Spade Panel: Difference between revisions

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|latest_appearance=''[[Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition]]'' ([[List of games by date#2010|2010]])
|latest_appearance=''[[Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition]]'' ([[List of games by date#2010|2010]])
}}
}}
'''Spade Panels''',<ref name="smasmanual">''Super Mario All-Stars'' instruction booklet, pages 31&ndash;32</ref><ref name="smb3manual">''Super Mario Bros. 3'' English instruction booklet, page 21</ref> also known as '''Flip Games'''<ref>''Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3'' Player's Guide, page 18</ref> or '''Spade Houses''',<ref>''Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3'' Prima's Official Strategy Guide back cover</ref> are small [[panel (Super Mario Bros. 3)|panel]]s on overworld maps in ''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]'' that can be used to earn [[Extra life|extra lives]] for [[Mario]] or [[Luigi]]. Once the player enters one, they can play a [[minigame]] hosted by a [[Toad (species)|Toad]]. Its gameplay is similar to that of a slot machine, in which parts of pictures slide past on three different reels, and the player must line up three matching parts to make a picture and win extra lives. There are [[Super Mushroom|Mushroom]], [[Fire Flower|Flower]], and [[Super Star|Star]] icons, granting two, three, and five extra lives when lined up as the '''Mushroom Picture''',<ref name="smasmanual"/><ref name="smb3manual"/> the '''Flower Picture''',<ref name="smasmanual"/><ref name="smb3manual"/> and the '''Star Picture''',<ref name="smasmanual"/><ref name="smb3manual"/> respectively, similar to the [[Goal (Super Mario Bros. 3)|goal]] at the end of nearly every [[level]]. If any of the picture parts are mismatched, no extra lives are awarded. The player gets only one chance to play the minigame, after which the Spade Panel disappears.
'''Spade Panels''',<ref name="smasmanual">''Super Mario All-Stars'' instruction booklet, pages 31&ndash;32</ref><ref name="smb3manual">''Super Mario Bros. 3'' English instruction booklet, page 21</ref> also known as '''Flip Games'''<ref>''Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3'' Player's Guide, page 18</ref> or '''Spade Houses''',<ref>''Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3'' Prima's Official Strategy Guide back cover</ref> are small [[panel (Super Mario Bros. 3)|panel]]s on overworld maps in ''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]'' that can be used to earn [[Extra life|extra lives]] for [[Mario]] or [[Luigi]]. Once the player enters one, they can play a [[minigame]] hosted by a [[Toad (species)|Toad]]. Its gameplay is similar to that of a slot machine, in which parts of pictures slide past on three different reels, and the player must line up three matching parts to make a picture and win extra lives. There are [[Super Mushroom|Mushroom]], [[Fire Flower|Flower]], and [[Super Star|Star]] icons on each reel, granting two, three, and five extra lives when lined up as the '''Mushroom Picture''',<ref name="smasmanual"/><ref name="smb3manual"/> the '''Flower Picture''',<ref name="smasmanual"/><ref name="smb3manual"/> and the '''Star Picture''',<ref name="smasmanual"/><ref name="smb3manual"/> respectively, similar to the [[Goal (Super Mario Bros. 3)|goal]] at the end of nearly every [[level]]. If any of the picture parts are mismatched, no extra lives are awarded. The player gets only one chance to play the minigame, after which the Spade Panel disappears.
 
[[File:SMB3 Spade Panel Delay Frames.png|A visualization of the minigame's mechanics. For each reel, the window to receive a certain picture without delay is highlighted in red, and the variance in delay time is highlighted in blue.|thumb|400px|left]]
During the minigame, when the player presses {{button|nes|A}} to stop one of the reels, a random number generator is used to add an arbitrary amount of delay between the time that {{button|nes|A}} is pressed and the time that the reel starts to slow down before stopping on a certain picture. The possible delay time ranges from 32 to 47 frames for the first reel, 32 to 63 frames for the second reel, and 64 to 127 frames for the third reel. This means that the difference between the minimum and maximum delay time (or the variance in delay time) before the first, second, and third reels start slowing down is 16 frames, 32 frames, and 64 frames, respectively. Without any added delay time, there is a 19-frame window during which a certain picture can be obtained on the first and second reels, and this window of time decreases to 16 frames for the third reel, which spins more quickly than the other reels. However, since the variance in delay time is larger than the timing window without delay for the second and third reels, the delay can potentially cause the reel to skip over the entire timing window for a certain picture; therefore, it is impossible for the player to guarantee that the second and third reels will stop on a desired picture. For the third reel, the minimum delay of 64 frames is equivalent to one full revolution of the reel, and the maximum delay of 128 frames is equivalent to two full revolutions, essentially meaning that the third reel can start slowing down anywhere on the reel and stop on any of the possible pictures, regardless of when the player presses {{button|nes|A}}. Thus, the outcome of the game cannot be determined by the player whatsoever.<ref>Retro Game Mechanics Explained (October 7, 2023). [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGeLzCmUDDk SMB3 Roulette & Card Matching Games Explained]. ''YouTube''. Retrieved December 26, 2023.</ref>
{{br|left}}


