Rockman World 2 Music Improvement V2

Original game : Mega Man II

Platform : GB

Author : forple

Release date : 27 September 2022

Category : Improvement

Patch version : 1.0

Modifications : S

Downloads : 107467

ROM Information

Database match: Rockman World 2 (Japan)
Database: No-Intro: Game Boy/Color (v. 20210227-015730)
File/ROM SHA-1: 5D35BAA2FADD07796ED8B441F82ED5B136A999C7
File/ROM CRC32: C34D265E

Hack description

It's been done before, but the lack of satisfaction with the previous hack required a new take on fixing this soundtrack.

For the technically interested, the modifications to the game are much more major than the previous music improvement hack:

The original modification was a quick and dirty mod, being simply a bit of code stuck onto the driver to make anything too high on specific channels lower by one octave. While this certainly made the soundtrack a small bit more bearable, it sounded still like a "wall of notes" that didn't sound all too great.

What was done here was to first reverse-engineer the driver, understand how it worked, and modified the sound data directly. This allows one to effectively control what the driver does on a per-tick/note basis, and even allows for things like custom music and sound effects. As such, one can modify the existing songs to better sound like actual songs. The changes varied per-song, however. Tracks like Clash Man were already quite "clean" sounding, requiring little modification, while other songs like the Stage Select and Metal Man's theme required more extensive modification to the sound data.

Despite these updates, The Author still does not consider this to be the "perfect" way to listen to the OST; An "ideal" Improvement Hack would ditch the original sound data entirely and create new arrangements from scratch, possibly even replacing the original sound driver.

Regardless, The Author hopes you enjoy the improvement hack! Feedback would be highly appreciated with the songs, as there are some they are still trying to "properly" figure out how to make sound the best they possibly can.

Note: Although the hack was made specifically for the Japanese Rockman World 2, it has been tested and compatible with all releases, such as the USA and EU releases. However, compatibility with other hacks has not been confirmed.

Contributions

Contributor	Type of contribution	Description
Sun Rays	Music	Driver Documentation
VinsCool	Music	Fixed Tuning Table
forple	Music	Primary Music Hacking, Song Rearrangements
Supper	Original Hacking	Original Improvement Hack Patch

Reviews

Great imrpovement	dudupool	2024-03-11	Version 1.0
Just opening the game and comparing a significant improvement in sound is noticeable. Congratulations. I applied the patch as the game already has a translation patch for my language (Portuguese-Brazil) and so far it has worked without problems

Not Perfect But The Best Sounding Music	Just Dan Patrick	2023-01-15	Version 1.0
This hack sounds substantially different than the hack that Supper made for this game. The music in Supper's hack did indeed sound like a "wall of notes" only because of its smaller range of pitches due to the high notes being lowered. The improvement in dynamic range and fullness in the sound of the music in "V2" is night and day to me. It definitely sounds much richer here although still very true to what the original seemingly was going for. One key point to bring out and the only flaw I have with this hack is that the sound effects fight with the music channels. To be fair, the original and Supper's music hack also have this issue. In Supper's case it was less noticeable though due to the lack of dynamic range there. In "V2", the music in headphones can truly sound amazing so the clipping stings more as I simply enjoy the music more now. Having a nice crisp and high melody fall off for a sound effect is a letdown when the music sounds as good as this. I'd have to say this is the overall more enjoyable experience compared to the first music hack. Supper's hack is also nice, but this is fuller sounding on every track. The moment I was on the stage select screen I instantly noticed more base and was surprised at how nice it sounded.

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