Quick Modding/Hacking Answers Thread

"one day i bought a bootleg version of a free game at a yard sale"

Continuing the OBVIOUSLY REAL AND NOT FAKE story:
After I had quit the game... I realized something.
My computer had now just gone to a maintenance prompt, and all the files not on the initrd were missing.
It seemed to be a version of Cave Story which magically corrupted everything on my computer.
Luckily, the most important stuff, my code, was on Dropbox and Github.
The PRs were already merged into a repository I didn't own even if it had spread, and Dropbox just needed a bit of reverting.
I now began... the rebuild. Which is a 2-part plan.
First stage was to burn the old computer. So I magically teleported to Yellowstone National Park or whatever it's called, dug a bit, and threw it in.
Second stage was to get a new computer. So I magicked one up bought one.
Until four days afterward, when said new computer stopped working. The floor was covered in blood, and the fans too.
Opening it revealed a pool of blood was inside... but WHOSE?
When I decided to use VNC to access a remote server from my tablet, my tablet exploded. With blood.
When I decided to quit using computers, my breakfast exploded. Again, with blood.

This is why you do not get yard sale games without running them in a sandbox.

(5 days later)
Oh, it's just a joke the local (insert personality type here, feel free to suggest one) shopkeeper played on me. Never mind the damage to just about everything.

disclaimer:
This story is a joke! It doesn't even have a sane ending!
Any interpretation as fact is forbidden!
If you decide that this joke is fact, or should be interpreted in a serious manner, for any reason,
then please visit your local Aperture Science Emergency Intelligence Incinerator.

And this is why you don't put sprites in the wrong places: odd posts on the Modding Q&A will result.

 

How would I change the sound and effect that occurs when you die? I'm going to make it where the main character from Dust doesn't explode, since he's a human, and that's pretty stupid to make him explode. I already have the script for his death animation, which is falling down, made, so I just need to change the sound and remove the smoke effect. So, if this has already been made or something, could you please direct me to it? Thanks regardless.
Edit: So I figured it out in theory. All I need to do is copy the drowning code, and add a check to make sure he has zero vertical velocity. All I need to know now is what to copy, where to put it, how to make the check, and what values to change.

 

I was editing MyChar using a Mac graphic editor called Paintbrush and, after switching the file back to a .pbm using Cave Editor, loaded Cave Story to find an error in computer code. I checked the error log and discovered that there was something wrong with the file. I checked the box to remove Pixel's requirement for images beforehand but that didn't change anything. I can't upload the image because I don't have permission from the website, but is their any obvious reason why the image won't work. Does it have to do with the fact that I'm editing on a Mac or what?
Edit: I just tried downloading a new copy of the game and putting the old picture in the new copy after removing the copyright and everything, but the error still appears.

 

I was editing MyChar using a Mac graphic editor called Paintbrush and, after switching the file back to a .pbm using Cave Editor, loaded Cave Story to find an error in computer code. I checked the error log and discovered that there was something wrong with the file. I checked the box to remove Pixel's requirement for images beforehand but that didn't change anything. I can't upload the image because I don't have permission from the website, but is their any obvious reason why the image won't work. Does it have to do with the fact that I'm editing on a Mac or what?
Edit: I just tried downloading a new copy of the game and putting the old picture in the new copy after removing the copyright and everything, but the error still appears.

If you are saving straight to .pbm you are gonna have problems, as I'd recommend saving as .bmp and then renaming the extension to .pbm.

Aslo I'm almost positive Paintbrush is unreliable. I use Macintosh as well and Paintbrush is horrible for keeping a format.

 

If you are saving straight to .pbm you are gonna have problems, as I'd recommend saving as .bmp and then renaming the extension to .pbm.

Aslo I'm almost positive Paintbrush is unreliable. I use Macintosh as well and Paintbrush is horrible for keeping a format.

I've been changing the format to .bmp. Sorry for not explaining that. But I'll make sure to use a different tool than Paintbrush. Thanks!

 

What is the item/weapon that appears as a green block in the editor for? I modded it into the game and it did nothing, And the item description was "Hajime".

it does nothing like the missile expansions.

 

it does nothing like the missile expansions.

noyou're wrong
it's the level 3 bubbler's projectiles

 

noyou're wrong
it's the level 3 bubbler's projectiles

really? thanks, I was wondering where those were.

