Super Mario Infinity - SMB1 hack

[ethanwhite]

EDIT: I've set up a website for this hack. Here it is: http://ethangaming.us/marioinfinity

END OF EDIT

Hi guys.

I am currently making a ROM hack of Super Mario Bros. called Super Mario Infinity.



I'm fairly new to ROM hacking, but I've been practicing for a while and I think I've got the hang of the basics. (tile editing with Tile Molester, palette editing with a hex editor, and SMB-specific stuff with the Insectduel level editing tool)

Anyway, about the Mario Infinity hack. It is really hard (I usually need to use save states on most of the levels after level 2). I've made 9 levels so far.

Here's a little TAS I made of the first level (which isn't nearly as hard as the later levels):
https://youtu.be/MzpmxaF9Gvo

I am still a beginner at ROM hacking though, and any help would be appreciated. Like, how to get the title screen to be better. Replacing the "1 Player Game / 2 Player Game" text with the game's title isn't really the optimal way to do things, since it isn't very obvious how to select 2 player mode. Is there a way I could get rid of the logo and replace it with a bunch of plain text?

P.S. I kind of stole some graphics (Mario, goomba, and spiny sprites) from Mario Evolution 2 because I wasn't able to make good ones myself.  Sorry. I did some of the new graphics on my own though, plus all of the palette editing.

[FCandChill]

 Comment removed because reasons...

[ethanwhite]

The data title screen related to the title screen is at the end of the ROM within the game's CHR (it looks like junk)... because the devs were short on space apparently. As for a editing the title screen this utility will do the job, though it's in Japanese...

Thank you! I'll try to set up the title screen.

Also, what address in the ROM says how many lives you start out with? It isn't on the Data Crystal ROM map. I would like to change the number of lives you start out with, to be around 100 or so. (To balance out the extremely hard levels).

[FCandChill]

 Comment removed because reasons...

[ethanwhite]

I don't have it on hand ... but I do remember changing it before. I think a level editor on this site should be able to edit that value. As for having lives above 9, graphics for the lives get corrupted. Other than that, you should be okay.

I know about the corrupted graphics, but I guess I'll just have to deal with it. My hack isn't going to be fun (or beatable) without a lot of lives.

And about the title screen editor, I figured out how to use it, and made a little plain text title screen to make sure it worked and to learn how to use it. I drew a logo (non plain-text), which I will hack in tomorrow.

Thanks for the help.

[Grimlock]

Why not just edit it to provide infinite lives?  I think these insanely difficult hacks should all have infinite lives.  That would offset some of the unfairness typically experienced in these types of hacks.

[ethanwhite]

Why not just edit it to provide infinite lives?  I think these insanely difficult hacks should all have infinite lives.  That would offset some of the unfairness typically experienced in these types of hacks.

Yeah I think that's a better idea.

Plus I could probably somehow set the number of lives displayed to be an infinity symbol?

In my title screen, I'll just figure out what value glitches the lives counter to correspond to my infinity symbol (I'm already using one in the ROM hack), and then fix the number of lives to that with a Game Genie code.
September 27, 2016, 01:47:09 PM - (Auto Merged - Double Posts are not allowed before 7 days.)
Alright! Hacked in the title screen.



The "super Mario infinity" part uses the coin palette, so it flashes and changes color.

Now I've got to work on the infinite lives.
September 27, 2016, 03:56:10 PM - (Auto Merged - Double Posts are not allowed before 7 days.)
I put the infinite lives game genie code into the ROM. Unfortunately it always says 3 lives instead of infinity but oh well.
September 27, 2016, 04:54:36 PM - (Auto Merged - Double Posts are not allowed before 7 days.)
Sorry for posting so many times in a row.

But anyway, I set hit up so your life counter always says you have infinity crown lives. A lot better than always 3 lives, but what is that crown even used for? This would be a lot easier if I could just delete that tile without messing anything up.



By the way, I figured out that Insectduel's smb utility lets you change the number of lives.

[Googie]

The title screen looks pretty cool, I like it a lot. I'm gonna give you just one suggestion though, use the SMB patch that'll let you choose between Mario and Luigi.

Get it here.

I'll be keepin' an eye out for this hack.   

[ethanwhite]

I made a second video, showing off level 2.
http://youtu.be/-zK_Ux_yLD4

The title screen looks pretty cool, I like it a lot. I'm gonna give you just one suggestion though, use the SMB patch that'll let you choose between Mario and Luigi.

Get it here.

I'll be keepin' an eye out for this hack.   

Thanks. I will try to hack in the Mario/Luigi select soon.

I'm happy you like my title screen. I was worried it would look bad.
September 28, 2016, 01:33:38 PM - (Auto Merged - Double Posts are not allowed before 7 days.)
Alright, Mario Infinity now has the Luigi patch on it.

[salvadorc17]

Some other level types will be good, water and cave ones..

[ethanwhite]

Yeah, I've got water and cave levels. Just haven't uploaded pictures or videos of them yet. 

EDIT: Preview 2 is a cave level


September 29, 2016, 10:08:08 PM - (Auto Merged - Double Posts are not allowed before 7 days.)
Ive been trying out music hacking. I've figured out how to do it! 

