, why is a documentary series about the friggin SM64 A Button Challenge the only one to do that consistently?

[@satsumarc]

@Bismuth, your videos are so damn good. All this internet history that takes so long to discover and research, and the end result is absoutely fascinating that even someone who last played Mario 64 in the late 90s still sits enthralled. Awesome work.

[@xarin42]

This cliffhanger is gonna kill me for a bit, I'll inevitably forget about it, and then I'll be super hyped once the next part actually gets released. Well played.

[@TylerKehne]

Still want to know what a Viking bomb is

[@Bismuth9]

LLL bullies

[@TylerKehne]

@@Bismuth9 or other stages perhaps ;)

[@ashtonsmith1730]

@@TylerKehne bullies? expect in snowmens land

[@Bismuth9]

@@TylerKehne only in LLL can you find 12

[@patrckhh20]

11:38 smb64 ending theme in minor is cool

[@longers1028]

The ending of this video has made me more excited to see part 2 than I have ever felt about a new episode of a show, movie, or anything. Very well done 👏

[@JohnTK]

“Immediately, the progress made was nothing short of incredible” Proceeds to show complete and total stagnation in the category for the next several years.

[@ThePandaAgenda]

I love how we went from people getting mad at Pannenkoek a few years ago, because they didn't get it, to a point where everyone just accepts the half-A-press. This is a metaphor for all changes in the world.

[@wariolandgoldpiramid]

Oh man. Getting into the history the panenkoek stuff, and the fact that this is Part 1 - that fills me up with excitement :D

[@archovicvideos]

when all the parts are done are you going to make a "finalised" version with all the parts put together? I really liked the video, found it very interesting. Nice work!

[@Bismuth9]

Yes

[@RichConnerGMN]

@@Bismuth9 :loggers:

[@cirlu_bd]

@@Bismuth9 SM64 ABC history : the SuperCut

[@Ara_Arasaka]

11:04 To date this is still one of my favorite “gatcha” setups in any video ever. It’s such a classy, fun way to introduce Pannenkoek. What a legend. You really are amazing Bismuth. Went back to watch all 4 leading up to the fifth part tonight. Thanks for all your work

[@Yesnomu]

That reveal! I loved this, can't wait for the next part. Thanks for all the research!

[@Tufukins]

This is beautiful, a really wonderful glimpse at yet another corner of the sm64 world :^)

[@Tufukins]

Not sure if it was the music but it brought me to tears,

[@electra_]

bismuth video: ooh cool premieres in 26 minutes: poggers a button challenge: holy shit super hyped part 1: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaa

[@Ventiglondalator]

That's way too many A presses

[@ZanbonSen]

You can have your e-sports and your Twitch streamers, but when it comes to gaming, Pannen is a living legend.

[@DesTr069]

This is great, Bismuth! I’ve been interested in the ABC for a while, but as a casual viewer, there wasn’t a good place to find solid information in a compact manner, but this is it! Super excited about part 2!

[@pineapplequeen13]

Love this video! Been watching all of pannen's updates for years now. The sm64 community is truely awesome

[@prizm9515]

Excited for part two! I've actually been feeling for a while that it would be cool to get a abc progression vid. Or at least a timeline.

[@alpha9775]

Wow! Excited for Part 2! :D

[@bobmario511]

Ah memories... those early years were a lot of fun.