von Ozbourne

I think it was some of the original wboy tutorials where he pointed out the eight grey tone palette that is used almost exclusively by the photos. It shares white and black with the main menu and the message was something like "don't edit these colours because you'll mess up this". Or at least my interpretation of it anyway. But I looked at it later and tested that I could change the other six colours without affecting anything else. I first tested that on a mod that used NES-style character art. It worked out alright there, so the next logical leap was to see about finding six colours that could encompass a decent range of skin tone. It did mean that it took a little longer to colour correct all 832 player photos so they would still look nice when reduced to eight colours as opposed to only worrying about lightness and contrast for the greyscale versions, but I was able to sort out some automation in photoshop that would at least take care of most of a team at a time. Anyway, it was just nice to find out that the player photos used their own colours because that meant the option was there.

I don't know if anyone has ever made a true type version of the large font, but the issue I've always found with that one [apart from being kind of ugly] is that most of the characters are 2x2 tiles in size and they share some tiles between different letters. This makes editing this font a little tricky, but the good news is that those columns of multi-coloured pixels directly following the font characters are actually the hex code that determines the order of how those tile get used. Granted this only helps if you are trying to change the font in the game to something that requires a different alignment of shapes, but only provides a chopped up image of chunks of letters if you are trying to transplant this font to something else.

I'm not too familiar with RetroArch but this sounded similar to an issue with a widescreen patch that was posted last year for the base ROM. So I'm curious if you are using a patched version of the ROM or if you are using the original ROM and the wide-screenification [sure, that's a word] is being handled completely by the emulator. The issue with the original patch was that, while it changed the viewing area to utilize the entire screen, the players would still despawn and present an arrow indicator once they left the original active area. However, the modder released an updated patch soon after that resolved that issue. https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/7502/ [He's got patches for 94-97 as well if that is of interest, but the don't work with the expanded ROMs] I will say that this mainly just allows the game to use the full 4:3 screen space though, so I don't know how this will interact with an emulator that will apply a second hacking device that changes the screen to 16:9. But, I've noted that even when the puck carrier is hugging one wall, you can still see a bit of players that are up against the opposite wall, so it's possible that this might address the issue with RetroArch's display option since players are still going to be restricted to the ice surface area anyway. Edit: Actually if you want to just test on a patched version of NHL'98, this link should direct you to a page where you can download a widescreen patched version that will also have a bunch of other modifications to it, mostly just visual, but was turned into an IIHF'99 game. Version 1.2 is using the updated wide mode patch. Would actually be curious to see how it works with RetroArch's 16:9 mode.

I like this one. Looks more fun than watching the last World Cup. Although when I saw Irbe's name I couldn't help but think that he probably would not like it. Given that he famously refused to play for the Soviet team to instead help put up barricades in the streets of Riga to block the tanks that Russia was sending to halt their independence movement. Interestingly, my initial thought would have been Khabibulin, but I had to remind myself that he was born in Sverdlovsk, USSR, when the city of Yekaterinburg was known by that name, and not the Sverdlovsk that is hopefully still in Ukraine. [because that would have been a whole similar, but different issue]

Alright, looks like it's time for an update. Although I should point out that if the previous one was more of a "late pre-season" edition, this one is more a "late opening night" edition. The big changes that make this one a 2.0 rather than a 1.1 version are Some roster shuffling has been completed. All players now have updated photos. [except for a couple exceptions like Swayman, whose contract issues caused him to miss picture day and even the NHL website is using a year old image] Team ratings have been adjusted to reflect some performance changes since last season. Some lines have been shuffled to reflect newer groupings that were put together once the regular season begain. Some teams have changed starting goaltenders to reflect who's taken over the net. Oh and Vegas is only in the Western Conference now. Graphics remained constant, other than also figuring out how to use some more tile spaces and changing the frames on the title screen because it appeals to my need for visual balance more than the original ones did. A clearly labelled version 2.0 will also be included in the original post. Enjoy, hopefully. NHL 2025 - Retro 94 Edition v2.0.bin

