Project ZM GBA

Project ZM
General
Author	FelixWright
Type	Game Hacks
Version	0.8.3
License	Mixed
Last Updated	2022/07/10
Links
Download
Website

Project ZM is an improvement hack for Metroid: Zero Mission. It is designed to fix errors and add new gameplay routes, tricks and mechanics.

Installation

ROM information
Database match	Metroid - Zero Mission (USA)
Database	No-Intro: Game Boy Advance (v. 20180816-092117)
SHA-1	5DE8536AFE1F0078EE6FE1089F890E8C7AA0A6E8
CRC32	5C61A844

Hack compatibility:

• This hack is not compatible with other hacks, including the ZM Randomizer.
• This hack is not compatible with save files from vanilla MZM.

Standard Patch (Proj_ZM_083.ips):

• The experience for new players.
• In the original game and this patch, some abilities are unknown items - They cannot be used right away.
• Chozo statues drop hints to keep you on track.

Unknown Items Enabled Patch (Proj_ZM_083_Unk_Enabled.ips):

• For experienced Zero Mission players/speedrunners only. Not recommended for new players.
• Samus' suit can use unknown items.
• Chozo hint statues are removed.
• Item messages can be dismissed faster.
• Instant door transitions.
• Plasma beam deals less damage since it is obtained earlier in the game.

To apply the patch (choose either one of them), you can use Lunar IPS or Floating IPS.

User guide

Aesthetic changes

• Custom title screen. Version is in bottom right corner, and a "V" is in bottom left for the enable unknown items patch.
• Compact HUD with three separate colors for selected weapons and red digits at low energy.
• Power bombs are yellow. (It never made sense to me that purple power bombs open yellow doors when Red missiles open red doors and Green super missiles open green doors)
• Custom detailed map tiles inspired by Super Metroid Redesign: Axeil Edition. (For more screen real estate)
• Compact slightly modified font from European Zero Mission ROM.
• Maroon outlines and navy blue filler recolored on a per-object, per-tileset basis.
• Unique breakable blocks in the mothership. (inspired by breakable blocks in Fusion, with notches in each corner).
• Slight modification to bomb block and screw attack block graphics.
• Doors are more obviously unlocked with a blue to gray animation instead of white to gray.
• A whole slew of fixed tiling errors.
• The blocky corners of Deorem's eye socket have been rounded.
• Screw attack particles have a purple outline.
• Charge beam muzzle flare visible while spin jumping a la AM2R.
• Background of west brinstar was made dark blue.
• "Connector" room between brinstar east & west was made to have a more natural transition.
• In place of the Gallery unlock message is a message for how to play Time Attack.
• New slightly smaller escape timer graphics.

Gameplay changes

• SM controls: Choose between GBA and SNES controls in the options menu.
• Suit rebalance: Gravity Suit on its own is not heat or weak acid resistant. Both Varia and Gravity Suits are required for lava resistance. This change was made to encourage grabbing both suits.
• Walljump with spacejump: You can now walljump when you have spacejump or space + screw attack.
• Fusion style R-shot: Fire a charged shot without interrupting a spinjump by pressing R with default controls
• Faster shinespark recovery: When samus sparks into something, she recovers faster.
• Suitless spacejump and bombjump in liquids: You can spacejump and bombjump in liquids without the gravity suit.
• Faster room transitions. (Instant in Unknown Items Enabled).
• Mid-air ballsparking.
• SM style item grabbing.
• SM style equipment toggling.
• Steer shinesparking with D-Pad.
• Initiate speed booster in Morph ball.
• Suck in drops with charge beam.
• Bomb jump with power bombs.
• Missiles and super missiles now also reveal breakable blocks.
• Gallery is now always available.
• Fusion gallery is now accessible without system link.
• Time attack records are now viewable before completing a time attack run.
• Moved all difficulty changes to the enable unknown items patch.
• [unk_itm]Mecha ridley also has a 100% items check for his glass cap, which now matches the check % of his body.
• Significantly improved tractor beam.
• Minimap increased to 5 x 3 dimensions.
• Shinespark impact reverted back to its original pose, instead having a reduced delay after impact.
• Delay before ballspark reduced to match delay before shinespark.

