How we BEAT the Limitations that defined the N64s Artstyle

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  • Опубліковано 20 лис 2024

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  • @3lH4ck3rC0mf0r7
    @3lH4ck3rC0mf0r7 9 місяців тому +2628

    "Buh mah texture cache memory-"
    Kaze: _S K I L L I S S U E ._

    • @TheGreatFury
      @TheGreatFury 9 місяців тому +156

      Kaze: "I missed the part where that's my problem."

    • @John_Lee_
      @John_Lee_ 9 місяців тому +97

      Skill and TIME. The latter is something engineers don't have when trying to bring something profitable and feasible to the market in time and on budget.

    • @LenaYoutube
      @LenaYoutube 9 місяців тому

      What skill? He didn't do shit. Mario is a nintendo project, the design was made by nintendi, the tools wasn't made by him, the techniques he used aren't his and he's blindly parroting someone else. He has no passion and no desire to do thing by himself. It's like ordering at a restaurant and pretending you're a chef, it doesn't work this way. Typical youtuber attentionwhoring.

    • @KaidenLewis-wy4hd
      @KaidenLewis-wy4hd 9 місяців тому +1

      What are you even talking about? He literally said in the video that they couldn't possibly have done all this at the time. Why do you feel the need to put words into his mouth? Why do you feel the need to make Kaze sound like a jerk? Why do you feel the need to defame the staff of Nintendo that were visionaries at the time?
      But who am I even talking to... You're just some meme brainers who memed their last brain cells away a long time ago and now are unable to form any kind of original thought without adhering to some sort of meme format.
      See, I wouldn't care if you'd just kept your garbage to yourselves in your discord servers and subreddits or whatever, but I have a problem with it once you start entering the "real world" and spread misinformation and cause trouble to other people with it. Like for example in this case you are implying that Kaze is disrespectful and wants to start beef with Nintendo. Can you imagine what kind of trouble this could create down the line if this type of rumor was spread and attached to Kaze's reputation? No, you don't... because you're incapable of thinking. "It's just a meme, bro!"

    • @lucdubois3927
      @lucdubois3927 9 місяців тому +7

      *techtures

  • @wile123456
    @wile123456 9 місяців тому +2566

    Can't wait for Kaze to be 80 years old and explaining how you squeeze every drop of performance out of the PS3 or Nintendo wii

    • @JerrySM64
      @JerrySM64 9 місяців тому +354

      Nah even then he will try to squeeze even more performance out of the N64 with the brand new microcode F3DEX15

    • @wpgamingvids7558
      @wpgamingvids7558 9 місяців тому +249

      Real time raytracing 4090 performance on N64 😂

    • @tacokoneko
      @tacokoneko 9 місяців тому +71

      i hope that one day he contributes to MIPS target of Linux kernel

    • @tacokoneko
      @tacokoneko 9 місяців тому +70

      there is Linux for N64 and yes it is 64 bit and the full multitasking kernel because N64 has an MMU but it is scuffed and barely able to load filling the entire N64 memory just to boot because it's mostly a generic build for MIPS CPU with a super minimal framebuffer console and osk thrown together. i am certain that kaze could easily comment out tons of generic code that isn't needed for the N64 and make a little more room in RAM to do something

    • @i-am-linja
      @i-am-linja 9 місяців тому +25

      @@tacokoneko Serious question: if such extensive gutting is required, why would you even want to run Linux there? And if there is a build that can run acceptably, could that build still be called "Linux"? It might be about as much effort to write a POSIX-compliant OS with some GNU idiosyncrasies from scratch as it would be to jam one specific OS onto a system that isn't up to running it.

  • @jamescampbell6728
    @jamescampbell6728 9 місяців тому +1593

    It's so interesting to see how art is defined by not just necessary limitations, but UNNECESSARY limitations. Awesome video!!! (as usual)

    • @user-vi4xy1jw7e
      @user-vi4xy1jw7e 9 місяців тому +43

      I love unnecessary limitations

    • @terroriz0r
      @terroriz0r 9 місяців тому +27

      so that makes kaze's new artstyle the true definitive N64 artstyle!

    • @dougr8646
      @dougr8646 9 місяців тому +7

      No, no it doesn't

    • @jamescampbell6728
      @jamescampbell6728 9 місяців тому +6

      @@dougr8646 true

    • @somnia3423
      @somnia3423 9 місяців тому

      What? ​@@dougr8646

  • @douglasmurphy3266
    @douglasmurphy3266 9 місяців тому +513

    Mario 64 had one genius workaround to all of this (except the texture cache): The title screen. High poly, dynamic lighting, pliable vertice Mario greets you and lets you fool around with it, and that visual is imprinted into your brain. That first impression, especially in 1996, carries over into the actual game to where you aren't even seeing Mario's cut down geometry, your brain is drawing high poly Mario onto everything.

    • @arkadyshersky8704
      @arkadyshersky8704 9 місяців тому +6

      Vertex.

    • @gamesandplanes3984
      @gamesandplanes3984 9 місяців тому +11

      Nintendo: style over substance

    • @chocov1233
      @chocov1233 9 місяців тому +34

      ​@@gamesandplanes3984Sounds more like Sega.

    • @ExtremeWreck
      @ExtremeWreck 9 місяців тому +6

      @@chocov1233 Nah that's the Atari Lynx

    • @connorhayes2711
      @connorhayes2711 6 місяців тому +13

      Genius observation! I never thought about that before but it’s so true

  • @chlorobyte_projects
    @chlorobyte_projects 9 місяців тому +880

    Imagine if Kaze had a Gamecube. He would become unstoppable.

    • @MLWJ1993
      @MLWJ1993 9 місяців тому +149

      Makes you wonder how much potential a GameCube truly has. Although, the small discs may actually prove to be more of a bottleneck than the actual hardware when it comes to the GameCube.

    • @mrlightwriter
      @mrlightwriter 9 місяців тому +119

      @@MLWJ1993 Well , the discs hold 1,46GB; I think that's quite a jump from the N64 cartridges...

