[Aceearly1993]

Just finished working on keeping both the normal behavior of the Blade Armor dash when pressing the jump button in the air, and the no-delay directional air dash when using the dash button. In both cases, canceling by pressing the opposite direction works.



Together with the slightly-smoother saber animation handling I mentioned before, I'm finally satisfied with the Blade Armor. It might be worth updating the patcher for this. I just need to script a way to manipulate the damage charts quickly, so I can finally buff the Blade Armor directly and scrap the unnecessary custom code I wrote to modify values on the go.


@Aceearly1993, DarkSamus993
Would be great to have a fully functional Falcon armor implemented back in X6, though I don't think I'd be able to do it, not now at least. I get stuck when I need to manipulate which graphics are loaded. It's what stopped me from enabling special weapons on the Shadow armor...

This mod to Blade Armor is awesome! can't wait to see the rest of your analysis of retail X6.

As for the diagonal upward dash of Falcon Armor in that pre-release video which I noticed... Yes it could be anything.

Theoretically it could be, but it would be a big effort tracking down the relevant code to see what's going on. If the coding for them is still present in the game it would make things easier (if not, there's the option of porting code from X5). The graphics at least are still in the game (stored compressed).

If the code routine of diagonal upward dash variation is fully deleted in both prototype and retail then yes it would be a huge effort to implement it back. I thought that upward stance could only be a variation of dash instead of a full scale flying function like in X5.
In fact the charge shot piercing force in that pre-release video is what I'm more curious about, it would be cool to make Falcon Armor charge shot have that strong piercing force in the retail X6 (through adjust-able piercing force in the tweaks patcher if possible)

BTW is there some useful gameshark code list for X6 prototype which we can get? Character/armor modifier, area/checkpoint modifier, etc.

[DarkSamus993]

BTW is there some useful gameshark code list for X6 prototype which we can get? Character/armor modifier, area/checkpoint modifier, etc.

Current character: 800CFE00

Code: [Select]

Values:
00 = X
01 = Zero

Current armor: 800CFE26

Code: [Select]

Values:
00 = X
01 = Falcon
02 = Shadow
03 = Blade
04 = Ultimate
05 = Zero

(00 to 04 must have "00" in the previous address. 05 must have "01" on the previous address)

These are addresses loaded at the start of a stage, and will probably glitch or work partially if changed mid-stage


Available characters/armors in stage select screen: 800CFE27

Code: [Select]

Values:
+0 = X
+1 = Falcon
+2 = Shadow
+4 = Blade
+8 = Ultimate
+10 = Zero
+20 = Black Zero

(Values in hexadecimal. Base X is always available. Examples: 01 = X, Falcon; 03 = X, Falcon, Shadow; 10 = X, Zero; 30 = X, Black Zero).

This can be changed any time but changes takes effect after re-entering the stage select screen


Stage modifier: 800CFDD4
(See here for a list of values.)

Stage checkpoint modifier: 800CFDE5

Code: [Select]

Values (vary per stage?):
Intro Stage: 00=start, 01=middle, 02=boss
Commander Yammark: 00=start, 01=middle, 02=boss
etc.

Due to the way graphics are switched out during the middle of a stage, skipping right to the end results in the wrong tileset being loaded and glitched backgrounds.

[Aceearly1993]

Current character: 800CFE00

Code: [Select]

Values:
00 = X
01 = Zero

Current armor: 800CFE26

Code: [Select]

Values:
00 = X
01 = Falcon
02 = Shadow
03 = Blade
04 = Ultimate
05 = Zero

(00 to 04 must have "00" in the previous address. 05 must have "01" on the previous address)

These are addresses loaded at the start of a stage, and will probably glitch or work partially if changed mid-stage


Available characters/armors in stage select screen: 800CFE27

Code: [Select]

Values:
+0 = X
+1 = Falcon
+2 = Shadow
+4 = Blade
+8 = Ultimate
+10 = Zero
+20 = Black Zero

(Values in hexadecimal. Base X is always available. Examples: 01 = X, Falcon; 03 = X, Falcon, Shadow; 10 = X, Zero; 30 = X, Black Zero).

This can be changed any time but changes takes effect after re-entering the stage select screen


Stage modifier: 800CFDD4
(See here for a list of values.)

Stage checkpoint modifier: 800CFDE5

Code: [Select]

Values (vary per stage?):
Intro Stage: 00=start, 01=middle, 02=boss
Commander Yammark: 00=start, 01=middle, 02=boss
etc.

