Yeah, it has to make Steam think you're playing the game in order for achievements to work. I don't know what would happen if someone tried using it without owning SADX on Steam though... Speaking of the mod, if anyone's interested, the source code for the mod is on GitHub.
I've added a command-line PVM2TexPack tool to the SADXPC folder of SA Tools. It converts PVM/GVM/PRS/PVR/GVR files into texture packs for the mod loader. You can just drop a bunch of files on the exe or run it from a command prompt or batch script.
unfinished code here (and no it's not netplay) I've found a bunch of sprite rendering functions in SADX (among other ninja api functions) and have added them to the mod loader. You can draw hud elements, manually draw 2D sprites, or draw 3D sprites (e.g tikal, explosions, etc) in the scene using Draw2DSprite, njDrawSprite2D, and njDrawSprite3D respectively.
Although the UI is what I set out to make changes to, it did basically nothing to help fix that problem. It looks as though menus use a totally different setup than the one used for the hud and pause menu. And even then, the pause menu's yes/no questions, map, and mission screens seemingly use that other unknown menu display system. Here's a fun video which actually demonstrates the problem. When I select Quit, you can clearly see what's using the sprite system and what's not. Also here's two others which are just amusing. Yes, although other than using it as a sprite rendering test bed, there's not much to it. You can spawn characters on button press, and you can teleport to other players in case you "die" (players 2-4 can't really die) or something. There's some problems that need to be fixed before this is really usable, like the fact that objects are, at best, hard coded to interact with players 1 and 2, and at worst are hard coded for just player 1. Players 3+ can't even use springs. It also uses an entirely custom texture list using the texture pack system to make a virtual PVM though, so that's cool.
Looks like you've set up the basic mechanics for a SADX multiplayer mode either way. Now we just need someone to figure out how to implement split screen... Interesting idea (odd they didn't make them available in the final game anyway, at least DX would have SOMETHING to call it a Director's Cut then). Did you test run each character with their respective track first though? I remember in the GC version at least that some characters can glitch up in certain parts of certain tracks for some reason (eg. Gamma and Big sometimes won't bounce off of certain boost pads).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ugisgzb46E Download and source code here: https://github.com/SonicFreak94/sadx-chao-debug/releases Requires my input mod and a controller with an equivalent of the Xbox 360 back button, as the "D" button (as I have it bound) is used to toggle input redirection from controller 1 to 3. Edit: Oops, forgot. After pressing D, press Start to open the menu.
I forgot to ask, does the data for this unused cutscene still exist in DX? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEwkfHkudpE
Oh well. Just noticing now, but isn't the checkpoint timer and Icecap/Sand Hill counter the original font in high res? For some reason, the PC changed the lower res versions of the font despite this rendition existing and still being used.
I did notice that, yeah, but I couldn't find the higher-res version, only the version of the numbers used in Twinkle Circuit. It's a curious change indeed. Maybe they wanted to change it across the board but didn't have the time/motivation to do so, which I don't find that hard to believe considering the condition that the vanilla port is in. :v:
Sorry to barge into the conversation, but is there any way to access the flashback levels after finishing them? I assumed the cheat engine/trainer would work, but that seems to have 404d. I wish I had some information to offer and advance the conversation... :v: EDIT: The trainer URL has changed. But how do you change levels on the fly?
I've wondered, have there been any mods so far that have tried editing the object shadows? In the HD modes offered most of the game (par the cutscenes) can be made to look fairly decent except for one glaring element always ongoing: I mean come on... Is it possible to back port the more complex shadow effects from SA2 or another later game to replace the basic circles of this one?
I bet it is possible, but I don't think it would be easy, that's for sure. On the bright side, you could use the texture pack system to make the shadow super high resolution, so it would at least look less awful =P
Update on this: Added some custom debug menus to enable editing of monotone/shiny flags, eye textures, mouth textures, and the emotion sphere thing. Also fixed some crashes.
Oh some things I forgot to ask. 1. How editable is the Mission Mode? It always seemed something with a lot of potential in the right hands. It was a cool idea that gave reason to wander around in the Adventure Fields, but most of the missions themselves were kinda dull and ironically more 'fan-hackish' than most of the projects here (not to mention, like the main game itself, almost all of them were granted to just Sonic). 2. Is it possible to have Tails carry Sonic in co op mode? I suppose it would be something like having Tails' flying animation be recognised as a grappling obstacle by Sonic.
You could probably edit missions if you do it entirely manually, but as it stands now, the tools don't have official support for it. SA Tools is sort of in development hell at the moment, but once we get past that we can focus on things like a mission editor. As for Tails, that's something I've wanted to try out. It's another one of those things that's almost certainly possible, it's just a matter of implementation. There's a couple ways to approach it off the top of my head. You could hook into Tails's main subroutine, have him check proximity to other players, and force them to perform a certain action and position them a certain distance away from Tails every call, or you could do it "externally" using an OnFrame mod loader event with the same basic principle. You might even be able to force the target player into a monkey bar animation just to make it look better. But, whether or not the game will cooperate is another matter. Long story short: probably, but with some programming magic.
Fair enough. Hope you manage to get past the obstacles hindering SA Tools. I've just tried Mod Loader recently and I'm liking what I've seen so far.
Erm, is there any way at all to switch levels on the fly? I'm really interested in accessing the Mystic Ruins Past, but there's so far been no way to do so, since I can't find a download for SADX Memory Editor.
