The readme for the Super Mario 64: Arguably Better Edition - R3 download said:
This is Super Mario 64, but with changes that would make it a better game overall, at least in my opinion. It also features a few additional bonus features if you're into that sort of thing.
The base hack is fully console compatible, however, the widescreen version is NOT tested on real hardware, so if your N64 ends up exploding and giving you 3rd-degree burns, I'm not the one to blame!
The changes include:
- Better camera
- Better controls
- Wall sliding from later games
- Widescreen
- Optional "Hard Mode". Hold R before starting a new game!
- Optional "No Lives Mode"
- A new 120 Star bonus
- Tweaked HUD
- Analog camera via player 2
- Better performance
- D-Pad controls (epic)
- Bug fixes
Made by Mors using the SM64 Decompilation project! Shoutouts to GTM for testing, Benial for helping me with the Skull Mario HUD icon, and Kaze Emanuar for giving me the code for his bug fixes.
You need a US Z64 rom of the original game to use the patch.
FULL CHANGELOG:
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Changes in R3.1:
- Changed the ground controls slightly.
- Fixed the invisible walls bug from the original game.
- Fixed the glitchy moving platform collisions from the original game.
- Fixed the "floor cucking" glitch.
- Edited the credits again.
Changes in R3:
- The game now comes with an optional widescreen version! Everything, including the HUD and menus are modified to work with widescreen.
- Koopa the Quick races should now be harder in the hard mode.
- You can skip the game's intro by holding L when selecting a file.
- Made it so you can now use the Y axis of the second player's stick to simulate the C-Up and C-Down presses.
- You can now... play the game with the D-Pad. I mean it works on the menus too, so I guess that's a plus.
- Modified how the wall jumping works to make it resemble the original game more.
- Fixed the 120 Star bonus not working when the no lives mode is turned off.
- Fixed the L button not centering the camera correctly in the Bowser stages.
- Edited the credits to add additional names.
Changes in R2:
- Added the "No Lives mode. It comes with a death counter too!
- Yoshi's dialogue is changed.
- Yoshi now gives you a new "present" alogside the sparkly triple jump.
- Hard Mode! Hold R before starting a new game to activate. Mario doesn't have his hat in the hard mode, so he takes more damage, and the bosses are more difficult.
- Removed the overscan borders from top and bottom of the screen.
- Removed the sounds that would play when you rotate the camera.
- Increased the swimming speed a bit.
- Mario now sinks down less in water.
- Fixed some culling issues.
- King Bob-Omb now turns faster after being thrown.
- Other minor bug fixes.
- Fixed an oversight from the previous release that would make pole jumping faster than normal.
- Fixed another oversight that caused the star effect not to appear if you did a frame perfect wall jump.
- Changed the HUD a bit. If you prefer the original one you can press Z on the file select menu to enable that instead. You'll need to do this every time you launch the game.
Changes in R1:
- Added wall sliding from later Mario games.
- Made the wall jumping (or wall kicking I guess) slightly more powerful.
- Changed how the camera works completely. There is no limit to how much you can turn the camera now, and the camera turns smoothly instead of increments.
- Added analog camera controls via player 2's controller.
- Made the L button center the camera behind Mario, excluding certain places, like the castle grounds where the camera centers on Mario automatically anyway.
- Made it possible to air kick at all speeds if you let go of the analog stick.
- Made Mario turn faster on ground, making the controls feel tighter.
- Made Mario stop faster on the ground after letting go of the analog stick.
- Made it easier to correct jumps on air.
- Increased how much you can move Mario horizontally on air.
- Made Mario jump out of the water faster.
- Made ground pounding slightly faster.
- Made the game run better on original hardware, using o2 optimization and f3dex graphics microcode.
- Changed the title screen.