Mario Gaiden: Making SMB1 great again. Assistance needed!

[w7n]

Notice: This project is not dead. Unless this notice says otherwise or if 10 years have passed since this message was written (2017), this project is ongoing and will be hosted on RHDN (probably along with other sites) when released.
However, updates will not be posted on this page regularly anymore. If you wish to join, contact me.
This is not due to any grudge towards the site (I have mostly none).

Political views aside, this slogan is good for memetic use.

The short version: This Super Mario Bros. hack project, named Mario Gaiden, is meant to be as epic as possible. It's almost impossible for me to finish this project on my own, since I don't do well in coping with some aspects like graphics.
What kind of things or people do I need?
I need more ideas, people who draw good NES graphics, people who can help me with the story, and probably an English->Japanese translator. If someone is good at the NES chiptune, please help too!
PM me if you'd like to help.

The short version doesn't look promising? Check the long version below.

Before the summer vacation in 2013 the project Rohrleitung Gate was progressing really slow due to lack of graphics. At that point, I copied the Rohrleitung Gate ROM into a new file, removed some of the effects and added some new effects. The new project was named Mario Gaiden.
However, later my computer's hard disk was broken and then later I underwent a surgery. My SMB hacking projects were suspended until September. The ROM file was still yet to be recovered by then, so I started making patches for the new project.
For now I've abandoned the Mario Gaiden ROM and started to use doppelganger's SMBDIS to program. (I still need to have the ROM recovered to retrieve some effects, though.)

List of effects already done in the old Mario Gaiden ROM:
1: VRC7 music, although limited to 1 channel like in Rohrleitung Gate. The music system is already a giant improvement on the SMB music system. (A new music system has been set up now.)
2: Multi-layer background, using CHR bankswitching.
3: IRQ. Now the split screen is not done by detecting sprite 0, it's done by using the IRQ system. This saves plenty of time.
4: Ground graphics forming. This was originally made by ATA, and altered by me.
5: The 'snake' effect. This is an effect used in a stage of Rohrleitung Gate. The snake goes in a fixed route. When it eats coins it grows.
6: Better usage of item attributes. One tile may appear to be tile A but function as tile B(stored in the level data).

New powerups, abilities, blocks and other minor changes / mechanics:

Spoiler

1: 'Soft' bridge. You can jump up onto it from below. (No demo image)

2: Megaman type cutscene.
Demo:


3: Platform whose route is fixed and user-defined.
Demo:


4: Boo. (The patch was updated later, this image is the demo of an older patch)
Demo:


5: Special abilities, equipment etc: These are categorised into 4 categories: Ability-A (jump abilities), Ability-B (offensive abilities), Equipment, Spell Card (one shot items).
Using the abilities consumes coins.
Currently complete or half-complete items:
AbiA:
Feather (slow the descending speed down)
Spin jump (graphics and mechanics incomplete)
Double jump
AbiB:
Cloaking (injury invincibility)
Starman (star invincibility)
Cross (destroys normal enemies and do damage to bosses).
Equip:
Ether Ring (halves manacost i.e. coin cost)
Speed Booster (I'm still considering adding the shinespark ability along with it)
Charge Shot (Different powerups have different charge shots, for example Fiery Mario fires a charged wave)
Pausing the game will let you switch abilities; Also all of these have descriptions(both serious description and memetic description). See Re#26

6: Powerups:
Fiery Mario - Mostly same as the original, but Mario can shoot upwards('Technical fire' from Extra Mario Bros). Upgraded powerup creates a huge blast when the fireball explodes, killing enemies nearby.
Bat Mario - Fires a larger but slower fireball, can turn into a bat and fly but this consumes coins. Upgraded powerup consumes less coins when in bat form, and automatically turns the player into a bat when he's about to fall into an abyss.
Gunner Mario - Fires powerful shots in 10 directions but only on the ground. (Upgrade: Not yet designed)
Ice Mario - Freezes enemies in place, frozen enemies can't harm the player but can be stepped onto. Upgraded powerup will destroy fiery enemies immediately.
Ninja Mario - Wall clinging(slower descending speed in fact) and jumping. (Upgrade: None.)
And probably two more to come.

7: Smart enemies setting: For example, goombas would jump if they are on the edge of a platform, and Lakitu throws spinies in a direction depending on mario's position. (No demo image)

8: The slope(only 45 degrees available).
Demo:


9: Cheats: In the pause menu you can input cheats, but using one cheat would set the continue count to the maximum. Some cheats are sequence / game breaking.
For example, the cheat 'AKARIN' sets the injury invincibility timer to the maximum.

