I am trying to figure out the unknown1, unknown2A, and unknown3A.

So far I have found where the edit in the block data. They change block 8 nybbles 28, 29, and 30.

unknown1 will disable the bottom layer with value 1
unknown2 (A) I don't know...
unknown3 (B) will disable the top layer background

These are hit or miss though. Sometimes they work well. But sometimes they will affect or corrupt the background of the next view you go to.

Dirbaio, knowing what block these edit, block 8, do you have any ideas on figuring these out?

A good way of seeing the changes is disabling the main BGs in the tool option in Desmume. You can strip the layers down with these.

These are the nybbles with all 0 values, but I highlighted the nybbles that will change.

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Yep. I also figured that out 3/4 year ago.

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Yeah, and now maybe we can fill in the blanks finally in the view menu. If you guys have any thoughts or theories, let me know. I am getting closer to figuring it out, but this is going to take a lot of data mining and testing.

I have had no luck loading backgrounds that haven't been selected in each area. But it is looking like if we know the data, we will be able to select which of the two, both, or no backgrounds selected from the area config. menu.


Here is World 3 Ghost house-3. It disables the top layer in one of the exits. The block 5 (top layer) data is longer than normal. Don't know why this is.


Maybe this is a default transparent background to load? So when you select "1" in the unknown3 it will load this instead??? So maybe adding two background calls into the block 3 or 5 will allow multiple backgrounds to be selected? That would be interesting. Kind of like when only one view setting was possible before. But now we can add more view details in the settings.

YYYEEESSS!!! It worked. It loaded this default transparent background. So this is a transparent setting. So entering value 1 into the view setting unknown3 loaded this. So I have a level where I enable to and bottom layers, but for one view used this to show only the bottom layer! Now I wonder if pasting a completely different background will work.

The highlighted area is the transparent layer. The first nybbles are my original top layer.

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No..going to change the name of this post...I think it loads new backgrounds. So we haven't been disabling them, but loading backgrounds that weren't added to block 3 or 5.

I haven't tried to load a background outside of the level yet. Still messing with something else. I think once you force this load, you also have to reload the next view back to where you want it as well. My next view was missing a background after doing this, but then I flagged 1 on it, and it reloaded.

So I think these are set kind of like our entrances. We have been defaulting 0 this whole time. Meaning the baseline top and bottom layers. But have the ability to add additional backgrounds to the block 8, and then load them. So "0" is default like an entrance area (going between). But if you set 1, 2, 3 it loads them instead. 0 being no change.

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So if you look at the block3 or 5 picture, notice how the backgrounds add on like views? I think we need to add background settings into block3 or 5 and then load it from the view settings unknowns (which are in the block8 data).

It may be a matter for now of copy pasting other background into block3 5 just like the views add onto the block 2.

I gotta hit a doctors appointment here. But when I get back I am going to try and load backgrounds from other levels. I think it may be possible now. Maybe...But looking like it will be. I think you will have to have enough views to load multiple. And you will also have to reload previous backgrounds when returning to views. Each view will still only allow 2 backgrounds, but going into the next view may be able to load different ones. So just like entrances the data will have to be set each time you change view to view.

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I think unknown3 "loads" the top layer and unknown1 "loads" the bottom layer. So if you have no background to load it makes it look like it is "removing" it. I was experiencing bugs loading nothing, until I directed it to load the transparent background as mentioned in the first post. This was the big breakthrough. So you can assign more than one background to load (I hope) in either unknown 3 or 5. You have to paste data from the background to 3 or 5 in the hex editor and assign it a number to be loaded from. Like we do with the views. When there are multiple views they keep getting added to block 2 with a number at the beginning for the view number.

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Sorry meant block 3 or 5

So the settings to load the background are in the view editor and are
unknown1 - bottom layer
unknown2 - I still don't know
unknown3(b) - top layer

The hex editor has;
block 3 - bottom layer
block 5 - top layer
block 8 - (nybbles in image above) the unknown 1, 2, and 3.

Blocks 3 and 5 have the background settings themselves. What background and how they scroll. The unknowns load them (still theory).

I was able to load a background from another area now. Although it was as if it was using the wrong palette, but it showed up. So in a 2 area level, I am using 6 different backgrounds...although buggy right now. Trying to figure settings still. I think in addition to loading the backgrounds, there is still something in it that tells it what to do when loading the next view. So the bug I am working out is loading these without interfering with the next view at all.

So I am fumbling with how to load one without affecting the other, and then returning back to the original view with the original background. If I had a straight line level with no backtracking, it would be working fully right now.


...Edit...okay now I got a background from another area working 100% now without corruption. It is not selected or imported at all in the area I am playing.

..another edit...It looks like unknown1(a) maybe how the backgrounds get split. At first I was using a background with the same quadrants. So flipping them would not be seen as easy. I just switched to a moving on top background. When I entered value 1, it split the backgrounds and now the bottom is moving, and the top is fixed. And, this is with 2 different full height backgrounds used. But both are shown spit in half as one image. No corruption.

This all looks sooooo interesting!
It would be so great, if we could do the same with tilesets, too!
Probably "Unknown 2"? ...just kidding

It is working well with a straight line level meaning no backtracking. But I spent most of the day yesterday trying to get it to load going back and forth between rooms. I am sure there is a setting to reload it like this, but I haven't found it yet. Maybe you guys can figure it out too.

So it loads the new background, but then that command stays loaded when you go into the next room. So when I would come back to a previous room, it would try and reload again and sometimes corrupt. Or it would shift the backgrounds again to one I didn't want.

But again, straight through, I can load backgrounds from different areas, in different combos, thereby having more "scenes" possible.

More research is needed on this. It involves data mining and testing. If anyone wants to help figure this out. Or Dirbaio, if you have some input into the how and whys of how these load.