The 'Shroom:Issue 133/Pipe Plaza

Director’s Notes
Written by:

Welcome to April's Pipe Plaza. The weather is nice, the sections are excellent and you've got me, The Pyro Guy ruling it with an iron fist. I hope you enjoy it!

April is a nice month. The sun begins to shine, the flowers start to bloom and my hay fever hasn't kicked in yet. I've also got some exams approaching fast, so maybe I'll find a way to study and write these notes at the same time. Peut-être, je peux écrire ça en français? (I hope I got that right.) But I'm still here, writing for you. Pipe Plaza is, of course, my top priority.

There's no news in particular for this month; it's business as usual and we're all happy writers here. But I was an interviewee in a certain section, so if you'd like to, you know, read more about myself, check it out.

Section of the Month

Honestly, these vote numbers are looking a little low this month. Either way, well done to, and , and make sure you vote just as hard in this team as you do for all the others!

New Articles
Written by:

Hello, everyone! I’m LudwigVon, your Statistics Manager, here to present you a new edition of New Articles. A section where I give you an up to date about all the new articles created within the past month. It is always a pleasure to see the creation of new articles that will increase the information found on the Super Mario Wiki. When creating new articles, be sure to keep in mind the Manual of Style.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at those new articles.

Anniversary Announcements
Written by:

Hi! Thanks for tuning in to another Anniversary Announcements! In which I summarise 42 awards and interview three people! Statistics!

The Thwimps Not a lot of non-award stuff has happened this month! The awards did though, read on for that.

Awards Awards M5 Favorite DK Game, M6 Favorite Wario Game and M7 Favorite Yoshi Game have been replaced by Favorite Level awards of the same series, with plans to rotate these three into Favourite Character awards next year. This is to keep the spin-off series' awards fresh. As a result, levels from these series that were already in M25 Favorite 2D Level have removed and added back to the new awards.

I will list the additions, removals and other changes, and then a complete list of the nominees for that award.

Refer to this document for a full list of nominees.

Committee Interviews Welcome to Committee Interviews! In this part of Anniversary Announcements, I will do short interviews with the members of the Awards Committee, so you can get to know them a bit better! This month: Awards Staff Consultants Mr. Edo and 2257, and old-time member Superchao!

Mr. Edo

2257 Superchao

As you can see, the AC used to be a bit darker than it is today. The processes have improved ever since though, and nowadays it is a lot of fun to be in.

And that's it for Anniversary Announcements this month! Please like, subscribe and comme-- oh, you can't do any of these here. Either way, see you next month!

All information above was correct as of 2018-04-18.

Upcoming Game
Written by:

Greetings everyone! I'm Alex95 and welcome to this next 'Shroom issue of Upcoming Game! It's time for adventure once again as Nintendo brings us another port of a Wii U title, this time it's Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. Originally released for the Wii U in late-2014/early-2015, Captain Toad brings his original adventure to both the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo 3DS on July 13th, 2018. It'll be mostly the same game, but with some new content as well. First of all, for those of you that haven't played or seen the original game: What is Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker? It's a puzzle game with platforming elements that originally appeared as small segments in Super Mario 3D World. You take on the role of the titular Captain Toad as he goes off in search of treasure, with that treasure being Power Stars. Captain Toad is joined by his Toad Brigade, which also now includes Toadette. As Captain Toad and Toadette go to collect a Power Star at the beginning of the game, Toadette is captured by a large bird known as Wingo. Now, Captain Toad has to progress solve puzzles, collect Power Stars, and progress through levels in order to save his friend. The original game made heavy use of the Wii U's Gamepad touch screen to solve puzzles, a feature neither the Switch nor the 3DS have access to (at least in the same sense as the Wii U). However, the Switch and the 3DS also have features the Wii U does not. For the Nintendo Switch, the content appears to be mostly the same. The game doesn't appear to use the Switch's touch screen, so instead you have to use the Joy-Con's pointer and a press of a button to activate things like Touchstone platforms. There is also a new co-op feature! Player one controls Captain Toad whereas player two can fire Turnips from an off-screen cannon. Player two has access to the Joy-Con's pointer, allowing them to aim where they want to fire the Turnips. For the Nintendo 3DS, there are two screens displayed similarly to how the Wii U does. The 3DS also has a touch screen, and it seems to work similarly to the Wii U's. It seems the game is displayed on both screens, and whenever the player needs to interact with something such as a Spinwheel, it will be displayed on the bottom screen. The top screen gives the game the stereoscopic 3D treatment, so that's neat. The biggest change to both game is that there will be levels based on Super Mario Odyssey, including New Donk City! Captain Toad and his Toad Brigade appeared in Super Mario Odyssey already, so now they get to explore a variant of the locations on their own. The levels will even be a part of the Nintendo 3DS version.

Thoughts
I can't say I'm excited for this game. I already own the Wii U version, so buying the game again just for a few extra levels and a co-op, when the majority of the game is the same as the original, likely isn't going to happen any time soon. The choice to port the game to the Nintendo 3DS is also an odd one, but it makes some sense. It's obviously not because of the handheld aspect, since the Switch has that as well. It's likely to keep at least most of the Wii U's touch screen controls intact, since it doesn't appear the Switch uses them. So, which will you get? The Switch version for the co-op, or the 3DS version for the 3D? Or both? Or neither? You have until July 13th to decide!

Interview
Written by:

Hello, 'Shroom readers! Superchao here, gleefully bringing you another deep-delving interview with a member of the community! As usual, I've rung someone up and asked them approximately 100 questions, give or take a few.

