Metroid Zero Mission Hack (Unnamed)

[Jiffy]

Hey guys, I'm making a hack for Zero Mission. So far it's unnamed and I'm not changing the room layouts yet. I've changed some, but only minorly. The storyline will be the same but there WILL Be a new area, which includes water. It will be the way out of Chozodia...


The door has been moved further down! (this is the route to Mother Brain...)


Behind here is Bombs... Speed Booster and Gravity Suit are required to get it. This means you need to defeat Mother Brain before getting them...


The full map. Yes, it actually will work like this.


This room is just a jumbled up mess. I was attempting to do some layering stuff, but it didn't really work per se. Will be changed in the next version.


This is part of the sequence break to get bombs before Mother Brain. There is a Chain Shinespark involved. (I haven't completed it yet so with this you can get into Tourian without defeating Kraid and Ridley... xD)

Just 1 problem. Every time I save a room after editing it, Double Helix crashes. Is there a fix to this?

e: Just to note, this is my first hack, ever. First one that actually does stuff properly.

[Jordan5]

I guess you're using the new version of double helix? Try the old one that Meta posted about the other day and see if it helps :^_^:

http://interdpth.arc-nova.org/DoubleHelix.zip

[Jiffy]

I guess you're using the new version of double helix? Try the old one that Meta posted about the other day and see if it helps :^_^:

http://interdpth.arc-nova.org/DoubleHelix.zip

Nope, I've been using the version that you just posted about. I really didn't realise that at all, I just wanted a Zero Mission editor and Bam, Double Helix comes up.
Didn't fix that thing though.

edit: I don't think I have enough space on the ROM. How do I create more space? :o

e; That doesn't seem to be the problem. Expanded the rom space and DH still freezes upon saving a room. This is too strange.

[Jordan5]

I haven't really looked into much Zero mission hacking, but i know that the new version of Double helix is more stable but greatly lacking in features. You could try using the new one for basic room editing but the old one when you need the extra features? I know thats what i do wish SMILE 2.5 and JX :^_^:

[Jiffy]

I haven't really looked into much Zero mission hacking, but i know that the new version of Double helix is more stable but greatly lacking in features. You could try using the new one for basic room editing but the old one when you need the extra features? I know thats what i do wish SMILE 2.5 and JX :^_^:

I see, do you have a link to that one too?

Also, in the attachments of this post is the error in action. I edit a room and press "Save" and DH Crashes.

[Jiffy]

Nice little room here (I haven't added it to the actual version yet); opinions?

[Quietus]

It looks uneventful.  There's nothing achieved in the room that couldn't be achieved with just two enemies and a shorter bridge.  It gains nothing by being that long, and I'd guess that almost everybody would just run straight through it without stopping.

[Hawntah]

Just 1 problem. Every time I save a room after editing it, Double Helix crashes. Is there a fix to this?

Open the ROM in a hex editor and add a bunch of FF's at the end. Worked for me at least..

Edit: Played through the linked version. Some thoughts:
- A lot of the slopes in the first room are messed up
- Tiling errors in Brinstar rooms 14, 26, and others (See those red edges on some of the tiles?)
- Did you mess with the scrolls in room 23?
- What is up with that Super Missile expansion palette in Brinstar room 18
- Almost died in room 17, btw it's possible to get that E-Tank without Varia
- There is an invisible slope right under the left entrance to the lava pit
- Go to the very left of room 17 and then hold right, lol. (You might want to put a Block between those slopes)
- Also, it's very hard to tell which blocks are air and which ones aren't
- In room 9, above the shootable blocks, you can see the remains of the platform that used to be there
- The leftmost lava pit in room 13 is unevenly coloured, and there are tiling errors on some of the pillars around it

I'm guessing you haven't really edited any areas other than Brinstar yet, because I got permastuck in the Chozo Ruins morph passage before Plasma (no bombs or spring ball) so I can't get Power Grip and it's impossible to get anywhere in Kraid without it or bombs. Also, you should change all the rooms a bit more, right now they're basically the original rooms with just a few tiles edited here and there. Thank god there are no spikes in this game

[Jiffy]

Just 1 problem. Every time I save a room after editing it, Double Helix crashes. Is there a fix to this?

Open the ROM in a hex editor and add a bunch of FF's at the end. Worked for me at least..

