Sonic 5 - Improvement Vol.2 (Nes)

[sics]

(I like watermelon)
Actually depends on the case, the main obstacle is the space available in each tab, but as you mentioned there are also minor flaws in some palettes and maybe being extremist the designs would gain a lot by integrating certain details present in the rest of the sprites. , for example the relief on Sonic's eye, but that is unnecessary, since in general these details are barely noticeable.


^Example

On the other hand his designs were very successful and although less words are used to say it, as I said before its value is inestimable, and they are very useful as a reference, not to mention that the problem of the space limit is only a technical barrier that the insurance will be resolved over time; D

1. & 2. All the things that you mention and some more I have found them, but I could not do much with that ... Theorizing I can say that the place where Scrap Brain should be has been reused, besides I have only found 11 potential blocks to draw zones (of 16x16) in this level, for the Esmeralda del Caos planned to create an emerald-like ring and continue to investigate, also thought to include some additional tabs with graphics to facilitate any future project, but being honest the project now It is stuck because of work issues, since I have not managed to have time and energy together.

[cartridge_rom]

a possible future hack 2 characters to choose to play

link and credits of pixelmarioxp and Dariuscox357

https://www.deviantart.com/dariuscox357/art/Sonic-NES-Improvement-Tails-747286888

[sics]

 cartridge_rom
From the first time I saw that image I was wondering if with enough effort it would be possible to see these sprites running in the game for real, in the past I had seen a small project that tried to incorporate tails in the Somari, but I did not return to receive news of it.

On the other hand I recommend visiting the gallery of PixelMarioXP, currently working on a Romhack titled "Sonic 3: Triple Trouble" and it really looks very promising



  Hello for those who read this for the first time this project tries to improve the aesthetic section, and optimize as much as possible everything that is within my reach.

General changes:
● Crashes and unexpected events were reduced.
● Almost all the animations were retouched.
● The tileset were optimized and new elements were incorporated.
● Continuity is repaired in certain areas *
● Work on a new title screen.

What should not you expect from this project?

Any modification that requires advanced knowledge of assembler 6502.

The news of the project:

Currently I have less time to devote to the project, this has been reflected in less status updates and a slower development, but despite all the project is still standing, which is the most important.

♦ I remembered how I used the debugger.
♦ I managed to repair the graphic glitches of the first Zone and improve its decoration.
♦ Correct another fatal error (This case occurred when penetrating inside any capsule)
♦ I included a coin disguised as an emerald in the bonus (What a trick xD)
♦ Update the design of the emerald by turning **
♦ Change the HUD source again among other graphics ...
♦ I found the sector that stores the configuration of Sonic animations and palettes.

What I do not achieve D':

■ I have no idea how to repair the Spring Yard Zone ramps, I suspect that the problem has to do with the collision area of ​​the block that can be seen in the model, it seems that it was placed incorrectly, also a second problem that I find is that the inertia generated by the spring is sometimes insufficient to overcome some ramps (These values ​​are always fixed), in addition when the player presses forward this inertia is lost completely.



■ I do not finish understanding how the repositioning of objects works, some I can move them where I want and others disappear in certain sectors of the level, on the other hand I take this opportunity to clarify that this work I reserve for the second stage of the project, since although I plan to fix the position of the most significant enemies, with the rest I want to take the time to move them well without further delaying the publication date of the hack.***

Spoiler

* Some landscapes shorten abruptly or there are sectors that lead nowhere.

** Originally I planned to give it a style closer to that of megadrive, but I have many doubts about this, because in my opinion this level ruins the rest of the game, since there you can get too many lives, things that should not be like that.

*** Two things that must be taken into account I still do not know how much this problem can affect my objective, I also consider that the greatest defect of the enemies is their terrible programming although thinking it from the point of view of the Eggman are perfect.

Errata: This article should be published when I prepare some catches, but my cat does not think the same xD. Damn that cat made me unveil...

[close]

[YoungBoy]

Looking Cool so far! Keep up the good work! 

[sics]

YoungBoy
Thanks that I have not combed

Small update:

♦ HUD correction to match official games.
♦ Now the loops have relief.
♦ More animations updated.
♦ I started to correct the palettes that are used in Sonic animations!
♦ The graphics of the Final Zone were renewed.