For this month, we're bringing in The Pyro Guy. One of the newest members of our community in relative terms, TPG started off in 2015, and he did not have the most... effective beginnings. He had a bit of a troublemaking reputation, getting temporarily banned on the wiki for messing around with a friend (in ways that broke rules, such as trolling and pretending ignorance of the situation) and starting plenty of arguments on the forum. However, he knocked himself into shape after that and started to really get into the community, creating his own wiki fiction and joining the Poll Committee. And now he's even the director of the very team you're reading this interview in! Hi, boss!

That's enough from me alone, though. Let's get to hearing what he has to say!

 The Interview:  Superchao: Hello, 'Shroom readers! It's me, as it always is, bringing you another interview with some poor unfortunate soul who made the mistake of saying yes. ...Alternatively I'm just interviewing someone and telling you about them. Either works. Superchao: Either way, today I'm interviewing current Pipe Plaza Director and veteran of a couple years, The Pyro Guy! The Pyro Guy: Hey hey, it's a pleasure to be here! Superchao: Without further ado, there's really only one good way to start an interview. How did you find the wiki to begin with? The Pyro Guy: My story is a couple years back, I entered a tournament for Mario Kart Wii, and I wanted to know which combinations were the best. So, I looked on this wiki for some of the vehicle stats, and that's how I got hooked! Superchao: Hooked in what way? There's a jump between simply reading and actually joining. Superchao: Also, how'd you do in the tournament? The Pyro Guy: After I finished the research I actually needed to get, I started looking at other articles. Before I knew it I was just diving deep into information, looking at page after page, until I decided to make an account! The Pyro Guy: The tournament was quite successful. I got a close second. The Pyro Guy: *Nearly* first place, but the other guy had a Bullet Bill. Superchao: So it could have gone better. We have failed in our- oh well yeah if he had a Bullet Bill you were right fucked The Pyro Guy: Absolutely. Superchao: The god of the random numbers strikes again. The Pyro Guy: RNG, my one true enemy. Either way, it was fun and a good excuse to play video games in school. Superchao: Who doesn't love playing video games when they're supposed to be working? The Pyro Guy: Exactly. Back then, games were my number one priority. Not any more, however; my exams are getting closer and closer! Superchao: We'll never see you again! Except until after. Superchao: Anyhow, that's a pretty good reason to join. I take it you decided you could go one step beyond reading, and actually contribute and expand the articles? The Pyro Guy: That was my mindset if I recall correctly. I had recently taking a huge liking to those lil' Shy Guys, whose article was the first to be edited by me. The Pyro Guy: Although I think that edit got reverted almost immediately! So my first wiki contribution may not have the most helpful. Superchao: Correct! It was immediately switched back due to being irrelevant for the page. Shoulda done some more reading, huh? The Pyro Guy: I'm sure many people had a shaky start to editing. Superchao: Most did. Superchao: I mean, you can still see parts of my original wording in the very first page I made twelve years ago, but we can't all pull off miracles :V The Pyro Guy: I suppose when you're making the founding pages of the wiki, some of your work has to stick around. Superchao: It's the problem with trying to get into editing these days; sometimes it just feels like there's less left to add in general. The Pyro Guy: Definitely. I remember wanting to get on top of some of the Super Mario Odyssey information back in E3 last year, but when I woke up the next day everything had already been made! The Pyro Guy: These modern editors, I swear. Blink and you'll miss 'em. Superchao: The only solution is to trap all the editors in pitfalls so only you remain. The Pyro Guy: I don't see any drawback to that idea! :P Superchao: Speaking of Shy Guys, though, allows me to mention another question I had on the list. Why did you name yourself The Pyro Guy? As opposed to, well, any other name. The Pyro Guy: When I first wanted to switch my username from 'Shy Guy in a Bush' to a different species, I originally went for just 'Pyro Guy'. I was then made aware of the user called 'Pyro', and wanted to make myself a little more distinct. So I just added a 'The' to the start and got a fresh new identity! Superchao: Well, considering Pyro's full username was "pyroguy6", that was... really for the best. Superchao: What did you have against your old name, though? The Pyro Guy: For a start, I didn't even get the name right. They're called 'Petal Guy', apparently. Superchao: Or Mufti Guy, depending on your source! The Pyro Guy: Really? I haven't heard of that, actually. The Pyro Guy: But secondly, the idea of something being 'in a Bush' was way too lewd for my poor twelve year old mind to handle. I had to change it immediately! Superchao: Yeah, that was what they were called in the official guide for SMW2. Superchao: I mean, if you were the one who found it as lewd and changed it... does that not mean YOU were the lewd one all along!? The Pyro Guy: Truly, my subconsciousness was the lewd one from the start, manipulating me from the shadows... Superchao: I guess you'll have to fight your shadow, the true self, in order to finally stop being lewd. At least you'll get a Persona out of it! Superchao: Speaking of Pyro, though, how'd you feel when you first learned about the coincidence? And when people kept bringing it up? I know at least a few people thought you two were connected for a while. The Pyro Guy: It was surreal, because the more I looked into it the more I realised that we were alike with out interests and such. I noticed that in my early days people would confuse me for Pyro quite often. Superchao: Your interests? Like what? The Pyro Guy: Well, admittedly I only looked at the userpage, but I saw that we liked Shy Guys, and we shared our favourite Mario Kart game. The Pyro Guy: I also saw that Pyro had uploaded a lot of sprites for the Paper Mario games, which I believe was one of my earlier projects. The Pyro Guy: I always preferred uploading images and files to writing down information, which is why I went down the sprites route in my wiki career. Superchao: Personality-wise, though? Not as much. Superchao: Not that I mind, you're generally more agreeable (nowadays) than Pyro was. The Pyro Guy: I suppose we never actually interacted. Pyro left around the same time I first arrived. Superchao: Pretty much - Pyro vanished mid-2015, which was about when you joined. Another reason for the confusion! The Pyro Guy: And thank you! I know I was argumentative back when I first joined; the Bayonetta... debate... comes to mind. Superchao: Between that mess and the infamous wiki warning mess, you really didn't have a smooth start, did you? The Pyro Guy: Honestly, 2015 was not my most gracious year. And ohohoh, that warning mess. Superchao: I'm gonna be kind, and blame most of it on you being a dumbass 13 year old. Superchao: Maturity does wonderful things, doesn't it? The Pyro Guy: That's what I blame it on as well. I'm glad I've gotten better after