Language…
16 users online: Angel Miranda,  Anorakun, D_O_M, Diedi Altieri, Gasterus155, Golden Yoshi, Green, Green Jerry, GrenudoGames, Hot Sauce, mizounimax, playagmes169,  RussianMan, Theoneselected7,  Thomas, zAce08xZ - Guests: 143 - Bots: 100
Users: 69,203 (2,363 active)
Latest user: Wolfrix

Posts by Evernn

Evernn's Profile → Posts

Hello! In a hack I have been working on, I have planned on using Carols K Rool sprite for a boss, and after a lot of learning, I have been able to get the sprite working with Pixi and inserted to my game properly. However, there is one issue that I simply cannot find a solution to. During the fight, he shoots an orange smoke looking projectile that slows Mario's movement. However, if he is hit, it plays the directional coin music, so it overwrites the music I had set and never stops until the end of the fight. I have tried changing asm code and many options in lunar magic to get it fixed, but no matter what I do I cannot get it to stop. I know Carol's sprites are known for being buggy, but if someone could help me, I would really appreciate it! Also, I can post my asm files for the sprite if that would help!

Here is a video of the boss, getting hit by the orange smoke at 1:06 is what causes the weird audio. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbCc86MdFZY

Thank you for your help!
Originally posted by Darolac

It would be better if you post the asm file of the sprite in order to help you modifying it.


Alrighty, it had two asm files to work properly.
krool.asm https://pastebin.com/r9AJ1Fv0
wily.asm https://pastebin.com/R6sNjZuV
Thanks again!
I thought that was a great Direct! Of course Mario Maker 2 is what I'm most excited for, but the Link's Awakening remake seems neat (Although I don't know how to feel about the art style)

I'm still hoping for some kind of overworld functionality in MM2
If possible I would like an UberASM patch that enables free vertical scrolling so if you jump the camera follows Mario without him having to land. I know there's a patch for it but it would be nice to decide it on a per-level basis
The first hack I ever played was the demo for Super Mario TKO. I remember being nine or ten years old and stumbling across Proton Jon's videos where he played it. I had no idea what rom hacking even was so I thought it was some kind of game that was not released in the US. I soon figured out how to get it to work on my parent's computer, and I had a blast playing it, even though it was not finished.
What does the error say?
I think maybe having a way to quickly open up ExGFX files in an external editor the same way you can quickly open the rom in an external emulator would be beneficial. A possible way to do this could be having a button in the Super GFX Bypass tab next to the slots for FG1, FG2, etc. You could connect an external editor such as YY-CHR the same way you connect an emulator, and pressing this button will open the ExGFX file in the editor

I suggest this because if someone is mixing and working with a lot of custom graphics or is making a lot of small changes to various ExGFX files, having a quick way to open them in Lunar Magic would cut down on time having to go through your ExGFX folder to find them.

I have no idea how difficult this actually would be to add, but I thought I would still throw it out there. Obviously, it is not a necessity for hacking, just a change that I think would improve the experience.
Name
Disable sending powerups to reserve unless from a shop block

Type
Patch

Description
A patch that would prevent powerups from being sent to the reserve box when Mario grabs them normally but allows the reserve box to still be filled through other means, such as a shop block (specifically, this one https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=section&a=details&id=3851) It would also ideally be compatible with other powerup/status bar patches such as lx5's custom powerups or the MessageBox in Minimalist Status Bar patch.

References
An example of what it should look like is in this video of Super Mario TKO. In this hack, grabbing a powerup in a level never sends it to the item box, and at 6:08, Mario hits a block that gives him a one-use powerup. This is the kind of effect I would like to see in patch form.
Name
Disable sending powerups to reserve unless from a shop block

Type
Patch

Description
A patch that would prevent powerups from being sent to the reserve box when Mario grabs them normally but allows the reserve box to still be filled through other means, such as a shop block (specifically, this one https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=section&a=details&id=3851) It would also ideally be compatible with other powerup/status bar patches such as lx5's custom powerups or the MessageBox in Minimalist Status Bar patch.