Edit: Played through the linked version. Some thoughts:
- A lot of the slopes in the first room are messed up
- Tiling errors in Brinstar rooms 14, 26, and others (See those red edges on some of the tiles?)
- Did you mess with the scrolls in room 23?
- What is up with that Super Missile expansion palette in Brinstar room 18
- Almost died in room 17, btw it's possible to get that E-Tank without Varia
- There is an invisible slope right under the left entrance to the lava pit
- Go to the very left of room 17 and then hold right, lol. (You might want to put a Block between those slopes)
- Also, it's very hard to tell which blocks are air and which ones aren't
- In room 9, above the shootable blocks, you can see the remains of the platform that used to be there
- The leftmost lava pit in room 13 is unevenly coloured, and there are tiling errors on some of the pillars around it

I'm guessing you haven't really edited any areas other than Brinstar yet, because I got permastuck in the Chozo Ruins morph passage before Plasma (no bombs or spring ball) so I can't get Power Grip and it's impossible to get anywhere in Kraid without it or bombs. Also, you should change all the rooms a bit more, right now they're basically the original rooms with just a few tiles edited here and there. Thank god there are no spikes in this game

Yeah, there are lots of things which need work. The changes such as the Acid being differently coloured was a test with the shinespark room with Bombs in it. It will be part of a Sequence break in time.

It looks uneventful.  There's nothing achieved in the room that couldn't be achieved with just two enemies and a shorter bridge.  It gains nothing by being that long, and I'd guess that almost everybody would just run straight through it without stopping.

Shall I add a rock in the middle of the bridge then? With a small Morph Maze? I'll try some layering too ;)

e; I'm gonna completely start again because;

1. Opened the header editor by accident and didn't save a backup.
2. It's just a jumbled mess. :P

[Quietus]

Shall I add a rock in the middle of the bridge then? With a small Morph Maze?

Perhaps to the first, perhaps not to the second. :razz:

You could try height variation, with a section in the centre of the bridge slightly higher than the two ends, or build a more ornate structure supporting the bridge, or some pillars.

Adding a morph maze in just for the sake of it would just kill flow.  If you choose to do so, keep it simple.

[Jiffy]

Shall I add a rock in the middle of the bridge then? With a small Morph Maze?

Perhaps to the first, perhaps not to the second. :razz:

You could try height variation, with a section in the centre of the bridge slightly higher than the two ends, or build a more ornate structure supporting the bridge, or some pillars.

Adding a morph maze in just for the sake of it would just kill flow.  If you choose to do so, keep it simple.

Taken in mind.

How do I link rooms in different areas? I've made the door at the top of the fake elevator in Room 0 of Brinstar link up to a door in Room 3. I need it to link up to the Craterian end of the shaft (I've made it so there's a door instead of a upwards door.) How will I do this?

e; I understand it, I just don't know where I need to put the hex. I want to put 0000050B0000 somewhere in the Hex. (00 00 05 0B 00 00)

[Hawntah]

How do I link rooms in different areas? I've made the door at the top of the fake elevator in Room 0 of Brinstar link up to a door in Room 3. I need it to link up to the Craterian end of the shaft (I've made it so there's a door instead of a upwards door.) How will I do this?

e; I understand it, I just don't know where I need to put the hex. I want to put 0000050B0000 somewhere in the Hex. (00 00 05 0B 00 00)

Go to offset 0x360274 and replace one of the existing area connections, however, your hex is incorrect, it should be 00 00 05 05 0B 00 (area1 doorinarea1 area2 area2 doorinarea2 area1). Also make sure both doors' types are 51 and their "Connects too door" is the actual door number of the other door.

[Jiffy]

Doesn't seem to work still, do you think you could do it for me? I'm not the best with Zero Mission (you sound like you are xD)

[Hawntah]

Doesn't seem to work still, do you think you could do it for me?

Hmm.. actually, the doors you're trying to connect are already connected in the original, so there's no need to mess with area connections. I tried making them into proper blue doors, and they don't open when shot, but if you remove the door caps they work. Now that I think about it, I don't think there's a single instance of a door with a door cap connecting directly to a door in another area in the GBA games. I'm guessing it might not be possible without some fancy shenanigans. You'll just have to use doors without door caps, or an elevator or morph passage or something. Although, you might want to use a different door than Brinstar door 0, it seems to be related to Samus' starting position in some way.

I'm not the best with Zero Mission (you sound like you are xD)

Far from it, I'm new to Zero Mission hacking as well, I just have a couple of months' head start compared to you.

[Jiffy]

Doesn't seem to work still, do you think you could do it for me?

Hmm.. actually, the doors you're trying to connect are already connected in the original, so there's no need to mess with area connections. I tried making them into proper blue doors, and they don't open when shot, but if you remove the door caps they work. Now that I think about it, I don't think there's a single instance of a door with a door cap connecting directly to a door in another area in the GBA games. I'm guessing it might not be possible without some fancy shenanigans. You'll just have to use doors without door caps, or an elevator or morph passage or something. Although, you might want to use a different door than Brinstar door 0, it seems to be related to Samus' starting position in some way.

I'm not the best with Zero Mission (you sound like you are xD)

Far from it, I'm new to Zero Mission hacking as well, I just have a couple of months' head start compared to you.

I only need this done because the link between them broke.
Meh, morph passage it is.

[Quietus]

Can you not copy the information from the original ROM, and change the connection in your current ROM back to what it was?

[Jiffy]

I could do that.

Sorry, haven't been so active because I've been away and I will be until Monday next week. :'(