Sonic 5 - Improvement Vol.2 (Nes)

[Cris1997XX]

...Yeah, this bootleg seriously needs improvements on the gameplay side. You STILL can't spin-dash into the enemies, as you lose rings and they stay alive

[SuperStarFox]

Oh cool, some NES sprites and tile sets for Somari's Scrap Brain Zone.
https://www.spriters-resource.com/custom_edited/sonicthehedgehogcustoms/sheet/170907/

It's still not possible to add Scrap Brain Zone due to limitations, but it's still pretty cool.

[sics]

Being one of the first to try out this hack, you should know that the aesthetics of the elements of that stage have been completely revamped.
So unless you plan to implement this area in the Hummer or Family Kid version (which is unlikely) I don't see much use in showing me this stuff...



To justify this unnecessary update, he commented that I tried to reduce the size of the rom, in order to make it compatible with the most basic everdrives. Unfortunately, although I have managed to reduce, 104kb, I have not been able to reach the goal of 512kb, so that it works in the most basic N8 models

Sonic Improvement Vol.2 (v1.5).7z

Given this fact and without any certainty that I have made a mistake in the process, I have decided to discard this change, to avoid possible inconveniences. If you still want to try it at your own risk and comment on your expertise, you can help me reconsider this decision

And yes, this version includes the latest changes to the project, including the new title screen for Somari

[Amilgi]

Sorry it took so long, but I was finally able to put together a complete draft of an updated soundtrack and set of SFX!
.0cc: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xML34IaE0N8wiwtDhJbQ-rTLdvchKW6N/view?usp=sharing
.nsf: https://drive.google.com/file/d/191HcJEro3CCv9iQJSwe8E4d0jwCVQX4d/view?usp=sharing
The only non-vanilla FamiTracker effect I made use of is MXY (delayed volume offset, X = ticks, Y = volume). Could be tweaked to avoid it, but it's very useful in certain spots.
I expect this version to be larger in size than the original, but I could probably find ways to optimize if needed.

Very much looking for thoughts, comments, and suggestions!
My notes on everything are below:

Overall:
- Cleaned up the drum mixing
- Fixed a lot of track tempos to better match the originals.
- Tried to keep everything fairly accurate to the genesis original where possible but took some creative liberties in places.
- Stuffed in some echos where it made sense
- Tried to keep most of the themes at similar volumes. Getting SFX volumes right without hearing them in the hack is a crapshoot, might have to do a beta then tweak from there.
- Tried to keep most of the sfx solely on pulse 2. If there were any sustained notes on pulse 2 in the music, I replay the note during it so it doesn't get cut off for an extended duration.

Notes on the music:

Spoiler

Title:
Not sure if the same-channel echos actually work that well here
Green Hill:
So many choices for how to cover this, given all the backing elements. Trying to overlap mostly sounded bad. Can choose between square pulses, horns, strings, the lower horn melody, etc. Stuck in a melody echo in spots.
I experimented with using the master system version which could work too.
Bassline feels a little high, so I tried dropping an octave and using the master system strategy of octave hopping F-2 F-2 F-2 F-3, but then the last section was super low and felt off.
Marble:
Cleaned up, better mixing, added variable noise drum pitch in the background, added echo to lead where possible. Lead is maybe a little quiet?
Spring Yard:
idk what I was doing the first time around but this is WAY better now. Fixed the tempo and swing, added some flair in spots, same channel echos, bends, etc.. Pretty happy with this.
Labyrinth:
Fairly similar to before, adding backing square chimes in the main section alongside the echo.
Star Light:
Dropped the bassline an octave. I could see going one higher, but I feel the low bass makes this a bit more...sleepy? relaxing? idk I feel it fits more. Sounds better on my headphones than speakers though.
Same-channel echo for backing elements. Echo on lead sounds off. Added a high-pitched chime in the final section
Final:
Similar to first. Same-channel echo for pulse 2 in spots.
Could maybe flip pulse 1 and 2, not sure which is less disrupted by SFX.
SMS Special:
My original attempt at this was wayyy too loud in comparison to the other tracks. I tried to quiet it some, including a DPCM offset to mute the bass/noise a bit.
Boss:
The genesis lead is actually 2 octaves higher, but it sounds way too shrill on the 2a03. I think lowering the lead 2 octaves like I did in the original sounds much more balanced and a bit darker (appropriate for a boss theme imo). More same-channel echo in places. Much better drum mixing.
Stage Clear:
I noticed this one starts a little awkwardly in the hack, transitioning from whatever level theme. A band-aid fix might just be to add a few blank ticks to the start of this and halt/reset all the channels.
Drowning:
Tried for better mixing and tempo matching.
Invincibility:
Improved a bit, cleaner overall.
Ending:
Sounds fine. Single-channel echoes kinda eh in places. Final lead is an octave low, too shrill otherwise.
Credits:
Better tempo matching. Mostly copied from other themes