In ''[[Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3]]'', if a Spade Panel is matched up correctly, further Spade Panels change to '''{{conjectural|Heart Panels}}'''. The Stars are replaced by [[Super Leaf|Leaf]] icons that give seven extra lives. Clearing one of these turns further Heart Panels into '''{{conjectural|Club Panels}}''', and the Super Leaves change to "3" icons that reward 10 extra lives. Clearing a Club Panel turns further panels into '''{{conjectural|Diamond Panels}}''', where only one picture can be lined up, making it impossible to lose. Earning a minimal number of lives at previous panels results in a Mushroom Picture, while higher numbers yield a random picture, and each picture gives the corresponding number of extra lives. If the player clears a Diamond Panel, or fails at any of the other ones, all panels revert to Spade Panels, restarting the process. [[Completion|Clearing all levels]] makes all Spade Panels reusable.
In ''[[Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3]]'', if a Spade Panel is matched up correctly, further Spade Panels change to '''{{conjectural|Heart Panels}}'''. The Stars are replaced by [[Super Leaf|Leaf]] icons that give seven extra lives. Clearing one of these turns further Heart Panels into '''{{conjectural|Club Panels}}''', and the Super Leaves change to "3" icons that reward 10 extra lives. Clearing a Club Panel turns further panels into '''{{conjectural|Diamond Panels}}''', where only one picture can be lined up, making it impossible to lose. Earning a minimal number of lives at previous panels results in a Mushroom Picture, while higher numbers yield a random picture, and each picture gives the corresponding number of extra lives. If the player clears a Diamond Panel, or fails at any of the other ones, all panels revert to Spade Panels, restarting the process. [[Completion|Clearing all levels]] makes all Spade Panels reusable.
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In ''[[Super Mario Maker 2]]'', while the Spade Panel itself does not appear, its minigame reappears in the [[Super Mario Maker 2#World Maker|World Maker]] mode as [[Match & Win!]], which can be played in one of the [[Toad House]]s the player can place on the world map; however, this minigame does not contain any arbitrary delay, and the pictures that the reels stop on can therefore be reliably timed by the player.
In ''[[Super Mario Maker 2]]'', while the Spade Panel itself does not appear, its minigame reappears in the [[Super Mario Maker 2#World Maker|World Maker]] mode as [[Match & Win!]], which can be played in one of the [[Toad House]]s the player can place on the world map; however, this minigame does not contain any arbitrary delay, and the pictures that the reels stop on can therefore be reliably timed by the player.
==Mechanics==
During the minigame, when the player presses {{button|nes|A}} to stop one of the reels, a random number generator is used to add an arbitrary amount of delay before the reel starts to slow down and stop on a certain picture. The delay times for all reels are randomized during the introductory cutscene, and the delay of the first reel continues to be randomized until the player stops the reel; however, the delays of the second and third reels are fixed when the player leaves the cutscene and the reels start spinning.<ref name=RGMechEx>Retro Game Mechanics Explained (October 7, 2023). [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGeLzCmUDDk SMB3 Roulette & Card Matching Games Explained]. ''YouTube''. Retrieved December 26, 2023.</ref>
The following table shows the minimum and maximum possible delay times for each reel, along with the range between the maximum and minimum delay. The column labeled "Timing window" denotes the number of frames during which a certain picture can be obtained if the reel starts slowing down immediately, i.e. 0 delay frames are added.<ref name=RGMechEx/>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Reel !! Minimum delay !! Maximum delay !! style="background-color:lightblue;" | Delay range !! style="background-color:pink;" | Timing window
|-
| First reel || 32 frames || 47 frames || style="background-color:lightblue;" | 16 frames || style="background-color:pink;" | 19 frames
|-
| Second reel || 32 frames || 63 frames || style="background-color:lightblue;" | 32 frames || style="background-color:pink;" | 19 frames
|-
| Third reel || 64 frames || 127 frames || style="background-color:lightblue;" | 64 frames || style="background-color:pink;" | 16 frames
|}
The image below visualizes these values; the delay range is highlighted in blue, and the timing window with 0 delay frames is highlighted in red.
[[File:SMB3 Spade Panel Delay Frames.png|700px]]
The delay range for the first reel (16 frames) is 3 frames less than its timing window (19 frames), meaning that for each full revolution of the reels, the player has a window of 3 frames to press {{button|nes|A}} to guarantee that the reel stops on a desired picture, regardless of any added delay. However, the delay range for the second and third reels (32 and 64 frames, respectively) are larger than their timing windows (19 and 16 frames, respectively), meaning that the delay can potentially cause the reel to skip over the entire timing window for a certain picture; therefore, it is impossible for the player to guarantee that the second and third reels will stop on a desired picture. For the third reel, the minimum delay of 64 frames is equivalent to one full revolution of the reel, and the maximum delay of 127 frames is equivalent to two full revolutions, essentially meaning that the third reel can start slowing down anywhere on the reel and stop on any of the pictures, regardless of when the player presses {{button|nes|A}}. Thus, the outcome of the game cannot be determined by the player whatsoever.