 

Oh. I still wonder what "Hajime" means.

One of Jenka's dogs

 

noyou're wrong
it's the level 3 bubbler's projectiles

NEVER FORGET THE UBERBUBBLER

 

What values do I need to change to make the Dog NPC that latches to your back appear directly on the player?

 

What values do I need to change to make the Dog NPC that latches to your back appear directly on the player?

if you are asking how to but the Dog on your back:

Spoiler

There an NPC separate from all the other ones that does this automatically.
You can either CNP a null to it to have it instantly appear, or add it to a map to have it there.

You do have to add this NPC to every map that it can be taken to, and it does require reading off of the Sand Zone sheet (but this can subverted by copy/pasting into some always-read sheet like Char.bmp and editing NPC.tbl to route the graphics to that.)

In the original Sand Zone maps this entity is always in the top left corner. PM me if you need help (One of Cavern Tale's hacks was to have the dog with you the entire game if you don't return it.)

If you're asking how to render the dog on top of the player sprite:

Spoiler

Rewrite the NPC render code

 

I meant the actual placement of the NPC, so I could make it turn into the Quote NPC for animations at the players spot, without making them have to be at an exact spot. The render code wouldn't move the NPC itself, only the graphic, right?

 

Why would you not want the NPC to move?

Spoiler

offset NPC000

#define
L_framerect_distance = 0
U_framerect_distance = 0

sprite_height        = 10
sprite_width         = 10
#enddefine

push ebp                          
mov ebp,esp                     
sub esp,10                       
mov dword [ebp-10],0     
mov dword [ebp-c],0      
mov dword [ebp-8],0      
mov dword [ebp-4],0      
setpointer  


mov eax playerXpos
mov edx playerYpos

mov npc.X, eax
mov npc.Y, edx

;render
mov eax, npc.scriptstate                  
imul al, al, sprite_height
add eax, U_framerect_distance 
mov npc.DisplayU,eax                    
add eax sprite_height
mov npc.displayD,eax  

mov npc.displayD,eax  
mov eax, L_framerect_distance  
mov npc.displayL,eax                   
add eax, sprite_width                           
mov npc.displayR,eax   
:end_of_code
mov esp, ebp
pop ebp
retn

framerect_distance sets sprite distance on the spritesheet and the rest is self explanitory
if you can get nox's defines to work and find a good offset, then by all means take it.
also <ANP set's the sprite number, so setting it to 4 would move it's display area 64 pixels right.
remember that numbers are in hex so 0x10 = 16
and for curly's sake set an offset other then NPC000 before mashing assemble or it will screw up your game in more ways then one.





E: I'm sure pleasant today, but if doing what I didn't have to counts as something, I'll take it I guess.



EE: Oh yeah, this is for the doukutsu assembler.

 

I meant make the dog NPC's actual placement relative to the player be directly on top of the player, thus allowing me to make it turn into NPC 150, for animating purposes. Moving the graphic will not help me much, since the NPC will still be right beside him.

Also, how would I replace the regular death code with the drowning code? Is there any way I could just make a jump to it and have it still work?

 

Okay, so I know that if there's a room with tiles that have to change to progress through an event, there should be TSC events to make those change whenever you go back in the map with said tiles to prevent frustration. Is there anything that I have to do to make it work for when I save in that room, exit the .exe file, and go back in? Because the anti-frustration events don't seem to work for that.

 

No real fix outside of assembly hacking. You might be able to hack the executable so it runs an event upon loading the file.

 

That, or make a different map/ a second version of the room inside of the map, and <TRA/<MOV the player there, and then save.

 

Literally just add a null entity with its alt direction right above the save point (making it actually spawn on the tile below), use run event on contact, and there you go.

If the tiles you need changing are in your peripheral vision, than this would look like crap, but needing to hack to make an event run on load is ridiculously unneeded.

 

Literally just add a null entity with its alt direction right above the save point (making it actually spawn on the tile below), use run event on contact, and there you go.

If the tiles you need changing are in your peripheral vision, than this would look like crap, but needing to hack to make an event run on load is ridiculously unneeded.

Thanks, Enlightened! Luckily for me, the save points aren't close to the tiles that need changing, so it works great!