Recent Posts

81

Map Requests / Re: List of unmapped NES games

« Last post by JonLeung on February 09, 2025, 09:09:16 am »

Thanks for the two versions of Rainbow Islands: The Story Of Bubble Bobble 2!

Another pair of games with the same name is Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade, with one version by Taito and another version by UbiSoft.  That might be worth considering knocking out soon too.

Weird that their box art isn't even that different, which is not helpful considering they were both released in North America.  (Europe only got the UbiSoft one, if GameFAQs is accurate.)

82

VGMaps Social Board / Re: Are there any graphics apps that can remove backgrounds or compare pixels?

« Last post by VGCartography on February 03, 2025, 08:38:29 am »

Here's a python function that will do it, given two input images and an output path (black for matching areas, red for different):

Code: [Select]

from PIL import Image
import numpy as np

def compare_images(image_path1, image_path2, output_path):
    img1 = Image.open(image_path1)
    img2 = Image.open(image_path2)
    if img1.size != img2.size:
        raise ValueError("Images must be the same size.")
   
    # Convert images to numpy arrays
    arr1 = np.array(img1)
    arr2 = np.array(img2)
    if arr1.shape != arr2.shape:
        raise ValueError("Images must have the same number of channels.")
   
    # Find where pixels are the same (set to black) and different (set to red)
    diff = np.zeros_like(arr1)
    mask = np.any(arr1 != arr2, axis=-1)  # True where pixels differ
    diff[..., 0] = mask * 255  # Red channel
    diff[..., 1] = 0           # Green channel
    diff[..., 2] = 0           # Blue channel
   
    # Convert back to image
    output_img = Image.fromarray(diff)
    output_img.save(output_path)


83

VGMaps Social Board / Re: Are there any graphics apps that can remove backgrounds or compare pixels?

« Last post by G.E.R. on February 02, 2025, 02:57:01 am »

For pixel comparison it's very simple:
You should to make one layer on negative (Image - Adjustments - Invert), set transparent 50% (Opacity 50% on layer-menu) and place this layer on top of the first layer. The same pixels will be gray, the difference pixels will be another colors. Another way: just set blend mode Difference on top layer.


For background removal: I never used it, but you can merge previous layers and select background, move selection to the first image and copy area on new layer.

You can see all of this in this example

84

VGMaps Social Board / Are there any graphics apps that can remove backgrounds or compare pixels?

« Last post by JonLeung on February 01, 2025, 09:07:39 pm »

Hey, folks, does anyone know of any applications, or functions in existing ones like GIMP or Paint Shop Pro or Photoshop, that can easily handle these scenarios?

---

1. Background removal


Let's say I have something like the two screenshots above: one with foreground elements as well as the background, and another with only the background.
Can I subtract any pixels that match, essentially removing the background, to get an output of only the unique pixels from the first screenshot?

I know there are background removal tools online as well as apps that can do that, though those are usually suited for photos, and usually higher-res.
I don't believe they would work well with low-res pixel art, like screenshots, especially when background colours might be as vibrant as foreground elements.

Keep in mind that this is an example, I know that for Super NES emulation, and a few other platforms, it is possible to disable various background and/or sprite layers.
What I'm thinking of could be handy for isolating sprites in computer games (like '90s point-and-click adventure games), or if I only have existing screenshots on hand.

---

2. Pixel comparison


Another function that could also work if we're comparing pixels could be just simply identifying pixels that are the same or different across screenshots of the same size.
I'd like to take two screenshots, and get an output like that third image there, simply a two-colour image, with green showing the alike pixels and red showing the differing pixels.

Or, whatever colour.  It could be black and white, doesn't matter.

This would make it easy to identify differences in similar images (like if I need to check versions of a pixel art image in progress).
I'm sure image masks could be made of that to isolate things (such as sprites, though that'd be similar to the earlier example).

I just had a thought... one could take a screenshot of a point-and-click adventure game before any items are picked up, then pick up all the items on screen and take another screenshot, and the resulting output image would be silhouettes of all the items.
Select just the red, float it, expand it by one pixel, paste the original output so that the expansion becomes an outline, stick that on the original screenshot, and boom, we've outlined all the items!  Or all the changeable/interactable elements.
Could certainly be handy for stuff like that.

---

So, does anyone know of any applications or easy methods to do the functions I described above?  Please and thanks in advance for any help.

85

Maps Of The Month / Re: 2025/02: Kirby's Dream Land 3 (Super NES) - Jackster

« Last post by JonLeung on February 01, 2025, 02:53:31 pm »

I was never a big fan of Kirby's Dream Land 3. Not because it's not good but it always felt too safe, too mellow to me and I don't think I can even explain why. It just *does*.
Mind you, I do love the graphical style and the music

I agree about the graphics and music.