    • @xdanic3
      @xdanic3 9 місяців тому +59

      @@mrlightwriter Yeah 1,46Gb is quite a lot and there are methods to compress PNG textures like Zopfli or quantization (indexed 256 color mode, which is more than enough for stilized textures), not sure if that's what the textures are encoded to, maybe that's right for the gamecube, but the N64 might be using raw bitmaps

    • @Slvl710
      @Slvl710 9 місяців тому +51

      might as well use a wii instead, its really not that big of a jump from the gamecube, nintendo just actually used normal cd's

    • @xdanic3
      @xdanic3 9 місяців тому +73

      @@Slvl710 In fact the Wii was just an overclocked Gamecube with more/faster memory.

  • @SproingBoing
    @SproingBoing 9 місяців тому +856

    With the amount of optimizations you've done for your mod alone it honestly looks like an early Gamecube prototype circa Spaceworld 1997, kudos to your talent in transforming the N64 into the Ultra 64

    • @aclstudios
      @aclstudios 9 місяців тому +16

      There were Gamecube protos that early??

    • @SproingBoing
      @SproingBoing 9 місяців тому +89

      @@aclstudios Technically. iirc It was more of a tech demo for Super Mario 128 to show off the shiny new graphics and how cluttered the screen could get without the system catching fire
      edit: It was a tech demo for the N64DD that was later reused *_for_* the Gamecube demo, which was why my brain got it confused and thought 1997. Still a pretty neat showcase imo

    • @clouds-rb9xt
      @clouds-rb9xt 9 місяців тому +6

      @@SproingBoingI'm pretty sure only the name was reused

    • @keaton718
      @keaton718 9 місяців тому +25

      Kaze could have been a lead developer at Rare back in the day. And with what he managed to pull out of the N64, and presumably he could work similar magic on the Gamecube, maybe Nintendo would have bought Rare just to keep him. Like he would be the icing on the cake on top of the Rare IP that would have made the difference.

    • @costelinha1867
      @costelinha1867 9 місяців тому

      I don't even want to imagine what will happen if someone give this fucker an N64 DD with some way to load games from an sd card.

  • @HyJyncks
    @HyJyncks 9 місяців тому +492

    "30 years of hindsight and no hard deadlines" That's how, to answer the jeopardy question title.

    • @xGMV
      @xGMV 9 місяців тому +3

      I'm using DeArrow and instead I had the "Explaining the "N64 art style" and how to push its limitations with optimization" title.

    • @phill6859
      @phill6859 9 місяців тому +34

      Also, try using a PC from 30 years ago

    • @OhKayEl
      @OhKayEl 7 місяців тому +3

      Hmm, not necessarily. Like Kaze said in one of his videos, there were a lot of mistakes in the Mario source code that were just straight dumb and could be easily fixed even back in the day.

    • @titanic_monarch796
      @titanic_monarch796 6 місяців тому +18

      ​@@OhKayEl...those are pretty much exactly the things that hindsight and deadlines affect

    • @OhKayEl
      @OhKayEl 6 місяців тому +1

      @@titanic_monarch796 No, it's affected by not being FUCKING STUPID.

  • @ares395
    @ares395 9 місяців тому +500

    I'd imagine having programming on N64 in your resume with your age bracket must turn some heads

    • @colonthree
      @colonthree 9 місяців тому +76

      I hire for that. :3c

    • @crakhaed
      @crakhaed 9 місяців тому +91

      ​@@colonthree love the complete consistency in your username, profile pic, and comment 😂

    • @fungo6631
      @fungo6631 9 місяців тому +40

      That won't help him out unless he's some sort of minority.
      Modern tech hiring is more about diversity and non skill marketability as is apparent with the sheer unoptimized bloating of the web and people soyfacing in disbelief when someone makes an actual game run at almost 5 digit FPS in 4K thanks to how fast modern computers are.

    • @Ultimaximus
      @Ultimaximus 9 місяців тому

      @@fungo6631 What are you talking about? Whites & Asians are 68-78% of the US population, but make up 82% of tech jobs, while hispanics and blacks similarly have less percentage in tech compared to the overall population

    • @aliatef7203
      @aliatef7203 9 місяців тому

      sounds like an excuse to me, hiring tech workers of all people based on diversity first and not skill makes zero business sense@@fungo6631

  • @legoboy7107
    @legoboy7107 9 місяців тому +289

    I like how, even though you have all the technical advancements to leave the N64 artstyle behind in this and give Mario a more modern-looking design, you're still giving Mario's new model his N64 look design-wise.

  • @The5lacker
    @The5lacker 9 місяців тому +1233

    "I 3D Modeled in the hex editor"
    Jesus H. Christ.

    • @kyle5210
      @kyle5210 9 місяців тому +142

      Actual Matrix vision

    • @RusticRonnie
      @RusticRonnie 9 місяців тому +27

      Used to be standard

    • @LokiScarletWasHere
      @LokiScarletWasHere 9 місяців тому +9

      On a motorbike, even

    • @videojuegos9379
      @videojuegos9379 9 місяців тому +40

      @@RusticRonnie no lol

    • @supra107
      @supra107 9 місяців тому +32

      If you know how to look into the architecture of N64 to fully harness it's power, you know how to code in Assembly, and you sure as hell know how to model in pure hex code.

  • @soviut303
    @soviut303 9 місяців тому +175

    The "sausage links" limbs was even an issue for animators for TV. Early 3D shows like Reboot and Beast Wars had to contend with disconnected limbs because they were often using NURBs surfaces and didn't have the skills to patch them all together to make a single surface.

    • @grahamcookson5937
      @grahamcookson5937 9 місяців тому +17

      I'm very happy to see a Reboot reference in 2024.

    • @Valery0p5
      @Valery0p5 8 місяців тому +1

      ​@@grahamcookson5937 that isn't the OSP channel

  • @henrique_best686
    @henrique_best686 9 місяців тому +107

    The footage in the background is SO GOOD, I cannot wait to see the final result, you are basically the n64 magician.

    • @alvallac2171
      @alvallac2171 9 місяців тому +4

      *The footage
      *GOOD. I
      *result. You
      *basically
      *magician.

