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Posts by w7n

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SMB Utility has already been localized into Chinese and already popularized as well.
However, the community has largely diminished because of two reasons, one because the forum (Baidu Tieba) is increasingly user-unfriendly, and another is probably that hacking SMB using only the SMB's mechanics has no future.

So instead, I'm working on this project and I kinda want to find some help.
As I said in another post, hacking SMB1 using only SMB1's own mechanics has no future, and I'm making this project.
Check this post for details.
If anyone knows how to program in Delphi, probably you can provide some help on programming the level editor.
Originally posted by zacmario
have you ever considered using the disassembly to port to a new system, that would give you more to work with?


Sorry but no, it'll take time to get familiar with a new system, and one of my goals is to achieve the unthinkable with such old hardware and based on a somewhat primitive engine.
Originally posted by Hamtaro126
That's cool, How about adding support for these:


-Optimize the PRG-ROM (see ShaneM's posts from NESDEV and Board 2)
Could you provide me with a link? I had rearranged the program before and did a few optimizations to save processing time.

-Make the Scroll Engine use One Screen instead of two (frees a whole name table!)
Not now, it could be possible though. Right now my engine uses 4-screen mirroring since it supports H+V levels. This creates a problem since now the mapper is an arbitrary 'VRC7 4-screen (fixed)' which is not supported by many emulators. FCEUX does support it.

-Different Color Attributes per Metatile!
Only available on the MMC5 mapper, if I understand you correctly.

-Skidding and Wind Sounds
Possible but I don't intend to add them, if anyone wants to he has to hack the engine.

-Ice Flower
Planned.

-Poison Mushroom
Possible but not planned.

-Wind Generator (On and Off)
Wind is planned, generator is possible (good idea here)

-Spinning Shells
Visual effect only? As of now the CHR ROM arrangement is a bit of an issue so probably no.

-Mapper IRQ Support
Already implemented.

-Title Screen inside PRG-ROM
Title screen uses new mechanics on its own, including a load game feature.

-Separate Palette RAM to another buffer
Uh, what?

-Give Peach and Toad Separate Palettes
All enemy processing will be given much more freedom.

-Improve the Ending
And something like, cutscenes and dialogues? Already implemented.

-Extend the Music
And use VRC7's FM synthesis chip? Already implemented.

-Capping lives, Up to 99
That's a minor edit.

-Add P-Switches, Bricks <-> Coins
Planned. I actually want to extend on the idea: ALL bricks (including those with powerups) will turn into obtainable coins, and some coins, when turned into bricks, are actually bricks with powerups (or vines). This will create more ways to design hidden paths and hide unique powerups.

-8x16 Sprites
Implemented.

-New Sprite System (similar to how No More Sprite Tile Limits works)
Implemented, but due to the 8-sprite issue it needs to be fixed.
Originally posted by Hamtaro126
The Palette in the original SMB1/SMB2J use the same buffer used in the Stripe Images.

SMB2USA/SMB3 does one better by uploading via a seperate buffer, consists 3 of seperate palettes (Back Color, Nametable Palette, and Sprite Palette)

In SMB1, The system makes sure to still seperate the main palette from the back color, which is set depending on RAM variables AreaType and BackgroundColorCtrl

This can be changed to be per-level by modifying SMBDIS easily!


If you check the link I posted in the top post, you can find this section:

Level header:
> TTTT AAPP   T: Time setting (0=do not set), A: Area type, P: Initial Y position
> TTTT TTTT CSLT TTTT  C: Ceiling judgement (0: Ceiling hollow; 1: Ceiling has same attributes as the highest metatile of the same x position), S: Safe zone, L: Landform(terrain) GFX type, T: Terrain bits
> LSSS SSSS  L: L+R level, S: GFX settings type
> One byte for BGM
> One byte for starting BG
> VPPP PPPP  P: Palette, V: H+V level
> One byte for local map ID
> One byte which determines the level's position on the local map. YYYX XXXX
> TTBB BBBB   T: Time flowing speed setting, B: Player to background collision setting (used for moving background)
> Two bytes depending on the area type:
--If H+V level: The starting terrain bits of the lower area.
--If not H+V level: The two routine IDs for preloaded data.
> Finally a null-terminated string for the name of the level.

In fact, the palette is not only meant to be user-defined for every single level, it can be changed mid-level.
Originally posted by zacmario
I was wondering, can you give me a brief explanation of a smb 1 gimmick.
The gimmick is when you jump of a spring you're above the screen and fall down eventually. Does this use a timer sprite?


I don't quite get what you mean (my native language isn't English), the closest I can think of is the green springs in SMB Lost Levels.
In SMB and 2J, the engine basically treats the space above the screen as totally without blocks. So the physics engine still executes normally, just that the player is not visible.
Original thread: http://www.romhacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=17143.0

PM me if you want to see an SMB hack that already has (at least partly implemented or have the code ready without actual data)
> 4-directional scrolling
> 5 suits(powerups) for Mario (and more to come in the future)
> Custom backgrounds with even parallax scrolling effects
> An ability & equipment system like Metroid
> Cutscenes with dialogues
> Complex programmed bosses
> Music on par with the chiptune scene
And aims to create:
> Diverse styles of gameplay ranging from linear platformers to Zelda-like puzzle dungeons and Metroidvania exploration dungeons
> RPG elements with collectibles
> Minimaps for each area(owing to the MMC5 mapper this is possible), auto-mapping, and teleportation to eliminate the frustration in backtracking

That's about it.

