Tinhead (SNES)

Tinhead
Developer: MicroProse Platform: SNES This game has hidden development-related text. This game has a hidden level select. This game has a notes page

This game was never completed and/or given a public release. As a result of this, keep in mind that the developers might have used or deleted some of the content featured here, had the game actually been released.

To do: A bunch of development material is available here, which should be documented in a development sub-page: https://archive.org/details/tinhead-dev-materials

A port of the Genesis game, which was never released despite being seemingly finished.

Sub-Page

Notes

Level Select

To do: This needs a more thorough disassembly to verify there's no additional level select programming or a jump (especially a BRL operation) that leads to $00FA2C.

Located at offset $00838F is the following text for a level select/title screen:

      TINHEAD

    TEST VERSION

 WRITTEN BY G FONG.
 FOR MICROPROSE LTD


 <> TO SELECT LEVEL





PUSH START TO START

It's followed by a list of 28 level names, 6 letters each (found in the password section below).

Partial programming for the level select is located at SNES address $00FA2C-00FA72 which contains the controller reads that increments or decrements the level index value and displays its name, as shown below. However, the programming used to display the rest of the menu, and respond when Start is pressed, hasn't been found. It may have been deleted, leaving only this subroutine behind.

The following set of experimental Pro Action Replay (PAR) codes can be used to demonstrate the functionality of the level select in its current state.

80EDA8EA
80EDA920
80EDAA2C
80EDABFA
80EDAC80
80FA6886
80FA6902

In the Options screen, move the cursor to EXIT, then activate the codes. Use D-Pad Left and Right to select a level. Disable the codes when finished. Start a new game to begin on the selected level.

(Source: Denis (text discovery), JLukas (codes))

Passwords

Passwords with numbers (111111 for levels, 222222 for cheats) are reserved entries and impossible to enter as the game only accepts letters. The stored password list starts at offset $00C575.

Level Passwords

• Normal mode

ID	LEVEL NAME	PASSWORD
00	L1S1M1	111111
01	L1S1M2	111111
02	L1S2M1	LAMBDA
03	L1S2M2	111111
04	L1S3M1	SARTRE
05	L1S3M2	111111
06	L1:END	MASCIS
07	L2S1M1	QUANTA
08	L2S1M2	111111
09	L2S2M1	MESONS
0A	L2S2M2	111111
0B	L2S3M1	TENSOR
0C	L2S3M2	111111
0D	L2:END	ALBINI
0E	L3S1M1	LEPTON
0F	L3S1M2	111111
10	L3S2M1	GORGON
11	L3S2M2	111111
12	L3S3M1	BOSONS
13	L3S3M2	111111
14	L3:END	MARLEY
15	L4S1M1	BARYON
16	L4S1M2	111111
17	L4S2M1	GIBSON
18	L4S2M2	111111
19	L4S3M1	NEUMAN
1A	L4S3M2	111111
1B	L4:END	BALROG

• Practice mode

ID	LEVEL NAME	PASSWORD
1C	L1S1M1	111111
1D	L1S1M2	111111
1E	L1S2M1	PSYCHE
1F	L1S2M2	111111
20	L1S3M1	QUARKS
21	L1S3M2	111111
22	L1:END	111111
23	L2S1M1	PHOTON
24	L2S1M2	111111
25	L2S2M1	SATURN
26	L2S2M2	111111
27	L2S3M1	VECTOR
28	L2S3M2	111111
29	L2:END	111111
2A	L3S1M1	COSMOS
2B	L3S1M2	111111
2C	L3S2M1	GLUONS
2D	L3S2M2	111111
2E	L3S3M1	PARITY
2F	L3S3M2	111111
30	L3:END	111111
31	L4S1M1	ESCHER
32	L4S1M2	111111
33	L4S2M1	NEWTON
34	L4S2M2	111111
35	L4S3M1	PASCAL
36	L4S3M2	111111
37	L4:END	111111

Cheat Passwords

ID	PASSWORD	EFFECT
38	CAMELS	5 shots, shots don't decrease when hit
39	FLIMBO	Infinite lives (display shows 5 lives)
3A	222222	(within password checker range, but no effect programmed)
3B	222222	(within password checker range, but no effect programmed)
3C	222222	(extra slot, out of range of password checker, and in the effect programming password ID $3C is treated as the end of the password list)
3D	222222	(extra slot, out of range of password checker)
3E	222222	(extra slot, out of range of password checker)

Restored Level Passwords

Download Tinhead SNES Password Restoration File: Tinhead SNES Password Restoration.zip (1 KB) (info)

Apply the above patch to make the dummied out level passwords listed above enterable. Passwords are as follows:

• Normal mode

ID	LEVEL NAME	PASSWORD
00	L1S1M1	AAAAAA
01	L1S1M2	BBBBBB
03	L1S2M2	CCCCCC
05	L1S3M2	DDDDDD
08	L2S1M2	EEEEEE
0A	L2S2M2	FFFFFF
0C	L2S3M2	GGGGGG
0F	L3S1M2	HHHHHH
11	L3S2M2	IIIIII
13	L3S3M2	JJJJJJ
16	L4S1M2	KKKKKK
18	L4S2M2	LLLLLL
1A	L4S3M2	MMMMMM

• Practice mode

ID	LEVEL NAME	PASSWORD
1C	L1S1M1	NNNNNN
1D	L1S1M2	OOOOOO
1F	L1S2M2	PPPPPP
21	L1S3M2	QQQQQQ
22	L1:END	RRRRRR
24	L2S1M2	SSSSSS
26	L2S2M2	TTTTTT
28	L2S3M2	UUUUUU
29	L2:END	VVVVVV
2B	L3S1M2	WWWWWW
2D	L3S2M2	XXXXXX
2F	L3S3M2	YYYYYY
30	L3:END	ZZZZZZ
32	L4S1M2	ABCDEF
34	L4S2M2	GHIJKL
36	L4S3M2	MNOPQR
37	L4:END	STUVWX

test text

To do: Is there programming to display this?

• Offset $00F023

test text