[MZM] 2 questions

[dwarf74]

Ok, I've got 2 questions about Zero mission and Double Helix.

1. Is it possible to add a foreground to a room that doesnt already have one? (example: elevator room) The reason I would want to do this is so I could use 'FG trigger transparent' clipdata. Is it possible to make sections of a room trigger transparent even if i dont have a foreground? (i guess that's a 2-in-1 question)

2. Is there any way I can make door connections to the beta rooms? the more rooms i could get for my hack, the better

Please note I dont have any experience with coding and have barely used a hex editor

[zephyrtronium]

For your first question, you might be able to add in a foreground by changing the room's foreground pointer - each room that doesn't have one uses the same pointer. Make a backup and use a hex editor to point that to free space. If that doesn't work, I don't know another solution. And no, you can't make parts of a room change transparency without those parts being on a layer, since it's the entire layer that becomes transparent.

For your second, you could try using inter's instructions in DhHexhelp.txt, with the area number being whatever the debug area is (08?). I don't know whether it will work, though, and the instructions themselves are vague and nobody (including myself) seems to know how to actually change area connections.

[dwarf74]

...well, that stuff can be worried about later. I'm having more problems though...

I found an amazing background that I was really wanting to use off of a website, and downloaded it. It was from another video game, and i know it should work with DH just fine but...no matter how many times i download it, DH give me the same "oo2.jpg could not be found or read", whenever i try to import the image. It then says "....002.img.bin Could not be found, aborting importation. So, it fails.
I wanted the background enough that i went and fetched the ROM the background came from, took a snapshot, and edited it perfectly to fit ZM.
And now, wtf? I get the very same error. and i ripped it myself... No matter what I do, that one picture always gets errors. I've tried and tried, and the same thing always happens. I've gotten 217 backgrounds that i've tested and work with DH/MZM, and this is the only one that has EVER done this.
...anyone have ideas?

[Quietus]

Is it the correct format / size / colour depth?  I recall reading that its requirements are quite specific.

[zephyrtronium]

I had the same problems myself a while back, but I can't remember what I did to fix it. I do remember that I was having those difficulties in a release that was missing some things; you could try downloading DH again to see if it will work.

Is it the correct format / size / colour depth?  I recall reading that its requirements are quite specific.

Actually, DH does convert the image to the format it needs. Yay for shared libraries! :awesome:

[dwarf74]

well, i know its the right size/format and all of that stuff.

I'll just try and redownload DH or something (...cant remember if i already tried this before?)

edit: no tellin what's wrong. I re-downloaded DH, and it still fails for this one image. Maybe i'll have to talk to inter about this :o

[dwarf74]

i understand almost nothing involving hex editors unless someone tells me "go to this and replace it with this". that's about all I can do.
So can someone explain to me about pointers and whatnot, or lead me to somewhere that could show me? I've just come back to a point to where I'll really need foregrounds for certain rooms, so I thought I should go ahead and learn this.

Another question though. How do I move water effects to a room, or how does water itself work? I'm talking about the moving  graphics of water, not the clipdata or anything.

[interdpth]

AIGHT

SO YOU"RE ALL UP IN THE HEX EDITOR AIGHT?

You got a pointer to like address 123456
but you want to change it to 789012


Aight so up in the ROM it sees addresses as 0x8000000

So to get the pointer you add 0x8000000 to the address alright?

aight so you're looking for the pointer to 123456 however we just learned it s 08123456

okay so up in dat hex editor, it's little endian or some bull so you gotta reverse dat stuff

so it 56341208

So you search that

get an offset

apply the same shit to 789012

Hit save. And you got your pointer.

You down with that?

[dwarf74]

meh. I'm not understanding this enough to do what I need to. I'm getting there, but I need a walkthrough to really absorb this.

I know you explained it fully, but  I Still need more guidance. :(
Do pointers come from offsets........ur...:/ dunno what do do with this.


AAIIIIGHT
#1--DH told me offset for Rooms with NO foregrounds : 364F4C
#2--I got a room WITH  foreground : 80C054

what now? I guess I'm wanting to get  #1 in the exact same state as #2?

[Juice]

For your first question, you might be able to add in a foreground by changing the room's foreground pointer - each room that doesn't have one uses the same pointer. Make a backup and use a hex editor to point that to free space. If that doesn't work, I don't know another solution.

I tried this and it didn't work... aww thats too bad. I guess we need to work with the foreground which is already available.