<sup>Mockup. I was lazy to make a real catch.


Nothing special really...</sup>

■ Maybe I should keep working on the sprite of looking up.

[PacManfan64]

The HUD update (and almost everything else) reminds me a lot of Sonic Pocket Adventure's. (really like that game)

More questions (sorry if these bother you):
How were the animations updated? Was it frame/sprite order that was modified, or just CHR touchups?
Also, have any other aspects been updated, like the ending or music?
Is the spindash still CD-like (with one charge needed to go at full speed), or has that been modified too?

[peixemacaco]

It simply don`t look anymore as a hack for the Nes.... But a "solid" Sonic game!

Great

[sics]

Peixemacaco
Thank you! It makes me very happy that you think that , that's really the goal I'm after, I'd like to give the game the finish it deserved, of course within my limitations

PacManfan64
In fact it is one of my main references, on the other hand if you have not done it yet I recommend you try the hack Sonic Pocket Winter is really great

The questions keep this project alive, so if you want to know what dinner will be at night, that question is also welcome
This time it's not just a graphic edition, now I'm very close to knowing everything I need about the animations in the game and it's thanks to you

They are divided into 5 blocks:

3a51a Function will execute according to the action performed by the player.
??????? Table for animations.*
3803e Orientation of each sprite.
384d5 Pallet distribution configuration.
38955 Sprites Sonic.

Spoiler

  * This discovery is very recent so I have not checked it properly, but I found a block that seems to be full of pointers on top of the other data.

[close]

On the other hand, the storage of frames works with the following scheme:

Code Select Expand


╔══════════════════╦═════════════╦═══════════╦═════════════╦═══════════╗
║░▒▒▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓║ Tile Margen ║▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓║  Onscreen.  ║▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▒▒░║
╠══════════════════╬══════╦══════╬╦═════════╦╬══════╦══════╬╦══════════╣
║     Pointers     ║  mX  ║  mY  ║║ Nº CHR  ║║ PosX ║ PosY ║║  Sprite  ║ mY
╠══════════════════╬══════╬══════╬╬═════════╬╬══════╬══════╬╬══════════╣
║7D8E8E8E 7D8E8E8E ║  03  ║  04  ║║   01    ║║  F0  ║  E0  ║║ FF 36 37 ║ 01
╠══════════════════╬══════╬══════╬╬═════════╬╬══════╬══════╬╣ FF 3A 3B ║ 02
║░▒▒▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓║▓▓▓▓▓▓║▓▓▓▓▓▓║║▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓║║▓▓▓▓▓▓║▓▓▓▒▒░║║ 00 43 44 ║ 03
║░▒▒▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓║▓▓▓▓▓▓║▓▓▓▓▓▓║║▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓║║▓▓▓▓▓▓║▓▓▓▒▒░║║ 4D 4E 4F ║ 04
╚══════════════════╩══════╩══════╩╩═════════╩╩══════╩══════╩╩══════════╝
FF = Vació                                                mX  01 02 03


As you know this project is aimed at casual players and people interested in hacking, so with the next graphic update of the final area had thought to take to include new elements:



But I still have not decided whether to replace the pipes of the consoles by more simplified versions to include other elements that I have the feeling that were missing.

About the music without anyone to create new sound sequences it does not make sense for me to investigate about it, also I think there are more qualified hackers in that section than me.

On the physics of Sonic if I'm not wrong are around 3acxx, but my knowledge is zero, so I can not do anything useful with this information.

[aorin1]

Can NES really display so much colors at once?
Amazing job, I watched a gameplay from a previous version and it's really good.
Do you think there's a way to make Sonic controls feels more like Genesis/Mega Drive? The way it plays now it seems it could have a little more "gravity" to it, what are you thoughts?

Again, can the real console display such a colorful game like this?

