Metroid Advance Game Editor (MAGE) Thread

[biospark]

New version!

Download
1.3.0 - 2018-01-27
  - Fixed Connection Editor bug where a blank row could be removed
  - Added Hatch Lock Events to Connection Editor
  - Fixed incorrect palette offset for normal beam in Zero Mission
  - Fixed minor project file bug where the version created wasn't saved
  - Changed Connection Editor to verify entries before adding them
  - Added hatch number to tooltip for doors
  - Fixed Connection Editor bug where adding an area connection would display the wrong destination room (and sometimes fail)
  - Fixed bug where loading a room from the Minimap Editor didn't update displayed location
  - Added import/export for tile tables
  - Fixed bug where the new version prompt would appear with HTML text
  - Sprites are drawn using shared VRAM
  - Renamed "Hatch (can lock)" to "Closed hatch" (Zero Mission only)
  - Changed Graphics Editor and Tile Table Editor to display a warning when data is repointed

[Simpleandclean]

With this editor is it possible to remove the time limit you have with king worm boss fight (not have him leave)
P.S this is zero mission

[OneOf99]

With this editor is it possible to remove the time limit you have with king worm boss fight (not have him leave)
P.S this is zero mission

This option is not within the editor directly. You have to open the rom with a hex editor and do the following change:

Code Select Expand

0x23158 = 0449 Change to 04E0 to make Deorem fight last until one of you dies. 

(thanks to Glitch for this info)

[biospark]

New version!

Download
1.3.1 - 2018-03-16
  - Fixed graphical issues with Spriteset Editor
  - Fixed Room Options bug where room couldn't be cleared or resized more than once
  - Changed name of ceiling slope clipdata to have "(air)" at the end

[biospark]

New version!

Download
1.3.2 - 2018-03-31
  - Fixed graphical issues when viewing a room's first or second spriteset
  - Fixed bug where the list of scrolls in an area could be saved incorrectly

[JustinBailey13]

I can't seem to find Samus' sprites using this tool, is there a way to edit her sprites?

[biospark]

I can't seem to find Samus' sprites using this tool, is there a way to edit her sprites?

Long-term plans
...
Samus graphics editor

[JumZhu]

Do not know why, this mage shows misplaced on Chinese computers, especially the mini map. In the bottom place editors must misplace two lines

[Zacsolo]

in fusion in the gunship room i put a purple zeela (sector 5 crab things) and the ship just locks the game now...anything i did wrong?

[Amorsis]

@biospark could you possibly add more documentation on editing palette's into the doc provided with MAGE? A few examples?

[FelixWright]

@biospark could you possibly add more documentation on editing palette's into the doc provided with MAGE? A few examples?

What is not there that you think is important to add to the documentation? It's pretty self-explanatory.

[Amorsis]

How to properly change palettes, and which programs would be best to use. The documentation pretty much says here the palette editor, go nuts.

[biospark]

How to properly change palettes, and which programs would be best to use. The documentation pretty much says here the palette editor, go nuts.

This is outside the scope of MAGE and its documentation. You'd be best off searching for graphics editors (like on romhacking.net) and tutorials on pixel art/palettes.

[FelixWright]

How to properly change palettes, and which programs would be best to use. The documentation pretty much says here the palette editor, go nuts.

Yes and that is exactly how it should be. It wouldn't be a very good tool if it was so linear now would it?

How to properly change palettes is as simple as dragging some sliders and hitting apply. if you're asking how to know what a good palette is for samus as an example, that is NOT something that needs to be covered in mage. For that, I recommend looking at online resources for how to do palettes correctly. The only programs you need for editing palettes would be MAGE. It would also help to know that GBA color format is 15-bit BGR.

[C-Dude]

In MAGE's Metroid Fusion minimap editor, there is an option to change the palette of the minimap squares.

...However, this only changes the color upon opening the map.  The color defaults back to pink/green for all explored rooms, because it uses an animated palette to glow softly while the map is up.

I cannot find either pulsating color in the Animated Palettes, though.  Any tips on how to do this?

___
Additionally, the import function to change ending graphics is very useful.  Are there any plans to implement a similar feature for the cutscenes?  The SA-X close-up, the Ship Cockpit, the Opening, the Samus and Federation portraits, and the elevator monologues?  Just like the endings, those parts of the tileset are highly compressed and difficult to change manually.

