On The Essence of ROM Hacking

InVerse

New member
This is something I wrote a few years ago. Based on a couple of current threads, I thought it might be a good idea to repost it on this forum.


ON THE ESSENCE OF ROM HACKING

Often times, people ask for help on a messageboard and don’t understand why the answers they seek aren’t placed in their lap, wrapped up in a nice, neat package with a shiny silver bow. These people only see the end result of romhacking, they miss the underlying process that is the very essence of romhacking.

What many people fail to realize is that hacking is all about the process, not the outcome. Hacking is a journey, not a destination. It’s about figuring out technology, not manipulating it. Downloading a level editor and using it to modify a game is not hacking, no matter how great the final result.

Hacking is about taking a piece of technology, a game for instance, ripping it to shreds and figuring out how it works. The person who uncovers the data used to build a level editor is a hacker. The person who uses that editor is not. At best, they’re a low-grade designer, a tracer of someone else’s art.

I’m not trying to rip on people who like to use level editors, do whatever it is you enjoy. I’m just trying to show you the viewpoint of the average romhacker and explain why they expect you to put some effort into finding the information you need to do whatever it is you hope to accomplish.

No successful romhacker was taught how to romhack. They may have received personal lessons on a specific subject, but nobody babied them through the entire process with step-by-step instructions on what to do. Learning to hack requires, above all else, a desire to figure things out for yourself.

This isn’t to say you’re on your own. On the contrary, learning to romhack is now easier than ever before, thanks to a wide variety of tools and tutorials. The first thing you should do is get a good tutorial and read all of it. Once you’ve done that, then feel free to ask questions about anything you don’t understand. If you haven’t read a tutorial and at least attempted to figure it out, however, any questions about what to do will invariably result in being told to read such-and-such tutorial.

Hacking requires a particular mindset. A hacker must be capable of figuring things out on their own and must have a burning desire to learn. Without these qualities, you’ll never make it far, either losing interest or just treading water in the shallow end with the most basic techniques. Not everyone is capable of being a romhacker, no matter how badly they might want to be.

There’s an old joke that goes “How do I get to Carnegie Hall?” “With lots and lots of practice.” Well, you learn to hack by hacking. You might wonder how you can do something if you haven’t learned how to do it yet, but that’s the very nature of the beast. When you were a baby, nobody taught you how to walk, you just kept trying until you figured it out. And just like you’ll occasionally trip and stumble as an adult, even the most accomplished romhacker will routinely screw something up or run into a problem when hacking a ROM. No matter how advanced your skills might become, when you stop learning new things, you stop being a hacker.

So decide what it is you want to be. If it’s a hacker, then get out there and hack. If you just want to design games, then do so. But remember: You couldn’t do what you do without romhackers, but they hack to satisfy their own pursuits. So feel free to ask for a particular bit of information, but remember, no one is obligated to find it for you.
 
Very true. When using a level editor, you're definitely not hacking. But then again, it could go deeper. If you're using a hex editor someone else made...is that hacking? You're relying on an editor that someone else programmed. I guess what is and isn't hacking is sometimes in the eye of the beholder. Most of the games I use are just graphics and text so far, but I'm learning so much each time and have fun with it. I agree with a lot of what you said...especially the figuring things out by yourself thing. The people who rely on level editors probably wouldn't be the same people who sit there corrupting bit by bit to try and get a reaction from the game. I think a lot are looking for the easy score. I'm no expert yet so if I said anything stupid, just give me an e-crotch punch.
 
Very true. When using a level editor, you're definitely not hacking. But then again, it could go deeper. If you're using a hex editor someone else made...is that hacking? You're relying on an editor that someone else programmed.

The difference between using a hex editor and using a level editor is that a hex editor doesn't actually know how the file you're editing works, whereas a level editor does. So to use a hex editor, you're still hacking because you're figuring out how the file you're hex editing is built. Of course, if you were given a bookmark file for a particular file (or were following a ROM map) then editing the hex under those circumstances wouldn't qualify as hacking either, because you're not trying to figure anything out.

I think a good analogy is this: Knowing how to mix particular chemicals together with pigments to form paint doesn't make you an artist. Knowing how to apply paint to a canvas to form a beautiful portrait doesn't make you a scientist. One can certainly be both, but most aren't.
 
Very well put! I approve your message :)

It is very tough at times to figure out how a game is put together when nobody else has already. Using programs is more "game modification" than hacking in my opinion.
 
This is a great information. I am a gratefully user of the hacking results (level editors ....). You guys earned the respect of the emu-users!
 
I somewhat agree and disagree with what was stated about level editors. While it's true, the more easier to use editors are often used by people that really don't know how to hack. On the other hand, I'd rather use a level editor as it's way less tedious than editing via a hex editor, or dealing with compression, etc. When there are times when I would rather concentrate on the design, than the technical aspects of the ROM.

Also, some people consider cheat codes as not hacking. I mostly disagree with that statement and opinion. For example, NES Game Genie codes. Yes, you probably could enter in random letters/numbers and even modify existing codes using letters. However, this method tends to be unreliable with various side effects.

So, that being said, you really have to hack a game in order to make decent cheat codes. I've made a number of them myself and have done minor ASM hacks in order to make sure that said codes work and only apply to a certain bank(s).

I've been around for along time, and I know all about the division and difference of opinion between the hacking community and the translation hacking community. For as long as I can remember, other hackers really haven't gotten the respect that they deserve until the last few years.

