Collecting a Star during the Demo Idea

I explore the idea of collecting a star during the demo. If you wait for long enough during the start menu, then a demo will play. This demo essentially takes place within File 1, and so if the demo-Mario collects a star, then the game will register that star as having been collected in File 1. Using spawning displacement (on the Japanese version of the game), it's possible to desync Mario's movements, causing him to move during the demo in unintended ways. So if we could use spawning displacement to have demo-Mario collect a star that would otherwise require A presses, we could effectively save A presses off of that star.
The most viable candidate for this method is JRB, specifically for the pillar star. Tyler Kehne, Plush, and I had hacked Mario into the cannon during many different frames of the JRB demo to see what would happen. We didn't test every single frame, but rather every frame that would lead to a cannon shot soon after the cannon was ready. Unfortunately, none of these tests resulted in Mario collecting the star. However, one test did get much closer than any other test we did, and so that's the one I show at the end of the video.
Note: None of the information in this video is new. We've known for quite some time that collecting a star during the demo would count for File 1. Tyler Kehne, Plush, and I had investigated and tested this idea (focusing on the JRB pillar star) more than a year ago, and at that time we came to the disappointing conclusion reached in this video. I just hadn't gotten around to formally documenting it until now.
For more information on spawning displacement, watch this video: • Spawning Displacement
Additional Notes
(1) The demo takes place in File 1, not the last file that was played (which some might hypothesize). So if you were playing File 2, exited out, and then the demo started, it would still take place within File 1.

[@TheAnthonyC4]

My heart broke when Mario jumped off the platform

[@Davidvama21]

Mario hates us.

[@whocareslol222222]

that troll "ha ha" as he lands in the water matches up so well like he did it on purpose

[@theglitchguy9574]

In the arm's of the Angels.....

[@toaomc4746]

why... you were so close... :(

[@tearlach47]

And he laughs at it, too.

[@Waffles_Syrup]

That ending, hurts so bad :'(

[@SkicoNow]

i cri evritiem

[@SkicoNow]

Hello, darkness, my old friend...

[@TriOdy]

you tried so hard and got so far in the end it doesn't even matter

[@ShadowNinja452]

When you try your best, but you don't succeed.

[@dedpxl]

I knew it wasn't going to work from the title, it says idea only.

[@ElodieHiras]

Parallel universes, cloning, breaking the speed of light, all accomplished in the name of... Trying to avoid jumping in a platform game.

[@pk_water6050]

A pressing is D pressing for this pancake!

[@justdanceparadisearchive3888]

PK_Water lol good one

[@AkaiAzul]

Never have I ever wanted to upvote a comment, only to see it have a funny upvote number.

[@ARandomSpace]

@@AkaiAzul Now it’s 999. I rounded up to 1K.

[@EmaAlvarado_iku]

Demo Mario you're not helping the team

[@Lugmillord]

No jamboree for him.

[@thewildjamie3283]

+Lugmillord I never thought I'd find you here, Lugmillord! I love your hacks!

[@Lugmillord]

The Wild Jamie Thanks. ...and people say this to me all the time xD I write many comments and people always seem to be surprised to find me anywhere.

[@Stevieicool]

Cute icon! Which anime character is that if I may ask?

[@thewildjamie3283]

+Lugmillord When I was younger, I was obsessed with SM74. I wanted it on my D.S.I. XD

[@DyllonStejGaming]

"That's it, Mario, get to the star!" "Get to the star." "The STAR." "THE STAR." (Mario teleports away) "...So that's how you want to play it."

[@DyllonStejGaming]

I was referring to the Spongebob Episode "Gary Takes a Bath" where Gary actually teleports out of the tub. It was late at night when I was typing it, and got a part of the quote messed up.

[@SkicoNow]

I always loved that part when I was little.

[@AlexR-ATG]

Now Mario, we can do this the hard way or the easy way. Or the medium way. Or the semi-medium-easy-hard way. Or the sort of hard with a touch of awkward difficult challenging way.

[@corbincox9925]

Or the demisemihemidemisemi hard way...

[@MADMac]

Or the sortofhardwithatouchofawkwardeasydifficultchallenging way.