References
An example of what it should look like is in this video of Super Mario TKO. In this hack, grabbing a powerup in a level never sends it to the item box, and at 6:08, Mario hits a block that gives him a one-use powerup. This is the kind of effect I would like to see in patch form.

Originally posted by MarioFanGamer
That one is a simple hex edit:
Code
org $01C538
NOP #3

The information on the ROM Map mention it will disable the item box entirely but it actually only disables items from being put into the item box.

Thank you for your reply, but this code doesn't seem to work correctly. On the rom I use for my hack, it breaks the powerup interaction, making it impossible to grab any powerups as far as I can tell. I tried patching it to a barely modified rom as well, and it resulted in powerups acting weird (crashing the game in some cases) and the item box worked but just sent out broken random sprites. Unless I did something wrong, the code simply doesn't work how I would hope. Again, I really appreciate your reply! Hopefully I just did something wrong.
Originally posted by MarioFanGamer
Originally posted by Evernn
Thank you for your reply, but this code doesn't seem to work correctly. On the rom I use for my hack, it breaks the powerup interaction, making it impossible to grab any powerups as far as I can tell. I tried patching it to a barely modified rom as well, and it resulted in powerups acting weird (crashing the game in some cases) and the item box worked but just sent out broken random sprites. Unless I did something wrong, the code simply doesn't work how I would hope. Again, I really appreciate your reply! Hopefully I just did something wrong.

Ah, whoops, I accidentally took the wrong address (took the start of the routine instead of where the item gets stored). That one is the correct one:
Code
org $01C545
NOP #3

Edit: Alternatively, you can use the following code (the latter overwrites the former) since it also prevents the item in item box sound to play:
Code
org $01C543
db $80


This code works perfectly on a clean rom, however, it makes no difference on the rom I'm using for my hack, and powerups are still sent to the item box. If I had to guess, it's something to do with Lx5's powerups running code that overwrites the patch you typed out? I did some digging through that patches files and found it does have code that messes with the item box. I might try adding the code you sent to that .asm file and see if that helps.

Thanks again for helping me out, I appreciate it a ton!
Originally posted by MarioFanGamer
Ah, that makes sense since it uses more powerups so the vanilla code has to be changed. In that case, you have to change item_box_engine.asm under powerup_files and change line 152 (which should be beq .noitem) to bra .noitem.


This worked perfectly! It's exactly how I imagined it would work. Thanks a bunch, MarioFanGamer!

Just in time for the end of C3

Many of you probably don't know, but in 2018 I released a hack called Super Mario CERN. It was my first attempt at level design and was rejected for having many issues (and rightfully so). At first, I attempted to fix these issues, but I started to play more hacks like JUMP 1/2 and saw just how lackluster my level design was at the time. I started to learn more about the tools available and how to create levels I thought were fun, and for the past few years, I've been slowly but surely working on a game that was the culmination of everything I've learned.

Today, I can finally present what I've been working on for the past few years. Super Mario Arbitrium is a large Hard-Very Hard traditional hack with many custom elements thrown in. It started as an attempt to replicate the feeling of a JUMP hack, but over time I think it's evolved into being its own thing. The levels are intended to be moderately challenging, but also not frustratingly hard and take hours to finally beat. In the final game, I aim to have at least 80 exits, although this might be reduced, as I am a college senior who hasn't had as much time to design levels in the past 6 months.
This demo is a 13 exit taste of what the full game has to offer. The levels are not in the order they will be in the final release.



Some notable features of the game include:
-An original story (although there isn't much of it in the demo)
-Lx5's custom powerups
-Messages in Minimalist status bar patch
-Many custom graphics, sprites, music, and blocks
-NPCs with dialogue (some giving hints)
-An item box system where you have to purchase items using red coins found throughout the world (Thanks to MarioFanGamer for helping me figure out the ASM for this)
-A variety of level design styles, such as some with branching pathways and some with linear setups (JUMP inspired)
-Hidden moons in most levels are used to unlock a final secret in the game (Moons save to SRAM, so you don't have to worry about losing them when resetting the game.)
-Indicators on the overworld to show when a moon is hidden in a level

Thanks for playing if you decide to give it a download! Any and all feedback, positive and negative, would be appreciated!