    • @henrique_best686
      @henrique_best686 9 місяців тому +8

      @@alvallac2171 The disrespect.☕

    • @carnage0685
      @carnage0685 9 місяців тому +5

      It’s crazy because Rare did a lot of what he’s doing, and over 25 years ago, too. He’s basically Rare-ifying a new Super Mario 64 game.

  • @sonikku997
    @sonikku997 9 місяців тому +191

    I understand almost none of this and yet I still find these videos incredibly fascinating.

    • @PaperBanjo64
      @PaperBanjo64 9 місяців тому +9

      I just know when I see footage of games he's made that he's pushing the Nintendo 64 beyond its limits and it appears to run smoothly, something Rare couldn't do after 1998.

    • @JohnLennonisMe
      @JohnLennonisMe 8 місяців тому +3

      ​@@PaperBanjo64i think it is such a waste of time, yoshi dude could be making his own games and charge money but instead takes the easy way and just learns how to maximize an old console

    • @PaperBanjo64
      @PaperBanjo64 8 місяців тому +5

      @@JohnLennonisMe he definitely could be an indie dev, maybe he will eventually make his own games.

    • @JohnLennonisMe
      @JohnLennonisMe 8 місяців тому +3

      @@PaperBanjo64 that would be awesome, sadly most people once they find their obsession it is hard to let go.

    • @lyricjam39
      @lyricjam39 7 місяців тому +3

      In simple words, stay away from matrices unless you are a math enthusiast, that subject can break your mind.

  • @CaptainReynolds-flyinspace
    @CaptainReynolds-flyinspace 9 місяців тому +15

    This double texture trick was used all over the place in first Max Payne.
    they use small tiled textures resemble surface of the fabric, concrete wall and wood. And it works good by imitating high resolution details that textures not have.
    its remind me how film grain can give a look of more sharpen and detailed picture for low resolution.

  • @ArchLars
    @ArchLars 9 місяців тому +41

    Honestly I would love for Kaze to make an original game after this with everything he learned these years working on the N64 and the mods for it ! We are in dire need of good 3d platformers in general these days.

    • @sneauxday7002
      @sneauxday7002 2 місяці тому +2

      He could be the one to finish quest64..

    • @craftymulligar
      @craftymulligar 2 місяці тому

      He could do crash bandicoot game.

  • @dawk7
    @dawk7 9 місяців тому +96

    "I'm saying everybody else was wrong- crucify me!"
    ...I don't know, chief, by this point you might as well be "The Guy Who Has Tweaked The N64 To Its Limits", I'll believe you.

  • @YannickJur
    @YannickJur 9 місяців тому +336

    It's insane how modders find more capability in the N64 DECADES later. Most devs at Nintendo probably never found out about this!

    • @kakyoindonut3213
      @kakyoindonut3213 9 місяців тому +95

      they probably would, if only they had time to, I mean after n64 their job force them to jump to the next, better hardware console that is gamecube

    • @mikejameson7678
      @mikejameson7678 9 місяців тому +28

      Apart from what was said above, it's unlikely that enough, if any N64 developers still exist at Nintendo.

    • @kakyoindonut3213
      @kakyoindonut3213 9 місяців тому

      @@mikejameson7678 we can check the quality of the switch expansion pack of n64 to see if they're still exist

    • @jc_dogen
      @jc_dogen 9 місяців тому +8

      did you watch the video lol

    • @borisyeltsin6606
      @borisyeltsin6606 9 місяців тому +26

      ​@@jc_dogen 130 likes and you're the first person to point out the original comment we're replying to doesn't make any sense. cRAZY How moST DeVs NEveR FouND OUT aBoUt tHiS... As if there's some hidden trick or unlocked discovery. The was a series of niche optimizations, in part modeled off of optimizations that naturally evolved in subsequent hardware generations as the videogame programming industry developed alongside it.
      In short, he didn't watch or understand the video lol

  • @AnonyDave
    @AnonyDave 9 місяців тому +53

    I would argue a lot of the art being done at a lower polygon count than they could've got away with was also because of the tools of the time. Often people forget just how much things like that have changed in 20-30 years

    • @crestofhonor2349
      @crestofhonor2349 9 місяців тому +23

      Yup. People forget how much worse tools were then to even do a lot of this stuff. Today's tools are much better

    • @MarsPriest
      @MarsPriest 9 місяців тому +1

      What tools?

    • @SmileyBMM
      @SmileyBMM 9 місяців тому +7

      ​@@MarsPriestall of the software needed to make a game, from modeling software all the way to the operating system itself. All of it was harder to use back then compared to today.

    • @MarsPriest
      @MarsPriest 9 місяців тому +1

      @@SmileyBMM Sure, but I WANT NAMES!!! ⚡

    • @SmileyBMM
      @SmileyBMM 9 місяців тому +5

      @@MarsPriest N-World is apparently what they used for 3d modeling it seems. Look at that vs what people use today.

  • @iownu92
    @iownu92 9 місяців тому +40

    I have a great appreciation for how much you are able to squeeze out of the N64.
    Reminds me of what Andy Gavin was able to accomplish with the Crash Bandicoot games by essentially hacking the PS1.

    • @theblah12
      @theblah12 9 місяців тому +4

      It’s a shame there isn’t a large homebrew community for the PS1 like there is for the N64. What devs were able to do with the hardware back in the 90’s and early 2000’s was astounding.

    • @fungo6631
      @fungo6631 7 місяців тому +1

      ​@@theblah12The PS1 is a pretty simple and primitive platform.

  • @1234_Flux
    @1234_Flux 9 місяців тому +52

    The rom hack footage is the upcoming "Return to Yoshi's Island" by Kaze and the level is Ghoul Guy Galleon.

    • @phrozenliquidz
      @phrozenliquidz 8 місяців тому

      Has he been working on this same mod for years, or has he released multiple mods now?

    • @1234_Flux
      @1234_Flux 8 місяців тому +2

      @@phrozenliquidz Kaze has released a ton of mods for Mario 64. He's one of the best modders around.

