Introduction:

Hello everyone! My name's Jesús and for this year's SHC '23 I'm bringing to SADX a collection of 3 custom, fully fledged level ports of various levels from the original Spyro for the PSX.

This package which I labeled as the "Spyro Triple Pack", merges the following mods that I've been releasing through the last year into a single mod for this year's SHC '23:

• Town Square (Replaces Lost World)
• Gnorc Cove (Replaces Twinkle Park)
• Tree Tops (Replaces Sky Deck)

This special pack has been built specifically for the SHC '23, everything you see in here only applies to this build.

If you end up giving this pack a chance and enjoyed it, I heavily recommend you to download the individual releases to keep up with the latests updates, fixes and additions to these levels. I'm always trying to improve their experience and retroactively adding features from my latests mod releases. You can get them from the links above or check my GameBanana page for more releases.

With that introduction done, please be sure to read the following sections to know what features this mod includes and various tips to ensure a smooth gameplay and modding experience alongside known issues (THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!). For example, down below you can find a list of recommended mods that I recommend to play alongside this pack.

And remember, if you are having any issues, please check the troubleshooting section for help regarding some of the common ones.

Recommended mods to use in tandem:

At a fundamental level, this mod doesn't require any particular dependencies to work. Regardless, here's a couple of popular mods that I recommend using alongside this one for an improved experience - It's recommended to load Spyro Triple Pack at the bottom of your modlist for the best compatibility:

• USE INPUT MOD IF YOU ARE USING THE OLD MOD MANAGER / IF YOU ARE USING THE NEW MANAGER, USE THE BETTER INPUT CONTROLLER SETTINGS.
• Lantern Engine (ESSENTIAL - This will add the intended lightning for objects and characters as the lightning of those two was built around Palette Lightning)
• HD GUI (This will enable this mod's custom made, HD quality GUI textures instead of the downscaled SD quality ones)
• HUD Plus (This will show your score in-game, handy if you want to keep track of it since many of the custom objects in these levels give various score values)
• Dreamcast Conversion (Can't say anything you already don't know, but some of the fixes included in here or SADX:FE do make the overall experience better, even for custom levels. Like the itembox rotation fixes)
• SA2 Restart (Very handy If you want to fully reset the level without having to go back to the Trial Menu)

Known Compatibility Issues*:

These are explained in more detail down below on the Important Stuff / Compatibility / Known Issues section but basically:

• I DON'T fully recommend using the Character Select Mod when playing Tree Tops - Tails layout. The issue won't affect your gameplay, only visually. A workaround for this is to use Better Tails AI since it seems to "fix" this small conflict.
• If you play with Hill Top, please load Spyro Triple Pack UNDER Hill Top. Not doing so will break the counter system this mod uses for the Dragons and Keys (this mod order doesn't seem to cause any negative effect on Hill Top).

(*) Please keep in mind that these are the known compatibility issues at the time of this submission, these might vary or get fixed by the Contest Week - I'll try to add a comment when the submission goes live in case of any changes.

Key Features:

- 3 fully fledged level ports of Town Square, Gnorc Cove and Tree Tops from Spyro 1, featuring a mix of the SADX and Spyro experience:

• Town Square:
• A very small, hub-like level set in the Artisans homeworld. For those looking for a quick and chill collectathon experience or ultra fast emerald hunting stage, featuring brand-new sections that you couldn't access before!
• Both Sonic & Knuckles can visit this realm - (Replaces Lost World).
• Gnorc Cove:
• Set in the Gnorc Gnexus homeworld, this linear cove full of TNT Barrels, wooden boxes and traps will make a challenging platforming experience while you try to go through the various obstacles, gaps and tricky jumps. Don't fall into the water though! You can't swim in here!
• This level is perfect for people who enjoy Amy's gameplay as her playstyle fits this level like a charm and it will test your skills as her. Also Big offers a full Action Stage experience rather than the usual fishing.
• Sonic, Amy and Big can tackle this realm - (Replaces Twinkle Park)
• Tree Tops:
• A rather infamous level in the original game set in the Beast Makers homeworld due to it's difficulty it's the latests addition to this pack. Fortunately though, our cast special abilities will make this one a bit more easier to go through.
• This large open level will require full use of your speed, flying and gliding abilities to cross the very large gaps and ramps spreaded through the levels and be able to reach various extra spots. A fully powered spindash at the right time around the end of each ramp will be the key to cross the gaps as Sonic, while Tails and Knuckles will need to quickly react so they fly and glide at the optimal moment.
• All three characters shine in this map and each of them have a different objective in here. Sonic for example can follow a certain route to get all the possible collectibles in one go without needing to backtrack while Tails will have to explore around to save all the dragons who got trapped!
• Sonic, Tails & Knuckles can test their might on this realm - (Replaces Sky Deck)
• Please remember that I don't aim to a 1:1 recreation of these levels but instead, I aim to bring a fresh experience in SADX by taking things from Spyro and adding into the existent mechanics and objects from SADX. Simply that what if? experience.
• With that said, all of these levels use their original assets such as the level geometry and skybox with their gorgerous vertex coloring intact, alongside many custom object models and animations from the original game.
• All of these assets have been directly ripped from the original game by me and I have manually tweaked and improved a lot of them in various aspects (Texturing, UVs, Modelling...) to ensure a crisp look and smooth gameplay and visual experience.

