Hacking Tips by DJG...

[destinedjagold]

Hello and good day. You may have already knew me, but for those who don't, then hello... I am DestinedJagold.
In this tutorial, I will try and provide some tips to how you will have a non-glitchy hack. There are already a lot of mapping, scripting and other tutorials that will help you. okay, here goes...

Advance Text Tips...

I can only give you tips on how to edit text. Read it if you desire...

Spoiler:

First, open Advance Text Version 'Text Editing/Refining', since it's a very nice version of Adv-Txt, as far as I know. Then, the usual, locate the text you want to edit.

Spoiler:

by doing so, play your game and save before talking to the person you want to edit his/her speech. Then locate it in Adv-Txt.

Then after, save and you'll end up with the status of Adv-Txt as you can see in the above image.
NOTE: Take note that below the speech box in the visual aid, you can see the '0 Characters left to repoint'... That means that the specific data of that text is full, and should not be repointed to prevent a glitch. That is my theory, at least, but it's based on experience. (That's one reason why I remade my first hack)...

Spoiler:

For instance, you decided to edit the speech. You are free to type whatever you want the person has to say in the game, but only for a limited characters only. As you can see in the visual aid, I already used all of the characters that will only be available for that person. If you wish to save it that way, no problem, as long as it's zero and only zero.

Spoiler:

However, if you ignore that and continued, you will see this pop-up each time you try to save if you go beyond the limit. As I said, it would cause glitches in the game.., and we don't want glitches in our hacks, right?

Spoiler:

-NOTES-
1. If you fail to use all of the characters, simply type spaces using the space bar to use all of the characters.
(Why..? Because if we, for some reason, forgot a word, and we accidentally saved it already, then we have no choice but to go beyond the limit, right..? Those spaces are for use to use in the future if we want to edit them again using the original available characters usable).
2. Sometimes, if we only type phrases or words in the SEARCH Mode in Adv-txt, we tend to end up with another text, so just simply press RESUME button.

Advance Map Tips...

In making maps, it may seem easy, but you have to understand the logic of things, and the proper use of tiles. I have seen many hackers who tend to fail to use the proper tiles for their maps.
Well, no matter.

Spoiler:

We can't avoid to repoint in mapping. Now, in the visual aid, you can see '&6B0000 to &800000'. Now, if we press the 'Okay' button, we will be given some free spaces from the offsets 6B0000... But, the safe offsets are from 800000 up, right..? Based on my experience, it is not safe, so...

change the 6B to 80, so it could search for safe offsets for us to use. It will give us offsets from 800000.

Spoiler:

-NOTES-
In making maps, try and analyze the sequence of events, and the logic of each tiles and movement permissions. Trust me, tile errors will somehow hurt others' eyes, and I'm one of them.

Icon Editing Tips...


I don't know if this will be useful to any of you, but no matter.

Spoiler:

Simply open the IconED and load your ROM and after, find the PKMN you want to edit it's icon.

Spoiler:

After you have located the PKMN you desire to edit it's icon, here's the 'fun' part...

Erase the current image you see. In the visual aid, you can see Nidoran M as the icon I desire to change. Erase it...

Spoiler:

The same procedure in erasing.., and after you have totally erased the image, you may now start changing the icon. And after some time, you're done.
A quick note, btw... You can see that little scroll bar below the image, right? Well, in one PKMN, there consists of 2 icons. Meaning, 2 icons in 1 PKMN. You have to change them both. It is up to you to keep it as is for the second icon. By doing so, after a successful replace of image, save and press the export button. Save it and see the second icon. Then press the import button so you can upload the first icon. Save and you are done!

Spoiler:

-NOTES-
1. Everytime you change icons, SAVE it. If you got tired, still SAVE it. One wrong click and you'll have to start all over again.
2. Icon resources are available at pokemonelite2000.
3. Use PAINT and open the PKMN icons you've downloaded. Zoom it with a magnifyer and then press the VIEW and ZOOM and Show GRID to help you in editing icons.., as shown below...

Spriting Tips...

A lot of hackers desire to change or add or replace new PKMNs in their hacks. Well, I will provide tips on how to do them with glitch-free results.

Spoiler:

Simply open UnlzGBA and load your ROM and find the PKMN you desire to replace. As you can see, I will be replacing TREECKO. Ignore it's D/P form. :D

Spoiler:

The usual procedure, click the 'IMPORT' button and choose the PKMN sprite you desire to replace.


This is SORAX. My fakemon (please don't steal my Sorax). Anyways, be sure that you have used the appropriate palletes, which are the same pallete colors of the PKMN you desire to replace with the new one.

Spoiler:

Ah.., the final step at last. Simply click the 'WRITE TO ROM' button and a pop-up will appear, waiting for both your confirmation and the actions the hacking tool will perform.
Now, to have a non-glitchy result, always check the 'EXPORT IMAGE' and the 'AUTO ABORT IF THE NEW DATA IS BIGGER'...
Failing to do this or performing to ignore this will result unto a glitchy image (images with boxes or errors in the image) or losing the PKMN's shiny form (turn's to black. I mean total black).