How am i just now seeing this post. some of these are really interesting things that I need to try now because I've never known about them and am curious to see how they will work in practice, like the face off [I always figured it was a timing with the puck drop animation thing] or the crowd meter bonus. And the passing direction especially, since I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who figured it was D-pad, then button, but sometimes the game would pass to a player that may be closer to my player, but in a different direction than I wanted to pass to. This however, I am really curious about, because I have never seen the AI start, or even send the backup out if the starter is getting the hook or gets injured, until NHL'96. Except for one mod I suppose. So this might mean there is a clue to how the player or the game will determine how the backup goalie is deployed in '94, but something was glitched in a game I was testing out and the game was starting the second goalie on some teams for every game. Even if I was playing as that team. I don't know if there was an accidental glitch introduced, maybe related to RNG and percentages, or if it had something to do with the goalie bytes. I never figured it out and kind of forgot what mod that happened in to now to go back to it.

Oooh... Damn I should have taken a better look. I've literally done the exact same thing even going back to the Blades of Steel days. Only difference is that instead of numbering them, I just made a list and X'd out the ones I've used. Not sure if I was just adding a step there. Actually if you're using NOSE, the program will give you a notification if you have a team listed twice in one draw. That said, it's easy to ignore that message and do it anyway. That's basically my workaround for giving teams a "bye round" in cases where I don't have the minimum 16 teams. Makes for messy replays and you kind of have to make a non-playable duplicate of those teams to make sure the player doesn't accidentally select one. Huh, I've not heard that one before. I am curious if that is an issue in the original 32-Team hack or if it's related to one of at least a half dozen roster affecting modifications that are included in this version. To be honest, I just never bother saving roster changes, so this would be completely off my radar, but now I'm wondering what's going on there.

Thanks eh. Oh yeah no. It would have looked really bad if I tried to make that in only 16 colours so I did end up using three palettes. Luckily the image is very vertically aligned so it wasn't hard to keep track of the different sections. The New Jersey brothers got the first palette all to themselves so it was just the 8 greyscale shades and an array of reds. The second palette is also used by the NHL and NHLPA logos, but since those are greyscale as well, with the first slot dedicated to transparency, that left seven colours left over for the middle Vancouver uniform. I think the third palette used to be for the original '94 NHLPA logo? but with both logos sharing the second palette now, the third one was unused and free to make as many skin tone shades as possible. I don't recall what the forth one is reserved for, but I don't think it would have helped anyway.

Ah, well there you go. The game was messing with you because it knew that the only way the Sabres were making the playoffs this year was if Vegas were playing in the Eastern Conference Final. I have to ask. What do the numbers represent? I'd figure they'd be scores, but some of those look like a basketball score vs a football score.

You have me wondering actually. The behind the scenes is that that image uses about 32-36 unique colours and the Vancouver uniform is using it's own separate palette from the New Jersey colours. All three palettes share the black to white range, but it might have been possible to have the blue to green colours on their own instead. Although that said, it would have been quite the clash colour-wise, so it was both logistically and aesthetically beneficial for all three Hugheses to stick to the warm side of the colour wheel. <insert guttural sounds of disappointment> Stupid Utah. On the plus side, I looked the draws over again and you just had to find the only instance of a mismatch. That'll be something I'll have fixed for the next patch

