Reference · Levels

Level 15, Mirrorland

partial

Everything level 15 needs to be played from its start to its end: Tommy in an upside-down copy of the Pickles house, six purple "?" boxes, six colours of balloons against a 90-second clock. Read from the pseudo-code and the disassembly; the start, a box opened, a full balloon run, all six colours, the win (cine 72) and the way back to the hub, the clock running out, the respawn and what a failure undoes were run in the oracle (see Checked in the oracle). Builds on gameplay, objectives, screens and level 12 (the same house, spawn groups).

Units: dt is 1/300 s (10 a frame at 30 fps), angles 4096 a turn, y down, heading 0 faces +z and 1024 faces +x. "id" is the registry id (LP +0x2a). "slot" is an index into the loader's spawn lists (0x800e2710 objects, 0x800e26e0 group, 0x800e2740 copies). A VSync is 1/60 s; the oracle's frame counter counts VSyncs.

The goal in one paragraph

The player is Tommy (char 1, the default case of 0x80018598). Mirrorland is a bonus level: 0x80076d6c starts it after the third main level is completed (state +0x22 = 3). Cine 73 "MirrorLand Intro", then card HINT13 (file 684): find the six purple ? boxes and press Triangle to release the balloons; collect all of them before the timer runs out to earn a Reptar balloon of that colour; earn all six. Each box (ids 207-212) sits in its own room. Using one hides it and scatters 25 or 30 balloons of one colour over that floor of the house, starts a 90 s clock and a counter. Taking the last balloon stops the clock and lights that colour's icon. While a colour runs, the other boxes cannot be used. The clock at 0 is a cry: Tommy goes back to the last checkpoint and the colours not yet secured by a checkpoint are undone. Tries are 0, which means unlimited: the level cannot be lost. The sixth colour plays cine 72 "MirrorLand Win" and 0x80076d6c(15, 1): the level's puzzle piece, +0x30 bit 16, and the hub.

How level 15 is reached

• First time: 0x80076d6c (a main level of 2-6 or 8-12 completed for the first time) counts +0x22; at 3 it prints "should trigger LVL_MIRROR_LAND next" and calls SwitchEpisode(15) (0x80076fc8, 0x80077028), +0x30 bits 1-2 cleared.
• Again, from the hub: with +0x30 bit 16 set, the hub's mirror in Tommy's room becomes a door to level 15 (below). It plays no cine.
• Not an activity (0x80013030: 13, 17, -2, 18).

Phases and state

Level 15 has a level timer callback (0x8007f5a8 table 0x800158cc index 13 = 0x8007d4e4), no room change case (0x8007f498 table 0x80015894 index 12 is the default 0x8007f598), a per-frame ambience (0x800b9618[15] = 0x800811c0), no CheckPoint room, no room cine and no Gameplay script (no kind 6 record has those bytes).

Data in DB15

The house, upside down

47 rooms (LEVEL15.BIN; boxes read from RAM, room +0x10..+0x28). It is the Pickles house turned over: the bedroom floor is at y about 8587 (rooms 0-14, y 3712..8832), the ground floor at about 2420 (rooms 15-31, 33-36, 42, 44, y -2432..2688), the yard rooms 24 and 37-41, and rooms 32 and 45 at y -9600..-4480 (the box 212 floor at about -4745; guess: the attic or the basement turned over). Screenshots: Tommy walking on ceilings, the furniture hanging above him. Kind 6 records set camera kinds 1, 6 and 0, flag 16 on many rooms, bytes +0x5c 1-4 on rooms 9, 17, 21, 27 and 32 (not used; no kind 3 room) and song 1 in room 5. Posts (LP kind 2): 1-4 and 19 camera posts (flag 8) that no room uses; 5-18 a ring at y -9134 (flags 0; no level code uses it, guess: a cine path).

The characters (LP kind 1)

The mirror: LP 295 (template 836, id 602, speech line 266 at LP +0x4c) and LP 296 (template 881, id 135) at (45713, 5369, 12603), in room 5 above Tommy. In level 15 they have no use (the 836 / 881 case of 0x8004691c is level 1's).