If you want to be a level designer, do note that the level design process would likely start much later. The level editor will not be SMB Utility, but a custom editor.
When asked about the question which is the best SMB ROM hack, the answer would normally be Extra Mario Bros. Indeed, in playability and design, EMB triumphs over all others by a huge margin... but this fact actually shows the LACK of extremely high quality hacks based on SMB, since besides the final boss, in terms of technical achievements, EMB doesn't have much.
Time for a change.

PROJECT MARIO GAIDEN

This project NEEDS YOUR HELP! Currently I'm almost doing all of the programming work, and I'm already starting to get occupied with real life issues like my job.
Posts wanted:
> Assistant 6502 ASM programmer
> Level designer (work will start much later though)

A demo video is here https://www.bilibili.com/video/av18241594 , though it only demostrates some of the new mechanics in the game and not all of them.

Concept artwork:


Since it's currently only a prototype, it has only one test level available, so let's just name things that it's capable of doing.

> 4-directional scrolling
Yes, you hear this one right. To actually make this, the level loading mechanics have undergone a complete overhaul.


> An ability & equipment system
This is one enhancement that I intend to use to stand out from the others. Because yeah, 4-directional scrolling is hard to make, but SMB3 and SMW have it anyway. However, SMB3 and SMW don't have Metroid-like equipment.
To be honest, this part's coding isn't as complex since most just need some condition judgements to work (an exception is the speed booster), so there can be a great amount of upgrades to come in the future.

There are 4 categories:
Ability-A: Jump related abilities, like slowed descending, double jumps etc. Currently, they consume coins, but in the plan they would consume vitality instead.
Ability-B: Offensive and defensive abilities. They currently consume coins, but in the plan they would consume mana instead.
Equipment: Permanently in effect.
Spell: These are one-shot 'spell cards'.

In the plan, there are also vitality seeds and magic seeds for the player to uncover.

> Powerups
Powerups have second upgrades, and they have charge shots. Only those already implemented are written here, the plan has more. To see the moves, check the video.
Fiery: Everyone knows what that is. Upgrade: Shot has splash damage. Charge shot: Fires a large wave.
Bat: Can turn into a bat like Alucard in the Castlevania series. Upgrade: Bat form manacost lowered, and the player automatically transforms into a bat if he's about to fall into an abyss.
Gunner: Fires in 10 directions, but only if on the ground.
Ice: Freezes an enemy in place.
Ninja: Slower descending speed when clinging to a wall, and can do wall kicks.
(The plan also involves more complex moves, and powerups like Mage Mario)

> Multi-layered map
See gif.


> Cutscene mechanics
Text description: In cutscene mode, the game is able to arbitrarily control everything at best, but it requires custom programming then. Easier to do stuff in cutscene mode:
-A dialogue box, with choices available
-Fixes some memory addresses for a period of time
-Blackout and switch to another level
etc. These are already programmed.

> Programmed bosses
How complex can these bosses be? See https://www.bilibili.com/video/av831164 . Note that in actuality the difficulty wouldn't be this high.

> Music
You may think EMB's final boss theme kicks ass, but this game already modded the SMB music engine so that it's capable of defining all sorts of timbre and using the DPCM channel as well. See the video.
In fact, earlier, this game even used the VRC7 expansion chip which has sound on par with the Sega Genesis, but later I ported the game to MMC5 and have to use that chip instead. Neverless, MMC5 can still be utilised well:
these links prove everything (they are planned BGMs).

> Background: The game has user defined background, but the demo hasn't demostrated it well.
This is an image of an earlier hack I made called Rohrleitung Gate, which demostrates the concept. Note the parallax scrolling in the background.


> Scrolling effects
Using IRQs, we can achieve more interesting scrolling effects, for example this wavy scroll.


Also this is one window of the in-progress editor.
https://cloud.smwcentral.net/s/mo5JKZrf9q84kFR/download

More gifs from the original RHDN thread (these are much older minor mods intended to be in the game):





By the way, https://www.bilibili.com/video/av1229327 is my last released hack. That one is done in a hex editor AND without the SMB disassembly, although it might have already come out by then.

noivernedit: changed some images that stretch the tables to links
Originally posted by zacmario
You already know I'm interested, but have you tryed talking to or showing any of this Dr. Floppy at rhdn?
I now two potentional guys who know famitracker aswell.


Technically Floppy's in, but he's also occupied with too many other projects. This is a problem.
As for chiptune, since I'm in the chiptune scene itself I can handle most of the songs (given the time) and I also know more people.
So yeah, related to https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=viewthread&t=92657 I showcased in last Winter C3.

Here I've encountered a design problem that is met with different feedback from people. Since this is not yet actually implemented and tested, I'll see how you may feel about it.