[sics]

 The objects were redesigned to lie better and the trick in the Sonic sprites is that they do not follow a standard alignment but are adapted to make it possible to assign the palettes more precisely:



The above is an old version of the sprite that applies, but here is where you better understand what I say. The only problem is that the repositioning task ends up being too artisanal in my case:


^{Scheme to collect data for position offsets}

Honestly I do not know how to answer this last question, on the one hand I think that hacker like Ti have achieved almost the unthinkable with his projects, besides others like White Fox have brought improvements that are missed in the versions that circulate today, but in my position as a rookie, I do not think it's wise to talk about how great the flying bikes will be

Personally I think the game would win a lot repairing the enemies, recently observing them I discovered that they are activated by proximity of the X axis, so adjusting that value (If it exists) the game experience would change completely, it is also necessary to increase the inertia produced the springs that drive towards the side, for my part I am open to any kind of collaboration.

Oh by the way yesterday I dined salad

[cartridge_rom]

I think the work and progress is great
I seem to see the MegaDrive game

[PacManfan64]

I found a FCEUX cheat from TCRF's Somari page that views Sonic's animation states: 001D:XX

Replace XX with the following for animations:

Code Select Expand

00: Blank
01: Walk Speed 1
02: Walk Speed 2
03: Walk Speed 3
04: Run Speed 1
05: Run Speed 2
06: Spring
07: Skid
08: Jump
09: Death
0A: Hit
0B: Duck
0C: Look Up
0D: Push
0E: Idle 1A
0F: Idle 1B
10: Idle 2
11: Balance 1
12: Balance 2
13: Balance 3
14: Stand
15: Walk Up Speed 1
16: Walk Up Speed 2
17: Walk Up Speed 3
18: Run Up Speed 1
19: Run Up Speed 2
1A: Walk Up Diagonal Speed 1
1B: Walk Up Diagonal Speed 2
1C: Walk Up Diagonal Speed 3
1D: Run Up Diagonal Speed 1
1E: Run Up Diagonal Speed 2
1F: Spindash
20: Roll
21: Walk Down Speed 1
22: Walk Down Speed 2
23: Walk Down Speed 3
24: Run Down Speed 1
25: Run Down Speed 2
26: Walk Reverse(?) Speed 1
27: Walk Reverse(?) Speed 2
28: Walk Reverse(?) Speed 3
29: Run Reverse(?) Speed 1
2A: Run Reverse(?) Speed 2
2B: Slide
2C: Inhale Air Bubble

I hope this helps you with editing animations.

That Final Zone tileset seems to have diagonal floors, ceilings, a conveyor belt, and rings. Possible return of Scrap Brain maybe?

Also, have you thought of doing improvements on Super Mario World (or at least expanding on either SuperLooneyDude or The Jabu's patches?)

[sics]

cartridge_rom
Great!!, I would love to achieve a trick of those that border the quality of an official product
I know an oculist who is very good

PacManfan64
The trick is very useful, because unlike the method used previously, this trick is still running the same animation, on the other hand I already have a list of references to the ones I'm used to, although I must admit that the names on your list are more descriptive, it will surely be useful to create documentation in the future, thank you

  Not for the moment, although I would have liked to have been the one who incorporated "Scrap Brain" into the game, I had researched a lot in order to obtain the necessary knowledge for the task, but unfortunately the reality in which I live has changed a lot since who started this project

  On the other hand, I decided that it would be best to take into account the missing elements in the tab of this area when optimizing it, in this way the next hacker will have a solid base to start working.

Currently I have all tentative tileset of all levels, but before applying the missing ones I must finalize certain details, as is the case of Star Light with its background elements, for example.



Being completely honest I do not like that game, besides I am more of the green Mario , about future work before embarking on any new project I must find the balance between my work life, study and my hobbies to avoid routines as overwhelming as current , during that process I am considering uploading some of the work I do for my personal collection, but that is just an idea at the moment.

Greetings and thanks to those who follow this project

[capnkatie]

This is looking absolutely fantastic so far, I couldn't believe that someone could improve on The Jabu's work as much as is shown here. This is true talent and passion combined.

I really hope that after this is finished someone else will take up the reigns and try and improve the game in other ways, pushing it as far as it will go.

Also, if anyone has contact with Hummer Cheng himself, I'd love to see how he feels about this.

[John Enigma]

I've been meaning to ask @sics, what kind of ROM base are you using for this hack?