Unused in the hack:

Scrap Brain:
Very similar to the first time. Slightly improved mixing and backing horns.
Special:
Similar to original, added squares in spots to pulse 2.
Chaos Emerald:
Only uses the pulses now.
Extra Life:
Not much to say
Continue:
Not much to say

[close]

Notes on the sfx:

Spoiler

Ring - Very close to matching (genesis/SMS are very similar), but could play with the volume a bit.
Ring Loss - Very close to the genesis, but current uses both pulses. Sounds much richer this way and better matches the genesis. Since getting hit is disruptive maybe cutting off both channels makes sense. If it's too much, this can be condensed to one channel and still sound OK.
Jump - Pitch & timing should be very close, volume might need a bit of tweaking.
Skid - Genesis was 2 channels, but condensing them to one sounds almost identical. Should be very close to perfect.
Badnik/Monitor: Sounds a bit off due to the pulse overtones. Tough one to match, could try copying the master system instead. Switching to linear pitch bends might help, but I'd have to adjust all the music.
Boss Hit: Matching noise is tricky, could maybe be tuned up a bit
Death - Different key from the genesis, but as low as the NES pulse goes. Correct key sounds too high pitched, close-ish otherwise.
Signpost/Checkpoint: Kinda a placeholder, need to know how this is programmed.
Air Bubble - Tough to match with just a pulse, but not too bad.
Spindash/Roll - Can't seem to get this one quite right. Could go for master system style instead.
Spring - Decent, not perfect.
Points Counter: Matches note. Is this currently just the ring sfx being re-used? Should also make this count quicker if possible

SFX that could potentially be added to the hack:
Bumper - Not a perfect copy but decent. Definitely needs both pulses for the chorus effect.
Shield - OK, pulse is expectedly less "round"
Spikes - A little off, needs some tuning

Other potential SFXs I didn't do:
Fireball
Electricity
Continue Obtained
Spindash Rev
Drowned
Splash (Enter Water)
Ding Ding (Underwater)
Cha-Ching (Points Tallied)

[close]

[SuperStarFox]

Sorry it took so long, but I was finally able to put together a complete draft of an updated soundtrack and set of SFX!
.0cc: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xML34IaE0N8wiwtDhJbQ-rTLdvchKW6N/view?usp=sharing
.nsf: https://drive.google.com/file/d/191HcJEro3CCv9iQJSwe8E4d0jwCVQX4d/view?usp=sharing
The only non-vanilla FamiTracker effect I made use of is MXY (delayed volume offset, X = ticks, Y = volume). Could be tweaked to avoid it, but it's very useful in certain spots.
I expect this version to be larger in size than the original, but I could probably find ways to optimize if needed.

