Question: | What is SMW Hacking? |
Answer: | "SMW Hacking" is the process of modifying the content of a Super Mario World ROM file. Refer to the Emulators and ROMs section for more information. |
Question: | Isn't hacking illegal? |
Answer: | Hacking refers to editing a ROM's content. This action is not illegal; however, downloading a commercial ROM is. |
Question: | How do I hack Super Mario World? |
Answer: | Many tools can be used in conjunction with each other to create a SMW ROM hack. However, Lunar Magic is usually where you will spend most of your time and is the most versatile and user-friendly tool for hacking SMW. |
Question: | What is Lunar Magic? |
Answer: | Lunar Magic is a hacking suite with an interface for modifying levels, the graphics they use and how they use them, the overworld maps, the title screen, and much more. You can download Lunar Magic here. |
Question: | Which games are supported by Lunar Magic? |
Answer: | Super Mario World (U) [!] is fully supported. Super Mario World (J) [!] and Super Mario All-Stars v1.0 (U) [!] are partially supported, and SMAS is incompatible with Lunar Magic's 4bpp graphics feature. You can not edit any other game with Lunar Magic, and only (U) is compatible with the rest of our tools. |
Question: | How do I know if my SMW ROM is unmodified? |
Answer: | Check your SMW ROM with this tool. It also checks that it's the US ROM. |
Question: | How do I remove everything from a level to start fresh? |
Answer: | Hit Ctrl + Delete, then choose Yes. This clears everything but the background, entrances, and exits. This option can also be found under Edit > Delete All. |
Question: | How do I change the background? |
Answer: | #lm{bg} opens the Background Editor, and you press #lm{16x} to open the Map16 Editor. Everything on page 80 and after is for the background. Left-click to select a tile from the Map16 Editor, and right-click the Background Editor to paste. |
Question: | How do I place objects, like ground? |
Answer: | #lm{l1} enables you to edit layer 1 of the level, and #lm{l2} lets you edit layer 2. Then, you press #lm{objects} to bring up the Add Objects window. |
Question: | Why can't I edit Layer 2? |
Answer: | Layer 2 is only editable while using certain level modes. Select #lm{MARIO69} and change the SNES Registers and Level Modes to one which says Layer 2: Level and click #lm{l2}. |
Question: | I placed a goal point object in my level, but there are garbage tiles at the bottom cutting into the dirt - how do I get rid of them? |
Answer: | Highlight the dirt and press = to send it forward, or highlight the goal point and press - to send it backwards. If multiple tiles are layered on top of one another, pressing _ or + will respectively send it as far back or forward as they can go. |
Question: | When I touched a Yoshi coin in my level, it got cut in half and gave me a bunch of lives - what happened? |
Answer: | Your coin was placed on a subscreen boundary - use View > Sub-Screen Boundaries to see them. Either move your coin or apply this patch. |
Question: | How do I place sprites, like Koopas or springboards? |
Answer: | #lm{sp} puts you in sprite editing mode. Click on #lm{sprites} to open the Add Sprites dialogue. |
Question: | How do I insert the _____ sprite? I can't find it! |
Answer: | Some sprites require you to change the GFX files used by SP3 and SP4 to display correctly. Lunar Magic hides these by default if you haven't loaded the correct GFX files to the level. You can toggle this option by clicking the #lm{hidegfx} button in the Add Sprites window. Click on #lm{sprites} and show Tileset Specific Sprites to see a sprite's proper SP3/SP4 settings in the top left of the display window. |
Question: | When Mario runs up a hill, the camera stays still and he goes off screen. Help? |
Answer: | Click #lm{MARIO69} and set Layer 1 (FG) Vertical Scrolling to Vertical Scroll at Will to fix this. |
Question: | How do I edit the introduction level? |
Answer: | Edit Level C5 . If you've installed the optional Display Level Message ASM Hack (Shift + F8) and Mario starts on a submap, Level 1C5 will be used instead. |
Question: | How do I make Layer 2 scroll up and down like in Valley of Bowser 2 or sideways like in Morton's Castle? |
Answer: | There are various commands in the Special Commands and Generators section of #lm{sprites}. Make sure you set the Layer 2 (BG) Scrolling Rate properly in #lm{props}. |
Question: | How do I change Mario's starting position? |
Answer: | Click #lm{sp} to enable sprite editing mode and and drag the Mario icon labelled Level Entrance to your desired position. You can also change this by clicking on #lm{1door} and adjusting the dropdown boxes labelled X/Y Position for the main entrance. |
Question: | Why does my pipe/door lead to a bonus game? |
Answer: | It doesn't have an exit properly assigned to its screen. |
Question: | How do I choose which level a door or pipe leads to? |
Answer: | Select #lm{vex} or press F1 to view exits. Check which screen number your door or pipe is on and click #lm{sex}. Choose the screen number from the dropdown menu and enter the destination level below. Make sure the Secondary Exit box is unchecked. |
Question: | My door has a proper exit set, but sometimes it still sends me to a bonus game - what's going on? |
Answer: | A door placed on the boundary between two screens may read its exit from either screen depending on the player's precise position. Move the door away from the boundary, or set both screens to have the same exit. |
Question: | Can I have two pipes/doors with different destinations on the same screen? |
Answer: | Yes, by downloading this pack of teleport blocks. |
Question: | What's a Secondary Entrance? |
Answer: | It's a different type of entrance which can send Mario to any position in a level rather than the main entrance. |
Question: | How do I make Secondary Entrances? |
Answer: | Click on #lm{2door}. Choose an unused Secondary Entrance Number. Enter the Destination Level Number in the first box. Set all other options as you would with #lm{1door} and go to #lm{sex}. Enter the Secondary Entrance Number instead of a destination level, and make sure the Secondary Entrance Box is checked. |
Question: | What is Map16? |
Answer: | Map16 is the list of all the different tiles loaded in a level. Click #lm{16x} to open the Map16 editor to view and edit tiles, or click #lm{objects} and navigate to Direct Map16 Access in the drop-down menu to place these tiles directly. |
Question: | What is the purpose of editing Map16? |
Answer: | To make tiles with different behaviours and looks. This can create new gimmicks, piece together new graphics and decorations, and much more. |
Question: | What is safe to edit? |
Answer: | Editing pages x3-x7F for the foreground and x82-xFF for the background have no consequences. x2 can be tileset specific but isn't by default in a new ROM: press Ctrl + F1 in the Map16 Editor to toggle on/off whether or not page x2 is tileset specific. x0 and x1 are SMW's default foreground tiles, and x80 and x81 are the original background data. |
Question: | How do I change how a block looks? |
Answer: | On the left side of the Map16 editor, the Flip X/Y buttons will mirror the block's graphics horizontally (X) or vertically (Y). The Palette dropdown controls the palette of the block. The Priority dropdown determines whether the player and sprites will go in front of the block (off) or behind it (on). The four numbers in the 2x2 grid determine the four 8x8 tiles that make up the block - press #lm{8x} in the Map16 editor to see the usable tiles. |
Question: | Can I flip the graphics for half of a block, like in the [!] blocks? |
Answer: | Each 8x8 tile that makes up a full block can be separately flipped, colored or prioritized as above. Press #lm{8xt} in the Map16 editor to edit individual tile pieces. |
Question: | How do I change how a block acts? |
Answer: | The number in the Acts As box defines the behaviour of a block, with the number referring to another Map16 tile. |
Question: | Is there any easy way of knowing what numbers act like what? |
Answer: | Open #lm{16x}. Look at and mouse over the tiles, and read the tooltips. Here are some diagrams for common tiles: Basic ground tiles, slope tiles, underground-specific slope tiles, and ceiling tiles. |
Question: | How do I import and export Map16 data? |
Answer: | #lm{expsel} exports the current Map16 selection. #lm{impsel} imports Map16 from a file. #lm{expfile} and #lm{impfile} both work the same, but handle all of the Map16 in the ROM or file. |
Question: | Why aren't my Map16 changes showing up when I play the ROM? |
Answer: | Don't forget to press #lm{save} in the Map16 Editor too. |
