The United States of Mario

Extra Files:

The United States of Mario - Manual - v1.04.txt

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       THE UNITED STATES OF MARIO!

             By: marathonx

	       2018 - 2021

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TABLE OF CONTENTS [CTRL-F to a specific section to avoid spoilers]

[1.] THE STORY
[2a.] FEATURES/PATCHES
[2b.] PATCH UPDATES               ***MAJOR SPOILERS***
[3.] SPECIAL THANKS
[4.] CONTACT INFORMATION
[5.] LEVEL INFORMATION            ***MAJOR SPOILERS***
[6a.] SPEEDRUN CATEGORIES         ***MAJOR SPOILERS***

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[1.] THE STORY
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After the events of Super Mario World, Mario heads back to his apartment in Brooklyn.
Once he arrives back home, he realizes that he hasn't really explored the rest of New York
or the United States at all.  So, he packs his bags, says goodbye to Yoshi, Peach, and Luigi,
and embarks on a roadtrip that takes him across the country and back again.

What will he find?  What cities will he visit?  Will he be able to explore internationally?
Don't you need a passport for that?

There's only one way to find out :)

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[2a.] FEATURES/PATCHES (Credits provided)
==========================================

- Lore
	- Each level has a message block (or two!) that gives some insight to
	  the level itself or its real-life counterpart.
	- Some message boxes may joke around, but it's all in good fun :)

- Custom Color Palettes
	- Wherever appropriate, custom palettes are utilized in order to
	  offer variance to the traditional vanilla color schemes.

- Custom Music (Credits in Level Information)
	- In nearly every level and area, custom music is included that
	  fits the general theme or aesthetic of the level.

- Infinite Lives
	- For the player's convenience, you will never get a game over.

- Fast Retry (By: worldpeace)
	- Why make you go to the overworld over and over and waste your time? That would
	  just be mean, shallow, and pedantic.

- Counterbreak (By: worldpeace)
	- Start/select to quit is enabled after you complete a level, akin to the vanilla game.
	- You will not be able to take items from one level to another regardless.

- Disabled Bonus Stars (By: Aika, imamelia)
	- Since the American flag took them all, there are no more stars to award at the
	  end of levels :/

- Disabled L/R Scrolling
	- No looking ahead!

- Remove Status Bar (By: Lui)
	- The status bar was messy, so it has been removed.

- Timer Disabler v1.2 (By: JackTheSpades, Koopster)
	- I never really wanted the timer to be an issue for the player, so it has been disabled.

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[2b.] PATCH UPDATES ***MAJOR SPOILERS***
==========================================

v1.04 Score and 7 Years Ago [6.8.21]
Overall
- Outlined (nearly) all kaizo blocks
	- If the block is meant to be an obstacle or is used to make progress, it's outlined or removed.
	- If it makes Twitch chat and streamers laugh, it's still invisible.
- Balanced audio throughout
- Toned down unfairness
- Added some secrets in pipes that normally didn't go anywhere :)

Chicago
- Moved a mushroom to prevent passing over it
- Changed fireball obstacle and awkward ceiling jump in the second half

Wrigley Field
- Eliminated kaizo blocks in the switch room

St. Louis
- Moved a note block one tile to the left
- Eliminated muncher ceiling to prevent accidental death that's not the player's fault

Las Vegas
- Added pathing on the overworld to make it more evident that there is a secret exit to find

Seattle
- Removed a despawning chuck
- Removed a really annoying kaizo block
- Added a new obstacle to prevent waiting on moving platforms
- Added a new obstacle to fully utilize a double-bounce shell

Beaverton
- Changed muncher ceiling by the chuck

Portland
- Changed a noteblock jump to a web grab
- Changed the web climbing section to make the player keep up with the Eerie

Los Angeles
- Reduced some amounts of waiting around

Tucson
- Fixed a potential softlock

Santa Fe
- Loosened up the P-Balloon section

New Orleans
- Fixed a potential break in the intended path for the first P-Switch of the first half
- Loosened the first P-Switch section of the first half
- Loosened the second P-Switch section of the second half

The Gulf
- Added additional pathing to show that The Gulf isn't actually an exit.
- Rewrote the second message box to more explicitly show that the level is an homage.

Congress
- Fixed lava that was acting like a ceiling when there isn't a ceiling
- Added munchers under a Thwomp to make the player hesitate at first

The White House
- Removed a kaizo block at the checkpoint
- Placed the midway frame tape behind the foreground to hide that weird graphical thing
  in the corner of the midway

Sonora
- Completely removed the third room
- Changed the ending of the second room, which will take you to the end of the level

Mexico City
- Edited some winged blocks so they didn't fly back and forth

Traveler's Club
- Added pathing on the overworld to make it more evident that there is an exit to find
- Added spikes near the key for easy death in the event the player throws the key into the wall

v1.03 [May 24, 2021]
- Lots of more changes throughout
- Silly stuff added, some annoying stuff removed
- New credits sequence/level

v1.02 [September 3, 2020]
- Completely reworked some levels to eliminate blindness
- Changed some two-screen high levels to one-screen high
- Eliminated unnecessary tightness/frustration throughout
- Made more consistent setups throughout

v1.01 [September 7, 2019]
- Added additional guidance coins to make path through/over obstacles more clear.
- (Re)moved some pipes/munchers to make some sections more forgiving.
- Removed blind aspects to remove as much artificial difficulty as possible.
- Adjusted some obstacles to remove jank and make certain sections more fair/consistent.
- Edited various speakerbox grammar and sentence structures.

v1.0 [August 31, 2019]
Base release :D






















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[3.] SPECIAL THANKS AND INSPIRATIONS
==========================================

- My wife
	- For supporting me through this project and putting
	  up with me as I talked about this nonstop.

