Metal Slader Glory

Metal Slader Glory
Developer: HAL Laboratory Publisher: HAL Laboratory Platform: NES Released in JP: August 30, 1991 This game has unused text. This game has debugging material. This game has a prerelease article This game has a notes page This game has a bugs page This game has a Lua scripts page This game has a Data Crystal page

Oh dear, I do believe I have the vapors. This page contains content that is not safe for work or other locations with the potential for personal embarrassment. Such as: Naked anime girl butt.

Metal Slader Glory is an adventure game with some great artwork by the manga artist Yoshimiru Hoshi.

A long development cycle, very large cartridge size for a Famicom game and a limited print run due to the scarcity of the MMC5 chip needed to produce the cartridge almost drove HAL Laboratory to bankruptcy, to the point where Nintendo had to bail the company out on the condition of them becoming a second-party developer. The game was later ported to the Super Famicom as Metal Slader Glory: Director's Cut.

Sub-Pages

Prerelease Info

Notes

Bugs

Lua Scripts

Debug Mode

Enter でばっぐ やろう★ on the password screen. Appropriately, the password translates to "Let's debug★".

(Source: Pennywise)

Functions

1. STAGE JUMP: Go to the different chapters in the game. There are 7 stages, subdivided in scenes. It is set to 1 by default.
2. コンティニュモード (continue mode): Sets the "continue" flag to ON and OFF. If you have this flag on, you'll see dialogue you'll normally see after entering a password.
3. NEW GAME: Start at the beginning of a chapter.
4. DEBUG: Allows scene selection after setting a Stage. It is not always present (e.g. selecting Stage 4). Scenes to jump to are prefixed with "S". For example, "Ｓ１―１２" is a scene from stage 1. These identifiers correspond to identifiers in the source code.

Stages

Below details the unique options each stage menu has.

• Chapter 1-3
  • Doesn't have any unique options
• Chapter 4
  • There's no debug option. You jump to different scenes from options 5 through 11.
  • Options 9 though 11 (Group X, Y, or Z) jump to Catty's base. Elina's dialogue is different depending on the option. Each option reflects which decisions you made in the chapter (e.x. whether or not you filed a missing person report).
  • Option 12 gives you the option for normal and debug mode for the Catty persuasion scene. Normal mode let's you select X or Z. Debug mode let's you select Catty's mood.
• Chapter 5
  • Option 5 lets you choose your party.
• Chapter 6
  • Options 3 through 5 lets you choose your party.
  • Options 6 through 9 jump to different scenes.
• Chapter 7
  • Options 6 through 11 jump to different scenes.

Pointer Features

The game stores a dictionary entry's length within a pointer, the dialogue entries don't use these bits in the final game.

a, b     = length bytes
x, y, z  = Address bytes

a1 a2 x1 x2 x3 x4 x5 x6      y1 y2 y3 y4 y5 y6 y7 y8     b1 b2 b3 z1 z2 z3 z4 z5

Length   = 		-  -  - a1 a2 b1 b2 b3
Address  = 
     
     Dictionary:
     cccccccc =  0  0  0  0  0 x1 x2 x3
     dddddddd = x4 x5 x6 z1 z2 z3 z4 z5
     eeeeeeee = y1 y2 y3 y4 y5 y6 y7 y8
     
     Dialogue:
     cccccccc =  0  0  0  0 a2 x1 x2 x3
     dddddddd = x4 x5 x6 z1 z2 z3 z4 z5
     eeeeeeee = y1 y2 y3 y4 y5 y6 y7 y8
    
     Final PC address = cccccccc dddddddd eeeeeeee

1 MB PRG Mapper Support

There's two separate pointer processing routines for the dictionary and dialogue. Both are very similar, however, the dialogue pointer routine supports pointers for a 1 MB PRG mapper by using a bit used for the dictionary length. The final release uses a 0.5 MB PRG mapper, which negates the use of another pointer routine. In other words, the biggest Famicom game, which is 1 MB, has logic to be on a bigger cart!

Length Bits

The dialogue pointer routine never uses the other length bits (b1 b2 b3), however as observed in the Stardust Crusader translation, the game does allow you to use them.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Unused Scenes

02 in the game's AGL (Adventure Game Language) bytecode controls which scenes are loaded. By modifying its two arguments, a scene can be forced to load. Use the following cheat code and then access Stage 1 > Debug > 1 > 1 to access any desired scene:

