DKC Atlas Forum

[Kingizor]

So here are the SDK2 Editor, the SDK3 Editor and the Map Tools for DKC3. All Anglicised by myself.

SDK2 Editor

SDK3 Editor

Map Tools for DKC3 with Frontend!*

These should help make editing DKC2 & DKC3 quite a bit easier.
For the actual tile editing you will of course need Platinum which can be gotten from here.

—

September 2015:
Updates for the SDK2 editor as well as many other useful utilities by Quaraage are available here (English) and here (Japanese).

[Simion32]

Awesome, Kingizor! These tools will be super useful!

</hidden post stalking>

[Kingizor]

Yes!

[mentholcase]

Thank you oh so very much.

[mentholcase]

I would like to maybe one day write a full FAQ for SDK2 Editor, but that is nowhere near the top of my list of priorities right now. However, there are two aspects of the editor that I have learned that I feel are important enough that I feel must share.

THE SORT BUTTON
In order for the bananas in your level to appear properly, it is important to click sort before saving. The exact opposite can be said for the camera borders. Even if all the camera boxes are linked together properly, clicking sort seems to unpredictably affect the camera linking. As for sprites, the sort button is neither necessary nor detrimental, and is completely up to the user, as sorting can help with organization, and has no noticeable in-game effect.

In summary, The Sort Button: Bananas - always, Cameras - never, Sprites - personal preference.

PARAMETERS
The parameter code for each sprite can be divided into two parts. The first two digits I will unofficially refer to as the team code. The last two digits I will refer to as the special code.

Team Code
When sprites share the same team code, if one is visible, all are loaded into memory and act as if they are all on screen at the same time. The most common example of this is when multiple Zingers move together in a pattern. Also, when a Kannon is shooting at you from off-screen, it is because it is sharing a team code with an invisible, special type of sprite, called an Off-screen Sprite Marker.

Special Code
Giving a sprite the wrong special code can cause glitchly effects. I can't say too much on the function and reasoning behind the special code, only that, when in doubt, compare similar objects in the same level to determine the proper special code. The most common special code is 01. Kannons (the Kremling variant) should always end in 07. Bonus walls and exits almost always end in 09. Off-screen Sprite Markers should ALWAYS end in 09. Enemies that move continuously in one direction and pass through walls should ALWAYS end in 02 (one-way Flotsams and one-way Zingers). Two special cases for the special code are in Castle Crush and Bramble Blast. The first digit of the special code in all of the Castle Crush sprites is 6, while the special code for all of the barrels in Bramble Blast is 11.

[Kingizor]

Camera properties. - This was written based on the SDK3 editor, but it should be the same for the SDK2 editor. I've found that if you get all of the parameters correct when rearranging cameras, the level should work fine. I'm not completely sure about the intricacies of the sort button, but it shouldn't hurt anything most of the time.

Object parameters - Again, this was written with DKC3 in mind, but most of it should still apply to DKC2.

[mentholcase]

I'm not completely sure about the intricacies of the sort button, but it shouldn't hurt anything most of the time.

It's got to be different enough for DKC2, because when I rearranged the cameras in Screech's Sprint, linked them all correctly, and then clicked sort, I got stuck in the middle of the race. I CTRL-Z'ed the sort button and everything worked fine, rearranged cameras and all. I did, however, notice that this problem never occurs with horizontal levels, but mostly in square-type levels. It has happened to me once in a vertical level (Windy Well).

[VideoViking]

One possible reason for Castle Crush to have a 6 in its codes may have to do with the elevator. In the first DKC, there were enemy objects specially designed to walk on platforms which only the Kongs could safely land on. Without this property, the enemy drops straight through the platform. Proven examples include Gnawtys, Klumps, and Krushas*. The elevator may also be seen as a Kong-only platform. Without the code in place, Neeks, Spinys and Krunchas would remain glued to the physics ground, making Castle Crush less of a burden.

* I have a TXT file documenting most of the existing objects. I'm way behind on that.

[Kingizor]

Both games are similar enough that sorting shouldn't do much more than rearrange the order of the items. Occasionally stuff breaks for no reason. As long as it works in the end...

I'm still not sure about all the edge cases, but I've occasionally encountered problems with camera alignment in certain levels.

For example, in each of these there is two cameras that occupy the same amount of space, yet only one example would function correctly. The other would not allow you to pass.

Spoiler!

@VideoViking: There is a similar occurence in Poisonous Pipeline in DKC3, where most the underwater objects have the value "11".

[mentholcase]

For example, in each of these there is two cameras that occupy the same amount of space, yet only one example would function correctly. The other would not allow you to pass.