Noted that NESticle pattern table editing doesn't take much skill, but is still an aid to help people edit games. So, you could say that NESticle more or less is accessable to hackers both skilled and unskilled alike. Just like level editors would be.

I myself, I do a broad variety of game hacking, on a few systems, but mostly NES/Famicom type games. I find merit in each of these things that I do.
 
I agree with you, but not totally. I'm leaning a little more toward Inverse's statement. I've previously edited with a hex editor, but the current game I'm working on has a gazillion premade editors - which I'm taking advantage of.
I don't consider myself a romhacker..I'm a game modifier. I like making the play more difficult and challenging. Therefore, the precreated editors work perfectly for me.
 
Hey there, Fla Flash, long time no see.

I've been tinkering with a lot of editors myself, off and on. My FF3 US SNES hack is about the farthest along. However, I'm considering on starting from scratch since it's way too hard. I've been trying to rethink my approach of hacking the game.
 
Hi, i'm new in this endless journey of rom hacking, or what i like to call it, "game editing." I would love to get a tutorial in order to do it, because is easy just to ask someone to do it, but I would like to do it in order to appreciate the work, and they say' "if you want something to be done perfectly, then do it yourself." I join this domain in order to find help and for lots of advice. If there is someone that can teach me it will be eternally appreciated. (Sorry about the misspelling or bad language, but English is my second lenguage.)
 
Hi, i'm new in this endless journey of rom hacking, or what i like to call it, "game editing." I would love to get a tutorial in order to do it, because is easy just to ask someone to do it, but I would like to do it in order to appreciate the work, and they say' "if you want something to be done perfectly, then do it yourself." I join this domain in order to find help and for lots of advice. If there is someone that can teach me it will be eternally appreciated. (Sorry about the misspelling or bad language, but English is my second lenguage.)

welcome. no worries about language, a good talking you can do still :p
now, as for getting a tutorial, that is a nice step, but...tutorial for WHAT exactly?
what part of what game are you trying to edit?
you need to be a bit more specific, and I am sure you will get plenty of help.
 
Thanks Gil, it is nice to know that there's some that can help. Well what i would like to do is to edit "a fighting game," like changing names and outfits, storyline (like the the winning phrases and what is displayed on the ending screen.) And is just to amaze my friends and spend time beating ourselves every time we can. So what I'm trying to say is that i would like to edit text, colors, and the tittle (at least the subtitles). I know is not easy, but if I can't learn how to, I hope one of you could help me doing the changes. Gracias, Amigo!
 
Yes, editors are the primary reason for the flood of shitty SMW hacks, etc that abound on the internet.

Editors are also the primary reason you have hacks like Dragoon X Omega 1 & 2, though, so it's very much a double edged sword: what would've taken us a decade to pull off was accomplished in several years with the aid of great tools like TownEdit and FFHackster.
 
Very true. It makes it easier for people with a vision to see that vision out, but then it also floods us with half-baked, half-finished hacks that are random as hell.
 
Painstaking graphics modification of a game that hasn't been hacked before
+ Learning a few things along the way
= Real Actual Hacking

Using Lunar Magic to create Obligatory Impossibly Difficult Super Mario World Level Hack for the millionth fucking time
= Being a Script Kiddie
 
Painstaking graphics modification of a game that hasn't been hacked before
+ Learning a few things along the way
= Real Actual Hacking

That is incorrect. By that reasoning, Photoshopping a picture qualifies as hacking.

Using Lunar Magic to create Obligatory Impossibly Difficult Super Mario World Level Hack for the millionth fucking time
= Being a Script Kiddie

Again, that is incorrect. A script kiddie is someone who uses a utility to accomplish his goals without having to put in any effort himself. Last I knew, Lunar Magic doesn't hack SMW for you, you still have to do the work yourself. While it doesn't constitute hacking, level editing with Lunar Magic is a far cry from being a script kiddy.

Of course, seeing as how you're a piece of shit spammer who has already pissed off almost every other ROM hacking board today for flooding your retarded site everywhere, except this one where you just had your hair ruffled, it seems, I wouldn't expect you to actually have any clue what you were talking about.

With that said, please do the ROM hacking scene as a whole a favor and develop a fast acting form of cancer. And, in the meantime, place your computer under a running shower to test it for waterproofocity.
 
Everything you pointed out, so true.

"The difference between using a hex editor and using a level editor is that a hex editor doesn't actually know how the file you're editing works, whereas a level editor does. So to use a hex editor, you're still hacking because you're figuring out how the file you're hex editing is built. Of course, if you were given a bookmark file for a particular file (or were following a ROM map) then editing the hex under those circumstances wouldn't qualify as hacking either, because you're not trying to figure anything out."

And, I totally agree with this.
Half a year ago, I thought hacking was just editing data with a hex editor by using tutorials which point you stuff out but if you already know how to edit in hex, that's not even a bit of a challenge and can't qualify as hacking. So now I've started to think in a different way; scientists do research to figure something out, that's exactly what rom hacking can be compared with.
 
I see where you guys and gals are coming from, but at the same time, us noobs have to start somewhere. And using someone else's expertly crafted editor is no bad place to do that...

And to paraphrase InVerse (slightly), "it's about the journey, not the destination", so if a noob is on the path toward being a ROM-hacker, why is it suddenly their current location rather than the journey they're on that matters?

Just curious, is all. ( :liar: ) :moon:
 
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