BF4F:Lo Byte
BF50:Hi Byte

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Shower

Name: EX-MFN8-3-178

Scene ID (Famicom): N/A

Original	Director's Cut

Located at 0x09D010 are graphics for Elina in the shower. While you do have to enter the bathroom while she's showering to progress the story, you aren't allowed to open the shower door in both the Famicom and Super Famicom versions. The graphic is mostly the same in the director's cut, however, Elina's breasts and butt were enlarged. This scene cannot be seen in-game with the debug menu or with the above cheat code in the Famicom version. In the director's cut, the scene can be accessed from one of the debug menus. The bank appears to have animated shower water droplet sprites just like the SNES version.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Underwear

Name: ZN21-3-177

Scene ID (Famicom): N/A

Original	Director's Cut

Located at 0x09CF10 are graphics for Tadashi holding Elina's underwear. While you do have access to her underwear in the bathroom and are allowed to choose the options to interact with it, Tadashi, in the retail release, objects following through with it. This scene is based on another scene present in the retail release. Disabling the sprite layer reveals empty white space where he would've held up the underwear. Just like the Elina shower scene, this scene cannot be seen in-game with the debug menu or with the above cheat code in the Famicom version.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Tadashi and Azusa in the Moonface's Cockpit

Name: EX-MFN8-3-178 忠 あずさ

Scene ID (Famicom): 08C7

Original	Director's Cut

The game contains a handful of variations of this scene with different characters present. One variation, containing Tadashi and Azusa, is unused as there isn't a scenario with them alone in the Moonface's cockpit.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Alien in Colony 03 Room

Name: KR10 DEAD

Scene ID (Famicom): 08C4

Original	Director's Cut

This scene contains remains of a killed alien in a room from stage 5. This is used in the director's cut version when you kill Jiff after he lures you into an empty room in Colony 03. In the Famicom version, his remains are instead located outside the room.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Dialogue

Unused Namecards and Control Codes

To do: Confirm that all of these are unused in the SNES version, which they probably are.

The pointer table at 0x3D5C references name cards, control codes, and dictionary entries. Name cards indicate who is talking. It also controls text speed, text color, and speech pattern. The numbers inside brackets are bytes. These bytes are interpreted by the game's engine. For example, the second byte, 0x07, indicates the text to print is 7 characters long.

Most unused name cards are variations of used ones, with the same text speed, text color, and speech pattern.

ID	Data	Comment
0x0A	{00}{00}{00}{0B}	Unused control code. Purpose unknown.
0x31	{00}{05}　　　　　{00}{0A}{04}{03}	Enkai, no name
0x3B	{00}{07}ＮＵＤＩＡ　「{00}{0A}{0E}{01}	Nudia is Catty's mech. Unused in the SNES version as well.
0x41	{00}{01}「{00}{0A}{08}{04}	Yayaoi, no name
0x42	{00}{01}　{00}{0A}{03}{04}	Catty, no name
0x43	{00}{04}　　　　{00}{0A}{03}{01}	Catty, no name
0x44	{00}{01}「{00}{0A}{03}{04}	Catty, no name
0x46	{00}{01}「{00}{0A}{0F}{07}	Blue Boy (Slower text speed)
0x48	{00}{03}　　　{00}{0A}{0D}{04}	Duplicate of 0x36, which is used for an anonymous crew member in stage 7.
0x49	{00}{04}　　　「{00}{0A}{0D}{05}	Vivace statue. The used namecard text is simply "　*　「"
0x4A	{00}{01}「{00}{0A}{0D}{04}	Anonymous crew member
0x4C	{00}{03}　　　{00}{0A}{0E}{31}	Duplicate of name card 4B. It's not for a character in the story, but for Glory's cockpit messages.
0x4E	{00}{01}「{00}{0A}{06}{05}	Sayoko, no name
0x4F	{00}{01}「{00}{0A}{07}{05}	Jiff, no name
0x50	{00}{04}　　　「{00}{0A}{0D}{04}	Anonymous crew member
0x51	{00}{01}「{00}{0A}{04}{03}	Enkai, no name
0x58	{00}{01}「{00}{0A}{00}{21}	Tadashi (faster text speed), no name
0x59	{00}{03}　　　{00}{0A}{00}{21}	Tadashi (faster text speed), no name
0x5B	{00}{01}「{00}{0A}{01}{33}	Azusa (faster text speed), no name
0x5C	{00}{01}「{00}{0A}{02}{11}	Elina (faster text speed), no name
0x5D	{00}{04}　　　　{00}{0A}{02}{11}	Elina (faster text speed), no name
0x5F	{00}{04}　　　　{00}{0A}{08}{04}	Yayoi, no name
0x60	{00}{04}　　　　{00}{0A}{06}{05}	Sayoko, no name
0x61	{00}{00}{00}{0A}{01}{36}	A blank namecard for Azusa.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Unused Text

0x45 in the game's AGL bytecode controls what dialogue branches are loaded. By modifying its two arguments, a dialogue branch can be forced to load. Use the following cheat code and then access Stage 1 > Debug > 1 > 1 to access any desired dialogue branch:

B776:Lo Byte
B777:Hi Byte

0x4E in the game's AGL bytecode controls what dialogue branches are loaded. To force load specific lines of text, use the following code and navigate the aforementioned options.