Yes! This has happened to me, but especially with vertical levels. So weird.

[Cody]

In the DKC3 editor, I noticed all displayed levels have the 'default' palettes for each first level instead of their own (for example, all of the wharf levels have the "Lakeside Limbo" palette, while in the game they're all different). How do I change this if I can?

[Kingizor]

The tilesets used by the SDK2 editor are loaded directly from the rom and the correct palette is then applied.

The SDK3 editor does not load the tiles from rom, but instead uses the images inside the "chips" folder. Any change to them would affect the appearance of a map in the editor. This would affect all levels that used the tileset of the modified chip file.

Perhaps a nice colour balance adjustment?

[Cody]

Oh, thanks for the info. That's pretty darn neat-o.

On another note, I took a look in the "chips" folder and for people to say DKC3 was rushed... no, I don't think so. There are SO many confusing tiles. Must've taken the developers ages to put together each level.

[VideoViking]

The implication of DKC3 being pushed to production was based on the fact that in Rocket Rush, there is no Golden Letter "G".

[Cody]

It might've been "pushed to completion," sure, but something tells me the game as a whole wasn't "rushed" (in the "let's get it done as fast as possible" sense). The game contains some of the most creative ideas and level designs in the entire trilogy, for one. Then there's the sheer number of 'level' archetypes (there's more than DKC for sure, and I think there's only maybe 1 or 2 less than DKC2...I'll have to check).

Eh, who knows? All I know is that a lot of care evidently went into sculpting a pretty darn good DKC game

Edit:

Spoiler!

DKC2

1. Klomp's Romp
2. Jib Jig
3. Lockjaw's Saga
4. Hot Head Bop
5. Kannon's Klaim
6. Primal Rave
7. Bayou Boogie
8. Stickerbush Symphony
9. In a Snowbound Land
10. Flight of the Zinger
11. Disco Train
12. Forest Interlude
13. Haunted Chase
14. Krook's March

DKC3

1. Stilt Village
2. Mil Fever
3. Frosty Frolics
4. Treetop Tumble
5. Enchanted Riverbank
6. Water World
7. Cascade Capers
8. Nuts and Bolts
9. Pokey Pipes
10. Rockface Rumble
11. Cavern Caprice
12. Jungle Jitter

Looks like they more or less have the same number. DKC2 is in favor by two (though I don't consider "Haunted Chase" a "true" level due to the fact that it borrows the terrain/tracks from the "Disco Train" levels) which is pretty interesting.

[Markster]

You are awesome, this is the best thing ever for DKC2 and DKC3 hacking.

[Cody]

So I lost my external hard drive (which has all my backups) so I'm unable to check. Does DKC3 have the ability to have standard DK Coins in a level via this tool?

[dkc74238732]

Can you send me a download link of the fmf and Sdk file for the levels[spoiler]Lakeside limbo
kreeping klasps,tidle trouble,krevice kreepers and all the other levelshttp://www.dkc-atlas.com/forum/po ... 37&t=1325#

[Simion32]

What is he asking for?

I hope he doesn't mean a ROM...

[dkc74238732]

No! I need help with my dkc3 map tools

[Nachobust]

Hey, can someone post a video about how to use this stuff see we know what to do when we decide to make custom levels and such on Donkey Kong Country 3? I think I gotten the tools I need but I need to know how to use them.

[Kingizor]

We use the SDK3 editor for editing objects, bananas (type and position) and cameras. The provided download is already set up for use with the USA version of the game. If you wish to use an alternate region, you should only need to replace the rominfo.ini and sprites.ini files in the base directory with those found somewhere in the rominfo subdirectory.

After that you should only need to open your ROM, select a level and begin moving or changing the objects.

A few things to note:
• You can't add new objects without removing old ones first, at least not with the editor.
• Some special objects are a bit temperamental and can cause crashes or other issues in-game.
• Some objects are "linked" together so that they spawn at the same time. The first two digits of the topmost parameter are responsible for this.
• The latter two digits have other effects. Some values will cause an object to spawn only when the HARDR or TUFST cheats are enabled, others when a bonus is completed and so on. Most normal objects will either have either 01 or 04 set here.
• Having too many objects on screen at once will cause slowdown and general instability in-game.
• Cameras are a frequent source of crashes if incorrectly set. Crashes can occur if any are isolated cameras. The other four extra values correspond to where the cameras share a border with another camera, or something like that. Best to experiment.

Make sure to test regularly and keep a backup copy of any changes you make.

—

Tile editing is a bit more tricky. Neither editor has a built-in tile editor, so Platinum is used instead.

