Map Display Improvement

I improved the map display routine as I evaluated some flags and several maps look much better now.
The map editor is also rearranged to make the handling more clear and intuitive.

The Mu maps had some problems with the lowest level, but not anymore:

The order of the two map layers is a problem which still remains. I haven't found the information yet that tells me which map arrangement data corresponds to which map layer. As a result some maps still don't look as they are supposed to (only house interior maps). As an example, Neil's Cottage:

If i flip the order of the map layers everything looks fine. But I need to find that information in the ROM first...

Variable Condition

I changed the Player Map Condition command that I wrote about in the last post to a more general variable condition command. A variable is basically a value in the RAM that can be read and written.
So a variable condition is a value read from a specific RAM address and compared to a certain value.

As an exampe I will show you the variable conditon that checks the current map:

It's interesting that the ultimately unused Inca Melody was supposed to be used at Map 24 which is a house in Itory.

Another example shows a variable condition that checks the current character (0 = Will, 1 = Freedan, 2 = Shadow):

It will be possible later to add own variables in the editor so you have the full flexibility to handle the RAM data.

Event Editor: Assembler Commands

I found several event commands which aren't comprised of game specific script code but from real assembler opcode.
The following commands are now available in the event editor:

• Disable/Enable Player
• E.g. for cutscenes the player is disallowed to move or open the menu screen

• Player Map Condition
• Check if the player is on a specific map. Used by several items.

• Restore Life Points
• Restore a specific number of the player's life points. Currently only found on the herb item

I definitely plan to include an assembly editor where it will be possible to create new commands using opcode.

GaiaTheCreator v.0.3.1

You can download version 0.3.1 of the editor now of you follow this link:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/i1e896kd03yegzn/GaiaTheCreator%280.3.1%29.zip?dl=0

This version contains an output of error and event messages in the editor as well in a log file that is created with the project. I added some error handling so I hope it will be possible for me to find out why the editor is not working for some of you...
You can also see now the progress bar if you create a new project or open an existing project.

I will soon make an update for the upcoming features/new functionality.

Here are two screenshots that show the log output in the editor:

Create and Delete Events & Exits + ROM expansion

It's now possible to delete and create events and exits in the editor because I managed to recreate the wohle event and exit data set in the ROM.
As an example I deleted all the events of the South Cape map:

The creation of an event works up to now only in the editor but not in the ROM export. I still have to figure out some issues...
But as an innovation you can now choose an already existing event from a list if you want to copy an event (e.g. enemy) instead of creating a complete new event.
I also improved the appearance of the event editor to make the handling more clear.

The next important step will be the rearrangement of the ROM data to make it possible to expand data like the number of events, tilesets etc.
I already did some tests that look promising:
I expanded the ROM from 0x200000 bytes to 0x400000 bytes and tranferred tileset data into this new data area. This works quite well so it's possible to double the size of the ROM!

Move & Edit Events

It's now possible to change the location of events & exits on a map in the editor. I also implemented a first way to edit the events and write it back to the ROM. The first results look promising.
I changed the NPCs text and location in the following screenshots:

GaiaTheCreator v.0.3.0.6

The new version of GaiaTheCreator is now available here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1slsrgg3u968zaw/GaiaTheCreator%280.3.0.6%29.zip?dl=0

The most important features of this new version:
- View and edit sprites (no export to ROM)
- View and edit maps (export to ROM only for map layer 1, doesn't work for all maps yet)
- View and edit map tiles
- View event, item and character move sprites
- View and edit character text profiles
- Added several commands that are displayed in the event editor
- Added editor version information
- Display of map exit areas

There are many things that won't work yet but I think this version will give you an impression of what the final editor may look like.
As always, your feedback is very welcome, especially for the usage of the new map editor or the sprite editing.
So enjoy and have fun ;)

Note: You might have to uninstall the older version of the editor in order to install the new version.

Sprite Animations

It's now possible to view sprite animations in the editor. You can view these animations on several locations in the editor which I will show you in the following screenshots:

• Character moves

• Sprite edit

• Items

• Event editor

I will upload the new editor version next week after I finished making it more stable and clean some things up.

Edit Maps

The map compression is finally working and most of the maps look good now!
As a result it is now possible to edit a map and write it back to the ROM.
Some examples:

Map Exit Area

I discovered two more data bytes for the map exits that hold the size of the exit area.
The correct size of an exit area is now displayed on the maps:

As for map editing I will need some more extra effort since the compression routine doesn't work for all of the maps yet.

Edit Map Tiles

I finished the map compression routine so now it's possible to read back map arrangement and tileset data back to the ROM!
With this post I will show the editing of the tileset data:

You can choose a specific tile in the editor and change it's properties. You can change the X/Y mirror, the palette and tileset offset as well if the tile is displayed above the player or not.
You can also change the property of the tile which means what interaction takes place if the player is on a specific tile.
Here is a list of the possible properties:

0 - Tile Pass
1 - Steps
2 - Climb (Up/Down)
3 - Ramp (Down)
4 - ?
5 - Ramp (Left)
6 - Tile Block (Diagonal Left)
7- Climb (Left/Right)
8 - Jump Down
9 - Tile Block (Diagonal Right)
10 - Ramp (Right)
11 - ?
12 - Ramp (Up)
13 - ?
14 - ?
15 - Tile Block

As an example I changed the property of the wall tile from "Jump Down" to "Climb (Up/Down)".

The result in the game, the player doesn't jump down the wall but climbs it up and down:

I also changed the gras tile property so the player climbs from the left to the right:

In the next post I will show how you can edit a map and write it back to the ROM.

Map Display Improvement

I improved the display of the maps by considering the tileset offset bit which is part of the tileset data. This bit signals which part of a large tileset (Size = 0x4000 Bytes instead of 0x2000 Bytes) is to be used for a specific tile.
As a result, some maps look much better now, some of them can be seen in the following screenshots with a comparison of the old and new look.

Edward's Castle Old:

Edward's Castle New:

Inca Ship Old:

Inca Ship New:

Sprite Palettes

I found the palette offset information for the sprites so now the color palettes seem to be correct.
A few impressions:

 I also rewrited the loading algorithm for the sprites and it is much faster now. I needed this improvement for the display of the sprites on the maps which will be my next goal.
And as a little outlook:
I need to finish the map data compression routine to write the edited map data back to the ROM. Once this is done I will release the next version of the editor that will enable map editing and mabye even sprite editing.