[@YTSunnys]

7:07 He's gonna get it! 7:12 Mario, you stupid

[@LuigiUTMC]

YTSunny I

[@NickGold]

Wow this comment is ok

[@FrameRater]

"Ha hah!"

[@bucketoftuna6651]

YTSunny funny to see ya here…

[@LustigelGC]

4 2 0 t h L i k e

[@GigaBoots]

That hurt to watch at the end.

[@DragonDePlatino]

Mario saying "HA-HA!" is just rubbing salt in the wound. :/

[@Orange_Swirl]

Don't you mean rubbing *salt water* in the wound? *Peter Griffin Laugh*

[@Exarian]

he jumped three times then went to drown himself. it's fucking taunting us

[@arevalo8117]

Hi guys

[@TetraBitGaming]

7:10 is when the controller gets thrown at the TV

[@IbisScarlet]

TetraBitGaming you watch Pannen?

[@cpcraft6984]

Honestly, I'm surprised that you watch pannen.

[@arcadegames8319]

TetraBitGaming sup

[@thecrazyinsanity]

I was even triggered

[@itsyoboibee1529]

TetraBitGaming tetra what's up

[@DullVivid]

This is my favorite science channel.

[@hayze7447]

DullVivid the Vsauce of sm64

[@QuiteDan]

7:05 omg omg omg. He's on the platform. He's on the platform... He's hopping towards the star! ...... *NOOOOOOO!*

[@Jack_Woods]

"Haha :D" FUCK YOU MARIO!!!! >:V

[@TheWASHINGMACHINEBOY]

dandeentremont luigi: WHAT THE F*CK WAS THAT?!

[@PuddleOfCats]

what? demo mario cant hold forward for 25 hours? weak

[@MrGOOMBAGUY]

25 hours? More like 416 years.

[@Dionicio3]

Demo Mario also can't bake a cake for 25 years

[@benjaminwilliams7554]

+MrGOOMBAGUY I see what you did there

[@TheRedCap]

strider7x reference? clever

[@SuperNuclearBoss]

THEREDCAP where is your brother thegreencap

[@Ranboso]

The ending is like when you're playing a game and your 3 years old brother keeps clicking random buttons on the controller

[@Warri0rLink]

7:00 Demo-Mario looks like a speedrunner up until he just ditches the star. Lol!

[@fractyon3344]

So... is there some type of charity where we can donate money to save A-presses?

[@SkicoNow]

That would be cool. I'd donate to it

[@TheLoveMario]

No, we can donate A presses so HE doesn't have to press A

[@MyScorpion42]

kill the frames, save the A-presses

[@batpunk.]

everyday, poor a presses die by starvation and taxes. donate to us now to save the poor a presses. #savetheapresses

[@thatoneguy9582]

Pedroyellow HOW ABOUT NO

[@MDClips2464]

3:03, my brain when I don't remember the second part of the song

[@krakelakclassic]

5:16 "...he only holds forwards for most of the demo." Me: "Well, shit" 7:09 Me: "Oh shit he got on the platform! Now he's gonna hold forwards and jump at the-" *Mario fuckin walks to the LEFT and falls off*

[@syrelian]

I know right, I knew it would fail, but I expected him to run under the star, NOT FUCKING TURN LEFT

[@captainobvious9201]

And this is when pbg needs to strike the 'can't turn left' curse

[@TylerKehne]

Another thing: if you end the demo early, the input file will continue until 1 frame after the PRESS START screen reloads. You can actually use this to get the hand to appear on that screen without pressing A.

[@jan050375]

maybe, just maybe the hand can solve the 0 A-Button challenge!

[@juglovesyou]

if the hand comes out of the game and into the real world then presses A, does it count?

[@Solibrae]

Unfortunately, I think that would count.

[@UncommentatedPannen]

I would not count as an A press. A presses are measured solely based on the input file being played, i.e. the .m64 file

[@AdaMarioFilms-jb1fy]

7:07 that is the most impressive thing a CPU could do!

[@Jack_Woods]

[Glados] You are a horrible person mario....

