Topic: [Experiment] Ecco The Dolphin (Genesis)

[TerraEsperZ]

As you've all probably guess, I've started using the

>[Experiment] tag whenever I've done maps that are complete and don't feel like doing the whole game.



In any case, I missed the original frenzy for the Ecco games way back then since I only ever had a NES. I've only recently tried playing it but diagonal controls just won't work in Gens (either with my joypad or keyboard) which means that it's incredibly hard to pull off the simplest of manoeuvers and thus makes the game impossible to enjoy.



In any case, I've found the intro stage pretty enough to try and map it, which proved difficult with the background because it doesn't tile well and wasn't tall enough. My workaround is a bit obvious in the middle where the corals are mirrored both vertically and horizontally, but it doesn't look too bad. I also didn't add any of the dolphins or fishes aside from Ecco because none of them seem to have a definite starting point.



I've done the stage both before and after your pod gets kidnapped by the Vortex, because the actual stage changes a bit even though it wasn't intended. I've discovered that both versions are actually side by side on the actual map, and using  the debug menu, if I entered an X coordinate that went beyond the edge of the "before" stage, I appeared in the "after" one. Anyway, the rock formations on the bottom of the stages are offset from one another. Bad coders, bad!



When I find the time, I might add in a header and submit them rather than let them be wasted on my HD.



Ecco The Dolphin - Level 1 - Home Bay (before) *EDIT 2017/02/05* See post attachments



Ecco The Dolphin - Level 1 - Home Bay (after) *EDIT 2017/02/05* See post attachments



Also, as a bonus, I found both Ecco games for the Sega CD and I find the soundtracks really interesting in an ambiant way so I'm including them here if anyone cares. They go a long way in making both games feel more than just that, games



*EDIT 2017/02/05* Links removed because they've been dead for years



---

"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably." [...] The first time any man's freedom is trodden on, we're all damaged. - Captain Jean-Luc Picard



B*tch, meet reality. Reality, meet b*tch. - Me

[Maxim]

In a few places in the background you can clearly see some 64px(?) tile boundaries - is that original or a mistake during extension?

[TerraEsperZ]

Like I said, this one was an experiment and not something I intend to continue. Heck, I've seen scans of maps from a magazine and I'd kill myself before mapping all of that!



Thanks for posting that link Buxx. I already knew about Dark Sea but since the most important section, The Games, seems to either have been hacked or deliberately cripled, I assumed the site was pretty much useless and didn't check their forum.



Maxim, I'm afraid I didn't keep a copy of my extended background (and I'm too lazy to recreate it at the moment) but I can post the original one.



Feel free to take a look and tell me the exact places where those boundaries appear. In any case, I lacked the skill/patience to make a truly seemless edit so I made a quick one.



Original background *EDIT 2017/02/05* See post attachments



What's problematic is that the portion of it above water is the right height, but the portion underwater isn't quite enough, so I did a quick mirroring vertically. Also, it only covers 3/4 of the actual stage; I tried to center it on the stage, mirroring it on both sides to extend it while keeping the original look of a bay around the stage, but the actual portion covered by rocks on both sides was too big and it didn't look nearly as good. That's why I messed around in the middle with a couple of sections 128 pixels long, in a "wait, this is mirrored backward, and then it goes back to normal again?!" pattern.



And seriously, why can't you guys nitpick this much with real maps I actually care about ?



---

"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably." [...] The first time any man's freedom is trodden on, we're all damaged. - Captain Jean-Luc Picard



B*tch, meet reality. Reality, meet b*tch. - Me

[Maxim]

Maybe your non-prototypes are just perfect already?



The tiling (I think it's 128px) is quite apparent on the whole bottom-right corner of the background, but it seems original. Here's a version from that Dark Sea thread:







which uses scaling for the background and it shows up there too.

[TerraEsperZ]

Maybe your non-prototypes are just perfect already?

They can't be, not when you're a perfectionist



But I get what you were saying about the tiling. Personally, I prefer my background; if I wanted I'm sure I could improve it but I would never tolerate any stretching or scaling because it looks *bad*.



---

"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably." [...] The first time any man's freedom is trodden on, we're all damaged. - Captain Jean-Luc Picard



B*tch, meet reality. Reality, meet b*tch. - Me