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  READ ME FIRST  -  Mega Man X recordings (X1, X2 and X3)
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Thank you for helping!

WHAT THE PROJECT IS
-------------------
We are rebuilding Mega Man X in our own engine, IDENTICAL to the
original: the computer compares our game with the original frame by
frame. For that, the original has to "show" each thing at least once:
each weapon on each boss, each enemy, each way of taking damage. In X1,
what is missing is exactly the rare situations, which the project's
automatic search could not reach. A person playing can do it in minutes.
Project website: https://megaman.davidluky.com/en/contribute/


WHAT YOU WILL DO
----------------
Play in the Mesen emulator with recording turned on.

The "recording" is NOT a video. Mesen records only the buttons you
press, frame by frame, in a small file (.mmo). We then replay that file
and the game happens again, identically, so we can study everything.

So:
  - the file is small and easy to send;
  - playing well does not matter: dying is useful too (sometimes it is
    exactly what we ask for!);
  - many SHORT recordings are worth more than one long, perfect one;
  - there are a few rules so the recording does not "break" (below).

The list of what to record is in the file RECORDING-LIST.txt.
In X1, start with SESSION 1 and follow the order: it goes from what
helps most to what helps least. The stars (*) mark the 10 most valuable
items. In X2 and X3, play the whole game, in the order of the list.

Optional: before you start, write to davidluky@davidluky.com (the
website's contact) saying what you plan to record. That way you can
agree on what is most missing and avoid repeating what already exists.


WHAT YOU NEED
-------------
  - Windows.
  - Your own Mega Man X ROM, USA version 1.1 (also called "Rev 1").
    It is NOT in the pack. Careful: the USA 1.0 version does NOT work
    for X1; the checker in step 4 tells you which one you have.
  - For the X2 and X3 parts: your own USA ROMs of each.
  - The Mesen 2.1.1 emulator. It is NOT in the pack (see step 2).
  - A controller (recommended) or the keyboard.


SETUP (once)
------------
1. Extract the whole ZIP into a folder (for example, on the Desktop).
   Do not run anything from inside the ZIP.

2. Download Mesen 2.1.1 for Windows from its release page:
   https://github.com/SourMesen/Mesen2/releases/tag/2.1.1
   The emulator's current website offers a newer version, which the
   project has not tested yet: use 2.1.1.
   Unzip it so that Mesen.exe sits INSIDE this pack's "Mesen" folder,
   next to settings.json. Do NOT delete or replace
   settings.json: it holds the project's settings (rewind and
   fast-forward off, automatic update check off).

3. Put your ROMs in the folder 1-PUT-YOUR-ROM-HERE.

4. Double-click 2-CHECK-THE-ROM.bat.
   It must show in GREEN, for example:
       OK ... = Mega Man X (USA) version 1.1
   (or Mega Man X2 (USA), Mega Man X3 (USA)).
   If it shows "WRONG VERSION" in red, it is another version (1.0,
   Japanese, European, hack...). Without the right version the
   recording does not replay on our side.

5. Double-click 3-PLAY-AND-RECORD.bat. Mesen opens.
   - If Windows shows "Windows protected your PC", click "More info"
     and then "Run anyway". (Mesen is a free, open-source emulator.)
   - If it asks you to install Microsoft ".NET", you can install it.
   - If it offers to UPDATE Mesen, say NO.

6. Set up the controller:
   menu Settings > Input. Under "Player 1" (port 1, "SNES Controller"),
   click the setup button (the gear) and press each button.
   Test it in the game before you start recording.

7. Open the game: menu File > Open and choose the ROM in the folder
   1-PUT-YOUR-ROM-HERE.


SHORTCUTS YOU WILL USE
----------------------
  Shift + F1 ... Shift + F7  = SAVE a "save state" in slot 1 to 7
  F1 ... F7                  = LOAD the save state from slot 1 to 7
  Esc                        = pause/unpause the emulator

  (Rewind and fast-forward are turned OFF on purpose in the project's
  settings.)


