Topic: Rayman Advance (GBA)

[Grizzly]

I'm just testing a bit out with the game, I still do not know if I will continue with the full game - depends on what difficulties I will encounter with the other backdrops and if there will be a similar problem as the one I had with the sequel (Rayman 3 GBA) - not being able to reach many areas and no ability to fill it out myself. I already couldn't reach the upper-right corner of the second map but I was able to fill it with some stones and the colour brown easily. Hopefully it will stay as easy as that.



Well, map 1 was easy. The height of the map is only a very small bit bigger than the height of the background so I just put in some plain colour for the water and sky to make it slightly taller.



http://img367.imageshack.us/my.php?image=thedreamforestpinkplantwoods12.png



Map 2 is more than double in size than its background - The only possibility I saw was to stretch it and put a filter over it to remove a bit of the pixelish look.

Background:



Map:



http://img100.imageshack.us/my.php?image=thedreamforestpinkplantwoods28.png



PS: I originally played the game on PC so I might as well look how difficult it would be to map the DOS version of the game - because it might look better: slightly better colours but definitely a better photographer (not one with as big pixels as the one in map 2) and also other things in the GBA version have got big pixels. I just started the GBA version because it's a bit easier due to quicksaves and layer disabling.

[TerraEsperZ]

Actually, these look very good. I expected the second one to have an obviously enlarged background but the fact that it was only about doubled in height and whatever filter you used really managed to make it look great. I for one hope you keep going, as you seem on a great mapping streak!



---

"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

[Revned]

Nice work. I haven't played any Rayman games before. Are they worth playing, or are they mediocre platformers?

[Grizzly]

Hey, why was one of the pics in the above message deleted? I am sure that I inserted it there.

Background:



Revned:

I like Rayman games. Although the 3D parts are very different in play and feel than the first part (and all of its addons).

But there are many different ideas in this first game - so it's not just going from start to end. You get different powers throughout the game which make you stronger so you can reach areas not reachable before (you have to find all of the cages to complete the game) and some other gimmicks.

[Revned]

I'll have  to try them then. I've always heard about them, but I've never given them much consideration.

[Grizzly]

Well, I now want to map the PC version instead. The only problem is that removing the background there is not an easy task as well as getting the better coloured background out of the game screen.



I hope that most of the later levels are easier because of more different colours between foreground and background. I will check that soon.

Comparision:



http://img397.imageshack.us/my.php?image=comparepcgba7ze.png

[Grizzly]

I've got good news. The second background does use different colours than those from the foreground so it's no problem to seperate them. If maybe the first background is the only one that makes things a bit difficult, most stages should be doable at normal speed.



New version of level 2 (this time from the PC version):



http://img362.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tdfppwlevel28qm.png

[TerraEsperZ]

Glad to hear that. The PC version is really gorgeous, but wasn't the Playstation version supposed to have even more colors?



Anyway, I'm looking foward to the next ones!



---

"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

[Grizzly]

TerraEsperZ Said:

Glad to hear that. The PC version is really gorgeous, but wasn't the Playstation version supposed to have even more colors?



Anyway, I'm looking foward to the next ones!



---

"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

I cannot say that for sure. The number of colours looks the same although to know for sure you'd have to let them count by Paintshop Pro or something different.

But the Playstation version is graphically more extensive. There is an additional foreground layer that moves in front of the playfield. But because you cannot disable such layers in Playstation emulators, it would make mapping even more complicated so I think I will stick with the PC version which looks almost the same.

[Grizzly]

Funny how I posted the above message before your last message and still answered yours



Well, I now visited the Playstation version and what caught my eye quickly is that the backgrounds look much better in this version. See a comparision here:



The number of colours for the actual stage seems to be identical, but the stage layout changes at some parts. They are only minor changes but still they are different than in two other versions.

see here: https://img131.imageshack.us/my.php?image=level02ps1iy2.png

Also, the HUD cannot be disabled like in the PC version.



So I will use the Playstation's backgrounds and the PC's stage graphics. But it might take a long time to finish the game nontheless. There are 60+ levels, I think and even if I would finish one level per day (what I am sure I will not do), it still would take some months. So expect some new levels in here from time to time but do not expect the full mapped game too soon :]



Here's level 03:

http://img129.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tdfppw3dr6.png

[TerraEsperZ]

That will definitely be a long-term project, and I know how hard it can be to keep mapping the same game for months on end. Still, if you manage to stick to it, I'm sure the end result will be great



---

"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