I've always thought it would be helpful to have an Uberasm "health" system. I've seen it hacks such as Jump 1/2, where most of the game has traditional mario power up systems, but then have bosses that utilize some kind of health bar. One possible way would be having coins act as your health, and have a configurable amount of coins be lost when you get hit.
Name: Updated "8-directional cannon blocks pack" to work with UberASM tool

Type: Block & UberASM

Description:
Hey all, this resource: https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=section&a=details&id=13581 currently uses what I assume is the UberASM patch. Since it is not currently compatible with the newest version of UberASM tool, I was hoping someone would be able to update it to work on the newer tools? It would be very useful for both my and everyone's Bramble Blast rip off thematically original levels.
Name
Pay bonus stars to teleport

Type
Block

Description
A simple block that will allow you to pay to teleport with a configurable amount of bonus stars when hit from below. It could teleport based on the current screen exit or one predetermined in the asm file. A nice bonus would be to make it choose randomly between a set of given teleport locations when you hit it.
Originally posted by simon.caio
I can try and claim this, I am just a beginner in asm though, but this seems easy enough.

............................... this should work ...................................


This works great! Thanks for working on this so quickly! One request though, could you possibly make it so it reduces the number of bonus stars in your inventory by the amount required, so that it acts like a shop? For example, if it requires 3 bonus stars to teleport, it will reduce your count by 3 if you meet the requirements and can teleport?

Again, I appreciate it greatly!
Well, I think it's time to show off the progress I've made in the past year and a half...

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you, Demo 2 of Super Mario Arbitrium!!



Game Description:

Super Mario Arbitrium is a large hard-very hard traditional hack with many custom elements thrown in. In this demo, there are 24 exits, but the final release is planned to have 80+ exits. A prologue introducing some of the backstory is also present when you start a new file. Initially, the level design was primarily inspired by the JUMP series, but over time I believe I’ve found my own style which I’d describe as a combination of Donkey Kong Country and Sonic 3 level design.

This game is intended to give a challenging but fun experience with replay value and encouraged exploration.

I hope you enjoy this demo! Any feedback, both positive and negative, would be greatly appreciated!

Some notable features of the game include:
-An original story
-Lx5's custom powerups
-Messages in Minimalist status bar patch
-Many custom graphics, sprites, music, and blocks
-NPCs with dialogue (some giving hints)
-An item box system where you have to purchase items using red coins found throughout the world (Thanks to MarioFanGamer for helping me figure out the ASM for this)
-A variety of level design styles, such as some with branching pathways and some with linear setups (JUMP inspired)
-Hidden moons in most levels are used to unlock the endgame (Moons save to SRAM, so you don't have to worry about losing them when resetting the game.)
-Indicators on the overworld to show when a moon is hidden in a level


DOWNLOAD:
https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=section&a=details&id=34256

Alternate download link, for if the hack gets rejected:




History:
Way back in the ancient year of 2019, I released a hack called Super Mario CERN. It was a janky attempt at a first hack that got rejected for having numerous issues, and while I initially planned on going back and fixing it up, I quickly realized I would much rather start from the ground up with all I had learned through both making the hack and playing other hacks (like JUMP ½) that were coming out at the time. I learned how to use more tools, take advantage of more resources, and drastically improved my own level design through many hours of experimentation.

Over time, this project grew into what is now Super Mario Arbitrium. Many levels have been scrapped or redesigned from the ground up over the course of its nearly 4 years of development (has it really been that long since I moved out for college?...). In Winter C3 2022, I released the first demo of my project, showcasing a small sample of the work that I had completed and the experience I was trying to get across.

Today, I am releasing the second demo, which features many new levels, secrets, puzzles, powerups, and so much more! If you played the first one, you might notice some changes and improvements to the levels that were there originally. While I have no idea when the full game will release, I will be releasing this demo on the hacks section so that more people will find it.



If you want to see a video of the hack in action, The Game Display was kind enough to do a playthrough of the demo on YouTube, which you can see below. Be sure to leave him a Like and a Subscription!





