Topic: Remastering Aria of Sorrow's Stages

[cecil-kain]

As part of Aria of Sorrow's 10th Anniversary Tribute, I am currently in the process of "remastering" Aria of Sorrow's stage maps.  These maps will be be further enhanced in video with additional effects --including potential light sourcing and particle effects.  But I have a small problem...  Most of the stage maps available on the internet haven't properly separated the stage elements.  For example --Paralax Backgrounds, Torches and other Sprite elements need to be separated...  But the biggest problem I'm having is with water.  Water is animated.  Water is transparent.  And water graphics are polluting the maps --most notably the Underground Reservoir...  I need someone who is willing and able to assist in ripping all of the following stages with separated elements.

Underground Reservoir
--clean map needed (no water, sprites, or paralax backgrounds)
--need paralax backgrounds and uniques sprites as separate elements
--All water elements are needed (including animated effects like waterfalls)
--Any information on the correct transparency % for the water?

Forbidden Area
--clean map needed (no water, sprites, or paralax backgrounds)
--need paralax backgrounds and unique sprites as separate elements
--All water elements are needed (including animated effects like waterfalls)

Floating Garden
--clean map needed (no water, sprites, or paralax backgrounds)
--need paralax backgrounds and unique sprites as separate elements
--All water elements are needed (including animated effects like waterfalls)

Clock Tower
--clean map needed (no water, sprites, or paralax backgrounds)
--need paralax backgrounds and unique sprites as separate elements
--All water elements are needed (including animated effects like waterfalls)

Top Floor
--Animated flames from the Succbi area are needed

Castle Corridor
--All water elements are needed (including animated effects like waterfalls)

Arena
--All water elements are needed from the rubber ducky room

Can anyone help with any of this?

When this project is complete, all remastered maps will be made publicly available --and lend themselves very well to homebrews.

[X]

That remastered screenshot looks awesome. Are you going to push this game to be near-SotN quality?

[cecil-kain]

That remastered screenshot looks awesome. Are you going to push this game to be near-SotN quality?

To clarify, I'm not remaking the game.  And yes, SotN is a vague sort of standard...  AoS was developed with the original GBA's unlit dark-screen in mind.  That's why the color palette was brightened.  CotM was too dark, HoD was too colorful --Konami was really trying to find the middle ground with Aria of Sorrow.  These remastered maps are really looking like the designer's original intentions....

[Inccubus]

Are you making a patch?

[Rudolph LagnaGaisaer]

the water layer #1 uses 75 % of transparency(or opacity if you prefer call this way) and the surfaces uses 95 %.  the original game parallaxes uses 85 % but if you want like SoTN or DoS use a value in turn of 75 to 70 but i´m not very sure about this.
i already have many Aria of Sorrow tile´s Edited to my ''kastlevania'' fan-game, could i post then here ?

[KaZudra]

I look forward to actually playing this, AoS was way too bright and that kinda took away from atmosphere, much like the HoD patch  a Small graphical change really effects the entire game in a positive way.

[cecil-kain]

Are you making a patch?

No, but I'd be happy to lend my work to anyone with the skill.

the water layer #1 uses 75 % of transparency(or opacity if you prefer call this way) and the surfaces uses 95 %.  the original game parallaxes uses 85 % but if you want like SoTN or DoS use a value in turn of 75 to 70 but i´m not very sure about this.
i already have many Aria of Sorrow tile´s Edited to my ''kastlevania'' fan-game, could i post then here ?

Thank-you for the transparency info, I'll begin experimenting with this data right away.  It sounds like you've been down this road before...  Can you provide any of the stage elements that I'm looking for?  Unfortunately edited tiles don't really suit my needs at the moment.  I wouldn't mind tweaking the original maps with a few surprises, but my first goal is to begin by remastering the original graphics as much as possible.

[X]

To clarify, I'm not remaking the game.

Never said you were. But I'm sure you're just letting us know ahead of time    send us some more screenshots of the different areas so we can see what you have in mind for them.

[cecil-kain]

The screenshot above is not actually final, but its *very* close.  Remastering is a trial and error process, because these maps are plagued by inconsistencies.  For example, the Arena has a much darker palette than the Study.  The Underground Reservoir even has inconsistencies within the same map. The masonry used darker desaturated colors, while the caverns are brighter and more colorful.  So I'm making these adjustments tileset by tileset.  At this point there's even a few maps I've "finished" that I'd like to revisit for further experiments...  But to answer your request, I think I'll post an example of each map as they become finalized over the next few weeks.

[Corpsecrank]

I'm slightly confused. This looks like all you did was slightly darken the background layers. Couldn't this be done using setting inside an emulator without any real work involved? I mean emulators are flexible enough to change the layers independently why not use that instead of whatever method you are using?

[cecil-kain]

I'm slightly confused. This looks like all you did was slightly darken the background layers. Couldn't this be done using setting inside an emulator without any real work involved? I mean emulators are flexible enough to change the layers independently why not use that instead of whatever method you are using?

No, this is process is far more complicated.  I'm darkening and desaturating the color palettes tileset by tileset --some far moreso than others.  The original game's color theory is extremely inconsistent from map to map.  The Arena is the only stage that has a truly dark color palette, but the colors are way too bold.  The Study by comparison has an extremely washed out pastel look to it,  so you can't possibly apply the same fix to both areas.  Part of what I'm doing is establishing greater consistency so these maps actually look like they belong in the same game.

[Chernabogue]

You're remastering the music too? That part may interest me.

[MathUser]

Funny that after all these years, noone has made a hack of COTM to replace the main character with Hugh. Even tho play as Hugh rumors were prevelant back in the day and there was alot of interest in playing as him.

[X]

Funny that after all these years, noone has made a hack of COTM to replace the main character with Hugh. Even tho play as Hugh rumors were prevelant back in the day and there was alot of interest in playing as him.

I would like to do a hack myself but it's a little beyond my league of talent. But what I'm currently doing is going over the Nathan sprite and changing them to be Sonia Belmont. I always figured that a CotM hack starring  Sonia would give much better credit then Legends.

[Inccubus]

No, but I'd be happy to lend my work to anyone with the skill.

I might just do it myself then. A palette hack should be butter.