The ? boxes (template 1102)

Template 1102: class 0, flags 0x442 (climbable), use byte 2, +0x32 = 10, trigger 5000, shape 1512. Use byte 2 is table 0x800b7e90[2] = 0x8004d434.

Rooms and slots seen in RAM; colours from the HUD in screenshots.

Room to box (0x8007d02c)

0x8007d02c(room) returns (group, slot, id) by table 0x800157e4 (room - 2, rooms 2..45): room 25 -> group 0, id 207; rooms 19 and 20 -> group 1, id 208; room 21 -> group 2, id 209; room 5 -> group 3, id 210; room 2 -> group 4, id 211; room 45 -> group 5, id 212; any other room -> group -1, id 0. The slot is the index k with 0x800e26e0[k] == group, -1 if none.

The balloons (templates 845-850)

Class 12 collectibles (0x80048a44 kinds 6-11). LP +0x46 copies, LP +0x48 group, LP +0x4a copies placed at load (0 for all six, so none is placed at load; 0x800454dc at 0x80045f34).

Seen at load: 0x800e26e0 = (3, 1, 2, 0, 4, 5), 0x800e2740 = (25, 30, 30, 30, 30, 25); slots 6-10 are the bars. Init (0x80048a44 at 0x80048df8): box -375..375, +0xab |= 1, +0xb0 = 0xc0800000, +0xac = a sprite by group (0x800c4484 + 3612, 3648, 3588, 3600, 3636, 3624), +0xb4 240, +0xb6 300, grey 128, and per axis a random speed (+0xd0..+0xd4), a random phase (+0xd6..+0xda) and amplitude 128 (+0xdc..+0xe0). Think 0x8004d570 kinds 6-11: each axis phase += speed x dt >> 6, offset = 128 x sin(phase); the position is the spot (+0xc4..+0xcc, kept on the first think) plus the offsets. So each balloon bobs up to 128 on every axis around its spot.

Spawn groups (LP kind 7)

175 records. Groups 0-5 hold exactly one spot per balloon (30, 30, 30, 25, 30, 25), so every spot gets one. Groups 6-10 hold one spot each for the five Reptar bars (template 835, LP 227-231, bar numbers 6-10), placed at load (seen: 0x8004fe14(.., 6..10, 1) at 1820).

The bar spots: groups 6 and 10 at y 8144, 7 and 9 at 2020, 8 at -5192.

A colour's spots spread over its whole floor, not only the box's room.

Level 15 in shared code

• Camera: EpisodeStart calls 0x800291f8(camera, player, 1, 1500, 3000, 0, 0, 612); with 1500 in levels 4 and 15 the follow height 0x800c3f5c is 512 (0x8002926c). Seen camera +0x4a 1.
• Generic object init (0x8004691c, table 0x8001369c index 14 = 0x80047a54), each copy 168 bytes with its draw +0x40 = 0 (invisible, guess: collision only):
  1. Template 223 (LP 93): six copies at x 19100, 20600, 22100, 23600, 25100, 26100, y 2443, z 6800, room from position (hint 22).
  2. Template 248 (LP 24): template flag 64 cleared (not climbable); copies at (its x, 2443, its z) and (6800, 2443, its z).
  3. Template 54 (LP 195): copies at (its x, its y, 3000) and (22000, its y, 3000).
• Collecting (0x800514b0, kinds 6-11 at 0x80051c08): the generic burst and removal, then sound 113, player +0x1a9 += 1, the counter text = 0x800c4b94 - +0x1a9 ("%d", 0x800c4194, 0x80090214); when they are equal, 0x8007d250(player). Taken by walking into them (calls from 0x8005d5cc and 0x8005e34c); a teleport onto one did not take it.
• The ambience (0x800811c0): countdown 0x800c4cc0 minus dt; below 0 speech 0x800b94b8[rand & 3] = 155, 266, 267 or 25 (0x8008da4c), then countdown (rand & 255) x 8.

Start (EpisodeStart, 0x8007ceb8)

Installed by 0x8007871c (case 15). The level start, in order: player init on LP 208; cine 73 (0x80074958 case 15); its start hook (0x80072ef0 case 73, 0x800731ec): Spike +0x688 |= 0x2000, progress +0x30 |= 16; its end hook (0x800732d4 case 73): hide 16, 136, 137, 138, 139, then the default 0x80074ec0(0, player id); CineFinish (0x800783d8 case 72): card 684 (HINT13, arg 6), no callback; EpisodeStart; 0x8007737c case 72 does nothing.