Hopefully this one's better late than never. As tomorrow is going to be a busy day of turkey and being reminded that family is like beer, best enjoyed in moderation, I figured I'd get this one out tonight so it will be ready for some playoffs with those of us who would rather play games than lie on your aunt's new carpeting in a food coma. As mentioned in last season's thread, this one is not entirely complete in that most of the depth player's photos have not been updated yet [blame nhl.com for taking so long to update] and a few other things like updating some line changes will need to be revisited once a larger sample size is available. Feel free to leave feedback is anything else turns up that may have been lost in the shuffle. Anyway, it's about time to present: The Hughes Deluxe Retro Edition. To start off some additional graphical changes were made to this version starting from the moment you plug your cart in and hit the power button. The second splash screen uses the cluttered on-ice ads section to list all of the required parties including the nhl94.com community website. Another new addition is the updated menu screen which see the old arena be retired in favour of a modern dressing room. In addition to the logos on full colour uniform background, the player call out will scroll through the entire roster if you can wait long enough. Dave Reid sticks around as the presenter for NHL Network, introducing the newest team of Utah and a one of a few teams in their new look. Another new look team waits for a redressed Zamboni driver to finish his task, while another team paints a new center ice logo to celebrate their 50th anniversary. Player cards again feature full colour photos. And while some players will have to wait for their new photo to be uploaded to the game art, the top line of each team did see an update. Speaking of lines, most teams are configured to match their season opener line ups, but that will probably be revisited next month some time when more data is available. We also fixed a couple things we didn't like about the back end of player ratings from last year, so hopefully that feels better than last year as well. This version is very much true to the feel of the original NHL'94, but we have been debating an additional, more arcade-like edition. Don't worry, we'll keep a classic version as well. With Arizona moving to Utah, the playoff brackets did need to be edited, but with the discovery of how playoffs are calculated, a whole lot of randomness was baked in for better variety of first round match ups. Also drawing attention to some minor tweaks to the 3-Stars formula. It should feel a little more logical than the original selections. Obligatory under the hood and minor graphical stuff: Original custom player attribute stats based on NHL24 updates. All 832 players have colour photos. Thanks @slapshot67 Original JKline player sprite mod based on helmet patch for more accurate and varied uniforms. Tighter puck collision on boards and net making for pucks that hit closer to the boards sprites and a slighter smaller scoring area on the nets. V1.0 and V2.0 only. Pucks that also feature original customized sprites. Puck sprites that change with team colours. Thanks @AdamCatalyst The nets that those pucks can go in have also had their sprites redrawn. Weight bug fix is applied. SmozROM Ratings consistency fix - player ratings will match hot/cold overall. Thanks @smozoma Freeze Bug applied so no player stats and player name on second line. User Records set to "ON" can still cause crashes with Vegas, Washington and Winnipeg so caution is advised. Expanded goalie roaming area. Go out to the edge of the trapezoid or out to the face off dots to cut down the angle. Thanks @smozoma Goalie can also carry the puck out to the blue line before the automatic whistle. [if play isn't blown for holding the puck too long] Yes we know that the goalie can technically go to the red line, but that would mean having to figure out how to assess delay of game penalties and that's not likely to happen. Goalie Y-button control hack applied. Thanks @clockwise CPU will pull goalie if down by 1 or 2 goals with 1 minute remaining. Thanks @McMarkis Edit Lines hack for any player to play at any position applied. Allows for 4-1 Power play lines. Thanks @TheTome Benches have been edited so the coach mod has been removed. EA Sports watermarks have been updated to modern logo. Thanks @Drezz Main menu background hack in use for full custom background image. Also thanks @Drezz That's probably it for now. Feed back of course is appreciated - you know, if it's constructive. I did fix a couple of typos today though, so if you spot one I missed, feel free to get as mad as you want. Update list: 2.0 version All 832 players have new colour photos. Player ratings have been adjusted for start of 2025 season. Team ratings have also been adjusted for start of 2025 season. 2.1 version Board/Net collision has been adjusted to classic setting for less difficult scoring. 3.0 version Some new players. Some new lines. All new player ratings. Some fixes to overlays and such. 4.0 version Some new players as per playoff roster additions. Some new lines. Fixed glass height collision New weight bug fix calculation 4.1 version Improved player ratings? Hope you folks enjoy this one. Most updated version: NHL 2025 - Retro 94 Edition v4.1.bin Old versions for old people: NHL 2025 - Retro 94 Edition v4.0.bin NHL 2025 - Retro 94 Edition v3.0.bin NHL 2025 - Retro 94 Edition v2.1.bin NHL 2025 - Retro 94 Edition v2.0.bin NHL 2025 - Retro 94 Edition v1.0.bin

I was going to comment on that. Not only interesting that the receipt is from a [basically] defunct store, but the price is still what is kind of considered the acceptable target price point for games 30 years later. [accepting that the last few years have seen conditioning methods to drag that base price up to the $70-$80 range and even though inflation rates state that $80 now is still costing less than $60 then, when going by percentage of expendable income of a minimum wage earner, that's a different story]

