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How to colorize Game Boy games – Backgrounds

149 points by ibobev 3y ago

o11c 3y ago
[flagged]
- codetrotter 3y ago
  Reader mode does not show the code listings for me Here’s a version you should be able to read without JS and still have the code listings: https://archive.is/nvZZq https://archive.is/nvZZq
  - o11c 3y ago
    Code listings show up just fine in Firefox 115.8.0esr on Linux
ClassyJacket 3y ago
This is so strange. Just last week I wondered if it was possible to add colour to Game Boy games from just the ROM, I found it was and wondered if there was a tutorial somewhere. Sadly, this page is not loading.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
jsheard 3y ago
For the uninitiated, there's quite a few finished GB to GBC conversions already: https://www.romhacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=33121.0 https://www.romhacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=33121.0 e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFm0aeg9nec https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFm0aeg9nec Even the King James Bible has been colorized for... some reason.
- codetrotter 3y ago
  > Even the King James Bible has been colorized for... some reason. *Checks link.* > Read the Bible…in color. Search the Bible…in color. Match words from the Bible…in color. Guess words from the Bible…in color. This hack brings Wisdom Tree’s Game Boy Bible to the GBC. > NOTE: This game has dodgy compatibility with emulators/hardware, due to it using the unlicensed Wisdom Tree mapper. BGB will work the best. View the readme for more info. https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/6708/ https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/6708/ Sounds like a valid reason to me. In color. More seriously, isn’t Christianity like one of the three biggest religions in the world? Makes sense that one of its followers would find it useful to make an enhancement to the game. In color.
  - jsheard 3y ago
    Turns out the real answer is that it was an April Fools joke. In color. https://s3-external-1.amazonaws.com/romhacking-hacks/hacks/gameboy/patches/6708readme.txt https://s3-external-1.amazonaws.com/romhacking-hacks/hacks/g...
- Y_Y 3y ago
  > Even the King James Bible has been colorized for... some reason. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illuminated_manuscript https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illuminated_manuscript For hundreds of years people have been putting a large about of effort into coloring in bibles. As far as I know the book itself doesn't endorse the practice.
  - FrontierProject 3y ago
    Do all the other illustrated books endorse the practice?
    - Y_Y 3y ago
      Like coloring books?
      - 3y ago
minimaxir 3y ago
The Game Boy Color's ability to select a color palette for GB games (from 12 built-in palettes) that didn't have their own was a good way to teach 8-year olds about how color really works in games: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Boy_Color#Color_palettes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Boy_Color#Color_palettes
- anthk 3y ago
  These were useful to override the limitations of the dark caves in Red/Blue/Yellow Pokémon games, allowing yourself to "see" in the dark.
donatj 3y ago
Another interesting yet provocatively named post in a similar vein https://blog.loveconquersallgames.com/post/2350461718/fuck-the-super-game-boy-introduction https://blog.loveconquersallgames.com/post/2350461718/fuck-t...
aquova 3y ago
I'm excited to find this. I've been aware of Game Boy colorization projects for some time, but I was always curious of how it was best to go about it. I understand the basic principles of how color memory was used in the GBC, but it always seemed a bit daunting to get into. Most of the work I've done is raw hex editing (which I've always known wasn't ideal), so I'm curious about their methods here. I will admit that as someone familiar with the concepts but not the methods, what their compilation script is doing, or how creating it helps the project along, is a bit lost on me.
iAkashPaul 3y ago
Anyone interested in a flyby of a Pokemon themed forest HEIC/wallpaper for macOS?
c-hendricks 3y ago
The author has done work on commercial releases, which is really cool for this niche. They're also working on a colorization of one of my favorites, Kaeru no Tame: https://www.romhacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=21642.0 https://www.romhacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=21642.0
throwaway_08932 3y ago
I only just found out the other day that if you are playing a non-colorized GB cart on a Game Boy Color, holding down a direction on the dpad when the Nintendo logo appears will let you change the palette!
- YoshiRulz 3y ago
  There are even more; hold down A or B as well.

