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Kipernal's Generic YI Editing Tools

Tool

Y.I.P.E.S.

Yoshi's Island Phrase Editing System



Originally posted by Jeorge535 two years ago
Excellent! All we need now is a text editor :)


Well, here you go!



Keep in mind that this is still in beta (as proven by the non-functioning "Message space used" bar), but as far as I know everything else is perfectly functional as of now. Currently it can change text, change which levels can display messages (and which messages they display) and edit level names.

How to use: (WARNING: This will not work immediately with ROMs that have already had their messages edited manually. See below for instructions on how to fix that.)

1. Open your ROM. You will see a dialog box appear asking you how much space to set aside for level messages and names. The maximum is FFFF (a whole bank). A new file will be saved alongside your ROM (called "_romname.dat0"); open it up in a hex editor at any time to change the amount of free space to set aside. Note that any unused space is change to AF in the ROM so that Golden Egg doesn't read it as empty space, and these bytes are overwritten with AF every time you save.

2. Now click OK and wait a moment or two as the program reads all the data, gathers and sorts the relevant pointers, etc.

2. Instead of being listed by pointer, messages are listed by their order in the ROM. Find the message you want to edit, and type it in. If you install and use the included Yoshi's Island font set, you can estimate how much text can fit on a line.

3. Click the "Insert Message" button (or, if you have the "Compile Automatically" option disabled, click "Compile and Insert")

4. Your new message is now in the ROM. To change which levels use it, move to the next tab.

5. On the "Message Linking" tab, select the translevel you want to modify, then select the message or message number to use. Once you've finished, click the "Save Changes" button (clicking the "Insert" button on the previous or following tabs will also work).

6. To edit level names, go to the next tab.

7. Everything is identical to message editing, save for a couple of things. First off, the options labeled "nothing?" contain garbage data, feel free to delete their "text" (remember to click the "Insert" button after!) to free up some space.

8. Save ROM, test game, report bugs.




How to fix an already used ROM:

Y.I.P.E.S. does not read messages based on where they begin, but on where they end. Since all messages end in FFFF, every instance of FFFF is treated as its own message. Because the program auto-limits itself to x012B messages (four for each translevel) the FFFFs will fill up all the slots allocated for messages and many of your messages may not appear in the program (depending on how many FFFFs are between each message you've created). To fix this, replace all unimportant FFFF with 0000 (or any other byte, really). When you open your ROM in Y.I.P.E.S., some of the messages will now have long strings of "àààààààà" (if you used 0000). Just delete these strings, reinsert the messages, and hopefully everything should now be in order. Just be sure to back up your ROM in case anything goes wrong.




A few things to note for text editing veterans:

1. Most required commands ($FF$05, $FF$06, $FF$FF$0F$FF etc) are inserted automatically; you do not need to type them yourself. The exceptions to this rule are the $FF and $FE commands when used in level names, but only when they contain a non-zero horizontal shift. If either one of them do, then you will need to insert them both manually.

2. If you wish to insert a byte directly into your message, use $XX, where XX is the byte you want to insert at that point. Note that the Yoshi's Island font does not have a "$" character, so it will appear invisible unless you switch fonts. Also note that the byte must be two digits long; $5 would throw an error, for example.

3. You can directly edit the exact binary data before it is inserted into the ROM by editing the box to the right of the message box. This is useful for things that Y.I.P.E.S. doesn't support (read: no documentation on), such as scrolling to large fonts and other oddities.

4. I would not recommend pushing this program to its limits, so to speak. For example, randomly sticking $FF$FF in the middle of a message (or $FD in the middle of a level name) and then inserting it may cause some odd occurrences (I haven't actually tried it; it's just an example).

Alright, have fun and be sure to report any bugs to me!

P.S.: There is a way to get the icon at the top left of the program to animate; see if you can figure out how!

Yoshi's Island Sprite Set Editor





I literally just made this, not only on a complete whim, but within only a few hours. Major thanks to Yoshis Fan for sharing details on how sprite sets are stored, and to Mattrizzle for discovering the original information and capturing the images that he shared with Yoshis Fan.

Download now! Be sure to unzip it before using it.








Usage is very simple. Simply load your ROM, select the sprite set to edit on the right, select the slot number to change, then select the graphics to load into that slot on the left. The one thing to note is that certain sprites only work in certain slots; the ones Yoshis Fan told me about are included in the description for each sprite but there may possibly be others; just be aware.


Yoshi's Island Title Screen Editor




Don't you just love creative names?

Download here.



Instructions are included in the readme file; it's very simple to use.
I should get a new layout.

Probably won't, though.
Wow, this certainly is surprising! Too bad I wont really be using it any time soon since I have finished my YI hack and will not be expecting to release a YI hack any time soon.

But yeah, this will certainly come in handy for any potential Yoshi's Island hackers.

Mickey8715, Please subscribe and comment!
I need some help here.