Unfortunately the past couple of weeks have been an absolute gong show at work and I haven't been able to find enough free time to finish this year's edition up. The good news that everything presentation-wise was done over the summer, but the NHL was so slow in releasing the new player photos [with a full third of teams only just updating their sites two days ago] that I haven't been able to convert them for use in the game. @Jkline3 is almost done with the rosters and ratings at least and I'm thinking I can have at a minimum the starting lineups ready in a day or two. I'm thinking we'll try to post the "Pre-Season" edition this weekend with the idea of figuring out the accurate bottom line combos and seeing which prospects and role players manage to stick around longer than the first couple weeks, and get the rest of the player photos fixed up by the end of the month. So, stay tuned?

Out of context, in the Recent Activity feed, I interpreted this as "Do better Adam". Upon further review, glad to see that you are wishing Adam well, rather than chastising him for his inability to complete a project.

Wondering about this, I know that one could just look at the game sprites in an editor, but then you just get snippets like this that will need to be assembled and recoloured to get what you want. But then I got thinking that at that point, it might just be easier to simply play the game, take a bunch of long shots at the goalie and check the replay until you get the animation you want. Maybe take the screen print into your default paint program and scale it up by some percentage in multiples of 100 to keep the crisp pixels so it can be printed out for your tattooist. Or better yet, bring your Genesis and game cart to the shop and wager double or nothing in a best-of-seven.

I was a Penguins fan in the Lemieux era [he and Hawerchuk deserved a lot more credit for doing what they did despite not playing on the Oilers] and used to think of the goalies as Barrasso and Wregget, but had to admit that that was not likely. Despite the lack of the weird chin guard, I'm currently subscribing to the hypothesis of Fuhr and Hackett. And the righty skater being a Ranger on account of the pants, but not sure who. One would think the hockey cards might have similar pictures, but I'm picturing that scenario being one of the game being made first, and then the card set being a promotional bit that was made after the fact and with help from a third party [possibly Pro-Set?]

Okay, it's been more than a few days, but I was busy. But on the other hand, I decided to stick to a visual representation of the teams, so I took some more time to whip these up as some digital instructional manual pages. New teams added for V2.0 update. Wait. Update you say? [or maybe you didn't] Well yes. Admittedly the teams aren't that great, but you do get a decent central Americas team with less Luchas than originally thought. While originally omitted, long time announcer/spot talent Jerry Lawler gets a team mentoring some up-and-comers with some help from a few more back-niners. And finally, a team of perhaps some guys who think higher of themselves than warranted, [even when they are called "mid"] but one can't go about calling themselves the "Enhancers" without sounding even more lofty or like a '50s doo wop band. Update in the original post

Oh, I'd forgotten about Hackett as a Shark. You might be on to something. I was trying to think of bird cage goalies from about 1991 since the other two seemed to be from that year. Off the top of my head I recalled a few that didn't match up. Ken Wregget [white pads], Mike Vernon [white pads], Chris Terreri [white pads], rookie Felix Potvin [solid dark pads but wrong uniform stripes], Dominik Hasek [everything], was reminded of Pat Jablonski [but he's right handed] Actually I came across an image of John Casey that seemed the closest [Cooper helmet with no chin guard], but he dropped the bird cage after 1989, so I doubt they would have used an image that was that old.

