Ninja Gaiden II - The Jumping, Clones and Wind - Behind the Code
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 มิ.ย. 2024
- The jumping of Ninja Gaiden 1 vs 2. How do the clone ninjas work? How does the wind work?
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Music by:
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Featured Game Genie Codes:
(Take note that I have not tested all of these with a real cartridge)
Pit Screen-wrap: AESSGYEA
Pit Trampoline: AESSGYEA + EVSSPYEA + NNSIYNNY
Ninja Gaiden 1 Jump: GANUOIZA + LANUUIZA + LANUSIZA + LANUNIZA + LEELOIZA + YEELKIAP + NNELUIZE + LYNZNLVO + AASKZPTT
Front Clone Close to Ryu: ZLOPEIAX
No Wind: AAKITEYA
No Wind at 2-3 Boss: AAKIZEPE
All Stages have Wind: GAKIAEAA + AAKIGAGA
Disable Left Wind: AEUKGPAG + AEKGPONY
Lights on in Stage 3-1: OXNPPGSX
0:00 Intro
1:34 Jumping - Ninja Gaiden 1 vs 2
9:32 Pit Deaths Be Gone
12:09 How do the Clones Work?
15:46 How is Wind Applied to Ryu?
24:26 Keep the Lightning Lights On
25:04 Game Genie Codes + Outro
#NINJAGAIDEN #NES #BEHINDTHECODE - เกม
Name: Wind_Order_66
Wind: A force
I see what you did there.
Bad day suddenly has very technical yet highly entertaining ray of hope.
I could see whole episode based on how different developers handled the act of 'Jumping' in different games. Really interesting how they apply math to each games gravity.
I still have a lot more research to do across many games, but I am just starting to notice programming habits/approaches between different developers. Some devs really optimize (minimize) their RAM usage so they have plenty of RAM to do everything they want while others use 3-4 times the total bytes they truly need in order to perform what is essentially the same operation.
So I am right there with you on comparing jump mechanics - I just need a lot more time of having researched multiple games in order to piece together something that is comprehensive.
@@DisplacedGamers I'll definitely be looking forward to that video. Thank you for the response!
I love these technical videos. By the way, if anybody is interested, Arcus has been running Ninja Gaiden II on Twitch lately.
He just just just finished a run.
Speaking of wind, is there a Game Genie code that could make Ryu break wind during a jump at the player's discretion? If he breaks wind after the flip, it just pushes him forward a bit, and maybe any enemies behind him back a few pixels. If he is spinning as he breaks wind, then everything on the screen is pushed slightly outward from Ryu's position just a bit and maybe take one hit of damage. I think this could be done in 2 or 3 Game Genie codes.
Imma have to get back to you on that one...
btw - did you try those codes I left on your Bootleg Games video?
Lol now that would be something.
@@DisplacedGamers Actually no... Audi captured the footage and wrote the majority of that review because the game wouldn't run on my NES Everdrive. :(
Damn, poor Ryu, eating too many beans! :P
The biggest difference for me was always a subtle one: The hurt box on Ryu's sword feels smaller.
H U R T B O X
@@KanaevM Way to key in on a random typo, hero. Whatever gets you though the day, I guess.
@@willmistretta I thought you were making a joke, which I found amusing. But hey, knife at everything around with the slightest provocation.
I did not intend to make fun of you. Hurt box is great!
@@KanaevM Sorry, then. I thought you were giving me grief for mistakenly using hurtbox when I meant hitbox. I did technically mess up there. ;)
I enjoy "hurt box" as the hit box for something that does damage. It's more specific, even if it started as a typo.
I'm not familiar with the Ninja Gaiden games and I was watching this video at 480p (30fps). You kept talking about clones and I'm thinking "What? There's only one. And it looks glitchy as hell". Well I switched to 720p (60fps) on a whim and holy hell what a difference! I've have never seen a more stark example of why framerate matters in footage of old games.