Question: | Can I get the pipes to stop changing colors from screen to screen? |
Answer: | Yes. Copy and paste the pipe Map16 tiles onto a page from x2-x7F and choose the palette you want for them and use the new pipe tiles. Alternatively, click #lm{bpipe} in the Map16 editor and change the pipe tiles to your liking (note that this affects all levels). |
Question: | How do I start fresh? |
Answer: | To clear the entire OW map, go to:
|
Question: | How do I make an overworld? |
Answer: | Click #lm{ow8x2} and then click #lm{ow8xsel} to open the 8x8 Tile Selector. Click a tile in the 8x8 Tile Selector and right-click on the overworld to paste it. Where the player walks can be changed by going to #lm{ow16x1} and selecting path tiles, then pasting them accordingly. |
Question: | How do I allow the player to save after a specific level is beaten? |
Answer: | #lm{ow16x1}, click a level and choose #lm{owlevel}, then make sure Save Prompt has been checked. The fortress, castle, ghost house, switch palace, tile 7F, and tile 80 bring up the save prompt regardless of whether the flag is checked. |
Question: | The save screen shows up after a castle/ghost house is beaten. How do I remove that? |
Answer: | Click on Overworld > Extra Options and uncheck the Bring Up Save Prompt box. |
Question: | How do I add level 25-100 or 13C-1FF to the overworld? |
Answer: | You can't. The levels that can be used on the overworld are 0-24 and 101-13B . You have to save the level as one of those level numbers. |
Question: | How do I link Star and Pipe Overworld tiles? |
Answer: | First set the two tiles where you physically want them to be. Then, click the first one and go to #lm{owexstar}. Choose an Exit Index first (it doesn't matter which one), and then make the destination index No Setting. Go to your second tile and go back to #lm{owexstar}. Exit Index is anything but the exit index you just picked for the first tile. Then, for Destination, pick the index you picked as the exit for the first tile. Go back to the first tile and set the Destination as the exit of the second tile. |
Question: | How do I change where the players start? |
Answer: | Click #lm{owspr} and then you can click and drag Mario and Luigi around. |
Question: | How do I make things happen after I beat a level? |
Answer: | Select #lm{owev2} and open #lm{owl2evn} to choose which tiles you want to place, and place them in the order you want them to appear. Use Page Up and Page Down to switch between events. Open #lm{owlevel} while a level is selected to see and change the event a level triggers or appears on. |
Question: | I copied a path from the original game, but it doesn't work - what did I do wrong? |
Answer: | Some paths in the original game, such as the secret exit of Level 24 , use hard-coded paths that can't be properly recreated in the editor. |
Question: | Can I add more types of events? |
Answer: | Yes. Edit the layer 2 xxxx space to the right of the main overworld. Then, you can select it from #lm{owl2evn}. |
Question: | My changes to where Mario is on the overworld aren't showing up in my ROM! |
Answer: | Start with an "EMPTY" file when testing your ROM in an emulator. |
Question: | How do I change the title screen level? |
Answer: | You can edit Level C7 . |
Question: | How do I change how Mario moves on the title screen? |
Answer: | You will need Snes9x save states for this. No others work!
|
Question: | Why shouldn't I die in the title screen? |
Answer: | You'll get stuck in the title screen level until you reset. If you would like the ability to die in the title screen movie, this patch allows it. |
Question: | How do I stop title screen movement/looping altogether? |
Answer: | Apply this Asar patch. |
Question: | How do I edit the title screen logo and border? |
Answer: | From the Overworld Editor, go to File > Title Screen > Load Title Screen. |
Question: | How do I change the file select text? |
Answer: | Use this tool. |
Question: | How do I edit "Nintendo Presents" before the title screen? |
Answer: | Click #lm{extgfx} and open GFX00.bin in a tile editor. |
Question: | How do I edit the credits? |
Answer: | From the Overworld Editor, go to File > Credits > Load Credits. |
Question: | What is "GFX" and what is "ExGFX"? |
Answer: | "GFX" in the SMW Hacking scene is usually used as short for "Graphics", but GFX are actually the original 52 files of graphics from Super Mario World. "ExGFX" stands for "Extended/Extra Graphics" and are more graphics that can be added without overwriting the original graphics. |
Question: | How do I edit GFX and ExGFX? |
Answer: | Press #lm{extgfx} to extract Graphics (a folder called Graphics will be created in your ROM's directory). Press #lm{extexgfx} to extract Extended/Extra Graphics (a fresh ROM won't have any, obviously) and to create a folder called ExGraphics in your ROM's directory. You can create ExGFX files by copying GFX files, pasting them into the ExGraphics folder, and naming them anywhere from ExGFX80.bin to ExGFXFFF.bin. The numbers are in hex. Further information on creating ExGFX can be found in our Graphics & Related Topics forum and by following this tutorial. You can find custom graphics for download here. |
Question: | How do I insert GFX and ExGFX into my ROM? |
Answer: | Once you have the Graphics and ExGraphics folders with all the relevant files, press #lm{insgfx} to insert GFX into your ROM, or press #lm{insexgfx} to insert ExGFX instead. You can also click on to quickly insert and reload all the GFX and ExGFX for your ROM. |
Question: | How do I change the graphics used in a level? |
Answer: | Go to #lm{sgfxby} and check the Enable bypass [...] box. Then, you can load different graphics files. Open #lm{8x} to view the graphics files that are loaded: FG1 is the first half of page 1, FG2 is the second half, BG1 is the first half of the second page, and so on. For Layer 3 ExGFX, go to #lm{l3gfxby} - everything else works the same. |
Question: | How do I make objects actually display the graphics I just inserted? |
Answer: | You'll need to set up Map16 tiles to use your graphics for layer 1 and 2 objects. Refer to SMW Hacking > Map16 for further information. |
Question: | How do I edit Layer 3 tilemaps? |
Answer: | As of Lunar Magic 2.30, you can edit layer 3 tilemaps without using external tools. Just follow this tutorial. |
Question: | What exactly is in each GFX file? |
Answer: | Refer to this document. |
Question: | Is there any way to view all GFX files at once? |
Answer: | Yes. In Lunar Magic go to Options > General Options > ROM Editing Options and check Use Joined GFX Files. Now extract GFX and a file named AllGFX.bin containing all GFX files will appear in your Graphics folder. If you keep the option checked, Lunar Magic will only extract and insert AllGFX.bin. AllGFX.bin does not include any ExGFX files and ExGFX cannot be joined in this manner. |
Question: | What is the size limit of graphics files? |
Answer: | 4kB for files intended to be used for layer 1/2 and sprites, 6kB for ExAnimation, 2kB for layer 3 graphics, 8kB for layer 3 tilemaps. GFX32.bin and GFX33.bin are for player graphics. GFX32.bin is 23.2kB in size, and GFX33.bin is 12kB in size. |
Question: | How do I make a block use palettes 8 - F? How do I make a sprite use palettes 0 - 7? |
Answer: | You don't. This setup is related to the SNES hardware and cannot be bypassed. |
Question: | How do I change Mario's palette? |
Answer: | Open the palette editor #lm{pal} and select which set of player palettes to edit from the Mario Palette dropdown - Mario and Luigi both use the ninth row down (palette 8). Make sure the Enable Custom Palette for this Level box is unchecked, and edit the palette to your liking. While still in the palette editor, click #lm{save} in the top right to apply your player palettes. Note that some sprites like Monty Mole and the Falling Spike also use palette 8, and changing the first three gold/brown colors will affect their appearance. |
Question: | I gave Mario a different palette for a specific level, but he still looks the same - why don't his colors change? |
Answer: | Mario's palette is handled with special code that can't be changed per-level in Lunar Magic. There are a few patches that allow this here, here and here. |
Question: | Some graphics I use have conflicting palettes. How do I fix this? |
Answer: | In #lm{pal}, Ctrl + Alt + Left-Click to copy the graphics' palette row, and import the other palette. Ctrl + Alt + Right-Click to paste the copied palette to the selected row. Then, edit the Map16 of one set of conflicting graphics to use the other palette row. |
Question: | How can you view Mario's graphics, as well as the animated graphics, inside Lunar Magic? |
