On The Essence of ROM Hacking

You're not going to learn anything at all about ROM hacking from using an editor. You might learn a thing or two about game design, but that has nothing to do with ROM hacking.

Using an editor is no more being on the path toward becoming a ROM hacker than reading a Choose Your Own Adventure book is being on the path of becoming an author.
 
With the greatest respect - and I mean that, genuinely - I heartily disagree...

I want to be come a ROM hacker. And because I've set my mind to it, that's what I'll do. But until such time as I learn all the stuff I need to - and it will take a lot of time, and effort, all of which I'm not only prepared for but positively looking forward to - then I don't quite see how using other's tools in the meantime changes the path I have personally chosen, or somehow lessens my intentions.

A good tool, such as Lord J's FF3usME, only serves to inspire the would-be ROM hacker. Yes, using it doesn't make you one, but it might just start you off thinking about what you would like to create all for yourself. That also doesn't make you a ROM hacker, but I would argue that if you persue it, then it very much puts you on the path towards being one...

I'm probably being overly semantic here... lol As I said, I mostly agree with you, but I'm just not sure the distinction is quite as black and white as you maintain.
 
Watching movies is an important part of becoming a filmmaker. Most great filmmaker scan tell you the specific movie they were watching when they decided they wanted to become a filmmaker. Would you say that everyone who uses Netflix has started along the path of becoming a filmmaker?

Edit: An even more on point question might be... Is everyone who uploads a video to YouTube on track to become a film producer?
 
No, I wouldn't say either of those, but to be fair, you're talking in absolutes. Life isn't made of absolutes. If a person decides they want to be a ROM-hacker, then they've already started on the path. Maybe they'll get no further, it depends on the person, but to say they're not on the path because they're "not there yet" is stretching credibility somewhat, no?
 
I think there's something in between. For the software I develop - Synalyze It! ( http://www.synalysis.net ) - users who know ROMs in depth (e. g. Pokémon) created "grammars" that describe whole ROMs. I'd consider them ROM hackers however the users just downloading the grammar need much less knowledge about all the structures so I'd not call them ROM hackers anymore.
 
Way to spam your software, you worthless piece of shit. I've filed a complaint with Hetzner Online, requesting that they suspend your account for abuse.
 
I agree somewhat and I admit I'm not much of a romhacker myself though I've been hacking roms for about 15 years, My first hack was made with Nesticle, I changed the color of the coin block in SMB1 and flattened mario's head. Super Flat head bros. That was me. But even for that hack I had to read a document on how to hack roms. It basically told me what to do with Nesticle to alter a rom. After that I became interested in level hacking and use the YYMario program to make a full level hack back then you had to read a lot, then change one brick or thing at a time play though the game make sure it still worked correctly go back change the next thing it was like using an elephant on a pig farm, and it took me 2 full years to make a complete level hack of SMB toward the end I got lazy and only changed a few little cosmetic things for level 8-1 to 8-4. I had created a unseen glith in the finished hack and people still ask today what that enemy is in my first level hack. I played with other more complex tools that are easier to use and can change a lot more stuff but they never really did it for me so I learned Hex Editing cause I wanted to change the text in SMB1 there was a tool but I didn't like it cause you couldn't change everything at the time. Then I went a step further and I discovered how to map the levels of SMB1 myself with out any editor with help from a document that gave me a starting point. Then I wrote my own SMB1 Level Map doc. So well you could say I cheated but I put in the hours in my own work and I made my very own hacks, nobody held my hand. lol

I'm on Romhacking.net Ranked Number #62, and I have just one hack on Zophars Domain where I used two different editor's but in the making of said hack I played through the entire game before completing it. Super Mario RPGed. http://www.romhacking.net/community/868/
 
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While researching on DKC3s data, I copied data from an SPC, and a lot of that data found a match in the ROM.

Maybe DKC1, 2, and 3 music hacking will be possible in the future.
 
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