Tails has made many breakthroughs regarding level structure and object placement in Ecco the Dolphin. It should not be a big surprise he is working on a level editor for it.
Like Jorge's Ecco 2 editor, Tails editor can save levels as a 'PNG' image to disk. All the levels in the original Ecco the Dolphin had fixed backgrounds, saving a level as an image will include the foreground overlaying the background. Jorge's editor cannot overlay the foreground to the background because the background in Ecco 2 moved with the screen.
Tails editor can edit and save levels to the actual game or the ROM file, the only problem is it can't edit objects and many of the barriers are invisible objects. The editor can generate level maps and knowing how big of a level map junkie I am, I plan to build up an Ecco the Dolphin level map collection using his technology!
Levels I ripped from Ecco the Dolphin are The Undercaves, City of Forever, The Machine and The Last Fight. If you thought the Machine was a nightmare to play you should look at the level map of it. The City of Forever has to be the best level maps of them all, it has the time machine included. The most interesting is the Vortex Queen's chamber, it's a lot more detailed then what we've actually seen.
When the editor is complete Tails and I (if I get time), plan to edit Ecco the Dolphin to make it easier to play. The game is filled with many unfair objects that kill instantly. Unlike Ecco 2, the original Ecco didn't have a lot of quality control over it's playability. An easier to play Ecco the Dolphin would benefit all members of the Ecco community from the novice to the experts.
Download: EccoEd
Level Maps:
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