Need help on mini helmets for an NCAA rom

[jjkaliff]

Creating an NCAA football rom and need some assistance on the mini helmets.  Things that need fixed are the facemask of my FSU mini helmet to a red color,  my UCLA should look like the notre dame helmet with the blue UCLA logo, and my Lousiville helmet needs some help. I'd like it to be white with a white facemask.  Any assistance would be greatly appreciated  I'll upload the rom i'm working with.NCAA 2013_2copy.nes

[pambazos88]

I will put some information in here, since I had the same problem when I first tried to make my College Rom.
This will help when you want to modify the MINI HELMET TILES from a NES 32-base rom.
MINI HELMETS are MAINLY shown on 3 screens:  PRESEASON/TEAM CONTROL, TEAM DATA and NFL STANDINGS.

The ORIGINAL 28-ROM had its MINI HELMET-TILES assignment at offset x23BC6, (32 teams rom as well, BUT only for the 28 first teams)

In order to see this pattern TABLE, just open a TILE VIEWER program, (I reccommend YY-char, load rom into it and scroll down till you find the Mini helmets.)

Another way is with the PPU Viewer feature, from the FCEUX emulator (>/Debug>/PPU viewer)

Here, just roll your mouse over a tile you want to know its name,
and its name will be shown in here.

Now, at offset x23BC6 is allocated the first team's TILE-SETUP. EACH TEAM HAS A 5-BYTE-SETUP.

THE First 4 bytes are for the GRAPHIC TILES that form the minihelmet onscreen. The last 5th Byte is to assign its SPECIAL-SETUP/PALETTE.

 

To see how this SPECIAL SETUP ASSIGNMENT works. I WILL PUT THE EXAMPLE OF THE DOLPHINS HELMET (from dataSteve's tutorial).
NOTE This Helmet only ADDS 1 SPECIAL GRAPHIC TILE. SOME OTHER SETUPS ADD THE WHOLE 4 TILES OVER/UNDER. IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHICH SETUP EACH TEAM HAS ASSIGNED TO THEM.

So, to modify your FSU (Seminoles) and put it their RED FACEMASK, you will:
First, locate the FSU Helmet setup (9th team =Steelers) which setup is allocated at x23BEE:

B9 CB 82 83 2A (5 bytes). Here, you will see the special Setup byte (2A)

YOU WILL HAVE TO CHECK WHAT DOES 2A STANDS FOR. HERE:
(2A) means Sp-Setup 28 + Sp-palette 02  (28hex + 02hex = 2Ahex)
Now, This means the $2A Special setup (or.the VIKINGS) is assigned in this ROM for the 9th team (or.the STEELERS)
*A SPECIAL SETUP CAN BE ASSIGNED MORE THAN ONCE (different teams may have the same Sp-setup)

So, go to offset x23CAD (where "2A" Special setup is located). YOU WILL NOTICE THIS IS a COMPLETE-4-TILE-SPECIAL-SETUP (so it is easier)
REMEMBER: *The 4 bytes for these design tell: 1.(y: location coords), 2.(Tile #),  3.(Palette # and lay type), and 4.(x: location coords).

00 FD 00 00  TILE1 - "FD"
00 D1 23 08  TILE2 - "D1"
08 D1 23 00  TILE3 - "D1"
08 D1 23 08  TILE4 - "D1"   but *23 means BACK LAYER/palette3

 

(But let's suppose you only had a 1-TILE-SETUP, you would then have to MOVE your x:y-coords, to those corresponding a TILE4=facemask, which are: x:y=08:08)
but your Helmet still WONT MATCH EXACTLY )

Now, to add a RED FACE MASK to your FSU helmet (TILE4=facemask), go to the PPU viewer and locate a Tile having a RED FACEMASK.
REMEMBER that ALMOST every PPU VIEWER Shows TILES applying the default (first) palette. For this particular example, the RED color
happens to be a part of the 1st palette. If the facemask from FSU was PURPLE (2nd color from your 3rd palette), you would have to find a GRAY FACEMASK then
(because Gray is the 2nd color from the DEFAULT palette). Or you can "click" the Right button from your mouse over the FCEUX's PPU VIEWER to switch from
every palette available in there.

The RED MASK is "A3" (Purple would be "87"), so at the Sp-setup-TILE4 from the 2A-Sp-setup (at x23CB9: 08 D1 23 08). Change the "D1" (corresponding the graphic tile) to "A3" (RED MASK), and change the "23"(BACK Layer/palette3) to "00" (front layer/palette00)

You will end up having your FSU helmet like this:

But as you can see part of the BlackMASK from the background layer is still there. (That would be all you could do if you had only a 1-TILE-SETUP, but since you have a complete-4-tile-setup, you can fix that). What you dont have, are the Tiles needed to add "THE REST" of the RED facemask.
To see which tiles you are missing, I will add them, although they are not the correct color: RED=1st color from 1st palette:

You just need to MAKE (CREATE/DRAW) those tiles (RED, 1st default color) and change them at their corresponding allocation (for TILE2, and TILE 3) which are these:

Edited October 5, 2013 by pambazos88

[pambazos88]

ALL MINI HELMETS HAVE THE SAME SETUP PROCEDURE "GRAPHICALLY", but the 32-team rom has a different palette assignement depending on the screen it is shown.