that. Superchao: Discussing your past ties into something else I noticed - originally, you were fairly active on the wiki, but only intermittently active on the forum. However that seems to have changed, with your wiki activity decreasing as your forum activity increased. Superchao: Did anything in particular cause this, or was it just a gradual interest shift? The Pyro Guy: Well, originally I only joined the forum to sign up for The 'Shroom- for Upcoming Games, I believe- but then as the wiki work grew arduous and the community more inviting, I eventually switched, like a lot of people. The Pyro Guy: But I edit when I can! Although now it's mainly just sending out Pipe Plaza reminders. Superchao: Arduous in what way? Also that's still good, considering that reminders are Important. The Pyro Guy: Since most of my work was sprite-based, the idea of finding, cropping and uploading these images (with descriptions) lost its appeal to me. Especially when I put myself through animating them in the case of some of the Mario and Luigi ones. Superchao: Oof, yeah. That sounds like pure tedium. No wonder you just burned out over time. The Pyro Guy: The program I was using to animate them was not helpful, either. Lots of tweaking, issues and manual readjustments every time I made a single .gif. Superchao: Let me guess: there wasn't any good way to switch programs without spending approximately fifteen years learning a new one The Pyro Guy: Exactly. I tried to explore other methods, but I don't think there would be any way to animate them faster than what I was already doing. The Pyro Guy: Although I think I saw someone upload all the animated sprites from Color Splash. I might just ask them how they managed it. Superchao: Ask them how and then steal their job! Delightfully devilish, TPG! The Pyro Guy: If only! But I think I'm done on the wiki, work wise. Maybe fixing the occasional typo, that I can do, but it's hard to get back into the flow of editing. Superchao: I've often considered getting back into the wiki myself, but you're right, it's hard to shove your way in. Something about the attitude and feel of the place, really. At least the forum is wide open for shitposting! The Pyro Guy: Yet another lowkey burn towards the wiki by THE Superchao. The wiki can't escape the searing words of these interviews. Superchao: Eventually the servers just combust from trying to hold all my burning hot takes at once Superchao: So, we know why you lost interest in the wiki, but what kept you interested in the forum and community? As opposed to just drifting off entirely, like some people have. The Pyro Guy: I think it was originally my desire to improve on my 3D art and all of that. Back when I was starting out, LeftyGreenMario and BabyLuigiOnFire would offer comments and advice on most of my pieces. It's because of them that I've learnt so much about the 3D rendering in general, and I've improved a lot since then. Superchao: And we made a good captive audience for commentary, huh? :V The Pyro Guy: Indeed. But once I sunk my teeth in the Awards Committee for the 2015-2016 term, I became more invested in the actual community behind it, and because of that I became more active in it. The Pyro Guy: Even if my actual AC contributions were minimal, what with me being unable to show up for meetings, it was a good start in getting to know the structure of this place. Superchao: What made you join the AC, anyway? Besides just "the committee is supersized this year". The Pyro Guy: It was just me wanting to sign up for everything I could. The Pyro Guy: And of course, the purple stars. The Pyro Guy: I wasn't a fan of plain ol' yellow back then, even though it's now my favourite colour! Superchao: I can't believe you pulled a 2012 on us. I'm so disappointed. For shaaaaame. ...But at least you actually tried, rather than getting purple and then just sitting on your ass. The Pyro Guy: Well, I did what I could. Presenting four awards was the most I did, but I posted with mild frequency in the AC board. The Pyro Guy: And uh, I had a go at hosting a Splatoon tourney. Superchao: The way you phrase that makes me know already that it could have gone better. The Pyro Guy: The problem was that I couldn't get it started. So it wasn't a disaster, or a success, but it wasn't anything. The Pyro Guy: But I hear there's a larger interest in Splat2n nowadays, so maybe there'll be a tourney for that game this year! The Pyro Guy: Not hosted by me, hopefully :0 Superchao: It was nothing at all, just like  Superchao: What, no confidence in your ability to try again and get it going? The Pyro Guy: Well, I don't even have the game, so I don't really know how it would be structured. Besides, I have other plans for a competition this year. Stay tuned! Superchao: Don't you mean... stay fresh? Superchao: ...Erm. Anyhow. One thing I noticed about your gradual acclimation to the community - the time you made your wiki story, "How the wiki was probably actually created". What inspired you to do so? The Pyro Guy: Basically, I found Userpedia and saw the Dragon Problem comic. I loved it, and then thought to myself, 'I could do that'. Superchao: And could you, in your opinion? The Pyro Guy: Nope! I didn't have the experience of Edo or Walkazo in the realm of 2D art or the long-term motivation needed to see it through, so it was a short-lived project. Superchao: I still remember seeing it around. Superchao: The idea of doing something about the wiki's history as someone very new in comparison... Gotta say, that's ambitious! The Pyro Guy: As someone who knew very little about the culture, I was originally stuck for content. But I contacted Walkazo before I started, to see if she could give me any info on how it all began. The Pyro Guy: And she was super helpful in letting me know all about the early steps. It was more than enough for me to make a couple of strips. Superchao: Even if it didn't pan out, it was probably good to at least try. If nothing else, you got to learn more about our wild history! The Pyro Guy: Exactly. And a day after I cancelled HWPAM, I made a new comic. Superchao: What happened to it? The Pyro Guy: It was actually two comics at first- MarioWiki Saga and MarioWiki Stories. The Pyro Guy: Oh, HWPAM just kind of fizzled out. I was stuck for content and didn't know where to go, so I respectfully left it as it was and moved on. The Pyro Guy: That's right, three strips in and it was already done. Superchao: Mercy kill, basically. Superchao: How about Saga and Stories? I know they were at least comparatively a lot more successful. The Pyro Guy: Well they certainly lasted a lot longer! I made sure to be a lot more detailed in my recreation of early wiki events for the Stories segment, so I could get more panels going. The Pyro Guy: I then dropped it in favour of Saga which I thought was more interesting. The Pyro Guy: It was a typical wiki fic about a troll takeover, but I tried to add some interesting ideas to it. The Pyro Guy: It was very much inspired by both Dragon Problem and Homestuck, with text boxes, animated panels, etc. Superchao: Think of it this way: that's retro as heck. We havent had those in abundance since like... 2011 or so! Superchao: So really, isn't it all new instead of typical at this point? The Pyro Guy: If you say it's a new idea, I'm happy with calling it that! The Pyro Guy: So as I went through Saga, it was mainly an improvised story, but