[@fionnanelson1308]

if you pull this off it will be hands-down the coolest star collection strat in the game imo

[@graymondgt1397]

Jumping is Jumping, you can't say its only a demo

[@brianb2308]

@The Real Snowy Spawning displacement is done by dying on a moving platform of some type, so the game gets confused as to where you were when you died, making it so that, for example, in the demo mario starts displaced by a little bit. An actual use for this is TTC stage exit displacement on JP only. It saves 1 or 2 A presses, I don't remember which. UncommentatedPannen has a video on it. The reason he's hacking in the displacement in the video is to show that it isn't really feasibly possible at all to have demo mario actually collect a star and save an A press. ie, it was only for argument's sake, and there probably isn't a way to displace mario that far away from where he actually starts in the stage. This stuff is pretty complicated lol. If you're really interested in all of it, watch the more informative videos from uncommentatedpannen, like the one on HOLPs or the one on cloning.

[@stEv3900]

@@brianb2308 r/wooosh

[@pikaboy70]

SteveGaming RBLX It’s 4os, if you’re gonna comment that at least do it correctly

[@the_neon_08]

It's A presses not jumps, if it were jumps then alot more thing would have been possible (like using the cannon).

[@conclusivestate]

@@stEv3900 stop the reddit bullshit, the comment has some validation for being relevant to the channel

[@52flyingbicycles]

Good news! The pillar star is now 0x. We don't need to collect it in the demo.

[@Divly3]

Celebrations!

[@dylanobrien3785]

It's time to drop everything Pannenkeok made a video

[@isyanmkw181]

I'm sick and I just HAD to watch when I saw this

[@YonderYoshi]

"EVERYONE STOP WHAT YOUR DOING! I REPEAT, EVERYONE STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING! Pannenkeok has just made a new video!" sorry, but this is what I just thought of randomly in my head when seeing your comment, and it made me laugh so I had to comment it XD

[@YonderYoshi]

a wonderful man with great knowledge of memes gtfo troll

[@olzhas1one755]

John Nathaniel anything else to say other than send me somewhere?

[@YonderYoshi]

a wonderful man with great knowledge of memes I was saying get out since you are a troll looking for attention acting all surperior. I suggest you stop your uneeded insults that are so out of place. But why am I feeding the troll anyway? bye

[@renewings]

"What makes a good Demo-Mario? If I was a bad Demo-Mario, I wouldn't be here discussing it with you now would I?"

[@goldenhibid]

*AGRESIVE GREEN PIPES SOUNDS*

[@lols2713]

Well demo-mario can’t sticky jump

[@goldenhibid]

@@lols2713 but he can airshot

[@DerpyDosh]

20 years and people are still finding more shit to do. Amazing.

[@yt_MLM3]

...crashes Paper mario

[@hikibum]

why do you hate A-presses so much?

[@UncommentatedPannen]

why do golfers hate golf strokes so much

[@jongyon7192p]

I used to play golf as a kid. This explains why I like the A button challenge so much.

[@PAPASTAIN]

pannen's gunning for the 55 score

[@raydarable]

+pannenkeok2012 Because a stroke could kill a golfer if he doesn't get immediate help.

[@JayzeZeddrick]

+raydarable you have a point

[@NitsuaGamer]

I love this theory! Sucks that it can't achieve more than just Mario jumping off ledges.

[@knavesmith]

Having your hopes shattered after seeing a new pannenkoek video is the worst feeling ever.

[@theSato]

Just imagine how he felt, having been the one putting time and effort into making it happen. :(

[@funnywarnerbox300]

d e a d i n s i d e

[@bucketfullabiscuits7865]

Myths say that pannenkoek has nightmare every night where he travels to a parallel universe of Tick Tock Clock, where TF """""""""""""""""Henry""""""""""""""""""""" Yoshi is sitting atop the thwomp saying "How many a presses will it take you to get up here huh? SIX! HAHAHA! THAT'S THE BEST YOU CAN DO?" Just by donating 1/20 of an a press a day, you can help this dying soul. -but an a press is an a press, you can't only say it's a twentieth-

[@kellamyoshikage286]

+Sato He basically says, eh, and goes along to find another possibility.

[@theSato]

Jarod Alien Maybe, maybe not, depends :D

[@dumdum7786]

7:09 i can just see pannen with an evil smile right now, and the suddenly it just turns in to anger...

[@mathsvlog2143]

It's great to see another video from you. Even if it doesn't result in saving A presses, it's still fun to see all these random experiments being tried out.

