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Newcomer's Board / River City Ransom (NES) - editing shop items, etc.

« on: January 05, 2020, 02:27:12 pm »

I'm interested in hacking the NES game River City Ransom for editing and adding shop items, their prices, and how much money you get from defeating your enemies.

I tried a couple of things. First, I downloaded BARF!, the only editor available for this game on this site, found here: http://www.romhacking.net/utilities/1481/. However, I had some issues with getting the program to run, as it entailed a little bit of instructions about downloading at least another program, and I didn't know what the hell I was doing, as I didn't know how to find the precise program and/or package for download. So I eventually gave up on that attempt.

Second, I played the game on FCEUX up to the point where I'm at one of the shops. Then I used the built-in PPU viewer, hex editor, and another tool (I think it was called a "name table viewer" or something like that). I tried finding where the price values were located, but I was unsuccessful. Furthermore, whatever I tried by myself in hex editing changed nothing in regards to how much particular items cost.

I'm going to conclude this post with a few questions. (1) Is there a way around downloading extra things for opening the BARF! utility? (2) Is there another kind of utility that is more up to date and can do the same as what I'm looking to do? (3) If the previous two questions turn up negative, is there any other advice you could provide that could help me in my search?

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Gaming Discussion / Wrong title screen represented on ROM hack page

« on: November 21, 2019, 10:28:28 am »

This topic is about the ROM hack of Super Mario Bros. 3, SMB3 Reloaded, found here, http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/4801/. There seems to be some sort of glitch with the title screen shown. Instead of showing this image, found in this link, http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/nes/images/titles/4801titlescreen.png, it shows the title screen of a random translation of Super Mario Bros. 3. And this looks like the standard title screen of the original game. Now, could some staff member please identify this problem and fix it?

Note: I had no idea where else to bring up a topic such as this, so I posted it here.

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Newcomer's Board / Best hex editor for ROM hacking

« on: September 22, 2017, 10:00:41 am »

I'm looking for a hex editor that is specifically geared towards ROMs and can do a variety of functions that other hex editors (i.e. Hex Workshop) cannot do as easily. I am specifically interested in the idea of hacking certain NES and Super NES ROMs, and I'm wondering if there's a hex editor out there that can detect the various aspects of any ROM (i.e. Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario All-Stars) and also detect which hex code(s) perform(s) a certain action in a certain way.

I'm a Windows user, and the hex editor that looks best to me (out of everything I've seen on ROMhacking.net) is something called "Goldfinger". That's my intuition, but I'm still pretty new to ROM hacking, so I would like a recommendation, if possible, of an effective, relatively easy to use, hex editor.

If you look particularly at hacks like these, http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/685/ and http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/3460/, I'm amazed at the feats accomplished with such hacks. In the first hack, one of Kirby's Adventure (NES), one hacker was able to allow Kirby to keep the UFO power-up; and in the second hack, one of Mike Tyson's Punch Out!! (also NES), the hacker specifically indicated the hex editor he (or she) used to restore unused dodging animations for certain boxers Little Mac fights.

To be honest, this almost looks like magic to me! So please let me know of the best hex editor out there that can do as I wish, if such a thing even exists (hopefully). Any recommendation will be greatly appreciated.

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Newcomer's Board / How to use SMB Utility and other level editors?

« on: March 17, 2016, 07:45:23 pm »

I am a bit interested in using the level editing utilities available on this site for the purposes of doing stuff like:

• Adding objects to places other than where they were used in the original game
• Expanding levels
• Adding levels and worlds

SMB Utility, for instance, seems like a fascinating tool for editing things in Super Mario Bros. (1985) for the NES. Although it is categorized under the "Beginner" level, I don't know all the ins and outs of all the features offered with the utility, primarily because there is no help file that instructs users on how everything in the utility works, but rather only gives information on who made it and when.

For example, one of the things I want to experiment with using the utility, other than those listed above, is making a pipe you can't go down one that you are able to go down, and then creating a new underworld room. (I have not yet decided whether I want to use one that already exists in the game or to create an entirely new one.)

Is it possible to add objects and expand and add levels to SMB using SMB Utility? And are there any resources online that one can use to figure out how SMB Utility and other level editors for other games work? Forgive me for all of these concerns, but I often feel like a total idiot when it comes to programming, editing, and making games.

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Newcomer's Board / SMB Utility-related Difficulties

« on: March 16, 2016, 06:57:16 pm »

I hear that SMB Utility is the best level editor yet for Super Mario Bros. for the NES. Unfortunately, both versions of the utility I've downloaded are in the form of a .RAR file, and my PC does not have the appropriate application to open those.