  • @cm1guy
    @cm1guy 9 місяців тому +31

    Wish there was a more in-depth explanation of the SGI's skeletal animation trick, this thing sounds genius enough for its time. Great vid as always

    • @tetsuo3k
      @tetsuo3k 9 місяців тому +6

      Agreed. I'd love to hear more details on this, although I'm unsure how much of it I would comprehend.

  • @mesmesd
    @mesmesd 9 місяців тому +53

    Dude, that net in the beginning was amazing

  • @gaeel330
    @gaeel330 9 місяців тому +9

    I appreciate what you said about it being cheaper and easier to halve the polycount and not have to rely on squeezing every last bit of performance out of the machine.
    Mario 64 was developed in under two years (with seven programmers), as one of the launch titles. They didn't have the experience and knowledge we have today, and they had a very strict deadline they had to meet. There's no room for error, playing things safe and making sure you're able to ship a fun game on time is more important than high polycounts and detailed textures!
    That said, I love seeing what you're able to do with this hardware. The modding community gives us a peek into an alternate timeline where consoles continue to get games for 27 years! It's amazing how far you're all able to push this machine! James Lambert's "megatextures" demo blew me away when I first saw it, and your Mario mod looks amazing! Keep up the good work, and thanks for all of your deep dives into the nitty gritty of the N64's inner workings!

  • @fluffycritter
    @fluffycritter 9 місяців тому +6

    I'd always assumed that the Bowser-Peach texture fade effect was done by abusing the MIPmapping and trilinear filtering, rather than being two separately-controlled textures. Neat!

  • @CornRecords972
    @CornRecords972 9 місяців тому +30

    It looks like a gamecube game running on an n64. Like an ungodly interim console from an alternate universe. That's awesome.

  • @bloxrocks5179
    @bloxrocks5179 9 місяців тому +35

    Kaze im genuinely concerned about how deep in the N64 rabbit hole you are

  • @Stormkyleis
    @Stormkyleis 9 місяців тому +6

    You are absolutely NUTS for modelling in a hex editor.
    I can't wait for Return to Yoshi's Island!

  • @LInksaKk
    @LInksaKk 9 місяців тому +39

    I have seen that there are several new games that try to look like an N64 game but end up looking like a PS1 game, with videos like these it could help them to have a more N64 like style

    • @CrAzYpotpie
      @CrAzYpotpie 9 місяців тому +10

      You would have to try harder to make a game look like a PS1 game than an N64 one, so your comment perplexes me.

    • @whaecK
      @whaecK 9 місяців тому

      With modern tools?, you only have to downscale texture and graphics to make it look like a ps1 game, n64 has a distinctive look tho?
      Dunno, who cares😂

    • @CrAzYpotpie
      @CrAzYpotpie 9 місяців тому +6

      @@whaecK That isn't true at all, that would not give you the signature PS1 polygon warping, that is why I said it would be more deliberate work to make it look like PS1 than N64.

    • @tinoesroho
      @tinoesroho 9 місяців тому

      @@CrAzYpotpie there are like a dozen drop-in ready unity plugins that psx-ify vertices, polygon warping, and textures

    • @CrAzYpotpie
      @CrAzYpotpie 9 місяців тому +4

      @@tinoesroho I know that, which doesnt make sense with what the OP is saying. You would have to purposely do that to achieve a PS1 look. So why would people making games they want to look like N64 games use a PS1 shader?

  • @nat_the_gray
    @nat_the_gray 9 місяців тому +17

    One thing you seem to forget is that the original programmers were developing the game as a job, whereas you are doing it as a hobby. When you do something as a hobby it makes sense to pour everything into it. However, when you're doing something as a job you have to meet deadlines.

    • @KazeN64
      @KazeN64  9 місяців тому +29

      im not sure about that - i also have a fulltime job as a programmer for a video game and i feel similarly passionate about that work.

    • @MewEcks
      @MewEcks 9 місяців тому +17

      @@KazeN64 It should also be added that even though by today's standards, the N64 had a quite short lifetime, some developers (well, Rare, at the very least) sank their heart and soul into their games without worrying too much about deadlines as is evident by the fact that games like Conker got completely reimagined. Considering they released a bunch of games over the course of ~5 years with a fraction of the knowledge pooling that is happening today (and in hindsight, no less) with only a handful of people, the results are an amazing feat and testament to their skills. I recommend watching the Conker dev commentary videos found on UA-cam somewhere as it shines a light into the Rare N64 development days. It's also full of nice anecdotes along the lines of "I think we had like two meetings in total when working on the game".

    • @ExtremeWreck
      @ExtremeWreck 9 місяців тому +2

      This comment is also a good reason on why the N64 had some garbage shovelware like Superman 64 & Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.

    • @ryanclemons1
      @ryanclemons1 7 місяців тому +2

      Ironically deadlines kill games we need to get rid of them.

    • @fungo6631
      @fungo6631 7 місяців тому

      ​@@ExtremeWreckSuperman 64 was as it was because of the publisher tards.

  • @Tashiro64
    @Tashiro64 9 місяців тому +3

    The N64 really was an impressive console. Devs just didnt know everything about it.
    Thank you so much for all your amazing work over the years. It's mindblowing!

  • @Medachod
    @Medachod 9 місяців тому +54

    I also enjoyed that it was the only true 3D of its generation. It is always nice seeing it look perfectly rendered and not wobbly.

    • @xtr.7662
      @xtr.7662 9 місяців тому +12

      Yes it was the most powerful by raw power polygon coubt wise but ps1 games often looked better because of the significantly better textures

    • @thesenamesaretaken
      @thesenamesaretaken 9 місяців тому +8

      ​@@xtr.7662eh, you pick your poison. Is it models that vibrate but have higher resolution textures (but they warp when the model moves) or textures that are a smear of colour on models that are stable? And then there's me, who had a Saturn.

    • @mrlightwriter
      @mrlightwriter 9 місяців тому +4

      @@thesenamesaretaken You too had a Saturn? It may have flopped, but I loved every minute I played of Virtua Fighter and Sega Rally!