[@protocetid]

1. physically switch the controller buttons A and B 2. do your challenge runs or whatever you call them by jumping with B 3. get money and bitches

[@Woogoo336]

Physically switching the buttons would have no effect on demo Mario since the demo isn't controlling itself with the physical controller... You could do this in software but it would require a romhack.

[@necrobonesgaming2424]

Woogoo336 This comment wasn't related to demo mario, just the run in general :p

[@thecaptain0003]

But an A press is an A press, you can't just make it B.

[@superhuman33]

Did you not read the description? The B button is split into three parts...

[@necrobonesgaming2424]

QuestionablyLoudVulture Well, Questionably "Loud" Vulture...

[@RaFaReAcH]

Just one question, could you use demo mario to colect a star and then start the run, sparing you the intro?

[@UncommentatedPannen]

Yes

[@Paolo_SHN._6._7]

​@@UncommentatedPannenDo it then. It's been 7 frickin years

[@PAPASTAIN]

IMO, you shouldn't totally rule out the demo stars for courses which are always 0x, just because there might be a chance some of them might be faster

[@UncommentatedPannen]

While that's true, the scope of this video was just to cover the A press saving possibilities

[@oussama7132]

the objective is not to make the speedrun faster. it's not to press A

[@craftyawesome6830]

+oussama mrissa It's 1: Least a presses possible 2: do not hold a through unnecessary stars (unless conflict with 1) 3: Fast as possible (unless conflict 1/2)

[@PAPASTAIN]

the final TAS is a speedrun within the context of certain limitations (this one being as little a presses as possible, obviously). given how long many of these stars can take, simply requiring a setup that results in a short demo getting a star for you has potential to be faster

[@weee50]

1. A runner must not press the A button, except in situations where it is required to progress throughout the game. 2. A runner must not hold A through stars where holding A is not required except when doing so would conflict with the First Law. 3. A runner must run the game in the shortest time possible as long as such speed does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

[@buttersddragon]

i like how mario laughs after jumping off the platform with the star

[@Really_Tall]

Been expecting this video for the past year or so, cool you finally made it :P

[@UncommentatedPannen]

Well on my spawning displacement video, everyone kept asking what would happen if we collected a star during the demo. So I wanted to put an end to all the wondering

[@FoxInferno13]

Dude, you are the most legit impressive person.

[@ESintu3]

That ending is such a tease :(

[@Jojo-on7pk]

7:11 You had ONE job

[@engineergaming7407]

and that job wasnt getting the star

[@mathphysicsnerd]

I think it's safe to say that the N64 is the greatest console ever made

[@theSato]

lol

[@badatnames77]

lol

[@loljje7509]

10x better than the ps2.

[@Andrew-xl3gr]

lol

[@theSato]

Super9000man lol

[@nathancaso8922]

Hey man, just wanted to say your videos are great. It's a sort of sanctuary when I'm going through rough times. Keep up the good work :)

[@jacobsworkshop3335]

This makes me feel qpu aligned.

[@f.4w]

7:14 mario is proud that he broke everyones heart

[@rubeniraheta6067]

Thank you for presenting the information clearly and completely. Excellent work, almost reads like a research paper.

[@unterbawr]

I'm loving this idea! Good luck!

[@Lugmillord]

Now that's a truely crazy idea. Too bad you don't have control over the demo. If you could somehow rotate the camera... :/

[@dizzy_jump]

3:07 that doesn't sound right

[@AFMTAG]

Damn, these videos are always so interesting, despite not having any use in the real world. Always fun to watch though!

[@DrayCrouse]

Well the Demo sets every warp zone to the title screen. I N C L U D I N G D E A T H .

[@LeafRazorStorm]

7:04 Mad skills... if completely unintentional. :)

[@asasnat342]

4:48 Fireman Mario xD

[@ProgressiveForest]

one of your coolest ideas. hope to see it actually work some day

[@raydarable]

This is why I love this channel.

[@luxray8400]

about halfway through the video i thought, "I wonder what that A press guy would think of it" and then i saw this is one of the pannenkoek channels xd

[@tearlach47]

Omg Seeing displacement in the demo for the first time looks like a desynced TAS xD

[@elementallobsterx]

You are a genius. These videos are very important to people that want to learn slick tricks in game design and loopholes to save processing power. Keep posting.

