PlatformsNintendoWii PlayWii Play billiards stumped fans for 17 years, but speedrunners finally made the perfect shot after decompiling its code to brute force millions of possibilitiesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
PlatformsNintendoWii PlayWii Play billiards stumped fans for 17 years, but speedrunners finally made the perfect shot after decompiling its code to brute force millions of possibilitiesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Nintendo/ElectrifiedStrawberry)
Wii Play has a robust speedrunning community that’s been around for years, and getting through the billiards game as fast as possible means trying to sink as many balls as you can in a single shot. If you’re speedrunning a game of 9-ball, it’d be ideal to sink every single ball in a break shot, but as of earlier this year, the best anybody had ever managed was seven balls sunk in the break - something that had only happened four times in the history of the game’s speedrunning scene.
The unsolved Wii game you’ve probably played before - YouTubeWatch On
The unsolved Wii game you’ve probably played before - YouTube
The unsolved Wii game you’ve probably played before - YouTube
Avideo from Wii Play runner cyndifusicbroke down the problem in detail back in February. No two break shots ever played out the same way, and despite years of effort in the Wii Play speedrun community, nobody could ever figure out why. Nobody, that is, until cyndifusic worked with a developer named kiwi to disassemble the game’s code and figure out why the hell it’s so hard to get a perfect break.
Together, they discovered that the code that places the balls on the table very subtly randomizes their positions. The change is so subtle that it’s impossible to see from the game’s default camera angle, but it’s just enough to ensure that no two breaks are exactly the same. After hacking the game to lock down the randomization, cyndifusic and kiwi managed to hit the same Wii Play billiards shot twice - a first in the game’s history.
this screenshot is a landmark in time. for the first time EVER in the history of Wii Play, we have hit the same Billiards break twice. not even just twice in a row, twice at all ever. pic.twitter.com/dik61KDempJanuary 23, 2024
this screenshot is a landmark in time. for the first time EVER in the history of Wii Play, we have hit the same Billiards break twice. not even just twice in a row, twice at all ever. pic.twitter.com/dik61KDempJanuary 23, 2024
That alone was an accomplishment, but players seeking the perfect shot still needed to lock down the exact set of conditions - ball locations, cursor position, and so on - that would allow for a perfect shot. As far as the community could tell, the only way to do that would be to build a brute-force tool that can try every single shot variation, running through millions upon millions of possibilities. And, in the back of everyone’s minds, there’s the prospect that a perfect break might beliterallyimpossible.
Another community member, ElectrifiedStrawberry, built a tool to try and test those possibilities as efficiently as possible. And on June 1, just a few months after this effort began in earnest, it finally happened. The fabled 9-breakbecame real.
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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension"2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package"3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure"4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years"5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths"1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show"2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action"4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now"2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2
Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3
Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5
Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1
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2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2
Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3
Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5
Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now”
1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now”
1
Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now”
2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3
Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”