  • @ragnarrandom7367
    @ragnarrandom7367 9 місяців тому +4

    i love listening to your n64 tech breakdowns
    i dont understand any of it but i still feel smarter

  • @cdeardorff8685
    @cdeardorff8685 9 місяців тому +71

    Kaze in 2030: I managed to recreate RTX shaders on a real N64!

  • @elweegee3575
    @elweegee3575 9 місяців тому +13

    Whenever I see the current state of Return to Yoshi's Island it just makes me want to play it and it looks amazing, it seems as if SM64 came out for CameCube instead of N64.

  • @HawkBreland
    @HawkBreland 9 місяців тому +12

    you're such a chad, Kaze. awesome to see how much you and your channel has grown over the years and I couldn't be more happy for ya. keep on keeping on brother!

  • @anzhel3268
    @anzhel3268 9 місяців тому +28

    the ship at the end looks cool

  • @Quartis
    @Quartis 9 місяців тому +13

    I love optimizations and seeing how far you can push the art. These videos are so interesting.

  • @Washburnello
    @Washburnello 9 місяців тому +23

    Every time Kaze releases a video, I understand 25% of it but enjoy 500% of it.

  • @noelleonhart
    @noelleonhart 9 місяців тому +15

    Kaze casually redefining what "a product of its time" could have been.

  • @tigrineTerror
    @tigrineTerror 9 місяців тому +5

    one of my favorite things about the N64 is that you can obviously tell which games were developed by rareware. rareware game enemies have a distinct look to me

  • @RusticYT123
    @RusticYT123 9 місяців тому +58

    I wonder how far ocarina of time could be pushed on the n64. As that ran at 20fps.

    • @lilox3690
      @lilox3690 9 місяців тому +6

      There are mods that bring it to 30 and 60 fps on PC emulators but it looks really weird just because having those kinds of FPS on N64 was unheard of

    • @Xbob42
      @Xbob42 9 місяців тому +18

      @@lilox3690 I play it via Ship of Harkinian at 120+ FPS. I don't think it looks weird at all, I think it looks great since I thought it looked like shit at 15-20 FPS even when I played it on launch day on the N64.
      That said, their question was about how far you could optimize/push the N64 to maximize framerate, like this project. I'd also be curious. I bet it could easily hit 30.

    • @FazanaJ
      @FazanaJ 9 місяців тому +14

      30 is as easy as disabling anti-aliasing, but oot has the same problem sm64 originally did where the physics are hard tied to framerate so a lot more work would need to be done to fix that.

    • @EVPointMaster
      @EVPointMaster 9 місяців тому +4

      @@FazanaJ Wasn't OOT decompiled as well? That should make it significantly easier to add support for variable frame rates.

    • @FazanaJ
      @FazanaJ 9 місяців тому +3

      @@EVPointMaster Easier than borderline impossible, but it'll still be pretty CBT. SM64's a much simpler game and there was a lot of annoying things to deal with when decoupling logic from framerate there.

  • @uponeric36
    @uponeric36 9 місяців тому +58

    As a consumer; to artists: chase the imagination, not the actual limitations. The appeal of the N64 isn't it's limited graphics, it's the feeling of magic those limited graphics gave, the same thing can be done with less limits to create a better image for the viewer.

    • @Mattened
      @Mattened 9 місяців тому +4

      >consumer

    • @humblesophos
      @humblesophos 9 місяців тому +3

      I’ve found that as graphics have improved stories, character development and originality have all declined. That’s why I think N64 was the GOAT, 3D gameplay that still had a heavy focus on original content, great stories, challenging puzzles and good characters.

    • @alvallac2171
      @alvallac2171 9 місяців тому +3

      *consumer, to
      *its limited graphics (possessive pronoun)
      it's = contraction of "it is" or "it has"
      All contractions have apostrophes. Possessive pronouns never do.
      *graphics. Its (to fix your comma splice run-on)
      *gave. The (another comma splice)
      *fewer limits (because "limits" is a count noun)

    • @Gatitasecsii
      @Gatitasecsii 9 місяців тому +3

      Finally someone who makes sense!
      I believe it is possible to make a pretty game with the charm of the N64 without having to make it look awful like N64 games.
      It's all so tainted by nostalgia.

    • @Gatitasecsii
      @Gatitasecsii 9 місяців тому +1

      @@humblesophos
      Sure, cause Link's personality was so fleshed out back in the day compared to Kratos' in the latest God of War.
      Or if you wanna keep it in the same franchises; Sure, because Kratos' character was so well developed back in the day compared to the latest God of War.
      Or if you wanna keep it realistic; Sure, because Link is so much more developed now than he was back in Ocarina of Time. (diss on nintendo's lack of progress in character development, which for some reason you think has declined.)

  • @Jhat
    @Jhat 9 місяців тому +15

    Kaze, please do a gdc talk on your work and the tactics to overcome hardware limitations. Though it’s outdated in terms of hardware, it’s important for people to see what lengths can be gone to in order to overcome limitations.

  • @Nigel222
    @Nigel222 9 місяців тому +1

    I love how there seems to be a lot of cool Zelda OOT fan games coming out in recent times due this increased knowledge of the N64 capabilities.

  • @WilliamAncich
    @WilliamAncich 9 місяців тому +11

    0:00 Introduction
    1:11 Blurry Textures
    5:34 Low Poly
    8:01 Lighting
    11:38 Limbs
    15:58 Conclusion

  • @nixel1324
    @nixel1324 9 місяців тому +1

    Incredible video. Also, that barrel groundpound animation is _so_ satisfying. This game is just so full of small touches (and large touches!) that make it so good!

  • @golarac6433
    @golarac6433 9 місяців тому +4

    Great video, this is a really interesting topic. Most all retro systems that have dedicated fanbase will get advanced techniques developed and it's great to see. Very nice breakthrough.

  • @nickfromm5315
    @nickfromm5315 5 місяців тому +1

    Techniques always evolve over every console's lifespan. The original SMB1 was a simple side scroll, but SMB3 offered X&Y scrolling which was a programing achievement.

