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View topic - [Hacks Competition 2023] Time Soldiers Pro by BcnAbel76

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[Hacks Competition 2023] Time Soldiers Pro by BcnAbel76
Post Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2023 3:14 pm
https://www.smspower.org/Hacks/TimeSoldiers-SMS-TimeSoldiersPro-Mod





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Welcome to the definitive Time Soldiers hack, hereinafter TIME SOLDIERS PRO.

Based on the arcade version, developed by Alpha Denshi Co.Ltd. and SNK

Implementing a rotary arcadestick system (google images) for a 2-button controller with a directional pad was not easy, so the official developers created a game based on pointing where you are looking.

A system that is not very optimized but functional after all, but months ago the idea came to me and from there the hack was developed for more than four months.

Use the Special Weapon button to set the shooting direction, now I combined DPAD+2 to aim, and the 1 button to shoot, it was much faster and more efficient, the game gained in agility, there was no need to move in a circle to dodge and shoot.

I put a restriction that if you had a Special Weapon at that moment, you had to press once to rotate the shot and second to shoot, but sometimes it was effective and other times it was slow, no doubt implementing a third button would be great, but the The simplicity of the system and the charm of the Master System pad made me opt for effectiveness, with all this it made the game more frantic but at the same time strategic to preserve the Special Weapon.

At this time, it started changing the main characters based on the ones in the arcade, 8 directions, 8 different positions, 16 leg animations.

Added 3 new enemies in Age of Rome, Medusa, Gladiator and Spear and Shield Soldier were added. Since Roman Ghost's design didn't suit me, it was removed.

The initial animation of the game was added to the main home screen, the SNK logo and the PRO were added to TIME SOLDIERS, leaving a fantastic result.

I adjusted the colors of the Mid-Bosses, Bosses and Gylend to get closer to the arcade version, also I created an engine so that every shot that hit them would flash the enemy and it would be clear.

Now 5 lives and 5 continues per player. This gave me the idea of being able to view this information but it was a waste of resources, so I designed that this information was only available in case the Special Weapon bar was active, it was a way of rewarding the player since he could see his progression and know how many lives he had left.

Design 1 chiby style character for these counters

Change the style on the Game Over screen including the characters playing themselves with the Master System on a 4:3 TV

Replace the generic sprite used to rescue the 5 friends, with a new design: Sirius (Green), Primitive Age Laplace (Yellow), Age of Rome Dymos (Fuchsia), World Wars Alpha (White), Age of Wars Altair (Blue), Future World Now when they are rescued on the rescue screen and on the score screen they celebrate it, and they are in the order in which they are rescued.

Added the Power-Up feature, while this item makes you invincible for a while, nothing really lets you know, just the energy bar. Based on the arcade version, the hypercycled characters break their clothes and walk bare-chested like Conan, this could not be less and I drew 8 more directions with the characters bare-chested.

Design 1 hypercycled chiby character

I designed 5 more chiby characters for the Congratulations screen.

Summarizing in general, many more details were added to the game, without a doubt a version with its own character and the best 8-bit version.

I hope you play it, enjoy it, and know how to see the effort and love put into this hack, surely the most complete at all levels in my life.
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  • Joined: 12 Oct 2015
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Graphics glitches
Post Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2023 7:14 pm
Intro looked really awesome and great sounding music but graphics soon started glitching during demo and gameplay - I used the "standard" Alex Kidd in Miracle World ROM - do I need a different ROM to patch? Thanks
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Post Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2023 9:03 pm
APPLY PATCH TO FILE:

Time Soldiers (UEB) [!].sms

SteveProXNA, no graphical glitches, no, it is not a Alex Kidd Miracle World with KidEdd hack

CONTROLS INSTRUCTIONS:

With no Special Weapon

DPAD Move player
1 Normal Shoot
DPAD+2 to lock shoot direction
Key Pressed 2 to unlock until unpressed shoot direction

With Special Weapon bar activated

DPAD Move player
1 Normal Shoot
2 Special Weapon Shoot
DPAD+2 to lock shoot direction
Key Pressed 1 to lock direction then press 2 to shoot Special Weapon
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Post Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2023 9:09 pm
SteveProXNA wrote
Intro looked really awesome and great sounding music but graphics soon started glitching during demo and gameplay - I used the "standard" Alex Kidd in Miracle World ROM - do I need a different ROM to patch? Thanks

That would be because this is a hack of Time Soldiers, not Alex Kidd. I am afraid you've patched the wrong game :D

EDIT: Ah sorry, by the time I have written my answer, BcnAbel76 has answered... Ignore me!
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Post Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2023 9:19 pm
Maybe it's just me, but it really tickles me that you can patch Alex Kidd with a hack meant for Time Soldiers and still get past the title screen!
A testament to the robustness of retro software I say!
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Post Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2023 11:34 am
armixer24 wrote

That would be because this is a hack of Time Soldiers, not Alex Kidd. I am afraid you've patched the wrong game :D
EDIT: Ah sorry, by the time I have written my answer, BcnAbel76 has answered... Ignore me!

Thanks guys - I need to learn to read :) Alex Kidd is not in the title but was mad the way patch did initially work before glitching out - I guess that's what threw me off
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Post Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2023 8:34 am
Good work on the sprites ! The font is also much easier to read now.

I didn't expect changes in the handling of the character, it is a different control scheme that I could easily see well adapted to an arcade joystick.

The reason I say that is that were often times where pressing 1 and 2 was necessary, and the SMS pad is not the best at allowing me to do that ! Maybe it will work better on a GG. But that's more a me problem than anything wrong with the hack.

Good job !
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Post Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2023 1:25 pm
I'm not an expert on the original so not much context of all the improvements, although sounds like you covered a lot of areas - well done!

I think I agree with armixer - the controls didn't feel any more intuitive to me. I ended up just holding down button 2 anyway and aiming by turning as before.
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