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| Acmlm's Board - I2 Archive - - Posts by BGNG |
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BGNG Snifit Level: 22  Posts: 1/276 EXP: 56579 For next: 1771 Since: 06-03-05 Since last post: 8 days Last activity: 3 hours |
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| I'd hate to spill the beans so prematurely, but there certainly is an F-Zero X level editor in existence: fully-functional. The graphics and file format are being worked on at the moment, so no public release is available. Two videos of courses I've made are here: http://www.mrfixitonline.com/readTopic.asp?PostingId=1693691 Development screenshots--early and new--are posted here: http://www.mrfixitonline.com/readTopic.asp?PostingId=1694368 __________ Those are at the MFO F-Zero X forum, where our good buddy Heian-794 also resides. I asked if he would copy down the DD-1 and DD-2 Cups from the Expansion Kit, and he responded with "BGNG, I'd be happy to copy down any data you like..." That was his last post. Since then, he has vanished from the face of the earth. Heian-794, are you still willing to provide that data for me? |
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BGNG Snifit Level: 22 Posts: 2/276 EXP: 56579 For next: 1771 Since: 06-03-05 Since last post: 8 days Last activity: 3 hours |
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| Ok Impala!: The bulk of the code for the Course Edit feature is actually in the F-Zero X ROM itself, but it's dormant and won't run on its own. It needs to be accessed in complement to the code from the Expansion Kit disk in order to work. To my knowledge, there is currently no emulator for the N64DD hardware, nor are there any ROMs of 64DD software. So basically: The official level editor, for now, cannot be used in an emulator. __________ Heian-794: Take your time; don't feel pressured. I just hunted you down 'cause you disappeared. I appreciate the help you're willing to give to this project. __________ iamhiro1112: I know there's one for GoldenEye, but... Are there any others? |
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BGNG Snifit Level: 22 Posts: 3/276 EXP: 56579 For next: 1771 Since: 06-03-05 Since last post: 8 days Last activity: 3 hours |
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| I'll have to look into it. I think I heard there was a level editor for GoldenEye, but I'm not certain. | |||
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BGNG Snifit Level: 22 Posts: 4/276 EXP: 56579 For next: 1771 Since: 06-03-05 Since last post: 8 days Last activity: 3 hours |
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| The track data in the ROM isn't compressed, so all I have to do is change the values of the needed bytes and the rest is history. No data pointers need to be changed. I'd post all the information I have about ROM data, but for the moment, that info is kinda cryptic. I'm not trying to stash it for myself: I just need to prepare it before I tell others how to hack the game. __________ EDIT: And I'm actually considering to port the code over to C++ because Visual Basic is ridiculously slow. Sorry to burst your bubble. (edited by BGNG on 06-03-05 11:04 AM) |
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BGNG Snifit Level: 22 Posts: 5/276 EXP: 56579 For next: 1771 Since: 06-03-05 Since last post: 8 days Last activity: 3 hours |
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| The two most effective hacking methods are analysis of resource data and what I like to call "Zero Set." In many games, you can find out a lot about how the software works by looking at the resources used: be it text, images or audio. These are typically a mix of compressed and uncompressed data, so it might be tricky hunting it down. The hunting down issue can be done very easily with "Zero Set," which gets its name for how it got started. By setting all bytes in a certain section of a ROM to a single value (like 0) and playing the changed ROM in an emulator, you can observe the resource in question to see if it changed. If it changed, then some of the bytes that you set to that value MUST be some of the bytes used in that resource. __________ For example, when I was cracking F-Zero X last year, I set some bytes to 0 and went into Mute City. I figured that if all 0's will set track control points to the origin (0, 0, 0), then there will be a definite, observable change in the course. Sure enough, I the first time I found it, the first half of Mute City warped around at hung around the origin for a while, then went back to where it was supposed to be. Since then, I've developed a program to perform this "Zero Set" method with any value and even perform a shell command afterwards (useful for correcting N64 CRCs), but I don't have any way to host it and my e-mail service doesn't like EXEs in ZIP files, so... Anyone care to put this file up for grabs somehow? |
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BGNG Snifit Level: 22 Posts: 6/276 EXP: 56579 For next: 1771 Since: 06-03-05 Since last post: 8 days Last activity: 3 hours |
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| Having successfully created a fully-functional level editor for an N64 game based entirely on data that I found with the method I described and absolutely no assembly references, I can assure you that it is a quick and effective way to go about doing things. The method, which doesn't technically corrupt the data, is only effective for locating resource data, so changes in programming will need other devices. Like HyperHacker noted, 0 is not always the best value to use. In most cases, however, it is sufficient. __________ And as HyperHacker and beneficii both described, if you're trying to hack level data and notice a change in the level when you play it in an emulator, you may very well have only altered graphics data. The way to verify this is to use more passes by zeroing-out (or using whatever value you pick) a different range of bytes. For example, let's say bytes 0x500 to 0x600 made a change. So you know the change was caused be some of the bytes in that range. The next pass could be 0x500 to 0x580, but the change does not occur. That means that the change is triggered by bytes from 0x580 to 0x600. So the next pass could be 0x580 to 0x5C0 and so forth until you find out what changed. If it was graphics data, then just move on to 0x600 to 0x700 and the rest is history. |
