DKC Atlas Forum

[Simion32]

I have begun making a hack of DKC, with the goal of creating each level with some sort of challenge. I'll be working on this every so often whilst working on the level builder. Hopefully this project can speed up a little when I get the Resource Editor to edit level terrains.

So far, I've only been able to manually edit terrain/objects, so the level isn't as great in looks as it is to play. I have decided to call the first level of this hack Barrel Hijinxs. The first half of the level features a lot of difficult barrel-blasting in a canyon infested with Zingers and Mincers. I have also heavily edited the terrain near DK's house, as you can see in this screen shot:

The terrain around DK's home has been morphed...

DKCCE_Treehouse.png (34.56 KiB) Viewed 52760 times

You will receive a 1-Up Balloon when reaching the halfway barrel, as a reward for getting through the many tight spots in the array of barrel cannons.

The entire level is only halfway done right now, so I won't release a patch yet. I'm just letting everyone know that this hack exists.

[Raccoon Sam]

Can't say I love those bushes, but I guess/know it isn't easy.. Just hope you'll find a way to add some more scenery to it.
But otherwise I love it. The very first 'real' DKC Hack will finally ensue!

[Cosmicman]

Very exciting news, that screen shot looks really good, I can't wait.

[Simion32]

I made a video, so you can all see what I've been up to the last few days.
LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4o2NTBJl6ow

[Cyclone]

I just watched the video and the level layout looks well thought out compared to some of those other hacks… Can’t wait to play it!

[Cosmicman]

Looks fun and challenging, I'm sure that is what you were aiming for.

[Simion32]

I just watched the video and the level layout looks well thought out compared to some of those other hacks…

It's definitely better than other hacks, but I didn't really think it out at all. Rather, I just went with whatever barrels were available in a up-and-down "zigzag" pattern, and then it got a little messy near the end.

I am going to revise the barrel cannon course, as I want to use less objects and still have a good challenge. I think that putting bees there makes it look unnatural and it looks as if the game is "forcing" you to take the right path. That's OK to do in hacks that are the equivalent difficulty of Mario AIR, but this is not a super-ungodly-difficult hack. You should be able to play it without using a single save state.

[DKCplayer]

I just saw the video. You're doing great so far, even though it's only the first half of the level!

[Simion32]

I just saw the video. You're doing great so far, even though it's only the first half of the level!

I wouldn't be excited one way or the other about the design in that video; I've been editing the barrel course for the last few hours - it's a TON better than that previous mess was, and it has changed a lot.

Also, instead of just GIVING you a red balloon at midway, I've put a Blue Balloon in a spot that can only be reached by a "secret" path. It's out in the open but you'll have to figure out how to get it.

I might make a new video later.

[gamer_boy997]

Wow, nice hack! It's a bummer I have this game on the VC, because I can't hack on it, unless Nintendo makes a system for hacking on the VC, which I doubt they will do. Good luck with the second part of the level!

[cfh]

To hack the game, you just need the ROM on your computer, an emulator, and a HEX editor. Google is your friend.

[Qyzbud]

It's a bummer I have this game on the VC, because I can't hack on it, unless Nintendo makes a system for hacking on the VC

Simion, this is quite amazing. Although the level design itself is obviously in early stages, this demo clearly shows that you've worked out how to do some pretty advanced layout hacking. I'm curious - how are you going about this? When you say you're doing this hacking 'manually' do you mean you are using a hex editor?

On a slightly different note: The hack needs a more original and 'personalised' name, I think; DKC Challenge Edition sounds like a minor difficulty change to the original game, whereas this is looking to be a complete redesign (which is a good thing!).

I've got an idea in mind for a hack called DKC: The DKC Atlas Challenge Edition, but I've got a few things to ask you via PM before that project can get started.

[Simion32]

Well, I was hacking everything manually (with the built in hex editor in Geiger's SNES9x Debugger) before news of that Japanese editor showed up. Now I'm using the Japanese tool to edit tiles; however I'm still editing objects manually through the debugger. The first half of the level was hand-placed together by HEX-editing, after that I did it the cheap way.

As for a personalized name, I haven't thought of anything yet.