Due to the way graphics are switched out during the middle of a stage, skipping right to the end results in the wrong tileset being loaded and glitched backgrounds.

I'm so appreciated since I finally finished my research to X6 prototype last night thanks to the Game shark codes you provided. Can't wait to see the rest of your tackle to make retail X6 more enjoyable and revolution-able.

[Cupshadow]

I took the time to locate the Japanese RAM addresses:

Current character: 800CE5C8

Code: [Select]

Values:
00 = X
01 = Zero

Current armor: 800CE5EE

Code: [Select]

Values:
00 = X
01 = Falcon
02 = Shadow
03 = Blade
04 = Ultimate
05 = Zero

(00 to 04 must have "00" in the previous address. 05 must have "01" on the previous address)

These are addresses loaded at the start of a stage, and will probably glitch or work partially if changed mid-stage


Available characters/armors in stage select screen: 800CE5EF

Code: [Select]

Values:
+0 = X
+1 = Falcon
+2 = Shadow
+4 = Blade
+8 = Ultimate
+10 = Zero
+20 = Black Zero

(Values in hexadecimal. Base X is always available. Examples: 01 = X, Falcon; 03 = X, Falcon, Shadow; 10 = X, Zero; 30 = X, Black Zero).

This can be changed any time but changes takes effect after re-entering the stage select screen

----------------------------------------
The shadow armor also has the problem of not having graphics for the special weapons in it's file (which would be stored compressed). You'd have to first add those or else the game is going to crash trying to decompress non-existent data.

The shadow armor does still have special weapons palettes at least:


As an unrelated bonus, here's some early WIP sprites from the X6 prototype I found:

Thanks for the gameshark code mate! Now i can try to play as Unarmored X in japanese version of X6.

[acediez]

The shadow armor also has the problem of not having graphics for the special weapons in it's file (which would be stored compressed). You'd have to first add those or else the game is going to crash trying to decompress non-existent data.

That's exactly the crash I encountered when I tried it. I'd seen those pallettes before, so I just hoped they would load fine once it was given access to change weapons.
Not sure I'd enable a Shadow Armor with weapons by default, but it would be a cool option to have. Same goes for a restored Falcon Armor.

That prototype spritesheet, I've never seen it before. Is that on the final games' files or in a prototype?


Just to let you know what I have in mind (and to give you an idea of what to expect, and what NOT to expect), here's a current roadmap of what I have in mind for the project.
The list is in order or priority, but it doesn't mean everything on the list will get done, much less linearly...

QoL stuff for the Patcher
   * Implement tabs. Better organization and room for more stuff (already halfway done)
   * Save/Load profiles

Bug fixes from v15
   * Removing Falcon Armor option not working on v15 (already know why)

Hacks already done and/or addresses already documented, that need to be implemented in the Patcher
   * Animations control, to shorten delay/cooldown on certain moves (X Saber, Shadow Armor Saber, Zero's combo)
   * Blade Armor Mach Dash double function: normal behavior (stop wait for button release) when pressing "jump" in the air, and directional dash with no delay using "dash" button
   * Damage charts control (all moves, all enemy tables. Done mainly for Blade Armor's moves, but if I go there, I'm going all in. This will cover many use cases, like making the game easier/harder, balancing special weapons, having the option to damage High Max normally, etc.)

Hacks I've figured out but haven't implemented yet
   * Bosses life bar sizes control (at least the 8 main Mavericks. I just want to buff Commander Yammark on par with the others)
   * Link unarmored X modifications to armor pieces collected (Blade Armor's Leg part = allows unarmored X to air dash; Blade Armor's body part = buffs unarmored X's defense on par with other armors. Both changes are enabled by default on current version of the patch. Nothing in mind for the head/arms parts for now)
   * Dynamically change the character/armor used in intro stage: Zero, if the "start with Zero available" cheat is used; unarmored X, if Falcon Armor is disabled.
      * Though, to make this, first I need to figure out what's causing the game to crash after the High Max battle when using Zero.

<Big time/effort gap>

Hacks I'd like to make but don't know how
   * Have control over some of the options on an in-game menu (haven't looked into editing option menu entries yet, let alone creating a new sub menu)

Restoration from japanese version
   * Restoring missing player's voice samples (X's charged buster, X reaching low health, and Zero reaching low health. Not sure if there's more)
   * Modifying the title screen (have three options: keep american one, use japanese one, or an edited japanese one with the "Mega Man X6" logo, like the one I edited for X5)
   * Importing DuoDynamo's retranslation (this is a big one. Realistically I'm not sure if I'll ever get to it, but it's possible. gledson999 sent me a bunch of custom tools and scripts he made for his brazilian translation, so I plan to at least give it a try.)

