Pre-release: Super Probotector (Contra III Europe) SA-1 is now available for testing
Hello all, again!
Super Probotector, the European version of Contra III, with SA-1 support is now available for download, as early access and pre-release. This version, just like the Contra III SA-1, removes all slowdown from the game and reduces the loading time.
With this one, all three versions of Contra III have SA-1 support: the American one is on SA-1 Root, Contra Spirits was posted here, and now the European one is available.
Also, if you missed it, here is a video comparing all three versions side by side, every difference I could find. It's early access for Mega, Hyper and Platinum Supporters, before it goes public on YouTube next Tuesday.
The differences
Super Probotector, as most of you know, is Contra III with the main characters changed, adapted to PAL mode (50 Hz). Konami changed timers all over the game so it plays at the right speed on 50 Hz consoles, and rewrote part of the V-blank routines. So in addition to the relocation, the patch also had to change a little of its timing.
But Konami missed one in particular, and it is a spot the original SA-1 version already had to change, due to the SA-1 CPU running too fast. In the intro, the "UFO" comes down at the same speed per frame as in the American version, so on 50 Hz it arrives later (compared to the audio), while the laser attack keeps its scaled timer. In the original European game the beam starts almost 2 seconds late and its charge is cut in half. The SA-1 version makes the UFO come down faster in Europe, so the beam starts on time, like in the American version, and the audio is in sync again.
ROM-wise, about 68% of the ROM is the same as the USA one, 14% is the same but relocated and 18% is completely different (much of it graphics). Thanks to the SA-1 Regional build approach, I was able to adjust the existing patches without having to re-disassemble everything.
Game-wise, both players are robots, in every stage and in the story screens. The rest plays the same as the USA version (Contra III: The Alien Wars).
How to play
The BPS patch is in the attachments. Please use a BPS patcher tool, such as beat or FLIPS, on the European ROM. A PAL console, or an emulator set to 50 Hz, plays it at the right speed.
Your European ROM before patching:
CRC32: 420BD975
SHA256: 2B1CA521975C3010650FD2055BE8C6B964EA4EFF765AD03198AC71995285FEE7
After patching:
CRC32: C46A34B9
SHA256: 432FC337B0101EAE5411106147FBC26F0F7656333595B8BEF0D3CEB43C0D0AD5
The requirements are the same as the American one: 128 kB (1024 Kbit) of BW-RAM, real hardware, MiSTer or Snes9x/bsnes/higan/ares/Mesen. ZSNES is not supported.
Next steps
Let me know how this one plays: what you played it on, how far you went, on which difficulty, and how the overall experience was.
If you have a PAL console with a real SA-1 cart or a flash cart, I'd really appreciate a boot there. As I mentioned on the Super R-Type Europe post, I couldn't test these on a real PAL console yet, and this one matters more: unlike Super R-Type, Super Probotector is a real PAL adaptation, with its own timing, so any report would be important here.
Comment below or e-mail me if you find anything.
If no issues are found, both Super Probotector and Contra Spirits will be publicly available on SA-1 Root in 4-5 days.
Thank you and happy ROM hacking!