[@KirbyMario12345_939]

elementallobster x if you mean basing code off a 20+ year old game, that's honestly not a good idea. If you mean that it lets them know how certain things work, then fair enough.

[@elementallobsterx]

Not basing code. Basing tricks in game mechanics. Read between the lines, Paradox.

[@BrunoValads]

I hope we'll see in the future not only this star being taken but other nice uses/glitches

[@Gabriel_Micah]

0:17 it bothers me much more than it should that theres no exhale

[@thaias9654]

My reaction to the end: **re-reads title** "Well it did say 'Idea'"

[@Snappers1_]

I love this channel. So many undiscovered codes and hacks!

[@beesus1412]

aaaaand the pillar star is now 0x a presses

[@aGrafimir]

"You gotta collect all stars to beat Bowser, Mario." 7:09 GET THE DAMN STAR!

[@harrisonfackrell]

I'm really, *really* disappointed that this didn't work out. This could have been a hilarious solution.

[@AbruptAvalanche]

I’d love for you to revisit this concept. Setting aside the ABC, are there any stars at all that can be collected in the demo?

[@pendalink]

do you think theres a way to have the game consider mario to be on a rotation platform while his position is actually PUs away, and if that were possible, would it allow for arbitrarily large spawning displacements? Just typing this in case it sparks an idea

[@UncommentatedPannen]

Watch this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o3qvfah8qtOMb5o However, it's virtual console only, since Mario cannot update the HOLP to a PU without the camera being in that PU

[@pendalink]

dammit dammit

[@pendalink]

Think it's even slightly feasible that there could be a way to store demo inputs and reactivate them outside of the demo? What form do those inputs take, how are they part of the memory?

[@UncommentatedPannen]

Ask Tyler Kehne or Peter Fedak

[@computercat8694]

Is there currently a difference between VC/console or English/Japanese runs?

[@frankie11998]

i can't imagine how excited you must've been to see mario actually get to the platform at the end, only for him to jump off

[@dootdoodle569]

3:07 that music synced kind of

[@mayandsapphire8810]

“D’oh.” -Mario 2017

[@Glitchy-zh7ts]

Very, Very Awesome video!!!! Great job!!!!

[@ExorSMRPG]

Honestly, I would love to see you either speedrun, or casually go through a 120 star route with minimal A presses. Just to show us the route, and to possibly explain why/how some tricks are done to get through the game with minimal A presses.It'd be like an information field trip through how you play Mario 64.

[@Lulink013]

Maybe doing a low A run at some point would give this topic more attention and potentially attract new fans who will help making it even more A-less? This is currently a very niche subject even though it's always very entertaining. It feels like this is the only channel on KZbin about the ABC run.

[@daysound9761]

it's been 7 years and i still want this to work so badly

[@NicB-Creations]

I so fondly remember firing up my N64 on day one of it's release back in the 90's. The first level left the biggest impression on me of any game ever. It might not seem that special today but back then it was revolutionary. The analog stick, the brilliant soundtrack and effects with near perfect gameplay... I need to revisit this sometime.

[@thewildjamie3283]

How many unique A presses are left, pannen?

[@UncommentatedPannen]

docs.google.com/document/d/1ypRVVRyf4x-v8GqCSmKYnicrfKSIjao3Y1ZVl52RIyM/edit

[@thewildjamie3283]

Thanks! Keep up the good work!

[@mygirl2210]

2:11 Mario. You're Going To Prison.

[@jan050375]

it was still pretty impressive what demo mario did with the cannon

[@Mailbread]

been hyped to see more investigation into this

[@Mars-ge7oj]

What happens if you have all 120 stars for file 1 and get a star as demo-mario?

[@brasilballs]

Well, nothing. Since the demo is based around File 1, the demo would think the star would already be collected.

[@4232Nis]

1:06 when your tas desyncs smh

[@falsefortuneteller]

2:57 made me really happy to read. pannenkeok always moving forward.

[@user-ow1bc4sx2r]

now we know what you've spent the last month on. godspeed you hero

[@Seth_rs]

i have a test tomorrow but f that i need to watch this

[@gapplssb]

Same, except 2 years later

[@DJ-LD]

I wonder if there's a way to confuse the game and make it play a mario demo while in a different demo level than the default demo inputs.

