Bionicle Heroes: Double Vision 1.0 Release!
Hey there everyone! About four months ago now I released MOVN 1.4, and since then I've not provided any updates regarding my Heroes modding efforts elsewhere other than the Bionicle Heroes modding Discord (which you should totally join here). However, for a few months before MOVN 1.4 and since then, I've been working on something huge - a total conversion (or as close to it as we can currently get) for Bionicle Heroes to be more like the DS release. This features whole new gameplay, lots of revised visuals (both at a technical and graphical level), new sound design sourced directly from the DS release, and, most exciting of all perhaps, a total soundtrack rework thanks to Ian Stocker, the original composer on the DS release of Bionicle Heroes, who provided original-quality mixes of the entire DS soundtrack. Sound good? Read on, or check out the trailer below:
Graphical
-Bloom removed - Thanks to an EXE patch by Hexadecimal Mantis (long will we be praising his name in this modding community), the overblown bloom has been removed, darkening the tone of the entire game
-Changed HUD to resemble DS graphics - such as Toa icons, the map, and overall HUD elements. Piraka icons are like those from the 810 Day edition with consistency with Toa icons. Vezon now has a Makuta-inspired icon!
-Changed most constraction elements across all maps to be varying shades between black, white, and silver for parity with DS version - a simple but effective change that again dispels much of the garish colour scheme of many of the game's levels
-Nuparu level 1, 2, and 3 weapon colours are now yellow and black to match DS
-Technic pieces have had colours changed for parity with DS edition - Denominations now go Silver, Red, and Gold
-Hub set to permanent night - Intended as both a fix to how difficult it was to mix different tracks for day and night cycles, whilst also providing a darker tone right out the gate
-Modified all loading screens to match DS style of loading screen - splashes generally created from in-game shots, with a few DS splashes AI-upscaled for generic transitions between regions
Examples:
SFX
-Technic piece SFX modified to use DS SFX
-Constraction complete SFX matches DS
-Changed Kongu weapon SFX to match DS (unfortunately the others had technical issues trying to change)
-Changed menu SFX to match DS
Examples of the above can be heard in the release trailer!
Music
-All music is replaced by original quality DS counterparts with many tracks having custom mixing for combat/out of combat, with the Piraka also having a combined boss track mixed up between prototype tracks, and Vezon/Makuta having his own boss track with special help from Ian Stocker
Examples of the above can be heard in the release trailer!
Gameplay
-Upon starting a new game, the first level in all elemental zones (except for Makuta's Lair) is open, like the DS
-Jaller Level 1-3 - still has a rapid fire attack, but attack gets gradually more dangerous as he levels up
-Hahli Level 1-3 - same attack as MOVN
-Nuparu Level 1-3 - now has a gradually intensifying shotgun blast attack with short range but high impact
-Hewkii Level 1-3 - now gains an additional rocket per attack per level that has reduced damage per rocket but increased overall damage
-Matoro Level 1-3 - slightly faster firing speed, damage tweaked to compensate
-Kongu Level 1-3 - a true chain lightning attack was not possible, but now has a railgun attack that deals high single-target damage at mid range with moderate AOE
-"Seventh Toa Edition" - replaces Jaller Level 1-3 with a colour scheme inspired by the 7th DS Toa, making his weapon a Zamor launcher that grows increasingly powerful inspired by the DS edition. Check out the addon page for Seventh Toa Edition for more info
-All Piraka are same as MOVN, with the exception of Vezon
-Makuta lives, as he did in the DS release! Vezon has been retextured and his model vertex-edited to appear like he couldn't resist putting Teridax's Kraahkan on his head as well as the Ignika, and Makuta now controls him whilst battling constantly against Vezon's psychopathic tendencies.
Examples can be seen in the trailer above, as well as below:
Misc
-Removal of most goof-off cutscenes between Piraka and the player, with a few necessary for scripting remade for consistency with soundtrack and tone
-Built upon MOVN 1.4, so includes all non-specific changes to graphics, gameplay, and so on
-Changed all references of Vezon to refer to Makuta instead (apart from the enemy model, which is retextured but not remodelled due to limitations right now)
-Modified credits - special thanks to Ian Stocker, Hexadecimal Mantis, and Sam Warren for their help in making this happen!
-New menu logo and menu elements
-New icon for the mod's exe
Examples:
Conclusion
That's all for now everyone! Thanks for checking it out and the Heroes modding scene continues to grow with new mods in development all the time! The best place to keep an eye on it is over on the Discord: Discord.gg
Meanwhile, I'm now going to be looking at MOVN 1.5 as well as making plans for compatibility patches for various other mods around the community now. Thanks again and remember - Unity, Duty, Destiny!