==Gallery==
==Gallery==

Revision as of 15:08, May 6, 2024

Spade Panel
SMB3 Spade Panel.pngSpade Panel
Spade Panel
First appearance Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988)
Latest appearance Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition (2010)

Spade Panels,[1][2] also known as Flip Games[3] or Spade Houses,[4] are small panels on overworld maps in Super Mario Bros. 3 that can be used to earn extra lives for Mario or Luigi. Once the player enters one, they can play a minigame hosted by a Toad. Its gameplay is similar to that of a slot machine, in which parts of pictures slide past on three different reels, and the player must line up three matching parts to make a picture and win extra lives. There are Mushroom, Flower, and Star icons on each reel, granting two, three, and five extra lives when lined up as the Mushroom Picture,[1][2] the Flower Picture,[1][2] and the Star Picture,[1][2] respectively, similar to the goal at the end of nearly every level. If any of the picture parts are mismatched, no extra lives are awarded. The player gets only one chance to play the minigame, after which the Spade Panel disappears.

In Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, if a Spade Panel is matched up correctly, further Spade Panels change to Heart Panels. The Stars are replaced by Leaf icons that give seven extra lives. Clearing one of these turns further Heart Panels into Club Panels, and the Super Leaves change to "3" icons that reward 10 extra lives. Clearing a Club Panel turns further panels into Diamond Panels, where only one picture can be lined up, making it impossible to lose. Earning a minimal number of lives at previous panels results in a Mushroom Picture, while higher numbers yield a random picture, and each picture gives the corresponding number of extra lives. If the player clears a Diamond Panel, or fails at any of the other ones, all panels revert to Spade Panels, restarting the process. Clearing all levels makes all Spade Panels reusable.

A special Spade Panel, the N-Mark Spade Panel, appears every 80,000 points. When it is activated, the player plays a card game for prizes, with a total of nine prizes per game. After the game, all prizes earned are included in the player's inventory. Unlike with the other Spade Panel games, a player can make two mistakes during an N-Mark Spade Panel game before being returned to the world map; when the next 80,000 points are achieved, the player can continue the game off where they left.

In Super Mario Maker 2, while the Spade Panel itself does not appear, its minigame reappears in the World Maker mode as Match & Win!, which can be played in one of the Toad Houses the player can place on the world map; however, this minigame does not contain any arbitrary delay, and the pictures that the reels stop on can therefore be reliably timed by the player.