  • @ViviBuchlaw
    @ViviBuchlaw 9 місяців тому +5

    Yes I love these videos, keep them coming!
    I'm a little sad we don't get refined, intentional versions of these art styles, but I guess that's okay 😂

  • @selohcin
    @selohcin 8 місяців тому +1

    I'm so glad there is someone out there doing this stuff. I would love it if he and some friends release an actual game.

  • @DoublemanFM
    @DoublemanFM 9 місяців тому +6

    Next Kaze video: "I fully converted the Nintendo 64 into the Ultra 64, which can play a PlayStation, Saturn, and Nintendo 64 game natively at the same time with no performance loss. Preorders start at $5"

  • @MattBixler
    @MattBixler 9 місяців тому +1

    this just makes me think of the huge growth in technical knowledge the NES had during its life. this sort of optimization and love for the potential of hardware really feels like it's gone away these days, and the loss has led to so much waste. REALLY impressive stuff

  • @Jademalo
    @Jademalo 9 місяців тому +6

    I always feel like texture filtering is the big thing that differentiated the N64 from the PS1, the vibe between the pixellated textures and the smoothed textures is massively different.
    Also the classic PS1 affine texture mapping(?) and lack of perspective correction thing that made all of the tris wobble constantly

    • @Jademalo
      @Jademalo 9 місяців тому +5

      @@chikkin.salad.sandwich Absolutely, totally agree with that. There's a reason the whole "x but with the N64 soundfont" video genre is so popular, it has a very distinct feel to it. Obviously the PS1 being CD based just had regular music, so it doesn't have as distinct an identity (admittedly aside from PS1 jungle, which was more of an era thing than a limitation thing)

    • @theblah12
      @theblah12 9 місяців тому +1

      @@JademaloQuite a few PS1 games had a distinct “sound font” on the PS1, rather then just red book or streamed audio, but they were largely unique to the game itself since you could store as many samples as you wanted on a disc. The Crash Bandicoot sound font is very distinctive, as is the ones used by Squaresoft in their various RPGs. They’re all sourced from largely the same synths and libraries that were popular at the time so there’s a lot of similarities even from games from differing developers.

    • @jsr734
      @jsr734 9 місяців тому +2

      @@Jademalo There are lots of Ps1 games that used sequenced samples not just streamed audio. For example all the Final Fantasys, Crash Bandicoot, Resident Evil games all they use sequenced audio samples for most of their background music and of course sound effects.

  • @lloyd011721
    @lloyd011721 9 місяців тому +1

    "i 3d modeled in a hex editor" thats one of the most insane things ive hear heard.
    also id really love to see kaze crack open pokemon stadium 2 some time

  • @irgendwer3610
    @irgendwer3610 9 місяців тому +5

    that's style is also present in PC games of the era when they use the texture filtering instead of software rendering

    • @crestofhonor2349
      @crestofhonor2349 9 місяців тому +1

      Software rendering was also done entirely on the CPU

  • @JamesDeColling
    @JamesDeColling 9 місяців тому +3

    awesome work! im glad you didnt take the way ive seen other youtubers go with saying "n64 / psx devs were lazy, they didnt use these techniques!" kind of clickbait.
    the consoles back then were brand new, cutting edge. most devs didnt have any 3d knowledge, not to mention the tools available. 3d dcc software at the time was incredibly basic too.
    things like detail textures werent even a consideration early on because it just wasnt known.
    great vid!

  • @dacueba-games
    @dacueba-games 9 місяців тому +52

    Coming out soon (2028)

  • @CharlesVanNoland
    @CharlesVanNoland 9 місяців тому +1

    Mad props for hex-editing models to stitch them together. Back in the day I would hex-edit EXE files (games) to hack them. I used win32dasm to disassemble the game, then I'd find where it was issuing OpenGL calls, and I'd go and modify the parameters pushed onto the stack as arguments to those calls. I would do all kinds of stuff, modifying game parameters to be usable for different things, etc. Then I'd release process patchers that would write my hex-edits over the loaded EXE file while it was running in memory for other people to enjoy my exploits. I'm glad to see a fellow hex-editing hero do something cool with the ability to manually modify data.

  • @samuelthecamel
    @samuelthecamel 9 місяців тому +79

    Video game graphics pipeline: State-of-the-art graphics -> decent graphics -> terrible graphics -> somewhat nostalgic -> retro aesthetic

    • @Simchen
      @Simchen 9 місяців тому +8

      Absolutely true. And it is only a matter of time until somewhat that looks terrible becomes nostalgic and cool again. I'd say ~10 year old graphics are in the terrible department but +20 years old is just nostalgic and cool.

    • @casev799
      @casev799 9 місяців тому +5

      Also entirely depends on who your market is: older people probably won't care what the state of your graphics is or even love your shitty ones. I know I like it either way

    • @uponeric36
      @uponeric36 9 місяців тому +23

      I disagree that these graphics ever looked bad, rather the tech we used to view them changed and so did our expectations. If you pop Mario 64 onto a nice CRT, it will have beautiful scan-lines, bright saturated colors, good contrast, and it's soft 240p image will scale much better on CRT than modern monitor.
      Basically, Mario 64 on flat screen monitor/TV via emulator along with many other retro games, look nothing like their originals. These games didn't sell because they're ugly, you can tell from reactions at the time that this was genuinely ground breaking art that challenged established beauty - I'd take a frame of Mario 64 over the Mona Lisa any day.

    • @thesenamesaretaken
      @thesenamesaretaken 9 місяців тому +2

      ​@@Simchenbesides the odd niche thing like raytraced reflections, are 10 year old graphics even that different from today's graphics?

    • @EnigmaticGentleman
      @EnigmaticGentleman 9 місяців тому +8

      ​@@thesenamesaretakenI would say that the differences are a bit more than marginal, but fast forward to around the time Red Dead 2 came out and the differences between it and todays graphics are basically nonexistent (in fact lets be real the people still fussing over graphics genuinely want to be able to dissociate from real life).

