Settings

Vanilla refers to the original and unmodified Super Metroid game. The vanilla game will either be NTSC or PAL and will also be headered or unheadered. DASH uses an unheadered NTSC vanilla file in order to generate a seed.

The header is the first 512 bytes of data in many .sfc and .smc files. This contains miscellaneous data that is unused. If you upload a headered file, DASH will attempt to remove the header automatically.

NTSC and PAL are video standards. NTSC is most commonly used today as it runs at 60Hz whereas PAL runs at 50Hz.

Mode is the combination of Item Split, Boss Locations and Map Layout parameters. DASH provides a few curated modes by default, but also allows you to change any of these values to create your own custom mode.

A special mode called Mystery will generate a seed with a mix of all randomization parameters and settings.

Item Split determines the available locations where major items can be placed.

• Major/Minor: Major item upgrades, energy tanks, and reserve tanks are placed at the standard major item locations dictated by the logic.

• Full: All items are able to be placed in any location dictated by the logic. The remaining number of major items and energy tanks in the current area are shown on the in-game HUD.

• Chozo: Sufficient items to beat the game are placed at Chozo item locations. This includes each unique major item plus 3 energy tanks, 1 reserve tank, 2 missile packs, 2 super missile packs, and 1 power bomb pack.

  Chozo Locations

  Name	Area	Vanilla Item
  Morph Pedestal	Crateria	Morph Ball
  Missiles (Alpha)	Crateria	Missile Pack
  Missiles (230)	Crateria	Missile Pack
  Bomb Torizo	Crateria	Bombs
  Energy Tank (Gauntlet)	Crateria	Energy Tank
  Grapple Beam	Crocomire	Grapple Beam
  Space Jump	East Maridia	Space Jump
  Brinstar Reserve	Green Brinstar	Reserve Tank
  Charge Beam	Green Brinstar	Charge Beam
  Spo Spo Supers	Green Brinstar	Super Missile
  Varia Suit	Kraid's Lair	Varia Suit
  Ridley Energy Tank	Lower Norfair	Energy Tank
  Screw Attack	Lower Norfair	Screw Attack
  X-Ray	Red Brinstar	X-Ray Scope
  Alpha Power Bombs	Red Brinstar	Power Bomb Pack
  Spazer Beam	Red Brinstar	Spazer Beam
  Ice Beam	Upper Norfair	Ice Beam
  High Jump Boots	Upper Norfair	High Jump Boots
  Speed Booster	Upper Norfair	Speed Booster
  Wave Beam	Upper Norfair	Wave Beam
  Plasma Beam	East Maridia	Plasma Beam
  Spring Ball	East Maridia	Spring Ball
  Right Side Supers	Wrecked Ship	Super Missile Pack
  Wrecked Ship Energy Tank	Wrecked Ship	Energy Tank
  Bowling Missiles	Wrecked Ship	Missile Pack

Boss Locations can be updated for the G4 bosses. For example, going to the boss location in Lower Norfair might lead to Kraid, Phantoon, Draygon or Ridley.

• Vanilla bosses are found in their normal locations.

• Shifted bosses open access to the area in which they are placed (example: Kraid's etank will be accessible after defeating whatever boss is in Kraid's Lair). At least two bosses will not be at their vanilla locations.

• Shuffled bosses open access to their vanilla area regardless of where they are placed (example: Kraid's etank will only be accessible after defeating Kraid). At least two bosses will not be at their vanilla locations.

• Surprise bosses allows any boss to be at any location including duplicates. Defeating a boss opens access to the area in which it is placed (example: Kraid's etank will be accessible after defeating whatever boss is in Kraid's Lair). At least one boss will not be at its vanilla location.

  More info on Surprise Bosses

Map Layout determines how the doors around the map are connected.

• Area Randomization uses 32 specific doors as portals and randomizes the portal connections, producing a unique map layout.

  More info on Area Randomization

• Vanilla makes no changes to the door connections.

Minor Item Distribution determines the ratio of minor items placed throughout the game.

• DASH provides 2 Missiles for every 1 Super Missile and 1 Power Bomb.

• Standard provides 3 Missiles for every 2 Super Missiles and 1 Power Bomb.

Environment Updates applies various tweaks, anti-soft lock patches and other quality of life improvements.

• Standard has the normal map that most randomizers use, such as Total's Randomizer and VARIA.

• DASH includes everything from Standard plus the following:

  • Spazer-breakable blocks at the Waterway location and Botwoon's Hallway
  • Allows the speed block at the Wrecked Ship Reserve location to be broken by the Bombs major item.

DASH supports adjusting how charge beam is managed in the game.

• Vanilla does not modify Charge Beam in any way.

• Starter provides a baseline Charge Beam that does regular beam damage. There is one Charge Beam upgrade in the game that will upgrade to the standard 3x beam damage from the vanilla game.

• Starter+ is the same except it includes two Charge Beam upgrades that increase the Charge Beam damage to 2x and 3x progressively.

Enabling Gravity Heat Reduction causes Samus to receive 25% less environmental damage from heated rooms when Gravity Suit is equipped without Varia Suit. Note that Gravity Heat Reduction is not considered for logical item progression.

Double Jump is a new item which allows Samus to make one additional mid-air jump. This behaves like a single-use Space Jump.

Heat Shield is a new item which reduces heat damage from heated rooms.

• Provides 100% reduction to heat damage in Upper Norfair heated rooms.

• Provides 50% reduction to heat damage in Lower Norfair heated rooms.

• Does NOT stack heat reduction with Gravity Suit.

Heat Shield is superseded by Varia Suit, and will become unavailable on the pause menu once Varia Suit has been picked up.

Pressure Valve is a new item which allows for seamless underwater movement like Gravity Suit. However, it has no effect in Aqueduct and other rooms in East Maridia. It also offers no damage reduction.

Pressure Valve is superseded by Gravity Suit, and will become unavailable once Gravity Suit has been picked up.

Logic refers to the set of conditions required to navigate from place to place in the game.

• Normal is the primary logic curated by the DASH team which is optimized for competive racing.
• Relaxed is very similar but removes the potential for Hell Runs, Suitless Maridia, Snail Clip, and Ice Clip for Spring Ball. This is recommended for newer runners.

Item Fanfare is the ~7 second period after Samus acquires a new item in which the player loses control while heroic music plays. DASH supports disabling Item Fanfare, but they are enabled by default.