"Going beyond" territory
   * Adding/fixing Zero's dialogues where he wasn't available before (intro stage, vs Nightmare Zero)
   * Addressing bugs from the original game

[Cupshadow]

In X6 prototype the warning sound is vocalized. Not sure if you want to keep this one.

[acediez]

In X6 prototype the warning sound is vocalized. Not sure if you want to keep this one.

I'd like to at least have the option to keep it, though I'd first have to see if that voice file is on the disc.

I know the player's voices are (the sounds part of the players files are exactly the same in both version), so it should be just a matter of finding the equivalent code in the Japanese version and restoring whatever call is being omitted.

[DarkSamus993]

That prototype spritesheet, I've never seen it before. Is that on the final games' files or in a prototype?

I decompressed those WIP sprites from the prototype files (they are finished in the final game).

[acediez]

I started playing around with the tools gledson999 sent me, and finally got a bit more familiar with the process for editing graphics and for editing text, so I skipped a few steps from my last road map and went straight to the "Restoration" section: title screen, script, and audio samples.

Title Screen

The obvious choice would've been pasting the american logo into the japanese title screen directly, but the american logo's shape, thick black outline, and colors didn't play together too well in the japanese title screen, so instead, I made a new one, keeping it as close as possible to the japanese logo. I took a similarly styled "Mega Man" text from a different source (the Mega Man X Command Mission logo) and adapted it directly into X6's japanese title screen.


For comparison, here are the original counterparts:

The title screen itself has been successfully inserted in the game with no issues (thanks blade133bo for helping me find the right files for the graphics and pallettes!). Picture above is an in-game screenshot.
However, as you can see, I still need to adjust the size and position of the "PRESS START BUTTON" graphic, which I also imported from the japanese version. The white italic text from the American one didn't work so well with this background.

Overall I'm very satisfied with the result, and plan to keep this as my default title screen (the one that goes into the standalone patch). As always, I'll leave it as a separate option in the Patcher, so you'll also be able to either keep the original american title screen or the untouched Japanese title screen.
After I figure out the   "PRESS START BUTTON" part, I'll try replacing the logo on the loading screen for consistency (when using this version of the title screen).

Script

I started some initial groundwork to insert DuoDynamo's retranslated script in, at least the main "cinematic" bits (that is, the text I'm not down right removing. I don't think I'll bother with Alia's in-stage calls). I've successfuly inserted single line edits, though I'm still in the process of figuring out how to recalculate pointers when increasing/reducing text length or number lines. Once I get to that point, it'll be a matter of fitting the text and scripting the whole thing.

Voice clips

I haven't made any real progress on this part, but as I've said before, I've at least confirmed the voice clips are still in the game. I hope I'll be able to track down the code bits that need to be restored from the japanese version.

[ThegreatBen]

Great work, love this project.

[Zero Dozer]

Heh, Acediez is still around. Was worth coming to check.

Loved the idea to bring the JP title screen.

[Metalwario64]

The English version of the Japanese title screen looks great, but the colors are oversaturated compared to the original. It's not a big deal, but the blue shadows on X's hand being very bright and saturated stood out to me at least.

Very nice work though, and I always look forward to your tweaks and improvements!

[acediez]

It's been a very busy last couples of weeks:

Voice clips
Thanks to DarkSamus993's help, I managed to insert all missing voice clips that I knew of:
- X's charged shot
- X and Zero on low health
- Title screen ("Rockman X6")
- Maverick intros (name calls)
- "Warning" voice clip (from the prototype).

All except the "Warning" clip were already loaded in game so it was just a matter of reinserting a few lines of code. As for the "Warning" clip, I'm still testing if the data shift from inserting an additional audio file causes any troubles. So far so good.

People more familiar with the Japanese version, please let me know if I'm missing other voice clips (I suspect there must be at least a couple for certain boss battles)


Script
As mentioned before, thanks to gledson999's translation tools,  I'm inserting DuoDynaMO's retranslation. All "Events" and "Mission Report" tesxt is done (even managed to tweak the text position a bit to fit a few more characters each line). I'm slowly working through the rest of it.
I initially thought I'd simply skip Alia's calls, but maybe I should work some patience and insert all of it i, then people can choose to keep the calls or not in the patcher. It'd be a shame to miss the opportunity to have all of the retranslation ingame.