- Fully coded:

• This mod handles all of it's replacements and additions through code. This ensures maximum control over what I replaced and vastly improves compatibility with many other mods alongside making a more stable experience overall.

- Compatibility with Dreamcast Conversion and Lantern Engine:

• By using a dedicated feature from Dreamcast Conversion for Mod Developers, you don't even need to disable any of the replaced levels in Dreamcast Conversion configuration before playing. This mod will handle it for you, just download and play! - (Please remember this automatization only applies for Dreamcast Conversion, not other individual level mods)
• Also, this level features compatibility with the Lantern Engine mod by using custom PL and SL files to provide custom Palette Lightning. I recommend using this mod alongside this pack to get the intended lightning for characters and objects and add that extra touch to the looks, nothing super fancy (this doesn't apply to the level meshes due to them fully relying on vertex colors and completely ignoring lightning).

- Complete SET and CAM layouts for all characters, even Big!

• Nobody is left behind! If a character is featured in a level, they'll have a SET and CAM layout for them for you to enjoy. And remember, if you are not comfortable with the Auto Camera from the layout, you can always switch to Free Camera! All the limitations have been removed to gran you maximum freedom.
• Every level features the same* amount of Rings in their layouts as amount of Gems there are to collect on their original levels. Can you manage to collect and maintain all of them?
• Town Square -> 200 Rings
• Gnorc Cove -> 400 Rings
• Tree Tops -> 500 Rings
• There's also feature a certain guest appearance, they say it's appears on a different spot in every layout, watching... Can you find it in all layouts?
• (*) Some characters might be able to go over the natural amount of Rings due to the environment giving them extra rewards.

- A good chunk of working and interactuable custom objects:

• All of them made from scratch and completely implemented via custom object code. Breakable chests, locked chests with their respective Key, life chests, animated torches and firewoods, the exit portal, chickens, barrels...
• All made to further enhance the gameplay experience and add that extra touch to the levels, be gameplay-wise by adding more mechanics or simply to add some visual flair.-

- DRAGONS! A whole bunch of them:

• That's right! Just like in the original game, some poor dragons have been trapped into a crystalized form in each level. Somebody's gotta save them! - Unfortunately though, seems like our cast can't really understand Draconic so... They might not even hear anything they say...
• Tails even has an objective dedicated to them in Tree Tops!
• Each level features a different set of dragons, all representing their original appearances in their native realms (alongside some guests dragons from their native homeworlds). Can you save them all? Sometimes they will even give you extra rewards!

- Custom objectives and mission ranks:

On the "Extra Download" section, I added a 100% savefile alongside a compilation of fresh ones and a readme.txt. These savefiles are already setup so you can quickly test A / B Ranks for every character level alongside A / B / C Ranks ready-files for Metal Sonic, as there's also support for his ranks (he shares the same objectives / requirements as Sonic). I also left on the Gallery section an image listing all A-Rank Missions and a video showing gameplay of all A-Rank Missions.

• All of these levels features custom objectives (like rescuing Dragons or simply reaching the exit portal) alongside the standard ones.
• And for the first time in individual level mods, custom Rank A / B Mission requirements!
• If you play on a fresh savefile that didn't completed these Ranks yet, you can tackle these edited requirements and have that extra bit of added challenge behind their locked emblems. Some of them are just adapted, harder versions of the usual ones while others are brand new challenges that will test your speed and gathering skills!
• Every level has different Rank A / B Mission requirements and all of them are fully supported via custom Mission Cards!
• Are you up for the challenge?
• It's recommended to enable the "Disable Saving" code in the ModManager if you don't want to overwrite these files during testing, and use the SA2 Restart mod if you want to quickly reload the full level instead of having to exit to the Trial Menu.
• (Please don't confuse these custom Mission Ranks with the dedicated Mission mode, unfortunately this build doesn't edit those missions for the time being - It will come down the line!).

- Custom GUI elements, with full English and Japanese text support alongside HD and SD quality support:

• This mod features a large variety of custom GUI elements to fit the original game look and style of GUI seamlessly. All of these elements have full English and Japanese support depending on your Text Language settings.
• Also, by default this mod will load downscaled SD Quality GUI elements but if you play with HD GUI (recommended), this mod will load the custom made, HD Quality GUI elements.
• Remember that if you are using it, this mod needs to be loaded UNDER HD GUI, not doing so might make some HD Quality GUI elements not work correctly.
• Examples of custom GUI elements be: Stage Nameplates, Title Cards, Mission Cards, End-Credits Images, Sound Test...