Game Intro:

Super Mario Arbitrium is a large 90+ exit traditional hack with many custom elements included. The level design style is a mix between classic Mario platforming, the exploration and alternative routes of a classic Sonic the Hedgehog game, and the “setup” style levels found in many modern hacks such as the JUMP series. Some levels lean more into each of these styles than others, creating an experience that I hope makes each level feel fresh and different from the last. Additionally, there are many collectibles and secrets to find along the way that unlock bonuses or extra content for the player to experience.

Background:

This project was started all the way back in 2019, so development has been going on for a long time. This is a huge passion project for me, so I decided that I would never force myself to work on it if I had no ideas or just weren’t up for it. This has resulted in some 6+ month time periods where I barely even opened the project, but I can say that I am finally at a place now where I have full confidence that I will be able to finish what I set out to accomplish with this hack. There is still a lot of work to be done, but it no longer feels like an insurmountable goal like it did for a long time.

As I have grown and changed, so too has the project and its design/scope. The level design was originally intended to mirror more closely something you would see in a hack like JUMP ½ where obstacles are set up in a linear and very creative fashion. Soon after, the levels I designed started to mirror something you would see in a game like Sonic 3 & Knuckles, featuring multiple paths to take and an emphasis on exploration. Nowadays, I believe the levels I’ve designed fall somewhere in between these two design philosophies, as well as taking inspiration from other platformers such as Mega Man or Donkey Kong Country.

To anyone that has helped me at any point on this journey so far, I am extremely grateful for your support. To everyone who hasn’t played the game, I thank you for taking the time to read this thread and hope you enjoy what you see.

Story:
Many generations ago, the Mushroom Kingdom and the Koopa Empire were mortal enemies. Conflict was an almost daily occurrence and destruction was everywhere. One day, the Koopa Empire created a weapon so powerful, it was all but guaranteed to give them total victory over the Mushroom Kingdom.

However, the leaders of the Koopa Empire lost control of this weapon, leading to their own demise. Suddenly, the fate of the world was at stake, and the citizens of both kingdoms were forced to work together to stop this weapon from bringing total destruction upon the lands. After a long and costly war, this weapon was finally stopped and sealed away, allowing the citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom and Koopa Empire to vow never again to wage such war.

Peace finally fell upon their lands after so many generations of suffering. This led to advances in technology and science that would have been seen as magic in previous generations. The two kingdoms lived in prosperity for a very long time.

However, as time passed, the stories of these great wars faded first into a distant memory, and from there into a mere legend. The people forgot the lessons that their ancestors sacrificed so much to learn. Now, tensions are once again rising between these two kingdoms, with the fear of another great conflict breaking out. What will happen to these two kingdoms and the citizens who inhibit them, should their worst fears become realized?



Unique game features:

-LX5’s Powerups patch
The powerups patch is used to provide a reward for exploring. This can be in the form of finding a powerful item itself, or by finding red coins to buy items from the shop! Which brings me to…
-Shops and red coins
Throughout the game, players can find red coins. These are used as currency in town levels to do things such as buy items to your item box or to play 1-up minigames. The only way to get an item into your reserve is to buy it in the shop, but Mario can take two hits before dying to compensate for this. Levels are balanced around not having an item in the reserve, so buying an item can also serve as a way to help the player through a section that is giving them trouble.
-Town/City levels
In town levels, Mario can chat with friendly NPC characters and explore the homes they live in. Some of these characters can give helpful hints on how to get through levels and find secrets, or they could just have something interesting to say. These towns also contain the shops and 1-up minigames mentioned previously.
-Original Custom Bosses
Most bosses in Super Mario Arbitrium are either a unique shakeup of an existing boss or are entirely new. For example, in one castle you can fight the Mecha Dragon from Mega Man 2, as seen in the video below. There may even be an epic final boss coded entirely from scratch if rumors are to be believed…
-Messages in minimalist status bar
This hack utilizes the “Messages in minimalist status bar” patch for its customizability.
-‘A’ coins and Moons save to SRAM
Every individual ‘A’ coin and moon are saved to SRAM so as long as you save your progress you don't have to worry about losing them.