a few months in I took a break to iron out the entire story. The Pyro Guy: It totalled up to 25 chapters, of which 13 I had managed to publish. Superchao: Not quite as successful as one would hope, it sounds. The Pyro Guy: No, it wasn't finished in the typical sense. But I didn't want to just cancel it and leave it to rot forever, you know? The Pyro Guy: Even though I knew I wouldn't be making any more panels I still wanted to provide some closure to it. Superchao: You did more for your fic than 99% of wiki authors did for the stuff they just dropped for good. Superchao: ...Of course, it helps that you actually had a plot in mind. Superchao: I've always suspected that a lot of the dead fics died because people didn't actually have a long term goal for it. The Pyro Guy: I did have a long-term goal, and I had even visualised some of the ending panels before I began, but I don't think I would have ever completed it. The Pyro Guy: My ability to make 2D art was rapidly changing, which led to some visual inconsistency in the later chapters. Superchao: You got too good too fast! The Pyro Guy: I thought I was doing well with the whole paintbrush phase in the final few posts, but looking back I am no longer a fan. Superchao: Self-critique is useful, but unfortunately it does sometimes result in disliking your past work. Superchao: Overall, though, are you glad you made it? The Pyro Guy: Surprisingly, yes! I liked planning out the story, and it was great to see some of the more interesting elements come through and work as intended. The Pyro Guy: For example, image hyperlinks on the Userpedia page. Click on an image, and you get taken to the chapter based in the depicted setting! The Pyro Guy: I only did that once or twice, though. But it was pretty cool. Superchao: That's some fancy stuff! Too bad Userpedia is DEAD FOREVER huh???? Superchao: But in all seriousness, if you enjoyed it and it helped you, then that's for the best. The Pyro Guy: Yeah. But drawing Cooking Guide was maybe more beneficial for my art? The Pyro Guy: I managed to use that to settle in with the style I'm still using today, as well as to work on structuring comics. Superchao: Probably, but sometimes you need to go down paths you backtrack from to figure out which one you want to follow. Superchao: Speaking of the premise of Stories, though; you're a very new user here, in relative terms - only three years out of thirteen total. As someone who's come in late in our current history, what do you think of when you look at the past? The Pyro Guy: The most shocking thing I've seen so far when diving into old threads is that 2257 used to post in full grammar and capitalisation. Superchao: I know, right? Maybe he was replaced when we weren't looking. The Pyro Guy: I have my suspicions. I'd say there are definitely different time periods of the community culture. Back in the beginnings I've seen a lot more randomness and references to communism as an insult, and then as the years go by I guess everyone wisened up a bit more. The Pyro Guy: Porple was only a teen as well when he first started out. The Pyro Guy: Seeing the first Mario Awards was also a good reference point to see how far we've come. Superchao: Despite some people's nostalgia for the past, everyone was really dumb in 2007. Including me. I much prefer the community nature and attitude today. The Pyro Guy: From what I hear there were a lot of unfortunate incidents and moments of extreme drama. It's good to see that all gone now. Superchao: Ohoho, there were. You lucked out - you didn't have to be there for it. Instead, you get the chiller community of now to join. The Pyro Guy: See, all of the rowdy users either left or chilled out, and we're left with a grounded, prosperous group. The Pyro Guy: We still get new faces, and they all pretty much turned out to be valuable additions to this place. Superchao: It's interesting to see how the community changes over time, really. Sometimes I wonder what it'll be like five years from now, and what I'll look back on and go "that was dumb" from this time. Superchao: It feels like the rate of new regulars slowed down a few years ago, but the average quality of them has gone up, at least of the people who stayed. I don't mind the tradeoff! The Pyro Guy: I tend to mark my arrival as when we started getting less new users. There are few people who joined after me that have managed to stay for the journey. Superchao: What did you do when you joined!? The Pyro Guy: My arrival was a curse, of course! Superchao: I see. In that case, I'll have to ban you to save us all. Nothing personal. Superchao: ...Only after the interview's done, of course! The Pyro Guy: We've still got time to fill this up! But frankly, I saw more users returning than new ones joining. You got Lord Bowser, Roserade, FTG64 all unexpectedly returning from their presumed graves. The Pyro Guy: But they weren't graves! More like... beds for people who sleep for years at a time. Superchao: It's the siren call of the Hotel Mariofornia, clearly. They can check out any time, BUT THEY CAN NEVER LEAVE! Superchao: (Ignore everyone who left and stayed gone. They don't count.) Superchao: I take it that once you shifted to full-time forum you haven't thought about leaving since? Because it sure doesn't look like it. The Pyro Guy: Of course there are entirely new users as well, like Camwood or BBQ Turtle, but really their numbers are dwindling. The Pyro Guy: And no, I don't think I'll leave within the foreseeable future. You're all stuck with me for at least a couple more years! Haha! The Pyro Guy: And besides, what kind of monster would become 'Shroom Staff only to retire within a few months? Superchao: Pi. The Pyro Guy: Well, I'm sure he's not a monster. Just a busy pigeon. Superchao: He... had his reasons. Let's put it that way. You, on the other hand, I expect to be around for quiiite a while. The Pyro Guy: Although he is a Pokémon, so perhaps the monster claim still holds- yeah, I'm not leaving any time soon. The Pyro Guy: There's going to be challenges! Times where I might be more committed to my real life than I would like... but I'll just get past them and resume business as usual here. Superchao: That's what I'm expecting, especially with your deep interest in the 'Shroom... which lucky for you, was another thing I wanted to ask you about! SO. You started in the 'Shroom back in early 2016, with Cooking Guide and What's On The Box?, and have shown strong dedication to it since. What interested you in joining the 'Shroom to begin with? The Pyro Guy: Ahah! Technically, I started back in mid-2015 with Upcoming Games, but was quickly fired from that due to the previously mentioned warning mess. I wanted to get into The 'Shroom because it seemed like a great creative canvas of sorts, and I wanted in on that. Superchao: Yeah, I decided to be polite about the fact that you immediately cost yourself your first 'Shroom spot. But if you're bringing it up... well, at least it was a good object lesson, right? The Pyro Guy: If it wasn't a good start, it was a lesson well-learnt. Some coincidence that I now direct the team that I was fired from 2 years prior, hm? The Pyro Guy: As I went from one section in Fun Stuff to three sections across that, Fake News, and Palette Swap, I was really getting into the flow of creating stuff. Those times were a blast, and having all of this output was great for me to