Physics changes

• Midair morph does not stop you.
• Continue charging speedboost when jumping/falling.
• Springball no longer stops ballboosting.
• Respin out of shinespark.
• Momentum is preserved.

Enemy changes

• Enemy drops have been significantly improved. (Dropping "Nothing" is a stat: I cut it in half for each enemy and redistributed to all the other drops).
• More enemies vulnerable to power bombs.
• Enemies are no longer stunned in Hard mode. This replaces Easy mode's longer enemy stun.
• The Kraid Gadora fires eye blasts like the Ridley Gadora.
• Kraid fingernails use Hard mode velocity on Easy and Normal.
• The missile block in Kraid's room was removed to add challenge to the fight.
• Mecha Ridley is harder if you have >60% items.
• Ridley's aggression threshold is dropped from >200 damage (>10 missiles or 2 charge shots) to >40 damage (>2 missiles).
• The Ridley fight begins as soon as you enter his room. In vanilla and standard patch, gravity suit is unusable for this fight, as it is an unknown item. For unknown items enabled, this makes Gravity Suit a reward.

World changes

• You begin the game next to the ship.
• Low% is now as low as 4%. (Morph, bombs, Ice beam, missile tank).
• All unknown items and power grip can be skipped.
• A bunch of rooms were changed to make low% without power grip possible.
• Perfect stealth is humanly achievable.
• There is a new way to skip zipline activation in Kraid.
• The black space pirates are now weak to any beam. Plasma beam is not required.
• Hard mode is always available. After beating the game you can Press Up, Left, Right, Down for Time Attack mode.
• Norfair is accessible before bombs.
• Power bombs can be obtained early in two locations. This does not allow you to beat the game early; you must still follow the original sequence of events.
• An optional map room was added to Tourian.
• Tourian has more rinkas in hard mode, and the mother brain room has more spots to use power grip.
• Added mothership shortcut to Chozodia 4E. Requires early power bombs and shinespark knowledge.
• Changed missile tank lava trap in Ridley to use fake lava, so it's less unfair for players who skip grip.
• Power bomb block shortcut in mothership was widened.

Links

• Project ZM on speedrun.com.
• Suggestions Box/Issues Tracker.
• Progress Report.

Screenshots

Compatibility

Project ZM does not work on VBA or VBA-M. Those emulators are inaccurate.

This hack was tested on real hardware, 3DS VC Inject, BizHawk, mGBA, and no$gba.

Known issues

• [Vanilla] Escaping the Power Grip gauntlet too quickly results in the tower never extending.
• [Vanilla] Every certain number of frames, you cannot exit the zipline.
• [Unknown Items] Broken Kraid/Ridley elevator statues temporarily delete certain blocks.
• Occasionally the brinstar theme will play at the start of the Kraid cutscene.
• Miniboss theme will sometimes keep playing after grabbing charge beam.
• Messed up sounds grabbing Crateria early super missiles. (?)
• Stealth segment does not always have music.
• After obtaining fully powered suit, music may not play until the next room is loaded.
• With SM controls selected, demos are messed up.
• Kraid Gadora eye blast graphics clip over the eye.

Changelog

V0.8.3 (imgur)

• Fixed misplaced chozo statue in Norfair 6.
• Fixed slippery platforming due to physics changes.
• Fixed missing elevator in Tourian after MB dies.

Credits

• Cosmic - Level design, ASM, Graphics, Palettes, Hex tweaks.
• biospark - Metroid Advance Game Editor (MAGE), ASM, Graphics, Hex tweaks, General help.
• Captain Glitch - ASM, Hex tweaks, General help.
• raygu - ASM, Hex tweaks, Graphics, General help.
• kiliwily - ASM, Hex tweaks, General help.
• cauuyjdp - Hex tweaks, General help.
• JumZhu.Diwa - Walljump with Spacejump.

External links

• Romhacing.net - https://www.romhacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=33539.0
• Romhacking.net - http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/5132/
• Metroid Construction - http://metroidconstruction.com/hack.php?id=531
• Discord - https://discord.gg/ZNWFKjaefr