[Tutorial] [FR] non glitchy 256 color title screen
May 12, 2015 6:37:01 GMT 1
PrimalDialga likes this
Post by joexv on May 12, 2015 6:37:01 GMT 1
Okay so first off I would like to say the existing 256 color title screen tutorial is great! It allows you to do exactly as it says. But that was never good enough for me. I despised having to have a single layer title screen, it just didnt feel right. It also forced you to remove the cool Pokemon Logo shine that we all know and love. It also caused issues on some hardware(from my experience) and it caused a weird glitchy pre-title screen image, eww. So after a little bit of research and much testing. I came up with a new method of making 256 color title screens.
I will say this is pretty odd, in the way that it is done. You may not like it. That's just a heads up. Also this method is kinda obvious once you do it. I'm not sure why the original title screen tutorial was done with this method, but oh well what cha gonna do about it? Now lets get started! And as always backup your ROM before doing anything! I am not responsible for anything you do to it.
Tools needed:
Photoshop or some alternative that supports laying files.(Gimp is a nice free alternative)
Infranview
Sphere 1.5
Paint (doesnt really matter what version I've never had an issue regarding the win 7/8 versions)
Unlz GBA
GBA Graphics Editor
Advanced Pallet Editor
Emulator for testing.
NTME
Freespace finder
Step 1: Prepping your images
Now the first thing you will want to do is create a few images. These images will contain all or some of the following things; Version logo, Pokemon logo, background, press start(it wont flicker like a normal game), and a pokemon sprite. Now these are all things on a regular 16 color title screen, if you dont want any of them, skip them.
After you have your images(all seperate) you will want to merge them in 3 groups each group being a single image of 240x160 in size:
First: Pokemon logo and Version logo
Second: Pokemon Sprite
Third: Background and press start text
I will be using these three images for this tutorial:
Sprites
Background
Logo
This title screen is being used for my hack. I created the title screen, but I did not create the sprites or tiles used in the title screen. Do not use without permission.
Once you have all three made open them up in Photoshop. You will then combine the images(each with its own layer) and you will remove all background colors except one square like I have in the background image. Please note that it is extremely wise to make all images have the same background color in this process. Once you have the image in photoshop save the image as a png somewhere on your computer(make sure its easy to find).
You will then open the new png in Infranview and decrease the color depth to 256. Save the image as a bmp(not needed but is nice for backup purposes). Then click image>palette>Export. Make sure to save the palette in an area you can find easily. Next you will open each of the three original images in infranview seperately and you will click image>palette>Import and for eac image you will import the palette you just saved. Make sure to save each image after its palette has been imported as a bmp!
If you've done everything correctly you should have 3 bmps each using the 256 color palette that you exported from the combined image! Good job! Now make sure you DONT delete that pal file!
Step 2: Making raw files
Now hopefully if you've made a title screen before you've made raw files using NTME, if you haven't well this should be pretty easy for you. So even for you people who have done this before you will want to read through this section especially! Because this section is what enables us to have the 256 color title screen in the first place.
So what you will want to do is follow Karatekid52's tutorial on making a tilemap from a tileset easily using Sphere.
I will not get into it here as its a long tutorial, but follow it up untill you have removed all duplicate tiles from your image and have saved it somewhere on your computer.
Once you have the split image you will have to import the palette again(Sorry), just do exactly like last time for each image. Once you have the images all back to their 256 color glory, open up NTME.
Now you will want to open your newly made images in NTME(one at a time obviously) and you will then open the rmp file you created using sphere. Once it loads you will need to click the size dropbox and select FR/LG TS for each image. Then simply save the tilemap! No need to worry about messing with the palette tab, as long as it has only 0's for the palettes you're good to go.
And boom you've got your tilemaps!
Step 3: Insertion!
For inserting the images and their respective tilemaps you can either use UNLZ gba or GBA Graphics Editor. But remember that if your background has lots of tiles that don't duplicate(ending up making it really big in size, ie more than 240x160, you will need to use gba graphics editor) anyways insert each of the three images using the offsets listed below. For tilemaps use UNLZ gba for simplicity. Now I wont be getting into how to insert or how to find freespace, if you don't know how to do those two things, this tutorial isn't for you.
What image/image/raw
Background/0x3bf58c/0x3bf5a8
Sprite/0xead608/0xeadee4
Logo/0xeab8c4/0xead390--8 bit color depth
For Unlz gba(not exact location may change for your rom)
Background/2013/2014
Sprite/2011/2012
Logo/2009/2010--256 color mode
Step 4: Palette
Now inserting the pallet isnt hard but it is kinda time consuming if youre slow at replacing ape pallets.
