Virtual Pro-Wrestling 2 freem Edition
2020/01/28 (January 28, 2020 Release)
======================================
Hello, and welcome to the readme file for Virtual Pro-Wrestling 2 freem Edition.

This covers the most important information, such as how to patch, what ROM to
patch, and so on. You should also consider reading the Manual and Character
Guide, both of which are found in the "docs" directory.

================================================================================
Important Notes
================================================================================
* If you are going to play this hack on real hardware via a flashcart,
  please follow these steps.

  [64drive]
  On the "Force Save" line, choose "256K" as the Save Type.

  [EverDrive 64]
  I don't own an EverDrive 64, so I can't say this info is 100% accurate,
  but it seems to work, as reported by multiple people, so...

  EverDrive 64 v3 is recommended, as it includes 256K SRAM on the cart, along
  with updating the save memory when the console shuts off. Those using previous
  EverDrive 64 versions will need to remember to reset the console when you're
  done playing.

  Change the Save Type to "SRAM" (*not* "SRAM 768").
  If editing save_db.txt, the relevant information is:
  - Two letter character code: "VF"
  - Save type: 3

  Instructions for changing the Save Type can be found on
  http://micro-64.com/features/everdrive64.shtml

* DO NOT SELL REPRODUCTION COPIES OF THIS GAME/HACK.
  I do not get paid for working on this hack, and even if I did, that would open
  up a new can of worms with regards to licensing and copyright infringement.
  So please, please, PLEASE!!! do not sell reproduction copies of this hack.

* With regards to requesting changes:

  This project is called Virtual Pro-Wrestling 2 *freem* Edition.
  As the "freem" mentioned in the title, I have all final say over changes, and
  have a very specific way of wanting to go about things. While not everything
  is final, please be advised that there *ARE* plans to replace some unreplaced
  items. However, it is likely that they will not match with your hopes, and for
  that, I apologize.

  If you would like the above paragraph summed up in someone else's words,
  here's an excerpt from mikekchar's Code of Conduct:

  "This is not a community project. This is my project. I know that will
  disappoint some people, but I do this for fun in my own spare time. If it stops
  being fun, I will stop working on it, which will pretty much kill the project.
  There are millions of projects in the world and the only reason they continue
  (if they actually do) is because the maintainers stubbornly stick at it."

  source: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19535137

  A nicer way of putting it might be:
  "suggestions are allowed, but I reserve the right to refuse them :p"

================================================================================
Requirements
================================================================================
* Virtual Pro-Wrestling 2 ROM in Z64 format.
* xdelta patcher.
* (optional, but recommended) an xdelta patcher front-end.

If your ROM file is not in Z64 format, use a tool to convert it. Options include:
* uCON64   - http://ucon64.sourceforge.net/
* Tool64 - https://www.zophar.net/utilities/n64aud/tool-n64.html

xdelta is available from http://xdelta.org/ but is only recommended for people
who are familiar with building programs from source code. Most people will want
to use a front-end instead.

Some of the recommended front-ends:
* Windows - xdelta UI (https://www.romhacking.net/utilities/598/)
* Mac OS X/macOS - MultiPatch (https://projects.sappharad.com/tools/multipatch.html)
* Android - UniPatcher (https://github.com/btimofeev/UniPatcher)
* Web - Rom Patcher JS (https://www.romhacking.net/patch/)

The patch expects a ROM with these values:
* Product Code - NA2J
* ROM size - 32.0 MB (33,554,432 bytes)
* MD5 hash - 90002501777e3237739f5ed9b0e349e2
* SHA-1 hash - 82dd25a044689eab57ab362fe10c0da6388c217a

================================================================================
Patching
================================================================================

After patching the ROM, you should have the following values:
* Product Code: NVFE
* ROM size: 32.0 MB (33,554,432 bytes)
* MD5 hash: e8a513c33aa71ca32008331da77a73d4
* SHA-1 hash: 55205b69119a2aa7fa0bf785109e29eea413fcb3

================================================================================
Other Notes
================================================================================
The Manual covers more information than this file. You should read it.
For extended credits, please see "credits.txt" in the "docs" directory.
Changes between versions can be found in "changelog.txt" in the "docs" directory.

================================================================================
Parting Words
================================================================================
We must create the change we want to see in the pro wrestling video game genre.
There is no other way to do it and get the same quality that we desire out of
wrestling games today.

This is not particularly a call to arms, but it is a short manifesto of what
I would like to accomplish in the future.

VPW2 freem Edition is a stepping stone towards this direction, but without a
full decompilation of the original game, hacking it to perfection is unfeasable.
Then you would have to do the same process for WWF No Mercy, somehow combine the
two games, and work from there, running into the limits of the Nintendo 64 hardware.

While I would love to attempt this, I can not reasonably spend more time on
a full reverse engineering effort if I want to reach new goals.
Therefore, solutions have to exist outside of hacking the N64 AKI games...
and I don't mean hacking the Def Jam or Kinnikuman/Ultimate Muscle games.

I can't give details yet, but some people are aware of what I'm up to.
There's a large chance I'll fail, like what happened with the original version
of this hack ("VPW2000"). Recreating the world from scratch is not an easy task.

However, if you are still interested in hacking the N64 AKI games,
VPW Studio is being worked on. Certain people who I trust already have
it and have managed to do great things, even with incomplete versions.
There is no planned release date at the moment, sadly, but if you're working
on a project that could use it, let me know and I *MIGHT* throw you a copy.

-freem
July 31, 2019
