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11-02-05 12:59 PM
1 user currently in Super Mario World hacking: labmaster | 3 guests
Acmlm's Board - I2 Archive - Super Mario World hacking - Why hasn't anyone improved on LM? | |
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cowsruleusall

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Posted on 05-21-05 09:09 PM Link | Quote
Yeah, I know this question's probably been asked before, and somebody will eventually say it's a stupid question, but I don't see any threads about this topic. Why hasn't anyone improved on LM? I don't see why it would be impossible for all of you ASM-knowing hackers. There are so many things that could be done to it, like making it an all-in-one program, making it more user-friendly, allowing for an increased number of available sprites/overworlds/music, etc.
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Posted on 05-21-05 09:15 PM Link | Quote
How much more user friendly would you like Lunar Magic to be? Every feature besides the Easter Eggs is easily accessible and understandable, at least from my viewpoint. I never once felt myself struggling to learn a feature. The other stuff you mentioned can easily be achieved (or at least using the amount of work) with their own seperate programs. And besides, the more all inclusive a program becomes, the harder it is to maintain.

In short: Grow up, a super-duper version of LM isn't going to happen.


(edited by Juggi-Wan Kenobi on 05-21-05 04:15 AM)
turtleman

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Posted on 05-22-05 01:29 AM Link | Quote
I think what he was trying to say is just some add ons to lunar magic,not a whole entire super dog update
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Posted on 05-22-05 02:04 AM Link | Quote
1. Fu hasn't released the source code, and probably doesn't plan to anytime soon (if ever).

2. Hacking a compiled Windows executable is not as easy as you may think, and authors generally don't like unauthorized program modifications anyway.

3. Some of those modifications you suggested (more sprites/overworlds/music) would require a SIGNIFICANT amount of changes to the SMW engine, and might not even be possible, given the SNES's inherent hardware limitations (in this case, not enough available RAM).

Thus, while not 100% impossible, updating LM would not be feasible. You may as well put the effort towards making another, separate tool.
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Posted on 05-22-05 02:55 AM Link | Quote


There is only one upgrade to LM that I _really_ want: Compatibility with the GBA version. That way, ripping from GBA games wouldn't be such a pain in the ass.
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Posted on 05-22-05 03:30 AM Link | Quote
Ripping from GBA games is quite easy actually. all you have to do is keep adjusting the image in YY-CHR with the + and - buttons. Do you think Fu will ever make an editor for another Mario game like SMA4?
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Posted on 05-22-05 04:27 AM Link | Quote
An "upgrade" to LM would be nice. Mainly just so it included Smallhackers programs. Support for the GBA version would be nice, but for me, its not that important.

What I would like tho, is for FuSoYa to create a SMW2 Editor. I know we have Eggvine, but it doesn't show graphics . If LM2 (or maby call it Solar Magic
FuSoYa
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Posted on 05-22-05 07:09 AM Link | Quote
Do you think Fu will ever make an editor for another Mario game like SMA4?

Unlikely. If I release another editor someday, I'll probably want to do something different instead of another Mario game.


On a side note: Would it be possible for LM to have a window open that shows the game disassembled (or in hex), and have it show the section that you are currently working on? Like say, you have level 106 open, and place a "?" block. It would show the data in the box change accordingly to where the "?" is placed. Make sense? I know this doesn't exist in LM, but it would be cool, imo, to see.

LM doesn't internally work like that.... it's not constantly changing the ROM while you edit your level. It doesn't even know where in the ROM the level is going to end up until you try to save it.
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Posted on 05-22-05 07:12 AM Link | Quote
Then what? does it just look thorugh the ROM for blank space, or does it attempt to re-use unused space?
DisruptiveIdiot

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Posted on 05-22-05 08:00 AM Link | Quote
Originally posted by FuSoYa
Do you think Fu will ever make an editor for another Mario game like SMA4?

Unlikely. If I release another editor someday, I'll probably want to do something different instead of another Mario game.



Since this is becoming a press conference hosted by fu...

Are you sick of lunar magic? Reluctant to do anything with it because of all the time you've wasted on it?

If you do make a new editor (say for Zelda:LTTP *hint* *hint* *nudge* *nudge*) would you use the same engine as LM or would you start from scratch?

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Posted on 05-22-05 08:04 AM Link | Quote
Originally posted by Darkflight
Then what? does it just look thorugh the ROM for blank space, or does it attempt to re-use unused space?


If I'm not mistaken, what LM does is expand the ROM to create unused space. (I don't think it always does this, though.)