0x8007ceb8(player):

1. 0x800291f8(camera, player, 1, 1500, 3000, 0, 0, 612) (above).
2. 0x8007cc34(k) for slots 0-5: the slot's copies taken out of the world (0x8004fd20), state 0.
3. 0x800c441d = 0. Six icons: model 311 (empty balloon) at scale (36, 48, 1024), x 50 + 24k, y 88 - 15 (k & 1) - (0x800c4a06 >> 4) (0x8008f8f4, 0x80090004), kept in 0x800e6ed8[k].
4. Player +0x220 = 0, 0x800c441c = -1.
5. Respawn = the player's position and angles, phase 1 (0x80078d60).

Seen: cine 73 from 1820 to 3075 (1255 VSyncs); at 3075 card 684 (arg 6), EpisodeStart, respawn (44863, 8587, 12281) phase 1, room 5; +0x30 0x110 (16 from the cine, 256 from the EpisodeStart post 0x8007871c); tries 0; six grey balloon icons bottom right.

Opening a box (0x8004d434)

ACTION (Triangle) with a box touched (+0xf4) and Tommy standing beside it: state 12, and at the animation event (0x8005f584 -> 0x8005f614) the box's +0x54 = 0x8004d434(box, player):

1. 0x8004cdfc(box, box position, 100) (an effect) and sound 114 at the box (0x8006f644).
2. 0x80054894(box): a particle burst coloured by the box's room (table 0x80013964; guess: the balloon colour).
3. Hide the box (0x80078bc4(id)).
4. 0x8007d0f4(player).

0x8007d0f4(player): (group, slot, id) = 0x8007d02c(player room +0x3b); 0x8007ccb4(player, group, slot); every box 207-212 but this room's gets use +0x54 = 0; if 0x800c441d is 0, respawn = the player's position and angles at the current phase; 0x800c4cb8[441d] = the room, 441d += 1.

0x8007ccb4(player, group, slot):

1. 0x800c441c = slot. A counter still shown (+0x220) is freed.
2. The slot's copies (0x800e2710[slot], 232 bytes apart, 0x800e2740[slot] of them) are taken out (0x8004fd20) and placed at the group's spots (0x8004fe14(list, group, count)).
3. 0x800c4b94 = count. The counter: icon model by group (0 301, 1 304, 2 299, 3 300, 4 303, 5 302) at scale (48, 64, 1024), x -192, y 88 - (0x800c4a06 >> 4), with the number "%d" (count) beside it; kept in player +0x220. Player +0x1a9 = 0.
4. State[slot] = 1; timer 90 s (0x80078dd8(90): 27000 dt, the clock model 375 at the top).

The box is climbable: walking into it climbs onto it (state 6), and Triangle on top of it does nothing (the stood-on object is skipped). Seen: Tommy put 586 to the box's +x side was pushed to touching it (41076); Triangle at 3170, state 12, 0x8004d434 at 3188, 0x8007ccb4(3, 0), timer 26990, respawn (41076, 8342, 12328) phase 1, the counter "25" with a blue balloon bottom left.

Note: 0x8007d0f4 uses the player's room, not the box's. Used from a room the table does not map, it would start slot -1 (reads before 0x800e2740). Every box sits inside its mapped room, so this does not happen in play (guess).

A colour completed (0x8007d250)

Called from 0x800514b0 when +0x1a9 reaches 0x800c4b94. Only with a slot running and its state 1:

1. A running timer stops (0x80078df8: 0x800c4430 = 0, the clock item freed); 0x800c4430 = 0.
2. State[slot] = 2. The slot's icon is freed and replaced by the full balloon of the group (0 306, 1 309, 2 310, 3 305, 4 307, 5 308) at the same place. The counter (+0x220) is freed.
3. 0x800c441c = -1; boxes 207-212 all get use 0x8004d434 again (the used ones stay hidden).
4. Count the slots in state 2: 1 -> respawn = the player's position, phase 2, 0x800c441d = 0; 3 -> the same with phase 3; 6 -> PostCine(72) (0x80078350(player, 72, 0)); other counts nothing.