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BGNG Snifit Level: 22 Posts: 7/276 EXP: 56579 For next: 1771 Since: 06-03-05 Since last post: 8 days Last activity: 3 hours |
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| The level editor I'm constructing for F-Zero X (no title for the program has been finalized) will be open-source... And y'know... I think I'll keep it in Visual Basic code, too. Just to spite the zillions of C++ jerks out there. Not that C++ coders are jerks, mind you, but I've seen plenty of "VB sucks. Go with C++. It ownz j00," and very little of "C++ sucks. Go with VB. It ownz j00." So, yeah... If you have VB, you'll be able to download the source to the F-Zero X level editor when it's done. |
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BGNG Snifit Level: 22 Posts: 8/276 EXP: 56579 For next: 1771 Since: 06-03-05 Since last post: 8 days Last activity: 3 hours |
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| Grey Jedi Cheveyo: It most certainly was. See the thread I posted in this forum a coupla days ago about it: F-Zero X (Heian-794) And, to keep it on-topic, like you said, I intend to release the source code for it eventually. |
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BGNG Snifit Level: 22 Posts: 9/276 EXP: 56579 For next: 1771 Since: 06-03-05 Since last post: 8 days Last activity: 3 hours |
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| 3D and VB go together just fine when the 3D is OpenGL or DirectX. I've been using OpenGL. But I digress! No more off-topic! *Shuts up* |
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BGNG Snifit Level: 22 Posts: 10/276 EXP: 56579 For next: 1771 Since: 06-03-05 Since last post: 8 days Last activity: 3 hours |
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| Very good. The new sprites you put in there are certainly of good quality. They're not 1-color outlines that a lot of people like to make. | |||
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BGNG Snifit Level: 22 Posts: 11/276 EXP: 56579 For next: 1771 Since: 06-03-05 Since last post: 8 days Last activity: 3 hours |
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| SnowBro made MetEdit, which was really the first high-quality level editor. If you download that, documentation of how to edit the Metroid ROM is included, but not the source code. However, if you know how to do it, source code isn't necessary. | |||
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BGNG Snifit Level: 22 Posts: 12/276 EXP: 56579 For next: 1771 Since: 06-03-05 Since last post: 8 days Last activity: 3 hours |
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| Kefka: I've already posted a topic about it in this forum, but as stated: I didn't wish to let the cat out of the bag so soon. I was just hunting down Heian-794 because he offered to supply some data... I should check up on him again. Anyhoo, the previously mentioned topic is called F-Zero X (Heian-794). In there are some links to videos and development screenshots of the editor. I can give you a little course extractor/inserter, but I'm not willing to hand over the editor just yet. It's not done. It can edit data, but the graphics engine is still being written. |
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BGNG Snifit Level: 22 Posts: 13/276 EXP: 56579 For next: 1771 Since: 06-03-05 Since last post: 8 days Last activity: 3 hours |
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| Heian-794 Just a quick checkup... Did you have a chance to get the Big Foot and Mute City 2 data from the Expansion Kit? |
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BGNG Snifit Level: 22 Posts: 14/276 EXP: 56579 For next: 1771 Since: 06-03-05 Since last post: 8 days Last activity: 3 hours |
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| I think the sprites in that game are uncompressed, so Tile Molester will get the job done. | |||
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BGNG Snifit Level: 22 Posts: 15/276 EXP: 56579 For next: 1771 Since: 06-03-05 Since last post: 8 days Last activity: 3 hours |
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| Mute City 2 isn't a course from the DD-1 or DD-2 Cups. I asked for those two courses because one is, and I have the in-ROM data for the other. By taking the two datas, I can determine the discrepencies between the Expansion Kit and what I've found by hacking the game. That way, I'll be able to recompose all the courses from the Expansion Kit with ease. So to answer the question: No, there are currently no DD-1 or DD-2 courses available for this project yet. |
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BGNG Snifit Level: 22 Posts: 16/276 EXP: 56579 For next: 1771 Since: 06-03-05 Since last post: 8 days Last activity: 3 hours |
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| I can't find the documentation of Mute City... Mind giving me a link? | |||
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BGNG Snifit Level: 22 Posts: 17/276 EXP: 56579 For next: 1771 Since: 06-03-05 Since last post: 8 days Last activity: 3 hours |
