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Guys, sorry for the late reply.
Vludi: I think that there are still room for a color hack for Blanka stage. This is an area where pyron could help me when the pic get inserted.
Dr apocalipsis: Im inserting the background in the rom and I tried to apply some of your suggestions.
tryphon, at last I can describe how I can get the graphics inserted together with the proper pics:
1. First I do a color hack using the colors that use the new pics.
2. Using tile molester tool I must locate exactly the tiles in the tile set which contains animations and also tiles which contain sprites.
How do this? I just export a screenshot in tile molester of tileset of blanka stage and I mark it with a number font with paint shop pro, then I copy the marked tileset to rom using tilemolester and I check in the modified rom running blanka stage using an emulator for look which letters correspond to that special tiles. (Please see the old tutorial in this same thread for check this step). Then I get this:
http://s13.postimg.org/eiwnhjbsn/Bla...do_tiles10.png
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3. For create the proper new pic that I need for create the new tilemap I must omit the tiles which contain animations and sprites in the new tileset.
For be sure, I detected them by deleting manually all the tilemap in rom, (by replacing the tilemap with zeroes). Then I get this in an emulator:
http://s22.postimg.org/fb2j1vz01/Blanka_Plane.png
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4. Then I use retrographics tool kit. I need to create a new tile set of the new pic using retrographics, for this,
I must delete the tiles in the new pic which are sprites or contain animation.
http://s17.postimg.org/ezlcmw3n3/Bla...e_A_listo2.png
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http://s3.postimg.org/5bhf1xzk3/Blan...e_B_listo2.png
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5. Then I use retrographics tool for create the new tile set of unique tiles using the two pics above as data:
http://s15.postimg.org/6a4pudz9n/tiles_definitivo.png
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6. However the tile set above can not be used yet as our new tileset. We need more modifications:
For this, I proceed to delete all the old tiles in the old tile set except for the marked ones.
(The marked ones will not be included in the new tilemap and they must be handled manually):
http://s3.postimg.org/4gptisldv/Tiles_plantilla_2.png
subefotos
7. Then I paste the new set of tiles manually on the last screenshot. So I get the corret set of tiles. I get this:
http://s7.postimg.org/63ipelh4r/Tiles_Blanka_Listo.png
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8.By using tile molester tool I paste this new set of unique tiles on the old set of unique tiles and so is inserted in rom.
Now we have the correct tile set but our tilemap is still wrong and blanka stage will look like a mess at this point with a emulator.
So, we must proceed to replace the old tilemap by a correct new one.
8. First I must locate which is the index in tilemap for the first tile of the tile set. Usually the first tile has the index number 128
(tile index decimal 128 = hex: 00C0). So the first index must be adjusted properly for the new tilemap. So for create the new tilemap with retrographics tool I use the following pic as data and then a *.bin file is created for the new tilemap:
http://s28.postimg.org/y1dg2ko19/Pre...generator2.png
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So the new tilemap begins correctly in hex 00C0 by using that number font which consists of 128 tiles as the above pic show it. (I use a number font for be sure that all the tiles are all differents). And the tiles which contain animations and which contain sprites have exactly the same tile index as the old tilemap. They wasnt moved! Now we have our correct tilemap.
Finally, some observations,
given that Capcom filled with zeroes the areas which contain animation in the tilemap in rom, the new tilemap works correctly if I copy as it is. Not extra adjust are necesary for animation areas.
The last step is copy the new tilemap to rom, one by one, using cygnus hex editor (very tedious). And while, I must change manually the subpalette asigned to each tile.. I did so with cammy stage but in that case the tilemap wasnt very big because was just a section of the plane B.
For blanka stage I must copy the complete tilemap of plane A and B, so is a lot of tedious work if done manually.
I dont know if is possible to replace large blocks of data easily using cygnus hex editor in automatic way, but I cant find the way. Or if there exist a tool for this.
By the way, I tested the new tilemap and tileset for Blanka stage and worked fine so far, in fact I have Plane A inserted now (the following pic is from regen D emulator):
http://s4.postimg.org/nkp20d77x/Blan...ectos3_000.png
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But Plane B is not inserted yet. So a tool for copy large blocks of data in a given address in rom could do things a lot easier and faster.
Edit: I added a last pic
Edit2: minor changes
Ok, about my last post: this afternoon I copied large blocks of data of tile map using "copy/paste" and "cut" functions of cygnus hex editor. I could prefer that the editor could overwrite the data when is copied from other file. So could not be necesary cut old data and then paste the new data. That is annoying, my concern is that is easier for me to make mistakes and the rom could become broken. So, someone knows a easy to use hex editor capable of copy and overwrite blocks of data with the "copy/ paste" function?
Anyway, I manage to insert the plane B very fast by copying large blocks in rom using the "copy/paste" and "cut" function (pics are from regen emulator):
http://s27.postimg.org/epp6r4oir/Bla...roneo4_000.png
http://s27.postimg.org/d2zz5wcgz/Bla...roneo4_001.png
Even when Im not very happy because clouds in Blanka stage look not well centered, Im happy because at least to a techically level all worked as expected and this method will work fine with all others backgrounds. Maybe I will create other plane B with the clouds more properly centered later.