So checkpoints come only after the first and the third colour, where the last balloon was taken.

Seen: blue: 25 balloons taken 3302..4310 (sound 113 each), 0x8007d250 at 4310, 0x80078df8, the icon and counter freed, respawn (34499, 8587, 7834) phase 2; the first icon blue. In the full run: blue 5184 (phase 2), green 7888 (no checkpoint), red 10548 (phase 3), yellow 13026, orange 16134, purple 18692 and PostCine(72).

The clock runs out (0x8007d4e4, ForceCry)

At 0 the timer plays sound 117 and calls 0x8007d4e4(player): the counter (+0x220) is freed, then ForceCry (0x8007fd0c). Level 15 is case 14 (0x800800a8): the cry (0x8007f920), health 255; with the respawn set (always) the respawn pointers and the callback 0x8007d52c. Tries: the byte is 0, so it is not counted down and the try test (s7 = 1) always passes: Tommy always returns to the respawn (0x8007fbf8). Level 15 can never send him to the hub by crying.

0x8007d52c(player), run after the cry:

1. For each room in 0x800c4cb8[0 .. 441d): (group, slot, id) = 0x8007d02c(room); 0x8007cc34(slot) (copies out, state 0); its icon freed and an empty one (model 311) made in its place; the box shown again (0x80078c68(id)).
2. 0x800c441d = 1, 0x800c441c = -1; all six boxes get use 0x8004d434.
3. The box of 0x800c4cb8[0] shown again (it is kept as the list's first entry).

So a cry undoes every colour started since the last checkpoint, done or not: done colours after the first and third are lost again until the next checkpoint. The clock is not stopped by 0x8007d52c; a cry while it runs from another cause leaves it running (from the code; not seen).

Seen: blue done (checkpoint), green done (no checkpoint), red started at 8048 and left: timer at 0 at 13451, 0x8007d4e4, ForceCry, the cry; at 13871 (420 VSyncs later) 0x8007d52c: 0x8007cc34(3) (green) and 0x8007cc34(1) (red), boxes 207 and 208 shown (207 twice), 0x8007fbf8; Tommy at (38996, 2443, 5634), the respawn set when box 207 was opened; states (2, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0), tries 0; +0x30 bit 32 during the cry. In the full run a timed-out orange (box 211, list (21, 2)) undid yellow too (0x8007d52c at 19150) and Tommy went back to box 209.

What hurts: nothing in level 15's code. Health fell 255 -> 225 once during the teleports in room 45 (cause not traced; guess: a fall).

Winning (cine 72)

Cine 72 "MirrorLand Win": start hook (0x80072ef0 case 72): hide Spike (id 14); end hook (0x800732d4 case 72): hide 16, 136-139 and the default; no card (0x800783d8 case 71 nothing). 0x8007737c case 71: exit code 0x800c4918 = 1, 0x80076d6c(15, 1).

0x80076d6c(15, 1): music off (0x8006ee14); +0x34 |= bit 15; no bonus bars (table 0x800152cc index 2 is none); with fewer than 12 pieces the level's piece (0x80094bfc(15); level 15 owns one, 0x800919b4) and the puzzle screen, then the all-placed check (0x80094978); all placed (and not +0x30 bit 512): SwitchEpisode(7). Otherwise +0x38 |= bit 15 the first time (not a main level, so +0x22 is not counted), then +0x30 |= 16 and SwitchEpisode(1) (0x80077034).

Seen: sixth colour at 18692, PostCine(72), cine 72 from 18721 to 19138 (417 VSyncs), 0x80076d6c(15, 1), 0x80094bfc(15), 0x8009480c(15, 1) "Congratulations! You earned a puzzle piece!", the board; after Cross and Triangle, SwitchEpisode(player, 1) at 6095 (a shortened run, below) and level 1 loaded.

The port's ENDINGS already has 72, start_cine 73 and card_after 73 -> 684.