Very much looking for thoughts, comments, and suggestions!
My notes on everything are below:

Overall:
- Cleaned up the drum mixing
- Fixed a lot of track tempos to better match the originals.
- Tried to keep everything fairly accurate to the genesis original where possible but took some creative liberties in places.
- Stuffed in some echos where it made sense
- Tried to keep most of the themes at similar volumes. Getting SFX volumes right without hearing them in the hack is a crapshoot, might have to do a beta then tweak from there.
- Tried to keep most of the sfx solely on pulse 2. If there were any sustained notes on pulse 2 in the music, I replay the note during it so it doesn't get cut off for an extended duration.

Notes on the music:

Spoiler

Title:
Not sure if the same-channel echos actually work that well here
Green Hill:
So many choices for how to cover this, given all the backing elements. Trying to overlap mostly sounded bad. Can choose between square pulses, horns, strings, the lower horn melody, etc. Stuck in a melody echo in spots.
I experimented with using the master system version which could work too.
Bassline feels a little high, so I tried dropping an octave and using the master system strategy of octave hopping F-2 F-2 F-2 F-3, but then the last section was super low and felt off.
Marble:
Cleaned up, better mixing, added variable noise drum pitch in the background, added echo to lead where possible. Lead is maybe a little quiet?
Spring Yard:
idk what I was doing the first time around but this is WAY better now. Fixed the tempo and swing, added some flair in spots, same channel echos, bends, etc.. Pretty happy with this.
Labyrinth:
Fairly similar to before, adding backing square chimes in the main section alongside the echo.
Star Light:
Dropped the bassline an octave. I could see going one higher, but I feel the low bass makes this a bit more...sleepy? relaxing? idk I feel it fits more. Sounds better on my headphones than speakers though.
Same-channel echo for backing elements. Echo on lead sounds off. Added a high-pitched chime in the final section
Final:
Similar to first. Same-channel echo for pulse 2 in spots.
Could maybe flip pulse 1 and 2, not sure which is less disrupted by SFX.
SMS Special:
My original attempt at this was wayyy too loud in comparison to the other tracks. I tried to quiet it some, including a DPCM offset to mute the bass/noise a bit.
Boss:
The genesis lead is actually 2 octaves higher, but it sounds way too shrill on the 2a03. I think lowering the lead 2 octaves like I did in the original sounds much more balanced and a bit darker (appropriate for a boss theme imo). More same-channel echo in places. Much better drum mixing.
Stage Clear:
I noticed this one starts a little awkwardly in the hack, transitioning from whatever level theme. A band-aid fix might just be to add a few blank ticks to the start of this and halt/reset all the channels.
Drowning:
Tried for better mixing and tempo matching.
Invincibility:
Improved a bit, cleaner overall.
Ending:
Sounds fine. Single-channel echoes kinda eh in places. Final lead is an octave low, too shrill otherwise.
Credits:
Better tempo matching. Mostly copied from other themes

Unused in the hack:

Scrap Brain:
Very similar to the first time. Slightly improved mixing and backing horns.
Special:
Similar to original, added squares in spots to pulse 2.
Chaos Emerald:
Only uses the pulses now.
Extra Life:
Not much to say
Continue:
Not much to say

[close]

Notes on the sfx:

Spoiler

Ring - Very close to matching (genesis/SMS are very similar), but could play with the volume a bit.
Ring Loss - Very close to the genesis, but current uses both pulses. Sounds much richer this way and better matches the genesis. Since getting hit is disruptive maybe cutting off both channels makes sense. If it's too much, this can be condensed to one channel and still sound OK.
Jump - Pitch & timing should be very close, volume might need a bit of tweaking.
Skid - Genesis was 2 channels, but condensing them to one sounds almost identical. Should be very close to perfect.
Badnik/Monitor: Sounds a bit off due to the pulse overtones. Tough one to match, could try copying the master system instead. Switching to linear pitch bends might help, but I'd have to adjust all the music.
Boss Hit: Matching noise is tricky, could maybe be tuned up a bit
Death - Different key from the genesis, but as low as the NES pulse goes. Correct key sounds too high pitched, close-ish otherwise.
Signpost/Checkpoint: Kinda a placeholder, need to know how this is programmed.
Air Bubble - Tough to match with just a pulse, but not too bad.
Spindash/Roll - Can't seem to get this one quite right. Could go for master system style instead.
Spring - Decent, not perfect.
Points Counter: Matches note. Is this currently just the ring sfx being re-used? Should also make this count quicker if possible