[close]

System improvements:
System 01:　Tired of H- scrolling? We have ATA's V- scrolling. Tired of V-scrolling too? We have H+V scrolling.

(This is an experimental patch, hence the '000000' in the background.)
This system has been enhanced: Now scrolling in 4 directions is possible.

Update: System 02: Boss fighting(see Re#1)  Programmed boss fights
System 03: VRC7 music system(see Re#13)  Supports up to 6 channels, currently not many note effects are supported(unsupported: e.g. arpeggios).
This has gone under a revision, but probably yet another revision is necessary for more complex music.
System 04: Cutscene system(see Re#26) Very powerful in manipulating SMB mechanics, supports dialogue boxes
System 05: Multi-layered map(not just background)
System 06: New level data structure and loading mechanics, which allows more freedom in designing.

Other stuff mostly complete: IRQ system(which supports parallax scrolling), reworked sprites(minimum=8x16 instead of 8x8 and allows more freedom in arranging sprite slots: sprite shuffling is removed for this)

Help or ideas on any aspect is welcome. If you're interested you can even join the project.


Info about the ROM:
This ROM uses Mapper 85(Konami VRC7), 4-screen mirroring, CHR ROM(not RAM).
(some emulators don't support VRC7 4-screen, but according to the nesdev forum it's theoretically possible. FCEUX supports VRC7 4-screen anyway.)


For anyone who wants to design graphics for the game please be sure to read some detailed plan:

Spoiler

The script:
W1 Cutscene: Mario goes to the castle and talks with Peach.
W1: (Dawn)Plains, hills and forests.
W2: (Noon)Desert land + Inside the pyramids.
W3: (Day)Sky land + Paradeisos(Paradeisos looks like the Upper Kingdom in Chrono Trigger)
W4: (Evening)Shimizu Town, (Night)Mountains & lakes.
W5: (Dawn)Shin City, (Day)Mountains, the Great Wall, the underground ruins, the Ghost House. There is a huge tree at a certain spot, from one of the branches of which can people be HANGED.
W6: (Noon--afternoon)The fort, and mountain scenery.
W7: (Sunset)The drawbridge, (Evening--Night)Lava castle.

Also, if possible the post-game content would be quite large, with more sidequests and dungeons.

Do not design starry skies. The story takes place when it's rather near full moon, and when a full moon is in the sky there are few stars... Both the moon and the few stars are sprites.

[close]

[w7n]

Update:
A new system added. Now boss fights are programmed to be very complex.
Here is the video of a boss whose behaviour clearly resembles Flandre Scarlet.
(This is a Chinese video site)
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNjMwMDk1OTYw.html

[Da_GPer]

Wow! All those were impressive, especially the video. Makes you wonder what someone can do using just Super Mario Bros 1...... Are you going to make a game out of this?

[w7n]

Wow! All those were impressive, especially the video. Makes you wonder what someone can do using just Super Mario Bros 1...... Are you going to make a game out of this?

Well this is a single hack project. The video uses an independent title (VS Koopa/Flandre), but actually it's just a demo ROM and this boss might be one of the game's hidden bosses.

[Jorpho]

Wow! All those were impressive, especially the video. Makes you wonder what someone can do using just Super Mario Bros 1......

Have you seen Extra Mario Bros already?

[Chippy2000]

I did make a Godzilla NES creepy pasta revival once but the tools are Godzilla monster of monsters exclusive. can't help you there...

[altoiddealer]

The short version: This Super Mario Bros. hack project, named Mario Gaiden, is meant to be as epic as possible.

I really like what you have so far.  However, I can't fathom a more epic SMB1 hack than Extra Mario Bros.  If you haven't played that yet then by all means, play through that so you know what you're competing with for that title lol.

[w7n]

I really like what you have so far.  However, I can't fathom a more epic SMB1 hack than Extra Mario Bros.  If you haven't played that yet then by all means, play through that so you know what you're competing with for that title lol.

I've cleared both the bad and good endings, the Area-Sp, and collected all 20 1-UP mushrooms. And I'm fully aware of what I'm competing against. In fact, I only see one effect in Extra Mario Bros which I probably cannot make by myself(though I do have some guesses, like using an enemy and run a completely different sprite handling routine): the 'wind' effect.
Well, I'm really not good at graphics, so I cannot design GFX as good as those in EMB.