Welcome to retro video gaming. Where 60 FPS was actually the norm for console games and output lag was of zero concern, as things should be. Hence reflexes could be PROPERLY tested. NTM that consoles were in a lot of ways MORE geared for gaming than PCs were.
@@CarbonRollerCaco Which is weird, since NTSC televisions, which any North American players would be playing it on, ran at a little under 30 fps.
@@theblackwidower
No. NTSC televisions have always run at 60fps. It’s just that, back in the day, interlacing was used, so each frame only used half the screen.
@@bhull242 Well, yes... and the NES basically blacked out those interlaced frames. It's why you could see those 'scan lines' if you looked closely enough .
@@CarbonRollerCaco Nah, they were becoming obsolete and the industry moved on. SM64 and other 3D games revolutionize the entire industry. I don't get where is your "reflexes" take coming from. Literally any modern fighting game is design around quick reflexes and I doubt any 10 year old playing ninja gaiden at home had faster reflexes than any of modern players who plays a competitive games.
These videos are fantastic!
Whaddaya mean, these videos are fantastic?!
They're entirely objective and factual!!1
Having been watching Arcus' grind of this game, this is gold!
I've had Arcus' stream going in the background most of the time I was working on this video. Good stuff.
Actually, I am watching his livestream at this very moment. HUA!
@@DisplacedGamers Aaaaaand... CLUNK!
"If it feels like you're looking at a lot of numbers... well, it's because you're looking at a lot of numbers."
Nintendo Power made this game look like such a dramatic, inspired epic quest before I ever finally got a chance to play it, years later. It's a treat to get to see a video like this that discusses its technical details!
I like how the beginning of 14:10 is implemented. Instead of doing a sequence of LDA/BEQ with each speed byte, it ORs each of them together and then checks if the resultant value is 0. This uses less ROM and is usually a few cycles faster.
God I love this series, please make more videos like this.
I actually have a desire to learn coding because of this. I love seeing how the math translates to visuals on screen and I have a few ideas myself I'd like to experiment with some day.
if you wanna try regular game dev, then go ahead, you will find an actual tutorial somewhere. but if you wanna get the mad lad ending im sure nesdev will help :)
@@randomnerd4600 nesdev? I'll have to check them out. Cheers.
@@kri249 to sum it up, a website about the NES from a hardware perspective and a programmer perspective, also has a discord/matrix/IRC server iirc
im a total noob at programming and i am amazed how accurate i got recreating the jump and the clones behavior without looking at the code, for the clones i used a code normally used to record replays to store player's x,y and state in an array and them i guesstimated them being created at 10 frames behind
You know your games, I love how I thought of Ninja Spirit when the clones were mentioned and then you cover it right after
Please do NG3 next! That game differed greatly from 1 and 2 so I'd love to see a code breakdown of those changes.
I'd love a video on any of these topics:
* Sprite Zero Hit
* The Dr. Wily Bosses in Mega Man games (not the Robot Masters)
* Scrolling in general
* The 3D sections in Contra
I think a reason that the standard animation looks floaty is, that the character switches to an upright position, before the peak of the jump is reached.
The physics of the jumping are a bit different, too. So it FEELS floaty as well. In any case, going upright early helps with lining up sword attacks.
Loving the Ninja Gaiden content and I can't wait to see what's next. This channel deserves to get much. much bigger. I have learned so much about the games I love and my kids hate. :P
I absolutely love your videos, especially this Behind the Code series. The technical explanations with the Game Genie codes for people to toy with is an excellent idea.
The absolute BEST thing I love about some of your videos, they have Game Genie codes in them to help out or possibly make the game more challenging! Thanks for all the extra bonus Game Genie codes! Where were you when the game first came out? 😆
Great episode. Can't wait to use some of these codes out! Thanks!
Oh awesome! I was hoping you'd keep these up. Will be watching this shortly.
As always, super fascinating. Might need to try the wind everywhere code
Great work, as always.