The SDK2 editor can extract the necessary data in several slightly different formats (ppj / fmf), which can then be opened in Platinum. The only other thing you need to do is provide an image of the tileset used in that particular archetype. Said images should be present in the "mapchip" subfolder.

For extracting map data in DKC3, we need to use the provided "map tools". These include a separate extractor, compressor and importer.
The extractor is used first, which will decompress the data and add an fmf header. The resulting file can then be opened and edited in Platinum.
Once you are done editing, the fmf file needs to be compressed using the compression tool.
The import tool is then used to import the modified map data back into the ROM.

A few more important things to note:
• The size of the modified map data must be smaller or equal in size than the original data in order to import it. If it doesn't fit, you can try deleting unnecessary tiles.
• Since most people are terrified of command line interfaces, I wrote a very crude frontend to simplify the map extraction/compression/importationism process.
• Platinum is a very versatile and capable tile editor. It has a lot of useful tools that can be very helpful in making maps.

I'm fairly certain I included a readme somewhere that should explain most of this in greater detail.

The SDK3 editor is a bit more basic than the SDK2 editor, so anything more advanced needs to be done by hand.

With a bit of persistence and common sense, you should be able to solve almost any issues you encounter.

[Nachobust]

Ok so I should use map data first?

[Cody]

Pardon me if this is a dumb question, but I can't seem to find these editors anywhere online...specifically DKC3 map editing. Where can I locate 'em?

[Kingizor]

Everything you'll need for that can be found in the first post.

[spaceman2028]

I wonder if someone would use these to either make stronghold showdown an actual Kaptain K Rool fight(the first half of the fight anyways, since the battle in the flying krock would have to be a second battle), or turn the same stage into the battle with the Kerozene, or to even add Pacifica into the SNES version of DKC3(krocktopus inkluded)...

[loftyD]

Has anyone a link to Platinum at all?

Thanks

[Kingizor]

The domain changed a while back. It's now at hyperdevice.org.

Failing that, the most recent version is available on RHDN.

[loftyD]

Genius. Thank you so much

[reversalmushroom]

All 3 of those links are dead.

[Kingizor]

They all seem to be working fine for me, but I've added a mirror to the first post anyway.

[reversalmushroom]

The DKC2 editor instantly crashes when I open the rom.

[Kingizor]

The most likely reason is that the rominfo file doesn't match the ROM version you're using.

In the base directory there is a file called "rominfo.ini". A different version of this file is required depending on the region and version of the ROM you are using. The default file should be compatible for USA 1.0 type ROMs, but different ones are available in the "rominfo" subfolder. You just have to replace the default one with the appropriate one for whichever version of the game you are using.

[reversalmushroom]

1. Thank you.

2. How come these level editors don't display the backgrounds?

3. You know how some of the levels will be different colors? I noticed that when the levels are displayed in the DKC3 editor, every level in each level type is the same color, whereas the level editors for the first 2 games will display the levels in their correct color palettes. Why is this? Do the first 2 games have duplicates of some of the level assets that are different colors, but DKC3 doesn't and just has the SNES change the colors? Or is that how all the games do it, and the level editor for DKC3 just doesn't display the color changes for some reason?

[Kingizor]

You don't interact with the backgrounds, so there isn't much point including them in an editor. Even if it were to display them it wouldn't look the same as it would in-game, mainly because the background is much smaller than the terrain layer. In-game, the background layer will often move slightly as you progress through the terrain layer. It's not possible to achieve the exact same effect when you view a large section of the terrain layer at once.

The SDK2 editor fetches all the necessary data from ROM in order to display terrains. The SDK3 editor on the other hand is a bit more primitive. Instead of decoding and assembling the tilesets in the same way as the SDK2 editor, it uses static images as tilesets (these images can be found in the "chips" subfolder). A tileset is assembled using several different components, one of which is palette data. The palette only determines which colours appear in the tileset, so using a different palette on a level of the same archetype shouldn't cause any problems most of the time.

There isn't any technical reason why the SDK3 editor does things this way instead of assembling them on demand like the SDK2 editor, since both games handle tiles and terrains in the exact same way. The most likely reasons I can think of would be that the SDK3 editor was based on an older version of the SDK2 editor, or that it was only made as a proof of concept.

It shouldn't really make too much of a difference for the end user. Our editing capabilities for both games are very similar.

[karahanli]

got question, im trying to edit one of the dkc2 hack japanese but sdk2_editor giving me error that saying `rom cannot be opened please check that your rom is correct region and doesnt have a header`.. i used lunar ips patch to play a hack someone made in japanese. any solution?

