Megaman Zero Collection US site updates

The US site for upcoming game, Megaman Zero Collection updated today. It turns out that it has a release date of June 8th now. So far it seems like a repack. No reason for that delay they mentioned a while ago.

As the site updates, more features became available. There are locked sections but the content isn't there like on the Star Force site. Darn it. There were also more video links but I could not access them. I could get various artworks used on the site, however. They're PNGs and good quality.

TinEye image search

I discovered a neat image-searching site called TinEye today. This site lets you upload an image or link to an image via URL and search the Internet for matches of that image. In the context I saw it in, it recommended avoiding stock photography that might be used on other sites or "tainted". But its basic function is simple. Suppose I wanted to look for a better version of the Dino Rock OOPart from Megaman Star Force 2.

I don't like this version because it's a little small and it has a watermark over the image. I would paste its URL into the search box and click Search.

After looking through the results, I find a larger, non-watermarked version on another site. Here is the URL I got from the image search.

http://www.inside-games.jp/imgs/zoom/9268.jpg

I thought that was really neat. I knew there had to be something better than Google Image's random "similar image" option. This search engine won't always work and may yield no results. This usually means it hasn't found any variations of that image. This is especially true with most of the images in the TREZ Gallery. The majority of the artwork available there can only be found in our gallery.

Try TinEye out. It can be really useful sometimes.  And they offer a plug-in which is useful for image searching on the go!

Latest South Park controversy

If you haven't already heard, South Park  stirred some serious controversy during their latest episode titled "201". I was lucky enough to see it air (and in HD). The episode was censored by the network for fear of extremists.  Muslim extremists threatened the creators of the show for the mild depiction of Mohamed in a bear costume. I personally think they overreacted about this. After all, nothing bad actually happened.  I thought it was funny how other religious figures were depicted doing much worse things and that we are not hearing threats from those groups.
What South Park did was very brave. Plus, it was a great episode.  The episode won't be airing on Comedy Central anymore and their site does not have it available for viewing. If you really want to see the episode now, you would have to look in "other places" where it might be a hot download. I am eager to see how this all plays out. This controversy has gotten them in a lot of trouble now.

Rockman EXE:OSS sprites

Last time I brought sprites, it was a quick batch with limited release.  This time, I've extracted and bundled almost all the sprites exclusive to Rockman EXE:OSS.  You can download the files right now!

DOWNLOAD OSS SPRITES

When you extract it, you'll notice there are 3 types of files.
GIF versions (used to submit to Sprites INC)
PNG versions (unmodified PNG generated using Barubary's sprite dumper tool)
BIN versions (the raw BN Sprite file data for the sprites)

For rom hacking, the BIN file would be the most useful.  Before you start whining about the file extensions, know this: The file extension doesn't matter.  It's the bytes inside the file that really matter.  Also, the sprite files contain their small "header" data.  Barubary figured out some of its use.  I'll have to update my specs soon.  In Greiga Master's Sprite List Viewer, this header is referred to as "padding".  They should work in any BN game.

WaveMan chip

In The New Crisis Epilogue video, a WaveMan chip was rewarded after winning the battle.  Using the more recent artwork of him, I made a chip image out of it.  If you're interested, here is the original high quality version.

After some color reduction and final adjustments, a smaller, game-acceptable version can be made.

Neat, right?

The DMV

Have you ever been to the DMV?  I just went today.  After 3 hours of continuous waiting, I finally got my picture taken for the DMV.  They also collected a signature and thumb print.  I think an ID will come in the mail soon and if I pass the traffic laws test, I can get a permit!  This is amazing stuff.

18th birthday!

Finally!!  Finally it's my 18th Birthday!  While it's just the morning, I'm already excited.  I've planned the whole day and I'm going to have a great time.  I'll post pictures and stuff tomorrow.

In the meantime, I managed to finish this video on time.  Enjoy!

Rockman Zero Collection site update

It looks like the Rockman Zero Collection site updated.  There are blocked out sections on the site and I tried to peek at their content.  Unfortunately, I did not succeed.  However, there were several image files I could get and even some sound effects.

I've packed some of the transparent images from the site, some images from Game Kult, and the sound effects.

DOWNLOAD

BN Sprite File format

I've just written a comprehensive description of the sprite file for MMBN games.  You can check that out at The Rockman EXE Zone.

http://s6.zetaboards.com/The_Rockman_EXE_Zone/topic/8632071/1/

Sprite files are the files all MMBN games use.  Their format is the same among all the games and there are already some programs utilizing this already.  I hope more breakthroughs can be made.

Bass Cross Megaman Vectorized!

I have just completed a small project I set aside for a time like now.  If you recall, I found some interesting colored concept art of Bass Cross Megaman (pictured right) on a French Gaming website.  I uploaded them to the TREZ Gallery a while ago and they are widely used.  However, I was not satisfied with the sketchy, incomplete look of the original concept art.

I've spent the past 2 days (about 5 hours) making a vector version of Bass Cross Megaman.  It was very difficult to complete, topping the difficulty level of the Pirate Tribe rendition, but I am very satisfied with the result because not only did I vectorize it, I improved the shading and even added alternate colors!  And because it's vectorized, I can provide a very high-quality image.  All these images are free to use.  Enjoy them because I know there is a significant lack in decent Bass Cross artwork available to the general public.  In fact, there's even a very shoddy duplicate out there that seems to be very popular.


Bass Cross Megaman Gold


Bass Cross Megaman Silver


Blue Bass Cross Megaman (the color the concept art was originally colored in)


Dark Bass Cross Megaman (based off the dark versions from MMBN5)


If you want the full scale versions (4096x4096) or SVG source files, I've uploaded those as well.  The source files can be edited with Inkscape.

DOWNLOAD SOURCE FILES

Have fun!

Earthquake!!

I felt it.  A 7.2 earthquake hit Tijuana around 3:40 pm on April 4 2010.  It was a soft shake that lasted a few seconds but it caused quite an uproar.  Apparently, it wasn't the only one.

USGS reports that there have been nearly a dozen quakes today, mostly centered in the south.  This is amazing.  Maybe something incredible will happen in the next few days as a result.

Spring Break!

Wooh!  It's finally Spring Break for me.  I still think it's too early.  But Spring Break in March is way too early.

Looking back at this week, it seemed rather uneventful.  The April Fools jokes seemed uninteresting.  I also figured out I failed my Algebra 2 class for the third quarter.  That sucks.

But there are things I would like to do over the break now.  The most important of them is getting my driver's permit.  Getting my permit would mean I get to start driving!  I hear I'm getting a car for my birthday.  Used, of course.  My 18th birthday is on the 10th, so that's exciting.  I can't wait for some free time!