  • @xl73.
    @xl73. 3 місяці тому +1

    15:20 for a good while there I thought there was dirt on my screen. It took me 10 seconds of scratching on the screen constantly to realize "Wait. That's the video."

  • @skinwalker69420
    @skinwalker69420 9 місяців тому +6

    All this effort, then all people ask you for is to do this with ocarina of time

  • @baronvonherzenberger2473
    @baronvonherzenberger2473 9 місяців тому +1

    What an awesome video. There aren't many videos with this much quality, congratulations and keep up! Thanks!

  • @GTXDash
    @GTXDash 9 місяців тому +20

    Sweet! Another video about some N64 programming/modding goodness.

  • @kevgmei
    @kevgmei 2 місяці тому +1

    30 years later, and the N64 is still the most impressive console ever made! It would be cool if Nintendo paid attention to this stuff and the N64 was still in demand so we could see more N64 games just for the heck of it!

  • @Uhfgood
    @Uhfgood 9 місяців тому +3

    I never had an n64 -- I don't think I was buying any consoles during this time, and I wasn't really a Nintendo guy anyway. But your videos are very interesting, and makes me want to try out some games.

  • @T26OG.
    @T26OG. 6 місяців тому

    Man, i wish i had you around in 96 when i was 12. If you would have shown me your work back then, my little mind would have been blown. Way back then, first playing it, I had no idea the legacy it would create and the impact it would have. I was just sittin there, sippin surge and perusing my nintendo power magazines havin no clue.

  • @EvilStevilTheKenevilPEN15
    @EvilStevilTheKenevilPEN15 9 місяців тому +4

    The small texture cache is enough _now_ with decades of hacking/decompilation resources, years of experience granting encyclopedic knowledge of the hardware, and all of the microcodes released.
    If you were a developer actually trying to develop a game before a deadline back in the 90s? It was just another headache that made your whole team want to release on PS1 instead.

    • @M1XART
      @M1XART 9 місяців тому

      So they though PS1 2kbit cache to be more desireable then.

    • @Rafa-Silva-Alt
      @Rafa-Silva-Alt 9 місяців тому +1

      Still it does not detract from the fact that Kaze does a great job. And it's also telling how Nintendo treated game developers with little information or poor tools at the time...

    • @jsr734
      @jsr734 9 місяців тому

      @@M1XART At least that 2Kbyte cache on Ps1 was not mandatory to use, unlike the N64.

  • @TurnTheHeatonNow
    @TurnTheHeatonNow 9 місяців тому +1

    First one of your videos ive come across, thought it was really well presented and fascinating.

  • @Nzcade
    @Nzcade 9 місяців тому +22

    Impressive

  • @toko90s9
    @toko90s9 9 місяців тому +1

    It's kind of insane how devs barely scratched the surface of what the N64 was capable of back during it's life span. Now this makes me wonder how many other older consoles can be pushed to levels no one thought they were capable of.

  • @glitchyguru6468
    @glitchyguru6468 9 місяців тому +3

    8:41 amongus

  • @drewlincoln8110
    @drewlincoln8110 9 місяців тому

    although everything went over my head i love how kaze has a passion for this and is able to do this

  • @devpz
    @devpz 9 місяців тому +13

    Kaze is best rom hacker ❤👍🍠

  • @joshuachittun4747
    @joshuachittun4747 9 місяців тому

    Appreciate the share, as someone who is still an advent user of the N64 console and its unique and memorable library.

  • @LILnashamLOL
    @LILnashamLOL 3 місяці тому +2

    MAN I NEED THIS ROM HACK 3:13

    • @Romanian-Balls
      @Romanian-Balls 2 місяці тому

      does anyone know what it is?

    • @matthew-1710
      @matthew-1710 2 місяці тому +1

      It's his own WIP rom hack called Return to Yoshi's Island, it is not released yet.

  • @mindblockandroid
    @mindblockandroid 9 місяців тому +1

    I used to do mods for Unreal Tournament 2004. UE2.5 was a polygon monster! It could render absurd amounts of geometric detail even with the crappiest GPUs. But everybody was obsessed with reducing polygons on EVERYTHING, even when it was absolutely unnecessary.

  • @payumayu
    @payumayu 9 місяців тому +5

    I want to say that I really appreciate how you never stop emphasizing that Nintendo really can't be blamed for not having this back in the day.
    Some aspect that a lot of people often overlook is the aspect of time when it comes to making videogames as a business. The pressure of investors, deadlines and release dates adds a whole new layer to everything. It's not always just the question what a developer *can* do, but also rather what he has time for. Sure, you can spend another year to reeeally optimize the code to squeeze out some more FPS... but do you have the time for that? More often than not, the unfortunate answer simply is: "That'll have to do for now".
    On that note I'd actually be curious if we'd imagine a parallel universe where Mario 64 was wasn't released until 2005 or something to include all these optimizations. Would that universe then end up with overall better graphics by the time of 2024 than our universe? Or would the graphics be worse because everything got postponed in time? Kind of interesting to think about.

  • @JesusBleach
    @JesusBleach 7 місяців тому

    the particles and light on the tabern kind map you did is beautiful.

  • @Mel0D
    @Mel0D 9 місяців тому +6

    with all of this stuff combined, your hack legitimately looks more like something run on a gamecube than an N64. and that's not a bad thing - it's absolutely stellar, impressive as all get out.
    i wish more developers of games on modern engines had an eye to such fine understanding of hardware and optimization. higher level coding is a blessing but developers these days really should learn some low level code, learn what their compilers are actually doing, and apply some discipline when developing more often.

    • @lpfan4491
      @lpfan4491 9 місяців тому +1

      I once saw a video documenting that a lot of modern games self-bottleneck in a way where user hardware cannot help because they try to render before changes are calculated and applied, so they have to freeze until completion.
      Knowing some tricks and analyzing common problem is always a good idea, too often we are left with companies saying "don't optimize this, technology will strongarm it"...and most of the time, no, technology does not strongarm it because it is held up by designflaws and not power.

