Mario Artist Communication Kit

Mario Artist Communication Kit
Developer: Nintendo EAD Publisher: Nintendo Platform: Nintendo 64DD Released in JP: June 29, 2000 This game has hidden developer credits. This game has unused modes / minigames. This game has unused graphics. This game has debugging material. This game has unusual dummy files.

The third title of the Mario Artist suite for the ill-fated 64DD, used to transfer content from the other entries (Paint Studio, Talent Studio, and Polygon Studio) to an online service.

Debug Menu

During the 64DD logo screen, hold B + C-Right + D-Pad Left until the Debug Menu appears.

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  Debug Menu (1)

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  Debug Menu (2)

You can select with the D-Pad or the C Buttons, and press A to select. The full list is the following:

• ----TITLE(LOAD)----: Title Screen (Reload)
• TITLE(WO LOAD): Title Screen (Without reload)
• TITLE(AFTER P-ON): Title Screen (After Power On)
• INPUT STR TEST: Writer Screen Test.
• USER TEST: Randnet Error Testing, one error after another on repeat.
• CAPTURE: Capture Cassette menu.
• FILE UTILITY: Save & Load menu.
• PRESENT: Bonus Content menu.
• RAND BANK: Rand Cash menu. This is the Randnet service currency.
• PRINTER: Game Boy Printer menu.
• SEAL PRINT: Sticker Print Randnet service menu.
• ** DOWNLOAD **: Download Menu
• ** UPLOAD **: Upload Menu
• FIRST DIALUP: Randnet Service First Login (this can also be accessed by holding A + B + Z buttons)
• NETWORK SETTING: Randnet Access Configuration
• WORLD: Black screen
• PEN NAME: Nickname Menu (you can register up to 5 nicknames)

Debug Mode

Debug Mode can be enabled by performing the following button sequence on the title screen: D-Pad Up, D-Pad Up, D-Pad Up, D-Pad Down, D-Pad Down, D-Pad Down, D-Pad Left, D-Pad Right, D-Pad Left, D-Pad Right, L Button, R Button.
Or by using the following GameShark code: 8005FC70 0001

You will then see the version number and the background color will change slightly.

Disk Formatting Menu

USING THIS MENU WILL ERASE DATA FROM THE DISK, USE IT AT YOUR OWN RISK. This can be accessed on the title screen by pressing D-Pad Left and all C Buttons at once.

• OPTION PAGE 0 and OPTION PAGE 1 will delete configuration settings.
• PRODUCT CODE is unknown.
• DISKINFO FOR NETLIB is unknown.
• MULTI FILE SYSTEM will format the save filesystem and erase every downloaded & imported Mario Artist content.
• MEMBER ID will erase linked Randnet membership info, you would have to log in again.

Commands

• R + L Button: Show / Hide Performance Bar
• R + A Button: Stop / Play Music
• R + Z Button: Show Debug Screen
• R + D-Pad Up: Play Save & Load Music / Reenable Screen Rendering
• R + D-Pad Left/Right: Change Debug Screen Page
• R + D-Pad Down: Disable Screen Rendering

Game Boy Printer Support

As with Paint Studio, Communication Kit supports the Game Boy Printer through unreleased peripherals.

It supports the unreleased 64GB Cable shown at Spaceworld 1999. If detected from one of the controller ports, the game will unhide the Game Boy Printer (Pocket Printer) icon in the main menu, near the Bonus Contents icon (which may be hidden).

This cable plugs into a Game Boy Printer cartridge, which then the Game Boy Printer plugs into the Game Boy's link port. This cartridge only acts as a middleman as Paint Studio sends and receives RAW Game Boy link data. Oddly enough, alongside support for the original Game Boy Printer, it has support for an unannounced "Game Boy Printer Color" (referred to as Color Printer in the text) hardware which prints color images.

You can print in several directions, as well as splitting the image in 2 or 4. For the original Game Boy Printer menu, you can change the paper color, as well as brightness and contrast. The Game Boy Printer Color menu allows to change the brightness, contrast and hue.

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  Pocket Printer Icon

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  Regular Pocket Printer Menu

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  Pocket Printer Color Menu

Preformatted Deleted Files

Nintendo seems to have formatted every Communication Kit disk with a preformatted save data, which accidentally contains a bunch of data of deleted files that can be recovered.

Sound Movie Test

This movie called ムービー (the estimated filename is ムービー.TSBGA) uses shuffled scenes with an unknown talent called きほんタレント１, with streamed audio ripped from Yellow Magic Orchestra - Snakeman Show 1.

It should be known that Sound Movies cannot be made in Mario Artist Talent Studio, it is a format that only Nintendo themselves could make. The only other known Sound Movie is the Hidden Movie from Talent Studio with Hiroshi Yamauchi.

This file can be found at offset 0x19C6200 of the NDD file, at a size of 0x124158 bytes.

Pictures

These pictures can also be found within the unused preformatted save area. Some of them are from the Bonus Content menu, and are omitted from this list.

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  (Offset 0x195A8C0, 0x15970 bytes)
  Colored Image from Paint Studio's Coloring Book

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  (Offset 0x198A5C0, 0x15970 bytes)
  Unknown

Staff Roll Minigames

Used

Press B at the title screen, then C-Up after the credits begin. This will show your cursor on the credits and when you press A or Z, you can shoot roles and names to change them to Katakana or Hiragana. This cannot be done in the other Mario Artist games.

Unused Variant 1

The following can be enabled by using one of the following:

• Action Replay / GameShark Code: 80139B1C 0001
• NDD Disk File Hacking: Replace A0209B1C to A0249B1C at offset 0x1F0050
• Cartridge Port Hacking: Replace A0209B1C to A0249B1C at offset 0x17D878

This has some intended glitch effects on the names, and by pressing C-Up you can also click the names, different sound effects will occur and a score will be shown at the end.

Unused Variant 2

The following can be enabled by using the following GameShark code: 801E4694 0001

• Action Replay / GameShark Code: 801E4694 0001
• NDD Disk File Hacking: Replace 80121CE0 to 80121CF0 at offset 0x205728
• Cartridge Port Hacking: Replace 80121CE0 to 80121CF0 at offset 0x192F50

This is a full fledged minigame where you have to hit as many names as possible while juggling with the S T A F F letters to not fall into the bottom of the screen for score penalities.