User:GlitterBerri/Notes/Test Area/zel munt

This is a sub-page of User:GlitterBerri/Notes/Test Area.

zel_munt

Overview

Main Tileset

The source code file 日本_Ver3/asm/zel_munt.asm contains an older version of the data for map units (labeled MPUNIT) and screen units (labeled SCUNIT). Truncated examples of the tops of these two sections are shown below.

MPUNIT		EQU	$
		WORD	01002H,05002H,01012H,05012H
		WORD	05001H,05000H,05011H,05010H
		WORD	01000H,01001H,01010H,01011H
		WORD	05022H,01013H,01023H,0101EH

A map unit is a 16x16 pixel metatile made up of four 8x8 tiles (the game's smallest graphical unit). The four words in each line of the MPUNIT section contain the positions and visual attributes (e.g. palette, priority, and flip) of each 8x8 tile. More information on the format of these words can be read here.

SCUNIT		EQU	$
		WORD	00000H,00001H,00006H,00007H
		WORD	00002H,00000H,00008H,00009H
		WORD	00001H,00003H,00007H,00002H
		WORD	00004H,00005H,00000H,00001H

A screen unit is a 32x32 pixel metatile. The four words in each line of the SCUNIT section contain the indices (the line number in which they're defined in the MPUNIT section) of each 16x16 metatile that makes up a 32x32 metatile.

Earlier Tile Set

In addition to the primary tile set contained in zel_munt.asm that can theoretically be used to build a complete version of the overworld as it existed at the time the set was created, there is also an older, incomplete tile set at the bottom. It begins with the trees on the right-hand side of the image below, six rows above the second copy of the Sanctuary tiles.

Metatile Restoration

Explanation

Mattrizzle was able to reconstruct the tile set below by combining the offsets in the MPUNIT and SCUNIT data in 日本_Ver3/asm/zel_munt.asm with .CGX and .COL files for a particular overworld era that were found in background designer Masanao Arimoto's workspace backup in NEWS_04/arimoto. The tile set is comprised of 32x32 pixel metatiles. These 32x32 metatiles are themselves comprised of 16x16 metatiles. The 16x16 metatiles are themselves comprised of 8x8 tiles, which is the smallest graphical unit.

It appears that tiles in this tile set are stored in a fashion similar to the one used by the final game, as detailed below.

• Tiles are stored in the order that they first appear in an overworld map square.
• Within each map square, tiles are stored from left to right and top to bottom.
• The overworld is arranged into map squares that run from left to right, top to bottom.
• Each tile only appears once in the tile set.

As such, the first tile stored in the tile set of the final game would be the tile in the top-left corner of map square 00. The next tiles stored in the tile set would be other unique tiles that appeared in the remainder of the first row of map square 00. Those would be followed by any unique tiles that appeared in the second row of map square 00, and so on and so forth. Following the unique tiles used in map square 00, the unique tiles used in map square 01 would appear. Jumping forward, the unique tiles used in map square 07 (the final map square of the first row of map squares) would be followed by the unique tiles used in map square 08 (the first map square of the second row of map squares).

Restoration

Observations

Main Tileset

The overworld appears to be laid out similarly to how it is in the final game, with some exceptions:

• The first tiles in the set are forest tiles, indicating that this version of the overworld had a forest at the top left of the map.
• The second tiles to appear following the forest are tiles for a mountainous area, indicating that it appeared in a similar location to Death Mountain.
• There appears to be a river with waterfalls below the mountains.
• The Sanctuary is in a similar location, but there are no tiles for a graveyard.
• Kakariko Village is in a similar location, and appears to have a large house, several wells, and a fountain at the center of its four map squares.
  • One version of the minimap depicts a water feature at the center of Kakariko Village, though it's not necessarily contemporary with this version of the game.

• Hyrule Castle is in a similar location.
• The bridge across the river at map square 1D is in a similar location.
• There is a house in a map square to the left of the Eastern Palace which may have been a precursor to what became Sahasrahla's Hideout in the final game.
• The Eastern Palace is in a similar location.

Earlier Tile Set

The earlier tile set at the bottom of the file appears to follow the same rules regarding the way in which tiles are stored. However, it may be missing portions from the middle, as well as being cut off at the bottom, as there are also no tiles for the castle proper, and there's a tile for the middle of a house roof with no preceding tiles for the left corner of it.