Mechanics

During the minigame, when the player presses A Button to stop one of the reels, a random number generator is used to add an arbitrary amount of delay before the reel starts to slow down and stop on a certain picture. The delay times for all reels are randomized during the introductory cutscene, and the delay of the first reel continues to be randomized until the player stops the reel; however, the delays of the second and third reels are fixed when the player leaves the cutscene and the reels start spinning.[5]

The following table shows the minimum and maximum possible delay times for each reel, along with the range between the maximum and minimum delay. The column labeled "Timing window" denotes the number of frames during which a certain picture can be obtained if the reel starts slowing down immediately, i.e. 0 delay frames are added.[5]

Reel Minimum delay Maximum delay Delay range Timing window
First reel 32 frames 47 frames 16 frames 19 frames
Second reel 32 frames 63 frames 32 frames 19 frames
Third reel 64 frames 127 frames 64 frames 16 frames

The image below visualizes these values; the delay range is highlighted in blue, and the timing window with 0 delay frames is highlighted in red.

A visualization of the mechanics of the Spade Panel minigame from Super Mario Bros. 3. The window of time where the player can normally obtain a certain picture on each reel is highlighted in red, and the variance of arbitrary delay time for each reel is highlighted in blue.

The delay range for the first reel (16 frames) is 3 frames less than its timing window (19 frames), meaning that for each full revolution of the reels, the player has a window of 3 frames to press A Button to guarantee that the reel stops on a desired picture, regardless of any added delay. However, the delay range for the second and third reels (32 and 64 frames, respectively) are larger than their timing windows (19 and 16 frames, respectively), meaning that the delay can potentially cause the reel to skip over the entire timing window for a certain picture; therefore, it is impossible for the player to guarantee that the second and third reels will stop on a desired picture. For the third reel, the minimum delay of 64 frames is equivalent to one full revolution of the reel, and the maximum delay of 127 frames is equivalent to two full revolutions, essentially meaning that the third reel can start slowing down anywhere on the reel and stop on any of the pictures, regardless of when the player presses A Button. Thus, the outcome of the game cannot be determined by the player whatsoever.

Gallery

Super Mario Bros. 3

  • Gameplay

    Gameplay

  • Mushroom

    Mushroom

  • Fire Flower

    Fire Flower

  • Starman

    Starman

Super Mario All-Stars

  • Gameplay

    Gameplay

  • Mushroom

    Mushroom

  • Fire Flower

    Fire Flower

  • Starman

    Starman

Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3

  • Gameplay

    Gameplay

  • Mushroom

    Mushroom

  • Fire Flower

    Fire Flower

  • Starman

    Starman

  • A three

    A three

Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning
Japanese スペードパネル[6]
Supēdo Paneru
 Spade Panel

Italian Quadro del segno di picche[7]
Pannello picche[8]
Asso di picche[9]
 Spade symbol square
Spade panel
Ace of Spade