Screenshots:


Level Previews:










Feedback from Demo 2:

-Quick note on difficulty
My intention was for Arbitrium to provide an experience that is both challenging and rewarding. However, some levels in the demo proved to be too difficult for their intended location in the game. As a result, some levels are being nerfed in some way. For example, the angry sun level is having its ground raised a bit so that it is easier to dodge the swooping sun. More hints are being added to different secret exits or moon locations via NPCs in the various town levels throughout the game (Mushroom Metropolis won't be the only one!). Another level I intend to nerf in some way is “Head in the Clouds”, although I'm not sure the best way to do it just yet, as it is intended to be a difficult endgame level and I don’t want to compromise the difficulty too much.

-‘A’ Coins (dragon coins) now save individually to Sram! You no longer have to worry about losing your coins when you die. You lose them if you get a game over or close the game without saving, so keep that in mind.

-in addition to this, dragon coins are now used to unlock new areas in town levels, such as this shop in Sandspur City:
Collect all 'A' coins in 10 levels and -->

-The timer has been removed from most levels. In sections where the timer is active, you will see a flashing sign like this:


-The multiple midways uberasm has been installed, so 1-up checkpoints will be replaced. There will also now be more midways added to levels, such as the end of Muncher Hive 2


Release date?

If everything goes according to plan, I hope to release this hack by the end of 2025. Before it is released, I plan on having some kind of beta release to find any issues before release, although I don't know if I will make it open or private.


Links?

Download the most up-to-date demo here: Super Mario Arbitrium Demo 2

Follow me on X (formally Twitter) for updates here: Evernn X(Twitter)

Follow me on Youtube for previews of levels and eventually a trailer here: Evernn Youtube


In conclusion…
I plan to keep this thread updated with information about the game as it gets closer and closer to release. If you want to get a taste of what the game has to offer, you can download the demo listed above. I also have some socials linked above if you’d like to follow the game more closely. If you have any questions, comments, criticisms, ideas, or just want to chat, you are more than welcome to reply in this thread, message me on Discord, or send me an email.

Thank you so much for reading my post!

Cheers! #smrpg{y}
Originally posted by PepsiLover22
Those levels look good, what a deeper story you went for for this hack, just one doubt, will you launch this demo in the waiting section?


The Demo was actually released last year, so it's already approved and out of the waiting section if you'd like to give it a try!

Originally posted by lo fang 123
Have you been working on the hack since 2019? Wow, the story and levels are really amazing! But there is no need to rush to release the full version because it is better to be patient so that nothing bad happens.


I have worked on it since 2019, but progress has been on and off, many times I'd go months without even opening Lunar Magic. 2025 is a release goal of mine, but if that ends up not being realistic, I will not rush and delay it to 2026. Thank you for your kind words!

Originally posted by nanothehog
so did you port custom asm by using asar or sa-1


Arbitrium doesn't use SA-1, I wanted to make sure it was compatible with as many emulators as possible (I think SA-1 messes up emulation on the SNES Classic and some older emulators). I used asar to install patches, and I think many tools use a version of Asar to install their own custom resources. If you have technical questions, you're free to message me on Discord!

Originally posted by inigo
Originally posted by lo fang 123
Have you been working on the hack since 2019? Wow, the story and levels are really amazing! But there is no need to rush to release the full version because it is better to be patient so that nothing bad happens.

lo fang 123 is right about being patient. After all, like Gabe Newell said when falsely quoting Miyamoto (it's falsely quoted both because he said it wrong and because the quote simply isn't true, Miyamoto never said this.); "Late is just for a little while, suck is forever."

Edit: I did play your hack btw, but only for a bit. I'm not really a fan of story-centric hacks. So I wasn't really able to enjoy this as much as I wanted to, but that's just a me thing. What you've got here is very special and even as someone who doesn't like this hack, I love what you've done here and I think it's really impressive. #smrpg{y}


It may not seem like it early on, but my intention is for most of the story to be optional (outside of the beginning and toward the end) if the player wishes to skip it. Either way, thank you for giving my Demo a whirl! I appreciate your comment and your encouragement! #smw{:peace:}