SFX that could potentially be added to the hack:
Bumper - Not a perfect copy but decent. Definitely needs both pulses for the chorus effect.
Shield - OK, pulse is expectedly less "round"
Spikes - A little off, needs some tuning

Other potential SFXs I didn't do:
Fireball
Electricity
Continue Obtained
Spindash Rev
Drowned
Splash (Enter Water)
Ding Ding (Underwater)
Cha-Ching (Points Tallied)

[close]

Amilgi, what you did was great. I just listened to the updated music and it sounds more better than the old version. Even SMS Special Stage sounds great.

[cartridge_rom]

Greetings to the thread, here I report the error I had in the NASA clone system.

Sonic Improvement Vol.2 Patch Version 1.4 Rom + small patches of graphical improvements (waterfalls, coins) running on N8-Plus cartridge in NES-NASA clone console, shortly after starting the game hangs and breaks the screen in pixels, it is not playable.

@sics greetings, how are your translation spanish projects going, one was of the Tokkyū Shirei Soruburein not ?

[diablo666]

Being one of the first to try out this hack, you should know that the aesthetics of the elements of that stage have been completely revamped.
So unless you plan to implement this area in the Hummer or Family Kid version (which is unlikely) I don't see much use in showing me this stuff...



To justify this unnecessary update, he commented that I tried to reduce the size of the rom, in order to make it compatible with the most basic everdrives. Unfortunately, although I have managed to reduce, 104kb, I have not been able to reach the goal of 512kb, so that it works in the most basic N8 models

Sonic Improvement Vol.2 (v1.5).7z

Given this fact and without any certainty that I have made a mistake in the process, I have decided to discard this change, to avoid possible inconveniences. If you still want to try it at your own risk and comment on your expertise, you can help me reconsider this decision

I'm sorry for asking a very stupid question... can you tell me which rom file to use for patching?

[SuperStarFox]

diablo666
I guess it doesn't work, I tried the right rom file and it didn't work. I tried using the other rom files and all it said was "Not intended for this ROM." I guess it needs to be an actual patch or we have to wait until V1.5 gets released, if anything I'd be waiting for that as well as the premiere of Sonic Movie 2.

sics
For the Doraemon version, I remember seeing footage of the final zone in Waixing's Doraemon and there I see is a weird looking Eggman wannabe character with a dog's face. I just had to recreate it in some way possible but had to do some serious changes as well as giving it a name. Some on Spriters Resource consider the character to be called Barkeggamon, Robarknik, or Wantamagon but man was it so confusing to find the right one.

Sprites + Custom Sprites:
https://www.deviantart.com/supastarfox/art/Dr-Barkeggamon-Doraemon-Bootleg-NES-Sprites-849456259

My Take:
https://www.deviantart.com/supastarfox/art/Dr-Barkeggamon-849446359

[sics]

diablo666 & SuperStarFox
I can't help you find your rom, but I just searched for it using the information provided and the patch does work, what surprises me the most is that it didn't take me even 2 minutes to do it...


I recommend you to take into account that it belongs to the GoodNES3.14 pack and use the online patcher on this page or I don't know, update the one you use?

Amilgi
I apologize for taking so long to respond, but I wanted to have the opportunity to listen to the original soundtrack, so I could have a better informed opinion.

Unfortunately, I had to speed up this process a bit, due to the doubts that arose about the application of the patch from the last demo that I published.