develop my writing prowess. The Pyro Guy: Even though I've settled back down to one section currently, I plan to get some fresh new sections flowing later this year. Superchao: It's like a reverse Warioloaf, somehow. Superchao: I've noticed you really put your all into your 'Shroom sections! Cooking Guide being the standout, naturally - you even won some SOTMS with it - but that's far from the only one. The Pyro Guy: I haven't heard of this tale. Would you mind giving me a brief summary? Superchao: Warioloaf was the guy who founded Fake News and its first director. Later on, he trolled and got permabanned. You meanwhile got temporarily banned and fired from Pipe Plaza, and now direct it... i prefer the redemption angle to the fall to darkness one :V The Pyro Guy: Redemption looks better for my reputation, I'm sure. The Pyro Guy: Cooking Guide stood out because it was big, it was colourful, and some may even say it was funny. I'm glad it got SOTMs with it because it really spurred me on to make more of 'em. Superchao: Cooking Guide: Funny [citation needed] Superchao: But it was all of the above, in truth. You really demonstrated your talents there! Superchao: What made you decide to pursue that to the point of applying for staff and ultimately being accepted as Pipe Plaza Director? The Pyro Guy: Thank you! I'm sure one reader may have breathed slightly harder through their nose whilst reading my jokes. The Pyro Guy: With Cooking Guide finished, I wanted to have a sort of leap in responsibility. The Pyro Guy: And then when '876 stepped down, I thought that it was time for me to make that leap! The Pyro Guy: So with the assistance of Lord Bowser I sent over that application form, and you guys liked me enough to let me in! The Pyro Guy: And personally, I think my community presence would have dwindled if I was only writing Ongoing Fan Projects once a month. Superchao: Excellent work, team! And I'm not surprised - the more community stuff you have to manage, the more you're motivated to stick around. Superchao: Just look at me and my five different colored stars! Superchao: (and dark green but NOBODY CARES ABOUT MHG) The Pyro Guy: You're practically a rainbow now. You've just got chat op left to grab, right? Then you'll finally be able to ascend to your final form. Superchao: Wiki staff, but still. If I gain all the ranks I automatically transform into Super Chao 3 The Pyro Guy: SuperChao3- a God among users. Either way, I'd say you're one of the most highly ranked users out there (and one of the oldest!), apart from Porple himself of course. Superchao: Aww, thank you! I've done pretty well for myself, I'd say. But for someone as new as you, you're making some great inroads in community positions! The Pyro Guy: For a youngster like be being able to slightly boss my writers about, I'm proud of how far I've come! Superchao: Truly, the power inherent in the 'Shroom position is one of great might and communism. The Pyro Guy: I'm sure everyone agrees that communism is the true future for all of the 'Shroom. I bet nobody could ever name an example of a communist movement that failed! The Pyro Guy: Well, apart from nearly all of them. Superchao: I'm pleased to announce that our imminent rebranding to Тче Счроом is almost complete. Soon it'll be red inside AND outside! The Pyro Guy: Finally, the 'Shroom we all dreamt of is becoming a reality! Superchao: One thing besides the 'Shroom that I've noticed you have a deep involvement in is the Poll Committee. What drove you to first join it? The Pyro Guy: I first became interested after reading through that whole Chuggaconroy deal with the poll options. I think I wanted to see those options be a bit more... mature, I suppose? So I applied and got in, and these poll options have not yet been called out by Chugga, so I'd say we're a good team! The Pyro Guy: And I liked the idea of a smaller, more focused team to participate in, and my usual timezone issues would not be a problem there. Superchao: Chugga: the barometer of success? Let's make a poll for it. The Pyro Guy: Chugga is a fad and will die soon. I don't care. Superchao: But I can definitely understand why a smaller team helps. Poll Committee is easier to rope together and less... stressful, in some ways? The polls aren't As Visibly Significant as the awards or 'Shroom so there's not as much pressure. The Pyro Guy: Yeah, and there's never a need for immediate responses to posts. It's definitely a very relaxed team. Superchao: Do you have a favorite of the three to be part of? Poll, Shroom, and Awards, I mean. The Pyro Guy: Oho, that's a tough one. The Pyro Guy: I think it's gotta be 'Shroom- just because of the ability to look over years of previous projects, and how my own applications were received as well. The Pyro Guy: I've written for and observed the project for a couple years, and it's great to see how the more ambitious stuff was put together in real time Superchao: Can't blame you there, I think 'Shroom is probably my favorite special rank to hold too. That or Forum Mods. Superchao: "More ambitious stuff" but not as ambitious as some things. Kiiinda glad we're not doing Four Special Issues A Year anymore! The Pyro Guy: That sounds painful, yikes. The Pyro Guy: One question I've been meaning to ask you; as a Global Moderator, do you have access to every single staff board, including ones you're not a part of? Superchao: Nope! Porple does but g-mods never do. A couple of them used to but as part of the gradual depowerings over the years, not anymore. The Pyro Guy: Huh, I always thought you could just hop into any thread you wanted to like some secret spy. Superchao: Trust me, I wish I could. I would read everything. The Pyro Guy: If it helps, I would too. Superchao: So, I think we've covered your community presence backwards, forwards, and sideways at this point. So I'd like to ask a little more about the guy behind the mask! For example, why are you so interested in 3D modeling and the like? The Pyro Guy: He probably doesn't want me to say this, but back in the day my brother made 3D Minecraft avatars and YouTube banners and the like. Made a fair amount of money from it as well! I wanted to follow that path, so I began to learn the basics of 3D models, and rendering and all of that. The Pyro Guy: That's the story- 12 year old boy wants to make a quick buck from Minecraft art. The Pyro Guy: But then I found a website named the Models Resource, which is a collection of video game models ripped directly from the source. The Pyro Guy: So I learnt all my stuff from models of Mario and all the other characters I could find. Superchao: >You learned it from Mario Superchao: I'm not surprised at all The Pyro Guy: If Mario can teach typing, surely he can teach the wonders of 3D models and rendering! Superchao: Mario Teaches 3D Rendering was sadly cancelled for being a very niche title. It's a shame The Pyro Guy: You can actually find some of my oldest work on my YouTube channel, before I joined this place. It's not very good though, and I've probably deleted a lot of it. Superchao: You fool! It was on the internet, it will NEVER DIE! The Pyro Guy: I know, and I am ashamed to the highest degree! Genuinely, I am ashamed that I would upload such filth to the World Wide Web. Superchao: You monster. We'll have to ban you... later. Superchao: For now, speaking of Mario as your inspiration reminds me - do you have any Mario