Answer: | Press Ctrl + Shift + Page Down while in the 8x8 Tile Editor to activate Internal GFX Viewing Mode. You cannot edit these graphics from this interface, however. |
Question: | I edited Mario's graphics, but stray tiles still show up when performing certain actions - how do I get rid of them? |
Answer: | Mario's extra tiles are found in GFX00.bin. |
Question: | How do I make an ExAnimation? |
Answer: | First, make sure you have the tiles you intend to use for the animation inserted into your ROM. You can dedicate a whole file for ExAnimation for each level - just go to #lm{sgfxby} and change the AN2 slot to the file you wish to use. Have #lm{8x} opened as a guide to figure out what to enter for Destination and the animation frames for tile animations, and have #lm{pal} opened for palette animations. Refer to this tutorial to learn how to edit the ExAnimation frames in the #lm{exan} dialogue (check the type of animation you desire to have in the tutorial's table of contents). Once you're done, the animation will be displayed in the Destination tile or palette you chose. Put your animated tiles for layer 1/2 in Map16 and you're done. |
Question: | How do I add new music? |
Answer: | Download AddmusicK and follow this tutorial to insert custom music. |
Question: | How can I change the title screen music? |
Answer: | Go to [u]\asm\SNES\tweaks.asm[/u] in AddMusicK and change line 39 (!Title = #$XX ) to your desired inserted song number. |
Question: | How can I change the music played in the intro level? |
Answer: | Go to [u]\asm\SNES\tweaks.asm[/u] in AddMusicK and change line 37 (!Welcome = #$XX ) to your desired inserted song number. |
Question: | How do I create custom music? |
Answer: | Information on the syntax and commands used for creating custom music can be found here. AddmusicK's readme also has a handy syntax and command reference. |
Question: | My song uses the wrong samples - how do I fix this? |
Answer: | There could be many possible reasons for this. First, check the .txt and see if there is a #samples definition present. If so, within that, look for the presence of either #default, #optimized, or a long list of sample names that end with the form "XX SMW @YY.brr". If none of these are present, sound effects and/or songs using vanilla samples may start to sound off due to their required samples not being loaded. Check out this thread for more information on what songs and sound effects use which SMW samples. Second, if your song uses custom samples, make sure they are loaded in the song. Once again, check the #samples definition to see if all the required samples are called within there, and then once again within the #instruments definition. Look for a #path defintion as well; keep in mind that this changes the default folder AMK looks for samples in (e.g. #path "mario" will make AMK look for samples within a folder called mario inside AMK's samples folder). For [u]global songs[/u] specifically (e.g. star, P-switch, etc.) , samples @14, @17, and @21 are not loaded by default if the local song (i.e. level music) does not use them. This can be easily fixed by opening Addmusic_sample_groups.txt, and under all the listed sample groups (e.g. #default, #optimized, and any custom ones) adding an exclamation point (!) after the desired samples. This comment, while a specific instance, explains this more in-depth. For more information on the syntax required to call samples, check the AddmusicK readme. |
Question: | My song still isn't inserting. Did not specify target program? |
Answer: | Most of the time, if you're switching from an older AddMusic to AddmusicK, you're going to need to go into your .txt files and add #am4 or #amm , depending on which one you're switching from. |
Question: | Why does my song glitch really badly on snes9x/bsnes/etc.? |
Answer: | If the song you're using is very dated, then the glitches may be caused by incompatibilities or now-invalid commands that were once acceptable in the older but glitchier versions of AddMusic. One potential issue may be an echo delay that's too high, causing the echo buffer to overflow into instrument data. Find $F1 $XX $YY $ZZ , and try reducing $XX . Bear in mind your song might sound different.
Newer versions of Snes9x have a fix for this. Go to Emulation > Hacks... and check the Separate Echo Buffer from RAM box. Note that this is meant for compatibility with older ROM hacks, and should not be relied on for anything being made in the present. |
Question: | Why does my song glitch really badly on ZSNES? |
Answer: | If all sound is cutting out due to certain sound effects (usually fire ones), a possible cause for this may be ZSNES's incorrect handling of noise instruments. Switch to a different emulator. |
Question: | AddmusicK is giving me an error stating that ARAM exceeds - how do I fix this? |
Answer: | In the song file, find a command that reads $F1 $XX , the $XX being any two digit number. Lower this number until AddmusicK will insert the song. Bear in mind your song might sound different. |
Question: | What are patches and assemblers? |
Answer: | A patch contains new code that modifies aspects of the game, and the assembler applies the code to your ROM. |
Question: | How do I add a patch to my ROM? |
Answer: | Always back up your ROM first. Download Asar and put it in your ROM's folder. Double-click to run it, enter the patch name, then the ROM name. |
Question: | I get a warning about "xkas" patches in Asar. Should I be worried? |
Answer: | Generally-speaking, no, but Asar has a compatibility flag, ;@xkas - this goes at the top of these files without quotes. This feature is, however, becoming increasingly deprecated. |
Question: | My ROM crashed when I applied a patch! Why? |
Answer: | This could be down to a number of reasons: using a bad patch, loading a save state after patching, or incompatibility with another patch are some possible reasons. We suggest you seek help in our ASM & Related Topics forum or in #asm over Discord, providing as much information as possible about the patches you have used. |
Question: | When I apply a patch, another patch I've applied no longer works! Why? |
Answer: | Some patches modify the same code or use the same RAM addresses. You'll need to edit the patches to fix conflicts. Ask in our ASM & Related Topics forum or in #asm over Discord for help. |
Question: | My patch was working fine, but it suddenly broke - I didn't even apply another patch! What happened? |
Answer: | Lunar Magic silently applies new code as needed when features are activated; it is possible that Lunar Magic overwrote your patch. This is rather rare, however, and many modern patches contain specific safeguards against this kind of conflict. |
Question: | How do I remove a patch from my ROM? |
Answer: | Download Unpatcher. Alternatively, you can learn how to manually remove patches here. |
Question: | How do I create my own patches? |
Answer: | There's a tutorial for that here. Note that you should have some ASM knowledge before trying to create your own patches though. |
Question: | What's a custom sprite? |
Answer: | A custom sprite is a new sprite that wasn't originally in Super Mario World. PIXI handles the majority of sprites. |
Question: | How do I use PIXI? |
Answer: | Please read this tutorial. |
Question: | What are extra bits? |
Answer: | The Extra Bit is a flag that can be used to give a sprite different behaviours without having to insert two nearly-identical copies of its code. Click #lm{sp} to enter sprite editing mode and press Insert (alternatively Edit > Insert Manual...) - the field Extra Bits (0 - 3) determines how the sprite is inserted: [code]0 - regular sprite, extra bit clear 1 - regular sprite, extra bit set 2 - custom sprite, extra bit clear 3 - custom sprite, extra bit set[/code] A custom sprite will generally note in the .asm file or a readme what effect setting the extra bit will have (if any). Regular sprites are not coded to use the extra bit and will disappear in-game if set. The only exception is the Goal Tape sprite, whose extra bit is handled by Lunar Magic. |
Question: | What are extra bytes? |
Answer: | Extra Bytes are a means of assigning extra data to any one sprite inserted in a level, for much the same reason as extra bits above. Click #lm{sp} to enter sprite editing mode and press Insert - the field Extension (00 - FFx) is used to assign the extra byte data. A custom sprite will generally note how many extra bytes it uses and their related effects in the .asm file or a readme. This feature is not used in regular sprites. Beware! Swapping the numbers of custom sprites that use a different number of extra bytes will cause sprite data to be misread, very likely leading to a crash. This only applies to reinserting sprites into the ROM with PIXI; changing around the sprites placed in a level is safe. |
