Power sources.

[Kamikaze Koopa]

It suddenyl occured to me a few minutes ago that we have no idea how the technology of the Marioverse is powered. Do the vehicles use internal combustion engines? Do the cities run off of generators of some kind? Who knows, but here's my take on the matter:

I kind of view it through a Final Fantasy stand-point, being that they've somehow managed to harness that power of magic to be used as power cells. This synergy of magic and technology could explain why we don't see any exhaust coming from any of the cars in the Mario Kart games (specifically Mushroom City and Mushroom Bridge from Double Dash). It could also explain how such contraptions as the Koopa Clown Car, Poltergust3000, FLUDD, and the paintbrush from Sunshine can operate, with no apparent fuel source.

So what do you think?

[Claws]

I've never really thought about that before. It's a very interesting topic, though. Maybe everything is powered with electricity by tiny power plants that fit inside most things and consist of nuclear reactors, turbines, and electric generators. I don't think they use fossil fuels. I think your Final Fantasy idea could be possible. I'm going to try to do some research on energy and see what I can come up with.

[Kamikaze Koopa]

Cool, electric cars seems pretty possible. I know that some gizmos are a combination of magic and tech, mainly the paintbrush used by Bowser Jr in Sunshine. It was created by E.Gadd, but it obviously had magical capabilities. I'm thinking magic might have played a part in FLUDD too, simply because of its extreme morphing abilites.

[Yoshi Master]

FLUUD probably uses gears and stuff and it might not even be magic. Pressure and cranks often power water devices.

The mushroom people most likly found ways to use power stars to power various things. Peaches castle and Delfino might use the power stars for a substitute for electricity. Power stars could be much more efficient. Alternative feuls are used for the go karts, and the paintbrush is used with Bowser's dark magic. The Poltergust might use a "power star battery". The Clown Car has the propeller for propulsion but could aslo use magic, same aplies for Bowser's castle in paper Mario. The laser statues in Bowser's Castle ( SMB3 ) probably shoots out consentrated beams of magic, or a laser.

These are my thoughts, the mushroom worlds people ( much like wizards in Harry Potter ) replace electricity with magic.

[Kamikaze Koopa]

But technology is slowly encroaching on the Marioverse. If you look at the games, they've been disregarding magic more and more in favor of technology. Play through Mario&Luigi and you'll see what I mean. Oh, and Piantas and other Delphino residents use Sun Sprites, not Power Stars. But I see your point. Anyway, The paintbrush was created by E.Gadd, and thus probably didn't use Bowser's magic. Unless, of course, they stole it and then enchanted it. But I still find that a bit unlikely, because if they could do it in the first place then why steal the brush? And I know the Clown Car has a propeller, but what powers it? There doesn't seem to be room for Bowser in that thing, let alone a fuel source.

[Yoshi Master]

The paint brush has the same principles as a magic wand.

Where does it say E Gadd invented it?

The sun sprites are basically the same as power stars. Sun sprites power stuff.

Technology isn't slowly encroaching, the lack of graphics and ideas restricts the older games to use little or no technology at all. The mushroom world is most likly moving at the same pace as earth. Just with differnt shaped or looking inventions. The clown copter, several vehicals in MLSS, and various things in other games use technology that's the same as ours. Here's stuff for some reason:
Cameras-Go karts-1950's cars-"Mailbox" SP's-Various forms of flashlights and lighting-Gouhst sucking vacuums-Modern theme park attractions-Statues that expell fire and lasers-Alarms-Holograms-Clown copter-About 6 differnt robots-Modern ovens-Ships-Radios-Helicoters-Trains- The " perfect " computer-Headphones-Disks, cassets, and flims-Contact lenses-Fireworks-Torpedos, bullets, and cannons-

That's about as much as I could think of. Some of these are from the older games.

[Kamikaze Koopa]

I forget exactly where in the game they say that Gadd made it, but I'm pretty sure it's in one of the cutscenes. They mention that it was developed by Gadd Industries, or whatever the company is called.

