Super Metroid Less Linear Edition

By LexLuthermiester


Before getting to the particulars, I'd first like to express gratitude to the following people 
for their contributions.

	Nintendo for making a most excellent game which is still standing the test of time.

	The good folks who have made the various versions of the SMILE utility which made this mod 
	possible.

	Nightcrawler and all the good folks at RHDN/Datacrystal for having created such an 
	amazing repository/resource of information and utilities.

	Zoasty for being such a boss at Super Metroid speed running and inspiring me to be 
	a better & more creative player and striving for excellence in general.

	My friends for being such troopers through the beta testing phase of development.
	
	Special Thanks to Warrax, Chloe, tc, ZRM, Spangler & Shade.Usherfor the post 
	release issue reports!

	EternisedDragon7 for making a youtube playthrough video.

	Last but certainly not least, my wonderful Wife and Children for not only helping at 
	times but also for being very patient when I got so focused that time working on 
	things like this mod ate into time I should have been spending with them.

Now to the nitty-gritty.

	Requirements

		Super Metroid rom, without a header. 
		File size;	3072KB[3,145,728 bytes]
		CRC32;		D22C4B35

	Instructions

		Use your favorite IPS patching utility to apply to patch to the rom. 
		LunarIPS is recommended. The file size will not change. 
		The CRC32 checksum will change.


Description

		This mod was created out of a long-lived frustration at how linear[limiting] 
	the game is. While it was not to the extreme Fusion took linearity[which to be fair 
	was for story telling reasons], SM still has a fair amount. This mod aims to remove 
	as much linearity as possible granting the player the freedom to go nearly anywhere 
	from the moment they set foot on Zebes.

		Missile, Super Missile and Super Bomb triggered doors have been changed to 
	regular doors. Some gray doors have also been removed. There have been many landscape 
	changes in various locations, item movement and other tweaks to make the game more
	fluid and less irritating. These changes are not so dramatic as to change the "feel" 
	of the of game to any great degree.

		These changes might seem like they would make the game easier, but this is not 
	true. You, the game player, will now have the freedom to go to areas of the game you might
	not be equipped properly for. This will present added dangers and risks. The landscape
	has been modified so that if you go to an area you needed an item to exit from, you
	will still be able to exit. In other words, the terrain has been changed to prevent
	players from getting stuck anywhere. Some enemies have been added to some select rooms
	but no damage/hp stats have been changed. Some items were moved to make room to account
	for or accommodate terrain changes. While the game has been re-tooled so that you don't
	need to get it, the morph-ball and the bomb are always a good set of things to get first.
	Infinite bomb jumping and other such ultra difficult tricks are not needed either, they
	can't hurt. Wall-jumping however is a skill you will need if the High-jump boots are not
	at the top of your list of items to get first. And Maridia without the Gravity suit
	will, as always, be a pain.

		This mod was made out of a love of Super Metroid and the fun of playing it. 
	It is my sincerest wish that everyone enjoys reliving this game with a different twist!

Troubleshooting

		Should any bugs or problems with the mod be discovered, please reply at 
	http://www.romhacking.net/forum/index.php/topic,22903.0.html or PM me through 
	RHDN[account required]. I or someone else who worked on the project will happily look 
	into the problem in a timely manner.

Side Note

		Some people have asked why I have used the term "mod" instead of hack. This is 
	due to the fact that no actual "hacking" of any of the game code was done. As referred 
	to above, an editor was used for the entire effort. The editor made all of the changes. 
	Therefore, this effort is a "mod" rather than a "hack". There has been a general difference 
	of opinion within game hacking/modding community for many years. This is my point of 
	view and no offense is intended to anyone who has a different perspective.