Super Metroid: Super Metroid Less Linear Edition

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 properly equipped 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 infinite bomb jumping and other such ultra difficult tricks are not required
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.

While not required, it is recommended that the Morph Ball and Bombs still be the first
items acquired.

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

Should any bugs or problems with the mod be discovered, please reply at:
or through PM.

The author or someone else who worked on the project will happily look into the problem in a timely manner.

Update: Version 1.10 provides a few changes and refinements to the mod.

Special Thanks to Warrax, Chloe, tc, ZRM, Spangler & Shade.Usher for the post-release issue reports and suggestions.

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.

Super Metroid rom, without a header.
File size: 3072KB[3,145,728 bytes]
CRC32: D22C4B35 or D63ED5F8