Hello everyone,

I hope this is the correct place to post this, but if it is not, please move it mods and accept my apology in advance.

Anyways, I've posted topics like this in SMW Central and acmlm's board2 to generate interest in the production of a user-friendly hacking utility similar to SMB3WS (for the NES version) or  Lunar Magic (for SMW).

For the uninitiated, Super Mario Advance 4 is a GBA port of Super Mario Bros 3 with enhanced save features, graphics, and the ability to replay levels SMW style after the game is completed.  Some minor level edits have been done like in the other GBA ports to make levels a little easier, and to fit the GBA screen.

Aside from that, there are a TON of amazing, largely unused gameplay features JUST SITTING ON THE ROM!!!!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yy-9FAwwMvM


I'm most impressed that Nintendo added the SMW cape, SMB2 veggies, and the ability to steal a Boomerang from the Boomerang Bros.  Remember this is on top of all of the Suits and enemies in SMB3!!!!  I feel there is enormous hacking potential here.  There's also the SMB1 Musics (Overworld, Underwater & Castle), FlagPole, and the SMB1 Bowser Battle on the rom as well (not featured in the video).

Not many people know about this because players needed to use the defunct e-Reader to get access to additional levels that had these features.  It required 2 GBAs, a link cable, the reader, some e-Cards, etc.  Very bulky and not commercially viable......  About 40 level cards were available in Japan, but only about 10 were available in the US, and NONE in European markets.

If you want to see video playthroughs of almost all of the levels, click my video and visit my youtube channel.  If you want to experience this greatness for yourself, please visit the main topic on acmlm's board here...



http://acmlm.no-ip.org/board/thread.php?id=5226&page=1



or the topic at SMW Cental.....



http://www.smwcentral.net/?p=thread&id=22079&page=0




Those links have a gamesave with the extra levels loaded to a ROM.

If you feel you can contribute to these efforts at all, please post here, there, or anywhere.  Please help generate interest in hacking this game, contribute to an editor, or send positive energy our way.  I think this could become bigger than SMW hacking someday!!

Oh, also...

There have been some progress.  In the acmlm topic, a user has listed a bunch of hex values for a lot of objects and levels.  Also, another user has created the ability to compress files so that people could create their own level cards!



Thank you very much for reading!!! 

Nice. I'd certainly play SMB3 again if I could use the boomerang. Nice that you can have another power and use that, too. In the video he throws the boomerang to try and get some enemy, and it doesn't get back in time, so he whacks it with the tail instead. XD

~DS

This is really really neat. 

It seems like Nintendo created a single game engine and dataset that could do nearly anything from any of the 2D Mario games. It's nearly an 'ultimate' super mario bros. 2D engine. That could have huge hacking potential.

This probably belongs in General ROMhacking mods. Unless I've missed something here. There's no actual editor at present and a real project per say is not being done by copyRIGHThunter.

I wonder if any of these features are compatible with Super Mario All-Stars.

Has anybody looked at both Super Mario All-Stars and the Super Mario Advance series? Do they share anything in common other than the graphics?

Is that the player or the game?
I know Cube Root of 3 (NES hack) exploited that glitch numerous times.
(the glitch being that Mario must land after touching the goal to complete a level. But once he's landed, he can safely walk on air. If there's no landing spot below the goal, Mario must match 3 cards (getting multiple 1-Ups) to survive.)

You post has made me want a "top secret area" with hammer bros suits and kurbio's boot.

Does anyone know anything about the ASM for thie /GBA ROMs?  like CopyRIGHTthunder, I am interested in some of the little things that would add much to the game (replaying levels right away, etc.). In fact, there are enemy sprites used for the Kings (and yoshi).  Since that means there are albatoss and Mini-dino sprites in the game, it would just be a matter of mapping it to an enemy spot.