Paraemon's Comprehensive Ripping Project Thread [Expansion Station]

[Paraemon]

As far as the uploading is concerned, I'm going to do it somewhere between June 9 and June 23 (or June 30 if none of those days work out). That way, I'm clear of the end of the semester in May and will have had some reasonable amount of time to get some extra work done in anticipation and preparation of the uploading.

Anyway! Let's discuss Flash Cycles!

So, I went back to the Master Emerald sheet* to get it finished, and as I was working on it, learnt how the two types of Flash Cycles (Standard and The Doomsday Zone Sub-boss Explosion) explicitly differed, especially the ninth to fourteenth schemes.

*Finished in so far as you can see, but will likely have one or two more revisions prior to uploading.

The Standard Flash Cycle (SFC), as I've noted previously, consists of 14 different palette schemes - as it makes its way to the eighth set of schemes, which is when all color values are 238, each value, be it any of 0, 34, 68, 102, 136, 170 and 204, each add, per change in color, a value of 34 as the colors become lighter in fashion. If a part of the palette reaches RGB:238 early - for example, R:170, G:204, B:136, which would take a maximum of three full adjustments to reach RGB:238, then it remains at that final color through to the eighth scheme.



Schemes 9 to 14 work differently, and require the template above to explain. The RGB:238 needs to be returned to RGB:0, at least looking at the example template. This is simple with the color of RGB:0 (or black, if you prefer), since it can be simply worked out. A color with one or two values already at 238 with the other value starting at 0 can easily brought to RGB:238 and back again, it's just simply adding and subtracting by 34 each shift.

However, you must pay full attention to what is at the RGB:0 (starting) point, as there are several colors that already have a mix of values that are neither 0 or 238. It is also worth keeping in mind that it's easier to work backwards when developing the ninth to fourteenth schemes so you can better set the colors. But let's get to it.

To work out what the fourteenth scheme is first, you need to take a look at the values for the color in question. The highest value does not move, so if any value is 204, you're relatively safe for the most part, but all values for the ninth scheme must be RGB:204 in that regard (if one or two values are 238, then scheme nine must have 204 as a value). If the lowest value is 0, just add 34 to it. This is where it gets tricky. If you see the lowest value as 34, that means the color for the fourteenth scheme is the same as it is in the first scheme. If it's 68, then the first and thirteenth schemes match, and there is no need to adjust for the fourteenth.

Basically,

Lowest Value = 0, add 34
Lowest Value = 34, do not adjust for Scheme 14
Lowest Value = 68, do not adjust for Scheme 13 or 14
Lowest Value = 102, do not adjust for Scheme 12, remains the same until 14
Lowest Value = 136, do not adjust for Scheme 11, remains the same until 14
Lowest Value = 170, do not adjust for Scheme 10, remains the same until 14
Lowest Value = 204, do not adjust for Scheme 9, remains the same until 14.

Which leaves the part unexplained - the "middle value". Say you got R:0, G:102, B:204, and you want to chart Schemes Nine to Fourteen. The middle value here is 102. Here's how it would work out without a longwinded explanation:

                      R      G      B
Scheme 09 = 204 | 204 | 204
Scheme 10 = 170 | 170 | 204
Scheme 11 = 136 | 136 | 204
Scheme 12 = 102 | 102 | 204
Scheme 13 = 068 | 102 | 204
Scheme 14 = 034 | 102 | 204
Scheme 01 = 000 | 102 | 204

Using the RGB:0 to RGB:238 template above as an guide, the middle value ceases adjustments based on which grey color it corresponds with - with the charting out as explained, it stops third from the end. If the middle value is 170, then there are no adjustments needed from Scheme 10. But the lowest value must make its way to the middle value first before both progress together.

I hope that made sense because I really had no idea how to properly explain it. I kind wish I had one of those college lecture halls to better explain it.

The Flash Cycle, for now, I'll leave the template up but post the explanation later - I don't know the full rules for it.




And with all that in mind, I decided to use a bit of free time to better work out the characters' Flash Cycles and how they ought to appear in game. I'll post the Doomsday Zone variations with the explanation later.

Sonic's Flash Cycle


Tails' Flash Cycle


Knuckles' Flash Cycle

[Paraemon]

So I decided to take my own crack at Mecha Sonic, with some minimal expansions (thus far) and extra notes. Unlike what will come with most Flash Cycle additions that'll be seen on other sheets, I'm only dedicating the implementation of the Flash Cycle schemes to the sprites from Knuckles' act - the Egg Mobile and related sprites won't receive Flash Cycle schemes (the base Mobile will get its own sets per Launch Base and Mushroom Hill Zones anyway) as they're not in the act that the cycle occurs in (the Flash Cycle goes up to the RGB:238 scheme after the Boss is defeated, but I'll formulate the missing schemes).