Unfortunately I don't play any musical instruments, so it'll be tricky to put together a song in SMB format, but when I do I'll be able to hack it in.

Oh, also I just realized that Luigi physics may render some of my levels unbeatable in Luigi mode. I will have to look into it.
October 01, 2016, 12:05:39 PM - (Auto Merged - Double Posts are not allowed before 7 days.)
Haha it turns out there is a different SMB1 hack also called Super Mario Infinity. 

Should I change my hack's title or something?

The video of the other Mario infinity may have an pre-patched ROM link (I didn't check) so I won't link to it, but it exists.
October 01, 2016, 07:32:04 PM - (Auto Merged - Double Posts are not allowed before 7 days.)
Wait actually there are THREE mario rom hacks called Super Mario Infinity. Two of them are actually on this site. I guess this is just one more.

Anyway, I've just played through all 10 levels I made in Luigi mode to make sure the Luigi physics didn't break anything. A few parts are way more difficult in Luigi mode. (Luigi takes a lot longer to slow down, which makes some of the precision platforming sections very hard), but it's possible to get through it with Luigi.

Plus I've added music to the title screen, and fixed a few bugs.
October 02, 2016, 05:01:43 PM - (Auto Merged - Double Posts are not allowed before 7 days.)
Alright 5 posts in a row now. Whatever, it will merge the posts automatically anyway.

I've fixed some bugs, and I finished level 11. I'll make a preview for level 3 soon.

Also, I basically gave up on music hacking. I'm sure I could get it working if I tried hard enough, but it will take a while. Maybe on my next hack. I'm not just leaving the music the way it was, though; I am using the patch that makes all the music be in minor.

EDIT: Preview #3: https://youtu.be/pEJk2G9onRo

[ethanwhite]

Eh I dunno if this will auto-merge with the other posts but...

I've made a fourth preview. It is a TAS of World 1-4. Here it is:

https://youtu.be/Ky1eFXr9uYE

And it's a castle level! And here is a screenshot of when you beat a castle:



haha.  It's supposed to be funny.

Plus I've just finished World 3-4, so I'm approximately 3/8 of the way through making this hack.

And I want to mention this, there are some new features I am planning to add but haven't done yet. Like animated backgrounds. There is a patch for that, but I'm not doing it until I've made all the levels because you cant use the level editor after patching it.

[ethanwhite]

Preview #5:

World 2-1

https://youtu.be/dbKJj65bex8

(Note: All these videos are TAS and have precise timing, but you don't actually need to be as precise as I am in the videos)

[salvadorc17]

Keep the good work, also show some videos of other kind of levels, castle will be needed..

[ethanwhite]

Thanks!

World 1-4 is a castle level. I've uploaded a video of it:
https://youtu.be/Ky1eFXr9uYE

And the next level I'm going to make a video of is World 2-2, which is a water level.
October 18, 2016, 11:54:23 PM - (Auto Merged - Double Posts are not allowed before 7 days.)
Done two levels today! World 4 is complete! Half way through making the hack's levels! 

https://youtu.be/4WxNXABS7Q8

Here is the preview for World 2-2, a water level!

(This is the first preview that isn't TAS by the way.)
October 20, 2016, 12:03:14 AM - (Auto Merged - Double Posts are not allowed before 7 days.)
Alright, I've made World 5-1. It's a very difficult water level.   

And I've made a preview of World 2-3. Here it is:

https://youtu.be/4gQK6MRCDsM
October 20, 2016, 10:00:48 PM - (Auto Merged - Double Posts are not allowed before 7 days.)
Here's World 2-4, a castle level.

https://youtu.be/6q6NfdYWqiU

I've finished making World 5-2.

[Dogeritos]

This is looking really good. Especially that title screen tho!

[ethanwhite]

I'm making World 6 right now.

It's pretty tricky: https://youtu.be/8boIqZQVVsM

Should be done soon.

I'm going to try to add custom music after the game is made, but I dunno if I can do it. 

[ethanwhite]

All the levels are done.

I started running out of ideas for levels, so there are 20 in all. World 6-1 is the last level.

Now I'm going to try to work on custom music and more custom graphics. The music is going to be difficult because I'm not good at music even in the real world. I'll try, though.

Maybe I'll make a demo version before I do that.

EDIT: Apparently something I did makes it so that the animation patches won't work. oh well.

[Grimlock]

I just had a pretty good idea for your hack (I think anyway).  You should eliminate the delay associated with the death music and level loading, make it just respawn you almost immediately!  The thing that makes really hard Mario games get under people's skin isn't necessarily the constant dieing, it's the delay you have to endure every time you do.  Eliminate the delay in your hack (no matter how insanely difficult it is) and it will be SO much better!  I bet you could do it with a few HEX edits.   

[ethanwhite]

I just had a pretty good idea for your hack (I think anyway).  You should eliminate the delay associated with the death music and level loading, make it just respawn you almost immediately!  The thing that makes really hard Mario games get under people's skin isn't necessarily the constant dieing, it's the delay you have to endure every time you do.  Eliminate the delay in your hack (no matter how insanely difficult it is) and it will be SO much better!  I bet you could do it with a few HEX edits.   

That's a really good idea.  Thanks. I'll try to do it.