- My Twitch chat
	- For being a great source of entertainment as I began
	  streaming and getting into Kaizo hacks.
	- In particular: A2YerOld, Alltheloweend, Amethyst_Rocks,
	  Darkanine, Hank_Sinatra, PanzerKuh, Rubash319,
	  StreamerGoFaster, ThirdWall

***An extra special thank you to Darkanine, whose testing notes and suggestions helped round
   this hack out into something that I'm really proud of as a first attempt with level design.

- The Little Guyzos (RIP)
	- For being an additional group of support and source of connections
	  with some fantastic people.

- BarbarousKing
	- For introducing me to Lunar Magic, ROM hacking, and level creation.  Your
	  Grand Poo World 2 streams were a highlight of my day, and I learned so
	  much from those streams and your Lunar Magic tutorial.

- GlitchCat7
	- For showing me what dedication, time, and care can produce, ranging from
	  gameplay to creation and everything in between.

- LaserBelch
	- For being a constant source of joy and top-tier kaizo gameplay.  Your streams
	  are always so goofy and fun, and I can't thank you enough for helping me keep
	  going during this absolute shit-storm of the last year and a half of COVID.

- Super Mario World Central
	- For providing the resources, tutorials, information, and music to help me
	  create this hack.  This literally would not be possible if not for the
	  community formed by those who love this game, even after almost 30 years.

- Team Rainbow Wing
	- For being an all-around inclusive and supportive group of folks, regardless
	  of whether we're talking about Mario or not.

- You, the player
	- You could have downloaded and played any hack on SMWC, but you took a
	  chance and chose mine.  Thank you so much for playing, and I sincerely
	  hope you enjoy my game.

While you all may not know me personally, every single one of you mean more to me
than you know.  Thank you so much for being the wonderful people that you are.

VARIOUS INSPIRATIONS
- Grand Poo World 1 & 2
- Kaizo Mario World
- Korosu Mario World
- Super Dram World
- The Search for Salmon

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[4.] CONTACT INFORMATION
==========================================

SMWC: marathonx
Twitch: twitch.tv/marathonx
Twitter: @marathon_x
Discord: marathonx #8720



















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[5.] LEVEL INFORMATION
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Each level's name is below, along with music credits.
------------------------------------------
STANDARD LEVELS

New York
Music: Fortress 2 Blue - Be Higher
Author: worldpeace

Chicago
Music: Mario Kart 64 - Frappe Snowland
Author: Gamma V

St. Louis
Music: Sonic Mania - Mirage Saloon Zone Act 2
Author: Maxodex

Las Vegas
Music: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - Casino Night Zone; Super Mario RPG - Fight Against Culex
Author: Wakana; Masterlink

Seattle
Music: Donkey Kong Country 2 - Primal Rave
Author: ggamer77

Portland
Music: Plants vs. Zombies - Plant Selection; 3D Ultra Pinball: Creep Night - Track 28
Author: HarvettFox96; musicalman

Los Angeles
Music: Kirby Super Star - Cavios/Dynablade Stage 2 (Cocoa Cave)
Author: Taffy

Phoenix
Music: The Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time - Gerudo Valley; Dark Pyramid
Authors: Wakana; Gamma V

Santa Fe
Music: Tetris Attack - Breeze Stage
Author: KKevinM

Austin
Music: Athletic Theme
Author: Nintendo

New Orleans
Music: Shovel Knight - A Thousand Leagues Below (KMT Styled)
Author: Ultima

Atlanta
Music: Banjo-Kazooie - Spiral Mountain
Author: 6646

Miami
Music: Cool Spot (SNES) - Shell Shock
Author: KKevinM

Congress
Music: Super Metroid - Brinstar Overgrown with Vegetation Area
Author: DanTheVP

The White House
Music: Super Mario 64 - Ultimate Bowser's Battle
Author: Wakana

Credits
Music: Earthbound - You've Come Far, Ness
Author: KKevinM
GFX: Mario Is Missing - Large Font
Author: HarvettFox96

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SWITCH PALACES
Music: Super Mario 64 - Slide Theme
Authors: Giftshaven, MarkVD100
GFX: Super Mario World Styled Switch Palace Expansion
Author: Danooodle

Wrigley Field

Beaverton

Tucson

Watergate (No music)

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OVERWORLDS

Main Overworld
Music: Super Mario RPG - The Road is Full of Dangers
Author: MercuryPenny

Pacific Northwest
Music: Floating Overworld
Author: Giftshaven

Washington D.C.
Music: Super Mario 64 - Bowser's Domain
Author: Wakana

Bonus
Music: Mario Kart 64 - Winning Results
Author: Ultima

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MISC.

Mario's Apartment
Music: Earthbound - Twoson
Author: ggamer77

The Border
Music: Earthbound - Twoson
Author: ggamer77

The Gulf
Music: Dark Law - Temple Forest
Author: Sinc-X

Sonora
Music: Mega Man & Bass - Ground Man's Stage
Author: Ultima

Mexico City
Music: Final Fantasy VI - Wild West
Author: KKevinM

Traveler's Club
Music: Mario Party 2 - In The Pipe
Author: Yung Gotenks
GFX: Mario Is Missing - Large Font
Author: HarvettFox96

Level Completion
Music: SimCity (SNES) - Congratulations
Author: Unknown User

Secrets
Music: Mega Man & Bass - Game Over
Author: Ultima

==========================================
[6a.] SPEEDRUN CATEGORIES
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All categories must start from a new file.
Time begins in all categories when the player starts a new game, i/e. when the transition from the title screen to the intro screen begins.
Time in all categories ends when the player enters the Credits.

Domestic/Any%
- Clear the White House as fast as you can.

World Traveler/100%
- Complete all exits and switch palaces (26 total exits on the title screen).