Hey guys, just wanted to let you guys know that I've updated the V1.3.1 Beta to version 4.1, which you can get here:
Link
Here is what has changed:
- Fixed a minor bug where Yoshi uses his falling frame instead of his jumping frame when he jumps on his own.
- Made some tweaks to Misty Mines
- Fixed a bug in Castle Crush where the grinders would pass through the ceiling instead of being destroyed.
Also, the typos xirtamehtsitahw pointed out have technically been fixed. I say technically because they're fixed in the message files, but I forgot to actually reapply the VWF dialogues patch. They'll be fixed in game in the final version though.
This update was actually made over a month ago, but I wanted to see if anyone would notice. It doesn't surprise me that nobody noticed. XD
Anyway, besides the minor tweaks, I haven't been working on YSQ or even my next hack all that much. I've mostly been taking a break. However, I did just start working again on the coding for my next hack. As I mentioned in my C3 thread back in January, I'm working with the SMW source code to make my next hack. By doing this, I'll be able to do stuff like heavily optimizing SMW's engine to speed it up, implementing things that would be hard to do normally (like converting many of SMW's sprites to be dynamic), or simply make SMW more customizable for my wants.
At the moment, I'm attempting to convert minor extended, smoke, spinning coin, score, and bounce sprites into extended sprites. The idea being that by doing this, I can have more of these types of sprites on screen at a time as needed as they're all sharing the same sprite slots. This also means I can remove some redundant routines to free up ROM space, speed up some routines since the game no longer needs to differentiate between these sprites, and potentially fix bugs like the fact that smoke sprites don't track the high byte of their position and the infamous turn block glitch seen in Star World 1. Once they're all converted, I'll then increase the number of extended sprite slots to around 30-40 (40 is how many slots all these sprites have combined). However, in order to reduce the chances of the sprite slots all filling up, I'll likely tweak a few things or design my levels in a way where it's unlikely to happen.
Also, would anyone be willing to help me out with the custom graphics for my next hack? The graphics editing was the main reason why it took so long for me to release V1.3.1 Beta 1 and it's discouraging me from working on my next hack. I'd rather be working on the coding as that's more interesting in my opinion.
To anyone that wants to help, here is a few things I have to say:
- I'll give credit, of course. You're also free to use these graphics in your own hack if you'd like.
- The graphics must be in the same style I was going for. The style and the palettes can be tweaked a bit though if necessary, but you should tell me when you do.
- You can draw extra animation frames for the SMW sprites, such as giving the koopas 2 new walking frames. Since I'm converting SMW's sprites to be dynamic, I can give SMW's sprites as any animation frames as I want. However, I'd prefer it if the remaining sprites were converted first and the ones I did potentially get polished up first before making new animation frames.
- The foreground graphics need to be converted in addition to the sprites. The background graphics are optional.
PM me if you're interested in helping out.
Anyway, that's it for now.
Originally posted by UTFI gotta post in here just to say that those sprites look great! That baby Yoshi is also totally adorable. The texture on the pipes "body" look very repetitive, though. It looks like 1 8x8 tile being repeated over and over. I guess it's all still a work in progress, though.
As for YSQ, I was playing it almost a year ago, but for some reason, I stopped around the level where red and green Yoshis lead you through a forest. Can't remember why I stopped, because I thought it was fairly well-designed from what I played. I'll get back to it again when I can.
Thanks.
As for the pipes, the YI pipes were hard to convert into this style. This result was was my best attempt at it. I'd rather not use another 8x8 tile for the pipes though, but maybe it'd be possible to make it look less repetitive?
Also, it's been a few months since you posted, so did you ever get back to playing YSQ? If you have and you got any feedback, let me know.
Originally posted by TheIncredibleCowDestroyerHey, I just wanted to tell you that I've been playing this hack and while I've only gotten through two levels, I'm really liking it! One of the things I like the most about it is its music. Would you happen to have a list of the tracks used in the game?
I'm glad to hear that!
As for the music list, I sent you a PM earlier that lists every song used in V1.3.1 of YSQ and the songs that are only present in V1.3.
Originally posted by levelengineWow, makes me think Yoshi's Island mixed with What A Blast.
Sure I like the new graphic style, but the background still kinda stands out (but it hasn't been changed yet, so...).
Also yay, TheIncredibleCowDestroyer's back...
Thanks.
I've been working on this style on and off since V1.3 was being beta tested and I'm pretty happy with how its turned out. Incidentally, I don't see this style very much in SMW hacks that use non-ripped custom graphics with What A Blast being the only exception I can think of. Most non-ripped custom graphics I see used tend to be similar in style, such as graphics styled after SMW or graphics that use outlines in general. That's not to say that those styles are bad, but it'd be nice if I saw other graphic styles being used more often.
In my opinion, this style is interesting because the lack of outlines allow more room for detail and the hue shifted palettes allow me to do more with fewer colors. However, because of the lack of outlines, color contrast is more important in order for the sprites to not blend in with the background or with itself.
Also, yeah, I haven't touched the BG. I'm likely not going to be using the SMW BGs when I start designing levels.
My Hacks:
Mario's Strange Quest V1.6
Yoshi's Strange Quest V1.3 /
V1.3.1 Beta 4.6
Mario & Yoshi's Strange Quests (2/10/2023 Build)
Other stuff:
My SMW/SMAS/SMAS+W disassembly
Yoshifanatic's Discord Server: A place for fans of my stuff and/or Yoshi to chat with others.