I must start by confessing that I feel great affection for the first version of the OST, so trying to be objective in this case is a great challenge for me, I have been really surprised with the changes it has made.

I don't know how to express it, but in general I feel the melody is much more alive, with less strident and clear sounds, but even so, not only does it not lose strength, but it is more forceful and uniform

So everything I say below may be completely subjective.

● In the track Title, from the original game, there is a fade effect at the end of the melody, in your version it seems to cut off abruptly...

● And although I understand why the change is due, both the opening of the theme of Scrap Brain and Final Zone, they feel strange, but I think I could get used to it.

● As a final comment, I think it would be better to separate the effect of Spindash from that of Roll, although since it is not my area, I do not know if this statement is correct.

After that, I have nothing left to do but thank you and congratulate you for such a magnificent job, greetings!

cartucho_de
What happens with a clone system, is that it is practically impossible to establish if it is not a problem caused by the architecture of it, besides my question is not focused on establishing whether the game works on real hardware, as many have been able to run it without problems by this means, eg. JetPackTails ^{(A channel that I highly recommend, it's a lot of fun!)}

Let's Play Sonic Improvement Vol.2 (Real Hardware)

What I want to know is if users who experience this type of issue find any improvement when using the new, lighter version of the game.
...

About my projects, if I'm frank, after my mother passed away, I spent a lot of time depressed, so I left everything behind? (I'm not interested in going deeper into this).

Anyway, I must say that although I haven't published my hacks in RHDN, I've been sharing them through my networks or my friends' groups, moreover, I've also worked on several new projects, although I'm not going to lie, nowadays, I'm not as excited as before, so I don't dedicate much to spread it, I just keep going because I have the knowledge and skill, not to mention that many people are happy about these things.

I recommend you to look for the group of Hacks Roms...

SuperStarFox
About that, if you look at the first zone of the Doraemon game, they replace Eggman by a bear, so I imagine that the design of the final zone also corresponds to another animal, either a bear or a badly drawn monkey...


Anyway, I find your reinterpretation quite interesting, but in this group of hacks none of them are related to the version you mention...

[cartridge_rom]

my condolences Sics

maybe this new 1.5 version will be playable on real hardware

there was a hacks-roms discord channel ? can you provide invitation ? thanks and cheers.

[diablo666]

diablo666 & SuperStarFox
I can't help you find your rom, but I just searched for it using the information provided and the patch does work, what surprises me the most is that it didn't take me even 2 minutes to do it...


I recommend you to take into account that it belongs to the GoodNES3.14 pack and use the online patcher on this page or I don't know, update the one you use?

Amilgi
I apologize for taking so long to respond, but I wanted to have the opportunity to listen to the original soundtrack, so I could have a better informed opinion.

Unfortunately, I had to speed up this process a bit, due to the doubts that arose about the application of the patch from the last demo that I published.

I must start by confessing that I feel great affection for the first version of the OST, so trying to be objective in this case is a great challenge for me, I have been really surprised with the changes it has made.

I don't know how to express it, but in general I feel the melody is much more alive, with less strident and clear sounds, but even so, not only does it not lose strength, but it is more forceful and uniform

So everything I say below may be completely subjective.

● In the track Title, from the original game, there is a fade effect at the end of the melody, in your version it seems to cut off abruptly...

● And although I understand why the change is due, both the opening of the theme of Scrap Brain and Final Zone, they feel strange, but I think I could get used to it.

● As a final comment, I think it would be better to separate the effect of Spindash from that of Roll, although since it is not my area, I do not know if this statement is correct.

After that, I have nothing left to do but thank you and congratulate you for such a magnificent job, greetings!

cartucho_de
What happens with a clone system, is that it is practically impossible to establish if it is not a problem caused by the architecture of it, besides my question is not focused on establishing whether the game works on real hardware, as many have been able to run it without problems by this means, eg. JetPackTails ^{(A channel that I highly recommend, it's a lot of fun!)}

Let's Play Sonic Improvement Vol.2 (Real Hardware)

What I want to know is if users who experience this type of issue find any improvement when using the new, lighter version of the game.
...