I tried using two methods to convert one of the .RAR files to a .ZIP file (which my PC does recognize), with the assistance of these two links: www.zamzar.com/convert/rar-to-zip/ and rar-to-zip-converter.en.softonic.com/.

When I tried converting the .RAR file with the first link and ended up with the file "converted" to ZIP format, I noticed the new file was corrupted with stuff from the site I used to convert the .RAR file, and ended up with nothing useful.

In the case of the second link, I downloaded the application, but it didn't work on my PC, so I had to uninstall the program.

Is there any way for me to extract the utility and other files by the means of some other method? Or is there another suggestion that is recommended?

For further reference, the PC I'm using uses Windows XP.

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Newcomer's Board / Transposing music of Kirby's Adventure

« on: February 22, 2016, 05:53:18 pm »

I am interested in transposing 18 musical themes in the NES game Kirby's Adventure. I have the NSF file at hand, and I figure once I'm able to transpose a bunch of the desired themes to keys of my choice, I will be able to locate them in the ROM and transpose them within the game itself. I have a hex editor on my PC.

I exported the 18 pieces from the NSF file into individual WAV files, transposed them using Audacity, and saved them into 18 new WAV files. Then, I transferred the files to a zipped folder (ZIP file). I wish I could attach the folder to this thread to give readers an idea of where I want to go, but I don't think I can.

Is there perhaps a better method of transposing the music of Kirby's Adventure besides using a hex editor? If so, are there utilities and/or applications I could use to accomplish such a task?

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Newcomer's Board / SMB3 Music

« on: October 27, 2015, 09:20:15 am »

For fun, I would like to transpose the Game Over music in Super Mario Bros. 3.

I know that NES game music is stored in NSF files, and I have just now downloaded the one for that game. I also downloaded GNSF, which is what I chose to play NSF files, and made a copy of the NSF file. When playing the file I discovered that the Game Over music is at track #31.

Now, I'm wondering: Is there some sort of technique I could use to locate the bytes where the Game Over music is stored, and a way to edit the bytes so that they play the same sequence of notes, but in a different key? Of all the music in the game, I only want to change the Game Over music.

I think the music is in the key of G major, but I want to change it to C major. What is the easiest way to do this?

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Newcomer's Board / Hex Lesson Issues

« on: October 25, 2015, 12:20:29 pm »

Before I registered with this site, I took a look at the Getting Started section, and started off with hexadecimals. I was able to figure out how to comprehend the basics of binary and hexadecimal numbers by reading the first document, which is titled "Hexadecimal (The Basics of Bases)". However, for the second document, titled "Hex Lesson", I find an explanation that is either flawed, or is explained in a way that's hard to get.

Issues:

• The author mentions the first 10 bytes, but I'm thinking to myself: what are these first 10 bytes? Are they the first 10 in the whole page of bytes? Very confusing.
• He asks readers to change every 8 bytes or so except the first 10. I tried finding bytes that were not in the "first 10", but the last time I tried that, I could no longer open the ROM. So I assume that I must have changed one or more of the real first 10.
• He says he "took Castlevania’s title sceen and looked up words like push start now in a hex editor". I know what game he's talking about, but what does he mean by taking the title screen, and how would one look up text in a hex editor? (For the record, I am currently using Hex Workshop (32 bit).)

After experiencing these issues, I kind of gave up, at least temporarily. I'm sorry, but this "Hex Lesson" left me in a state of confusion. As I see it, the lesson is nowhere near perfect.

I'm just offering constructive criticism. And others may not find as much difficulty understanding the author, but please do note that I am more of a visual learner than anything else.

Is there a video (as in a YouTube video) or sequence of images out there that could help me better understand the science of ROM hacking with hexadecimals? If not, is it possible that the Hex Lesson could be amended to suit a more comprehensible and visual learning experience?

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Newcomer's Board / SMB3 Question

« on: October 24, 2015, 08:18:49 am »

I want to change the copyright date on the title screen of Super Mario Bros. 3 to fit its North American release date of 1990. I already know what the Japanese release date of 1988 is, as is reflected by what is currently on the title screen of the ROM.

I've tried every trick in the book I could think of, in this case using every utility available for SMB3, including the title screen editor. I know it has to be possible to edit, as I remember seeing the title screen date changed from 1988 to 2003 or 2004 or something like that for someone else's ROM hack.

Would the best way to edit the date be through one of those utilities found on this site, or would it be through a hex edit? If it's the latter, which I'm currently suspecting, please let me know what bytes need to be changed and the address they are located at.