And if we're using old graphics as an explanation for wy they never had tech, then we might as well not even have this forum at all. All we'd have to do is chalk all the game's indescrepancies up to artistic differences and be on our merry way. This board is for trying to explain what's going on inside the universe, not just say that everything's different because the graphics changed or they got new concept artists. In universe, we don't really see any means of modern technology until Super Mario Sunshine. Up until then, the most we ever saw were wooden tanks built by Bowser, and I'm pretty convinced that those were steam powered. Then, all of a sudden, the castles and airships of the old games are replaced by normal buildings and jet planes. I'm just trying to figure out what may have happened to cause such a shift.

And in terms of the technology they posses, you can't forget about the massive super computers and laser technology from M&L: SS. I'm even convinced that they had developed forms of gene therapy, given kind of things you see in the basement of the Hooniversity.

[Claws]

The Mailbox SP is an interesting specimen. It's obviously just a portable email device, but it means the Mushroom Kingdom has an extensive wi-fi network (likely covering the entire kingdom, as Mario could receive mail anywhere in PM2). Also, if the Kingdom uses electricity, all of the power lines must be underground. I don't think I've ever seen any electrical poles.

[Kamikaze Koopa]

What is the Mailbox SP? Is that from Paper Mario 2? And if it does work the way you say it does and seems to work off of a system of wi-fi hotspots, then that would suggest that they use satellites in order to created those hotspots. Thus they must have technology with the capacity to break orbit. Possibly even space-faring technology. Mario does use a spacesuit in Mario Land 2.

[Yoshi Master]

Mario's been in space a few times now. And in SMB2 there's rockets. The SP's could run on the magic from power stars.

[Claws]

They could, but they act so much like devices we have in our world that I'm guessing they're of similar technology. The Mailbox SP was from PM2. I'm guessing the Mushroom Kingdom has some sort of space program.

[Kamikaze Koopa]

Possibly technology recovered from the wreckage of Tatanga's ship?

[Yoshi Master]

Mario fought against Tatanga in a plane in SML and in a spacesuit in SML2.

Even if people managed to get to the battle area I doubt anythings left of the ship.

[Kamikaze Koopa]

But he had to have travelled in a bigger ship than that. I highly doubt he would have taken to interstellar travel in that small little power-suit. Besides, in some of the official artwork for Mario Land he has multiple power-suits as well as a hover craft that he's standing on. I'll try and find the pic again.

[Yoshi Master]

Well in the game he wasn't. He was flying in the sky in a plane shooting at Tatanga.

In SML2 by going through a shortcut you could go on a path to the Space Zone. It was indeed a spacesuit and he fought Tatanga without anything. ( Mario jumped on his ship )

Here's a pic of him in SML2:

img.photobucket.com/albums/v691/YoshiMastar/Tatanga.png

[Kamikaze Koopa]

No no, I dont' mean Mario had all that stuff. I mean Tatanga did.

There's some pics on this page:

www.nintendoland.com/home2.htm?mario/archen/tatanga.htm

[Yoshi Master]

Whoops my bad.

[Claws]

Looks like Tatanga brought a few ships to Mushroom Earth, so I'm sure he had something to do with the Mushroom Kingdom's knowledge of space. In Paper Mario 2, Mario visits the moon via a huge cannon that shoots him into the sky. But he doesn't use a spacesuit--which means magic had to be involved. Have there been any other games where we've seen Mario characters in space?

[Yoshi Master]

SML and PM2 seem to be the only thing close enough to space.

A giant cannon? That seems to be a referance off a black and white film about a cannon that shoots a space ship to the moon. I think It was called Journey to the Moon.

[Kamikaze Koopa]

Yeah, I know which one you're talking about. Actually, I think that movie is famous for being the first science-fiction movie ever made.

As for the other games that feature space, outside of the Mario Party games I can't think of any.