The Legend of Zelda (NES)

[Crab Helmet]

Well, I figured I may as well try and start learning to hack, so I started using ZTech to edit The Legend of Zelda. I got a beautifully designed and working overworld with that tool, which is an excellent one, and easy to get to grips with. However, it doesn't do the dungeons, and with my computer (Windows Vista), the only dungeon editor I can use is Zeldit, which is pretty much useless for what I'm trying to do. Also, I'd like to try and hack the graphics, but I can't get Jair's Graphics Extractor and Insertor to work. So, my two questions are:

1. Does anyone know of a really good hex editor for the NES that is simple, that I could pick up reasonably easy, and works on Windows Vista?

2. Does anyone know of a good graphics editor for the NES which is also simple, easy to pick up, and works on Vista.

I'd be really grateful - I've spent a lot of time on this hack, and I'd hate to have to stop it now.

EDIT: Never mind, a friend recommended me a really good Hex Editor. Now I'm at the hard bit. Figuring out what the hell does what. : P Is there any way of tracing backwards? So I can say find out where things are stored quickly, rather than having to change things and see what happens?

EDIT 2: Picked up Tile Layer Pro. Unfortunately, tLoZ has compressed graphics. Does anyone know how to uncompress them?

[Fla Flash]

Um, check Game Specific Utilities. I think there's a LOZ specific editor.

[Crab Helmet]

Yeah, there are. Zelda Improvement, which my computer doesn't support, ZTech, which I'm using, and is absolutely brilliant, but unfortunately only does the overworld, and Zeldit, which does do the underworld, but is unfinished, and cannot do what I want it to do. I've sort of figured out how to edit the dungeons with a hex editor, but it is all a bit hit and miss. I have no idea how to uncompress the graphics, though.

[The 9th Sage]

Yeah, there are. Zelda Improvement, which my computer doesn't support

Out of curiosity, what's it say when you try to start it?

[InVerse]

The graphics are not compressed in the original The Legend of Zelda. If you're looking at them in Tile Layer Pro, they're going to be scrambled, because that's how graphics are stored in the ROM. Scroll down to 0x08000 in TLP while in NES format and you'll be able to see the font clearly. Above that are the items. (For instance, directly above the '1' in the font is the bottom of the large shield. Now, if you really want to use Tile Layer Pro, you'll have to rearrange the tiles on the tile arranger in order to sort them out.

Or... You can use Tile Molester (http://www.romhacking.net/utils/109/) which was written by SnowBro, author of Tile Layer Pro, but much more powerful. Open up your ROM in TM and make sure it is in the '2BPP Planar, Composite' codec. (Which, by the way, is identical to the NES mode of TLP. TM uses the technical terms for the 'codecs', not just a common system.) Now scroll down to the aforementioned 0x8000 and you should again see the font and the items. Now in the View menu, go to Block Size and click on Custom. Set the Column Size to 1 and the Row Size to 2 and hit Okay. Now press the right arrow on your keyboard once and the - key once to align the graphics and you now have Link and all of the items ready to edit. Scroll further down and you'll find other graphics, though you'll have to experiment with the block size to figure out how to line them up to be editable.

Secondly, go to Data Crystal (http://www.datacrystal.org) and pull up the entry for The Legend of Zelda. You will find both ROM and RAM maps of the game, as well as a list of the text pointers and even a table file.

If you're not using WindHex (http://www.romhacking.net/utils/291/) as your hex editor, you should probably look into it. It's the best hex editor currently available for ROM hacking and will work fine in Vista.

Speaking of Vista, DOS Box (http://www.dosbox.com/) should allow you to run most of the old hacking programs in Vista, including Zelda Improvement.

Over at ROM Hacking dot Net (http://www.romhacking.net) I see a program called The Zelda Dungeon Editor for Windows. I haven't used it, so I can't comment on it, but perhaps it can do what you need. RHDN also has several documents with information on hacking The Legend of Zelda.

[Crab Helmet]

InVerse, I just want to give a massive thumbs up. I've been playing around with the tools you mentioned for a while now, and I've even managed to get a decent bit of more advanced hacking going, meaning my hack is going really well. Thanks. :3