NHL 94: 2024 Edition by Adam Catalyst

[The Dopefish]

Hey I might not be the first one to notice this but the filename on the attachment in the OP says "NHL 94...2023" but obviously when the files are extracted it's 2024.  Just thought I'd save someone the confusion sometime down the line!

[nastynacho]

On 12/6/2023 at 11:26 AM, AdamCatalyst said:

I've never even touched the music system, and I don't expect to, just because there is so much else on my to-do list. There are some notes on this forum regarding the music system, but I've not read them. You know, you could check them out yourself. You can always customize your own version

You are one dope fish 🐟

[AdamCatalyst]

Hey folks,

Quick update. I’ve been keeping up with all the minor trades and signings, but haven’t felt that any were notable enough to release an update publicly. Furthermore, my 2.0 mods are way ahead of schedule, and so I am going to put off releasing any updates until the 20th, once the roster freeze starts. Will put out 2.0 then, with a cumulative roster update included. 
cheers,

-Adam

Edited December 11, 2023 by AdamCatalyst

[nastynacho]

4 minutes ago, AdamCatalyst said:

Hey folks,

Quick update. I’ve been keeping up with all the minor trades and signings, but haven’t felt that any were notable enough to release an update publicly. Furthermore, my 2.0 mods are way ahead of schedule, and so I am going to put off releasing any updates until the 20th, once the roster freeze starts. Will put out 2.0 then, with a cumulative roster update included. 
cheers,

-Adam

Great news Merry Christmas 🎄🎁

[nastynacho]

On 12/11/2023 at 11:47 AM, nastynacho said:

Great news Merry Christmas 🎄🎁

Thanks NastyNacho you are so awesome rich and get all the chicks and you drive a Ferrari just the best guy ever 😜

[AdamCatalyst]

tldr; new version 2.0 available on the main page!

The long version…

I've never liked how the bench areas were designed in the original ROMs. I always thought it was the weakest aspect of the rink design, and I particularly disliked how the two benches exits funnelled into eachother, sort of like an even more awkward version of Maple Leafs Gardens. The benches and their exits had to be separated in my mind. I decided to draw up a new design last spring, and worked out most of the details and logistics. I really liked the new design, but was hesitant to do it, because it was such a big change. My goal has been to remaster the original, not remix it, but this was a remix. A part of me really wanted to make this change, because it would put my own obvious stamp on the game's visual design, much more prominent than the cumulative tiny changes I've made everywhere. At the same time, I questioned indulging my own ego like this. I decided I would have to code it, test it, and see. If I wasn't sure I would send it out to others for their feedback.

When I finally got around to coding it, two things became clear. Before it was even finished, I could tell that I loved the new design, and I didn't need anyone else's opinion. Secondly, I couldn't complete the work until I figured out how to relocate crowd animation. And I couldn't figure this out. 

After banging my head against the wall for at least a couple of days, it occurred to me that I should reach out to the community for help. Within one day @Jkline3 and @von Ozbourne had chipped in with advice, the latter of which cracked the problem wide open for me. Then the remaining pieces were solved by @kingraph pointing to some of his previous research. I can't imagine how long it would have taken me to figure out this stuff, if I could even do it. This version is dedicated to these three guys, who selflessly chipped in their advice and knowledge and notes. So if you don't like what I did to the bench area design… feel free to blame them.

In my original Bench Area re-design, I had included a box like area between the benches with an ice-side commentator.

I coded this and was in the process of animating the commentator when I realized that it wasn't working for me. It was too modern. And the commentator really stood out, being so close to the ice. I had to go back to the drawing board, and decided it would make more sense to put in a simple plexiglass divider between the two teams benches, something that would have been both appropriate in '94, and consistent with the level of detail in the existing art direction. And this serendipitously, took up exactly the amount of Rink tiles that I had left in the ROM. The only issue was that there seemed to be a bit too much space around the plexiglass, but I could fill that in later…

As I was adding a small animation onto the coaches to better integrate them into the scene, I noticed something. In the original the last player on the bench had some complex animation involving placing one arm at a time on the boards, before yelling. But in the template I had started with, someone else had deleted all of that bench players animation tiles, and re-used some of them for the back-up goalie animation. That's when I realized, I could (1) fill-in the extra grey floor space by (2) restoring the deleted player, and all of his original animation, and (3) re-structure the animation and tile sets so that I could also keep the backup goaltender on the bench as well! This proved to be, BY FAR, the most difficult aspect of this bench renovation job. I'm extremely proud of the work I did here, as I was able to make my additions, while also restoring elements that had been excluded from 32-team ROMs.