(edited by Mutation on 05-21-05 03:05 PM)
MathOnNapkins

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Posted on 05-22-05 08:52 AM Link | Quote
Originally posted by DisruptiveIdiot
Originally posted by FuSoYa
Do you think Fu will ever make an editor for another Mario game like SMA4?

Unlikely. If I release another editor someday, I'll probably want to do something different instead of another Mario game.



If you do make a new editor (say for Zelda:LTTP *hint* *hint* *nudge* *nudge*) would you use the same engine as LM or would you start from scratch?

What is your favorite type of cookie?


There is already hyrule magic, which is more than adequate for most editing.

I like Chocolate Chip, myself.
Sukasa

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Posted on 05-22-05 09:56 AM Link | Quote
it seems that LM ignores used space, even if it is free. might not be bad idea to change that, Fu, *if* you ever release a version 1.63 *uh huh...*
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Posted on 05-22-05 11:57 AM Link | Quote
does it just look thorugh the ROM for blank space, or does it attempt to re-use unused space?

Unused space must be erased/blanked, and not protected by a RAT, before LM will consider it unused. LM doesn't go around erasing data it knows nothing about in the expanded area, since it could be something a user has put in manually (ASM hacks, etc).

As for the non-expanded area, LM doesn't bother erasing most of the game's original data, as it stores most things in the expanded area of the ROM.


Are you sick of lunar magic? Reluctant to do anything with it because of all the time you've wasted on it?

Ehhh, I wouldn't put it quite like that. I still like LM, but I did accomplish all I originally set out to do with it a long time ago. And there are a number of other things I'd rather spend my time on these days.

Hard to believe it's already been 5 years since I first started working on it...

If you do make a new editor (say for Zelda:LTTP *hint* *hint* *nudge* *nudge*) would you use the same engine as LM or would you start from scratch?

Depends on the game. If it uses some sort of object based format, I might use some of LM's code. But if it's tilemap based, I'd probably adapt the unfinished LT code for it. The UI would probably look mostly the same, in any case... I like to keep it simple. Although the 8x8 and 16x16 editors could use some updates.

And I probably wouldn't want to start working on a game that already has an editor for it.

What is your favorite type of cookie?

The type that does something useful, as opposed to the other types that just track what you're doing for advertisers.
Smallhacker

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Posted on 05-22-05 01:08 PM Link | Quote
Originally posted by FuSoYa
What is your favorite type of cookie?

The type that does something useful, as opposed to the other types that just track what you're doing for advertisers.



Best... Answer... Ever...
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Posted on 05-22-05 03:55 PM Link | Quote
Originally posted by FuSoYa
does it just look thorugh the ROM for blank space, or does it attempt to re-use unused space?

Unused space must be erased/blanked, and not protected by a RAT, before LM will consider it unused. LM doesn't go around erasing data it knows nothing about in the expanded area, since it could be something a user has put in manually (ASM hacks, etc).

That means that if I change my Level about 100000 times, I use up space for nothing? O.o
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Posted on 05-22-05 04:40 PM Link | Quote
No. When saving, it marks the old data location as unused.
Sukasa

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Posted on 05-22-05 09:46 PM Link | Quote
And then finds a chunk of data to hold the level in, and then updates the pointer tables. Meaning that you use up new space only if the level will not fit anywhere else. I think.
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Posted on 05-23-05 12:24 AM Link | Quote
When you save a level, it erases the old level data and marks it as unused, then scans the expanded area for a big enough unused space for the new level data. Unless the level was never modified before, in which case I don't think it erases the old data (since it's not in the expanded area). Although if it doesn't, it should...
Originally posted by Smallhacker
Originally posted by FuSoYa
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Best... Answer... Ever...

Seconded. Motion passes.

What I think might be neat is if LM had some sort of plugin system like Winamp. Then people could add on to it without the source code. Or of course, it's possible to 'fake' expand it by doing things like adding menus via API, but that's not very flexible...
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Posted on 05-23-05 02:08 AM Link | Quote
A "plugin" system might be OK, but directly integrating tools into LM is a BAD IDEA. You're just asking for trouble when you start cramming tons of unrelated code into one package. What if a tool needs to be updated, to fix bugs/add functionality/whatever? You'd have to wait for Fu to compile and release a new version, which obviously doesn't happen too often anymore.

It's this "all-in-one" mentality that ruined perfectly good programs like ICQ. Too much crap stuffed into one package. All it does now is eat up half your resources and crash your system...
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