Yep, there's a couple of mistakes. Fixing those now.



Also, I'm having a massive issue.



I don't know where in Sonic 3 or Sonic & Knuckles these occur. Does anybody know?

[You Gotta be Joshing me]

They occur in Mushroom Hill/Valley, as shown here:



In that playthrough it only appears for like a split second where I marked it, sorry I didn't have the time to play through mushroom hill until I encountered it and make a nice looping GIF of it since it's almost like 2:00 AM where I am at the time writing this post.

[Paraemon]

YGbJm, the video didn't show anything of it, even on 0.25 speed. There's an eight-frame animation set where Sonic's at different 45 degree angles but not the four that I can't find the place for.

[Ton]

Aren't those from the MHZ rope thingies that fling you?

[Paraemon]

They're not - I've tested multiple times, they work like when Sonic's on the vine ropes in Angel Island Zone - each changes at 45 degree intervals. These:

[Dolphman]

Played through it and I can confirm the frames don't appear the split second before he rolls into a ball. They're possibly unused.

[Triangly]

Checked out the rips and found out these sprites only exists for Sonic. Maybe they have appeared is some prototypes? Kinda strange no one noticed that before

[Paraemon]

Checked out the rips and found out these sprites only exists for Sonic. Maybe they have appeared is some prototypes? Kinda strange no one noticed that before

I'll tag them as unused.  

Finished Mecha Sonic!



It carries how I see to deal with palette charting of the Flash Cycles from here on out, instead of messing around with example sprites, it was just easier to supply full tables for the Flash Cycles.

[Paraemon]

Current progress on the Sonic 3 Sonic sheet.



Any sprites that appear in Sonic & Knuckles will be included on that version of the sheet. There's already more content for it.

Like how I charted out the variations for Mecha Sonic on its sheet, the current charting out for Sonic's palette variations is the same height in pixels as the core content. Part of the reason for this is that, before I actually take action on ripping Super Sonic's expanded sprite variants from Sonic 3 Complete, I'll be incorporating the underwater palettes for Hyper Sonic and the Transition palettes from Complete on this sheet (there's no point in ripping a whole new Sonic sheet for a handful of colors). When I get around to Super Sonic for the Hack, those additional palettes will be incorporated on that sheet, but until then, on here they shall rest.

The same will happen with Tails and Knuckles, as it is especially obvious that there is zero point in ripping new sheets for them for the Complete section when only a handful of colors will be the new additions.

[Paraemon]

A quite unique update today. The only backgrounds actually missing from the game now are those from Lava Reef Zone's Sub-Boss, the Ending and Glowing Spheres.



  

 

  

 



 

[Triangly]

It is such a sweet update! Wonderful job 


Update: Solved
Tho I have something to say about the palette. Actually, it is still brighter than it should be. I'll compare it with Whitehead's port of S1 (they have an accurate palette) using official SEGA Classics emulator:
   
2013 remake    SEGA Classics emualtor (stretched because it can't display non-NTSC aspect)


The colors are 100% the same if compare them in Paint.net:

 

So, using this, I can say that the colors in your sheets and the ones displayed in the emulator are different, sadly. I will use the Lava Reef sheet as an example:


Your sheet                                                                 In-game

It also means the colors in my characters rips are incorrect too, oof. I understand it will be kinda hard and annoying to fix the palette in every sheet or maybe it is not even necessary to do this, but just take a note like me 

[Paraemon]

Thanks man! Though, I already kind of fixed the palette issue? If you look at the numbers used for the RGB values in your examples (96, 192),  I have them noted down on the sheets in a different table that copies the set-up with the table I use for Full with S/H palettes, that way people can pick and choose. I'm already deep-set now with the FSH values that I don't want to have to start the project over a fourth time to get the colors in line.

Something I found right when Mr. Sandman came a-callin' last night - the S3K Star Posts share a behaviour in character palettes much like that of the Monitors and Animal Capsules.

[Triangly]

Oh yeah, right, I wasn't sure what to do with them, so that's why I said that

Also, in Doomsday there are actually more parallax layers:

[Ton]

Wow! All that parallax stuff is really great!