I want to figure out how Rare's barrel cannons work, so that I can add an ASM hack to the game; which would make barrel course design easier, and the resulting barrel courses would be more diverse. It may seem a little ambitious, but I've already done an ASM hack (the Zero-Speed Patch) which required a lot of examination. I have some good experience under my belt, it should help in the development of my hack.

I've been too lazy as of late, as I have gotten hardly anything done past the last released DELTA/DKCRE demo. I've been wasting too much time browsing the internet!

Since I most likely won't be working on this hack for a while (I'm adding sprite generation and a few other things to the DKCRE...), I'll go ahead and release what little I have done:
DKC1_ChallengeEdition_v0.10.ips

Besides the blue balloon, there's also a shortcut hidden somewhere in the level.

[BlueTronic]

Cool.

I went into the bonus and when I came out I died. I was like "aw, come on!. " I think I found the shortcut but I couldn't get that Blue Balloon, though. This reminds me: My Oil Drum Alley Hack is almost done, too.

[Simion32]

Yeah, I'm aware that it will freeze if you try to exit the bonus without the object there. I hadn't added in the exit to that bonus yet, and you can see where the exit would have led.

The shortcut location:

Spoiler!

It's hidden below the platform at the start of the level. Walk off the edge of the cliff without jumping and then hold left, you'll land in the shortcut barrel.

How to get the blue balloon:

Spoiler!

Shoot UP-LEFT from the barrel which is located after the two vertically moving mincers. It requires dead-on timing to pass through without getting hit!

[BlueTronic]

Also, I don't know if you noticed this, but there's a small shortcut where you shoot right in between 2 Mincers into a blast barrel: If you shoot past them when your under both Mincers, you'll land directly into the very fast spinning barrel.

I noticed you used that extremely fast shooting barrel from Poisen Pond. Is that like a trap? or something you didn't finish? It glitches up the screen!

[Simion32]

It shouldn't be there, it was left there from when I was messing around with it to see how far it shot.

It could be a trap, but I don't think there needs to be a trap in the very first level...

[Cody]

I have a verified "Donkey Kong Country (U) (V1.0) [!].smc" ROM yet it freezes on the first level. The bottom half of DK's Tree House is missing and you can't pause/unpause, though the music continues to play.

I'm using the latest IPS patch, patched with Lunar IPS

[Simion32]

Here we go with that 0x200 copier header problem again...

The copier header is used to identify a game when it is copied off of a real SNES cartridge, but since my hack doesn't have this header, trying to patch a ROM that has a header will patch the wrong locations.

Posting a header version of the patch would be overkill...

If you're really anxious to play my demo, and only have a ROM w/header, then do this:
1. Get Geiger's SNES9x Debugger
2. Open up DKC - SNES9x will complain about the copier header, and ask to remove it. Let it remove the header.
3. Try patching it.

[BlueTronic]

I have begun making a hack of DKC, with the goal of creating each level with some sort of challenge.

You're making make a hack of every level? All by yourself? That's gonna be a long project.

[Simion32]

It's not top priority.

And it may become very easy/fast if I manage to finish my own ROM editor.

[Cody]

I'm in no way pressuring you to do so, but when you create your own editor, would it be possible to show the movement of platforms, ropes, and barrels while in the editor?

[Simion32]

Certainly! I'm all for making it easier to edit levels. I don't know about shot paths, but I can try. Of course, I'll have to wait until the DKCRE gets that far before I can try it.

[Scraps69]

hehehe, very challenging I can't even find the ending to the level heh - Well, I got into a bonus room and then after I left it nothing happened so I assume that's probably the ending . I like the way you use multiple (i forgot their names) spinning wheels as obstacles. Reminds me of that snow level with the barrels and lots of zingers. That level was very challenging and your challenge can be very hard if you did this for the whole game

I like the 'cheap trick barrel' as well

[Simion32]

Barrel Hijinxs (Rom Hack Version) is completed!!

DKC1_ChallengeEdition_v1.00.ips

There are even more secrets this time...

• Shortcuts and Alternate Paths
• Two Bonus Levels (exiting bonuses is still broken, sorry)
• Two Animal Tokens
• Two Balloons