• There's a small mountainside surrounded by woods, which may be consistent with the structures in this reconstructed minimap.
• The Sanctuary has a higher roof than the one that can be built from the primary tile set. This makes it closer (perhaps identical?) to a version seen in a restored .MAP file that predates zel_munt.
• There are no tiles for a graveyard.
• The wooden bridge is on the same row of map squares as the Sanctuary. (It's a row below it in the final game.)
• The top of the Eastern Palace is on the same row of map squares as the front wall of the castle. (It's a row above it in the final game.)
• The roof of the Eastern Palace does not disappear offscreen, extending to the top of the map square. Instead, there's a visible end to it with grass above. This makes it closer to the versions in z00_mpdt.asm and zel_mpdt.asm, in which the structure presumed to be the Eastern Palace appears to be free-standing.
• The Eastern Palace is centered in the middle of two map squares. (It's contained within one in both the main tile set in munt and in the final game.)
• There's no way to get onto the castle island from below the castle, perhaps no way to get on it at all.

Reconstructions

By following the rules according to which the metatiles are stored, it is possible to partially reconstruct map squares from the era of development in which the data in zel_munt.asm dates.

Nonetheless, reconstruction presents several challenges.

• Each metatile only appears once in the tile set, alongside other unique metatiles for the map square in which it first appears. Therefore, reuse of the tile in that map square or other map squares can only be inferred from visual context.
  • A map square could theoretically be made up of tiles that were used in previous map squares, without any unique tiles of its own.
• In accordance with the above, as one reconstructs map squares that appear further across and down the overworld map, the number of metatiles that could be used in a particular metatile slot increases exponentially.
• There is no definitive way to tell where tiles which belong to a map square start and end, so deciding on a starting point in the tile set when reconstructing most map squares can only be accomplished by picking an arbitrary tile to begin with or using educated guesses and context clues.
• Unless, for example, tiles combine nicely across rows to form a particular structure, there is no way to pinpoint definitively where in a map square row a tile is positioned.

zel_edt1

The source code file 日本_Ver3/asm/zel_edt1.asm contains an older version of the data for map units (labeled MPUNIT). Truncated examples of the top this section is shown below.

xxx

edt1: Overview

The tile set is arranged identically to that of the final game. It begins with the Light World tiles, which are followed by Dark World tiles, special map tiles, and interactable tiles.

edt1: Restoration

xxx

edt1: Observations

Light World

00 to 07:

• Instead of a strangely-coloured tree to the left of the Lumberjacks' House, there's a large stump with a Triforce.
• The Tower of Hera is at map square 03.
• The design of Death Mountain matches the oldest SCRs really well.
• There are no bridges on Death Mountain.
• There isn't an open-air view with a cloudy backdrop at the top of Death Mountain.
• The top of Turtle Rock is green, but unlike its zel_munt incarnation, it no longer looks like a turtle.

09 to 0F:

• There's a stone platform for getting out of the water at map square 0F that resembles the one in the Beneath the Bridge map of the final game.

10 to 17:

• The large boulder in front of the Sanctuary has the same design as one seen in a screenshot from April 1991.

18 to 1F:

• There are no special signposts for Kakariko.
• Kakariko has two ponds at the centre.
• The design for Kakariko seems to be very similar, if not identical to e, f, g, and h.MAP.
• The path to the map that became the Fortune Teller's House being further to the right of NE Kakariko perfectly matches the early guard position. The guard was removed on 1991-05-23.
• Hyrule Castle's design is a mix between osr.MAP and niwa.MAP.
• Map square 1E, west of the Eastern Palace, has a Triforce design on the ground.
• The Eastern Palace has a more elaborate roof design, similar to its zel_munt incarnation.

Dark World

• Houses have a yurt-like design, instead of the rectangular final design.

Special Maps

• The Master Sword Grove, Beneath the Bridge, and Zora Falls maps are present.
• The Lost Woods mist and tree shadow overlays are present.
• The Master Sword Grove and Beneath the Bridge are closer to m-1.SCR than m-1.SCR.BAK.

Shoshinkai Comparison

• Kakariko and e, f, g, and h.MAP match Shoshinkai.
• The Sanctuary, the Witch's Hut, and the wooden bridge map also match.
• The Eastern Palace doesn't match Shoshinkai, unless the fault is with the tile set used to recreate it. However, EP did have a more elaborate roof in earlier incarnations such as zel_munt.
• The exterior of the Desert Palace in doesn't have the statue heads that Shoshinkai and the final game have.
• The Master Sword Grove seems to match Shoshinkai.

In conclusion, zel_edt1 may be slightly earlier than Shoshinkai (April, 1991).