I've been curious about these pictures for a while but never saw anything that mentions where the images were taken from or who they were of. Figured it would be fun to take a guess. The first one is the first default player, but is not used anywhere in the game as best I can figure. The clues are the round logo, wide arm and hem stripes, lighter pants with hem stripes and a hint of a shoulder patch on that left arm. Possibly Goals for Kids? It kind of looks like a Winnipeg uniform. The two patches in the left and right chest look like the NHL75 logo and a captain/alternate's "C" or "A". The helmet is also giving me '90s CCM vibes and he is a left-shot. All this together makes me think Thomas Steen. [He wore an "A" in the '91-'92 season and that arm number looks a bit like the "2" in his "25"] The right-catching goalie could be a mirrored image, but if it's not, it's possible to look at the striping on the sleeves and pants and get Maple Leafs 3rd uniform vibes from that same '91-'92 season. Grant Fuhr is a rare right-catching goalie who happened to play for Toronto that season and he did wear all white pads that year. The left-catching goalie is possibly obvious in that he has black pads and a birdcage and Los Angeles is one of the default selected teams in NHL'94, so left catching Kelly Hrudey would make sense. The default lefty player is a bit more tricky. Assuming the uniform is not overly doctored, it seems that this player is in a sweater with a coloured yolk, wide arm and hem stripes and stripes down the sides of the pants. The only two teams that fit the bill in this time were Edmonton and New Jersey. But beyond that it just looks like a lefty in a CCM helmet with a double digit number. Could be a few guys, even more if it turns out that yolk stripe was drawn on and the number of possible teams is increased. The default righty player is not much better. Similar look to the other player so maybe another Edmonton/New Jersey player? But it look like this one is wearing lighter pants that also have a hem stripe. Something that only two teams, Rangers and Jets had at the time. The light patch on the pant leg is reminiscent of the logos that some teams will place there from time to time, but I'm more inclined to think it looks like a Tackla manufacturer logo given it's size and location. And another CCM shaped helmet. Given the non-zero probability that during the process of airbrushing out the logos, the rest of the uniform was doctored like a newly traded player on an O-Pee-Chee card, the equipment and the pose are possibly the only chance of matching up an original photo for the two skaters. Why do this? Just curious.

Just came across this as posted yesterday. Looks like the font is going to be as expected after all. But I am not looking forward to trying to 16-bitintate that deluxe edition cover

Pardon my finding this question a bit odd, but it was my understanding that the credit crawl is by default center aligned. In that the left x-position is determined on each line by the code that sets how many characters are in a line of credits. And if one wants to adjust the centering of a name, that's up to the number of spaces before of after the text. Although saying all that, I am now thinking more logically, and realize that the center point of each line of text would probably have been set by some universal number. And no I have not been able to locate a number that affects that.

To be honest, The Coyote situation feels like a combination of the Hamilton Tigers, New York Americans and Cleveland Barons. The Tigers, in that the team was suspended and the entire roster was re-hired by a new team [Americans]. The Americans, in that the team went dormant due to financial struggles [because of the war, otherwise the owner actually tried to pay his bills] The Barons, in that the team is the first, since the previously mentioned franchise, to fall into a weird state that ultimately ends in a rare franchise folding. This is however, not to say that ROMs will not need to be expanded again at some point in this decade, when the NHL board decides that the time is right to welcome in some new expansion fees... er teams.

Had a few minutes to myself and luckily it was as I suspected. The patch just used the sprite locations of its original ROM, but didn't consider the tile order used with the modern rink markings. So those "L" ticks that determine where a skater is supposed to put his feet when taking a faceoff were the undoing. Even if you were using the older style rink markings. But it was just a matter of copying the tile numbers from the neutral zone faceoff dots and pasting them in place of the offence/defence zone circles and the ProSet logo is left alone. Thankfully @AdamCatalyst made the bigger rink grid map so it was easy to track them down. This should be the rink you are looking for. 92 MHL V002.bin

I could probably dig through that for you. My initial thought is that the patch is simply writing the ProSet logo over the offset location where the modern ice faceoff dot was set to be. In theory, it could be fixed by changing the rink to use a different tile. I think it had two different faceoff dots. Maybe. if not, a different free tile could be commandeered as the new location of the faceoff dot and the rink tile code can be changed to use that instead. If you want to send me the ROM I can take a look when I have time in the next couple of days. I'm kind of interested in seeing how the patch works anyway since the ROMs I'm using all have different Three-Star, Jumbotron logos going on and matching them up might be nice.

You seem to be knocking these out pretty well on your own. In lieu of having time to actually help, I will offer up the much more valuable support of the moral variety. You are ever the most welcome.