[Cpt.Glitch]

I cannot find either pulsating color in the Animated Palettes, though.  Any tips on how to do this?
___
Additionally, the import function to change ending graphics is very useful.  Are there any plans to implement a similar feature for the cutscenes?  The SA-X close-up, the Ship Cockpit, the Opening, the Samus and Federation portraits, and the elevator monologues?  Just like the endings, those parts of the tileset are highly compressed and difficult to change manually.

There are a couple methods for finding palettes. You can search the raw values of the palettes in a hex editor, or use no$gba.

You can change cutscene stuff by finding the location of the GFX using NLZ and using the graphics editor to export and modify them from there. You can further modify them using the tiletable editor if you find the tiletable and palette offsets as well. For instance, this document contains most of the graphics offsets from ZM.

[Kazuto]

So the other day, I was on quite an older version of MAGE (0.80 something, I believe). I opened it for the first time in awhile, and because it was checking for a new version to download, it took about a minute before the editor window finally popped up.

I thought at first that it had froze or something.

Just a suggestion, maybe add a splash screen or a loading window or something to indicate that it's running when you launch it?

[biospark]

Just a suggestion, maybe add a splash screen or a loading window or something to indicate that it's running when you launch it?

The version check runs in the background after the main window appears. I don't think that was the cause of the delay you encountered.

[Kazuto]

Just a suggestion, maybe add a splash screen or a loading window or something to indicate that it's running when you launch it?

The version check runs in the background after the main window appears. I don't think that was the cause of the delay you encountered.

So I've been paying attention to it: the current version of MAGE takes roughly 13 seconds after launching before anything shows up on-screen, and I'm running on fairly high-end hardware. So it's not the version check, but it still takes a noticeable amount of time before MAGE makes any indication that, indeed, it has launched.

Again, just suggesting to put some kinda indicator in there to let the user know that it's loading. Obviously, this is a pretty low-priority suggestion, though.

[dredwick]

Kinda jumping into the middle of the convo, but MAGE loads up almost instantly on my comp.

I have a question if anyone can help. I am still new to MAGE (and game hacking in general), so please excuse my limited knowledge of the topic. At the start of Fusion when Samus is being instructed to go to the Quarantine Bay during the cut scene, the map highlights the Quarantine Bay as the TARGET location. I can see that edits I make to the mini-map appear on the map during the cut scene. But is it possible to change the location on the mini-map where TARGET is highlighted (such as the actual X,Y value)? If so, could anyone explain it to me, or point me in the right direction to learn how to change it? My understanding is that the order of events can't be modified, but it seems that aspects of the events can be modified.... to what degree can things be changed?

Any help is appreciated. I have only been on the site for a short while, but I am very much impressed with what yall got going on here. And this MAGE program is amazing! Before I just enjoyed playing Metroid games, but discovering MetroidConstruction and MAGE has changed my entire understanding of Metroid (and gaming in general).

Thanks for your time!

[Kazuto]

Kinda jumping into the middle of the convo, but MAGE loads up almost instantly on my comp.

Hmmm... Interesting...

I'm running MAGE on a drive that isn't the C drive. It's on a traditional hard drive, but the disks are already spinning at the point that I launch the program, so that shouldn't be the delay. Now I'm curious what's up with that.

And not to ignore your other question, I just don't know anything about it to help you out. =(

But still, welcome to the forum!

[biospark]

But is it possible to change the location on the mini-map where TARGET is highlighted (such as the actual X,Y value)?

This should help:

Code Select Expand

5766E4
8 bytes each

00 = Number?
01 = Target area
  00 = None
  01 = Operations Deck
  02 = Docking Bays
  03 = Habitation Deck
  04 = Main Deck
  05 = Reactor Silo
  06 = Restricted Lab (unused?)
  07 = Sector 1
  08 = Sector 2
  09 = Sector 3
  0A = Sector 4
  0B = Sector 5
  0C = Sector 6
02 = Target X position
03 = Target Y position
04 = Text direction
  00 = Top
  01 = Bottom
  02 = Left
  03 = Right


Questions about things MAGE can't edit should go in the general help thread.

[dredwick]

I wasn't aware that MAGE couldn't edit that... still learning the ins and outs of it. I'll post future questions about MAGE to the general help section. Thanks for your help!

[Suphacker_Temmie]

Whenever I try to use the test room option, I get the error "Test rom could not be launched. Application not found." It worked in the past, but I had a problem with my emulator and had to reinstall it. Anybody have an answer?

[Cpt.Glitch]

You need to set the emulator as the default program to open for or .gba files.