Topic: Landstalker (Megadrive)

[Maxim]

Isometric games are really hard to map. But I just found this site that looks like it may soon unlock everything needed to dump all the maps:



http://www.landstalker.hostsnake.com/



At the very least, I'm going to have a play with the debug mode and cheat codes to see if I can make some nice test maps. There's no way I'll be able to finish it.

[lordmir]

Hi,



I don't know if you are still interested, but I am the owner of landstalker.hostsnake.com (although I have been having lots of trouble with the free hosting, and I think they have now disappeared). It is possible to dump the exact game maps, and I am currently able to do this with the map editor I am working on. I already have dumps of the nine main screens of Greenmaze but they are on my home PC (am currently at work), which I can upload if you are interested. To put things into context, there are 816 maps in landstalker, although a few of these maps use the same background but different sprites (so a lot of maps!). It wouldn't be too much work to dump them all.

[TerraEsperZ]

Hi Lordmir, and welcome to VGMaps! We don't get nearly enough isometric maps here (since they're usually hard to do) so anything you want to contribute will be greatly appreciated



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"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



Current projects: (Gen), Sonic The Hedgehog (Gen), Sonic CD (Sega CD), Mega Man V (GB), Mega Man Zero (GBA), Battletoads (NES), Bucky O'Hare (NES)

[Maxim]

816 maps is cool, someone else doing it is even better. Also, it'd propel you right into the #2 slot in the mapper rankings, although I imagine a lot of those maps could be stitched together or at least on the same image, because they're probably segmented due to game engine limitations rather than actually being different areas.

[lordmir]

Hi,



Thanks for the messages, here is a preview map I made earlier of Kalva Harbour (see below). One problem is that it doesn't show sprites/enemies at the moment, but that would not be too difficult to implement.



Regarding Maxim's comment, they can be stitched together, and would actually look a lot better as well as preserving the actual dungeon layout. Interestingly though, each map out of the 816 is specified as a different image according to the dissassembly and so would require a bit of photoshopping to get them lined up together on the same image.



I already did this for Greenmaze and it was nice to see that most of the map entrances/exits and terrain heights lined up together - shows the thought and attention that went into the level design.



Kalva Harbour: http://img30.picoodle.com/img/img30/4/6/3/f_KalvaHarboum_796bdee.gif

Greenmaze: http://img31.picoodle.com/img/img31/4/6/3/f_greenmazem_2c937c7.gif

[Maxim]

It's not uncommon for a game to do that. There's not much RAM in old consoles - 64KB in the Mega Drive - so there's a finite amount of level you can have loaded at any one time, unless it's all streamed and processed from ROM (which wastes a lot of expensive space). Thus, you find games "flip" between otherwise connected areas as these boundaries are reached.



The problem comes when the the interconnections turn out to actually not line up. Your Greenmaze map shows that already. It also seems somewhat self-obscuring (with the central tower), I'm not sure how best to deal with that - in this case it's not important, but what if it's an important detail that's obscured?

[TerraEsperZ]

That sort of craftsmanship is what I admire in game designers. I know it's trivial, but I like when you can put up a map covering an entire game where all the pieces, even if technically separate, end up fitting together perfectly without cheating.



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"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



Current projects: (Gen), Sonic The Hedgehog (Gen), Sonic CD (Sega CD), Mega Man V (GB), Mega Man Zero (GBA), Battletoads (NES), Bucky O'Hare (NES)

[Landstalker]

My Name's Chris I do Mods for GTA San Andreas, I recently designed some scripts I use for rendering the Landstalker maps using unit calculations, IE player = 1 square unit...



Anyways I found out that parts of the map don't align up tab to tab ... I rendered the whole of what I call Heaven 1 .. the outside areas of the island ... IE towns, Routes, and 2 areas had problems ... 1st area is in the mountains area on the map with the teleportor that leads you to King Noels Palace.   2nd is the town of Ryma and the route leading to the lift to the cave the prisoners built to get out ... I will post a link to the map I built.

[Landstalker]

http://www.fileden.com/files/27285/Landstalker%20Map%20Final.jp

[Maxim]

Link: http://www.fileden.com/files/27285/Landstalker%20Map%20Final.jpg



Now that is a good-looking map. I presume you'll post it full-size and PNG when it's finished.

[JonLeung]

Maxim Said:

Link: http://www.fileden.com/files/27285/Landstalker%20Map%20Final.jpg



Now that is a good-looking map. I presume you'll post it full-size and PNG when it's finished.

0_0



Wow, I agree.  It would be a shame to not have a full-sized .PNG version.



Is that the full game?  I'm not familiar with Landstalker.

[TerraEsperZ]

This is amazing! I love how using isometric projection in games gives a much better sense of scale to things like mountains and buildings. I too hope this map is submitted as a full-size one. Managing to map an entire game and then ruining everything by scaling everything down thus ruining the graphics would be a crime.



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Current projects: Bucky O'Hare (NES), Metal Storm (NES), Clock Tower (SNES), Ristar-The Shooting Star (Gen), Sonic The Hedgehog (Gen), Sonic CD (Sega CD), Mega Man Zero (GBA), Battletoads (NES)

[zoonel]

Hi,
Sorry to bump this old topic but does anyone still have the images so i can see what's a good looking map for landstalker :p (the Landstalker%20Map%20Final.jpg & f_greenmazem_2c937c7.gif ).
thx

[Mikemc]

I second that idea. And the website is gone too.

[GHS]

Is any one going to map landstalker or is this game up for grabs.