First thing, a 'course' is much bigger than a usual level and is about the size of the Sunken Ship in Super Metroid or larger.

In the plan, there are like 3 jump-related abilities called floating, multiple jump, and speed booster.

The thing is, acquiring them in one course doesn't mean you have the ability for other courses. That may create problems for players to adapt to non-unlocked and unlocked levels, but also has its benefits.

The premise of unlocking jump abilities for each course and not permanently is that, jump abilities are dependent on the VIT(stamina) value.
With a higher VIT, you can float longer, jump more times in the air etc., and the VIT value goes progressively high as the player collects VIT seeds(permanent upgrade). However, if we only unlock jump abilities for each course, even with a high VIT value one cannot just do multiple jumps or super long floats yet, making puzzles harder to 'break' and thus easier design of them.

What do you think on this matter?
Pretty-Witchy Hana-chan-chi! (Yeah I just had to do this in imitation of the Pretty Princess theme of this C3)

So anyway, some of you might still remember some SMB1 hack posted 5 years ago in Winter 2018 C3. What did it evolve into?
Well, after more years of engine work, I finally got impatient and wanted to actually release something. The result is this "hastily-done minihack" meant as an engine test, called
Celeste Mario's Zap & Dash!


By this point though, you might ponder "isn't there a hack called Celeste.smc already?" Well yes, so it's up to you to judge how this one fares compared to that. (You might as well call this Celeste.nes if you like.)
To compare my hack with Celeste.smc:
>The size of my game is relatively smaller (I guess?), being merely a 2-month product, but my goal is to bring a more pleasant experience with every feature added.
>A lot of attention was paid to the controls and physics, and they were tweaked to behave more like Celeste, i.e. more responsive, faster acceleration/deceleration, and removing the need of the run button; also adding pre-input timer and coyote timer to avoid the requirement of extreme precision. Diagonal dashing behaves correctly instead of combining X+Y momentum like in the SMW hack.
>My game allows several advanced moves like Super, Hyper, Wallbounce etc.
>Metroid-styled aesthetics and a Super Metroid styled minimap! (Because the engine is intended for a Metroidvania game that's still in the works.)

Anyway, hope you enjoy the game! Can you collect all 100 + 1 moons?

RHDN Release Page
(Note: As of this C3 post, the v1.00 release does not use the NES 2.0 header format which can cause some compatibility problems on some emulators; the Mesen emulator runs this fine. I'll likely fix that issue and some other minor bugs, and add some more quality-of-life changes, in a future version.)

Screenshots (taken from the RHDN submission page):


Video trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3l8FRPQe0Y

Credits: See RHDN page (and the hack itself) for detailed credits.
Note: This work is a WIP, the expected release date is projected to be late March to early April, but uncertain.

Last C3 I released Celeste Mario's Zap & Dash, an SMB1 hack that blends Celeste gameplay into Mario.
The end result was fine, but I recognized 2 problems.
1. It's short. Some people wanted more of it.
2. Since dashing requires the vital B button, it will most likely never be used in future titles based on this engine (which will be geared more towards Metroidvania/Zelda styled gameplay).
So I decided to extend the hack a little, as a 'DLC' named:

Celeste Mario's Zap & Dash DELUXE!


And what does it have to offer?
A collection of 5+ new minicourses with their own gimmicks. Most of them don't require ultimate skills to simply pass the stage, but do require skills to reach highest ranks.
Said collection is known as Celeste Archive. (Certainly not a parody of Blue Archive.)

List of courses:
(Finished courses)
>Duality Mario: Chain 3 same-coloured coins in a row to boost scoring.

SEE IT IN ACTION (Spoiler alert though, this is a full playthrough)

>Spelunker Mario: When the most fragile video game protagonist gets Celeste's super powers. Can you still dash around & collect treasure without falling to your death?

SEE IT IN ACTION!

>Celeste Mario's Splat & Splash: Spray over territory and gain a lead against opponents. Sounds familiar?

SEE IT IN ACTION!

(In development)
>Mario Is You: MOON IS W7N. SPIKE IS DEFEAT AND STOP. BOMB IS WALK AND BOOM.

SEE IT IN ACTION!

>A-Button Challenge: Finish the course in fewest A presses possible. To save A presses, you need to make use of the Remote Object to warp shells; but first we need to talk about the Remote Object's Final Location, or ROFL for short.

SEE IT IN ACTION!

There might be some more in the works, so stay tuned! (Final amount of such courses is estimated to be between 5 and 8.)
Looks very good by far! While only the beginning of the game has been displayed here, I'm seeing a mix of elements from a variety of games from SMW to Wonder, and even RPG elements.

My minor concern is, have you decided on the 'core gimmick' to make it stand out among other titles? A standard Nintendo-styled Mario game would draw much competition against many similar titles, especially Wonder itself. (One of my all-time favourite fangames, Super Mario 63, gets the job done with the 3 FLUDD variants that not only added new mechanisms, but also removed both the repetitiveness in Sunshine and negative player feedback from dying, as it's much harder to fall into an abyss with FLUDD.)
I would guess you have this problem thought out already though!
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