I play a lot of MMv3. Probably too much. However, if you're going to do something, it's worth doing right. This project is my attempt to reverse-engineer the game data files from MMv3, in order to "know those rules", to see if I can, and for fun.
The main goals of the project: to decode the level file format and to discover the placing of the course waypoints, are now complete, and it's even been possible to create entirely new levels.
MMEd
There's now a course editor (and viewer) written in C# and OpenGL (using the Tao OpenGL wrappers), called MMEd. The source code is available on GitHub. You can download an (old) compiled version here. To use it, you'll need a copy of MMv3 for the PS. The editor can open the ".dat" level files directly. Getting the modified dat files back onto a CD which can be played on a PS is harder, but quite possible.
There are some screenshots of MMEd below
PHP prototyping pages for MMEd
When I was decoding the level format, I did much of the early prototyping in PHP. I found this easy to work with, because it's fast to make changes and try things out (being an interpreted language), it has good library support for reading and writing binary files, and because HTML gives a simple display language for dumping data into tables and images.
Some of the prototyping pages are available here, if you're interested
MMEd Screenshots
"Trucker's Luck" in 3D view:
"Cereal Killer" in 3D edit mode:
"Cereal Killer" in grid edit mode:
A skateboard from "Cereal Killer" in the object viewer:
The VRAM viewer showing the texture layout of "Cereal Killer" in the Playstation's memory:
Cutting corners
Here's a screenshot of one corner from "Textbook Manoeuvre", opened in MMEd. The waypoints have been drawn in as black numbered squares. The "key" waypoints are highlighted in red
The obvious way around the corner is to follow the waypoints:
If you miss out the "key" waypoint block altogether, then you'll blow up when you try to rejoin the course. This stops you from cutting corners too much:
However, if you cut in close to the pen on this corner, then you can still cut quite a lot, without missing the "key" waypoints, and without getting blown up:
... of course, normally the waypoints are invisible, so the only way you can you know which corners you can and can't cut, and by how much, is practice and by "knowing those rules".
File spec (in progress)
There is a work-in-progress copy of the file specifications.
Small print
The files in question come from the "Levels" directory of the PC version of Micro Machines v3 or the MICRO directory of the PS version, and are copyright of Codemasters / Sold-Out software / other parties who are not me. If you believe you are a copyright holder in these files and object to this project, please email me at rich@bradders.org and we can discuss the matter.