Best video I've watched all week. This topic is near and dear to my heart.
Love it. It amazes me that someone thought all this up and it takes so much digging to figure it out. Nice work.
Very good video as usual
New behind the code vid? Perfect after a super crappy day!
Loving the follow-up to your other video. I happen to own this cart too. All stages with wind is intense.
I really like these technical explanations.
awesome stuff!
This just became my favorite youtube channel
your videos are outstanding! So educational! We have to help you get more views!!
A Channel Like THIS EXISTS?! God I hate YT most of the time...but this I do like. Subbed.
Really really good video
NG 2 was my favorite of the 3.
Shame the clones weren't in the 3rd game but iirc the 3rd game takes play between 1 and 2.
If you decide to dive into NG3, a half damage code to put it back in line with NG1/2's damage would be lovely. That game underwent a LOT of changes in being brought to the west, very few of them for the better.
NG3 is definitely happening. I assume the enemy damage is stored in the ROM for each enemy, which would make a blanket change for damage dealt a bit tedious, but we'll see what is in there.
@@DisplacedGamers Looking forward to it! I'll be curious to see your breakdown of the revamped physics and perhaps comparing how the US version handles respawning versus the Japanese.
Very cool video! Quite interesting for newbies to Hex code.
While I agree that Ninja Gaiden 2's clone ninjas may have been inspired by Ninja Spirit...if we go deeper into the rabbit hole of the concept, I would venture to say the Options in Gradius and Salamander probably is what inspired a lot of developers along the way afterwards.
Overall, I really appreciate these Behind The Code episodes tremendously! I used to think these classic 2D games were some sort of mystical magic but in reality the majority of it has to do with basic X/Y math. Your approach is so hands-on yet simplified to where it's helping me with my own hobby game development projects lately. This should be an ongoing thing despite the views and I would love for this project expand to other 8-Bit and 16-Bit systems like the Master System, Turbo Grafx 16, Super Nintendo, or the Genesis whether it's from yourself or others contributing their experience that are familiar with that said hardware.
Thank you! 😇🤩
Thank you n_n
Can't wait for the next one
Good stuff!
Can you do Wizards and Warriors 1 ?
Would be interesting how the game achieves smooth parables of things moving around.
Also many things in this game I am so impressed of, game mechanics, boss fights, structure traps, etc.
16:57: "...therefore I named it Order 66." Oh you. :-P
I love this kind of video, perfect before sleep to dream in hexadecimal.
Really love your approach to this stuff - always entertaining! I never played NGII because I am so god-awful bad at NGI but maybe I will boot it and give it a whirl..... Better use the aftermarket controller that won't matter when it goes out the window....
Very interesting
The breadcrumb blocks are ring buffers. Ring buffers are used in lots of other things, like audio buffers in sound cards.
I was impressed that they reserved 192 bytes, almost 10% of the NES's RAM, for the clones. Then I realized that this memory was allocated in stack RAM. I hope Ninja Garden 2 never makes subroutine calls more than 32 levels deep.
We must pay tribute to those programmers who breathed life into these static pixels
I know I'm a bit late, just wanted to point out that the technical term for the "breadcrumbs" is a ring buffer
Regarding that lightning flash effect and the code you made for it… Whoever ported _Ninja Ryukenden II_ to the Super must've screwed something up pretty bad as not only is there no lightning in that stage… but the ground (and lake) is _always lit up,_ much like your code!
I love your videos. I never learned assembly but I did program stuff in C and so I can understand all your explanations. I loved this game growing up and it's awesome that now I understand the algorithms that make these games work. I think all programmers should get taught these techniques. Most modern programmers don't realize how inefficient high level languages like PHP and Python are compared to coding at this level.
This was a nice class on gaming and coding! XD
I'd love to play these games without knockback. You could also re-enable player movement shortly after entering the knockback state to prevent the softlock you mentioned with the trampoline cheat code.
The wind technically being Order 66 is very appropriate for anyone who has played this game.