HOW TO MAKE A RECORDING (step by step)
--------------------------------------
1. Put the game at the starting point (for example: load with F2 the
   save state you made at the boss door). Loading BEFORE you start
   recording is fine, as often as you like.
2. Menu Tools > Movies > Record...
3. In the window that opens:
   - Where to save: click the "..." button and save INSIDE this pack's
     "recordings" folder, with the name the list gives
     (example: X1-S3-bospider). Mesen adds ".mmo" by itself.
   - "Record from":
       * "Current state" for almost everything;
       * "Power on" only when the list asks for it.
   - Author: optional, you can leave it empty. Click OK.
4. Play what the list asks for.
5. Menu Tools > Movies > Stop.
6. Check that the file is in the "recordings" folder.


THE GOLDEN RULES (important!)
-----------------------------
WHILE recording, you MAY:
  - die, lose lives, get a Game Over and choose Continue;
  - pause (Start in the game, or Esc in the emulator) as long as you
    like;
  - type a PASSWORD on the game's password screen (it is just buttons);
  - SAVE a save state (Shift+F1 ... F7). Saving does not get in the way.

WHILE recording, NEVER:
  - LOAD a save state (F1 ... F7)   <-- this breaks the recording;
  - reset the game, open another ROM or change the settings;
  - close Mesen without first doing Tools > Movies > Stop.

Broke one of these? No problem: do Stop, load the save state and record
again with the same name plus "-b" at the end (then "-c", "-d").
Do NOT delete the earlier ones; send them all.


THE FASTEST WAY TO DO THE X1 CHALLENGES
---------------------------------------
1. Reach the point (boss door, before the enemy, etc.) WITHOUT recording
   and save a save state there (Shift+F2, for example).
2. Start recording with "Current state", make the attempt, Stop.
3. Did it not go as you wanted? Press F2 (back to the point) and record
   again with another suffix. Each attempt is a short file of 30
   seconds to 2 minutes. A "wrong" attempt is useful too: send it all.
4. Passwords are fine: use any password to start with weapons, armor,
   Heart Tanks and Sub Tanks. For the challenges, the more complete X
   is, the better (the ARM, which charges the special weapons, matters
   most).


FULL PLAYTHROUGHS (X2 and X3)
-----------------------------
How to use the save state slots:
  Slot 1 (Shift+F1 / F1) = the most recent BOSS SELECTION screen
  Slot 2 (Shift+F2 / F2) = "boss door" (safety point before a boss)
  Slot 3 (Shift+F3 / F3) = stop for today / emergency

Dying is no problem at all: keep playing. Game Over and Continue are
useful too. Nobody needs a perfect playthrough.

If a BOSS is hard, try in this order:
  1. Use its weakness weapon (it is in RECORDING-LIST.txt).
     Press Start to switch weapons.
  2. Use a Sub Tank, if you have one (Start, choose the tank).
  3. Pick up the Heart Tanks and armor parts you find along the way:
     they greatly increase your life and your strength.
  4. LAST RESORT: before entering the boss door, press Shift+F2
     (allowed, even while recording). If you lose many times and want
     to restart just the fight:
       a) Tools > Movies > Stop;
       b) press F2 (back to the door);
       c) start a NEW recording, with "Current state" and the same name
          plus "-b" (e.g. X2-06-morph-moth-b).
     Send both recordings (the earlier one and the "-b").

To STOP FOR TODAY in the middle of a stage:
  Tools > Movies > Stop, then Shift+F3, and you can close Mesen.
  The next day: open it, load with F3 and record again with the same
  name plus "-parte2", from "Current state".

If the PC turns off or Mesen closes by itself during a recording:
  load your last save state and record again from there with the
  suffix "-b". Send everything in the "recordings" folder.


IF YOU KNOW A BUG OR A TRICK, RECORD IT!
----------------------------------------
That softlock in the first stage, going over the top in Flame Mammoth's
stage and the game drawing everything wrong, anything strange you have
found: record it with the name X1-Z-<what-it-is> (e.g.
X1-Z-softlock-vile). Our game has to repeat even the bugs of the
original, so this is gold. If you like, add one sentence explaining what
happens.


HOW TO SEND
-----------
Right-click the "recordings" folder > Send to > Compressed (zipped)
folder, and email the zip to davidluky@davidluky.com (the project
website's contact). You can send them a little at a time, after each
session. Do NOT send the ROM: only the recordings.

Questions? Write to the same email. Thank you!