BF54:Lo Byte
BF55:Hi Byte

Chapter 2

Branch ID: 0x016E

Text ID: 0x02D8

Text	Translated
(CODE 10 Portrait){82}{C3}(CODE 21 Elina:)あ―　しつこい！(End quote)(STOP)	(CODE 10 Portrait){82}{C3}(CODE 21 Elina:) You just won't stop!(End quote)(STOP)

In Chapter 2, if you constantly go to Silkiene's office when it's empty, you'll drive your girlfriend, Elina, insane. One line for this event appears to go unused in the Famicom version but is used the Super Famicom version.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Chapter 3

Text ID: 0x033A

Text	Translated
(CODE 20 Tadashi:)エリナって　あ―ゆ―の　はいているのか‥‥‥(STOP)	(CODE 20 Tadashi:) Does she really wear this?(STOP)

Text ID: 0x033B

Text	Translated
(CODE 20 Tadashi:)あ―　ちが　ぜんぶ　あたまに　のぼっちゃった(STOP)	(CODE 20 Tadashi:) Whew! I almost got a nosebleed!(STOP)

The above text entries are right near entries for chapter 3's bathroom dialogue. Given there's an unused graphic of Tadashi holding Elina's panties, these entries appear related to this scrapped event.

Text ID: 0x0381

Text	Translated
(CODE 20 Tadashi:)よし　エリナは　へ―きみたいだ‥‥‥(LINE)あずさを　みに行くか(STOP)	(CODE 20 Tadashi:) Alright, Elina's fine.(LINE)Let's check on Azusa.(STOP)

Text ID: 0x0382

Text	Translated
(LINE)ええと‥‥‥(LINE)メインフロアの　せんしつだよな‥‥(End quote)(STOP)	(LINE)Let's see[...](LINE)Her room's on the main floor[...][..](End quote)(STOP)

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Chapter 7

Text ID: 0x0A8F

Text	Translated
(CODE 10 Portrait){68}{3E}(CODE 21 Elina:)私　何やる？(End quote)(STOP)	(CODE 10 Portrait){68}{3E}(CODE 21 Elina:) What should I do?(End quote)(STOP)

Text ID: 0x0A90

Text	Translated
(CODE 10 Portrait){68}{3E}(CODE 21 Elina:)私はっ[！？](End quote)(STOP)	(CODE 10 Portrait){68}{3E}(CODE 21 Elina:) What about me?!(End quote)(STOP)

Text ID: 0x0A91

Text	Translated
(CODE 10 Portrait){68}{3E}(CODE 21 Elina:)私　どうする？(End quote)(STOP)	(CODE 10 Portrait){68}{3E}(CODE 21 Elina:) What should I do?(End quote)(STOP)

A few lines located among text for the combat mini-game. This text probably would have been presented before choosing Elina's actions. This was likely discarded given the time sensitive nature of the game mode.

Text ID: 0x0ACE

For aliens battles levels 2 and 3, Elina gives a brief summary of the enemies you're up against. Here's the summaries:

• Level 2:
  • 1st enemy: 1 E.P.F., 1 POD, and missles!
  • 2nd enemy: 2 PODs and missiles!
  • 3rd enemy: 1 E.P.F.
• Level 3:
  • 1st enemy: 1 POD and missles!
  • 2nd enemy: 1 E.P.F., 1 POD, and an E.Ball!
  • 3rd enemy: 2 PODs and missiles!
  • 4th enemy: 1 E.P.F.

The summaries are created using pieced together strings. One enemy string is unused:

2 E.P.F(STOP)

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Countdown Timer

In chapter 7, the T-Stork displays a countdown timer to indicate when the beam will fire. The timer will turn red when it reaches roughly 10 seconds, however, the timer is only seen reaching 11:20 before the game transitions to another scene. You can adjust the timer's starting time by changing 0x5d635 from $EA to $9B to see this occur in-game. However, this can be seen in the Super Famicom version.

Virtual Console Differences

As to be expected, the Virtual Console release makes adjustments for those with epilepsy. All the modifications to the game were done through a patch rather than a recompilation. For example, for the spaceship launch scene in chapter 1, the intensity of the screen flashing was reduced through a palette change. Additionally, multiple code changes were made. While their exact effects are unknown, they're likely screen flashing related. However, other scenes with intense screen flashing, such as ones in Chapter 7, were seemingly left untouched.

(Source: Original TCRF research)