• Make links able to be formatted like any normal text, so I can customize the colour of them (…);
Thanks Thierry, (…) the drill.
I see you do it a little different than I did. I did a.zelda2622:[insert link status (there are actually only four of them: link, visited, hover and active) here], where zelda refers to link and 2622 refers to my user ID, so that I know no one else uses the class name in their post layout, which might cause complications if they quote my post; you did .zelda2622 aNo wait.layoutbg2622 a.
• Figure out how to change quote layouts: I want to remove "Posted by" in my layout and have an image, about 50×50, of a double quotation mark in place of it;
Still need to figure this out. Probably requires some K64-exclusive shito, and I'd also need to make sure I don't accidentally other users' layouts.
• Figure out how to edit the layout of spoilers
Almost had it figured out. W3Schools had a way to make fully-functional spoiler tags that can even collapse the text (checkmate Stapul! I could still collapse text unlike the 'new' spoilers)... but they required JavaScript... which the board doesn't allow for security reasons. So the <script> tag doesn't work! Blarg...
• For the 'toolbar' in my layout: figure out how to align text left and right on the same line, so I can have the buttons in the same place and have some text on the left of it;
Done! Float right is used! Plus, hover over the buttons! They aren't functional yet, but, just hover over them! Only problem: the toolbar won't stay a fixed width like the rest of my layout even when I specify width, except when I use an hr, but it looks ugloo and the buttons don't fully float to the right of the div.
"To boldly glitch where no one has glitched before" - Staryu Trek
Hover!
Posted by kikilxve
SM64DS body horror (hacking fail)
Weird quote
Posted by me to someone I know, joking
Flareon shoarma doesn't need to be baked anymore, it's pre-baked.
Layout background by alpha rats_1 on Open Game Art
Sig background from dreamstime.com
Cheep-cheep My Goomba is reflecting Water-type warp drive
Level: 18
Posts: 63/186
EXP: 24977
Next: 4920
Since: 09-08-24
From: Borg cube Really from: the Netherlands
Last post: 2 days ago
Last view: 4 hours ago
Posted by Staryu Trek
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…
I like the harmony between the blue of your layout's background and the grey of the main post div.
EDITZORZ: Blue's marquee usage inspired me to make a new sig! Which version do you like better? The metallic one or the marquee one, made to look like the textbar on the bottom of the screen during news shows on TV. Only need to figure out how to let the text loop without break. The one y'all like best, I'll keep!
"To boldly glitch where no one has glitched before" - Staryu Trek
Hover!
Posted by kikilxve
SM64DS body horror (hacking fail)
Weird quote
Posted by me to someone I know, joking
Flareon shoarma doesn't need to be baked anymore, it's pre-baked.
Layout background by alpha rats_1 on Open Game Art
Sig background from dreamstime.com
Cheep-cheep My Goomba is reflecting Water-type warp drive
Level: 18
Posts: 69/186
EXP: 24977
Next: 4920
Since: 09-08-24
From: Borg cube Really from: the Netherlands
Last post: 2 days ago
Last view: 4 hours ago
So, you're new to hacking Super Mario 64 DS. And you want to make your first custom course, level, stage or whatever you call it. But where do you start? Designing levels for a 3D game like SM64DS is a different thing than designing levels for a 2D game like Super Mario World or New Super Mario Bros. This tutorial, spanned out across multiple posts because the chapters are going to be long, details the most important aspects of creating a SM64DS level.
Table of contents
1. The main concept
2. Missions and gimmicks
3. The level's model
4. The collision map
5. Object placement
6. Cheese fixing
7. Playtesting time!
Chapter 1 The main concept
So, you want to make a custom level. First thing you need to do, is think about what theme your level will be having. Here are some nice themes to use:
Grassland
A common theme in Mario games, and usually the theme of the very first level, including SM64DS's Bob-Omb Battlefield. But you don't necessarily have to use this theme for the first level. A SM64 romhack I played had the first level be a swamp level.