OK now open ape again and head to 0xEAB6C4. Now open up your pal file in the secondary section and then replace the pallet. Now you will have to click the index button on the secondary pallet after inserting each one.
Insert one index per offset listed. Index-offset chart is listed bellow.
Then test your ROM!
Step 5 Flames:
Now one last thing you need to do to make sure that your title screen is beautiful and perfect in everyway. Is you need to remove those dastardly flames! Now this isn't a hard process, it requires no image insertion or anything of the sort, just simple palette edit.
Lol jk it requires a few image insertions. But I have the needed images already made for you!
Ok so what you will want to do is go over to the flames image(141ish in unlz) 0x3BF79C
You will insert this image into the flames location
Now go to ape and head over to this offset, Logo3=00EAB704. Look at the last color of the first line. This color is going to be transparent due to the game wanting the flames ot be show(at least for me it is) but write this color down somewhere.
Now head over to 0x3BF77C in ape and fill this palette with the color you just found.
Next head over your favorite hex editor, we will be doing something fun. You will need to find an offset that has 20 bytes of freespace. for me I will be using 0x720000. Now you will take the color you wrote down earlier and fill those 20 bytes with the color repeating itself. Pretty simple right? Next go to 0x78aac and replace the pointer there with the pointer of your new palette reversed. So mine would be 00 00 72 08. Now open up your rom and test. If you did it correctly and issues regarding flames will be removed!
Notes:
Thanks to Black Charizard for the original 256 color tutorial!
And sorry guys if some of this doesn't make sense, I'm not the best at explaining things!
examples of hacks that use this method:
Team 3's Dark Destiny--Team hack off--
I will say this is pretty odd, in the way that it is done. You may not like it. That's just a heads up. Also this method is kinda obvious once you do it. I'm not sure why the original title screen tutorial was done with this method, but oh well what cha gonna do about it? Now lets get started! And as always backup your ROM before doing anything! I am not responsible for anything you do to it.
Tools needed:
Photoshop or some alternative that supports laying files.(Gimp is a nice free alternative)
Infranview
Sphere 1.5
Paint (doesnt really matter what version I've never had an issue regarding the win 7/8 versions)
Unlz GBA
GBA Graphics Editor
Advanced Pallet Editor
Emulator for testing.
NTME
Freespace finder
Step 1: Prepping your images
Now the first thing you will want to do is create a few images. These images will contain all or some of the following things; Version logo, Pokemon logo, background, press start(it wont flicker like a normal game), and a pokemon sprite. Now these are all things on a regular 16 color title screen, if you dont want any of them, skip them.
After you have your images(all seperate) you will want to merge them in 3 groups each group being a single image of 240x160 in size:
First: Pokemon logo and Version logo
Second: Pokemon Sprite
Third: Background and press start text
I will be using these three images for this tutorial:
Sprites
Background
Logo
This title screen is being used for my hack. I created the title screen, but I did not create the sprites or tiles used in the title screen. Do not use without permission.
Once you have all three made open them up in Photoshop. You will then combine the images(each with its own layer) and you will remove all background colors except one square like I have in the background image. Please note that it is extremely wise to make all images have the same background color in this process. Once you have the image in photoshop save the image as a png somewhere on your computer(make sure its easy to find).
You will then open the new png in Infranview and decrease the color depth to 256. Save the image as a bmp(not needed but is nice for backup purposes). Then click image>palette>Export. Make sure to save the palette in an area you can find easily. Next you will open each of the three original images in infranview seperately and you will click image>palette>Import and for eac image you will import the palette you just saved. Make sure to save each image after its palette has been imported as a bmp!
If you've done everything correctly you should have 3 bmps each using the 256 color palette that you exported from the combined image! Good job! Now make sure you DONT delete that pal file!
Step 2: Making raw files
Now hopefully if you've made a title screen before you've made raw files using NTME, if you haven't well this should be pretty easy for you. So even for you people who have done this before you will want to read through this section especially! Because this section is what enables us to have the 256 color title screen in the first place.
So what you will want to do is follow Karatekid52's tutorial on making a tilemap from a tileset easily using Sphere.
I will not get into it here as its a long tutorial, but follow it up untill you have removed all duplicate tiles from your image and have saved it somewhere on your computer.
Once you have the split image you will have to import the palette again(Sorry), just do exactly like last time for each image. Once you have the images all back to their 256 color glory, open up NTME.
Now you will want to open your newly made images in NTME(one at a time obviously) and you will then open the rmp file you created using sphere. Once it loads you will need to click the size dropbox and select FR/LG TS for each image. Then simply save the tilemap! No need to worry about messing with the palette tab, as long as it has only 0's for the palettes you're good to go.
And boom you've got your tilemaps!
