If you came here for an actual MARIO game project, look away now. Nothing to find here. Furthermore, you should install these 2 programs to get MARIO on your calc!

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Research MARIO: Making A Retarded Intelligence Observer

I had an interesting idea while I was on IRC - it seems like people that download things on TICalc love to download programs with "MARIO" in it. So, I decided to test out an experiment - a bit of social engineering here and there, and at the same time promote DCS7 indirectly.

Here's my idea:
3 files inside the ZIP: MARIO.8Xp, MarioOptimizer.exe, and README.txt.

MARIO.8Xp is a fake, BASIC/ASM Mario program that looks like it loads slow, and when it finally loads, complains that the calculator is too slow, and that they should download DCS7 to speed it up. Once downloaded and verified, the program will point to the real Mario and then self destruct. Interesting, eh? Alternatively, the 8Xp could install DCS7 by itself (but that requires a mix of Axe/ASM).

MarioOptimizer.exe is a fake obviously. It will do a quick data collect (just IP, username, OS, resolution), and send it off to a server while acting as it if it was optimizing Mario for the "best Mario experience". Another idea for this is to make MARIO.8Xp by default just say "This version of Mario isn't optimized! Please run the optimizer on the computer, and then retransfer the program!"... and then the program could change the MARIO.8Xp to the other fake one.

README.txt is just another spark to the fire - it basically just tells about the program, suggested steps, etc.

So how can this be done?
It's pretty simple.
I would need some ASM gurus (plenty here), some GFX designers (both calculator B/W and regular PC color), and some Python and/or C++ experts.

After all the work is done (+testing), I'll make a TICalc account separate from my actual one, and then post the program.

So who wants to join first?

Well, it's certainly a very interesting idea, and one that I'm sure would net Doors CS 7 a lot of distribution, which is certainly something that I'm all for. My main concern is that it perilously rides the line between "malware" and "social experiment" in terms of delivering something different than what it says on the tin. What are your thoughts on the moral implications?

Interesting idea indeed. I agree, it does ride the line between being a malware and being a social experiment. However, in terms of moral implications, it's not that bad. Just look at all the... em... crud... on TICalc.org If morals and calculators went hand in hand, I've yet to see it

Serious answer: I say don't do it. You'd be chancing some serious backlash for it. Kerm and DCS7 may even lose some of their integrity for it as well.

Yeah, but "stick to the ticalc.org status quo" is not exactly a sustainable code of ethics.

Yeah, that's unfortunately my thought as well. Maybe it would be worth it for my to play Mario, learn how it works, and make a Mario-themed M-Game of sorts for DCS.

It depends. We don't really have to include the EXE program though.
Just a little fake app could be good enough, with a pointer to DCS.

I dunno, I think it would have to just be a DCS-dependent Mario game that was packaged with DCS7. Does anyone feel like writing a Mario game, or know of an unfinished Mario project that was open-sourced?