For Example, for the second Helmet you want to modify, LOUISVILLE (24th team = or.Tampa Bay):

So go to offset: x23c39, but this time you DO NOT need any special setup, since each part of the Louisville's helmet can be formed with the SAME PALETTE (palette00).and input the corresponding tiles which will form the graphic tiles from your helmet. Then input the 5th byte for the setup/palette):

But you will see that helmet now is all Black& Yellow (eventhough you input the palette00). YOUR TILE SETUP IS CORRECT, dont worry, PALETTE ASSINGMENT DOES NOT APPLY THE SAME FOR ALL THE SCREENS SHOWING YOUR MINI HELMETS in a 32 TEAMS ROM.
BUT HOW CAN YOU KNOW IF YOUR SETUP IS CORRECT??, just open your STANDINGS menu: (this screen has the correct setup)

Now, having a correct setup on this screen. You will need to change the Palette assignment on the other screens showing the Mini-helmets (PRESEASON/TEAM CONTROL and TEAM DATA)
These values are allocated starting at offset x425A. You will see a "50" at that offset.
Again from dataSteve Tutorials, NES PPU Viewer can only apply 4 palettes to a Tile. (00), (55), (AA) or (FF)
(hex:00 = 00000000:bin),(hex:55 = 01010101:bin),(hex:AA = 10101010:bin), and (hex:FF = 11111111:bin)
So a "50" is "01010000:bin". To make a very simple explanation on this "binary" palettes by blocks(APPLIED FOR THIS PARTICULAR SECTION OF THE ROM):

*ALWAYS MAKE an 8-bits-binary-palette (ADD ZEROS IN FRONT of the first bit, IF NECESSARY), First 2 bits (1byte) correspond to BLOCK #1,
Second 2 bits (1byte) correspond to BLOCK #2.... BUT BLOCK#1 is the LOWER RIGHT BLOCK, BLOCK#2 is the LOWER LEFT BLOCK, BLOCK#3 is the UPPER RIGHT BLOCK and BLOCK#4 is the TOP LEFT BLOCK.

Now for your Rom: go to offset x427C, and you will find "AA" (hex:AA = 10101010:bin) Which means the WHOLE block has the 10:bin palette assigned. You will need to change it to a 00:bin palette (because it contains the Red and White colors needed for your helmet). 00000000:bin = 00:hex, so input "00" at offset x427C.

This has changed your helmet correctly (Team Data screen, at least), but you will need to modify the palette assigned for the PRESEASON screen.
Go to offset x42BC and input 00 again.

Now you have ALL SCREENS setup correctly.
 

[pambazos88]

Here is your rom (with some correct palettes): NCAA 2013_2copy3.nes

 

BTW, you can check also some "UPDATED" LOGOS, I made for that COLLEGE ROM here: College.nes

Edited May 7, 2014 by pambazos88

[COA Elway]

Another fantastic tutorial!

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

[keithisgood]

Holy crow, pambazos, those are some damn fine looking logos. Color me impressed.

[pambazos88]

Holy crow, pambazos, those are some damn fine looking logos. Color me impressed.

Well thanks, coming from you, that is a real compliment!

 

I forgot to mention, where are the LAST 4 MINI HELMET SETUP. The TILES are located starting at offset x3F6C3, but it has a different setup. Every 2 BYTES correspond to the UPPER part of those 4 Helmets. This means 3F6C3-3F6C4 belong to the 29th TEAM's UPPER HELMET,  (3F6C5-3F6C6 belong to the 30th TEAM's UPPER HELMET,  and so on until you reach byte at offset x3F6CB. From there Every 2 bytes correspond to the LOWER PART of the MINI HELMETS for those last 4 teams.

But Every HELMET HAS A SPECIAL SETUP. (the 5th byte after the 4 graphic TILES). These SPECIAL SETUPs are allocated at offset x3F6D3. This is the 5th byte that assigns the

SP-SETUP/palette.

Taking your Rom again as an example: Input "01", to all 4 Special setups. (01= 2nd palette and NO SPECIAL TILES).

But again, YOU WILL ONLY SEE THE ACTUAL CHANGES on the STANDINGS SCREEN.

THE SETUP IS NOW ALRIGHT, the TILES- SETUP at least (assuming that for this example those 4 helmets were those colors). BUT THE PALETTE ASSIGNMENT FOR THE PRESEASON and the TEAM DATA are located where the rest of the Mini helmets are. This because those 2 screens were setup completely by all of their blocks.

Then again, go to offset x425A (where the first palette of the block of helmets is located for the TEAM DATA).

At offset x4270 is the palette for the 29th team. The 30th-31st Teams are a block, which palette is at x4278. And 32nd helmet's palette is at offset x4280.

So, as an example, the last 4 helmets all were applied with a 2nd-Palette in their SETUP. So here you will apply that same palette too.

Remember that the second palette is "55" for this particular area (that came from the binary: 01010101).

Now you will have your TEAM DATA like this:

That MATCHES correctly with the EXAMPLE-Special setup (as on the STANDINGS screen).

Now just apply the 2nd-palette to your last 4 helmets on your PRESEASON/TEAM CONTROL.

Do this at offsets x42B0, x42B8 and x42C0. In order to have all your screens with the same pattern:

 

Edited October 5, 2013 by pambazos88