Super Mario Bros. 3 P Speed Viewer
This is a modification of the SMB3 Practice ROM by FredCoughlin. Because of the convoluted way P-speed works in this game, this hack displays a dot on screen every place where the P-meter is updated. This makes its easier to find out how to get P-speed in certain parts of the level. There are also some minor modifications to make practicing more streamlined, including Start+Select to exit the level. You can download the ROM here. Here is a list of all features in the current version (V1.0):
- Free Roam Overworld (originally by Fred)
- Full Inventory (originally by Fred)
- World & Lives Select on title screen (originally by Fred)
- Some world maps modified to make navigation easier (originally by Fred)
- P-meter updates shown on screen
- Start+Select to exit a level
- More paths and pipes in warp zone so you can enter any world whenever
The P-meter is not updated every frame. If Mario is running, gaining speed, he will gain one arrow and the P-meter will be checked again in 8 frames. This results in a green dot shown under Mario's feet. Every frame Mario has a full P-meter (6 arrows), he gets P-speed and the next check for arrows is delayed for 16 frames. This results in an orange dot under Mario's feet. If Mario is not running, losing speed, he will lose one arrow and the P-meter will be checked again in 24 frames. This results in a red dot under Mario's feet. Due to the different time intervals for checking the meter, gaining P-speed in certain terrain can be unexpectedly challenging. Hopefully these visual cues will help with that.
Bugs
This ROM is currently pretty buggy. Here are a small list of known bugs.
- The P-speed markers can wrap around the screen. This is easy to fix but I don't have an easy way to compile code yet, so I am limited to small chunks.
- Some times the game crashes when exiting a level. Haven't figured that one out yet.