What is it?

The MMBN3 Gauntlet mod is a modification of Megaman Battle Network 3: Blue that turns the game into a roguelite experience. (Imagine: Slay The Spire meets Battle Network) The player has to survive a series of 50 battles, with a boss fight every 5 battles. Fights get progressively harder every 10 battles. After every battle, the player can choose a chip out of 3 dropped chips to fine-tune the folder during the course of one playthrough. After every boss, the player is offered a choice of 3 random buffs, that can heavily impact the playstyle and are inspired by various buffs that were already present in the original game, or by buffs from other deckbuilding/roguelite games.

The player can select from various starting loadouts that include a fully-featured draft mode to impact the starting folder. Additionally, the mod contains an optional music-patching feature that randomly selects music tracks from other GBA games and randomizes tempo as well as pitch.

The MMBN3 Gauntlet requires a recent version of Bizhawk using the default mGBA core. This is because it requires the run-time manipulation of RAM and ROM of the running GBA emulator Core.

Credits

json.lua

Credits to json.lua go to https://github.com/rxi (Respective License: LICENSE_JSON_LUA)

BBN3-netcode

Credits to the experimental BBN3-netcode repo by ssbmars for helping me save time in creating the network-input form before running.

How-To / Usage

Download BizHawk from https://github.com/TASVideos/BizHawk/releases

Download the latest release of the Gauntlet files in the release section ( https://github.com/thomasneff/mmbn3-draft-gauntlet/releases )

Extract all files into the Bizhawk/Lua directory (so that the directory then contains the mmbn3_draft_gauntlet folder). I will refer to the mmbn3_draft_gauntlet folder as the GAUNTLET_FOLDER.

Start BizHawk (EmuHawk.exe).

Load Megaman Battle Network 3: Blue [US] in BizHawk

Open the BizHawk Lua Console (Tools -> Lua Console)

In the Lua Console, open the script "gauntlet.lua" (Script -> Open Script -> open GAUNTLET_FOLDER/gauntlet.lua)

(If it didn't start automatically) Doubleclick the "gauntlet" script in the Lua Console list of scripts

The paused icon should change to a running icon, and the gauntlet will load.

Experimental Netplay

The gauntlet supports a 2-player "netplay" mode that alternates controls between a "controller" and a "spectator" between rounds. Make sure that the hosts forwards the port correctly and that the host clicks the "Host" button before the Client clicks the "Join" button. If you don't want to use the netplay mode, simply close the form without pressing either button.

Controls during Menus / between Battles

Directions/D-Pad: Cursor / Highlighted Object

A: Confirm

B: Skip (in Chip Replacement View)

L/R: Show active Buffs

Start: Sort Folder View

Select: Show Folder View (if in any other view)

Music Replacement

This Gauntlet mod contains the option of automatically replacing the in-game battle music by music extracted from other GBA games. This is done by extracting the data for all instruments and samples using the "SongExtractor" tool in the directory "songextractor_cs". For this to work, you need to do the following:

Patch the ROM to increase its size to contain the additional music, using the "RomPatcher" tool found in the "rom_patch" directory. Keep in mind that using the patched rom without Music Patching enabled / used will result in missing battle music. If you don't want to use Music Patching, simply use the regular Megaman Battle Network 3: Blue [US] rom.

(If you want to use your own music without the ingame battle music, simply patch the ROM and disable the music patching, then you will just hear sound effects and the victory fanfare, but no battle music.)

(From now on, to use Music Patching, use the patched ROM with BizHawk.)

To extract music, the "SongExtractor" tool can be used when the "Song Table Address" is known. This address can be found out by using the "Sappy2006" tool, which you can find on romhacking sites.

If you load a ROM into Sappy2006 and it detects it, you can simply use the Song Table Address with the "SongExtractor.exe" in "songextractor_cs". as follows:

"SongExtractor.exe mmbn3.gba 0x00148C6C 0 200 800000"

Where 0x00148C6C would be the Song Table Address for Megaman Battle Network 3: Blue [US], 0 is the first song index to extract, 200 is the last song index to extract, and 800000 is the offset where the song will be placed during runtime (which you can leave at 800000).

When used correctly, SongExtractor should produce an out/GameName/ directory, where files for every song are extracted. Several SongTable offsets are defined in GAUNTLET_FOLDER/song_extractor_cs/song_tables.txt . The batch file GAUNTLET_FOLDER/song_extractor_cs/extract_all.bat shows example usages for extracting songs of all Battle Network games.

To use them in the Gauntlet, you can modify the "music_loader.lua" script in GAUNTLET_FOLDER/music_loader.lua . In there, you can change the directories of your music files (or leave them as default), change the amount of music transposition / tempo shift that gets randomly applied and the music tracks used for regular battles and boss battles.