[@TheWASHINGMACHINEBOY]

7:10 demo player: ok i am almost there just gotta touch the star *mario jumps in place even though the demo player is trying to get mario to move forwards* mario: i can't do it! *runs left and falls off the platform* demo player: *imitates darth vader's NOOOOOOOO!*

[@quinn7894]

Since the upload of this video, an alternative to collect the pillar star 0x has been found.

[@vectoor91]

And now the chest star as well.

[@WoahItsWeej]

All memes aside, Mr. Pannenkeok/koek,how do you feel about PUs being found in Paper Mario?

[@TheLoveMario]

*dank memes

[@WoahItsWeej]

+MarioKart7z Yeah sorry I meant that

[@MrCheeze]

Those alleged PUs are actually a myth, the glitch Stryder mistook for a PU was completely unrelated. The coordinates while in a "PU" are still just as close to zero as normally.

[@renogazo]

Is there no way to use the same platform hack to make mario land directly on the star?

[@RadiativeChester]

the game literally displaces Mario for a single frame, so it would take one hell of a displacement to move him that far; I don't think it'd be feasible

[@DAndrewBox_]

I was watching this video on fullscreen and a blue screen appears, at first I guessed that was a nice video effect. Also, great vid!

[@CaylexT]

Further proof for the idea that passion for something is contagious. By the end I was incredibly interested in the method and whether or not Mario could get a star.

[@UncommentatedPannen]

lol this idea has been in the "dead end" category for over a year now

[@CaylexT]

Maybe xD Even so, ALL of your videos are interesting that way. They're fun to watch. "Will they be able to do it? Won't they? Are there new tricks they need to try?? Oooh, they've come up with a new method to skip that one part..." It's definitely engrossing.

[@liladaniels9007]

What am i doing with my life

[@Rmac524]

Good morning.

[@simeonellinger2064]

The amount of crazy stuff surrounding this game is unreal. Never change obsessive but awesome people.

[@theSato]

Daaaamn. :( This is such an innovative idea, I would really love to see a way for it to be used in the "run"! Oh well.. maybe someday.

[@KratosAurionPlays]

0:21 That's odd. How come the US version has an extra thing at the start?

[@crazyluigi6664]

Probably to attract more attention to American audiences.

[@KirbyMario12345_939]

Also might be to do with the Japanese version being finished first, but I'm not entirely sure.

[@kyazarshadala8114]

it shows the boss fight because americans enjoy violence

[@pikaboy70]

Kyazar Shadala Can confirm

[@rustyvent]

Very interesting idea, but too bad it's not usable.

[@UncommentatedPannen]

= 99% of the ideas I test

[@rustyvent]

pannenkeok2012 Unfortunately, but it's always interesting to see even the failed attempts.

[@rustyvent]

Krysion I actually find the SM64 manipulation interesting (if I only understand half of it at times lol) and it's good the attention the meme brought but also got really old really quick when the majority of the things said is "lol this is a meme" "an a press is an a press lol"

[@theSato]

Yeah, most of the people who meme pannen do it really poorly. I have seen/done some more clever, subtle memeing though.

[@rustyvent]

Krysion Yeah, I came off a bit harsh and assumed too much. Sorry.

[@calebsykes357]

This was the coolest idea, dissappointed it didn't work obviously, but still very impressed with the creativity

[@keithbellic2629]

Would have been an amazing trick, but alas, sometimes these things don't work. But I guess that helps makes the functional tricks shine even better!

[@kitsovereign4127]

Even though the demo can't be used to save A presses, are there any stars that could be actually obtained in the demo, using no hacks and an in-game setup for the spawn displacement?

[@TheGag96]

HE LIVES

[@gensaaa]

Didn't work, but doesn't matter, it was one hell of an idea and really fun to watch. Props to you ma' man. Please keep em coming, I.. uh.. I.. need some more..please?..

[@Lizuma]

I loved this video, I learned a little about some demos and learned a lot more about the original sm64!! I really want to play the original since I have the ds version and it is SUPER fun! Maybe one day I could get a Nintendo 64 and try out the original!