About my projects, if I'm frank, after my mother passed away, I spent a lot of time depressed, so I left everything behind? (I'm not interested in going deeper into this).

Anyway, I must say that although I haven't published my hacks in RHDN, I've been sharing them through my networks or my friends' groups, moreover, I've also worked on several new projects, although I'm not going to lie, nowadays, I'm not as excited as before, so I don't dedicate much to spread it, I just keep going because I have the knowledge and skill, not to mention that many people are happy about these things.

I recommend you to look for the group of Hacks Roms...

SuperStarFox
About that, if you look at the first zone of the Doraemon game, they replace Eggman by a bear, so I imagine that the design of the final zone also corresponds to another animal, either a bear or a badly drawn monkey...


Anyway, I find your reinterpretation quite interesting, but in this group of hacks none of them are related to the version you mention...

My mistake... I admit it...

I used rоm file SOMARI.

[Ti_]

Sorry it took so long, but I was finally able to put together a complete draft of an updated soundtrack and set of SFX!

The only non-vanilla FamiTracker effect I made use of is MXY (delayed volume offset, X = ticks, Y = volume). Could be tweaked to avoid it, but it's very useful in certain spots.
I expect this version to be larger in size than the original, but I could probably find ways to optimize if needed.

Very much looking for thoughts, comments, and suggestions!

oh, ok.
I sent url to test version in PM to you and sics.

'MXY' added to driver, hope it works correct.
New SFX's all inserted, but not all events coded yet.
New music works, except 'credits' for now.

For new music what is the reason of using Z0x effect on pcm column. Sometimes it writes a single byte value from 1 to 4 to $4011, is there's some feature?

For new sfx, I think they are quieter.

[sics]

Ti_
First of all, thank you very much, for this new improvement, it's amazing what you are able to do

New SFX's all inserted, but not all events coded yet.

About what you mentioned, I have a question. Is the crash in the Star Light Zone related to the partial implementation of the new features in this update?

Cartucho_rom
Thank you very much.

I can ask him later if he's okay with sharing invitations from yours truly through this medium, although I think it would have made more sense for you to look that up on YouTube or talk to him directly...

diablo666
No problem, it's often a hassle to find the correct version of a rom, but remember to always check the attached information

Otherwise, your game can go bad and make you end up reporting bugs that are not part of the hack, this is not an exaggeration, it has happened...

[Ti_]

Ti_
First of all, thank you very much, for this new improvement, it's amazing what you are able to do
About what you mentioned, I have a question. Is the crash in the Star Light Zone related to the partial implementation of the new features in this update?

It's not related to new features. Testing in menu - seems star light song freezes. I will fix.

Some of my notes about new version:

1) ring has incorrect scale compared to sonic and sprite-rings on drop, sonic size smaller than on megadrive, but ring has same size.
2) new secret menu has awful control wrong between up/down and left/right. I use old version for testing sounds.
3) rom size (banks count) not 2^n, some emulators not like sizes like this.

March 28, 2022, 01:58:30 PM - (Auto Merged - Double Posts are not allowed before 7 days.)
Star Light song seems uses tremolo effect. But driver was optimized for first version OST, all unused features were removed. If this effect can't be replaced with other, I will restore this feature later.

Seems you have changed some code in v1.5, this is overrides my code for new springs SFX:

0B:8287: A9 07     LDA #$07
>0B:8289: 85 82     STA $0082 = #$0C

(ROM: $2E297)

I didn't saw this, because was using v1.2 when made new SFX. So you will hear water breath , instead of spring.
This also may produce bugs, because it replaces original code.
It should be restored back to: LDA #0  STA $25.  After that you will hear new spring SFX.

