Sonic Adventure Finds...

I've found the address for what seems to be the mode controller (Similar to the load controller byte, except with some different features)

0x8C7694D0 in the original Japanese release.
0x8C768B38 in the autodemo.
0x8C7649F0 in the US version.

I know these values to be correct for the Japanese release, they should be the same for the other versions.

00 Sega screen
01 Empty screen
02 Debug level select, goes to 03
03 Empty screen unless triggered by 02
04 Hedgehog Hammer title card, hangs, crashes debug adapter
05 Normal gameplay
06 Empty screen
07 Empty screen
08 Sonic Team logo
09 Hedgehog Hammer title card, hangs, crashes debug adapter
0A Title
0B Used when on the title and in the menus
0C Empty screen
0D Empty screen
0E Loads recap screen, hangs after
0F Loads tutorial for Sonic, then a recap screen, then the Egg Carrier, finally crashes (Write error at 0x8C0F1484)
Game sets this to 0F when you select Sonic from the character select, it functions normally in that instance
10 Loads tutorial for Sonic, then Station Square. Begins Sonic's story
11 Causes a reset
12 Sonic's credits
13 Causes a reset
14 Empty screen
15 Empty screen
16 Empty screen
17 Empty screen
18 Empty screen
19 Empty screen
1A Empty screen
1B Empty screen
1C Empty screen
1D Empty screen
1E Empty screen
1F Empty screen

Japanese version


Autodemo (Seems the characters would use icons here, but they don't work right. Loads from whatever textures are in memory)


More to come later...

 

Still hoping that Windy Valley can be made playable someday.

 

What's wrong with Windy Valley?

 

Windy Valley won't work in the Autodemo as the level and object placement files were compiled for an older version of 1ST_READ.bin, it has the beta versions of sections 1 and 3, the tornado section is missing.

 

I know on Sonic Retro they found the tornado section somehow, actually. Lazy to find a link but it's in there.

 

They found the geometry but as far as I know the actual land table for it was missing still. I suppose it could just be recreated, though it wouldn't be entirely accurate.

 

What did you use to find those addresses? A debugger of some kind I assume.

 

I've been watching the registers change within the codescape debugger and finding out what is accessed and when.

Also found flags to turn in-game textures on and off in the autodemo.
Autodemo Texture Flags:
0x8C8A640A Render textures (On/off)
0x8C8A640B Render alpha textures (Disables most alpha textures) (On/off)
0x8C8A640E Texture scale value? Needs experimenting

Edit: Some images, ran out of attachment space

No texture rendering:


No alpha texture rendering:
http://s9.postimg.org/s72arh2nj/SA_AD_No_Alpha_Tex.jpg

 

Worth a bump, I think...
Seems the bytes that follow from this mode controller byte are important to the characters textures. 4 bytes at 0x8C7694E3 affect Sonic's blue texture. If you set the first byte to 00...

Chameleon the Hedgehog

 

Another post for the thing I want to bump the thread for... (Video limit)



Setting the byte at 0x8C9001B6 to 00 instead of 45 will make the title screen use the beta version image, except backwards, and after a second or so Tikal's music will play. This title screen lasts for about 4 seconds, like the Autodemo, and uses the same loading screen. Pressing start will take you to the beta character select screen.
Not shown in this video is that pressing X and Y on this title screen will usually open the level select.

The parts where the audio repeats are where I pause the cpu to actually edit the memory. I did not pause the cpu on the title screen, however.

 

For some reason I found the audio switching to sound quite cool haha. Very good work so far, really interesting stuff buried in this build of SA it seems. The chameleon effect was really interesting as well.

 

Awesome discoveries! You really use that devkit to the max, lov'n it!

 

Hey, I made a few more discoveries recently in the initial Japanese release of Sonic Adventure and the Autodemo.

These are addresses in RAM. (Use 2C instead of 8C for Demul and Cheat Engine)

The "Game Bug" screen isn't something I've seen before.



Currently, pressing A, B, X or Start takes you to the character select screen. And that's all I've found with it.
Other controllers don't seem to have any affect on this.

And again, TGS mode seems to use a different location in RAM for it's menu ID's.

And for the Autodemo;

The values are just like the TGS values in the initial Japanese release. And like in the final versions, I don't know how to get the game out of this trial mode.
Loading levels this way enables controls and the HUD by default. You start with 96 lives and 50 rings
The level select when loaded here seems to load levels with the correct textures.

If you're loading the character select, I recommend using 03 since this should load the textures.

So if you want to try an almost exact copy of the TGS version of the game, change the byte to 03 and let it load the character select, then play the trial version as it would have originally functioned.
Knuckles gets an in-level tutorial in this mode, seen in this video by MainJP of SonicRetro. There seems to be signs of an in-level tutorial for sonic in the first test level, which will NOT load in the autodemo due to the set file being for an older version of 1ST_READ.BIN. The Chao garden is still in a preliminary form in this build of the game, akin to the footage of the Chao in the beta windy valley garden.

 

One of the things I always wanted to do was custom events. But the save format for them was never documented and it would be too much of a big task considering the very low amount of people that would use it...

You can place images and 3d models in any place or stage, create custom timers for stages, banners and much more. It really was cool as a form of dlc creation.

 

that sounds cool

Cool findings too

 

awesome job guys...

 

In the Dreamcast versions of Sonic Adventure, Sonic turns his head to his left in the character select when the game receives a C, D or Z button input. During gameplay, this affects all characters, and they will stare at the camera. It seems to be some sort of test for the character's staring at an object behaviour, why it's mapped to these buttons is a mystery.



I plan to get better footage of this once I track down a Dreamcast controller with these buttons.

 

Does such a thing exist? I have a third party controller with C and Z buttons, but they just map to A and X by default. It was a programmable controller with auto fire and such.

 

I thought they mapped them to R and L triggers not A and X? At least that is what my Nyko controller did if I remember correctly?

This is mine.



In the video he talks about reprogramming either buttons but doesn't talk about the triggers so I could absolutely be remembering completely wrong.

 

I have a different one, where C and Z are next to B and Y, so in lines of 3 like a saturn controller. It was made by interact.