Moving forward, I don't think I will ever do anything so brash to the graphical presentation again. This was my one big indulgence, to fix the bench design I always hated. It's not a sign of things to come, but more of a finishing touch on the hundreds of more subtle graphic tweaks to the rink that I had been making. I sincerely hope that you enjoy it as well.

So what is next? Gameplay. I'm not happy with how it is playing. I've only made very minor changes to the gameplay since v.22.6.0, but I am now going to blow-up that progress, and try rebuilding it from scratch to see what happens. I can't promise that it will objectively be better. I can't even promise that it will be noticeably different. It's a complex and very mysterious system to me. I can only promise that I will try.

Thanks for reading, thanks playing. Looking forward to your feedback.

Wishing you all a safe and happy holidays.

cheers,

-Adam

 

 

 

 

Edited December 20, 2023 by AdamCatalyst

[ChanceWinston]

May be a dumb question but is there a guide on how to patch these properly? Tried a few things and can't seem to get it to play.

[AdamCatalyst]

18 minutes ago, ChanceWinston said:

May be a dumb question but is there a guide on how to patch these properly? Tried a few things and can't seem to get it to play.

Welcome to the site!

I’m not quite sure what you’re asking. I think you *might* be overthinking it. My ROM, like most on this site, are good to go as-is. Mine is zipped with a couple other files. So you could unzip it if you’re having issues loading it in your emulator. But no patching needed. If that’s not the help you’re looking for, please post more details of what you’re up to. 

[ChanceWinston]

5 minutes ago, AdamCatalyst said:

Welcome to the site!

I’m not quite sure what you’re asking. I think you *might* be overthinking it. My ROM, like most on this site, are good to go as-is. Mine is zipped with a couple other files. So you could unzip it if you’re having issues loading it in your emulator. But no patching needed. If that’s not the help you’re looking for, please post more details of what you’re up to. 

I think you're right but I'm just struggling to figure it out.

When unzipping I get the Release notes text file, csv file which I believe is the player ratings and a bin file which is the rom but usually the rom for a Genesis game would be an .md file. I'm trying to put it onto my Analogue Pocket and when I drag the bin file into proper folder for my Pocket, it doesn't recognize anything.

I'm assuming maybe I need to mount it or something? Again, this all probably seems dumb so apologies. My brain could just be working horribly as I have a 5 week old newborn laying on top of me right now so you can guess the state my mind is in.

[AdamCatalyst]

14 minutes ago, ChanceWinston said:

I think you're right but I'm just struggling to figure it out.

When unzipping I get the Release notes text file, csv file which I believe is the player ratings and a bin file which is the rom but usually the rom for a Genesis game would be an .md file. I'm trying to put it onto my Analogue Pocket and when I drag the bin file into proper folder for my Pocket, it doesn't recognize anything.

I'm assuming maybe I need to mount it or something? Again, this all probably seems dumb so apologies. My brain could just be working horribly as I have a 5 week old newborn laying on top of me right now so you can guess the state my mind is in.

Congrats on the newborn!

Yes, you’re right about the CSV. I don’t know anything about the Anolog Pocket, but maybe try changing the .bin extension to .md?

[nastynacho]

1 hour ago, AdamCatalyst said:

@nastynacho you are so sexy i love you so much

Thanks @AdamCatalyst

The new update is great 👍

Merry Christmas 🎄 🎁

[ChanceWinston]

1 hour ago, AdamCatalyst said:

Congrats on the newborn!