games you really like? The kind that invested you in the series to start with? The Pyro Guy: Super Mario Galaxy is my favourite Mario game, and maybe even my favourite game ever. The Pyro Guy: Maybe it's just the nostalgia speaking, but never had I felt such a sense of wonder and fun when first playing it. Superchao: Good thing it was Galaxy 1 and not Galaxy 2, huh? The Pyro Guy: The music, subtle bittersweet story and inventive mechanics had me gripped. The Pyro Guy: I enjoyed the sequel a lot. I think it's objectively a better game, but owes a lot of that to the first one. The Pyro Guy: I think it lacked some of the heart that the first one had, even if it had new ideas. Superchao: I still prefer Galaxy 1 even if the green stars were a better 121-240 than Do It All As Weegee; it just felt like it had more to it, y'know The Pyro Guy: Darn right. Superchao: Any other marty-o games you really like? Or conversely, dislike? The Pyro Guy: I really enjoyed NSMBU. It was the best in a stale series, with the best level design of them all. On the flip side, NSMB2 is one of the most disappointing games I've played. Superchao: I'm glad NSMBU appears to have killed the subseries off. It was good at the start, but... The Pyro Guy: It was a good finale to something that needed to be put to rest. The Pyro Guy: If they bring 2D Marios back, they need to do something special with 'em. Superchao: Newer Superer Marioer Brothers... er, when The Pyro Guy: It would certainly be... a unique... title. Superchao: Besides Mario, though, are there any other video games you're a fan of? Nintendo or not, nobody will judge! Not these days. Oh, the stories of 2007 Shroom... The Pyro Guy: I recently started to really get into the Shovel Knight games, which I would recommend to anyone. They're so good. I'm a big fan of Pikmin, though they don't get many games at all, and thanks to your kind actions I was able to get into Danganronpa! So thanks for that. The Pyro Guy: Also, Hiveswap was pretty good, but I'm reserving further judgement until Act 2 comes out. Or the dating sim. Superchao: until? more like IF! dohohohohohoho Superchao: Good choices, though. What interests you about Shovel Knight or Pikmin? Or even Danganronpa? The Pyro Guy: Pikmin was just an impulse buy that I ended up loving, and Shovel Knight was highly recommended to me by my friends. I was first made aware of Danganronpa when LB made those fusion art requests in 2016, but I only began to know more about it for the recent v3 fad. Superchao: And then you yourself made more fusions. Deep The Pyro Guy: It started out as a fun little thing for just me and Ryoma, but then as more people got interested I had to make more. Gotta appeal to the will of the people! Superchao: Even if it took you forever to fuse me with Miu :I The Pyro Guy: It's just the thought of some leather-clad BDSM Boo that made me hesitate on drawing it. Superchao: And then you did it anyway. How many of those did you end up doing, anyway? The Pyro Guy: I think I did about 8 or 9 in total, so half of the cast. Superchao: your next project: the other half The Pyro Guy: I've already started to wade in on my next set of Knight fusions, sorry. But maybe some other time! I'd like to see Nico dressed up as Tenko. Superchao: Nico Nico AIKIDOKICK Superchao: Going back to Mario for a bit, it's very clear that you really like Shy Guys. Both your names, your user OC (as can be seen when one looks at the top of this very team), all of that demonstrates that as far as I can tell, Shy Guys are your favorite Mario enemy. Superchao: Why's that? The Pyro Guy: 3 or 4 years ago, in an Art class, we were told to draw cartoony facial expressions. Being the defiant edgy student that I was, I just drew several emotionless Shy Guy masks. The Pyro Guy: Then I looked at them and thought that they were pretty cute and funny-looking, and my love for them grew from there. Superchao: And then you became one, as seen in Nabber's presentation about them! The Pyro Guy: Well, of course! Once you start to like a Shy Guy, you never stop. Eventually, you are one. Superchao: Wait... I like Shy Guys. Superchao: Oh no. Superchao: Oh nooooooooo! The Pyro Guy: It's too late for you, I'm afraid. The Pyro Guy: Don't worry, I'm sure you'll make a wonderful Boo Guy. Superchao: Guess I'll have to make the most of my non-Shy Guy life while I still can. Superchao: A Boo Guy? Then I must fight Ghost Jam to prove my dominance. The Pyro Guy: But ghosts... never... die!! What kind of victory are you aiming for here?! Superchao: Just the one where he says I'm a Chill Guy having a Cool Day The Pyro Guy: A compliment everyone should hope to receive, I bet. Superchao: Outside of video games, though, what other interests do you have? The Pyro Guy: I'm a fan of cycling and rugby, as well as hiking expeditions on the side. I also like to cook a lot; I'm trying to learn recipes that will be really cheap and useful for when I'm in university. Superchao: Wow. You're honestly a lot more physically active than I expected! No offense. The Pyro Guy: None taken! Sometimes I'm surprised at my activities too. Superchao: Just be careful not to overshoot and turn into a jock. Otherwise youll be tempted to stuff us in lockers! The Pyro Guy: Oh I'm too much of a nerd to ever go down that route, heh. Superchao: Then we're safe. Superchao: Speaking of nerdity, I do have a very important question. Superchao: What's it like being the #2 fan of both Nico AND Honoka? The Pyro Guy: Sometimes I worry that *I'm* the number 2 fan and I've never even seen a single episode (or manga, whatever the franchise is meant to be)! Does this mean TFP and NEX are the only true fans of their respective waifus?? Superchao: I mean, I'm Honoka's #3 fan. Clearly there are more, and you're just a very big fan despite all your denials. The Pyro Guy: At the sight of a full moon, I transform into a secret beast and binge on Love Live all night long. The Pyro Guy: It's my darkest secret. Don't let anyone know. Superchao: Nobody will know except everyone who reads it in the paper, I promise. The Pyro Guy: Ahahohohoooohh... oh dear. Superchao: But if you had to pick one, going solely on what you know Superchao: Honoka or Nico? Superchao: I'll protect you from NEX or TFP depending. The Pyro Guy: Honoka. I've been forced to listen to both of their albums and I prefer the Honk lady's singing voice. Superchao: NEX and I are proud of you! TFP will probably strangle you, but we'll keep him at bay. Superchao: Just throw Nico figurines when he approaches and he'll go after them, works every time. The Pyro Guy: Are you experienced in defending against TFP? Superchao: Yes, ever since I told him Nico was not the #1 idol. Superchao: It was a dark day. The Pyro Guy: Ouch. If words could kill, I'm sure he'd be dead. The Pyro Guy: Telling him that Nico is not the best? Murderous. Superchao: It's okay, he'll rise from the grave on the third day, finally incarnated into the form of Nico herself Superchao: But speaking of questions and Honks... Superchao: Is this the last question? The Pyro Guy: It depends on if simply adding a question mark to the end of a regular statement makes it a question? Superchao: It might? The Pyro Guy: So my answer is, maybe? The Pyro Guy: Who knows? Superchao: I guess we'll never know? Superchao: Well, thank you for your time here? The Pyro Guy: It's been great to be here, so thank you for having me?