After Mirrorland: what +0x30 bit 16 changes

Set at cine 73's start (so as soon as the level is entered, won or not) and again by 0x80076d6c(15). Cleared only for a new game (main, 0x80018754). Read in three places, all for the hub:

1. Doors (0x8004f78c, any door use): without bit 16 a door whose level (+0x6c) is 3, 4 or 6 shows card 712 (HINT41, "To go on this adventure you'll need more puzzle pieces.") and does nothing. Level 5 and the others are never locked. With bit 16 every door works: music off, PostCine(+0x6a) if any, SwitchEpisode(+0x6c).
2. The hub mirror (0x8004691c level 1 case at 0x800478bc): templates 836 and 881 (DB01 LP 282 and LP 283 id 135, both at (12054, -6799, 14487) in Tommy's room) get +0x6c = 15 and use 0x8004f78c with bit 16, use 0 without it. DB01 LP 283 already has LP +0x42 = 15.
3. The door sign (think 0x80049eec, given to every hub door with +0x6c by 0x8004691c at 0x800481c8, trigger 2500): it draws the level name and "Easy", "Medium" or "Hard" (0x800bb858-0x800bb860; level 15 is "Easy", green); for 836 and 881 only with bit 16.

Back in the hub, EpisodeStart 0x80078e7c puts Tommy at 0x800b8718[the previous level, +0x04]: for 15 (9458, -5365, 13673), beside the mirror. Seen: +0x04 = 15 after the switch, Tommy at (9458, -5365, 13673) room 5, respawn there, phase 1; the mirror (id 135) with +0x54 0x8004f78c and +0x6c 15. (In the probe's fresh game the hub first replayed cine 7 and its board, because +0x30 bit 4 was clear; with it poked set the hub started at once.)

Unused: 0x8007d1bc and cine 74

0x8007d1bc(player) has no caller and no pointer to it (rugrats-re xrefs, a search of the executable): with nothing running and the player's room mapped to a slot in state 0, slot 0 starts at once (0x8007d0f4), any other slot posts cine 74 "MirrorLand Disperse" (0x80078350(player, 74, 0)). Cine 74's 0x8007737c case (73) calls 0x8007d0f4: the cine would end by starting the room's colour. Nothing else posts 74 (no LP +0x44 of 74 in DB15). Guess: an older design where entering a room started its balloons with a cine. The port needs neither.

Hint cards

@ is Triangle.

Cines

Cine table flags (0x800b8bd0 +4) are 0x200 for all three, so level 12's guess that 0x10000000 marks a level's end does not hold for 72. Seen lengths (oracle VSyncs): 73 1255, 72 417.

Checked in the oracle

The level 14 probe copied to the scratch folder as l15probe. Presses start 300, cross 500, 650, 800, 1650, 1800; main's level argument patched (0x80018824 = li a0, 15), 0x800c5678 = 15 at the level runner, cards skipped (0x8004472c = 0x1000004a), 0x80018598 made to return 1. The start cine was kept. Balloons were taken by putting Tommy 450 (and 1000) from a spot on each side, turning him toward it and holding Up; a teleport onto a balloon does not take it.

• Start: cine 73 1820-3075; card 684 (arg 6); EpisodeStart; respawn the start spot, phase 1; +0x30 bit 16 set by the cine; tries 0; the six icons; spawn lists (3, 1, 2, 0, 4, 5) and (25, 30, 30, 30, 30, 25).
• Rooms read from RAM; box rooms 25, 19, 21, 5, 2, 45.
• A box: walked into it climbs it; Triangle on top does nothing; Triangle beside it: state 12, 0x8004d434, 0x8007ccb4, 90 s, respawn there.
• Each colour: all 25 or 30 balloons taken by walking (sound 113), 0x8007d250, the clock and counter freed, the icon filled; checkpoints after the first (phase 2) and third (phase 3) only.
• Win: all six in one run (blue, green, red, yellow, orange, purple, 18692), cine 72, 0x80076d6c(15, 1), the piece and the board. A second run with five states poked to 2 at 3100 and purple played: cine 72, 0x80076d6c, the board, SwitchEpisode(1), the hub at (9458, -5365, 13673), the mirror a door to 15.
• Loss path: the clock at 0, 0x8007d4e4, ForceCry, 0x8007d52c 420 VSyncs later, back to the respawn, uncheckpointed colours undone, tries still 0 (twice: green and red; yellow and orange).
• Not checked: walking the house (all moves were teleports); the ambience lines; the bars and their spots taken; a cry with the clock running from another cause; Pause, Quit Level; the hub doors to 3, 4 and 6 before and after bit 16 (from the code); the door sign; what the invisible copies of templates 223, 248 and 54 block; Spike's role (+0x688 0x2000).

