Metroid Something

[raygun]

Revisiting this WIP from the past, my only immediate ambitions left to be achieved are new level designs. Arachnus might make a cameo in the final version. If I don't finish hopefully I'll at least inspire someone. Your local weather service would like to issue a warning that moderate to severe walljumping is to be expected.

Completed:
Physics alterations (smooth landing, maintaining speed boost)
Brinstar
Kraid

In Progress:
Spazer Beam (still have to work out the Spazer+Ice Beam)
[spoiler=Spazer Demo]https://youtu.be/AdR-tEXzVUw[/spoiler]
Arachnus (incomplete)[spoiler]
These new beam graphics were gotten rid of when the Spazer was added. The actual ones are the original short beam GFX. Might revert to this style though now that MAGE is a thing.[/spoiler]

As of now I have not really touched the mini map.
[spoiler=Brinstar Screenshots]

[/spoiler]

Although I have only finished Brinstar and Kraid, this release allows the player to play through the entire game, so that the new beam combinations can be experimented with. I replaced the long beam upgrade with the spazer and enabled the item toggle option so there's plenty of different ones.
Download Semi-Hack

[Hawntah]

1. The last two screenshots are identical
2. Is it the issue where DH hangs while saving after a certain number of edits? It means you have no free space left. Open the ROM in a hex editor and insert some empty (FF) bytes at the end. e.g. in HxD, go to the very end of the ROM and click Edit -> Insert Bytes... Set Bytecount to some large number and Fill pattern to FF, then click OK and save the ROM. Repeat as desired.
3. The map is broken
4. Reentering the first room makes the title screen music play
5. Tiling errors:
[spoiler][/spoiler]
6. Why'd you leave this in:
[spoiler][/spoiler]
7. Invisible blocks:
[spoiler][/spoiler]
8. Not a fan of how this looks, why not use foreground transparency instead?
[spoiler][/spoiler]
9. More tiling errors:
[spoiler][/spoiler]
10. That is not how these blocks work. See how each block has a red edge? It's supposed to face outwards.
[spoiler][/spoiler]
11. Bomb block leads to a dead end:
[spoiler][/spoiler]
12. This guy gets stuck in the corner:
[spoiler][/spoiler]

[raygun]

Wow thanks for the report yeah I noticed a lot of these but then couldn't do anything until the free space fix ya provided. Gonna work on this.

[FelixWright]

All I know so far is that the 2009 version of DH has room options available...so when I want to mess with those I use 2009 version. Otherwise I use the latest version from here or wherever.

[Jiffy]

Where's the patch?  :colonrightv:

[raygun]

Jefe962 - Ya got me...
I'm withholding while I work on Kraid. Feeling like it'll be more fun for people to play through more of the game lol.
Fixed problem: (DH stops responding when you save after a certain amount of changes)

you have no free space left. Open the ROM in a hex editor and insert some empty (FF) bytes at the end. e.g. in HxD, go to the very end of the ROM and click Edit -> Insert Bytes... Set Bytecount to some large number and Fill pattern to FF, then click OK and save the ROM. Repeat as desired.

^This. should be plastered all over MZM board or maybe I just skipped that part of the user guide :O_o: Made me a little more optimistic about this hack :^_^:
also:
Felixwright - idk what version I am using. It has room options so I am guessing 2009? its three windows and as of now has no glitches.

[raygun]

Progress! Attached is what I've got so far that includes and is limited to long beam, missiles, morphball, bombs, power grip, speed booster, varia, and hi jump.

tidbit: [spoiler]Missiles have been pack-a-punched and are now both more scarce and more important in combat.[/spoiler]

Issues so far:
1. one-eyed worm leaves a little hole in the ground
2. minor door glitch in kraid in acid worm room
3. Minimap has seen better days.

But on the plus side, there is a little surprise that is pretty fun.

and customarily:
[spoiler][/spoiler]
[spoiler][/spoiler]

let me know if there are errors I will try to fix them. this is still a wip so even completed rooms may need tweaking in the future.