Now just left to add manually the numbered areas but it is not too much work. Also I hope that tryphon can help me again with rearrenge the palette of the upper area of the big green tree when he have some opportunity. (tryphon, I could be very grateful if you can help me again with this)
Thank you for explaining your workflow maxxfarras, that was an interesting read. For a hex editor with many, many features including overwrite with copy/paste, you could try 010 editor. It's not free, but there's a free trial.
I'm using FrHed, a free hexa editor which always allows to select insertion / replace for that type of operation.
Thanks a lot guys, I will check for that two hex editors.
Of course I'll fix the Blanka tree sprite palette (just lack of time right now, and busy with Shinobi).
I had written an answer to your post but it seems I didn't send it :P
I'll rewrite it. What exactly would make your hacking easier (what takes the most of your time) ?
Also, could you tell me where the data of the stage you worked on is located ?
Thanks tryphon,Quote:
Originally Posted by tryphon
Great that you are working with shinobi right now!
About my hack, I just recently realized how to handle the more tedious parts of the the process in automatic way by using some tools. However there is a chain of small steps which are time consuming but no sure how could be executed in even more automatic way:
(a). I could say that locate and mark the areas with sprites and animations in the tile set is the more time consuming. (Step 1 of my workflow)
(b).Delete the old tile set and just keep the marked tiles and then paste the new tileset over it is more o less time consuming even when new tiles can be copied in any order. (Steps 6 and 7 of my workflow).
(c). Also when the tilemap is generated I use as data input a pic which uses only a 16 color palette, so I need to change the color index of some graphics and keep such indexs properly aligned with the indexs of the other subpalette (as you can see in the pics of step 4 in my workflow ). So, when I get copied the tilemap to rom then I must change manually the subpalette asigned to each tile index. Using the plane explorer in gens tracer does things easier, but even so could it be easier if a tilemap could it be generated from a pic using 32 colors with the correct two subpalettes as input data.
However, Retrographics tool handle this in some sense, but looks like retrographics try to guess whichs is the optimal palette for a pic using 32 colors and the tool try to create two news subpalettes, so I get the colors changed. I mean, There is not way to input my two subpalettes as data using retrographics tool, or at least I cant find the option. The option of accept a palette map as input data could it be very useful IMO.
(d).And of course the final step which consists in to copy manually the new tiles to the numbered areas with sprites and animations of the new tileset is time consuming but I suspect that could be difficult find a way to handle it in automatic way. (please check last pics from my last post for this step).
Now, respect to the location of data for blanka stage:
Blanka Plane A tilemap: begin in 4574a0, finish in 458280
Blanka Plane B tilemap begins in 4584A0.
Blanka background subpalettes: begins in 477540 (there are 1+3 =4 subpalettes one after other which begins in this address, 3 are for do palette cycling)
I dont need to know where is the addrees location in rom for the tileset, because I use the tile molester tool for modify the tileset and this is handled in a easy visual way by such tool. So I dont check which is this address location yet.
(my work is typically for a completely different system, and I don't use retrographicstoolkit, but it might help you anyway): what I do is include one tile which includes all 16 colors I want to see in the palette. Typically, I will use the upper left-hand corner tile for this, since it's usually empty anyway. Then I just zero out that tile when creating the name table. It forces the tool to use that exact 16 color palette for that layer.Quote:
Originally Posted by maxxfarras
Ok, there are some updates: I got blanka stage completely inserted in rom now. It is almost done for blanka stage, but left to reasign the correct subpalette on the upper area of the big green tree for get correct graphics there.
Other little updates:
For Cammy stage I changed the color of shadows of the fighters by follow the instructions of tryphon.
For Ken stage I tried to fix a little the blue things over the floor.
Here is the link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/hyci4p67my..._Casi.bin?dl=0
Thanks a lot for the advice,Quote:
Originally Posted by TheMole
but let me point that I have no problems when the pic uses only 16 colors because in that case the pic is correctly processed by the retrographics tool and I get the correct 16 color palette converted also.
The problem is when need to input a pic which uses two subpalettes of 16 colors at same time (for example for blanka stage). IMO, In that case could it be necesary a a tool which is able to read a "palette map" and acept as input also the two subapalettes as data, so each tile will have the correct subpalette asigned.
Gorgeous.
Very well done max, blanka stage now is fucking amazing!
For the other side... i think with your experience you can do a bether job in cammy stage =D
Pyron and Dr. apocalipsis: thanks for the nice words!Quote:
Originally Posted by Pyron
Honestly, I think that I could not improve Cammy stage except for very small details ( if I rework it as I did with blanka stage) . I think could not worth the effort.Quote:
For the other side... i think with your experience you can do a bether job in cammy stage =D
Maybe for ken stage I could have some noticeable improvement but only for plane B (I mean, the back plane: for the far ship and for more detailed clouds)
tremendous work, i wish this was done on sf2:ce :D
Cammy Stage only needs to put that horizon 'sea' lower than the mountains. Right now it makes a weird cardboard effect for all the backplane and cuts sky in 2.Quote:
Originally Posted by maxxfarras
Well, and reintroduce the 2 blue tones back into the crows.
Wich stage will be next? I think Ryu stage only needs a rework on the far castle, and that could be done quickly.