Yes, you’re right about the CSV. I don’t know anything about the Anolog Pocket, but maybe try changing the .bin extension to .md?

Yeah all good actually, just took some playing around with the emulators on the console! Thank you!

[nastynacho]

1 hour ago, ChanceWinston said:

Merry Christmas 🎄 🎁

Analogue Pocket does not play copyrighted rom files, it plays legacy game cartridges via the cartridge slot. Analogue Pocket is not designed using software emulation. It is designed using a specialty hardware chip called an FPGA, which operates on a transistor level implementation of its functionality. Analogue Pocket does not operate utilizing any bios files from any other entities. Analogue designs all hardware. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Games are showcased to illustrate compatibility with Pocket. 5Sega Game Gear, Neo Geo Pocket Color and Atari Lynx game cartridge compatibility requires cartridge adapters [ sold separately ].

[nastynacho]

wow its $550 on Amazon that's crazy. $356 on ebay.

Edited December 21, 2023 by nastynacho

[ChanceWinston]

2 minutes ago, nastynacho said:

Analogue Pocket does not play copyrighted rom files, it plays legacy game cartridges via the cartridge slot. Analogue Pocket is not designed using software emulation. It is designed using a specialty hardware chip called an FPGA, which operates on a transistor level implementation of its functionality. Analogue Pocket does not operate utilizing any bios files from any other entities. Analogue designs all hardware. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Games are showcased to illustrate compatibility with Pocket. 5Sega Game Gear, Neo Geo Pocket Color and Atari Lynx game cartridge compatibility requires cartridge adapters [ sold separately ].

Analogue Pocket was updated over a year ago to run OpenFPGA and emulates 100s of consoles, handhelds and arcade games actually so thanks anyway.

[ChanceWinston]

1 minute ago, nastynacho said:

wow its $550 on Amazon that's crazy. $356 on ebay.

Yeah it would be all re-sale. They only do limited drops and production runs a few times a year. I was able to snag a limited edition coloured one about a month ago.

It's a steep price point regardless, 249 on their site but if you're into retro handheld gaming you can't really go wrong. Really impressive handheld.

Runs SNES, NES, Genesis and a lot else on top of the original GB, GBC, GBA stuff.

[nastynacho]

9 minutes ago, ChanceWinston said:

Analogue Pocket was updated over a year ago to run OpenFPGA and emulates 100s of consoles, handhelds and arcade games actually so thanks anyway.

should have bought a switch and used emulators on that and you could play newer games as well that price is ridiculous for a gameboy. i don't think it emulates switch, wii u , wii cause you can do that on a switch. plus your phone can play all those old games with better screen and a PS4 controller 🎮 nes.emu md.emu snes9x.emu psx.emu all android compatible and my a14 5g cost me nothing with a one year contract. Also can play on my tablet which was free as part of a promo a samsung galaxy a8. I did pick up a sick Alienware laptop with i9 4070 32gb 1tb for $1,137 on ebay what a steal. 

Edited December 21, 2023 by nastynacho

[ChanceWinston]

4 minutes ago, nastynacho said:

should have bought a switch and used emulators on that and you could play newer games as well that price is ridiculous for a gameboy. i don't think it emulates switch, wii u , wii cause you can do that on a switch. plus your phone can play all those old games with better screen and a PS4 controller 🎮 nes.emu md.emu snes9x.emu psx.emu all android compatible and my a14 5g cost me nothing with a one year contract. Also can play on my tablet which was free as part of a promo a samsung galaxy a8. I did pick up a sick Alienware laptop with i9 4070 32gb 1tb for $1,137 on ebay what a steal. 

I also have a Switch. I can understand not wanting to pay the price but it's more a preference. I have no interest in playing old games on a phone or laptop. I'd rather play on a real handheld. I spend money modding old GBAs and GBCs as well. Handhelds are just more of a hobby.

I'm well aware of all the other options but this is how I'd prefer to play. I assume you're younger and don't necessarily share the same nostalgia for that era.