[Hawntah]

Feedback:
1. Are missiles supposed to be so OP? They one hit everything, including Charge Beamst and Mellow hives.
2. Solid blocks:
[spoiler][/spoiler]
3. Tiling error:
[spoiler][/spoiler]
4. Is this supposed to happen?
[spoiler][/spoiler]
5. Lazy tiling + tiling errors:
[spoiler][/spoiler]
6. Missing red edge:
[spoiler][/spoiler]
7. Where do Geemers come from? Solid walls, apparently.
[spoiler][/spoiler]
8. More tiling error:
[spoiler][/spoiler]
9. Invisible shiny lava:
[spoiler][/spoiler]
10. Random impassable morph tunnel:
[spoiler][/spoiler]
11. Permastuck! (Never assume the player will have missiles)
[spoiler][/spoiler]
12. Why is this backlayer?
[spoiler][/spoiler]
13. Walk through walls:
[spoiler]
Hint: stand here and mash A:
[/spoiler]
14. Apparently Geemers aren't the only ones...
[spoiler][/spoiler]
15. Jumping down here = permastuck?
[spoiler][/spoiler]
16. What have you done to the minimap?
[spoiler][/spoiler]
17. No, seriously. What have you done to the minimap?!
[spoiler][/spoiler]

That's all for now.

[raygun]

Thanks for tha feedback!
as expected, there is work to be done.
to do list:
1.make enemies less vulnerable for missile related reasons
2.put in fall through blocks there-could be a permastuck if you run past the jumpy-guy
3.fix that
4.make door closer to the side of the room
5.Redo some repetitive tiling
6.fix that
7. reposition sprites
8. retile that. actually I think that same error was in the original mzm. I noticed it then and just got used to it.
9.Trying to make that not-lava clipdata. It isn't, but the foreground seems to contain it and is not changeable with dh.
10.was meant to connect with the pillar enemy so you can roll through. need to fix that.
11.probably put a bomb block on the bottom of the morph tunnel next to this that you can roll over and out.
12.didn't know about the tiles with the top and bottom when I made this. Will redo.
13. lower the thing.
14. see no. 7
15. yeah you die cause you can't get out. Should fix this.
16.Tried to make it accurate, but editing the minimap is impossible. gave up.tried to clear the whole brinstar one, and now its ... well..
17. yeah. Ummm. Will try to redo minimap with another version of DH. Are any of them good?

[Hawntah]

actually I think that same error was in the original mzm. I noticed it then and just got used to it.

You may be right, MZM has some really weird tiling in certain places..

Trying to make that not-lava clipdata. It isn't, but the foreground seems to contain it and is not changeable with dh.

Play around with Effect and Scenery Y Position in DH's Header Editor. When Effect is set to 3, it makes all air tiles below a certain level into lava tiles, the height depends on the value of Scenery Y Position - higher numbers mean higher lava levels. So either lower the Scenery Y Position value, or set Effect to 0 and just add lava clipdata manually.

Tried to make it accurate, but editing the minimap is impossible. gave up.tried to clear the whole brinstar one, and now its ... well..

Will try to redo minimap with another version of DH. Are any of them good?

I dunno, I've had no issues editing minimaps in the 2009 versions.

[raygun]

can you give a screenshot of the version you are referring to? also tiling error suspicion confirmed. actually there are two in this spot

[Hawntah]

Ew, shame on you, Nintendo!

[spoiler=Screenshot][/spoiler]

[raygun]

tru
Thanks for the screenshot I have that one but wasn't using it. Plan on working diligently. possibly already said but nevertheless it will be repeated: thank you so much for the error notifications, it helps alot to have someone comb through and pick up things I missed.

[Hawntah]

Thanks for the screenshot I have that one but wasn't using it.

So you've been using the newer one-window versions? How did you edit doors, etc.?