Step 3: Insertion!
For inserting the images and their respective tilemaps you can either use UNLZ gba or GBA Graphics Editor. But remember that if your background has lots of tiles that don't duplicate(ending up making it really big in size, ie more than 240x160, you will need to use gba graphics editor) anyways insert each of the three images using the offsets listed below. For tilemaps use UNLZ gba for simplicity. Now I wont be getting into how to insert or how to find freespace, if you don't know how to do those two things, this tutorial isn't for you.
What image/image/raw
Background/0x3bf58c/0x3bf5a8
Sprite/0xead608/0xeadee4
Logo/0xeab8c4/0xead390--8 bit color depth
For Unlz gba(not exact location may change for your rom)
Background/2013/2014
Sprite/2011/2012
Logo/2009/2010--256 color mode
Step 4: Palette
Now inserting the pallet isnt hard but it is kinda time consuming if youre slow at replacing ape pallets.
OK now open ape again and head to 0xEAB6C4. Now open up your pal file in the secondary section and then replace the pallet. Now you will have to click the index button on the secondary pallet after inserting each one.
Insert one index per offset listed. Index-offset chart is listed bellow.
Logo1=00EAB6C4
Logo2=00EAB6E4
Logo3=00EAB704
Logo4=00EAB724
Logo5=00EAB744
Logo6=00EAB764
Logo7=00EAB784
Logo8=00EAB7A4
Logo9=00EAB7C4
Logo10=00EAB7E4
Logo11=00EAB804
Logo12=00EAB824
Logo13=00EAB844
Logo14=00EAD5E8
Logo15=00EAE094
Logo2=00EAB6E4
Logo3=00EAB704
Logo4=00EAB724
Logo5=00EAB744
Logo6=00EAB764
Logo7=00EAB784
Logo8=00EAB7A4
Logo9=00EAB7C4
Logo10=00EAB7E4
Logo11=00EAB804
Logo12=00EAB824
Logo13=00EAB844
Logo14=00EAD5E8
Logo15=00EAE094
Then test your ROM!
Step 5 Flames:
Now one last thing you need to do to make sure that your title screen is beautiful and perfect in everyway. Is you need to remove those dastardly flames! Now this isn't a hard process, it requires no image insertion or anything of the sort, just simple palette edit.
Lol jk it requires a few image insertions. But I have the needed images already made for you!
Ok so what you will want to do is go over to the flames image(141ish in unlz) 0x3BF79C
You will insert this image into the flames location
Now go to ape and head over to this offset, Logo3=00EAB704. Look at the last color of the first line. This color is going to be transparent due to the game wanting the flames ot be show(at least for me it is) but write this color down somewhere.
Now head over to 0x3BF77C in ape and fill this palette with the color you just found.
Next head over your favorite hex editor, we will be doing something fun. You will need to find an offset that has 20 bytes of freespace. for me I will be using 0x720000. Now you will take the color you wrote down earlier and fill those 20 bytes with the color repeating itself. Pretty simple right? Next go to 0x78aac and replace the pointer there with the pointer of your new palette reversed. So mine would be 00 00 72 08. Now open up your rom and test. If you did it correctly and issues regarding flames will be removed!
Notes:
If you have the famous block glitch on your title screen where a few odd blocks show up near the lower right hand side, then head over to 0x3bf58c and make this image transparent. That will fix any issues regarding this glitch.
Also if you would like to manually repoint the title screen offsets due to some odd bug then go to these offsets to repoint them.
78a98----Titlescreen image
78a9c----Raw location
78ab0----Background image
bfbac----Raw location
And here are the offsets of all the images and stuff incase you missed them.
Object/Image/Raw
Background/0x3bf58c/0x3bf5a8
Sprite/0xead608/0xeadee4
Logo/0xeab8c4/0xead390
Shine on logo/0x3BF64C/
Flames/0x3BF79C/
Odd blocks/0x3bf58c/??
Also if you would like to manually repoint the title screen offsets due to some odd bug then go to these offsets to repoint them.
78a98----Titlescreen image
78a9c----Raw location
78ab0----Background image
bfbac----Raw location
And here are the offsets of all the images and stuff incase you missed them.
Object/Image/Raw
Background/0x3bf58c/0x3bf5a8
Sprite/0xead608/0xeadee4
Logo/0xeab8c4/0xead390
Shine on logo/0x3BF64C/
Flames/0x3BF79C/
Odd blocks/0x3bf58c/??
Thanks to Black Charizard for the original 256 color tutorial!
And sorry guys if some of this doesn't make sense, I'm not the best at explaining things!
examples of hacks that use this method:
Team 3's Dark Destiny--Team hack off--
