Shadow of the Beast Legacy semi-project

[darkfalzx]

Hey there guys and gals.
This project's goal is to recreate the definitive versions of all three Shadow of the Beast games in a Mario All-Stars-like package.

SOTB1 - 100% - the game is done, but still requires testing and tweaks. Might add extras to it at a later date.
SOTB 2 - 15% Can run around Karamoon. There are some generic enemies and some unfinished puzzle elements, but not much else.
SOTB 3 - 99% The whole game is there from start to finish at a pretty decent level of polish. Got to iron out a few bugs and finish expanding the game-over and ending screens to higher resolution.

ATTENTION MAC USERS! By default your machine might suggest that the file is "damaged and should be put in trash", this is due to your security settings. Apple are clever, by default they prevent all apps not downloaded through the appstore from running unless I pay them to put me on a "registered developer" list. Go to your System Preferences>Security & Privacy>General tab. Click the lock icon in the lower-left. This will prompt you to enter password. Now - change the "Allow apps downloaded from:" to Anywhere. Run my game once. Now you can change your security settings back to the way they were - your OS will remember to trust my game.



Windows download (Updated 2019-12-04d)
Ubuntu Linux download (Updated 2019-12-04)

(Old builds. I'll try to get a Mac and Android builds up as soon as I figure out what I'm doing wrong...)
Ouya console build
General Android build (The touch-screen controls are invisible, and incomplete)
Ubuntu Linux build
Mac build

The default controls are:
Cursor - move
Z - Fire
X - Jump
C - cycle through weapons (when you get another one)
Enter - pause
Esc - (once) kill self, (twice) - quit game
You can now redefine keys and controller buttons from SOTB1 and 3's main menu.
Unfortunately as of right now controller buttons aren't displayed (but trust me - they are being redefined: )

Xbox360 and PS3, as well as legacy controllers are all supported.
If you are having a slowdown issue - pause the game and disable the controller.

Have fun.

[Greyfox]

Wow thanks...I use winuae to do sound ripping, maybe give that a shot?

In the meantime this might help : http://www.mirsoft.info/gmb/music_info.php?id_file=Nzcw

Take care and can't wait to see the finished versions

[darkfalzx]

As I mentioned - I didn't have much luck with WinUAE's sample-ripping tool - it mostly got samples from the music track.
Has anyone ever ripped the sound effects from these games?

Have you tried beating the stage? I need feedback on the way it all looks and feels. The much larger play window hasn't been great for the original level design, as you now see many of the areas that were out of reach before.
BTW - you might want to re-download the build. Fixed some bugs and added Fort Doormor's map and parallax in there - no scripting for it yet though.

[Qube]

An easy way to rip sound fx samples is to save an uncompressed save state and open this in your sound editor (e.g. Audacity) as raw and go from there :-)

Q;

[darkfalzx]

Thank you - I've done just that, and I can indeed see a lot of samples in there. It seems however that the game's sound engine is producing a lot of its effects by filtering samples to make them sound completely different in different context. Although pitching them down helps a lot at least for some sfx. I wish there was a way to disable music and just record the sound directly from the game with a screen recorder.

Did you try playing this BTW? This isn't one of those ports that just replicates the parallax effect and calls it a day - I actually have quite a bit of gameplay in: )

[spud]

This is a superb start.

[musashi9]

I managed to disable the music in WINUAE + ACTION REPLAY

This is how I did it
use Winuae+Action Replay
when the level is ready to play you must enter Action Replay and type this
M B0EA ---then press enter and type
4E 75 --then press enter again and type X to leave Action Replay

or
Load the level and make an uncompressed savestate file and open this file up in a hex editor and search for
49 FA 06 8E 4A
and change the 49FA to 4E75 and then reload the savestate back into your emulator

EDIT:
ok after some more looking around I found something very interesting for you to play with.
Once the music has been disabled you can enter Action Replay and go to address BABE
M BABE
and enter a number such as 01 or 02 ect...
and once you leave Action Replay the sound sample for that number will be played.
A wav file is in the zone containing all the samples from the first level
1-12


EDIT #2:
added a second file in the zone containing what I believe are the remaining samples for the other 3 levels
The first 8 samples for level 1 seem to be the same for all the remaining levels.

[darkfalzx]

That's awesome, but is there a chance you can dump out the samples while you're at it and link me to them?

I am currently trying to map out SOTB1... hasn't anyone done this by now?
Also - 32x25 tiles? WTF?

[capehorn]

I'd love a gamemap of SotB1 (particularly the underground section), I've never seen one before.

[musashi9]

Originally Posted by darkfalzx

That's awesome, but is there a chance you can dump out the samples while you're at it and link me to them?

I am currently trying to map out SOTB1... hasn't anyone done this by now?
Also - 32x25 tiles? WTF?

Dump? I ave made wav files of all the samples, you can download them from THE ZONE here http://eab.abime.net/zone.php?

[darkfalzx]

Originally Posted by musashi9

Dump? I ave made wav files of all the samples, you can download them from THE ZONE here http://eab.abime.net/zone.php?

Aww - thank you sir, but it looks like I don't have a permission to access those. How do I get one?

[musashi9]

http://eab.abime.net/faq.php?faq=vb_faq

[Pyromania]

Cool project!

[capehorn]

Originally Posted by capehorn

I'd love a gamemap of SotB1 (particularly the underground section), I've never seen one before.

...however I've just found three of them! All very different but equally valid. Still, if you do make one, I'd be interested to see it.

[clenched]

Here is a piece of Amiga Beast1 started last year. This project was dumped when it was learned someone else was working on the map.

[capehorn]

That's very nice. Do you make these by examining the games code or by capturing what's on the screen and fitting it all together?

[prowler]

Originally Posted by capehorn

That's very nice. Do you make these by examining the games code or by capturing what's on the screen and fitting it all together?

Project Maptapper.

[darkfalzx]

Originally Posted by capehorn

That's very nice. Do you make these by examining the games code or by capturing what's on the screen and fitting it all together?

Not at all. I used the HOL maps and Gnomon's tile rips to construct usable tilesets, and the few sprites Gnomon ripped as a jumping off point. Ripped the rest of the art myself, replicated the map in GM, and the rest is 100% my code based on just close observation of the original game.

BTW:
Here are some things I began ripping from SOTB1:

Tree maze tileset:

And the tree maze map:


..the only tools I used were UAE's screen grab feature, photoshop and pro motion

[capehorn]

That's very interesting and a very nice map you've ended up with. Still, it's interesting how you and clenched have come up with slightly different results.

On his there is a clear left edge to the map whilst yours is a bit wonkier. I suspect in your one the second 'room' down from the entrance should be slightly longer, fix that and maybe your one will line up down the edge.

[darkfalzx]

Originally Posted by capehorn

That's very interesting and a very nice map you've ended up with. Still, it's interesting how you and clenched have come up with slightly different results.

On his there is a clear left edge to the map whilst yours is a bit wonkier. I suspect in your one the second 'room' down from the entrance should be slightly longer, fix that and maybe your one will line up down the edge.

Dude - did I just waste half a day doing something someone else already done?: )
Can you please link me to the maps this clenched person made?