Sky
A theme found in lots of platforming-heavy levels. Since the sky is the limit, you can really let your imagination go all-out! It will always turn out better than that lame Rainbow Ride anyway...
Water/Beach
Many people hate water levels, so if you're making one, do make sure it's GOOD! Therefore, beach theme is often used, like in Newer Super Mario Bros. DS (that's a 2D hack though), to create a mixture of on-land platforming and underwater... swimming. But... the music is always excellent and you can really hit the bull's-eye aesthetics-wise!
Snow/Ice
Loved for their aesthetics, hated for their slippery physics, wintry levels can be both a delight and a pain-in-the-ass for players. Many wintry levels in 3D Marios feature slides, something you can really release your creativity upon!
Lava
A must in Mario games. The focus will mainly be on careful platforming over the boiling hot lava. Keep in mind Koopa Shells, Metal Wario and lava boosts can make the level ridiculously easy, so read the "Cheese fixing" chapter when it gets posted!
Of course, countless other themes exist, like desert, savannah, tundra, city, ruins, cave, ghost house, forest, jungle, space, cyber etc. And you can also combine two themes, like how Galaxy combined lava and ice in Freezeflame.
After determining the theme, now it's time to think up what your level is going to look like! I suggest drawing concept arts on paper - I always do that.
What is your level's centerpiece? Is it a towering mountain, an idyllic sea, a castle, a giant palm tree, a huge ravine etc. etc. What to avoid:
• Flatness. This is Mario. You can't let the player NOT jump! Create some height variation with bridges, rock formations, slopes, you name it!
• Blandness. Lots of SM64 romhacks have the towers-in-the-sky-and-a-little-bit-of-grassland theme in their levels, which is just too rectangular, too linear, too... bland! Make your level varied and use varying kinds of shapes.
• Linearity. Even if you're making a Super Mario 3D Land-like hack, you should at least include some hidden nooks and crannies where the player can find 1-Ups or easter eggs.That was chapter one of my tutorial. Next time: missions and gimmicks!
Cheep-cheep My Goomba is reflecting Water-type warp drive
Level: 18
Posts: 72/186
EXP: 24977
Next: 4920
Since: 09-08-24
From: Borg cube Really from: the Netherlands
Last post: 2 days ago
Last view: 4 hours ago
Posted by Staryu Trek
×
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…
Heey... I recognize that layout! You use it on SMWC too, amirite? I like how the background animates; maybe you could animate Yoshi, making him bob up and down. I especially dig the borders around the div and how they're outlined!
"To boldly glitch where no one has glitched before" - Staryu Trek
Hover!
Posted by kikilxve
SM64DS body horror (hacking fail)
Weird quote
Posted by me to someone I know, joking
Flareon shoarma doesn't need to be baked anymore, it's pre-baked.
Layout background by alpha rats_1 on Open Game Art
Sig background from dreamstime.com
Cheep-cheep My Goomba is reflecting Water-type warp drive
Level: 18
Posts: 76/186
EXP: 24977
Next: 4920
Since: 09-08-24
From: Borg cube Really from: the Netherlands
Last post: 2 days ago
Last view: 4 hours ago
Chapter 2: Missions and gimmicks
This chapter is about the Power Star missions and the gimmicks involved.Every main course has eight Power Stars, seven of which are mission Stars, the other is the 100-Coin Star. Secret courses and the hub can also have maximally eight Stars each. But how will the player obtain these Stars? If you want to make an enjoyable hack, you'll have to have as much variety as possible when it comes to how Stars are obtained.
The missions
The mission is what you should do to spawn or access the Power Star. Examples in the original game are:
• defeating a boss;
• collecting a certain amount of MacGuffins (5 Silver Stars or invisible secrets, 8 red coins);
• pressing a switch that spawns a Power Star and racing to the Star before it disappears;
• triggering three or four switches (treasure chests, book switches) in the correct order;
• completing a platforming challenge;
• using a specific character's abilities;
• winning a race against an NPC;
...etc. Without modifying the game's code, the kinds of missions are limited, so how to make all missions different when you have dozens, maybe one hundred or more Stars in your hack (something Nintendo failed IMO)? That's where gimmicks come in play!
