Sonic 2 Hack + SonLVL

Hello, all. Chris here.

As stated in my misplaced introduction thread, I am working on a hack called Sonic 2: Project Island. I am really only focusing on the levels and art for this hack, but ran into a problem using SonLVL to do so. After some editing of Emerald Hill Zone and it's 128x128 tiles, Hill Top Zone's tiles were all messed up, so i decided to use Hidden Palace Zone in place of Hill Top Zone to avoid more problems. However, none of the dissassemblies on Sonic Retro that include Hidden Palace Zone work with SonLVL. Has anyone made a SonLVL-compatible dissassembly of Sonic 2 that includes Hidden Palace Zone? I'd very much appreciate it if anyone has an answer.

 

None of the versions of Sonic 2 that include HPZ are directly compatible with the final's level data. There is a Nick Arcade disassembly that is compatible with SonLVL (I don't recall exactly where it is), and the LevelConverter tool should assist in importing the data.

If you did want to fix HTZ and make it independent of EHZ, you could also use LevelConverter to "convert" HTZ from a clean disasm to Sonic 2 format, which would merge HTZ's tile/block data, then you'd just have to change which files the game loads.

 

Ah, hello MainMemory. Seems you're quite helpful around this area.  :hi: (No, this is not sarcasm. It is truly an honor.)

Using Google i found an old thread here releasing said dissassembly. Are there any specifics i should know about how to use LevelConverter? I wouldn't want to break the game any further. 

EDIT: After some investigation, the dissassembly that i found does not include any objects with any of the levels, not to mention HPZ is 1 act long. and there is no Green Hill Zone. What's going on. Geez, this is more confusing than i'd like it to be.

 

*cough cough* http://sonicresearch.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=4152&hl=%2Bhidden+%2Bpalace+%2Bzone

Seriously man, 3 minutes. I typed "Hidden Palace Zone" into the search bar, and then I found it. It took me less than 4 minutes just by using the search bar. I know you're new and all, so I'm just being nice. If you ever need help with something that seems...like its been done a few times, use the search bar, it is your friend, it doesn't bite.

As far as the Sonic 2 you have, that is an early prototype of Sonic 2. It comes from a time just a few months after Sonic 1 came out, and they were in just the early stages of designing the game.

 

Sorry, i'm not sure i know what you're trying to help me with. Most of those links given don't work.

All i need now is a Sonic 2 Beta 4 dissassembly that is compatible with SonLVL. That would apparently help me immensely. Then i'll work on converting it. Does such a dissassembly exist?

Any help is appreciated.

 

You really aren't that good at researching, are you?
 
1. There isn't a Sonic 2 Beta 4 disasm that has SonLVL support....until last night when I started working on it for a project... either way, no.
2. Even if there was, Sonic 2 Beta 4 doesn't have HPZ in it. It has some of the objects lying around, but that's about it. I.E. You'd be wasting your time.
3. Really, the link I initially gave you doesn't have any working links? Well, just in case you are that lazy, or unable to find what you need yourself, I will link to the exact post in the thread I linked you to.

http://sonicresearch.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=4152&p=51137

You're gonna have to learn how to research and not just rely on people giving you shit. Like I said, you're lucky I'm still being nice right now.

 

Thank you for the warm welcome. Sorry for not being the genius you are. 

If you want, tell me EXACTLY how to get HPZ to work. If not, i'll go with MainMemory's HTZ split idea.

 

1. The link I provided you with has a disassembly with all the HPZ assets in it. I just checked to see if it was working, and it is. You were asking for Hidden Palace Zone assets and I delivered. You don't even have to convert anything, the files are already there. I haven't checked to see if they were set into the asm file, but you seem to have a handle on it, as I'm assuming from what you're saying, you've made HTZ load art separately from EHZ.

2. Stop being dense. I didn't say or imply that I'm smarter than you. I'm calling you out on your lack of resourcefulness and lack of ability to read, as I gave you the resources, and you couldn't figure it out. I'm having to literally spoon feed and tell you what and where stuff is. That's why I said your researching skills are a bit lacking. You don't have to be a genius to research.

3. You didn't ask for help porting Hidden Palace Zone into Sonic 2, you just asked for the assets. If you want help porting, PM me, or whatever. I may just release a tutorial later, whateves.

 

Well, sorry for not responding, but i'll be doing some experimenting later with the HTZ separation method.

Aside from that, is there a way to make multiple exits and entries from an Act 1 to an Act 2, sorta like Sunset Star Act 1 of Sonic Before the Sequel? I'd like to add multiple exits to some levels of my hack.

 

You mean like having multiple goal posts? Yeah, just put two or however many at the end of your level, assuming they are all the same x-positioned area. SYZ2 in S1 has two goal posts.

 

No, i mean, in S:BTS's Sunset Star Zone, when you pass Signpost A, you go to level 2A, and when you pass Signpost B, you go to level 2B. I'd like to have 2 goal posts in Emerald Hill Act 1, where one goes to the top of Act 2, but another goes to the bottom part of Act 2.

Basically, the Signpost you pass determines which area of EHZ Act 2 you enter in, I.E. EHZ Act 2 having two entry points. Is there any way to program this?

 

You'd have to drastically alter the way the signpost object works. For starters, you'd have to add an extra check for the y-axis so that sonic doesn't activate both posts when he goes past one of them. You'd also have to make big changes to the way the game determines which level should load next (You'd likely have to make a new level load list for every customized post).

 

You could put a level/act check in the level start location. I don't have the disasm in front of me, so this is just an example.


cmpi.w #0001,($FFFFFE10).w ; Check if Level is EHZ2


lea (Lvl_Start_loc).w


Well, something like that. I'm typing from a phone, so I don't have the code in front of me to check, so dont do that perverbatim, but look for the code and see how it loads and add the level check.

 

If you plan to go to the same level anyway, you can keep the signposts as they're now (e.g. going beyond a certain X position will finish the current level no matter what, à la SYZ2 as mentioned above), and simply store a flag somewhere according to your Y position (if Y < something then Flag = 1, if Y >= something then Flag = 2); when you load the next level check that flag and load Sonic's starting position from one of two lists, the second of which you should create by your own.