User:Ultra64Detective2401/Unofficial Page Semi-Guide

Alright. Let’s get to the point.

I’m not yet used to the actual style of an article.. But I know plenty of things not to do, and plenty of things to do, if you want to have a chance at getting your article made canon.

First off, do your research on Super Mario 64 and its betas. You wouldn’t want your article to be deemed non-canon because you posted a page about an October 1995 build, yet your images and description refer to the final HUD, would you? Or, even worse, posting about a build that we know for sure cannot exist, because it falls completely outside the range of development for Super Mario 64! (September 7th 1994 to May 20th 1996. I’ve literally seen 2010 builds and a 1993 build. The 1993 build wasn’t a Super Mario FX build, which is possible, but literally Mario 64.)

Second, at least try to see if the anomaly you’re reporting is even... possible? Remember, the Nintendo 64 can only hold 4MB of RAM, and only 64MB of data can be on a cartridge. Only 256KB can be SRAM. Keep this in mind when reporting anomalies. If your reported anomaly requires more than 4MB of RAM, it probably didn’t happen. This is the reason why MIPS Hole turned the Fifth Floor into a joke page, and decided to put on the Community Canon that no more floors should be added. (Technically, no more consistent floors, or floors that require other floors should be added. More on that later.) Your friend might have told you it happened, or that his uncle who definitely worked for Nintendo said it did, but... your friend’s probably lying.

Only 32 courses were ever planned for Super Mario 64. Most were scrapped a while before the game’s release. The unused courses wouldn’t be completely, fully developed. This means if the Personalization AI brings them back, either they’d be in clear beta states, or the AI is attempting to project what the finished course WOULD look like. And since this AI is personalizing the game for the player, that means these additions would be different from copy to copy. This is the reason why it’s considered bad practice to add full mission lists for anomalous courses. That may be how they looked like in your copy, but not everyone else will have the same experiences. There can be more than 17 (32-15) anomalous courses, but they would have been created by the AI, meaning that again, they will not be the same from copy to copy.

Yeah, that’s another thing. Remember the different anomalies. See how they might be responsible for the phenomenon you’re reporting. Don’t just call it a new phenomenon when it’s probably just another case of an already existing anomaly.

And remember the most important one of all:Personalization.

I’ve hinted at it before, but remember:Copies are personalized. This is why anomalies can appear at different times, from different causes. This is why even things like the 4th floor and Floor 2B aren’t always consistent.

It IS possible for there to be more floors.. but there probably can’t be a fifth floor or a third basement. There can be floors that exist instead of the fourth floor, or instead of Floor 2B. This is likely why Unidentified Floors only got a dubitation instead of non-canon, and the only reason stated (besides the fact that it lacks confirmation) is due to one of them being “Floor 3B”. (Meaning if Floor 3B wasn’t a second basement, and more evidence besides Bob’s videos showed their existence, it would’ve been canon!)

So, if you’ve been wondering why articles can be vague about what happens, or give conflicting accounts, that’s why. The details can depend on the copy of the game.