Recent Posts

81

Map Gab / Re: Are there any maps of games with randomly generated levels?

« Last post by JonLeung on September 21, 2025, 09:12:04 pm »

I would like to see maps of all areas in a game, even those that are random.

Some examples of certain areas that I'd like to see:
-Booster Hill in Super Mario RPG: Legend Of The Seven Stars (Super NES)
-The Chrysler Building in Parasite Eve (PlayStation)

And a couple of rogue-likes from my youth:
-Treasure Mountain!: A Super Solvers Adventure (DOS, PC)
-Castle Of The Winds (Windows, PC)

The purpose of maps in general is for navigation, yes, but when it comes to screenshot maps, the graphics themselves are useful assets, and therefore, there is still value in map of a game area with random elements.

Using Parasite Eve's Chrysler Building as an example... it's accessible in the EX Mode after you've finished the game once.  If memory serves, it has 77 floors, and certain floors (like the first and last few) are not random, but the majority of them are.  The rooms - or rather, halls in this case, can go and branch off in any cardinal direction, so as you can imagine, there are many combinations, but a finite number - even a small number - of distinct hallway "rooms".  Someone could just map every possible room, perhaps with a note explaining the random nature of the floors.

One example of randomness that has been "mapped" is Dr. Mario (NES), by zagato blackfist.

The placement of viruses is random, but the number is probably fixed, or within a certain range, so the images shown on the "map" are colllections of real-world examples.
zagato's disclaimer says,
"THE PLACEMENT OF VIRUSES IS RANDOM.
THESE SCREENSHOTS ARE TO ILLUSTRATE
WHAT YOU MIGHT EXPECT TO SEE IN ANY
GIVEN LEVEL."

I think that's a great way to handle it.

82

Map Gab / Are there any maps of games with randomly generated levels?

« Last post by arielbr on September 21, 2025, 07:05:06 pm »

Hi everyone,
I was wondering – has anyone ever tried to make maps for games that use procedurally or randomly generated levels (like roguelikes, for example)? Since the layouts aren’t fixed, I’m curious if anyone has come up with a way to document or “map” them, maybe by showing typical room types, tile sets, or patterns.

Is this something people here have attempted before, or is it considered outside the scope of traditional game mapping?

83

VGMaps Social Board / Re: YouTube channel! (JonLeung1)

« Last post by JonLeung on September 21, 2025, 08:14:56 am »

On the "Erika Reacts" channel, opera singer and professional voice/piano teacher Erika reacts to my NES parody of Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire"!

Maybe this will get it some more attention!

See what she thinks of Jason's and my singing, and how much she recognizes and appreciates the effort put in the video!

(The video will premiere today in less than a couple of hours, at 10:00 AM MST.)

84

Gaming / Re: Broken Relic (point-&-click adventure game on Kickstarter that I'll appear in!)

« Last post by Cyartog959 on September 21, 2025, 03:43:23 am »

That's an amazing opportunity, Jon! I like how you're going to be a part of that new entry to the point-and-click games as a voiced NPC, whoever it'll be. That game will surely give satisfaction to those who grew up playing these kind of games before. And if it reaches the goal to be put on a Nintendo console, that's really neat to fulfill your dream of being in one.

Say, is there a stretch goal that allows actual phonemic lip-syncing for English voices? I could guess numerous point-and-click only had very little phonemes and lip-syncing for voicing characters, regardless of language, and its surely to then-present size limits for unique animations, even those that have expressive emotions in them, story-exclusive scenes, and lip-sync altogether... well, until later games were placed in discs and such and had some clever coding done to provide lip-sync in them.

Maybe when people see the backer credits with your name in it, they'll likely remember you. In any case, let's hope for great success to that game! And, congratulations for volunteering!

85

Map Requests / Re: Capcom's Aladdin GBA Not Up?

« Last post by Cyartog959 on September 20, 2025, 10:12:38 pm »

LOL, wut

What is the story behind the maps for Looney Tunes games, and what do politics have to do with it?

Please pay no mind to that. It has nothing to do with the game's port in mind.