I've been tinkering with your editor, Kipernal, and I can't figure out how to change the message box text. I edit the text and everything, insert it and save. This obviously didn't work so I was wondering how to do this. What exactly are 'translevels'? I'm trying to edit the text at the intro level and I don't know how to actually save it. With hex editing, as soon as I overwrote it and saved, it worked. But for some reason I have to set a translevel and I can't find the one for that level. (I looked in Golden Egg for the level ID and tried to find that but it was blank)

tl;dr Explain, in detail, the process of editing message box text? What are translevels?
Zeldara can explain what translevels are better than I can, so

Originally posted by Zeldara109 in the F.A.Q.
The translevel number (a.k.a. "map icon number", formerly known as the "level index") is a number used for determining things specific to the level as a whole (such as midway entrances and messages), as opposed to one specific "level" within that level. (I know, the two different types of level are confusing. That's why the term translevel exists.)

Each map icon has its own translevel number, numbered consecutively, 0xC icons per world. For example, 1-1's translevel number is 0, 1-8's is 7, Extra 1's is 8, and Extra 6's is 0x44. The highest possible translevel number is 0x47. (That is, unless the Select+XXYBA minigames also have translevel numbers. I'm not sure if that's the case.)

By the way, with the exception of 0xA (the intro scene), and 0xB (the welcome level), the last two translevel numbers for each world are unused, since they would refer to the score and controls icons.


But if you're just changing the intro text, you won't need to play around with translevels. That text (assuming you haven't already modified anything) should be messages #0 and #1 under the first tab. If not, then just scroll through the messages until you find them and edit them. Be sure to press the Insert button once you've finished (and the Save button before you test), otherwise nothing will change.

I'm not sure if that completely answers your question, so if it doesn't just tell me and I'll try to explain better.
I should get a new layout.

Probably won't, though.
Originally posted by Kipernal
But if you're just changing the intro text, you won't need to play around with translevels. That text (assuming you haven't already modified anything) should be messages #0 and #1 under the first tab. If not, then just scroll through the messages until you find them and edit them. Be sure to press the Insert button once you've finished (and the Save button before you test), otherwise nothing will change.

I'm not sure if that completely answers your question, so if it doesn't just tell me and I'll try to explain better.


I did that, inserted and compiled, saved and tested. When I tried to move at the start of the intro level, it was the same old text about Baby Mario and none of my edits showed up. It's in the actual level not the cutscene.
EDIT2: I've updated the link in the first post with a new version of Y.I.P.E.S. that fixes the below problem, and I've also added a title screen editor.

Originally posted by Snowshoe
I did that, inserted and compiled, saved and tested. When I tried to move at the start of the intro level, it was the same old text about Baby Mario and none of my edits showed up. It's in the actual level not the cutscene.


Odd...would you mind sharing with me a patch of the ROM you're using so I could see what's up?

EDIT: Actually, I think I might know what the problem is. I just realized that the Compile and Insert button isn't working right, so you'll have to press the Compile button and the Insert button separately (if you have automatic compiling turned off) for now for there to be any effect. I'll fix that later today and update the download link.
I should get a new layout.

Probably won't, though.
@Kipernal:
Thank you for crediting me, but actually I'm just the deliverer of the information. Most things about the Sprite Sets have been found out by Mattrizzle, actually and he's also sent me the pictures of each GFX set.
Originally posted by OP
... Title screen editor ...


Oh my god Kipernal... such awful timing. I just made a custom title screen in hex and now you come out with THIS! #w{xD} #w{:<}

Well, at least I don't have to set my hex editor bytes to $40 so I can see everything. Great job.
Originally posted by Snowshoe
Oh my god Kipernal... such awful timing. I just made a custom title screen in hex and now you come out with THIS! #w{xD} #w{:<}


I tried to think of a witty response but couldn't, so you'll just have to settle for a generic "glad you like it; sorry you couldn't use it." :P

Anyway, I found a very useful bit of information hidden in the Helpful Info thread regarding the cutscenes where Yoshi walks around the map and blows up the world's castle; even knowing that the castles and volcanoes cannot be moved would anyone be interested in an editor for that (i.e. let you move around and add/subtract the map's trees, mountains, flowers, clouds, etc. and change where Yoshi walks)?
I should get a new layout.

Probably won't, though.
@Kipernal:
I've tested the title screen editor, but I don't really understand what the ZST file is for. Is it for the palettes? Wouldn't it be possible to read each palette directly from the ROM? I just thought it, because when I open the ROM of my Hack together with the GFX .bin file of my hack's graphics and your ZST file, the palettes are messed up.
Originally posted by Yoshis Fan
@Kipernal:
I've tested the title screen editor, but I don't really understand what the ZST file is for. Is it for the palettes? Wouldn't it be possible to read each palette directly from the ROM? I just thought it, because when I open the ROM of my Hack together with the GFX .bin file of my hack's graphics and your ZST file, the palettes are messed up.


