No question about it, TGM3 is a good game. But if you are like me and want to see your progress while playing, even if that goes against the rules of the whole hidden exam stuff, then I have a nice little invention of mine to share: http://www.logotypes.se/TypeY/TiVisGrade/LTiVisGrade.exe Quick instructions: Place it in the game folder and run before the game (or during the game). Double click with the mouse on top of the green window to activate it (the green window helps you to relocate it to anywhere on the screen or desktop by dragging it with your mouse). Press Escape to go back to the green window. Press Escape again to close the application when you are done playing. Ti Visible Grade lets you see your current grade during Master Mode game play, just as if you had just died and were given the provisional grade. Yes that means the grade shown is not just like TAP, but also adds the bonus from section cools, and subtracts your section regrets. But there is more! The game never knows your staffroll grade until you've completed it or died, but Ti Visible Grade calculates it for you in realtime WHILE you're playing! Ti Visible Grade also tells you when you hit a section cool and what your current "potential" section cool bonus count, by throwing shooting stars around level x70. I know it can be annoying but I love actually getting to use those usless shooting stars for something (They won't show up if you play without logging in). The grade is shown in the CLASS area, and matches the provisional grade when you die or clear the game. Every time you reach a new grade (even if you didn't see it because of a regret and a section cool happened at the same time), the "Ba PaPaPaPaaaa" sound will be played! Yes that is the same sound as in TGM1 and TAP! So how does it work? The CLASS area is actually a window that overlays the game, using Windows' UpdateLayeredWindow API for per pixel alpha blending. It access the data folder and loads the official art for the grade, and the sound effect for the grade (yep the sound is in the game data folder but never used). It does a little volume adjustment for the sound because it would play too loud, but the application doesn't destroy or modify anything! It simply uses the resources of the game and touches only data loaded into memory. Instructions How to Use: By running the application, the green window will be shown saying "Double Click". You will have to double click on it with the mouse cursor to make the window semi transparent. Once it is semi transparent, it is much harder to move it around using the mouse to relocate it. Pressing Escape will bring it back to the green window so you can relocate it to whatever position you like. Pressing Escape while the window is green will close the application! Once the game has been started, the window will automatically snap to the default position, and will work even in when the game is in fullscreen. Press the Home key to snap the window relative to the game's window. It is a toggle key, so hit it again to unhook it. Press the End key to reset the position while it is snapped. That way the window will automatically move when you enter an exam (as the qualify grade will take up that spot). Home and End keys are help keys but not really needed unless you moved the window in a bad way and would like to reset the position! If you close the game but not the grade window, the grade window won't work anymore (it must be restarted to work) and should be closed py pressing Escape twice! Note: The grade window will be invsibie during the title screen and while playing modes other than Master Mode. It can be moved while showing a grade but it is much easier to move it while the window is green. If you stream the game using OBS, and you wish to show the grades, you should set the checkbox in the Sources/Window Capture saying "Capture Layered Windows". /LOst
No way! I was actually starting to wonder how to get into the mfm005 challenge on TI, but now we have an actual tool for that! Thanks so much, I know I can do some more weird stuff now
Wonderful tool ! Edit: If you've fiddled with the resolutions of the game, it doesn't work anymore. Are higher resolutions possible? Nonetheless phantastic stuff!
I never thought about custom resolutions. There are however problems when going fullscreen and getting back into windowed mode. If you press the End key on your keyboard the position will reset, relative to the game's window. It would have been too much instructions to get this thing running if I hadn't snapped the window by default when the game starts. But by snapping by default, it kinda gets difficult to manage during custom resolutions and other customized stuff. Probably, but who would "destroy" their expensive Type X for hacks?
Wouldn't it be a lot more efficient to just make the game render the grade sprite using its own OpenGL context? Would also solve the custom resolution / fullscreen problems associated with layered windows.
nice trick. but dunno if you can get it onto a real arcade TI, which is all the guidelines let you stream or video. you can move it around if you have done the higher resolution thing to be in the right spot.
