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Development:Sunsoft Dev Disks

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File: Sunsoft_Dev_Disks.zip (255 KB) (info)

This page covers a set of 19 Sunsoft FDS dev disks that were dumped and released on Lost Levels. These disks were used during the development of several Sunsoft games and contain some early graphics from them. This page shows all the extracted graphics and some insight into the development material.

A picture of 17 of the disks can be seen in nashvillearcade/DreamTR's auction (see right).

Hmmm...
To do:
Research other files on the disks that aren't graphics. Maybe replace the DreamTR's picture with the individual disk pictures from No-Intro.

Dev Disks

Disk Control

While running, the program goes into a loop indicated by the routine below:

$CFB7:A5 F0     LDA $00F0 = #$XX
$CFB9:10 FC     BPL $CFB7 //Loop

Commands

Sun soft dev disk(FDS)-Disk Control.png
At startup, the program asks you to input a command and waits for RAM addresses $E0 and $E1 to be modified. The available commands are:

  • 10-DISK DELETE
  • 20-DISK SAVE
  • 40-DIRECTORY
  • 80-DISK LOAD

...However, every time a command is put in the message "DISK ERROR 24" appears.

(Source: BMF54123)

Notifications

Present at 0xFE1:

DISK SAVE
DISK ERROR
NOW SAVING
SET DISK CARD
EJECT DISK
NOW KEEPING
NOW LOADING
DISK DELETE
DISK LOAD
COMPLETE

...and at 0x1C80:

WAIT A MOMENT
SET DISK SIDE
DISK ERR

Tile Editor (Newer Version)

The editor contains a total of 12 maps, but all of them appear empty because the tile editor has a unique storage system: each file you load can be either a CHR file or a BG file, but never both. To view the maps correctly, you have to look at a CHR file's graphics then go to the map that you want to view correctly. Since the PPU doesn't reset when you view a map, the map will use the graphics of what you last saw.

Sun soft tile editor (FDS)-pyramid.png Sun soft tile editor (FDS)-forest 2.png Sun soft tile editor (FDS)-forest.png Sun soft tile editor (FDS)-castle and mountains.png
One file contains graphics for mountains and castles, but there doesn't appear to be a map that corresponds with the graphics. Likewise, there is one map that doesn't have any corresponding graphics. All the maps don't seem to belong to any games and are probably just demos.

Data Disks

These data disks contain early graphics and maps from mostly NES games, with the exception of Trip World for the Game Boy. These disks cannot run on their own. In order to view the assembled graphics, you have to copy and paste the files from these disks into the Tile Editor's ROM.

D-16-4

Contains assorted graphics and mockup boss battles from Super Spy Hunter.

F08

Contains graphics and mockups for Journey to Silius.

Intro Cutscene

Early Final
Sun soft data disk (F08)(FDS)-Journey to Silius0.png Journey to Silius NES-Intro Cutscene3.png

Evidently, much of the intro was given a proofreading and rewriting before release.

Early Final
Sun soft data disk (F08)(FDS)-Journey to Silius1.png Journey to Silius NES-Intro Cutscene4.png

Jay was given a snazzy hairstyle in the final game's cutscenes. The text mentioning the fate of Jay's father was touched up to be less awkward here, too.

Early Final
Sun soft data disk (F08)(FDS)-Journey to Silius2.png Journey to Silius NES-Intro Cutscene5.png

The "floppy disk" actually looks more like a microfloppy diskette in the earlier version, instead of resembling a magneto-optical disk in the final. (The reflection effect graphics are still in the early version's CHR bank.)

Early Final
Sun soft data disk (F08)(FDS)-Journey to Silius3.png Journey to Silius NES-Intro Cutscene6.pngJourney to Silius NES-Intro Cutscene7.png

The message from Jay's father was split up into multiple screens in the final game.

Title Screen

Early Final
Operation ʎXXy. Journey-title.png

"Operation SSS", an early title for Journey to Silius after being itself changed from "The Terminator".

(Source: Gaming Alexandria)

The space graphics were later used in the final for the background of the last boss battle.

Sun soft data disk (F08)(FDS)-Operation moon.png
Part of the moon is cut off on the title screen. The image above shows the missing parts of it.

G-18

Composed of level mockups, cutscene mockups, and sprites for Gremlins 2.

Maps

The black marble graphics match the prototype.

Ending Cutscene

Sunsoft data disk (G18)(FDS)-Gremlins ending1.png Sunsoft data disk (G18)(FDS)-Gremlins ending2.png

Title Screen

Sprites

The green Gremlin in the final throws pineapples instead of cabbages. Also, the last gremlin with the googly eyes doesn't appear as a boss or enemy in the final game, although a similar one does appear in a cutscene.

Ship

Sunsoft data disk (J22)(FDS)-RYAN-Ship exploding.png
This rather crude ship exploding animation can be found on dev disks G-18 and J22, but the graphics are corrupted on the latter disk. All of the files on the disks have names; they can be named after the person who named it, or can be named for what it is. Oddly enough, this file is named after a person called Ryan; people's names for files except for this one are named after a Japanese person.

G-18-3

Sun soft data disk (G-18-3)(FDS)-Trip World222.png
This disk contains the sprites of the main character from Trip World for the Game Boy.

J22

Contains graphics for Gremlins 2 and a Superman game.

Gremlins 2

Sunsoft data disk (J22)(FDS)-Gremlins sprites.png

Sunsoft data disk (J22)(FDS)-Gremlins cutscene.png

Sunsoft data disk (J22)(FDS)-Gremlins cutscene 2.png

Sunsoft data disk (J22)(FDS)-Gremlins cutscene pause.png

Superman

Sunsoft data disk (J22)(FDS)-KAKELKUN.png Sunsoft data disk (J22)(FDS)-SUPERMAN.png Sunsoft data disk (J22)(FDS)-WALL GRY.png Sunsoft data disk (J22)(FDS)-WINDBLUE.png Sunsoft data disk (J22)(FDS)-WINDBLUE2.png
Rather crude graphics for a Superman game that presumably became Sunman.

J22-3

Hmmm...
To do:
This is the only difference I know of. I haven't looked at the two games in complete depth.

Contains an actual game. By copying the disk's data onto Side B of Adian no Tsue, you can see that it is in fact Step Drill from "Super Boy Allan".

There is only one difference between the two versions: Step Drill on the dev disk contains a minor musical error which has the FDS channel disabled during part of the title screen music. Resetting the game will fix this.

K05

Freeon Leon from Ufouria: The Saga and O-chan from its Japanese counterpart, Hebereke.

Sun soft data disk (K05)(FDS)-Ufouria-Hebereke-Freon Leon and O-chan.png
According to this file, Freeon Leon and O-Chan were created simultaneously.

(Source: Lost Levels, Chpexo)