[nastynacho]

56 minutes ago, ChanceWinston said:

I also have a Switch. I can understand not wanting to pay the price but it's more a preference. I have no interest in playing old games on a phone or laptop. I'd rather play on a real handheld. I spend money modding old GBAs and GBCs as well. Handhelds are just more of a hobby.

I'm well aware of all the other options but this is how I'd prefer to play. I assume you're younger and don't necessarily share the same nostalgia for that era.

i am sadly over 40 and started with a Atari with one button and also a Apple with black and white as only available colors. I had Atari , NES , Gameboy , Game Gear , SNES , Genesis , N64 , PlayStation , PS2 , Xbox , Xbox360 PS3 , PS4 now PS5 i liked RBI Baseball , Tecmo Bowl , DKJR ,  Oregon trail , myst , loom , monkey Island , indy jones pretty much any lucasarts game. SMB3 is my favorite NES game. I would have to say NHL 94 in 1994 playing with mates was great times luckily the great @AdamCatalyst has updated it for us.

Merry Christmas 🎄 🎁

[Jkline3]

Nicely done! It's always bothered me too but never had the guts to try such a large rework project.

Only thing missing is the kid with a sign offering to trade a candy bar for a stick.

[AdamCatalyst]

10 minutes ago, Jkline3 said:

Nicely done! It's always bothered me too but never had the guts to try such a large rework project.

Only thing missing is the kid with a sign offering to trade a candy bar for a stick.

You should do it! 

[Eric5150]

Great ROM. Trying do edit NHL 97 Genesis with the same thing. How do I edit it as NOME is not working for me (I save the ROM but it doesn't update anything).

Eric

[nastynacho]

If somehow Santa could bring me a NHL 96 Adam Catalyst 2023-2024 Edition that would be amazing 🤩

NHL96 is bloody amazing because it had Season Mode and the super kewl spin moves. I always leave a pl@yboy some whiskey and a jøïñt out for santa.

Merry Christmas 🎄 🎁

[AdamCatalyst]

I had a question for folks. I wanted to start including a small cover art jpeg in the ZIP. Does anyone know what size is appropriate for popular emulators?

FYI, I will be putting up a version 2.1 update any day now. Mostly just a roster update. I'm still waiting to figure out if Pacioretti is really going to come back, and what the Caps lines are looking like with him.

 

Edited January 3 by AdamCatalyst

[nastynacho]

On 12/24/2023 at 5:15 PM, nastynacho said:

If somehow Santa could bring me a NHL 96 Adam Catalyst 2023-2024 Edition that would be amazing 🤩

NHL96 is bloody amazing because it had Season Mode and the super kewl spin moves. I always leave a pl@yboy some whiskey and a jøïñt out for santa.

Merry Christmas 🎄 🎁

yes of course @NastyNacho you are so sexy and impossible to resist i will be making NHL 96 mod asap  -AdamC

[AdamCatalyst]

1 minute ago, nastynacho said:

yes of course @NastyNacho you are so sexy and impossible to resist i will be making NHL 96 mod asap  -AdamC

You are really good at this! I years worth of unanswered emails, and weeks worth of unopened emails. If I win the lottery, I will see if I can afford to hire you to work through my correspondence backlog.  

[smurton2000]

Thank you, this is amazing. I always loved playing this on my Retro pie but this makes it a million times better. 

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I do have a feature request, can you bring back fighting and the blood when a player gets hurt like in NHLPA 93

 

 

 

 

[AdamCatalyst]

Thanks for taking the time to write! I'm glad to hear that you enjoy. Please come back for the updates throughout the season. Minor roster update coming out today.

As for blood, I'm not inclined to do that, it's just not my thing. As for fighting, I would if I could, but that is way beyond my skill level. I believe that Others have tried, but no-one has had any luck. Maybe with a full decompile others might be able to do it, but even with a decompile I'd be in over my head.

 

[AdamCatalyst]

Hey folks,

Update 2.1 is now live, available in the usual place. I've included thumbnail artwork for popular emulators. Please let me know if there is a more desirable size / resolution for whatever you use.

cheers,

-a

[nastynacho]

amazing thank you for your time and efforts happy new years