Trivia

References

  1. ^ a b c d Super Mario All-Stars instruction booklet, pages 31–32
  2. ^ a b c d Super Mario Bros. 3 English instruction booklet, page 21
  3. ^ Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 Player's Guide, page 18
  4. ^ Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 Prima's Official Strategy Guide back cover
  5. ^ a b Retro Game Mechanics Explained (October 7, 2023). SMB3 Roulette & Card Matching Games Explained. YouTube. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  6. ^ Super Mario Bros. 3 Japanese instruction booklet, page 19.
  7. ^ Super Mario Bros. 3 Italian manual, pag. 16
  8. ^ Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary Edition Italian manual, pag. 17
  9. ^ Super Mario Bros. 3 (3DS - Virtual Console) Italian e-manual, pag. 10
[Edit]
Super Mario Bros. 3 / Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3
Protagonists Mario • Luigi • Princess Toadstool • Toads • Kings
Bosses Boom Boom • Big Booa • Fake Bowsera • Koopalings (Larry Koopa • Morton Koopa Jr. • Wendy O. Koopa • Iggy Koopa • Roy Koopa • Lemmy Koopa • Ludwig von Koopa) • Bowser
Items 1-Up Mushroom • 3-Up Moona • Advance Coina • Anchor • Blue Coin • Boomeranga • Cape Feathera • Card • Coin • e-Coina • Fire Flower • Frog Suit • Goomba's Shoe • Hammer • Hammer Suit • Lakitu's Cloud • Magic Ball • Magic Wand • Magic Whistle • Music Box • P-Wing • Poison Mushrooma • Starman • Super Leaf • Super Mushroom • Tanooki Suit • Vegetablea
Objects Main game ? Block • Beanstalk • Big Block • Bolt Lift • Brick Block • Buzzy Beetle Shell • Cloud Block • Cloud Lift • Coin Block • Coral • Directional Lift • Donut Lift • Empty Block • Flimsy Lift • Frozen Coin • Giant Green Shell • Giant Red Shell • Goal • Green Shell • Hidden Block • Ice Block • Jump Block • Lift • Magic Door • Magic Note Block • Magical ball • Mega ? Block • Mushroom Coina • P Warp Door • Quicksand • Red Shell • Rotary Lift • Semisolid Platform • Spiny Shell • Switch Block • Track • Treasure box • Warp Door • Warp Pipe • White Block • Wood Block
World-ea !-Switch • Axe • Balance Lift • Bubble • Control Coin • Dotted-Line Block • Goal Pole • Flipper • Giant Gate • Grass • Jumping Board • Key • Key Door • Power Meter Block • Rock Block • Rotating Block • Roulette Block • Seesaw • Snake Block • Soft sand • Stretch Block • Triangular Block • Vanishing Block
Forms Small Mario • Super Mario • Fire Mario • Raccoon Mario • Frog Mario • Tanooki Mario (Statue Mario) • Hammer Mario • Invincible Mario • Cape Marioa
Switch Cardsa 1UP Kinoko ga 3UP Moon ni kawaru! • Blue Green Switch • Luigi Power Up!! • Orange Switch • Sugu ni mantan! Power Meter!! • Teki Power Up! Tokuten x2!! • Timer yukkuri!
Worlds Grass Land • Desert Land • Water Land • Giant Land • Sky Land • Ice Land • Pipe Land • Dark Land • Warp Zone • World-ea
Locations e-Coin Castlea • Enemy Course • Panel (N-Mark Spade Panel • Spade Panel • Start Panel) • Toad House • Treasure Ship
Enemies Main game Angry Sun • Baby Cheep • Big Bertha • Bloober • Bloober baby • Bloober with kids • Bob-omb • "Boo" Diddly • Boomerang Brother • Boss Bass • Bullet Bill • Buster Beetle • Buzzy Beetle • Chain Chomp • Cheep-Cheep • Colossal Koopa Paratroopa • Dry Bones • Fiery Walking Piranha • Fire Brother • Fire Chomp • Firesnake • Giant Koopa • Goomba • Grand Goomba • Hammer Brother • Hot Foot • Jelectro • Koopa Paratroopa • Koopa Troopa • Kuribo's Goomba • Lakitu • Lava Lotus • Micro-Goomba • Missile Bill • Muncher • Para-Beetle • Para-Goomba • Pile Driver Micro-Goomba • Piranha Plant • Piranhacus Giganticus • Podoboo • Ptooie • Rocky Wrench • Scattering Bloober • Sledge Brother • Spike • Spiny Cheep-Cheep • Spiny • Spiny Egg • Stretch • Thwomp • Venus Fire Trap • Walking Piranha
World-ea Amazing Flyin' Hammer Brother • Big Boo • Bony Beetle • Bowser Statue (Super Mario World) • Bumpty • Chargin' Chuck • Flurry • Goomba (Super Mario World) • Hoopster • Hothead • Jumping Piranha Plant • Lil Sparky • Magikoopa • Monty Mole • Para-Goomba (Super Mario World) • Porcupo • Rip Van Fish • Spike Top • Thwimp • Wiggler
Obstacles Bowser Statue • Candy ring • Cannon • Cannonball • Diagonal cannon • Falling spikea • Fire-Bara • Giant cannon • Giant cannonball • Lava • Pit • Quartet-cannon • Rocket Engine • Roto-Disc • Spike • Tornado • Turtle Cannon
World-e mini-gamesa Blue Mushroom House • Orange Mushroom House • Red Mushroom House
Miscellaneous Game Over • Extra life • P-Meter • Time Limit
Further info Completion • e-Readera • e-Reader cardsa • Gallery (Super Mario Advance 4) • Glitches (Super Mario Advance 4) • Media • Pre-release and unused content (Super Mario Advance 4) • Quotes • References • Staff • Unwinnable state
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