I don't know is there other changes, if you know send it to me in PM.

[sics]

I have taken this feature from another hacker's work, making modifications starting from the following addresses 0x2E29, 0x2E347, 0x2E397, to use that temporary sfx.


1) Ring has incorrect scale compared to sonic and sprite-rings on drop, sonic size smaller than on megadrive, but ring has same size.
Ya hay un parche opcional que intenta corregir eso haciendo los anillos del mismo tamaño, pero no se ha integrado como la versión principal por los puntos que mencioné aquí:

In other news, about the unification of appearance in the animation of the rings, both PacManfan64 and his server, we were trying to do something about it.



But personally I am not convinced, I think that the new designs leave too much evidence of the limitations of the palette of the system, when this is one of the aspects that I most considered when working with the art of this game.

I understand that in addition to the mismatch between the two graphics, its excessive size has also been highlighted, which makes me wonder if with a more effective design these could be better adapted to those restrictions, but personally I never managed to overcome the great work of FuriousHedgehog in this section...

2) New secret menu has awful control wrong between up/down and left/right. I use old version for testing sounds.
Yes, in fact, I made that change taking into account the word of a colleague who proposed to improve this aspect, without my requesting anything, but after I informed him that I had completed my part of the work, he answered me excusing himself and disappeared...

Maybe I should go back to the previous version, if I didn't do it before, it was because I felt sorry for all the work I put into this, but after a while of not testing the hack I confess that it is complicated even for me to navigate those menus

3) Rom size (banks count) not 2^n, some emulators not like sizes like this.
That wasn't the final version and as I mentioned I was thinking of discarding it....

Given this fact and without any certainty that I have made a mistake in the process, I have decided to discard this change, to avoid possible inconveniences. If you still want to try it at your own risk and comment on your expertise, you can help me reconsider this decision

At most, if someone proved to find this modification useful, I planned to include it as part of the extra content.

If you want it here, there is the correct patch, although the way I document every single thing I do, I can relatively easily revert these changes, that's why I didn't mention anything...

Sonic Improvement Vol.2 (v1.5) Normal Version
^{Note: Reverted the spring coding change back to its original version.}

On the other hand, is there any chance of recovering the functionality that played the melody on the continue screen?

After the previous update of the sound engine, I noticed that at 0x7ED06 (near the continues screen data) there are a significant amount of changes that I suspect are related to the current behavior change in this section.


Finally, and this is already an open question addressed to anyone with the knowledge to answer, about the following problem that I detailed below in this quote:

What I couldn't help but notice is the horrible color transition that the game has when switching screens:



At first I thought that it would be enough to modify the palette so that the white color was located in another position, but when doing so, the same thing continued to happen with white, I imagine it must be a residue of a discarded feature, perhaps they would have planned to reuse this screen in some way in the level selector, since their data continues to be loaded when entering this secret menu, which does not happen in the rest of the transitions with this itself.



Anyway, I would like to find a way to disable that function, since it is not aesthetic at all, so if someone has the knowledge to give me a hand I would be eternally grateful 

I've noticed that I can work around that problem by replacing $34 with $F4 at address 0x7F358, but this supposed solution is based on guesses I got based solely on my experience adapting title screens on the NES.

So I wonder if this is just chance or there really are logical bases behind the correction of behavior in the fading effect of introductory screens.

[Amilgi]

oh, ok.
I sent url to test version in PM to you and sics.

'MXY' added to driver, hope it works correct.
New SFX's all inserted, but not all events coded yet.
New music works, except 'credits' for now.

For new music what is the reason of using Z0x effect on pcm column. Sometimes it writes a single byte value from 1 to 4 to $4011, is there's some feature?

For new sfx, I think they are quieter.

Thanks for the quick work on the test ROM!