Question: | How do I change what a sprite looks like? |
Answer: | Change the sprite's code to use different tiles. For changing the appearance of a vanilla sprite, you can also try STEAR. |
Question: | Why don't my sprites look right in Lunar Magic? |
Answer: | Go to #lm{16x} and press Ctrl + Shift + Page Down. You can edit the display Map16 of the sprites, and press F9 to save them. You can also use SpriteTIP if you just want custom sprites to appear normally in Lunar Magic. |
Question: | How do I make my own custom sprite? |
Answer: | Here is a detailed tutorial on making sprites. |
Question: | How do I add custom blocks to my hack? |
Answer: | Download Gopher Popcorn Stew. |
Question: | How do I use Gopher Popcorn Stew? |
Answer: | Follow this tutorial on how to use GPS. |
Question: | How do I change what a block looks like? |
Answer: | Edit the Map16 tile the block was inserted at. See SMW Hacking > Map16 for more information. |
Question: | How do I make a custom block? |
Answer: | Check out this custom block tutorial. Those who are inexperienced with ASM might have more luck with Blockreator. |
Question: | What is [url=https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=section&s=uberasm]UberASM[/url]? |
Answer: | [url=https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=section&a=details&id=19982]UberASM Tool[/url] is the latest incarnation of the old LevelASM patch. It allows for the insertion of special code that runs on specific levels or with specific timing, i.e. running constantly during Level 106 only, once during any level load, while on the overworld, just before the title screen, etc. |
Question: | How do I make an UberASM code run during every level? |
Answer: | Apply the code as Game Mode 14 in [u]list.txt[/u]. |
Question: | Can I make multiple UberASM codes run at the same time? |
Answer: | Yes. As an example, say you want to merge two Game Mode 14 files, fileA.asm and [u]fileB.asm[/u]. Say the contents of these files are as follows:
[code][b][fileA.asm] [fileB.asm][/b]
init: init:
[code 1] [code 3]
main: main:
[code 2] [code 4][/code]
Change the init: and main: labels in each file as follows:
[code][b][fileA.asm] [fileB.asm][/b]
fileA_init: fileB_init:
[code 1] [code 3]
fileA_main: fileB_main:
[code 2] [code 4][/code]
If your files have load: or nmi: labels, change them in this same way. Notice that none of the [code #] were changed.
Now make a new .asm file - its name is unimportant, we'll name our example file [u]GM14.asm[/u]. This new file should contain the following code:
[code][b][GM14.asm][/b]
init:
JSL fileA_init
JSL fileB_init
RTL
main:
JSL fileA_main
JSL fileB_main
RTL[/code]
Place GM14.asm in the [u]gamemode[/u] folder, and place both [u]fileA.asm[/u] and [u]fileB.asm[/u] in the [u]library[/u] folder. Configure [u]list.txt[/u] to insert [u]GM14.asm[/u] in Game Mode 14, then run UberASM Tool. All code 1-4 will now execute as needed in Game Mode 14. This same process works for all other categories of code (Level, Overworld, etc.). |
Question: | Why does Mario go crazy when I enter Yoshi's Island 1? |
Answer: | By default UberASM Tool includes test code that deliberately does this in Level 105 . Simply remove the call to this code from [u]list.txt[/u]. You may freely delete [u]test.asm[/u] and [u]test2.asm[/u] in the [u]level[/u] folder, the tool doesn't use them for anything. |
Question: | Why would I need to transfer data? |
Answer: | Some programs or mishandled patches have a chance to corrupt your ROM. Without a backup, you have to transfer data to a new ROM. |
Question: | How do I make backups? |
Answer: | You can copy and paste your ROM away from where you might accidentally modify it - move it to, for example, an external drive or Dropbox. Alternatively, you can rely on Lunar Magic's automatic sysLMRestore feature, which is turned on by default. You need a clean SMW ROM to use this feature. sysLMRestore can be configured and disabled in Options > Restore Options. |
Question: | I don't have a backup. How do I transfer all my work in Lunar Magic? |
Answer: | To save most of your ROM data to files to transfer to a new ROM:
|
Question: | What's the difference between a clean ROM and a base ROM? |
Answer: | Clean ROMs are unmodified copies of the original. A base ROM would have many of your basic, functional resources (e.g. patches, sprites) already inserted. It is recommended to have both. |
Question: | How do I transfer the overworld? |
Answer: | Open the Overworld Editor with the old ROM, then open the new ROM in same Lunar Magic window. Click back onto the Overworld Editor but do not reload the map. Save the overworld. |
Question: | How do I transfer credits and the title screen? |
Answer: | With the same exact approach as above while editing the title screen/credits. |
Question: | I lost my graphics changes when I was trying to transfer everything over! |
Answer: | You must have extracted the graphics from the new ROM in the same directory as the ROM you're transferring everything from. It's a good idea to have a backup ROM where you've already converted graphics to extracted the graphics and reinserted graphics converting them to 4bpp, and a backup of your graphics. |
Question: | Lunar Magic says that the author of the hack has restricted level access. What's this? |
Answer: | The ROM is "locked", which means that you can't open it in Lunar Magic. |
Question: | Why would an author lock their hack? |
Answer: | To prevent others from accessing the levels and potentially stealing level data, Map16 data, custom graphics, and other resources. |
Question: | Lunar Magic won't open. It gives me a message saying that it has been modified. How do I fix this? |
Answer: | Redownload Lunar Magic. |
Question: | Lunar Magic opens the ROM, but it tells me that its checksum is bad. What's this? |
Answer: | If you just downloaded this ROM, then it's probably a bad dump. If you edited it with another program such as Asar or AddMusic before using Lunar Magic, it's probably fine. Make sure Maintain Checksum in the Options menu is checked. |
Question: | I edited my hack in an older version of Lunar Magic, and everything became glitched! What happened? |
Answer: | This is a known problem with editing a hack made in Lunar Magic 1.7 and newer in Lunar Magic 1.63 and older. To avoid this, stick with one version of Lunar Magic. |
Question: | What level are the bosses in? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Answer: |
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Question: | How can I make a Lakitu/Magikoopa/Reappearing Boos stop following/spawning in after a certain point in my levels? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Answer: | Place Sprite D2 in the level where you want them to stop. You can find this in Special Commands and Generators list of the Add Sprites Window. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Question: | How can I prevent fade outs at the end of levels? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Answer: | For no fade out at the goal, use this hex edit/patch and insert it with Asar. This hex edit/patch does not disable fade outs after boss battles. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Question: | Is there an easy way to fix a lot of SMW bugs? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Answer: | Look through this link for bug fixes. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Question: | It takes me way too long to find the ExGFX file I'm looking for in Super GFX Bypass! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Answer: | Options > General Options > Program Options and uncheck Standard GFX Bypass Dialogue. You can now type in the ExGFX files instead. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Question: | My changes aren't showing up when I play the ROM! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Answer: | Don't load from a savestate, and make sure you don't have any BPS files with the same name as your ROM in your ROM's folder. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Question: | Can I rearrange the status bar? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Answer: | The Status Effect tool can be used to change up the status bar. There are several patches that can be used to modify the status bar, as well. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Question: | Why are my overworld paths showing glitchy tiles? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Answer: | You very likely never uninstalled the title screen recording ASM. Open the Overworld Editor and go to File > Title Screen > Uninstall Title Moves Recording ASM. |
Question: | What is ASM? |
