Quick Modding/Hacking Answers Thread

Thanks, once I figure out enough of the weapon codes, I can probably clean them up quite a bit.

Also, for the increasing cave story code length, I think I'm going to go ask my computer genius friend Ian, he does way more coding than I do (he made a web browser when he was 11 and gave me a copy, it even had tabs!).

To tell you the truth, there's been a few things with weapons that have puzzled/confused me. The first thing is just a little thing I've been attempting with the fireball (Cultr1 recommended it). It's to turn it into a grenade. The main problems I've been having with that is making it so it bounces off when it hits an enemy, and finding part of the rocket launcher code that causes the explosion/changing script, sprite animation, sound, and blast radius. The other thing is the spur's behavior, but I'll ask more about that later.

 

Rocket lawnchair explosion is its own bullet. I can't remember which but it'd probably be one of them ones that're these


10 - Missle Ammo 01
11 - Missle Ammo 02
12 - Missle Ammo 03

1f - Super Missle Ammo 01
20 - Super Missle Ammo 02
21 - Super Missle Ammo 03

Or maybe not, but I'm pretty certain GIR showed me it once.

 

I've already commented about half the nemesis.

If you want it, I'll give it to you, but you will probably learn more if you do it yourself.

 

Truthfully, spend enough time with this code and you can read it like a book, no need for comments.
Also, rocket lawnchair? Wasn't that Nator's thing?


Spurs behavior is mainly to do with the gun asm, and not the bukket asm, which is what you probably have the offset for. Making the fireball bounce off enemies would be waaaaaaaaay tricker, as the code that handles bullet/npc damage/collisions would be outside of the fireball's function scope.


Edit: Oh yay, 1701 posts. Any significance?

 

That would be nice, the nemesis script is one of the ones I had planned on looking at last (didn't really see that much potential), but it would still be pretty interesting to look at.

The ones I found most interesting are (in order of interest) the polar star (for simplicity), the fireball (for the bouncing & gravity), the rocket launcher (for the acceleration+multiple shots+explosion), the snake (for the zig-zag+acceleration), the spur (many reasons, haven't figured out much yet though). I originally never planned on working with the nemesis, but I think it would be interesting to look at.

 

Something that you should know: all the weapons are divided into two chunks of code, the gun and the bullet.

The bullet contains all the collision code, the moving code, graphics etcetera, which means for you:
- Explosion (ML, EX)
- Acceleration (ML)
- Gravity (FB, tho it's the same concept)
- Collisions (FB)
- Zig-zag (Snake)
- Moving in a straight line (B, MG, PS, N)

The gun contains everything that happens when you press/hold x. The main three this does stuff for:
- Rapid Fire (ML, BB, S?)
- Charging (S)
- Multiple shots (ML)


Brief explanation of stuff you lookin' at:

Spoiler

Acceleration is just adding quantities to the x or yvel each step.
Gravity is acceleration on the y axis.
Collisions are anding the collision flag and then jumping, you really should look at them, if nothing else.
Haven't looked at how zig-zag or the explosion work yet, so that's worth checking out

Rapidfire, charging, and multiple shots are all really easy to understand, but you sorta have to look at the code.

 

Thanks, one of the things that I've really been wanting to look at is the rapid fire function and the y-axis variation with the machine gun.

Also, adding bounces with weapons other than the fireball is one of my eventual goals.

 

So do you want some tips or do you just want to find it all out by yourself?
(hint: the second one is more fun)

 

A good portion of my ASM experience is with NPCs and making weapons to do unusual things, so some information would help for starting. But most of it I want to figure out myself.

Another thing I've been examining: the damage (on self) script. I've been trying to remove the exp loss from it (haven't gotten it so far), because I've got an idea about creating a new system where weapon levels are earned.

 

Mmm.
Sounds like mine sorta - there is no exp loss ever, exp doesn't give exp but instead money, and money can in turn buy exp or weapons.
During the damage function (419910), weapon id should be got, mutilated, and then added to 499bd0, but in brackets, and further mutilated. Bet you can figure it out.




Oh, the best thing you can have with weapons is the [eax+n] table, and the Offsets. Dunt have either right now, but if you remind me, it's a can-do.

 

I'd really appreciate it!

 

Okay, when I start a new game I seem to spawn off the map. I can't even move the camera view . I've tried changing the Start Location but it doesn't do anything.

 

@woodenrat: Have you tried changing the Start Coords? Cave Editor will do that for you. also I think you can't have a map smaller than 21X16 but that should automatically do that.

Um...... this is going to sound REALLY n00by, but.... How do you make NPCs move/change? I know it's <ANP and <CNP, and I can use <DNP, but I can't use the <ANP or <CNP tag.

 

Is it possible to change the size of the palette?
One reason why was I was changing the "?" that comes up after you press down, and alot of the other sprites changed because I had to change the palette.

 

When it comes to dealing with pallete, there are a number of things you can do. CE's pbm/bmp editor has built-in support for editing the colors of the pallete, and you can safely replace any ones that are black besides the top-left. If you save them as 256-color bitmap (8-bit) then you'll have... 256 colours, which is more than you'd probably need in most situations.

Also, Paint.NET has the ability to save 256-color bmp and it automatically optimizes the pallete to the colours you used. It's what I do.

 

When it comes to dealing with pallete, there are a number of things you can do. CE's pbm/bmp editor has built-in support for editing the colors of the pallete, and you can safely replace any ones that are black besides the top-left. If you save them as 256-color bitmap (8-bit) then you'll have... 256 colours, which is more than you'd probably need in most situations.

Also, Paint.NET has the ability to save 256-color bmp and it automatically optimizes the pallete to the colours you used. It's what I do.

I may have read the first part wrong, but I know I can change individual colors. However, there aren't any pure black colors in the palette for "Caret" (the one with the "?") other than the upper left one. I want the palette to be bigger, so I can include more colors.
And if what you said was the answer to that, I'm sorry, I must of just read it wrong.

And the second part, I don't really understand at all

 

I think what he ment to say was, you should open up the tile set with paint and save it as a 24-bit bitmap.

 

Paint.NET
It optimizes stuff to make it awesomer.

Also, you can't have a pure black color, the closest you can get is 000001.

 

(Different question)
I made a new map and set the background for BkGreen, but the background won't come up. (I've already done scripts and stuff for going into the room, and those work. I can move around the room.)

Incase you need to know, the room is entirely bordered by blocks currently, and I have a few tiles that are made to block the background. Every other tile in the room is type 00. Should it be a different type, or what am I doing wrong?

 

Bug in CE.

http://www.cavestory.org/forums/posts/88998/

long story short copy maps instead of making new ones. Because when you make a new map, it won't have a background. Use the "copy" feature, or flat-out replace an existing map without wholly deleting it first.