ZXX is the DPCM offset (7 bit value, 00-7F) which has the side effect of reducing the volume of the triangle & noise - I used it in the SMS special stage, opening section of the credits, and to fade out the triangle on the title/ending themes very slightly.
Sadly it makes an annoying click/pop that gets louder the larger the change in value, making it tricky to use for fades (unless you use module speed 1 to adjust it slightly every frame haha). The values are small when I fade the bass at the end to keep it from clicking.

From my understanding, the reason why this works is that the DPCM+noise+triangle all share an output volume, and due to a defect/bug in the NES DAC, that volume gets more compressed the greater their combined value. The offset serves to push the tri/noise further into that compressed region.

Star Light song seems uses tremolo effect. But driver was optimized for first version OST, all unused features were removed. If this effect can't be replaced with other, I will restore this feature later.

Ah that was a leftover on my part, I had used it at some point but must not have removed it.

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Updated sountrack and sfx:
.0cc: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oMfLwVPViRHTNFZpgmYgXUGVyjCj1pa9/view?usp=sharing
.nsf: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Tnx4KrO-gOYwAs3spgaRiL8xpIlKVzED/view?usp=sharing

+ Made all the sfx a little louder
+ Trimmed common sfx to be a bit shorter (less cutoff)
+ Condensed ring loss sfx to 1 channel
+ Adjusted stage themes to always put the most prominent lead onto channel 1 (not sure about final zone...may have to experiment a bit)
+ Added a slight fade to lead on title/ending
+ Removed useless 7XY effects from Star Light

Regarding the spindash/roll sound, I tried to match the roll sound from Sonic 1 (crouch while running).
In Sonic 2, a similar sound plays whenever you rev the spindash, then a different sound plays when you release.
If anyone is up to the task of implementing that behavior in this hack (or any other sfx like the shield, extra life, splashing into water, spikes, etc.), let me know and I'll remake the relevant sfx if I haven't already.

[Ti_]

Marble Zone sounds incorrect in PAL/Dendy. Seems it's related to 'MXY' effect.
I checked 0cc 0.3.15.1 , 0.3.15.3 , j0CC 0.6.3 , and Dn-FamiTracker, everywhere it sounds wrong.
I don't know if this can be fixed.
I may force NTSC tempo for this track in PAL mode, while keeping PAL tempo for others. This will make played it slowly, but correct.
March 29, 2022, 02:48:05 PM - (Auto Merged - Double Posts are not allowed before 7 days.)

ZXX is the DPCM offset (7 bit value, 00-7F) which has the side effect of reducing the volume of the triangle & noise

Do you know is it needed to turn bit #4 = 1 in $4015 (DMC enable) if using this technique?
In test rom DMC channel disabled. Does reducing volume works in test rom?
March 30, 2022, 04:44:25 PM - (Auto Merged - Double Posts are not allowed before 7 days.)
Sent test version 2 in PM to Amilgi and sics.

All music and sfx from the latest file. Ending theme song works + old special stage in menu - #33.
Added music event on extra life and shield.

[Flaviogames]

I downloaded the Somari (Unl) [b3].nes rom to apply the v1.5 patch but the game does not open, the screen is gray

[sics]

Note: We have created a private discord, to improve communication with those who are part of this team

Flaviogames
This project is not called Somari Improvement Vol.2, read the notepad before wasting words, patches are not magic, you need to use the right rom for it to work, the next one that tells me the same thing I'm going to ignore it

diablo666 & SuperStarFox
I can't help you find your rom, but I just searched for it using the information provided and the patch does work, what surprises me the most is that it didn't take me even 2 minutes to do it...


I recommend you to take into account that it belongs to the GoodNES3.14 pack and use the online patcher on this page or I don't know, update the one you use?

Besides, it doesn't cost anything to find out if someone else has gone through the same thing

My mistake... I admit it... I used rоm file SOMARI.

[sebastianangel]

Congratulations for the great improvement work from all areas , it is also a great team and the melodies are heard much better now... thank you very much for so much magic