SMB hacking has been going downhill since 2006 or so, that's why even after 8 years no hack can outshine EMB(titles like SMU etc are awesome but not as awesome as EMB). And I hate such fact. SMB hacking really should end with a huge bang.

[altoiddealer]

Subscribed 

[Dr. Floppy]

This hack uses the VRC7 mapper?

[w7n]

This hack uses the VRC7 mapper?

Yes. My last hack has already included a (simple) VRC7 music system, as I said.
Currently I'm constructing a much more complex VRC7 music system which can use up to 6 VRC7 channels. (That should be the 3rd system constructed.) It should not be difficult, although using more channels consumes more time and may result in more lag in certain places.

Perhaps I should find some ways to save time in other parts of code, but this is hard.

[OneCrudeDude]

Neat, this looks mighty impressive!  Since you'll be using the VRC7 for audio, do you think you could use this song as a theme?  It's from the Mega Drive, that like the VRC7, uses FM Synth, so it would be (hopefully) easier to replicate the bassline and the buzzy "guitars" than by using the stock 2a03 and DPCM.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvJcCEKa2Io

Personally it would greatly spice up that Bowser fight.

[w7n]

Neat, this looks mighty impressive!  Since you'll be using the VRC7 for audio, do you think you could use this song as a theme?  It's from the Mega Drive, that like the VRC7, uses FM Synth, so it would be (hopefully) easier to replicate the bassline and the buzzy "guitars" than by using the stock 2a03 and DPCM.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvJcCEKa2Io

Personally it would greatly spice up that Bowser fight.

First, curse the Great Firewall of China.

After several attempts I was finally able to finish the video.
I might take it into consideration, but is quite unlikely as there seems to be no boss fight in my plot which suits the BGM, since my plot has a somewhat late-medieval setting and is not light-hearted.


PS: Construction of VRC7 music system is successful. Functions are being added, though process is slowed down because of the midterm.

[w7n]

Another update: The VRC7 music system! Please patch this to the SMB ROM and listen.
http://www.bwass.org/bucket/Sys03 VRC7 Music.ips
(Note that the music system still needs to be altered. Tunes besides the overworld theme are all glitched.)

[OneCrudeDude]

The music is gorgeous!  This is probably the first time someone has made VRC7 music entirely in assembly to be used in a game.  Or if not assembly, how was the music made?

Is this an original composition?  Sounds like something from the SNES Fire Emblem games.

[w7n]

The music is gorgeous!  This is probably the first time someone has made VRC7 music entirely in assembly to be used in a game.  Or if not assembly, how was the music made?

Is this an original composition?  Sounds like something from the SNES Fire Emblem games.

It's made using assembly based on the disassembly file by doppelganger. If anyone wants to, I could make the file open to public.
This is a cover tune. The original tune is 'Tsukidokei ~Lunar Dial~', which is from Touhou.

[OneCrudeDude]

This is amazing, good luck on further tuning the VRC7!

I don't think there are many ROM hacks that go out and buff the game's original audio to superior hardware, come to think of it.  This is a new frontier!

[w7n]

Hey guys, good news: I've almost done with the banks arrangement stuff. Now the banks are better organized, and, surprisingly, I have 4KiB space in the last bank for me to spare! This probably means at least 3KiB of DPCM space!
There's still something left though:
1: The VRC7 music system is not inserted.
2: The warp zone is crapped. I'll look into a better way to handle it.
3: The victory mode doesn't remove the bridge under Bowser. Though in my plan, the victory mode will be rewritten into a new system, most likely the cutscene system.
4: The loop command... well, I don't think I'll ever use this in my hack.

The PRG now hits 64KiB, and I have estimated a final size of 192 or 256KiB PRG ROM.

Now, I'll go on with the final examination and I'll come back next semester with presumably more time.
Stay tuned minasan and all help is welcome...

[w7n]

Been constructing those banks stuff. Estimation now hits 384 KiB PRG.
Now features...
1: More IRQ effects, e.g. a waveform scroll effect(but it somehow has some glitches at the right side of the screen), parallax scrolling.
2: Unique enemies/map style items mechanic for different areas.
3: The BGM, palette, enemy/map style of an area can be completely user-defined.
4: The destination of every single pipe is user-defined. Unlike SMB which uses some other mechanics.
etc.

The title screen is rewritten. A save feature is now included, but only the loading part is complete.
A 'save file corruption' check is also featured. Check this image.


Bad at drawing, if only anyone can help me design the title screen graphics.

[burn_654]

This is the makings of an awesome hack - seriously, very impressive stuff! Keep it up!