A nice side effect of getting to this point is that the text-related freeze on the intro stage, when playing as Zero, has been fixed, as well as Zero's dialogue against Nightmare Zero. With this, the cheat code to start with Zero available will play a lot more naturally.


Others

Besides the retranslation insertion, there's still a couple of smaller tweaks I want to implement before the next release, so it's gonna take awhile.

Also, it's time to give the patcher an upgrade. First, implementing all the new stuff I've been working on. And secondly, a major behind the scenes upgrade: While the GUI itself will still be handled in AHK, I just got an external hex editing tool, written in python by my brother, to manage the file editing part, which will make it a lot faster and more reliable.

[Aceearly1993]

People more familiar with the Japanese version, please let me know if I'm missing other voice clips (I suspect there must be at least a couple for certain boss battles)

Zero has a unique voice clip in Japanese version when he's launching the Rekkoha special attack (the "giga attack" special with multiple beams falling from the sky), which is changed to a generic grunt in the Western release.

Script
As mentioned before, thanks to gledson999's translation tools,  I'm inserting DuoDynaMO's retranslation. All "Events" and "Mission Report" tesxt is done (even managed to tweak the text position a bit to fit a few more characters each line). I'm slowly working through the rest of it.
I initially thought I'd simply skip Alia's calls, but maybe I should work some patience and insert all of it i, then people can choose to keep the calls or not in the patcher. It'd be a shame to miss the opportunity to have all of the retranslation ingame.

A nice side effect of getting to this point is that the text-related freeze on the intro stage, when playing as Zero, has been fixed, as well as Zero's dialogue against Nightmare Zero. With this, the cheat code to start with Zero available will play a lot more naturally.

Now these are some groundbreaking news which made me excited. I'm ready to expect some cool custom scripts for Zero VS. Zero Nightmare dialogue.



Stil we didn't know how many code responsible for Falcon Armor's (preview video version mentioned before) diagonal air dash + strong piercing force charge shot remains in the final game and how complicated it would be to restore such function, I can slowly accept it as the imperfect side of X6 for now - blame developers for cutting those moves just before release.

[acediez]

Zero has a unique voice clip in Japanese version when he's launching the Rekkoha special attack (the "giga attack" special with multiple beams falling from the sky), which is changed to a generic grunt in the Western release.

Thanks! These are very helpful tips. If you happen to find another one, please let me know.

Now these are some groundbreaking news which made me excited. I'm ready to expect some cool custom scripts for Zero VS. Zero Nightmare dialogue.

Not gonna stray too far from what's already in the game though. Still, I'm excited to have a Zero playthrough flow naturally from start to finish.

Stil we didn't know how many code responsible for Falcon Armor's (preview video version mentioned before) diagonal air dash + strong piercing force charge shot remains in the final game and how complicated it would be to restore such function, I can slowly accept it as the imperfect side of X6 for now - blame developers for cutting those moves just before release.

Unfortunately, those abilities are already cut on the one prototype build that's currently available (where I took the "Warning" voice clip from).
As of now, the best case scenario would be to find that the code is still in the game and it's just skipped over, but I haven't seen anything like it yet (and judging by how the omitted voice clips lines of code were completely removed, I don't think this is very likely).

Another option would be to try importing code from X5, but I'm not sure I'd go that far.

If an earlier build were to surface, that'd make it much easier. So, maybe in the future.

[Aceearly1993]

That's some sad things to know, really. I once thought the upward air dash function could still be hidden sonewhere in the disc image ROM...

Not gonna stray too far from what's already in the game though. Still, I'm excited to have a Zero playthrough flow naturally from start to finish.

Glad to see this game being more enjoyable and evolutionable through your hard work, and I believe everyone who have seen this thread would be glad to know as well.

[AxlRocks]

Title screen, voice clip restoration, and retranslation oh my. Thank you for even more continued work on this Definitive way to play X6, no ifs, ands, or buts.

PS. I also appreciate that you decided to insert Alia's dialogue too. I never minded the X6 system for her, I like reading her flavor text every now and then.

[anthroxdq32]

Would this work for the Japanese version of the game?

I do not like the localized version of the game.

Thanks.

[acediez]

WIP

[justin3009]

Hot damn that's looking great! Little alignment issue with the y and a missing period in the 2nd image but still, this looks SO much better!