Experiment: Discover how long a star lasts in each of the Mario Kart games. Take five sample star times and find their average. What conclusions can you draw?
Procedure: Play Mario Kart with brother. I drive, brother times star lengths and records data. (We switch near the end as we both tired from data gathering.)
Here’s the data:
And a bar graph of the average star times:
For each game I started up 50cc Grand Prix, played as Mario in the default kart. I typically hung around 8th place, and sometimes very far behind. On some games it was hard to get a star on others it was ridiculously easy.*
It would appear that the average star length is about the same for all the games, but is longer for the N64. That doesn’t surprise me, because it feels longer. What does surprise me is that the Wii is so close to Double Dash.
Now, all of the data is taken from remaining in last or close to last place. I am under the assumption that a star in first place on Mario Kart Wii will not last as long as one in last. I was unable to test this theory, however. I got a few stars and was able to make my way towards first place to use it, but failed when I was hit by items that took the star away. I hope to carry out this test later, if I ever find time.
It is interesting that Super Mario Kart had the largest variation in star time. I really expected Mario Kart Wii to be more fickle with star time. I didn’t keep track of my placement when getting or using the stars, but we did note in Super Mario Kart the longest star was spent entirely in 8th place.
If I was going to make a star it would be far better than anything Nintendo could dream up. To start a star would have a set time limit of say, eight or ten seconds. But you could gain star time by running into other players. For example, for every player you hit (or for every time you hit a player) you would gain two seconds. This means that people who are in the middle of a large crowd would be able to gain some. People in first, however, usually don’t have a whole lot of people around them or in front of them, so the star wouldn’t last as long. Oh, did I mention that *anyone* could get a star?
What do you think?
* On games like Mario Kart 64, all you had to do was get an item box while in last place and more than a half lap behind everyone. On the Wii, the process is a bit more difficult. First you must fill out a ‘Star Application’ form and submit it to the local governing authority for approval. (This takes three to six weeks.) After you have submitted your application (along with no less than five character references) you must meet with a ‘Item Box Professional’ to go over star alternatives. In a one or two hour interview you will be guided through a series of alternative items that might be more appropriate to your situation, such as a bullet bill, a super mushroom or a giant mushroom. If after the interview a star is still your best option, you will be asked to take the ‘Star Evaluation Test’ to signify that you understand how to properly care for and use a star. Upon completion of the test you must wait two weeks for the results. If you pass, you receive a ‘Star Working Permit’ which allows you to handle and work with stars. Then you need to spend a month working and caring for stars under someone who already has their ‘Star Permit’. After that month you are then promoted to a ‘Star Permit’ provided everything went well for that month. After which time you may now have, own and use a star. You are not allowed to buy a star, though. You need to catch one in the wild and have it tagged by the star licensing bureau. It usually takes five to seven business days to get your tags in. Finally you now have a star that is your very own and you may use as you like. Permits must be renewed every six months.
