Delta Project (DKC editing, etc)

[Simion32]

Boilerplate Statement: This post does not link to any ROMs.

Hello fellow RWP members, after a very long hiatus, I'm back with something you might be interested in.

I am now the sole programmer of a massive ongoing project that revolves around enabling users to create their own Donkey Kong Country fan games (or hacks, as the case may be).

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There are currently two main programs under development, each with a slightly different flavor:

(1) DKC Level Builder - This program, and its game engine, aim to allow combination of all elements from the entire DKC trilogy into one massive suite for creating DKC levels - it will also be able to utilize any external content which could be used to create something entirely different (and yes, it already supports emulated music formats).
Estimated time of functional arrival: Probably years later...

(2) DKC Resource Editor - This is like Lunar Magic for DKC, essentially. It edits the ROM file itself. Unlike the DKCLB, this program has already had a minor release and has seen success so far, though it was initially plagued by file IO bugs. I also plan to support the sequels here, but it will take some time before that happens.
Estimated time of functional arrival: Already Works
(Screenshot of the Program)

You can check these programs out here: http://www.dkc-atlas.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=52
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All of the programs use a special GUI of my own design, which almost guarantees compatibility with Windows Vista and 7, though it was designed for XP. If you're wondering, it uses the Allegro game library to compute graphics and display the main window, with everything else being Win32 API calls. Oh, and .NET framework is NOT required, at all.

Unfortunately, I haven't yet had any time to program in graphics optimizations like dirty rectangles and such, so the double-buffered UI tends to suck down a lot of CPU.

If you want to try out the current builds, be warned - it's like running a large game and is very demanding. Old computers cannot run it yet due to the slowness issues (trust me, you'll know whether you can run it - the lag in such a case is horrible).

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

[Nayib]

I'll check it out.

Okay. I tried out the Resource Editor (v0.0.6.7), and it's looking really good. I'm not creative, so I just ****ed around with bananas. However, the GUI was easy to use. It also runs at a perfect speed on my netbook. and saving was as easy as a click.

It's very well-done. Great job so far!

[Simion32]

Thanks, that's great to hear.

So far I've had a mostly mixed response on who can run the program so far, but for those who can run it there doesn't appear to be any problems. Apparently today's laptop/netbook hardware is not as bad as I had imagined.

There have been many recent developments in the user input section of the Delta Game Engine (the engine for the level builder, that is). I can now pick up 8 unique devices of a similar type, all at once (yes, 8 mice and 8 keyboards CAN be individually detected). There will probably be a new test build for users to try in the near future.

I'm doing all I can to make the level builder highly customizable, but as with everything this ambitious, it's going to take a long time to complete. The project idea has actually existed since 2006, but only really got going around December 2008.

[InTrepidCognito]

Originally Posted by Simion32

(1) DKC Level Builder - This program, and its game engine, aim to allow combination of all elements from the entire DKC trilogy into one massive suite for creating DKC levels - it will also be able to utilize any external content which could be used to create something entirely different (and yes, it already supports emulated music formats).
Estimated time of functional arrival: Probably years later...

I may be misreading, but are you saying we can import things from DKC2 into DKC? If so, that's pretty darn cool.

[Simion32]

The DKCLB requires that you extract graphics, levels, media, etc from the original ROMs as a base for building levels. I'm not going to distribute all those files as it would become an almost verbatim copy of the game - you have to extract a ROM to get that stuff out first.

You only slightly misread: it's more like "extract all the game data which serves as a base for your custom levels" rather than "importing to DKC2".

So if you want to make a level using a DKC2 foreground and a DKC background, you will need to have extracted both of those before you'll be able to use it in the editor.

To make it a little more clear:

DKCLB does not use ROMs past the initial extraction process. Everything from then on is computer files like PNG, WAV, OGG, SPC, and so forth. This editor and its game engine are much more powerful than ROM hacking alone.

DKCRE edits the ROMs themselves and cannot cross-import data from the games. You play hacks made with this program in ZSNES (recommended) or your favorite emulator.

[Guitar]

So in layman's terms, it allows you to tear apart DKC games, and mix them up to your liking?

Intriguing.

[Simion32]

Yes - once this stuff is actually working, of course.

I've also considered that a Banjo-2D of some sort could be made using LB once it's capable of all the basics. A Banjo-Kazooie game, but with SNES style controls and pre-rendered graphics like DKC, would be exceedingly epic.

[Tee-Hee]

This looks really impressive; I'm definitely going to have a play around with it :3

[Brian]

Originally Posted by Simion32

Yes - once this stuff is actually working, of course.

I've also considered that a Banjo-2D of some sort could be made using LB once it's capable of all the basics. A Banjo-Kazooie game, but with SNES style controls and pre-rendered graphics like DKC, would be exceedingly epic.

Holy crap, I fully support this.

[Simion32]

Please; just don't get your hopes up about DKCLB coming out fast. I can tell you it won't, because the scope of this project is so entirely massive. DKCLB will most likely, as I've stated in the first post, take years rather than months.

The GUI is no problem, I have that mostly covered. What's going to take time is the design of the initial system, and "porting" each and every DKC1/2/3 object by hand into C++. Doing that requires hacking, the likes of which will make your brain go numb. So far the only concrete details I have are for the first game's base physics routine, and the values for Donkey Kong.

Just take the Resource Editor as a small example of what is to come. If you want to see the progress on DKCLB, I suggest you find the DELTA topic (here) and check out the in-progress engine. The editor cannot be made until the engine itself is fully working.


On that matter, I'm about to release another test revision of DELTA in the next few hours, unless some huge bug comes up. There will be frequent test releases of the engine so as to prevent weird bugs from sneaking in.