This guide assumes that you already know how to create Graphics or Music for SMB1

Get SAM (Sequential Archive Manager)

Starting with v0.3.0, graphics and music are stored in Sequential Archives (*.sa files). Sequential Archives are great for reading while packed, but they can't be modified. To modify the contents of a Sequential Archive, the archive will need to be unpacked first. This can be accomplished with SAM, the Sequential Archive Manager. Download SAM from here.

Get Hexagon

Level-Headed uses Hexagon Patches (*.hexp files) to patch graphics and music. Hexagon Patches are text-based hexadecimal files that are very easy to read and work with (assuming you know how to work with hexadecimal). Hexagon Patches can also be generated with Hexagon, so they don't need to be written by hand unless necessary. Download Hexagon from here.

Unpacking

Run SAM.exe (the Sequential Archive Manager) and click "Unpack". Choose the file you want to unpack (e.g. Level-Headed/Data/SMB1/Graphics.sa) and a new folder will be created in the directory with the same name (e.g. Level-Headed/Data/SMB1/Graphics/). This folder can now be opened and new files can be added.

Creating a Patch with Hexagon

Run Hexagon.exe. Go to options and enable both of these settings:

• Skip checksum when creating patch
• Skip comments when creating patch

With both of these options checked, you can now create a Hexagon Patch that will be compatible with Level-Headed. If you need to convert from another patch format to .hexp, read this. Otherwise, to create a Hexagon patch, go to Patch -> Create Patch. Choose the original file (e.g. an unmodified copy of SMB1). Now choose the file that has the custom graphics or music. Once selected, a Hexagon Patch will be created. This new patch can be placed in the Graphics or Music folder that was unpacked previously.

Packing

Run SAM.exe again, click "Pack" and choose the directory that you wish to pack back into an archive. Make sure to choose the proper directory when repacking, as it can be easy to accidentally choose a sub-folder instead. Simply overwrite the previous file, and you're done! Level-Headed should now be able to load your custom patch.

Graphics Fixes

If what you're adding is a graphics patch, there is a chance that it might be incompatible with some of the custom powerups, complimentary hacks, or title screen. You probably won't know if your graphics patch breaks anything until after you've tried it with Level-Headed. If this ends up being the case, a fix (once created) can be placed in the corresponding folder under the same name as the patch (e.g. "Custom_Graphics.hexp" could have a fix for "Fire Bros" like so: "./Fire Bros/Custom_Graphics.hexp"). This fix should only contain the additional changes necessary and nothing more, as both the base patch and the fix patch will be applied (e.g. "Custom_Graphics.hexp" will be applied first, then "./Fire Bros/Custom_Graphics.hexp" will be applied).