Update [Tue 20th Dec, 2022 03:45 GMT]: Dataminer OatsDome shed light on last week Mario Kart 7 to update. It looks like changes have been made to the game’s netcode, and there’s also been an update to prevent 1.1 from being used with 1.2.
3DS homebrew developer and Mario Kart 7 modder PabloMK7 goes into a more detailed breakdown (via Twitter):
I finished calculating the differences in the new Mario Kart 7 v1.2 update, here they are all: Of the 20,000+ functions in the game: – 27 functions have been changed. – 2 new functions have been added. – A small compiler bug disappeared.
Most of the modifications and added functions are related to the netcode, in particular to the management of the communication protocol between the players. None of the changes add any new features or gameplay features (I can’t give more details, you’ll have to wait).
Some of the changes are related to parameters sent to the server so that players running v1.1 would not match players running v1.2 during the update’s release period, as players already logged in would not be required to update themselves until they switch back to online mode.
A final change involved replacing the game’s version number when the game launches the in-game updater. This number is not used to check for updates at all, only to start the update, so unless the game is updated again, this change will probably never be used
About the compiler issue, there was a “-1” next to a particle-related function that was not used and was removed. The fact that the “-1” was in the code was probably a compiler issue, and its addition and removal was most likely unintentional.
Original story [Wed 14th Dec, 2022 03:05 GMT]: In surprise news, the excellent 3DS title Mario Kart 7 was updated today for the second time. Yes, despite being released in 2011, Nintendo randomly released a new patch for the game upgrading it to version 1.2.
According to the official patch notes, several issues have been fixed to improve the overall experience. This follows a previous update (version 1.1) in May 2012. Here is the full patch note history for this game, with updates a decade apart:
Worm. 1.2 (Released December 13, 2022)
General
Several issues have been fixed to improve the gameplay experience.
Worm. 1.1 (Released May 15, 2012)
- An update has been made available to eliminate shortcut exploits in the Wuhu Loop, Maka Wuhuand Bowser’s Castle 1 tracks when played in online multiplayer mode.
- The update is required to play the game’s online multiplayer modes. However, single player and local multiplayer tracks will not be affected by this update. Players can continue to play in these modes without installing the update.
Dataminer OatmealDome suggested that this patch may fix some security exploits. Nintendo has released similar patches for a number of older Switch games lately.
In somewhat related news, Nintendo updated last week Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with the Wave 3 DLC. It adds two more cups and eight more courses to the game. You can read more about it in our recent Nintendo Life coverage.