Sonic 2 LD

emrabt · Sep 8, 2010

MoDule said:

Glitch has got the right idea. We can't go adding colors to the already limited space we have.
Say, we changed the bright red to a normal red. The problem here is that it wouldn't work well with the brown that's used as a sort of dark red. So, we add a proper dark red. That brings the three free colors down to two. I've been considering palettes for the later zones, and even with some heavy optimizing, I need those last three colors almost every time.
Alternatively, we could replace the very dark red with the lighter shade, but that would make Sonic's sprite look wrong and I'm sure a few others as well.

Regarding the EHZ sprite palette, the consistent thing to do would be to economize away the red and use the existing bright red. Same goes for the orange, as you can hardly tell the difference, anyway. That leaves the green. If you were to get rid of that, too, you could use the sprite palette for the water falls, freeing three colors on the other palette. Only problem I see here is that the platforms couldn't have the right color grass, unless it's possible to use the other palette for sprites, as well. Anyone know if that's possible?
Click to expand...

I don't think it's so much that people want the palette changed, but rather want to remind eggfan to tell them about any major changes before they start spriting.

For example, if tokumaru knew about the changes eggfan had made to the palette his badniks would look more like this:

Because he would have known about the extra red, instead they looked "washed out" because he was using an old version pallette without a red, as eggfan didn't inform when he updated the colours.

Sparks · Sep 9, 2010

So why are we deriving away from the game pallets we've been given/required to use?

emrabt · Sep 9, 2010

So why are we deriving away from the game pallets we've been given/required to use?
Click to expand...

Most aren't.....

doc eggfan · Oct 16, 2010

Starting work on Act 2

(I know there's a level editor, but I like the freedom that a spreadsheet offers).

Aerosol · Oct 16, 2010

How are you using a spreadsheet to do this?

doc eggfan · Oct 16, 2010

AerosolSP said:

How are you using a spreadsheet to do this?
Click to expand...

It's just a tool for putting the bytes in the required grid pattern for the level layout. I can then use the spreadsheet functionality to insert, delete, copy to get things all lined up in columns and rows. Then it's just a matter of saving as a .txt file and importing into a hex editor and slotting it into the rom.

Mad Echidna · Oct 16, 2010

doc eggfan said:

AerosolSP said:

How are you using a spreadsheet to do this?
Click to expand...

It's just a tool for putting the bytes in the required grid pattern for the level layout. I can then use the spreadsheet functionality to insert, delete, copy to get things all lined up in columns and rows. Then it's just a matter of saving as a .txt file and importing into a hex editor and slotting it into the rom.
Click to expand...

... You're using OpenOffice calc on ubuntu to hack Sonic roms?

Are you a leet god or something? That's the coolest shit I've seen in years.

Also you should upgrade to Ubuntu 10.10, it has way prettier fonts :P

Sik · Oct 16, 2010

Now that was something I definitely did NOT expect... Also yay for act 2.

doc eggfan · Oct 16, 2010

There's no real advantage or disadvantage with any OS when you're just editing bytes. I don't really think it makes me any more leet for using ubuntu.

Agobue · Oct 18, 2010

I just had a thought, would it be possible if this game was ever completed to release it onto some sort of Master System cartridge, allowing it to be played on an actual system?

nineko · Oct 19, 2010

Slingers said:

I just had a thought, would it be possible if this game was ever completed to release it onto some sort of Master System cartridge, allowing it to be played on an actual system?
Click to expand...

There are sms flashcarts which can be used for this purpose; ToToTek comes to mind.

doc eggfan · Oct 19, 2010

It is possible, but it's been untested. Sometimes when you change stuff in a rom, an emulator will gloss over things that real hardware will hang on, so it would need testing.

Besides, it would be expensive. Flash carts aren't cheap, and producing roms wouldn't be cheap either.

I sort of thought you could release it as a disc for dreamcast using a custom master system emulator. I think there might even be a master system emulator for Mega CD too. But there is probably not much point, because people can do this themselves.

doc eggfan · Oct 27, 2010

Progress report: The skeletal structure of Act 2 is in place and I'm about halfway through tidying it up. Maybe it won't take the two years it took me to finish Act 1. I'm sort of aiming for a Christmas Release, but it could get pushed back to early 2011.

It would be nice to make a Sonic 2sday release, but I think that's pushing it.

Agobue · Oct 30, 2010

Maybe even a release on a handheld console such as the Game Gear or Nintendo DS could be possible.

Spanner · Oct 30, 2010

Slingers said:

Maybe even a release on a handheld console such as the Game Gear or Nintendo DS could be possible.
Click to expand...

The Game Gear would need some sort of flash card, something which I doubt exists. Is there a GG emulator for the DS? I don't know about that too.

Banoon · Oct 30, 2010

SOTI said:

Is there a GG emulator for the DS?
Click to expand...

ApprenticeMinusDS. Works pretty much flawlessly for both SMS and GG.

doc eggfan · Oct 31, 2010

Guys, we got to finish it first. It took 2 years to do EHZ Act 1. Any talk of a physical release is a little premature.

I'm having some trouble squeezing Act 2 into the level height restrictions, but I'm getting there.

libertyernie · Oct 31, 2010

Banoon said:

SOTI said:

Is there a GG emulator for the DS?
Click to expand...

ApprenticeMinusDS. Works pretty much flawlessly for both SMS and GG.
Click to expand...

I use S8DS, which is basically a DS port of SMSAdvance. Didn't find out about it until recently, but it's worked just as well as ApprenticeMinusDS (and I like how the bottom screen turns off when you're not using the menu.)

doc eggfan · Nov 7, 2010

Almost finished Act 2. The layout and collision is done, just about finished ring placement, then I've just got to place the items and badniks.

Took me two years to finish Act 1, one month for Act 2. I'm pretty happy with that.

I'm gonna try for a November 24 release, but I'm not 100% sure. I've still got some major tidying up to do between now and then.

doc eggfan · Nov 7, 2010

OK, this is driving me nuts. At some point, I must have changed the palette that UGZ loads to ALZ, so I could use the rotating water palette for the waterfalls, but for some reason, in Act 3, the cycling palette doesn't work.

Now I want to go back and see what I did wrong, but when I go searching, I can't find any palette pointers or indexes. I did it before and now I can't remember, I need to keep better notes.

Sonic 2 LD

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