zilliandomizer

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Zillion is a metroidvania style game released in 1987 for the 8-bit Sega Master System.

It's based on the anime Zillion (赤い光弾ジリオン, Akai Koudan Zillion).

This is a randomizer for the Zillion game.

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You might be able to find me on the Archipelago discord or the Randomizer Central discord (username beauxq)

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Archipelago

Zillion is now on Archipelago

Archipelago is a system for turning games into multiplayer online co-op randomizers, but it also works for single player randomizers, so that's one way you could play.

Archipelago has a Zillion setup guide here: https://archipelago.gg/tutorial/#Zillion

If you want to play without the Archipelago system, instructions follow...

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setup / install

1. install Python from https://www.python.org/

2. download the code from this page

   1. green "Code" button in the top right portion of this page
   2. "Download ZIP"
   3. unzip it to a folder on your hard drive

3. put your original US/NTSC rom in the roms directory with this filename: Zillion (UE) [!].sms

   • I think version 1.1 of the rom is needed. (I don't know information about different versions of the rom.)

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usage

1. edit options.yaml in the same directory as the rom

2. in the src directory, run generate.py

The randomized rom will output into the same directory as the original rom (with the seed number in the filename).

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update

• It should be enough to delete the old src directory and put the new one in it's place.
  • (Merging the new one into the old one could cause problems.)
• You shouldn't need to overwrite your roms directory with your options.yaml, but you might want to check out the new options.yaml to see what new options are available.

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gameplay customizations:

The way the original game lets the player choose who to level up has a few drawbacks in a randomizer:

• possible softlock from making bad choices (example: nobody has jump 3 when it's required)
• In multiworld (Archipelago supported), you won't be able to choose because you won't know it's coming beforehand.

So this randomizer uses a new level-up system:

• Everyone levels up together (even if they're not rescued yet).
• You can choose how many opa-opas are required for a level up.
• You can set a max level from 1 to 8.
• The currently active character is still the only one that gets the health refill.
  • In the future, this might change to choose based on missing (effective) health, and/or an option to refill everyone.

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You can set these options to choose when characters will be able to attain certain jump levels:

jump levels

vanilla         balanced        low             restrictive

jj  ap  ch      jj  ap  ch      jj  ap  ch      jj  ap  ch
2   3   1       1   2   1       1   1   1       1   1   1
2   3   1       2   2   1       1   2   1       1   1   1
2   3   1       2   3   1       2   2   1       1   2   1
2   3   1       2   3   2       2   3   1       1   2   1
3   3   2       3   3   2       2   3   2       2   2   1
3   3   2       3   3   2       3   3   2       2   2   1
3   3   3       3   3   3       3   3   2       2   3   1
3   3   3       3   3   3       3   3   3       2   3   2

Note that in "restrictive" mode, Apple is the only one that can get jump level 3.

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You can set these options to choose when characters will be able to attain certain Zillion power (gun) levels:

zillion power

vanilla         balanced        low             restrictive

jj  ap  ch      jj  ap  ch      jj  ap  ch      jj  ap  ch
1   1   3       1   1   2       1   1   1       1   1   1
2   2   3       2   1   2       1   1   2       1   1   2
3   3   3       2   2   3       2   1   2       2   1   2
                3   2   3       2   1   3       2   1   3
                3   3   3       2   2   3       2   2   3
                                3   2   3
                                3   3   3

Note that in "restrictive" mode, Champ is the only one that can get Zillion power level 3.