On The Essence of ROM Hacking

[Gil-Galad]

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.

[hx2]

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.)

[Gil]

Originally Posted by hx2

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
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.

[hx2]

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!

[Sliver-X]

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.

[The 9th Sage]

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.

[Pattywick]

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

[InVerse]

Originally Posted by Pattywick

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.

[kone191]

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.

[Dream Weaver]

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: )