Plan on working diligently. possibly already said but nevertheless it will be repeated: thank you so much for the error notifications, it helps alot to have someone comb through and pick up things I missed.

Well, it's the least I can do. It's always nice to see more people hacking Zero Mission (and not just procrastinating like myself). :nod:

Anyway, I reached Norfair and it's blocked off and I need PB's to enter Crateria so I guess that's as far as you've gotten so far?

Some thoughts:
1. It seems Geemers don't like slopes right next to walls (it climbed up and into the wall):
[spoiler][/spoiler]
2. This looks unfinished:
[spoiler][/spoiler]
3. Repetitive usage of tiles:
[spoiler][/spoiler]
4. Random door in acid worm's room. It was there both before and after the fight, and can not be entered:
[spoiler][/spoiler]
5. What's the point of those fall through blocks?
[spoiler][/spoiler]
6. These are very easy to miss, I passed by that missile block about 3 times before I realised it was there:
[spoiler]
[/spoiler]
7. Am I missing something or is this a permastuck?
[spoiler][/spoiler]
8. The elevator sprite is not in the right place, although I'm pretty sure it was correct on the way down. Not sure what's going on:
[spoiler][/spoiler]
9. Some tiling errors, including, but not limited to the ones screenshotted. There's quite a few of these, most aren't too noticeable though:
[spoiler]


[/spoiler]
10. And some more backlayer:
[spoiler][/spoiler]

[raygun]

[spoiler=responses to Hawntah's questions]

So you've been using the newer one-window versions? How did you edit doors, etc.?

I Have three versions downloaded - the one with the edit scenery button that works well for basic stuff, the one you screenshotted, and the newer one that is linked on the DH release thread. I primarily use the first, but if there is a more complex thing to be done, I use the second. If this results in a problem, then I try the third, which I don't believe has ever pulled through for me but I check just in case.

Anyway, I reached Norfair and it's blocked off and I need PB's to enter Crateria so I guess that's as far as you've gotten so far?

Yes
[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Long ass status update and plans for the future]
     I have taken care of most of the mistakes Hawntah pointed out, the exceptions being that I just reverted to the original minimap and will deal with that later, and the Door glitch in the acid worm room. I had removed the morph ball zoneline and moved the 'door' to another place in the room. The mystery door disappears if the room is reentered, which strongly suggests that it is related to the 'Door Lock' that is triggered when the room is entered. I believe the original made the morph ball door lock when the 'door lock' was triggered by entering the room, but because the door was altered, resulted in locked door-type-14 tiles being inserted where the morph door was.
     I put the door and zoneline back in the original place, hoping that the event depended on it and it would revert to a locked morphball door, but the same issue occurred. In addition, it caused that door glitch where opening a door causes it to rotate through all of the closed door tiles and shift upwards one tile, which shall henceforth be referred to as the

DoorRot glitch
[spoiler=screenshotted doorrot][/spoiler]
    Replacing the original door caused the DoorRots throughout kraid.

     I also was going to reconnect door 1c (that one-door kraid room with an energy tank that normally connects to room 0) to room 0, but it resulted in DoorRots galore.

     So I am going to leave that glitch alone until I have a better grasp of ASM, at which point I will either change the effects of the acid worm event or maybe try changing to another spriteset that has the same effect, but for the right door position? (I accidentally accomplished this in Brinstar room 2 I think)

     ASM tutorials are going to be... done (is that the right verb?), while I work on Norfair.

     Future non-layout plans for this Hack include (in order of distance from now in time)
1.New Beam GFX for all beams
2.Physics tweaks (gravity, jump height, horizontal speed esp. for the morphball)
     This will require more ASM studying
3.Incorporation of an imported tileset/background
     This one might be bumped up if I can get some help with it. I'm going to start a topic for it actually...
4.Porting of Fusion/SM/custom enemies
     This will probably be the hardest and require the most ASM knowledge. Probably start simple, like merely replacing Graphics and palettes of enemies with similar AIs (geemers, skree, eyedoor things) and then elaborate when the AI is better understood.

