Bugs, with screenshots

A modern Prince of Persia 1 for SNES level editor for Windows.
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ecco
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Bugs, with screenshots

Post by ecco »

Hi David,

I've been getting glitches in my edited levels, and it's getting to the point where the levels can't be completed (will explain futher down). I'm not sure if it's one bug in one level which is affecting everything, or little glitches from many levels are compounded to make it worse and worse with every level I add.

My system for making a level set of late has been to make a copy of the original level set (the 'template') for every level changed. So for example, if I want to edit level 5, I copy the template file and rename it level 5 and edit it there. So all levels are identical to the original, except the level I am editing. I then export this level 5 with the export command, and when all levels have been edited and exported this way, I make yet another copy of the template, and one by one, import each new level into its corresponding place. the reason for this being now and again I would get a bug and it seems to affect other levels too. I found if I made a new copy of the template and import it, it would be fine again. It's more fiddling around, but on their own, each level loads and plays fine. but import them together so a level set is all new levels and it gets bugs.

For a lot of the levels on editing I would get the 'Last resource not in its proper place' type of warning. For the most part, it hasn't affected gameplay, until now, that I'm combing all my levels together into one level set file to be released.

Below are screenshots of some things I've encountered.

1) Some of them the background graphics are in the wrong place. this is similar to a previous post of mine (I had only just started the above method for saving/exporting and ended up accidentally overwriting the file in question), but I'm getting it again here anyway. As you suggested I check, all modifiers are correct and on '0'. To make it more confusing, the graphics which are wrong change every time I play it. Like it's randomly generating errors.

2) A more serious recent bug I'm getting is it is changing the physical characteristics of a tile. This evening I was able to run through a wall. As there was no room to the right, the prince dies. On another level, I was unable to climb up a ledge, as it looked and the prince acted as if he was hitting the ceiling as if there was no gap, but there was. I double checked in the editor and it all checked out ok settings wise.

3) When I climb up ledges, the whole game briefly pauses, the candles temporarily freeze as does the prince, and there are these jumbled graphics which appear during that split second. the music is not affected though. The prince also occasionally falling through loose tiles which don't disappear, though they behave correctly physically.

4) A strange one a few days ago, somehow the prince ended up upside down, only the sprite, not the level. There were no upside down potions here. And it looked as if there was an enemy nearby, but there were none in the level (it was training).

Sorry for this long post, I don't know if it's something you are aware of.
Graphics in the wrong place we can live with, but if the phsical properties of tiles and walls are changing, then it often means the level can't be completed and I prefer not to release levels which don't work : )

Any ideas?
Thanks!

EDIT
____


Are you able to explain more about 'Last resource doesn't fit in its place' message? Would there be a way of finding out which tile/graphic it is referring to? Then I could go through and change it or make it blank, to see if it helps. I'm half of the impression that if none of the levels had this error message, then all levels would play fine. But I might be wrong..

EDIT 2


Forgot to add, I've also tried importing my levels into different country version roms, and it's the same. Also tried using different version of the editor, (an older version) and it's the same also.
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David
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Re: Bugs, with screenshots

Post by David »

When I climb up ledges, the whole game briefly pauses, the candles temporarily freeze as does the prince, and there are these jumbled graphics which appear during that split second.
I think one of the kid's sprites became corrupted.
There was one case when some sprites were randomly corrupted. Perhaps that bug is striking again?
(It was the counter-attacking guard: viewtopic.php?p=13374#p13374)
Are you able to explain more about 'Last resource doesn't fit in its place' message? Would there be a way of finding out which tile/graphic it is referring to?
It's either the Konami logo screen or the Japanese characters screen, depending on the country. (See here: http://www.princed.org/wiki/SNES_format)

I have no idea about the others, except that maybe the editor is writing into places where it shouldn't.
Perhaps you could send the problematic rom to me? (in a PM) (And perhaps the exported levels, so I can see what is happening in the editor when I import them into the original game.)

Bottom line: This is a bug in the editor.
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Re: Bugs, with screenshots

Post by ecco »

Thanks David. I'm away for the next day or two, so I'll try and sort out a rom and exported levels to send you at the end of the week or weekend.

For your info I was originally using the Japanese rom, but it's the same issue when I imported the whole lot into a UK one too. Sometimes the intro logo froze in both version.

I tried another import attempt yesterday, and the first nine levels were fine. After that, every one from ten onwards, with the exception of one or two (can't remember which) had the Resource warning on save message. Whether this means the error is in level 10, I do not know. I meant to try a series of imports starting on level 10 and up, and seeing if that made a difference or not.

Thanks :)
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Re: Bugs, with screenshots

Post by ecco »

Hi- I tried a new order of importing the levels this time. Did a few at a time and tested, etc. Good news is that on this current attempt, it all seems ok-ish, with no obvious gameplay issues, though still getting the Resource on save issue, and though certain graphics are out of place.

The bad news is the intro freezes as soon as the 'Prince of Persia' title screen disappears. Where usually the intro commences with the shimmering water, it stays static, and the game has effectively crashed, though the music continues. So long as you skip to the level select screen before then, all appears ok. I did edit the demo level so it looks a tiny bit different in places so we might not see that which is a shame, but it's the best playable version I have yet, so it may have to do : )
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Re: Bugs, with screenshots

Post by ecco »

Just sent you a PM David.
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