LTIan's trying to fish for attention lately because many Looney Tunes games aren't mapped yet, and many mappers seem to have plenty on their plates presently that's putting their tasks of mapping games on the back burner, albeit repeatedly, and keeps requesting them over and over again, and invoking matters we cannot, and are trying not to, talk about here in this post, or anywhere here. We're trying to maintain a clean, toxic-free place.

I mean, I get waiting until they're mapped and uploaded, but bothering people about the same thing too much(and, believe me, I try not to) doesn't help with anything, really.

He can take such matters outside of here, lest he pokes too much and messes with the bull... big time.

I won't bear responsibility for whatever LTIan's trying to stir. What he tries to do is on him, NOT me.

86

Gaming / Broken Relic (point-&-click adventure game on Kickstarter that I'll appear in!)

« Last post by JonLeung on September 20, 2025, 09:19:12 pm »

If you're like me and you like point-and-click computer games, this oldschool one called "Broken Relic" is worth checking out.

There's a demo available on Steam where you can play the first act.  Here's the Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3384820/Broken_Relic/

And it has a Kickstarter campaign (until October 9, 2025): https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/broken-relic/broken-relic

I supported the Kickstarter campaign just in time to be the one to push it past 100%... and I'll be a voiced NPC!

Yup, I'll finally get to be a character in a computer game!

If it hits its stretch goals to be ported to mobile and the Switch, then I can finally say I'm in a Nintendo game!  Or at least a game you can play on a Nintendo platform!  You can help me fulfill that dream!

Or, you can be part of that dream... some voiced NPC spots are still available.

I spoke with the creator, and it will be a considerable part... many lines of dialogue, and involved in some puzzle chains.  So it's not just a tiny cameo!

It's pricey, but I'd rather regret a lighter wallet temporarily than regret missing an opportunity of being in a game.  A game in one of my favourite genres, no less!

Not sponsored (sort of the opposite, actually, as I'm giving THEM money), just spreading the word.

87

Maps In Progress / Re: FlyingArmor's Map Projects Present and Future

« Last post by RetroidPrimeX on September 20, 2025, 07:59:01 pm »

I'm new to these forums, but what I do know is that FlyingArmor does great maps, especially for RPGs.

Is Ultima: Warriors Of Destiny (NES) one of those current projects?

88

Map Requests / Re: Capcom's Aladdin GBA Not Up?

« Last post by RetroidPrimeX on September 20, 2025, 07:54:38 pm »

Too leftist and ableist to do anything about it.

LOL, wut

What is the story behind the maps for Looney Tunes games, and what do politics have to do with it?

89

Map Gab / Re: Bugs Bunny In Crazy Castle 4 (Game Boy/GBC)

« Last post by RetroidPrimeX on September 19, 2025, 08:57:30 am »

The Crazy Castle series is an interesting one.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crazy_Castle

Some have Bugs Bunny, but in other regions and later releases, so many other characters star in them.

There's Mickey Mouse, Garfield, The Real Ghostbusters, and Woody Woodpecker.

Also a European character named Hugo, and Kemco's own Kid Klown.

It's just an interesting note, that's all.

Not sure if I want to request the remaining ones to be mapped, but if I do, I know the correct board to do that in, don't worry.

90

Map Requests / Re: List of unmapped NES games

« Last post by RetroidPrimeX on September 19, 2025, 08:50:29 am »

It's now less than a month until the 40th anniversary of the NES in the United States!

Doesn't look like VGMaps will get all the NES games mapped by then.

Maybe the 45th?

Or maybe the 42nd?  (I've always liked that number.)

I don't know if it's better to map all the "easy" games first, like sports and puzzle games, or prioritize mapping the games that need them most, like RPGs/adventures.

On the one hand, it feels like the list is shrinking quicker if you knock out the simple one-screen or one-area games.

On the other hand, more people would take note of VGMaps if they knew they could find useful maps of dungeons and big overworlds and whatnot.

Or maybe just mix them up?  Do a few easy ones and then tackle a big one?

Gotta keep it interesting so that no one burns out (especially that zagato guy that seems to be doing most of the work).