You're amazing
Amazing, very interesant!
I always did like the jump mechanic more in Ninja Gaiden II than in the first game. It made things flow a lot better for me! It was one reason why I could finish NG II without too much trouble even though I was never able to beat the original without resorting to the Game Genie back in the day.
The first Ninja Gaiden was an integral part of me becoming the hardcore gamer I am today. I picked it up on a whim because I thought the box looked cool (in 1989) with my lawn mowing earnings. At the time I was very much a casual player that wanted games to look and play more like their arcade counterparts (aside from Ninja Gaiden...woof). I wound up leaving the 8-bit generation in 1989 when the Sega Genesis released. I knew I wanted one of the then "super systems" but I wasn't sure which one. It wasn't until I saw a friends Genesis in action that I knew I needed one. Unfortunately, this meant that I missed out playing Ninja Gaiden 2 and 3 until a few years later.
That wouldn't happen until the Ninja Gaiden Trilogy released on the Snes and I loved the second game. Coincidentally this was the last 16-bit title I bought for my Snes (Thunder Force IV was my last 16-bit Genesis title). I know people were disappointed with the trilogies presentation but I didn't care as I finally was getting the chance to complete the trilogy and with a much better pad. While I truly enjoyed my time with the second game I did not care for the third. Thank you for making this excellent breakdown of...well Ninja Gaiden 1 and 2. I don't know if you have done a 3rd or if you're planning on it. If so, my eyes will be glued. ;)
That's a great story! A video on NG3 will happen...
@@DisplacedGamers
Thanks man! You do such an amazing job that it really sent me down memory lane. Everything just started to surface, things that I haven't thought about in many years. It was like I was playing the game again in my bedroom at my father's house. I could even smell the Cool Ranch Doritos and Mountain Dew I was consuming in large quantities while playing. Seriously, this is one of the most fascinating videos I have ever witnessed on the subject of Ninja Gaiden 2.
Another great video. I recently bought a physical copy of NG3, and I’m pumped to see what observations you’ll make there. Maybe we can restore checkpoints and reduce damage?
One minor question- can you supply Super Knockback codes for NG2&3? Of the codes I tried from the first video, that one was my favorite.
I'll have to look at both the NES and Famicom code for NG3.
If I end up making any additional codes, I will try to mention them in a YT post as well as update the appropriate video description.
Oh boy, time for a cup of tea
That outro music
What I found strangest about Ninja Gaiden 2 was how Ryu’s middle name was changed to “Frank”.
No impact to game play, but still very weird.
"Frankly -- I don't givadam." -- said the US localization manager to that one employee who said the same thing back in the 90's.
18:38 Emperor Palpatine approves of this breakdown of Order 66
Nice
Looking forward to a Ninja Gaiden 3 video. I beat NG2 back when it was a new game on NES, then beat NG1 on Wii Virtual Console, but I just can't get the hang of NG3 and its wacky, floaty jumps. If you can add NG2-style jumps to NG3 (and have someone guarantee it's still beatable), that would be just the best.
I could just watch videos of you analyzing the jumping and movement codes for all of my favorite games. I understand that you probably want to explore other subjects, but I'd be fine with nothing but movement logic until you've explored every one of my favorite games.
Perfect I love this I need moar
Szacunek!
Writing out full repeated sequences of code instead of just the first line or two then a loop function has pros and cons.
The non looped code is faster to execute as the loop function takes up compute time/cycles. However the looped code is smaller and takes up less cart space.
So you have the trade off. Which you use is important because of the limited amount of space for games back in the 1980's and early 1990's. Every KB and often in the 80's every byte mattered.
So that's the battle that coders has to consider back in the early days. For each section of code, do they want faster executed code or smaller code. Often though the choice was forced upon them, as the slower code often was too slow to work properly or there was not enough space available for the faster code.
Kinda want to see how the Master System version deals with mechanics.