I think as a game that came out late on the Super NES, more than a year after the release of the Nintendo 64, it might have seemed simple, when everyone was all in for the 3D games.  I think that's why, like Yoshi's Island, supposedly, a specific art style was chosen, so that it would at least have some unique visual appeal in a time when graphics just being 3D alone seemed cutting-edge.

Even without that comparison to the next generation, Kirby: Super Star came out a year earlier and had more variety.

Though I do really like the idea of the Heart Stars in Kirby's Dream Land 3.  Though it's not unusual to see extra objectives in games these days, back then, other than collecting things, you didn't really see that.  And the objectives are varied here, so it's neat that they have all that in this game.  And the cameos of other Nintendo characters is a nice touch.

86

Maps Of The Month / Re: 2025/02: Kirby's Dream Land 3 (Super NES) - Jackster

« Last post by TerraEsperZ on February 01, 2025, 12:25:58 pm »

I'm surprised it took this long for this game to be mapped out.

I was never a big fan of Kirby's Dream Land 3. Not because it's not good but it always felt too safe, too mellow to me and I don't think I can even explain why. It just *does*.
Mind you, I do love the graphical style and the music, especially the ending theme which always makes me sad near the end. There's a feeling of quiet finality to it, as if you're expected to go to sleep now that the story is over.

Anyway, great work by Jackster as usual  !

87

Maps Of The Month / Re: 2025/02: Kirby's Dream Land 3 (Super NES) - Jackster

« Last post by G.E.R. on February 01, 2025, 05:37:17 am »

Kirby's Dream Land 3 is actually quite 'voluminous', I played this in the last month (by coincidence).
This Jackster's map set was useful on some levels, where I don't understud what should I do and where should I go.

88

Maps Of The Month / 2025/02: Kirby's Dream Land 3 (Super NES) - Jackster

« Last post by JonLeung on January 31, 2025, 09:49:06 pm »

Kirby's Dream Land 3

For this month's "Maps Of The Month" featurette, I wish to draw your attention to Jackster's Kirby's Dream Land 3 (Super NES) maps.

Kirby and Gooey are enjoying a nice day of fishing when a dark, monstrous cloud appears in the sky.  It spreads its evil influence around the world, including possessing King Dedede and his minions.  Kirby and Gooey gather their friends - Rick, Kine, and Coo, along with new friends Nago, Chuchu, and Pitch - to again go on a platforming adventure and use Copy Abilities to save Dream Land and all of PopStar!

In this particular Kirby game, besides just making it to the end, every stage has a unique challenge where Kirby or Gooey can earn a Heart Star.  These include playing mini-games, solving puzzles, collecting items, or having a particular partner with you by the end of the stage.  The various challenges often take the opportunity to include some cameos of other Nintendo characters; in 3-4, you'll be reuniting Donbe and Hikari, in 3-6, you'll be looking for parts of R.O.B. and, in 5-2, you'll be eliminating Metroids to help Samus!

Because you'll need all the Heart Stars to be able to challenge Dark Matter, Jackster's been considerate and has explained the conditions for obtaining the Heart Star in each stage.  On top of cleanly mapping every stage of this cute and colourful platformer, this underrated late-release Super NES game has been given the love it deserves.

So to recognize the effort put into helping us collect all the Heart Stars, Jackster's Kirby's Dream Land 3 (Super NES) maps will be known as VGMaps.com's Maps Of The Month for February 2025.

89

Map Gab / Re: Metal Warriors SNES

« Last post by Cyartog959 on January 29, 2025, 08:46:41 pm »

My apologies about that little mistake. I thought someone new here hadn't been informed about that yet, but you're right.

90

Map Gab / Re: Metal Warriors SNES

« Last post by JonLeung on January 28, 2025, 09:47:25 pm »

You didn't have to reply to what was obviously an AI spam bot.

If someone comes in, responding to the previous post by merely rewording what they said, and/or say things that sound too generic - in this case, they were saying that "they should check out some sites or forums" - which is a bizarre thing to say when they are already in a forum on a video game map web site, then they are AI bots.  It's also particularly weird that they responded to a fairly old request of something that, as you noticed, has already been fulfilled.

No one actually talks like that, all verbatim and vague and unaware, so they're bots, and boom - banned.  I haven't had a false positive in identifying bots (or at least, no one's complained about a ban applied to them), so, if there are any newcomers here - don't sound like a bot, please.  Say something a human would say.