149 points by ibobev 3y ago

o11c 3y ago

[flagged]

codetrotter 3y ago
Reader mode does not show the code listings for me Here’s a version you should be able to read without JS and still have the code listings: https://archive.is/nvZZq https://archive.is/nvZZq
- o11c 3y ago
  Code listings show up just fine in Firefox 115.8.0esr on Linux

ClassyJacket 3y ago

This is so strange. Just last week I wondered if it was possible to add colour to Game Boy games from just the ROM, I found it was and wondered if there was a tutorial somewhere. Sadly, this page is not loading.

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]

jsheard 3y ago

For the uninitiated, there's quite a few finished GB to GBC conversions already: https://www.romhacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=33121.0 https://www.romhacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=33121.0 e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFm0aeg9nec https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFm0aeg9nec Even the King James Bible has been colorized for... some reason.

codetrotter 3y ago
> Even the King James Bible has been colorized for... some reason. *Checks link.* > Read the Bible…in color. Search the Bible…in color. Match words from the Bible…in color. Guess words from the Bible…in color. This hack brings Wisdom Tree’s Game Boy Bible to the GBC. > NOTE: This game has dodgy compatibility with emulators/hardware, due to it using the unlicensed Wisdom Tree mapper. BGB will work the best. View the readme for more info. https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/6708/ https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/6708/ Sounds like a valid reason to me. In color. More seriously, isn’t Christianity like one of the three biggest religions in the world? Makes sense that one of its followers would find it useful to make an enhancement to the game. In color.
- jsheard 3y ago
  Turns out the real answer is that it was an April Fools joke. In color. https://s3-external-1.amazonaws.com/romhacking-hacks/hacks/gameboy/patches/6708readme.txt https://s3-external-1.amazonaws.com/romhacking-hacks/hacks/g...
Y_Y 3y ago
> Even the King James Bible has been colorized for... some reason. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illuminated_manuscript https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illuminated_manuscript For hundreds of years people have been putting a large about of effort into coloring in bibles. As far as I know the book itself doesn't endorse the practice.
- FrontierProject 3y ago
  Do all the other illustrated books endorse the practice?
  - Y_Y 3y ago
    Like coloring books?
    - 3y ago

minimaxir 3y ago

The Game Boy Color's ability to select a color palette for GB games (from 12 built-in palettes) that didn't have their own was a good way to teach 8-year olds about how color really works in games: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Boy_Color#Color_palettes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Boy_Color#Color_palettes

anthk 3y ago
These were useful to override the limitations of the dark caves in Red/Blue/Yellow Pokémon games, allowing yourself to "see" in the dark.

donatj 3y ago

Another interesting yet provocatively named post in a similar vein https://blog.loveconquersallgames.com/post/2350461718/fuck-the-super-game-boy-introduction https://blog.loveconquersallgames.com/post/2350461718/fuck-t...

aquova 3y ago

I'm excited to find this. I've been aware of Game Boy colorization projects for some time, but I was always curious of how it was best to go about it. I understand the basic principles of how color memory was used in the GBC, but it always seemed a bit daunting to get into. Most of the work I've done is raw hex editing (which I've always known wasn't ideal), so I'm curious about their methods here. I will admit that as someone familiar with the concepts but not the methods, what their compilation script is doing, or how creating it helps the project along, is a bit lost on me.

iAkashPaul 3y ago

Anyone interested in a flyby of a Pokemon themed forest HEIC/wallpaper for macOS?

c-hendricks 3y ago

The author has done work on commercial releases, which is really cool for this niche. They're also working on a colorization of one of my favorites, Kaeru no Tame: https://www.romhacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=21642.0 https://www.romhacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=21642.0

throwaway_08932 3y ago

I only just found out the other day that if you are playing a non-colorized GB cart on a Game Boy Color, holding down a direction on the dpad when the Nintendo logo appears will let you change the palette!

YoshiRulz 3y ago
There are even more; hold down A or B as well.