  • @warioexpert
    @warioexpert 9 місяців тому +1

    I can't wait to see the culmination of all this hard work and dedication in a Mod by you

  • @dumpmuch
    @dumpmuch 9 місяців тому +3

    Is it playable on N64?

    • @KazeN64
      @KazeN64  9 місяців тому

      yes, thats kinda the point

  • @hexed8749
    @hexed8749 9 місяців тому

    ....man.... I wish you would make new n64 games utilizing all the ingenious stuff you know and figured out Kaze... Thank you so much for all your hard work. All of us who had our childhoods in the 90s appreciate everything you've done and are doing brother.

  • @Tocen
    @Tocen 9 місяців тому +3

    WOW this guy 3d modeled in a hex editor GOATED

  • @thearchergravity
    @thearchergravity 9 місяців тому

    An actually good remaster. I'm onboard for this. Shows what happens when there's passion in the project and it's not just a cash grab.

  • @Kyranyoutubevids
    @Kyranyoutubevids 9 місяців тому +30

    Nintendo: wait that’s illegal!

    • @Th0maZzzleep
      @Th0maZzzleep 9 місяців тому +7

      I get it but it isn't true. He has broken no laws in this video. He just makes maps for sm 64. He has his own game dumped to his computer. And emulators aren't illegal. Just illegaly obtained roms are. Obviosly I know that you are joking but I'm making sure everyone knows that this isn't illegal

    • @skinwalker69420
      @skinwalker69420 9 місяців тому +1

      @@Th0maZzzleep wouldn't stop a Nintendo lawyer but Nintendo realistically doesn't care what one guy does as a rom hack

    • @razorblade413
      @razorblade413 9 місяців тому +1

      @@Th0maZzzleep very good information. The first thing that comes to my mind is the mario shotgun 64 mod video taken down by nintendo. So if shotgun would use original levels and enemies then the video could have not taken down? (non english speaker, so i don't know if i screwed some verbs here jaja)

    • @KazeN64
      @KazeN64  9 місяців тому +8

      its very difficult to predict what nintendo takes down. they have taken down even blender tutorials on my channel before (with no usage of Nintendo IP besides a single windwaker texture). they just go after channels periodically when a project gains reach. i fully expecet 10-20 video takedowns when RTYI releases.

    • @razorblade413
      @razorblade413 9 місяців тому +1

      @@KazeN64 Thanks. I hope other companies aside nintendo, don't make sh*tt* moves like that. I think you should always have a backup for your videos in case they were taken down. But I probably guess you have though already that.

  • @mattshu
    @mattshu 9 місяців тому +2

    2:23 You say "cool blending effect", I call it "first time I remember trauma as a child"

  • @d4rkblizz4rd0
    @d4rkblizz4rd0 9 місяців тому +32

    y he sound like he's edging 24/7 😭

    • @KazeN64
      @KazeN64  9 місяців тому +55

      ??????????????????????????????????????!!!

    • @YuraSuper2048
      @YuraSuper2048 9 місяців тому +2

      what

    • @Smalicious
      @Smalicious 9 місяців тому +9

      That's just because he's German

    • @d4rkblizz4rd0
      @d4rkblizz4rd0 9 місяців тому +1

      @@KazeN64 i really love your videos i just noticed watching this one. No hate :D and @Smalicious is probably right 👀

    • @acronym.4328
      @acronym.4328 9 місяців тому +4

      *How would you know what that sounds like?*

  • @thecircusb0y1
    @thecircusb0y1 9 місяців тому +1

    I understand about 25% of this, and am subscribing because I'd love to learn more.

    • @PaperBanjo64
      @PaperBanjo64 9 місяців тому

      I understand even less, but his footage can get the point across.

  • @neighbor9672
    @neighbor9672 9 місяців тому +4

    Kaze is a legend

  • @cherrycurry404
    @cherrycurry404 9 місяців тому

    I straight up laughed out loud when you said how small the texture cache was, that is Crazy

  • @YuraSuper2048
    @YuraSuper2048 9 місяців тому +4

    i love you

  • @EdsEnemy
    @EdsEnemy 9 місяців тому

    seriously impressive deep dive with very good approachability, very nice

  • @alpacalord
    @alpacalord 9 місяців тому +5

    What game is the clip from at 0:14 with the big yellow dude?

    • @_gherry
      @_gherry 2 місяці тому +1

      some game for the n64 dd

    • @pjuster2
      @pjuster2 2 місяці тому +6

      Doushin the Giant for the 64dd

  • @backup_account_1
    @backup_account_1 4 місяці тому +1

    I congratulate you for this excellent analysis. Anyway, I personally LOVE the original aesthetic and art style of the N64, so I don't think it's necessary to "overcome" its limitations. I think it is precisely thanks to these limitations (and not in spite of them) that we have such a unique graphic section with a magic and charm that transmits warmth and makes you feel at home. I leave my like 👍🏻 for the amazing work for this video.

  • @QuantumConundrum
    @QuantumConundrum 9 місяців тому +1

    It really makes you wonder what teams could do if project management didn't just cut budget in half and was forced to deliver ASAP.

  • @AutisticCookie
    @AutisticCookie 9 місяців тому

    i barely understood half this but can tell you and the team made some discoveries

  • @GraveUypo
    @GraveUypo 9 місяців тому +1

    damn some of those scenes there REALLY look like a gamecube mario.

  • @JuanDiaz-jo1rw
    @JuanDiaz-jo1rw 9 місяців тому

    Man, this is awesome. I wish someone would work on something like this for Castlevania 64. That game definitely needs an overhaul.

  • @HamidKarzai
    @HamidKarzai 9 місяців тому

    WOW that final clip of the pirate ship looked amazingly detailed, like a whole console generation ahead

    • @jsr734
      @jsr734 9 місяців тому

      Well, everything looks more detailed when you don´t have the limitations of real hardware and render everything at 4k 60 on an emulator.

  • @Unfiltered_Raven
    @Unfiltered_Raven 9 місяців тому +1

    you make programing interesting to watch keep it up my man. really helps with people like me who have never made a game.