Answer: | ASM (Assembler) is the low level programming code used by a CPU. 65c816 ASM is the language used by the SNES. |
Question: | Where can I learn how to program in 65c816 ASM? |
Answer: | There are two basic tutorials [url=https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=viewthread&t=89261]here[/url]. You can find more advanced info [url=http://www.romhacking.net/documents/109/]here[/url], [url=http://www.zophar.net/tech/65816.html]here[/url], and [url=http://www.zophar.net/tech/snes.html]here[/url]. Also available are [url=https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=section&a=details&id=20949]compiled lessons from SMW Central's ASM Workshop 2019[/url]. |
Question: | What can I use ASM for? |
Answer: | For Super Mario World hacks, it can enable you to insert new [url=https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=section&s=smwsprites]custom sprites[/url], [url=https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=section&s=smwblocks]blocks[/url], gimmicks and features ([url=https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=section&s=uberasm]UberASM[/url] and [url=https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=section&s=smwpatches]patches[/url]) to your hack. Interest in adding ASM to Yoshi's Island hacks is also increasing, too, through our [url=https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=section&s=yipatches]Yoshi's Island patches[/url] and [url=https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=section&s=spasm]SPASM[/url] sections. |
Question: | Sometimes I see code like "LDA.l" or "STA.w" or "LDX.b" - what do the extra letters at the end mean? |
Answer: | These letters are used to specify the size of an instruction to be used by Asar. Many instructions can take different sizes, such as LDA #$000F versus LDA #$0F . Normally, Asar tries to build the shortest logical code for maximum efficiency. Appending .b , .w , or .l will force Asar to load a specific size (2, 4 and 6 digits, respectively). This is commonly used when math is done on assembly in order to guarantee a properly-sized result (Ex. LDA.b #.Table>>16 ). |
Question: | What is SA-1? |
Answer: | The SA-1 chip is a co-processor used in certain special SNES games to grant various performance improvements. In SMW hacking, SA-1 can be enabled with [url=https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=section&a=details&id=19843]this patch[/url], which reduces or eliminates slowdown and increases the number of sprites allowed on screen at once. Note that resources must specifically be made to be compatible with SA-1; luckily, increasingly many resources available for download come pre-configured to automatically detect and work with an SA-1 enhanced ROM. Look for resources tagged as sa-1 to ensure compatibility. |
Question: | Most of the blocks, sprites, patches and UberASM I download have |!addr written all over the code - what does that mean? |
Answer: | |!addr is a standardized define used in SA-1 compatible resources. It is generally used to ensure that code is automatically converted to SA-1 format if an SA-1 ROM is detected, and leaves the code unaltered if not. |
Question: | What is a ROM? |
Answer: | ROM means "read-only memory" and is explained [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Read-only_memory]here[/url]. When we talk about ROMs, we are really referring to ROM dumps/images. |
Question: | Where can I find a ROM? |
Answer: | Find it with [url=https://www.google.com/]Google[/url] - it's against the rules to post sites linking to commercial ROMs. A proper ROM is ideally tagged as (U) (U.S. version) and [!] (verified good ROM dump). Make sure not to download .exe files, as these often contain malware. |
Question: | How do I play a ROM image? |
Answer: | In order to play a ROM file, you need a game console emulator. |
Question: | What is an emulator? |
Answer: | An emulator copies the functions of one computer system on a different computer system. SNES emulators try to behave like the Super Nintendo, but on a computer. Common SNES emulators are [url=http://www.snes9x.com/downloads.php]Snes9x[/url], [url=https://byuu.org/bsnes/]bsnes[/url], and [url=https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=section&a=details&id=5681]ZMZ[/url]. |
Question: | What about ZSNES? |
Answer: | ZSNES is no longer recommended. It was good for its time, but [url=https://smwc.me/1214671]its numerous emulation and security flaws[/url] make it not suitable in the modern day. If you like its interface, use ZMZ. |
Question: | My ROM has got the extension ".zip", ".rar" or ".7z". It can be played in an emulator, but won't load in Lunar Magic. What's wrong? |
Answer: | The file is compressed. To decompress it, you have to use a program like WinZip, WinRAR or [url=https://www.7-zip.org/]7-Zip[/url]. |
Question: | What is "hex"? |
Answer: | Hex is short for hexadecimal, a base-16 counting system. It goes, "0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E, F, 10, 11, 12, ..." In our daily life, we usually use decimal, which is base-10. Here is a comparison: [code]Decimal.........0.......2.......10 Hexadecimal.....0.......2.......A Binary..........0.......10......1010[/code] More information regarding the hexadecimal system can be found [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexadecimal]here[/url]. |
Question: | Wait a minute... What does this have to do with ROM hacking? |
Answer: | All data is stored as binary: zeroes and ones. Rather than having to read data painfully in binary, though, a hex editor converts data to hexadecimal for a more comfortable experience. A hex editor can let you modify the game code directly. |
Question: | Where do I get a hex editor? |
Answer: | You can get [url=https://smwc.me/s/4625]HxD[/url]. Otherwise, [url=http://home.gna.org/bless/]Bless[/url] is a cross-platform hex editor. |
Question: | How do I hex edit? |
Answer: | [url=https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=viewthread&t=79859]Here[/url] is a very basic tutorial on how to hex edit a Super Mario World ROM using Asar patches. [url=http://www.romhacking.net/documents/40/]Here[/url] are some tips if you plan on looking for undocumented things to edit. |
Question: | What is a BPS file? |
Answer: | A BPS file is a patch containing a certain amount of changes made to an original ROM, ranging from bugfixes to translations to full hacks. By patching this file to an unmodified ROM image of SMW, the changes will be applied to the ROM. If the patch contains a hack, for example, then the ROM has now changed from the original SMW to the hack in question. |
Question: | I have an IPS file, not a BPS file. What's that? |
Answer: | IPS files are the predecessor to BPS files. These can still be patched using Floating IPS as below. |
Question: | Why use patches instead of ROMs? |
Answer: | Because giving away commercial ROM files is illegal. The patch contains only the differences between the full hack and the original ROM. This way, hacks can be given away legally. |
Question: | How do I use a patch? |
Answer: | Use [url=https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=section&a=details&id=11474]Floating IPS[/url] to apply a BPS patch to a clean ROM of the game that it is a hack of. [url=https://smwc.me/1399053]Here[/url] is a tutorial on how to apply and play BPS patches. |
Question: | What are the rules? |
Answer: | Check here. |
Question: | What do NEW and OFF mean? |
Answer: | A yellow NEW means there's an unread post in a forum. A red NEW means there's an unread post in a subforum of that forum. OFF means the thread is locked and can no longer be posted in. |
Question: | How do I insert an image or a link? |
Answer: | On the post toolbar on the New Reply page, click to add a hyperlink, and to insert an image. Put in the complete URL and make sure the URL is on the internet, not a file stored locally on your computer. Use your My Files space to host and share general files, or any other internet service you find reliable. imgur is currently the best for images. cdn.discordapp.com links, obtained by sending a file on Discord and copying the link, work pretty well too. |
Question: | My thread isn't there - where'd it go? |
Answer: | It may have been moved to a more fitting forum. For example, if you posted a thread about a game in General Discussion, it might likely have ended up in Gaming. If the thread content was poor, the thread may have been moved to the Trash Can. When a thread is moved, a "ghost thread" will appear in its place for a couple of days, indicating that it has been moved. |
Question: | Someone is harassing me - what should I do? |
