Yet another Mario 64 Concept/Remake

[VarietyGamer]

This is a learning exercise/playable concept to prep a workflow and toolset for an original project. This is made in unity 5 and based on Roystans Mario 64 b-bomb battlefield remake.

I've gradually replaced everything and expanded upon the level geometry, but I'm still using a modified version of his super character controller (some improvements were needed). Still using some Mario Galaxy models. No intent of releasing it beyond videos and screens so as not to give Nintendo reason to cease and desist me. To re-iterate, this is just a concept for personal education.

Original(Emulated):

Roystan's Remake:

80% of visual features implemented:

I've locked it to 1080p/30fps for testing purposes, will optimize when the time comes. Grass will be made interactive, and lighting will be further improved.

 

[Tanis]

Not sure how bright an idea it is to share this.

Nintendo is really bad at screwing with fan-made no-profit projects.

 

[VarietyGamer]

Won't be released, no worries. Consider it fan art.

Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_l8TS4fe04

 

[VarietyGamer]

Also you can play it here

https://varietygamer.itch.io/mario-128-concept-only

Come at me Nintenbro...

 

[SmugFrog]

No intent of releasing it beyond videos and screens so as not to give Nintendo reason to cease and desist me.

Also you can play it here
Come at me Nintenbro...

Looks really nice, and I love seeing the recreation of a classic game with graphical updates. It's also gotta be a great learning experience in redesigning it. However, if you're providing a link where I can "play it" meaning the game and not just some concept video - that's enough for Nintendo to shut that thing down. They're on a warpath about even showing video etc about their stuff sometimes.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Looks great but be extra careful around Nintendo, they don't take kindly to fan projects like these.

 

[Aerosteam]

So I've ways wondered, and perhaps this is the best time to ask since it seems you're in full gear with the project, why create a fan game, especially based on one made by a C&D heavy company, when you can make something original, or at least something which doesn't use someone else's IP?

Not trying to be mean or anything, I fully support fan projects, I'm genuinely asking.

 

[VarietyGamer]

So I've ways wondered, and perhaps this is the best time to ask since it seems you're in full gear with the project, why create a fan game, especially based on one made by a C&D heavy company, when you can make something original, or at least something which doesn't use someone else's IP?

Not trying to be mean or anything, I fully support fan projects, I'm genuinely asking.

Wonderful question, commonly asked, rarely answered. And the answer might surprise you. First of all, it's not a fan 'game', it's just a snippet based on yet another snippet from a game. There was never an intent to recreate every level.

Finally, because....drum roll...IT IS EASIER! All those sound assets, animations, models...came from Mario Galaxy wii. It would take a long time to model and animate all these more minute elements or to actually record original audio.

As for the 'angular' levels not matching a more modern look, sure, but understand it is very easy and quick to prototype these levels in Probuilder, a unity plugin that allows you to model plane based geometry on the fly. It leads to angled and blocky geometry (which could then be cleaned up). I just reused Roystans planes.

I could make the castle grounds, the castle interior, and some more levels in just a few weeks. Then populate it all with stolen Mario galaxy goodies. The hardest things about this particular build were the grass vertex shader and the post processed cloud shadows that actually interact with every single blade of grass. Nothing is pre-baked.Sure it is demanding on the gpu but this can be improved. Next step is to make the grass interactive; to expand upon the character controller so it can handle swimming and climbing, wall jumps and grabbing; to implement inverse kinematics so that Mario isn't simply defaulting to his belly slide preset every time he encounters an inconveniently angled plane. INstead he would slide and roll around like Link in BOTW. Then start working on original assets for an original game.

So there's your answer. As to WHY overall, because learning. Knowledge is power. I now know enough to make an even prettier platformer, completely unrelated to Mario and I know exactly what I need to expand upon and how to do it and who to recruit to help me do it.

This entire scheme is on hold by the way, but for the most part it has served its purpose. If Nintendo takes it down so be it. I can branch off and expand upon it in the ways outlined above.

I'm rushing another game to completion (it was supposed to be ready in January 2017 but it will overshoot that by a year) and can't start anything big yet.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Friendly reminder about Nintendo + fan games:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.949888-The-Fan-Made-2D-Adaptation-of-Breath-of-the-Wild-Has-Been-Shut-Down-by-a-Copyright-Claim

 

[VarietyGamer]

Come at me nintenbro.