 In Closing:  This year has really been about newcomers in interviews, hasn't it? 2013, 2014, 2013, and now 2015. Just like the other three before him, TPG shows that you don't really need to be an oldbie in order to become a community fixture. All you need to do is be active, be friendly, and have the energy to contribute, all traits that he's got in spades. There's a reason he's the current Pipe Plaza Director, and as one of the people who vouched for him, I'm confident we made the right decision. Here's to TPG making Pipe Plaza even better this year!

NIWA Spotlight
Written by: Hello everyone and welcome back to NIWA Spotlight, a NIWA-focused spotlight that covers one article from all of our partnered wikis that need help. These can range from articles that need more information or created to images that need replacing or uploaded. Notice something on a different wiki you can't fix and want to get the word out? Let me know on my talk page or in this forum topic and it will be added to a future issue. For our Mario-related topics, check out the current The 'Shroom Spotlight!

Some things were completed last month! On WiKirby, Fubaka has been hard at work on creating pages relating to Kirby Star Allies, including the spotlighted Cook Potluck. On Bulbapedia, Satsjoe fixed up the Nurse Joy's Comfey page. Images were added to F-Zero Wiki's Isshin Shimizu's page by Wildgoosespeeder and Inkipedia's Sunny Climbing Shoes's page by Rassicas. And I uploaded a better quality version of Icaruspedia's image. Great work everyone!