Answer: | Send a PM to one of the Forum Moderators. A list of each forum's primary moderators are listed under each forum's description. |
Question: | What does "Disable ninja protection" do? |
Answer: | Ninja protection allows you to review your message if somebody posts while you were typing, so that you don't end up posting the same thing. Disabling ninja protection will skip this step and create your post regardless. |
Question: | What does "Alerts" mean on the menu? |
Answer: | You can watch threads and files so you receive notifications in your Alerts section when they're updated with new posts, comments etc. A watched thread is marked with a bell icon. Threads you create and resources you submit are set to "watched" by default. |
Question: | I've found a bug - how do I report it? |
Answer: | Post it in our Issue Tracker forum and one of our Developers will assist as soon as they can. |
Question: | What board software does SMW Central use? |
Answer: | SMW Central does not use any pre-existing board software. It's made from scratch using PHP. |
Question: | What do I do if I forget my password? |
Answer: | DM an admin on Discord to request a password reset. Alternatively, email a [url=https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=cms&page=1396725-meet-the-staff]Userbase Administrator[/url] instead. Their email addresses are listed in their profiles. You will need to have your email address in your profile for us to be able to prove its you requesting the reset. |
Question: | What is Discord? |
Answer: | Discord is a text and voice-chat application. It's available on almost all platforms, both as a dedicated program and as an in-browser application, as well as on Android and iOS mobile devices. You can use it to talk with other people in real time, through chatroom channels or in one-on-one Direct Messages. |
Question: | How do I get to SMW Central's Discord Server? |
Answer: | See our Discord page for information regarding our server, including the rules and how to set-up Discord. |
Question: | I joined the server. How can I see all the channels? |
Answer: | You need to verify your SMW Central account. The Discord page lists clear instructions, but a bot and our moderators will assist you if you speak up in the channel titled #verification. |
Question: | Can I make my own channels, like on IRC? |
Answer: | You cannot make your own channels on the SMW Central Discord Server, because Discord operates differently from IRC. Instead, you can simply click on the big plus (+) button at the bottom of your server list inside Discord to create your very own server and then invite your friends into that server. Creating your own server is completely free. |
Question: | How do I change my name color? Why do some people have unique name colors? |
Answer: | The color of your name in Discord is based on the color of your username on the site. You can change this by going to Edit Profile. The users with unique name colors are moderators, staff members, and admins, with a few exceptions, just like on the site. |
Question: | I'm seeing users on Discord using italics, bold characters, strike-through, and code blocks in their posts. How can I do the same with mine? |
Answer: | This article explains how you can format your posts in Discord. |
Question: | How do I place spoiler tags around my posts/images in Discord? |
Answer: | Add || to the beginning and end of the words you want hidden under a spoiler tag. To tag an image as a spoiler, check the box that says Mark as spoiler before posting the image. |
Question: | How do I report abuse, such as harassment? |
Answer: | Direct Message one of the Discord Moderators (someone who is listed at the top of the userlist on the right, under the "DISCORD MODERATORS" category) by right clicking their name and then hitting Message. Talk to them about your problem, be it with another user, with Discord, or with the server. |
Question: | What's with the picture below my name? |
Answer: | That's a rank, and you can change it by editing the Rank Set option in [url=https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=editprofile]Edit Profile[/url]. |
Question: | How do I get a personalized picture? |
Answer: | Select a picture no bigger than 100KB and no larger than 150x150 pixels, and upload it to your [url=https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=files]My Files[/url] or another image sharing website. Then, set the link of that picture as your [u]Avatar URL[/u] in [url=https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=editprofile]Edit Profile[/url]. |
Question: | I don't understand the post header and post footer part of my profile. |
Answer: | That's for a "layout", which is a custom post style with pictures and colors. The footer can also be used as a signature. |
Question: | Cool, how do I get a layout? |
Answer: | You use HTML and CSS. You can request one [url=https://smwc.me/1028939]here[/url], automatically generate one [url=https://smwc.me/1394354]here[/url], or learn to make one [url=https://smwc.me/1239014]here[/url]. Make sure your layout is self-contained and doesn't affect the rest of the site. |
Question: | What are badges and trophies? |
Answer: | They're special icons in your profile earned by participating in special events, winning various contests, contributing numerous resources or submitting a quality hack, among other things. A list of badges as well as instructions for how to obtain them can be found [url=https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=cms&page=1143179-trophy-list]here[/url]. |
Question: | Why was my avatar/layout removed? |
Answer: | Your layout/avatar violated one of our rules. You'll receive a warning PM or a PM from a staff member with additional information when this happens. You can also see [url=https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=cms&page=1417699-site-wide-general-behavior-rules-and-guidelines]this page[/url] for further info about the rules. |
Question: | I share this computer with a friend/sibling - may I make another account? |
Answer: | Yes - but please inform a [url=https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=cms&page=1396725-meet-the-staff]Staff Member[/url] before doing so, as you risk punishment for reregistering otherwise. |
Question: | I want to upload something. Are there any requirements? |
Answer: | Each section has standards which can be reviewed when you go to a section's upload page. |
Question: | My file has been waiting to be moderated for several days now. What's going on? |
Answer: | Staff members often have a lot of files and non-SMW Central obligations, so it may be a while before they get around to your stuff. You can check if your file was claimed by a moderator in its submission page. Your patience is appreciated! |
Question: | Why was my file deleted? It had passed moderation. |
Answer: | A problem may have been found later, or the standards may have changed. Check the appropriate forum here for your moderation log. |
Question: | Can we have a section for hacks for x game? |
Answer: | We generally only add new site sections for hacking new games if there is a sizable community for it. If there's no one out there who hacks New Super Mario Bros., for example, there's no point making a site section for it. |
Question: | I want to register. What are valid username characters? |
Answer: | 0-9, A-Z, a-z, ', -, _, ., and spaces. |
Question: | How do I change my name color? |
Answer: | Go to [url=https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=editprofile]Edit Profile[/url] to choose your username color. |
Question: | What does each name color mean? |
Answer: | [color=#97acef][b]Light Blue[/b][/color], [color=#f185c9][b]Pink[/b][/color], and [color=#7c60b0][b]Purple[/b][/color] usernames are the three selectable username colours, and they look as such when a user is active. Darker [color=#657091][b]Light Blue[/b][/color], [color=#925c7e][b]Pink[/b][/color], and [color=#584a72][b]Purple[/b][/color] indicate that the user is inactive, i.e. hasn't logged in in a month. Sometimes, these three colors will be temporarily replaced by a different set, such as during holidays. Banned users have their usernames colored by the severity of their ban ([color=#A6D9DB][b]Temporarily Banned[/b][/color], and [b][color=#775555]Account Disabled[/color][/b]). |
Question: | I see other colors. What do they mean? |
Answer: | Those users have custom colors. Custom colors are reserved for staff members and administrators, with a few exceptions, including former administrators and winners of specific contests back in the day. |
Question: | What are the color codes for the default usernames? |
Answer: | #97ACEF = Blue User
#F185C9 = Pink User
#7C60B0 = Purple User
#657091 = Blue User (Inactive)
