Hi again!
I think a great additional benefit of the DRM free version of the game is that basically the game's source code comes with it for free. I've taken the chance to read and understand parts of its decompiled code and started modifying and adding debug functionality. Still, I am hoping there will be more interesting mods in the future (a new Metroid?) since it is possible to obtain the "source code" including the game's engine by decompiling the DRM free version.
One of the initial modifications I have successfully experimented with is changing the hotkey for the debug console, which by default is shown after pressing the "tilde" keyboard key. Unfortunately, there is a bug in the game which causes the debug console to not be shown on non-US keyboards. The patch i came up with now causes the debug console to show if the F10 key is pressed instead.
Another few patches re-enable internal debug functionality, such as the hidden command "gimme" which by default is unavailable (for a complete list of commands please see screenshot below).
One further modification causes the slot machine to open when the F9 key is pressed, no matter where the game's main character is currently located.
Then, there is a modification which visually highlights certain objects in the game and displays statistics and additional information in the top left border of the screen when pressing the F8 key.
Finally, I have implemented a custom console command "secrets" which prints solutions to randomly generated in-game puzzles.
- chasm_mod.png (197.26 KiB) Viewed 13682 times
Although these modifications have been implemented for testing purposes only, I am curious about how distributing more serious, mature modifications can be released without violating intellectual property laws etc. Any ideas?