YES! Same here. Would love to see a video on that one day!
My Friday got better.
.
They also.simplified wall climbing from repeated micro.jumps off the wall and back to a simple D pad up
I'm kind of surprised you didn't add code to increase Ryu's velocity during wind. That could be amusing. Is there a "heavy wind" code?
lol. OK. I mean there is FAIR, and then there is... XNKGPONN (Left) and IEKKGPAA (Right)...
That's amazing. I love these videos, I'm not even a programmer and I enjoy watching you break down the assembly language of games I played decades ago. If a non-programmer like me can follow, I feel like anyone can.
I think I prefer the jumping routine of NG2, but having Jump & Slash again would be nice.
If the jump in this game feels floaty, look out for the third game. That's a major issue I have with 3, in fact. I don't like how much more floaty the jumping is.
I actually never thought the jumping felt much different between the first two games. In general, I always felt that the second game was the first with some tweaks, fixes, and improvements, and then a few additions beyond, making it a more satisfying experience.
Very interesting. Ninja Gaiden.
By the way, it's been a longtime.
This content fucks. Thanks
the jump waltz
7:07 good boom
Do you think jump would feel more natural if the flips occured at the peak of the jump and continued through the decent ??
I unclicked the thumbs up so I could click it a second time after finishing this video.
Browsing through the code of these small games gives me ideas on how I can create some gnarly Action Code Script for ZDoom. That and DECORATE are cross-compatible with every Z-Line of Doom Source Port. The Weather, Jumping, & Doppelganger ideas seem doable now.
I have a request: please look up the history of modifying Final Fantasy for the NES. The game has countless terrible bugs, but once they got fixed (see romhacking.net), they discovered the intended game balance between classes and equipment. Some of the design sensibilities might even explain why the Red Mage should be a Bard without Elemental Magic Attacks but with status spells that work.
How does it pick the animation frame for the clones?
A ninja executed order 66 successfully
eff the wind mechanic!
What about the levels with the rushing water/rivers?
You should compare SMB1 and the Japanese version of SMB2 (aka Lost Levels).
Man, execute Order 66 meant something different back then :P
Care to share where you found the de-compilation? or was it a personal effort?
I reverse 99% of what you see on this channel. There are a few resources out there like datacrystal and tasvideos that may contain some RAM maps that would help get you going if you are interested.
There's no way you didn't intentionally time "water, ice, wind." with Ryu and the phantoms landing back on the ground.
Ninja Gaiden might just be my favorite game on NES, when you've practiced it through it really does feel like you're a ninja as you blast past level after level. But man I've never liked the sequels and I think that all started with the wind in the second game, just completely ruined the flow for me.
Can you get the wind to display on every stage too!
i misheard The Dark Sword of Chaos as The Dark Sort of Chaos
14:20 you could move up the back clone by changing the size of the buffer, right? e.g. change $9C14 from $3F to $1F
gotta change $9D12 as well
I'm surprised that the NES has enough ram for the clones mechanic
The clone wouldn't take up any more RAM. It's just a palette swapped version of the Ryu sprite pasted onto the screen from the same graphics pool.
@@nebularain3338 yes but the game needs to keep track of Ryu's position history in order for the clones to work
Yeah, just that one gimmick consumes almost 9.5% of the total RAM.
It'd be simplest to just say that the initial jump speeds are 4 and 4.6.
did he just say order 66?
What language is the code in? Or is it a language at all?
ASM. Assembly and machine code can be translated 1:1 by converting the hex values into opcodes and parameters, and vice versa.
The emulator here has the ability to attach labels to memory locations to create the illusion of named variables and subroutines, but that's all post-effects, essentially.
What about GG codes that add the 2-2 snowfall to other levels so you have that visual tell of the wind?
And you're saying that Tecmo DIDN'T simply rip off Konami again with the clones, but rather ripped off Irem, a company that THEMSELVES ripped off Konami? Damn, what tangled webs old-school gaming weaves.