The gimmicks
Nearly every mission in the original game had a gimmick. Take Pole-jumping for Red Coins for example. Collect eight Red Coins, but... do it while jumping from moving pole to moving pole! This gimmick also fits well the mechanical/industrial theme of the course it appears in. Of course, not every mission needs a gimmick, for example if you hide the Red Coins in tricky-to-reach places, it'll be challenging enough for the player to not be lame. Do always balance out the gimmicks: place more complicated gimmicks in later-game courses. The following objects often make for nice gimmicks: moving poles, ! Switches, power-ups, moving platforms, Thwomps, pushable boxes, Koopa Shells etc. The level's geometry can also play a huge part in a gimmick, like hangable ceilings, Vanish Luigi fences, wind, mirrors... you name it! How to make a good level model, you'll learn in the next chapter.
Don't troll the player, unless you're making a troll hack. Putting three pipes of which two lead the player into an instakill hazard and one leads the right way for example, only makes your hack less enjoyable, not more difficult. It doesn't make you a good level designer, only an asshole. So avoid trolly gimmicks at all costs.
You will always get bonus points if you use a gimmick that's fitting for the level's theme, like tornadoes in desert levels, sliding in snow levels and cannons in airship levels (sorta done in Rainbow Ride, though that's a sky level). And don't make the gimmick tedious, like having to use Wario underwater (Metal Wario aside) or waiting an hour on a flying freaking carpet. Many romhacks do gimmicks better than Nintendo, so if you need some inspiration, play some 3D Mario romhacks.Next time, the level's model!
I think the final frontier is still not reached. Runners will now compete for the highest number of rebirths. Since overflows sometimes affect adjacent bytes (ex. 00000000 11111111 to 00000001 00000000), there might be a hard limit though, and if there is, that would be Tetris (NES)'s final frontier. Nothing else to say, so have a T-Tetrimino:
"To boldly glitch where no one has glitched before" - Staryu Trek
Hover!
Posted by kikilxve
SM64DS body horror (hacking fail)
Weird quote
Posted by me to someone I know, joking
Flareon shoarma doesn't need to be baked anymore, it's pre-baked.
Layout background by alpha rats_1 on Open Game Art
Sig background from dreamstime.com
Cheep-cheep My Goomba is reflecting Water-type warp drive
Level: 18
Posts: 79/186
EXP: 24977
Next: 4920
Since: 09-08-24
From: Borg cube Really from: the Netherlands
Last post: 2 days ago
Last view: 4 hours ago
Posted by Staryu Trek
×
_
…
Just had to bump this one.
My favourite Pokémon:
Eevee
It's cute and uber versatile. C'mon GF, give us those 10 remaining evos!
MissingNo.
I love glitches. Nuff said. BTW, it doesn't evolve into Kangaskhan.
Absol, Hydreigon, Umbreon
They're just uber cool Dark-types!
Aurorus, Milotic, Serperior
How can you not love the most, second most and third most beautiful Pokémon respectively there are?
Salazzle
It's mah smecksy waifu Best-designed Poison-type and decent in-battle. Keep away from Earthquakes though...
Garbodor, Stunfisk, Slurpuff, Jynx, any infamous waifumons
Because everyone else hates them even though they don't really deserve it!
Shaymin Land Forme
Second cyootest 'mon
Celebi, Jirachi, Meloetta, Victini
Cyoot mythicalz
Lapras
Beauty
Arceus
It's GOD, for Arceus's sake! (No, Bidoof isn't God, Bidoof's better than God. Bidoof is Chuck Norris.)
Alolan Raichu
How not can you love this mousy surfing on its tail? Noice surfing n00bchu reference!
Vulpix (especially Alolan)
D'awwwwwww... *stares* So cute!
Ninetales (especially Alolan)
*stares again* So beautiful... those tails!