#925C7E = Pink User (Inactive)
#584A72 = Purple User (Inactive)
#A6D9DB = Temporarily Banned
#775555 = Account Disabled |
Question: | I see an icon next to someone's name. What does it mean? |
Answer: | Icons allow people to differentiate the roles of many specific users in the site. There are many icons, and each one of them contains a description when hovered. These are the following icons that you will see here: - this appears for users who have donated money to the site (no longer supported). - this appears if it is currently a user's birthday. - this is reserved for users who actively help the staff team in an official capacity. - this is reserved for staff members of the site. - this is reserved for staff members who are also section managers. - this is reserved for the administrators of the site. - this is reserved for the bots that run around the site for various purposes. |
Question: | Can I change my username? |
Answer: | You can PM an [url=https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=cms&page=1396725-meet-the-staff]Administrator whose role involves the userbase[/url] or DM them on Discord to request a username change, but they reserve the right to deny requests. After a successful name change, there is a cooldown of three months before the next one can be requested. Users are also given the privilege to display a different, temporary name during events such as the holidays. |
Question: | My username has been changed to a number! Why? |
Answer: | It was either deemed offensive or obnoxious, so it was reduced to your user ID. See above for how to change your username. |
Question: | Some users are in special groups like 'Code of the Dragon' or 'Team Frog Warehouse' - what are these groups? Can I make one? |
Answer: | These groups are for users working on a team hack. If a team hack picks up enough activity and interest, we sometimes offer the group their own hidden subforum to aid completion. |
Question: | Why are all the usernames colored like a rainbow? |
Answer: | This event occurs when something special happens. How it starts, and how long it lasts, varies, although it mostly lasts for a short time. |
Question: | Where can I view the entire list of tips shown in the ropebox? |
Answer: | Look here. |
Question: | Can we add a search bar? |
Answer: | No. SMW Central used to have one until its Google Ads stopped. If you want to search SMW Central, go to Google and put site:smwcentral.net somewhere in your search term. |
Question: | Why is the newest user who has registered inactive? |
Answer: | If a user decides to not check the Log me in after registering box when they register, they haven't got a date where they were last seen. The site thinks that they haven't been seen at all, so they're inactive as far as the site is concerned. |
Question: | Can I upload multiple files at the same time in My Files? |
Answer: | Not yet, but it's a planned feature for the future. |
Question: | Can I submit anonymous feedback to the staff team? |
Answer: | Yes, right here. Send anything ranging from compliments to complaints to frustrations about how a certain issue is handled there and it will be handled appropriately by our administrators. Submitted feedback will be publicly addressed in this thread if it follows the conditions listed within. Everything sent through the Staff Feedback form is completely anonymous unless you share your username. |
Question: | What's with the snow on every single page? |
Answer: | The snowstorm is little visual flair sometimes enabled during the winter months. It can be deactivated [url=https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=viewthread&t=53116]here[/url]. |
Question: | What's with you guys and munchers? |
Answer: |
Vanilla | From and/or related to the original SMW (e.g. vanilla graphics, vanilla samples, etc.). |
Chocolate | Unrelated to the original SMW. In other words, custom. |
Kaizo | Referring to very difficult hacks which follow a specific design philosophy and a specific type of level design. Often, this means that the levels do not give a choice to the player on how to play them, but rather force specific strategies. Kaizo: Light is supposed to be beatable without tools, Kaizo: Hard is supposed to require tool usage. |
Pit | A subset of kaizo that is intended to only be beatable with heavy tool usage. |
Troll | A particular genre of hacks that mess with the player's expectations. Further info [url=https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=viewthread&t=98945]here[/url]. |
Base ROM | A patch that already contains certain resources (e.g. graphics, music, sprites, etc.), but no levels, intended to be used as a base for a hack or level. |
VLDC (Vanilla Level Design Contest) | A level design contest where levels must be designed around only what the original SMW provides, with a few additional tweaks. |
CLDC (Chocolate Level Design Contest) | A level design contest that allows unrestricted use of the full spectrum of custom resources. |
BLDC (Base ROM Level Design Contest) | A level design contest where levels must be designed around what is already provided in a base ROM. |
OLDC (Old-School Level Design Contest) | A level design contest that forbids all custom resources, only allowing use of Lunar Magic with strict restrictions in order to emulate the feel of the early days of SMW hacking. |
KLDC (Kaizo Level Design Contest) | A level design contest focused specifically around making kaizo levels. |
HLDC (Halloween Level Design Contest) | A level design contest themed around Halloween. |
WLDC (Winter Level Design Contest) | A level design contest themed around winter and the associated holidays. |
12DBCLDC (12 Days Before Christmas Level Design Contest) | A level design contest where participants must create 12 levels, each with a different theme provided by the host. |
24hosmw (24 hours of Super Mario World) | A short, surprise contest that pops up from time to time where participants only have 24 hours to hack SMW based on a given challenge. |
YILDC (Yoshi's Island Level Design Contest) | A level design contest where participants create a level in Yoshi's Island. |
OWDC (Overworld Design Contest) | A contest where participants create an overworld. |
SLDC (Special Level Design Contest) | A level design contest where participants must choose the theme for their level from a set of options provided by the host. |
ExGFX Contest | A contest where participants design specific graphics with certain restrictions and/or a theme. |
LMCC (Lunar Magic Creativity Contest) | A contest where participants create an illustration within Lunar Magic. |
Super Famicompo | A single-round contest where participants create SNES music, with a few restrictions. |
72hoSPC (72 hours of SPC) | A pop-up contest where participants must create a song for SMW under specific conditions within 72 hours. |
SMW Central Idol | A multi-round SMW music contest where participants must compose or port a song under specific conditions. This contest isn't held anymore. |
Mad Scientist ASM Contest | A multi-round ASM programing contest where the goals for each round are given by the host. |
Mosts | An end-of-year event where people vote for other users for various silly categories. |
C3 (Central Creativity Convention) | A twice-a-year event where people are encouraged to show off what they've been working on, SMW-related or not. |
Workshops (ASM and others) | Events that are held from time to time, similarly to a class, to help teach people about various aspects of SMW hacking. |
Secret Santa | A Christmas event sometimes held where users create SMW levels for other users, similar to gifting for real-life Secret Santas. |
Rereg (Reregistration) | When somebody with an existing account creates an additional account. These are generally against the rules. |
Blue ban | A timed ban that limits what parts of the site a user can access. |
Brown ban | A permanent ban that prevents a user from accessing SMW Central completely. |
Banvade (Ban evade/Ban evasion) | Circumventing a ban one way or another. This is against the rules and often results in a harsher penalty. |
PR - Public Relations | The folks who take care of setting up contests, social media, and anything else that has to do with the site's community and image. |
Staff | The folks who moderate resources around the site and help with its general upkeep. |
Team Leaders/Section Managers | The folks who are responsible for managing particular sections of the site, including resources, YI and SM64, and Discord. |
Administrators | The folks who manage the site in its entirety. They're also responsible for user requests such as password resets. |
GD (General Discussion) | The main section of the forum where any form of discussion that doesn't fit elsewhere goes. |
