Graphics Hacking

[Agent 12]

It's already inserted.  I dont mind if someone redoes it I just made a little like...cylinder thing with a rotating antenna on top (well...it kind of looks like that haha)

--JP

EDIT: IMO, it's enough to pass for now, i'd rather priority be given to getting the arc (replacing the twirling dancer) in the game, because right now there's a pretty cool scene that is ruined cause the arc isn't in the game

[FaustWolf]

I can insert the Ark during your non-bugfixing time tomorrow if Chrono'99 doesn't get to it first. I'd probably insert it over the Dactyl per Chrono'99's suggestion.

[FaustWolf]

Say, where is the Ark supposed to appear exactly? In the Cedric vs. Antaeus chapter or something I haven't gotten to yet? Do you have the necessary events coded for the Ark's use?

[ZeaLitY]

Not yet. It'll appear on a location that uses the Zenan bridge tileset.

You'll be able to access that after...well, I forget the exact chapter. And I guess it'd spoil you to tell more. Well...you'll see it.

[FaustWolf]

All I need to know for now is whether the game has been coded to use either the Dancer sprite or the Dactyl sprite (it would be hilarious if one of those sprites were used in the scene currently, ha!), or if the Frozen Flame is just floating there and there's no placeholder for the Ark sprite. Just to check for any kinks in the sprite.

In any case, I'll whip up the graphics pack, palette, and sprite assembly for the Ark and hold on until the event is coded to make use of the new sprite.

[ZeaLitY]

Hah, there's not even a Flame there yet. So I think you're free unless Chrono'99 has a plan for the Dactyl sprite.

[Agent 12]

the flame is there one of the more recent updates but it's there now but no arc (not even a place holder) feel free to do the changes and i'll insert the arc later).

[FaustWolf]

I take it we'll do the Dactyl's graphics pack for the Ark. Is the Dactyl's palette open season? I've almost finished with the Ark's assembly frames (I'm hand coding them with lots of tender love and care -- yes, we can just fit the Ark over the Dactyl's current Graphics Pack subtiles if I farked up, but I want to see if I've got this down pat).

I'll try to get a stationary graphics patch here ASAP.

[Chrono'99]

The Dactyl palette is shared with {8F} Lightning bolt, but we're not using that sprite so it's okay to replace it.

[ZeaLitY]

The lightning bolt's used in some Fall of Guardia scenes showing the Henches coming out of King Zeal's portals.

[FaustWolf]

According to my records, the Dactyl and a "Lightning Flash" NPC graphic share palette 0x81 (129 dec). Hope that's not a problem...

In any case, here's the initial Cedric's Ark graphic insertion patch. The graphics pack compressed quite nicely, with lots of room to spare! I guess I didn't need to be so conservative with the assembly frames after all.

The first frame of the sprite will close the Ark, and the second frame will open it. I'm not sure what your animation needs are, and I'm not sure if the dactyl's current animation data will suffice. If not, just give me a confirmation on whether you need the following:

2 frames total, one open and one closed
Animation 1: Ark closed
Animation 2: Ark open

Each animation should consist of one frame each.

EDIT: Oh snap, just read ZeaLitY's post. I can carve out the Ark's palette, but I need to know where to put it for a new patch.

[Agent 12]

Wait, does the above patch change the palette or just the graphics?

--JP

[FaustWolf]

Unfortunately both. I'll get a look at those lightning bolts ZeaLitY was talking about and see if different sections of the palette are in fact used by the dactyl/Ark and the lightning bolt. Right now the palette will make the lightning bolts black.
 

In any case, this patch can be "corrected" by simply copy-pasting the 24 palette bytes for the Dactyl's palette from a pristine ROM over the altered Dactyl palette.

EDIT: Say, can you toss me a savestate just before the event at which the Ark appears? I'm sort of doing the graphical work blind. How's the sprite assembly? Is it totally garbled? The palette should be pretty easy to fix if it's currently way off.

[Agent 12]

um....we could have a situation if that's the case....I just assumed that the patch didn't touch the pallette cause the ark is totally wrong colored and the lightning bolt looks fine.

Here's

a) the lunar IPS logs
b) the savestate


In the future we should probably not do graphic stuff blind just ask me for a savestate or I can even make a custom room for you.   I usually use gatos exhibit for a testing area you should to if you have TF lying around just change object 8 to whatever your testing (note that the patch you apply should NOT include the changes you made in gato though since events can be moved around after you make your changes do the changes again to a fresh rom)


--JP

[FaustWolf]

Thanks! Is the .jpg file the savestate?

Did you guys use NPC-0x56 or NPC-0xD4 for the lightning bolt in question? The palette applies to the dactyl and NPC-0xD4. I misspoke above (it's not NPC-0x81).

NPC-0x8F does not share a palette with the Dactyl. That might explain it.