Canceled Online Multiplayer

This is a sub-page of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (Wii).

The Wii version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games was at one point supposed to include online multiplayer via Nintendo WFC. Unfortunately, it was not finished in time. No direct remnants of this functionality have been found in the game's code, but various unused graphics, sounds and text confirm its planned existence.

References to the debug flags "PACKET_DELAY_SIMULATION" and "PACKET_LOSS_SIMULATION" in lua/_ConfigUser.lua imply that there was at least an attempt to get online multiplayer working before it was scrapped. ("Packet delay" is the time taken for one system to send information to another over a network, and "packet loss" is when this fails due to unstable network conditions.)

In the final game, Nintendo WFC was only used for online event leaderboards. Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games would later introduce Worldwide Versus as a playable mode, containing four of that game's events. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games: Tokyo 2020 would finally introduce online play for almost all events.

Unused UI Elements#

To do:
There's more graphics related to the scrapped Nintendo WFC Match Mode located in \csd\textures.

Various UI graphics internally categorized with "WifiMenu" or "WifiGame". These are translated in all of the game's supported languages.

The globe icon also appears in TopWinterGame.tls along with a text label for a "Versus" mode, suggesting that this mode would have been selectable after choosing "Winter Games" from the main menu.

Unused Announcer Voice Clips#

Unused voice clips of the announcer announcing the online multiplayer mode. Seems the English localizers had trouble deciding on a name for it.
SE_VO_ANO_318_WIFI_BATTLE.adx SE_VO_ANO_319_NINTENDO_WFC_MATCH.adx SE_VO_ANO_320_NINTENDO_WIFI_CONECYION_MATCH.adx

Unused Text#

Text strings left in the files that presumably would have been used for the online mulltiplayer mode.

Text
Searching for opponents.
Opponents set.
The event will start.
Preparing for competition... Please wait.
Error occurred while connecting to Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. You have been disconnected from Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
Opponent is missing. The event will be cancelled.
The race has ended because time has run out.
Preparing for competition... It looks like %d people will be playing.
Compete with players around the world.
Compete with your friends.
Opponent is missing. You will be returned to the Nintendo WFC Match menu.
Waiting for other players. There will be %d participants.
Waiting for other players...
No opponents found. Please try again later.
There is no response. Either the player is not connected to Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, or you have been removed from the player's friend roster.
The player has stopped responding.
There is no response.
Challenge friends and players from around the world via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.