B&G (The Bar & Grill) | An ongoing discussion thread in General Discussion, similar to a real-life bar. |
RC (Reality Corner) | A subforum where people come to talk about serious or personal issues. Joking around is not tolerated there. |
Ninja | When somebody else posts a response to a thread as you were writing yours. |
PM (Private Message) | A means of communication on the site for sending messages between users. While technically private, these can still be read by administrators, though this is only done in extreme circumstances. |
Trophies/Badges | Icons handed out on user profiles as prizes for contests, or as thanks. Think of them as similar to achievements in games. |
.smc (from Super MagiCom) | A SNES ROM; the file format is named for a popular brand of copier used to dump ROM data way back when. |
.sfc (from Super FamiCom) | A SNES ROM; the file format is named for the Super Famicom console (otherwise known as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System outside of Japan). |
.mwl (from Mario World Level) | The file format used by Lunar Magic for exporting level data. |
.m16 (from Map16) | The file format used by Lunar Magic for exporting Map16 data. |
.s16 (from Sprite Map16) | The file format used by Lunar Magic for custom sprite displays in the editor. |
.dsc | The file format used by Lunar Magic for displaying custom tooltips for tiles. |
.ssc | The file format used by Lunar Magic for displaying custom tooltips for sprites. |
.msc | The file format used by Lunar Magic for displaying custom music track names. |
.spc (from SPC700) | An audio dump of the SNES, used to preview songs before inserting them into your ROM. |
.mml/MML (Music Macro Language) | The language used when writing music for SMW (and certain other old consoles.) MML is also sometimes used to refer to the file containing the song data, and while it can be a file extension, AddmusicK reads [b].txt[/b] files only. |
.bnk (from Sample Bank) | An obsolete file format formerly used to insert custom samples for SMW music. |
.brr (from Bit Rate Reduction) | The current standard file format used to insert custom samples for SMW music, now preferred over .bnk |
.asm (Assembly) | The programming language SMW is written in. Also used as a catch-all term for any form of custom code inserted in the game, such as blocks and sprites. |
.bin (from Binary) | The file format used for storing graphics. Also formerly used for blocks with the very old, original BlockTool. |
.cfg (from Configuration) | A file format used for storing assorted configuration parameters. Occasionally found with patches, but nearly always refers to custom sprites, where it contains a sprite's various functional properties. |
.json (from JavaScript Object Notation) | A human-readable file format that contains assorted configuration parameters. Associated with custom sprites much like .cfg. |
.pal (from Palette) | The file format that stores palettes. |
.palmask (from Palette Mask) | A file that defines which colours in the current palette should be overwritten when importing a new palette from a file. |
.zip/.rar/.7z | Folders that are compressed to save space. |
LM (Lunar Magic) | The Super Mario World level editor, and the most fundamental SMW hacking tool. |
YY-CHR | The most commonly-used graphics editor. Works with several filetypes, not just SMW's .bin files. |
GPS (Gopher Popcorn Stew) | A tool for inserting custom blocks. |
AMK (AddmusicK) | A tool for inserting custom music. |
PIXI | A tool for inserting custom sprites. |
STEAR | A tool for remapping vanilla sprite tiles. |
Asar | A tool for applying patches to a ROM. |
UberASM Tool | A tool that allows insertion of code that runs with specific timing (during a level, on level load, while on the overworld, etc.). |
Golden Egg | The Yoshi's Island level editor. |
TT64 (Toad's Tool 64) | The Super Mario 64 level Editor. |
Blockreator | A tool that lets you generate simple blocks for insertion into SMW. |
Daiyousei | An alternative sprite insertion tool as of yet never officially hosted on SMW Central. |
Tessera | An alternative sprite insertion tool. |
PetiteMM | A program that converts MIDIs of a specific format into raw MML data, which doesn't work with AddmusicK without tweaking. |
Tweaker | A program that allows you to edit the properties of SMW's original sprites. |
Status Effect | A tool for rearranging the status bar. |
HxD | A hex editor, which allows you to directly change game code. |
AM4 (Addmusic 4.05) | A predecessor to AddmusicK, simultaneous with AddmusicM. |
AMM (AddmusicM) | A predecessor to AddmusicK, simultaneous with Addmusic 4.05. |
(Romi's) SpriteTool | A predecessor to PIXI. |
GIEPY | An alternative sprite insertion tool. Has a few unique features over PIXI, but ultimately received insufficient techncial support. |
BTSD (BlockTool Super Deluxe) | A predecessor to Gopher Popcorn Stew. |
Block Tool | A predecessor to BlockTool Super Deluxe. |
xkas | A predecessor to Asar. Stands for "cross-knight assembler". |
TRASM | Very old and obsolete tool, predecesor of xkas. |
TinyMM | A predecessor to PetiteMM. |
ZSNES | A once-popular SNES emulator dropped in light of security exploits as well as generally inaccurate emulation. |
bsnes/higan | A SNES emulator generally regarded as offering the most hardware-accurate emulation available. |
Snes9x | A dependable and commonly used SNES emulator. Modern versions offer emulation accuracy comparable to that of bsnes/higan. |
ZMZ | An emulator that uses the interface of ZSNES with the core of either Snes9x or higan. |
Project 64 | A Nintendo 64 emulator. |
Emulator | A program that simulates an SNES, or any other console, and allows you to run ROM images meant for it. |
TAS (Tool-Assisted Speedrun) | A speedrun of a game or hack that is done using precise input commands frame-by-frame, allowing for perfect precision. |
ROM (Read-Only Memory) | In the context that concerns us, a ROM is a file containing all the data for a game. Note that these are illegal to distribute if copyrighted. More generally, ROM data is static data that can be read by the game but not altered. |
RAM (Random Access Memory) | A section of memory that can be read from or written to, used to track all of the dynamic aspects of a game (player position, coin count, current level, etc.). |
ARAM (Audio Random Access Memory) | A subset of RAM that specifically contains data relating to audio, such as loaded samples and echo. |
OAM (Object Attribute Memory) | A 544 byte region in memory that controls various sprite tile properties such as position, appearance and palette. |
MSU-1 (Media Streaming Unit 1) | A chip that allows the use of MP3-quality audio on the SNES. |
SA-1 | A chip that is more than twice as fast as the SNES's standalone processor. |
Super FX | A chip that allows the SNES to render polygons. |
DMA (Direct Memory Access) | A feature of the SNES that allows for both rapid data transfer and modification of visual properties. |
HDMA (Horizontal (Blank) Direct Memory Access) | Allows the SNES to change display options mid-screen, allowing things like wavy effects, gradients, or parallax. |
Mode | The SNES has multiple video modes, which change things like how many layers there are and how many colors are allowed on each layer. There's also mode 7, which is special because it allows things like rotation and scaling effects; it is used in most boss battles in vanilla SMW. SMW otherwise uses Mode 1. |
Sprite | One of a set of individually positionable entities on the screen. In SMW, these include enemies, powerups, Yoshi, and the player. |
Object | A collection of tiles in a fixed grid. In SMW, an "object" can generally refer to a single item built from several such tiles, such as a pipe or a slope. |
Palette | The set of colours that can be applied to a certain element on screen. In SMW, the first 128 colors may be used by objects, the last 128 colors by sprites. |
Hexadecimal | A base-sixteen counting scheme used by the SNES in a lot of places. |
GFX (Graphics) | Usually references to graphics that are already in SMW. |
ExGFX (Extended/Extra Graphics) | Refers to custom graphics. |
Layer 1 | This is the layer which contains most of the main foreground objects in SMW. |
Layer 2 | This refers to a layer of tiles behind the main level. In most cases, this is just a background image, but it can also be interactive in some levels, in which case it can scroll separately from the main foreground. |
Layer 3 | This is the layer that the status bar is on. It's more limited in colour than layers 1/2. It is usually only used for the layer that the status bar is on, but can also be used for a simpler background when layer 2 is in use already. |