For the port

The port has the Script trait, Tommy for 15, the follow camera at 512, spawn groups for collectibles, collect events with sound 113 for kinds 6-11, hiding by id, the level timer and TimerExpired, ForceCry with tries and a respawn, cards from level code, start_cine 73, card 684, ENDINGS 72 and Progress::finish setting +0x30 bit 16 for 15. Level 15 needs none of the NPC, carry or rider work. It needs, in order:

1. A level15 script. EpisodeStart 0x8007ceb8: every balloon out of the world, states 0, six empty icons, nothing running, respawn at the start with phase 1. Cine 73's start sets +0x30 bit 16 (the port must not wait for the win). End hooks of 72-74 hide 16 and 136-139; cine 72's start hides 14.
2. Balloons not placed at load. The port places every collectible with a group at load; the original places only LP +0x4a copies (0 for templates 845-850; the bars have 1). Balloons go out at EpisodeStart and in at a box: all copies of the colour at all of its group's spots. They bob (128 a axis, random speeds and phases, 0x8004d570) and are taken only by walking into them.
3. The ? boxes (ids 207-212, use byte 2 = 0x8004d434): Triangle beside a box (not on it): effect, sound 114, burst, hide it, then 0x8007d0f4 on the player's room: start that colour (copies placed, counter from the colour's total with icon 299-304, +0x1a9 = 0, 90 s clock), all other boxes unusable while it runs, and a respawn at the box when the rooms-since-checkpoint list is empty. The boxes are also climbable.
4. Completion (0x8007d250) on the last balloon: stop and hide the clock, free the counter, the slot's icon becomes the colour (305-310), all boxes usable again, checkpoint (phase 2 / 3, list emptied) at one and three colours, cine 72 at six.
5. Failure: Script::timer_expired frees the counter and cries; Script::cry for 15: the cry, health 255, back to the respawn, then (after the cry) undo every colour in the list (state 0, balloons out, empty icon, box shown), list = its first entry. Tries 0 must mean unlimited (0x8007fd0c never counts a 0 byte down); check that the port's ForceCry does not send a 0-try level to the hub.
6. The HUD row: six balloon icons by slot (x 50 + 24k, y alternating by 15) and the counter bottom left; slot order (3, 1, 2, 0, 4, 5) comes from LP order, so the port can derive it from the placements.
7. The hub after bit 16: door use 0x8004f78c must refuse levels 3, 4 and 6 with card 712 while bit 16 is clear (the port's door use has no such gate); templates 836 / 881 in the hub are no door (use 0) without bit 16 and a door to 15 with it; the door sign only with bit 16; the hub return spot for 15 (9458, -5365, 13673).
8. Small things: the ambience speech 155, 266, 267, 25 every (rand & 255) x 8 dt; the invisible collision copies of templates 223, 248 (and its climb flag cleared) and 54 (0x80047a54); Spike +0x688 0x2000; the unused 0x8007d1bc / cine 74 need nothing.

Unknown

• What the invisible copies of templates 223, 248 and 54 are for (blockers, stair steps?).
• What Spike does in the level. (His +0x688 bit 0x2000, from his template's flag 0x10000000 (0x80081d64), keeps him unsettled where he is put: 0x800452f8 skips the room and floor for it.)
• What the 255 -> 225 health loss in room 45 was (a fall after a teleport, guess).
• What 0x80054894's colour table by room shows (the balloon colour, guess) and what 0x8004cdfc draws.
• Card arg 6 for HINT13.
• What post ring 5-18 at y -9134 is for.
• Whether the mirror (ids 602 / 135 in DB15) is meant to be used at the end ("get to the mirror"): no level 15 code reads it; the win is automatic on the sixth colour.
• Whether a player can stand in a room the table does not map while the box's use fires (slot -1).
• How long the cines really are from natural play (the oracle: 73 1255 and 72 417 VSyncs).