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| Crank Crank? I'm not sure that I recognize that... I know that Mute City 2 and Mute City 4 have no "no walls" segments, so what course did you describe? To clarify: I'm only after the courses in the DD-1 and DD-2 Cups __________ EDIT: Yeah, I just checked. Mute City 4 is a half-pipe course. "Crank Crank" seems to be a mystery. (edited by BGNG on 06-08-05 07:11 AM) |
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BGNG Snifit Level: 22 Posts: 18/276 EXP: 56579 For next: 1771 Since: 06-03-05 Since last post: 8 days Last activity: 3 hours |
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| You'll need the absolute latest version of Java to get it to load. It's not one bit compatible with older versions. | |||
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BGNG Snifit Level: 22 Posts: 19/276 EXP: 56579 For next: 1771 Since: 06-03-05 Since last post: 8 days Last activity: 3 hours |
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| Oh, okay. No bother. Now that I know it's Mute City 3, this will work just fine. The only reason I suggested Mute City 2 is because that course has areas that have differring values for banking and left/right side widths. But according to the Mute City 1 doc that DavePhaneuf e-mailed me, the values are identical to what I've found in the ROM. No problem. Thanks for the info. It will prove useful. All that's needed is the data for the 12 DD courses, so I'll be eagerly awaiting it. __________ EDIT: When you provide the course data, Heian-794, give me the course descriptions in Katakana as they appear in the game. I've hacked the text system in the game, and all versions support the Japanese characters. Go ahead and post the characters in the normal reply box. The forum supports them. For example: If you were to use Red Canyon in the Queen Cup, you would say "ジャンプジャンプ" instead of "Jump Jump"... which is all the more confusing, because it's "Multi-Jump" in the English versions of the game. Regardless, just give me the Katakana and I'd appreciate it. __________ EDIT 2: In case you were curious, Heian-794, Mute City 3's description is "Jumps of Doom" in the English versions of the game, which is why I didn't recognize "Crank Crank". (edited by BGNG on 06-08-05 04:05 PM) (edited by BGNG on 06-08-05 04:12 PM) |
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BGNG Snifit Level: 22 Posts: 20/276 EXP: 56579 For next: 1771 Since: 06-03-05 Since last post: 8 days Last activity: 3 hours |
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| Sweetness. Thanks for the info. This will be useful immediately, even without the course data just yet. And thanks for the English translations, too... saves me the trouble of doing it. I'm considering taking the liberty to change a few of the descriptions when translated to English, however, for localization purposes. Namely, I'd like to do the following: Devil's Forest 4 - High Dive Devil's Forest 5 - ? Big Blue 3 - Japan Fire Field 2 - 180 Rollover White Land 3 - ? Big Foot - ? As you can see, I'm not sure what to make the description for some of those. Devil's Forest 5 is obviously in the shape of an "X," so making that the description doesn't do much. Same thing with White Land 3 and "Star." Different descriptions will need to be selected. Perhaps simply "Big X" and "Big Star," but I'd like something a little more interesting. Devil's Forest 4 has one nifty spot in it where you do indeed dive into a pipe, but "Diving" sounds kinda boring. "High Dive," however, is approperiate and somewhat clever, so I think it would be a good change. Big Blue 3, now that you mention it, DOES look like Japan. I never noticed that before. What is "Japon," anyways? I'm not familiar with that word/name. Regardless, I think that making the English translation "Japan" will be more effective. Big Foot simply repeats the name of the course, so it needs a new name. Big Hand in the Japanese version is "ビッグハンド", which of course is "Big Hand" when translated. But in the English versions of the game, it's "Deadly Curves," which is entirely different. So a similar name will be needed for Big Foot's similar structure. I'm thinking perhaps "Deadlier Curves" or "Painful Curves" or "Very Deadly Curves" or somethin'... All the other course descriptions look okay. (EDIT: On second thought, Fire Field 2 with "180 Rolling" sounds kinda odd... like it was translated from Japanese or something. So I've selected the phrase "180 Rollover" to make it more localized.) __________ I have videos of the DD tracks, so you won't need to give me ALL the data for the courses; just most of it. If the Expansion Kit notates things differently than the game does, make sure you give me the control points, in order, starting with the point that begins the finish strech... that is, NOT where the lap line is, but the one before that. The following is what I need for each course: General Stuff: Control Point Count - The number of control points that make the course Background Music Control Point Stuff: X Coordinate Y Coordinate Z Coordinate Banking Degrees Left-side Width Right-side Width Structures - Buildings, pyramids, etc. And that's it. With the videos that I have of the courses, I'll be able to do the rest. I can put in the track type (normal, cylinder, half-pipe, etc.), track color (dark, grey, rainbowy, etc.), Pit Area, Trap Fields, Dash Plates, decorations, billboards, venue, sky color, etc. So I've minimized what I absoltely must know to reconstruct the course in order to make less work for you. __________ Also, there are a few terms that haven't been well-documented. For example, one track type has high walls on both sides. I've been calling these "High-wall" segments, but does the Expansion Kit simply call them "Walled" segments? Then there's the blue slippery stuff. F-Zero GX calls this "Slip Zone," but I've never read what it is in F-Zero X. What does the Expansion Kit call it? (edited by BGNG on 06-09-05 06:49 AM) |
| Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 |
| Acmlm's Board - I2 Archive - - Posts by BGNG |