[sics]

Gastronomicon
He praises me a lot, but being honest it was thanks to the work of FuriousTH that I decided to try it, he was the first to show what a "plus" of love could do for this game, I must also say that I have taken as reference the work of many artists what I respect But thanks for the flowers!

It would be great to know what talented people could achieve, I would like to see all kinds of projects arising from this work arise!

The work done by the Hummer team is admirable, although it is notable that at that time they lacked a lot of experience, there are a lot of graphic optimizations and really creative solutions that show that they really tried to do a decent job, I personally think that they have more to be proud of than many licensed developers of that time .

John Enigma
I would like to create a rom only with the changes that I made, but I am aware that many had difficulties with this system in the past, on the other hand I know that the rom on which this project is based is available on the internet, but I am afraid that in a future ceases to be as accessible as it is today, for the moment I think it would be best to use the original rom as a base .

It would be great if someone created a new way of patching to solve this problem, to use several source files or even several versions of a hack at the same time, include metadata, group those changes, title them and add some reference images are things with which I'm sure many of us dream.



On the other hand I'm already applying the fourth tileset, but in this case I suffered a mishap with a graphic error that produced a certain block in Labyrinth*, but fortunately this was resolved by relocating a certain sector of the sprite that makes it up, that's why there was a lot of space free, instead of moving it I decided to duplicate it and thus avoid having to modify the other blocks that share that graph.



I also evaluated moving all the graphics, to find another way to order them without this error occurring, but the truth was that I was not satisfied with the result of this process.

Spoiler

* Or as I usually call it the level that we all hate and lasts half of the game xD

[close]

[PacManfan64]

That in-game screenshot looks like something you'd see if Sunsoft made a Sonic port (as they were still around during the 90s)! Also the tile arrangement looks good too.

Speaking of, since Chaos Emeralds are now implemented, are there multiple endings depending on how many you have? And were other elements implemented, like the scene before it with Sonic releasing the emeralds?

Also was the "Sonic Team Presents" text put back too? I found the unused graphics of the "Somari Team Presents" version, so I'd imagine it's possible.

Also also, there's a bug in Labyrinth with floating platforms. Basically what happens is that when on the platform, Sonic can go through any wall above him while the floating platform continues to rise him up. Sometimes, doing this crashes the game. I think I know why this happens. Usually, in the original Sonic 1, doing this makes Sonic die from being crushed due to wall/ceiling collision. There doesn't seem to be any ceiling collision here; if you walk in any direction, you can't zip like in the original and go to the far opposite direction of what direction you press, you just "fall" through the ceiling. Fall as in "Sonic continuously going upwards while the background/camera freaks out until you reach the actual level map." Is there a way to fix this?

[Googie]

Lookin' smooth, can't wait to play it when it's done. 

[sics]

PacManfan64
First I wanted to thank you for reporting the bug, although in fact I already had knowledge of it, now I have to complete several pending before seeing how I can solve the problems of that area, it is that over time I realized that the best way to avoid problems with this type of project is structured as best as possible, and although sometimes I think it would be practical to publish that list of pending/bugs, I fear that some do not understand that beyond my expectations everything I do depends on the time I have and the capacity that I am developing

The truth is that it is not a coin with an emerald skin, although I planned to improve its animation, but in view of the high expectations I think that saying this is a bit disappointing

My goal for the moment is to improve the animations that are part of the game, because as I said in the past if possible I would like to release as soon as possible a first version of the project or at least a sufficiently attractive version to be delivered in the form of a demo. Although in the final version I would like to use the animation of Sonic releasing the emeralds instead of the sequence in which it looks up

I do not think I can return the text "Sonic Team", without the help of someone more experienced, but if this goal were fulfilled I would like to replace it with the SEGA logo



Besides it would be great to repair the demos of the levels that in the TI version they left to work properly, although it seems to be all the elements necessary for them to work

Finally, in the capture of my previous publication, the graphics were remapped, some were updated with respect to previous versions, and replaced the palette used by the harpoons to avoid the areas where they camouflage with the background, but the disposition of the elements in that Capture in specific is the same

Googie
Thank you, it means a lot to me, you are one of the people that made me interested in this hobby, but anyway I never understood what that cookie means, whenever I see it I think about this subject:

[cartridge_rom]

finally apply this alternative sprite is much better than the final version