Important Stuff / Compatibility / Known Issues:

- As usual, I put a lot of work playtesting and ensuring everything works as it should be and that no other mods conflict with this one (and viceversa), thanks to this you won't need to disable half of your modlist to play my mods. So unless pointed otherwise like down below, you should be pretty safe with most popular mods (and some common sense!). Remember that some Gameplay mods might need to be loaded last if you are encountering any type of crashes with them.

- First of all, BE SURE TO HAVE YOU MOD LOADER, MOD MANAGER AND MODS UP TO DATE! - This mod uses recent Mod Loader API features that won't work in older versions and it might rely on other mod's newests features. So as always, do an update check before playing this mod.

- It's also recommended to PLACE THIS MOD ON THE BOTTOM OF YOUR MODLIST! - Especially if you are using mods such as HD GUI, this usually fixes a lot of weird issues or things like missing SET layouts, lack of music or overall stuff that shouldn't be happening in the level.

- Unfortunately, there are some known compatibility issues* that I haven't been able to solve yet (be due to lack of time or being out of my hand). So please be sure to know these*:

• Character Select:
• Spyro Triple Pack disables Tails Race AI opponent for Tree Tops (Sky Deck), all other vanilla levels are unaffected. Unfortunately due to how CharSel handles it's edits, this makes my hook to never run. This is only a minor issue and the mod is still perfectly playable with it, it's just that if you play with CharSel enabled, it will simply spawn Sonic Race AI and the race HUD (but it doesn't affect the gameplay since the AI can't win). I still recommended to not use it when playing Tails Tree Tops layout if possible.
• Hill Top:
• If you play with this mod active, please be sure to load Spyro Triple Pack UNDER Hill Top in your modlist. Not doing so will break the counter system for the Dragons and Keys that Spyro Triple Pack uses.
• (*) Please keep in mind that these are the known compatibility issues at the time of this submission, these might vary or get fixed by the Contest Week - I'll try to add a comment when the submission goes live in case of any changes.

- Remember that this mod will automatically disable the replaced levels on Dreamcast Conversion for you, only manually disable other level mods / mods that affect any of the levels or features that this mod replaces (anything else is fine).

- If the skybox appears completely white, please refer to these depending if you are using the New ModManager or Old ModManager. You might have accidentally disabled a needed patch (that should be by default) that fixes Vertex Color rendering:

• Old ModManager: Check that you DISABLED (should be by default) the "Disable Vertex Color Fix" option - You can find it on "Debug > Advanced > Disable Vertex Color Fix"
• New ModManager: Check that you ENABLED (should be by default) the "Vertex Color Fixes" patch - You can find it in "Game Config > Patches > Vertex Color Fixes"

- Regarding Multiplayer support:

• Unfortunately due to running out of time, I wasn't able to fully implement Multiplayer support for all the custom things (mainly objects) in this level. The levels and layouts itself should work fine for the most part (exception Tails Tree Tops layout when trying to get into the portal without the required dragons) but things like custom objects might not work as intended (example P3 breaks chests but the contents go to P1). This will be implemented down the line for the individual releases. You can give it a try if you want, but I can't promise a fully working Multiplayer experience at this current time. It'll come in a future update.

- If you encounter any compatibility or misc issues outside this list:

• Feel free to reach me out in the comments down below (or GameBanana) with your problem and remember to LIST ME YOUR CURRENT ACTIVE MODS so I can take a better look at it. I cannot help if I don't know which mods were you using alongside this one.
• If your issue had an error message, please tell me when does that message pop up and the exact words of the message alongside any crash addresses or crash dumps. That information is extremely helpful when troubleshooting your issues.

Installation:

1. Make sure you have the latest version of the SADX ModLoader and ModManager installed.
2. Download the mod from the box down below. If you use the OneClickInstall, skip to Step 4.
3. Extract the contents of the .7z into your "mods" folder, located inside the SADX install directory.
4. You should be now able to see the mod listed in your ModManager, just enable it by checking the box next to the name and hit the "Save" button.
5. Enjoy!

Special Thanks:

That's everything for now! I spent quite a lot of time making these mods and the pack itself, always ensuring the best possible quality and gameplay experience for you to enjoy, as I always like to do.

I hope you enjoy this pack! Feel free to share your thoughs, feedback and media (videos, screenshots...) with me, I'll appreciate it! You can do it in the comments down below or tag me at @Jesus_97_MC on Twitter, my YouTube channel or my GameBanana page. You can also check my GitHub page.

This mod couldn't have been possible without the outstanding help from Sora, Kell, ItsEasyActually, MainMemory and many other people over at the X-Hax server who taught me everything I learned during the past year. Many features couldn't have been implemented or fully polished if it weren't for them.

Like literally more than half of the custom features in these mods like animated ramps, many custom objects, levelranks, etc... Couldn't have been possible without Kell and Sora helping me countless of times and teaching me how the game works, C / C++ works and overall being the GOATs all around.

Same with IEA, thanks to him I was able to bring all the dragons in their full glory. Due to the model format they use to preserve their original animations I couldn't get vertex colors for them. But thanks to his baking textures method, I was able to fully preserve their vertex colors in their textures while having their original animations!

With that said...

Thank you for playing!