I have some wiki-related news that may affect your editing:
 * The F-Zero Wiki still has a CAPTCHA problem, and I'm still trying to get it resolved. In the meantime, contact me privately if you don't already have an account and I will get one set up for you.
 * The Donkey Kong Wiki will go down soon, as per this ongoing proposal. But until that happens, you are free to edit as you wish.

Poll Committee Discussion
Written by:

Greetings, beautiful ‘Shroom readers! I’m your host, Roserade, and welcome to the Poll Committee Discussion for the April edition of the ‘Shroom! While I may be the fool who has been pegged for writing this month, you know what isn’t foolish? Submitting your own polls on the Marioboards forum, if you have an idea in mind! We’re always accepting outside submissions. Other than that, though, there’s no other announcements for me to report, so let’s dive right into the discussion!

Archives Which of these upcoming games are you most excited for? ( and, March 11th, 2018)

Do you want another game with Princess Peach as the sole protagonist? (, March 18th, 2018)

Following the announcement of a new story mode for Mario Tennis Aces, do you think expansive story modes should be featured in more sports titles? (, March 25th, 2018)

We all know about the funky new features coming to Tropical Freeze, but what is your favorite funky feature of the awesome ape himself? (, April 1st, 2018)

Do you feel that it’s time for Nintendo to retire the 3DS? (,, and , April 1st, 2018)

Do you plan to purchase the upcoming Nintendo Labo kits for the Switch? (, April 8th, 2018)

Analysis
 * Which of these upcoming games are you most excited for?: It looks we have a very clear fan-favorite here! Not surprising, of course. Smash Bros. is a very special series, and I definitely can’t help but hop onto the hype train whenever it rolls into the station. Beyond that, though, it looks like the Bowser’s Inside Story remake is also highly anticipated, followed by Mario Tennis Aces and the Luigi’s Mansion 3DS remake. Personally, Bowser’s Inside Story is one of my favorite games of all time, but I’ll have to see more footage before I decide if I’m interested in the investment.
 * Do you want another game with Princess Peach as the sole protagonist?: A majority of our voters would like an entirely new Princess Peach game, which is understandable. Peach is a character only lightly explored in most of the Mario games, so having another game with her as the headline character would be interesting. However, our second majority doesn’t appear to really have a preference either way. The option with the third highest votes is a sequel for Super Princess Peach, which had a cool premise I could imagine being really expanded upon if a sequel were to occur.
 * Following the announcement of a new story mode for Mario Tennis Aces, do you think expansive story modes should be featured in more sports titles?: Overall, a majority of voters want to see story modes included, but not at the expense of gameplay. Most players of Mario sports games seem to play them for the multiplayer or online aspects, so of course you’d want concrete gameplay on those fronts. With about a 90 vote lag, a good chunk of voters believe story modes should be included in all sports games. Personally, I don’t need a story mode to enjoy my sports games, but hey, all the more incentive for me to play!
 * We all know about the funky new features coming to Tropical Freeze, but what is your favorite funky feature of the awesome ape himself?: What a hottie with a body, that Funky Kong. I sometimes just find myself fantasizing over this great ape... For me personally, it’s always that silky voice... making me feel safe at the airport... But for most of our voters, it appears Funky’s sunglasses are the most bodacious fantasy material. Of course, one can’t look past his attitude. What a bodacious dude, brah. If only somebody could add a New Funky Mode to my life.
 * Do you feel that it’s time for Nintendo to retire the 3DS?: Most people voted that they’d like to see the 3DS live for just a little longer, which I can agree with. There is still some more to see from the 3DS before it gets buried amongst the other consoles, although it does seem to be running on reserves at this point, with plenty of remakes coming down the pipe. Interesting, the option with the second most votes is for the 3DS sticking around a lot longer. Perhaps voters are concerned about the shift into entirely the Switch, but I can see a potential new member to the 3DS family in the future.
 * Do you plan to purchase the upcoming Nintendo Labo kits for the Switch?: Most of our voters appear not to be interested in the Labo! I suppose this isn’t entirely surprising, given that the Labo is centered more around children’s interest with building, rather than the full game behind it. It is worth noting, however, that a good 21% of our voters don’t own a Switch to begin with, so this makes full interest in the concept difficult. But a close 20% mentioned considering buying it in the future, so who knows! Of the two kits revealed, it appears that the Variety Kit is more popular than the Robot Kit for those who voted for them.

And that’s the Poll Discussion for this month! Make sure to check out next issue for the next edition, brought to you by the Despair Dude himself, ! Toodles!

Retro Feature
Written by:

Hello readers, this is your Spotlight and former Pipe Plaza director here with another issue of Retro Feature. In this section, we look at previous sections that featured in The 'Shroom from yesteryear.

We've featured a couple of Coincollector's previous sections before, mainly Mario Kart: Wheel Tips Corner, but this isn't the only “Tips Corner” that Coincollector did. No, back in Issue XLIX there was a one-off section that gave tips for Super Mario Galaxy instead. This section was intended to be a regular change to the format of Wheel Tips Corner, so that The 'Shroom wasn't just focusing on the Mario Kart series, but other than this debut section it never really took off. Well, at least until Strategy Wing came along, where various writers give out tips on various video games.

The 'Shroom Report
Written by:

Hi, ‘Shroom readers! It’s your Statistics Manager, LudwigVon, with another edition of The 'Shroom Report.

This is how this works: in the First-time Writers section, I will mention writers who had their first ever section featured in our last issue. For the Milestones section, writers will get mentioned every 10 team sections and every 50 overall sections, team will get mentioned every 100 sections, and The 'Shroom will get mentioned every 500 sections. Finally, for Most Sections Written, every section ever written by that user is counted. All information in this section is based off our Historical Sheets. This section will cover Issue 132.

Tables are based off the End-of-the-Year Awards tables, so credit goes out to.