[Kingizor]

The SDK2 editor as found here is configured to work with the USA v1.0 ROM version by default.

In the SDK2 editor folder, there is a folder called "Rominfo". Inside it there will be compressed files containing a "rominfo.ini" file for the other versions of the game. Replace the default "rominfo.ini" file in the SDK2 editor folder with the Japanese one.

The same can also be done with the SDK3 editor

[BlueTronic]

Works great on Mac through Crossover 14

[TofuTofu]

It crashes for me when I tried to load a rom, I have both an american version and japanese version.
For the american version I just used the rominfo that was already there.

When I went to try the japanese rom and switch the rominfo to the Japanese one, it still crashes right away. ):

[Kingizor]

Most people who have reported the USA version crashing have been trying to use a v1.1 ROM with the default rominfo file, which is meant for v.1.0. Replacing the default file with the appropriate one in the rominfo folder is usually enough to fix that.

The program could crash outright if the loaded ROM is interleaved or has a copier header. Both are a bit more uncommon nowadays, but still possible. To fix either of those problems I usually recommend NSRT. Before you do any of that, it's easy enough to determine whether your ROM has a copier header by checking the filesize. In Windows if you right click on the file and choose properties, it will be the "Size" field. A typical DKC2 ROM should be 4,194,304 bytes. If it has a copier header it will be 512 bytes more, so 4,194,816 bytes.

[Quaraage]

Hello.
sdk2editor Ver0.084 is available.

I'm Japanese DKC hacker, so there may be strange translation, sorry.
Supported ROM version: Donkey Kong Country 2 -Diddy's Kong Quest- (U) Ver1.0
Supported ROM format: 32Mbit Fast HiROM (Normal/Interleave format) / 32Mbit - 48Mbit ExHiROM (Normal format)
Headered ROMs are also available.
For more info, visit http://donkeyhacks.zouri.jp/tools.html#sdk2editor

[Kingizor]

Quaraage, I noticed your site around a year ago and tried out one of your SDK2 hacks. Back then it only went to the end of area 1, but it was full of interesting ideas and I was very impressed. It's good to have more enthusiastic people on our forum.

I did not know there was a continuation of the SDK2 editor, or about any of the tools you've written. I've added the link to the first post so more people can see it. I am sure people will find them useful. We all appreciate you providing an English translation as well.

[Quaraage]

I translated my tools download page to English.
But translating my tools is not finished. Please wait for a while

English translated
http://donkeyhacks.zouri.jp/toolsE.html

Japanese
http://donkeyhacks.zouri.jp/tools.html

[Kingizor]

Quaraage,

I tried testing your SDK2 editor builds on an up to date Windows 7 machine, but they failed to start properly. The programs complained about missing "MSVCP120D.dll", which is the debug version (en) of the MSVC C++ runtime library. The debug version expected is a debug build that is only provided with Visual Studio 2013. It is not provided by any .NET 4.5 installer. Instead "MSVCP120.dll" is provided.

I think this could be fixed by compiling a release build instead of a debug build? (en)

[Quaraage]

Kingizor,

Oh, sorry! I re-upload Release build now. I think that it probably can be started.

[Quaraage]

Hi!
I'm developing new SDK2/DKC2 editor, "Super Gorilla Maker 2", now, and beta version will be released in April... May Be...
Progress: 25%...

What we can?
All SDK2editor can
+Banana pattern editing
+In-game text editing
+World map editing
+Sprite/Tileset GFX editing
+Palette editing
+Disassembling
+Hex editing
+Expand/Compress data
+Expand ROM
+Normal/Interleave converting
+and more!

Japanese/English translated version will be available. (In English speaker region, it will be localized in English.)
for more info, visit http://donkeyhacks.zouri.jp/SGM2.html (Japanese)
Screenshot

[lukefsje]

When I try to export the files with the DKC Map Tools, it just saves them as generic files, not as .fmf or .hdr files. Any ideas why or am I just an idiot?

[Kingizor]

You have to specify the full filename including the extensions. Something like "waterfall.fmf", "waterfall.hdr" and "waterfall.sdk" should work. Also make sure you have file extensions visible in Windows Explorer.

[lukefsje]

You have to specify the full filename including the extensions. Something like "waterfall.fmf", "waterfall.hdr" and "waterfall.sdk" should work. Also make sure you have file extensions visible in Windows Explorer.

I'm an idiot. Thank You!

[Marcolate]

Please, how can I open the maps (like "Ship Deck", "Ship Mast" etc) in Platinum? I tried to export it but shows this message "mapchip_03.bmp was not found".