Metal Gear

All of Outer Heaven from its tables: 235 rooms in 9 zones, joined by their lifts, 154 doors, 64 actor types with their frames, Metal Gear, the Hind D and the equipment. All drawn from the ROM.

Konami - (c) Konami 1987 - An RC-750 cartridge, a 128 KB MegaROM (Konami4) - MSX2 - European dump d16fff4a...

Not one capture here. Every picture is drawn from the bytes of the ROM with the cartridge's own tables: the rooms with their doors and items, Snake and the actors, Metal Gear and the Hind D, the logo and the transceiver. All 235 rooms match point for point the reference images by Manuel Pazos, whom we thank for his superb work. The check against the openMSX VRAM is still to be done. The listing reassembles byte for byte with make.

The cartridge in numbers

100%of the binary explained
2,190named routines
46.8%of the listing commented
35,620bytes of code
95,452bytes of data
0bytes unidentified

What turned up when we took it apart

Five passwords in the pause

F1 stops the game and you can type (table at p06:BEF1, checked on resuming, p06:BF2F): DS 4 gives one more CLASS star, ANTA WA ERAI three, INTRUDER sets the ammunition to 999, ISOLATION the rations to 999 and HIRAKE GOMA gives all eight cards.

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The function keys

F1 pause, F2 weapons, F3 equipment and F4 transceiver (p01:6F94). In the pause, F4 loads and F5 saves the game on tape, with a 6-letter name and a checksum (p15:B948). After GAME OVER, F5 goes on from the last of 31 checkpoints (p06:BE64).

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Metal Gear only falls in order

The 16 P.BOMBs have to hit it in the order of p02:8D3B, on one side or the other of its X. Then a countdown from 3000 starts (p01:757B), and leaving room 0xE2 at the top leads to the ending (p01:643A).

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What each item does

GOGGL shows the beams (p15:BF22) and LIGHT removes the darkness (p00:4ACB); DETEC marks the mines (p03:AF9C); MASK protects from the gas in 9 rooms (p02:8C05); ARMOR halves the damage of some types (p02:8A05); ANTID cures the scorpion's poison (p01:7FAB); PARAC saves you at the trapdoors (p02:93BF); inside the BOX and still, the guards do not see Snake (p02:974F); SCOPE turns on TELESCOPE MODE (p01:7FDD).

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The shot is heard

Without the SILENCER, firing raises the alarm and brings reinforcements (p02:804F), except in 55 rooms (p02:806C).

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Doors

Those of classes 2 to 9 want their card, CARD1 to CARD8, selected (p01:794D). Others open with punches (40 hits, p01:79E9) or with the P.BOMB (p01:7973).

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The transceiver

Seven frequencies, from 120.13 to 120.91 (p00:490C). Some calls are only heard while sending (SEND) or under certain conditions (p01:6A88).

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What the cartridge draws

Under each picture is where it comes from and what is on it.

The title screen, built from the ROM (p09:B5B5, the font at p09:B0B2). Not yet checked against the VRAM.
The title screen, built from the ROM (p09:B5B5, the font at p09:B0B2). Not yet checked against the VRAM.
A whole zone: its rooms laid out by their neighbours (p05:8E0E), with each room's doors, items and actors; below, the rooms reached only through a door.
A whole zone: its rooms laid out by their neighbours (p05:8E0E), with each room's doors, items and actors; below, the rooms reached only through a door.
Metal Gear in its room: a drawing made of bank 15 tiles (p15:B595), not sprites.
Metal Gear in its room: a drawing made of bank 15 tiles (p15:B595), not sprites.
The Hind D, tiles as well (p15:B431).
The Hind D, tiles as well (p15:B431).
Snake's 53 poses (p10:6000) with their attributes (p10:609F).
Snake's 53 poses (p10:6000) with their attributes (p10:609F).
Big Boss (type 32; the name is Manuel Pazos's) and his frames (p05:9890).
Big Boss (type 32; the name is Manuel Pazos's) and his frames (p05:9890).
The projectiles of weapons 1-7 and their explosions (p10:63B0).
The projectiles of weapons 1-7 and their explosions (p10:63B0).
The transceiver (p01:6912): the frame and portrait from bank 15, on 120.85. Not yet checked against the VRAM.
The transceiver (p01:6912): the frame and portrait from bank 15, on 120.85. Not yet checked against the VRAM.