Topic: Super Castlevania IV (SNES) - Proof of feasibility

[TerraEsperZ]

Here are a couple of maps I did today. Like the title indicates, my goal was to see if maps of this game could be done without too much efforts, which was a valid question seeing as I haven't found any on the net yet. As I suspected, the main obstacles is removing the background since it shares many colors with the foreground.



I might keep mapping this someday but for now, these will stand on their own. I'll probably add a map header for final submission too, just so they at least serve some purpose.



Block 1-1(A):





Block 1-1(B):





Block 1-2(A):





---

"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

[DarkWolf]

I wish they had put the same effort into the Bloodlines graphics as they did for these.

[TerraEsperZ]

Yeah, though Bloodlines does shine but through its animation rather than its graphics. Super Castlevania IV is definitely one of my favourites CV games, right up there with both N64 games (Castlevania 64 and Legacy Of Darkness). I find that all three games are the only ones where the graphics have a much darker and hopeless look and the music is more atmospheric rather than glorious and orchestral. I think Konami pushed this game in every department because it was one of the first SNES titles and they really wanted to impress gamers. It's really obvious when you see just how mediocre Dracula X is in comparison (except the soundtrack, they got that part exactly right)...



---

"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

[TerraEsperZ]

A little montage of everything done so far, only missing stage 1-3:







---

"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

[TerraEsperZ]

Stage 1 is finished. I will probably do more soon but it won't be a priority.







---

"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

[mephea]

they look very nice terra.  good job, good luck if you ever go further, if i remember correctly, there was a stage that rotated...i cant remember though...

[TerraEsperZ]

Thanks Mephea. It's one of the best looking 'classic' Castlevania game and it seems weird that nobody's ever mapped it after so long. I also like it because the graphics and music are much more atmospheric than the other CV games and they establish a more somber, desperate mood. That's why I like the N64 CVs so much, since they come closest to being like SCV4.



---

"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

[JonLeung]

I remember reading how both the N64 Castlevania games and Circle Of The Moon were removed from continuity from a timeline audit of sorts.  And before that, Super Castlevania IV was already essentially replacing the original Castlevania...but then they went and recreated Castlevania in Castlevania Chronicles or something.



I dunno, just thought I'd throw in some trivia.

[TerraEsperZ]

I know about Koji Igarashi's retcon of the Castlevania universe but I don't personally agree with it. I like variety, so if you just need to change a few dates and in-game sentences to make all the retconned games fit in, then I think it should have been done oout of respect for the teams which worked on those games. I won't even begin about the pro-IGA vs anti-IGA flamewars that keep happening on the Castlevania Dungeon forums, except to say that some people really, *really* need a life, and possibly a sound beating with blunt objects



---

"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

[DarkWolf]

I always considered the games to be individual stories with no connection to each other.

[Revned]

*Waits for Terra's rant*

[TerraEsperZ]

Revned is no doubt waiting for me to unleash my scathing comments on a subject that is obviously pretty trivial and thus would make me look like a loony raving fanboy. You can keep waiting Revned, I'm not going to satisfy you



At least not yet



---

"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

[JonLeung]

For some reason I associated Mega Man games with Revned for a long time (likely because his maps were the first MotM for Mega Man III and he did (I)-IV and some GB III, though Geminiman has probably done more than him by now).  And Mega Man probably has its continuity quirks.



From what I understand, Dracula comes back every 100 years - though by now several games break that rule.



And Mega Man is like Dracula, there's a new one every hundred years.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe most of Mega Man Classic takes place in 200X/20XX, then most of Mega Man X takes place in 21XX, then Mega Man Zero is said to take place a hundred years after that (so probably 22XX) and the new Mega Man XZ is supposed to be another hundred years after THAT (so, 23XX).



Any series that tries to have 100-year increments is bound to run into trouble, especially with series that could become as popular as Mega Man and Castlevania.  (I was trying to count Mega Man games with my brother the other day - without the aid of GameFAQs...and hit 60!  I think there are only a third as many Castlevania games...)

[TerraEsperZ]

Mega Man has the benefit that they can keep moving foward into the future as much as they want to. They can keep them loosely connected and thus have as many variations of Mega Man as they want (though I really miss the Classic series, which pretty much seems dead at this ploint aside from the countless remakes of the first few games).



Castlevania though takes place in a history similar to our own, and the general theme of the series wouldn't really work in a futuristic setting (Aria and Dawn of Sorrow are still pretty classic despite taking place in the middle of the 21st century).



I think it's best not to look at that 'one resurrection a century' thing too closely, or else you'll have to remove a lot of games that don't fit it.



---

"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

[JonLeung]

So, between Super IV, Harmony Of Dissonance, and Symphony Of The Night, I guess I can expect the Treasure Master maps to be done...like never.  :/