Oh and disclaimer this is a very in depth post not only for people who might be following the hack or contributing with suggestions, (like hawntah rn) but for me to organize the plans for this hack. I feel like it's important to be able to look at your train of thought during moments of inspiration (such as these past fifteen minutes).[/spoiler]
Edit: YIL: The pillar enemies that you shoot to raise up are only solid if they are in clipdatum 00. they can be underwater/lava/acid only if the foreground effect is set to such and the clipdata remains no block.

[raygun]

 :grin: So I have not been hibernating for the past couple weeks, but instead working on this and learning. Haven't touched anything level-design related but instead jumped straight down the list above of things I planned on doing and began to work on fusion enemy portation.
MF ripper graphics were successfully imported into ms.
[spoiler][/spoiler]
That was actually pretty easy. It took me about 30 min. But the rest of this month has been completely focused on this:
[spoiler]It is not even close to being fully functional; It just stands there. But it can take damage and has the correct hitbox and health and animation and stuff. And as my understanding of the workings of the game improves, the rate at which I progress increases. Behold:
[spoiler][/spoiler][/spoiler]

edit: Also the lack of complete RAM maps for ZM and MF enemy slots is a major setback, so if anyone has additions to/edits of the ones here:
interdpth.arc-nova.org/PJs stuff/
or the ones on datacrystal let me know? I guess they would have shared them anyway but I'm just checking :P

[P.JBoy]

http://interdpth.arc-nova.org/PJs%20stuff/ROM%20data/Fusion/Enemy%20data.txt

[raygun]

Really been hung up on Arachnus - also learning. He can walk back and forth, turn around, take and give damage, and die. Except there is not yet an explosion, and SFX are still on the to do list. after everything else.

[spoiler][/spoiler]

also spent some time messing with palettes



so overall, progress is being made, and im much closer to Arachnus being a usable enemy.

-EDIT
if the gif makes physics look weird, its because I just sorta estimated the frame rate by trial and error, so it might not be an accurate playback speed.

[Cpt.Glitch]

Excellent work, do you plan on having him roll and do other attacks as well?

[raygun]

I do. I suspect the roll is gonna be next, because it doesn't use other enemies as important parts of it.(I think) The others have flame projectiles or the blue slash. I fully intend for him to have all of his attacks when I finish, maybe not the little crumbs that fly up when he rolls, but probably the same SFX and stuff.  <-just speculation

Hard stuff: Getting the desired graphics to be displayed where you want them
Easy stuff: Everything else

Also, a tidbit about some Zero Mission RAM addresses:
[spoiler=Some RAM Info]
$Enemy21, AKA 0x3000759, is the 'EnemyPriority'
     0x00 -> OAM Priority is 0 (displayed in front of higher priorities. ie: minimap, health etc)
     0x01 -> OAM Priority is 1
     0x03 -> OAM Priority is 2 (virtually every sprite)
     0x03 -> OAM Priority is 3 (desplayed behind lower priorities)
$Enemy22 is possibly related to this...

EnemyOrientation has certain global meanings. These are a couple of 'em. The Enemy_OAM routine starts at 0x0800D544 and is long as hell.
[If Has] -> [effect]
0x40     -> Enemy facing right
0x100    -> Enemy is Invisible
0x200    -> Enemy is semitransparent
0x2000  -> Sprite not rendered, Alpha enabled (invisible)
0x4000 -> OAM ATTR_0, bits 8-9 are set to 1.(affine; double rendering)
[/spoiler]

[raygun]

Level building will resume when I get a new controller

[andlabs]

What do I do after I get Long Beam and the two Missile packs and Morphing Ball? Is there a secret in the room with the single Bomb block? Or one of the other rooms with Bomb blocks?

UPDATE: figured it out.
[spoiler]Shoot a missile in the save room in the main shaft on the bottom block against the wall; this doesn't come up when you shoot it with the normal beam for some reason[/spoiler]