I love IRL butterflies, but the butterfly Pokémon are uninspired IMO. But hey, making a good butterfly poke is hard - I made several butterfly Fakémon myself - all were meh.
"To boldly glitch where no one has glitched before" - Staryu Trek
Hover!
Posted by kikilxve
SM64DS body horror (hacking fail)
Weird quote
Posted by me to someone I know, joking
Flareon shoarma doesn't need to be baked anymore, it's pre-baked.
Layout background by alpha rats_1 on Open Game Art
Sig background from dreamstime.com
Cheep-cheep My Goomba is reflecting Water-type warp drive
Level: 18
Posts: 80/186
EXP: 24977
Next: 4920
Since: 09-08-24
From: Borg cube Really from: the Netherlands
Last post: 2 days ago
Last view: 4 hours ago
Chapter 3: The level's model
Before you continue, please get to know your modelling app a bit. I won't give tips on how to model in a specific program. Just know that DS models are made out of triangles and quadrangles (faces or polygons) oriented in 3D space (triangles are recommended) and that textures are 2D images mapped onto the faces, like a wallpaper.
The DS's screen can only show 2048 triangles at once, so try to limit your triangle count to maximally 4000; if it's below 2048, it's perfect. Circles in SM64DS are often modelled as octagons; cylinders as octagonal prisms.
Textures should be 8, 16, 32 and rarely 64 by 8, 16, 32 and rarely 64. Not too many textures and don't map them in a way they repeat like 100 times on a single face. That glitches up the DS.
Each face can only have one texture, so if you want to map a window, tree shadow, arrow etc. onto an already-textured face, you should create a rectangular (triangulated) plane parallel to the face 0.005 m in front of it (assuming the scale of your level model is perfect. If you don't know, just make a simple base model, import it into SM64DSe, scale it with the Game Scale setting on the left using the Mario figure as a reference, import it into the ROM, then export again. Then load the model in your 3D editor again and it should now be the right scale) and map the shadow, arrow etc. texture onto it. (Have I already advised to ALWAYS use PNGs as textures? JPG sucks.)
By default, you want most faces to only be visible when viewed from one side, so make sure all ground faces face upwards, all ceiling faces face downwards etc. And if it's not that way, flip the normals of the incorrectly-oriented faces in your 3D editor: that reverses their orientation. If you want certain faces to be double-sided (like a fence or something), be translucent or have an animated texture, make a separate material for them so that other materials with the same texture won't be affected.
Solid colours can be made by mapping all vertices of a face to one pixel of the texture.
Some people first make the entire model and then texture it - don't do that! It makes it very likely to overlook faces, so map the textures every time you create a few faces.
Make sure the textures on each face align - especially with brick or animated textures, any misalignment is easily seen!
Vertex painting can make for some nice shading effects and is necessary to create depth, and therefore unmissable - imagine falling into a pit because everything is unshaded and you couldn't see any depth!
Vertex colours and diffuse colours don't combine - if you want solid colours, just use textures as mentioned above.Once your model is done and imported into SM64DSe, you can go to the Materials tab of the model importer and define two-sidedness and transparency (opaque is 31, half-transparent is 15, invisible is 0) of all materials. Oh yeah, and always check "Vertically flip all textures" under General. Once you're finished, click Import, then Model.But you're still not done! Now you have to open the level again, click on "Texture animations" and depending on the version, a different texture animation editor will appear. No matter which version you use, first delete all existing texture animations. Having any animations reference a now-non-existing material crashes the game (oh yeah, and if you're replacing a level with multiple areas (like Hazy Maze Cave) or Castle Grounds, first export an XML (level backup) of an unedited Bob-Omb Battlefield and import it into the level you're replacing, then import your custom model).
If you want to animate any texture, in SM64DSe Ultimate, select a material in the texture animation editor, then click "Create animation" and... manually input how the texture shifts every frame. Yeah. Can't help you make it any less tedious, but at least it's easy.
Once you're done, click Save.You have now imported your custom level model! But more needs to be done before it's playable. Next time: the collision map!
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Acmlmboard 2.064 (2018-07-20)