Yes, the .zst file is for the palettes since I don't know where in the ROM the title screen palette is stored. And you have to use the included .zst file for (what I'm assuming is) the following reason: instead of having one palette for the entire screen like normal, Yoshi's island splits the screen in half with IRQ and gives the top and bottom sections their own palettes. Since Zsnes creates save states at the end of a frame, it grabs the second palette, which doesn't contain the correct colors for the text at the top of the screen. I think Kirby Superstar has the same problem.

tl;dr: if someone can tell me where in the ROM the correct palette is, I'll modify the program so it won't require a .zst file.
I should get a new layout.

Probably won't, though.
So I scrapped the old cutscene map editor I was working on in favor of one with a better engine...by which I mean this current build is done in Game Maker, which has all the 3D rendering function built in. *shame* I've only got navigation and object switching done so far, but I want some feedback specifically on how well the camera works and what should be done to improve on it.

Download

Note that you must extract the files first, and that there are a few garbage objects scattered around (the objects labeled "INVALID" and the random mountain floating above the island); those are the subject of experimentation, so ignore those. Also note that due to a technical limitation people with epilepsy may want to avoid this; clicking on an object causes all objects to flash blue once for 1/30th of a second, and while it may cause issues, it was the only way I could figure out for click-based object selecting in 3D space (otherwise you'd have to scroll through each object to find and edit the one you want, and that's no fun).

The controls are as follows: Right click to switch between having the camera following the mouse and keeping the camera stationary; the latter having the advantage of allowing you to use the mouse to select objects, the former the advantage of easier control of the camera. Use the Enter key to switch between the two different camera modes: the first always focuses on the center of the island; you can use either the mouse or the arrow keys to navigate and the mouse wheel to zoom in. The second allows full control of the camera; use the mouse to change where you're looking and the arrow keys to move in that direction.
I should get a new layout.

Probably won't, though.
Well, even though no one has shown any interest in this, I've finally finished it. You can download it here. Start up the original program (the Title Screen Editor) and from there open your ROM and click on the Map Editor button near the bottom of the form.





Three things to note: The first is that if the map editor does not appear on top, right click to release the mouse and bring it to the top. The second is that you must extract all the files to the same location in order for this to work. The third is that objects (especially tall ones) should not be placed near the edge of the map, or else parts of them will cut out as they rotate around the map.
I should get a new layout.

Probably won't, though.
Pretty cool program, Kipernal. But I don't understand how you are supposed to remove objects or how you can save the map after editing it. The only thing I could do was creating objects and moving them along the X and Y axis. Is it possible to move them upwards/downwards, too? I couldn't figure out how to do the three mentioned things.
Originally posted by Yoshis Fan
Pretty cool program, Kipernal. But I don't understand how you are supposed to remove objects or how you can save the map after editing it. The only thing I could do was creating objects and moving them along the X and Y axis. Is it possible to move them upwards/downwards, too? I couldn't figure out how to do the three mentioned things.


If you press F1 while in the map editor it will bring up the help file; that contains all the controls in the program. To answer your questions, though, to remove objects, set their object type to 0, to move objects up or down press K or L, and to save/quit press the ESC key.
I should get a new layout.

Probably won't, though.
Since tehaxor69 has apparently vanished off of the face of the earth, I decided to work on his map editor in his place. Very rough preview:



Aside from basic editing stuff (both layer 1 and layer 2, along with palettes and Yoshi paths), can anyone think of any other features they'd like to see?
I should get a new layout.

Probably won't, though.
This is looking quite promising, Kipernal. I can't think of any other map-related functions that would be relevant except Layer 1/2 tile/palette editing and Yoshi path editing. Maybe a tile editor and palette color editor, but that's it.

EDIT:
(Also, it's a pity, that tehaxor69 suddenly vanished, he was a great and very helpful person)
Hmmm... very cool project Kipernal.

I see a blank space in the tile selector, that can be used for custom tiles or something? just saying....
Originally posted by Kipernal
Aside from basic editing stuff (both layer 1 and layer 2, along with palettes and Yoshi paths), can anyone think of any other features they'd like to see?

Editing the tilemap of the upper half of the map screen (that is, the area behind the level icons, with the x-x numbers, castles, etc.), maybe?

–=–=–=–=–=–=–
Advynia: a Yoshi's Island editor - Alyssa's Unlikely Trap demo 3
Originally posted by Zeldara109
Editing the tilemap of the upper half of the map screen (that is, the area behind the level icons, with the x-x numbers, castles, etc.), maybe?


If I can find the tilemaps/palettes for that, then absolutely.

Originally posted by doggy
I see a blank space in the tile selector, that can be used for custom tiles or something? just saying....


Do you mean the "x" tiles? Those are garbage leftover tiles that change depending on different things, so you shouldn't use them. I don't stop you from using them, mind you, but they won't display correctly either in-game or in the editor.

Originally posted by doggy


#w{<3}
I should get a new layout.

Probably won't, though.

Tool