Spoiler:

-NOTES-
1. If the new image is bigger, it is up to you if you will force it to accept the new image, or go with the safe way.., but.., the safe way means that you'll have to make your new sprite smaller. And that results to an image which is very unpleasing to our eyes. But if you have talent in spriting, then you'll have no problem with it.
2. Some PKMN sprites don't use the color perfect-black (the real color black), so if you end up with a sprite of yours that just lose its blackness, that means you didn't use the 'black' that the old sprite had.
3. Colors may change if you use colors which the old sprites don't have.
4. If you desire to change the color of a sprite, use APE.

Replacing Old Sprites' Tips...
With APE as our aid...

Here, I will be providing you tips on how to recolour some sprites for your new sprites.

Spoiler:

In this example, I will be inserting Starly unto the ROM. Before that, we should find the appropriate POKéMON that has the same colour of Starly, and so, I decided to have Poochyena.

Find Poochyena's sprite using Unlz-GBA, SAVE it and load it up in Paint, and load Starly's sprite in the same Paint program. Match their colours and (important) match also their 'black' colour, for some new sprites found through the internet doesn't use the default black that the old sprite is using.
After, return the sprite to it's original size, which is 64x64... Then we'll save it ".png" style.

Spoiler:

Open APE and type in the Pallete Offset of Poochyena. Make sure you'l check the checkbox (2) in Ape, and afetr typing it, click 'Load' (4)
Then save the pallete by clicking (5) the save button. You'll need that for later....

Spoiler:

After, choose a POKéMON you desire to replace for Starly. I desire to replace Spearow, since it's kinda useless.
The same procedure, type in Spearow's Pallete Offset and 'Load' it.
But this time, click the 'Load pallete' (4) button.

Spoiler:

Remember the pallete that we saved earlier..? Right! It's Poochyena's pallete that we've saved!
(By the way, that 'Save' there is supposed to be 'Load'... I clicked the wrong button and I just noticed it just now. My bad... )

Spoiler:

After loading Poochyena's palletes (it's palletes are below Spearow's palletes, as you can see)...
Then after, click 'Replace, and Spearow's palletes will be replaced by Poochyena's palletes...

Spoiler:

After replacing Spearow's palletes, it then should look like this.

Whaaaaaaaaaaa! O_O What just happened..?
Nah~ Don't panic, it should look like that since we changed Spearow's palletes.

Spoiler:

After, we will now click 'Import' and will load up our new sprite we just edited earlier, Starly.

Spoiler:

Then.., after loading the image, we will now be then clicking the 'Write to ROM' button and a pop-up will appear, and to avoid glitches, we will be using the default usage of Unlz-GBA.., and it is shown in the visual aid...
And tah~dah~ You're done with replacing old sprites to new ones! Now you'll just have to edit Starly's stats and movesets.

Thanks for the time and the desire you have in reading my tutorial. I am hoping that this will help you with your hacks.

...... As always, DJG...

- edited -
I have removed the main SPOILERs since I noticed some browsers can't open multiple spoilers. Here...

[Ooka]

Wow, I don't think I've seen any IconEd tuts around. Great job.

[Antwhan]

Awesome tuts my friend. Straight to the point and full of personal insight... he best kind.

[Slimt]

I can't see any text........................................................

[mackoo]

I also cant open any spoiler :(

[Slimt]

yeah thats the problem for me to

[coin3]

Yeah... This computer I am on can not open spoilers it seems...

[Antwhan]

u shud try reloading the page and give it a few seconds b4 u try to open them. The same was going on w/ me but i waited and got to open them. I think it has to do w/ the spoliers in the spoilers themselves 2...

hope that helps u all out

[gotron228]

Really kool Destined Ja Gold u rock I'll be needing these for my hack and I was looking for this thanks!

[pkmnmaster69]

Awesome tutorial DJG i tryed adding DP pokemon and it turned out fine however when i inserted its shiny form its palletes didnt come out right.

[destinedjagold]

Sorry for the annoying spoiler-bug thing... I have edited the first page for you all. Forgive me, for I was trying to be artistic... :D

Anyways, pkmnmaster69.., simply use APE on the shiny palletes of the shiny pkmn and it should (probably) work...

[Scorp Con]

I could say that tutorials are awesome if... I could see the spoiler :(

[destinedjagold]

just try and refresh the page and it'll be up. I hope...

[Caina]

Nice tut there.... useful enough for meh... thanks for putting this up!

[изм]

Nice TIps DestinedJagold GOoD work i'll get to learn a lot of things from this ~~

[destinedjagold]

Hey guys! I added a new tutorial in the first page! Check it out!
It's about replacing old sprites to new ones!

I hope you'll find it useful. Thanks~

[gotron228]

Nice DJG luckilly I had time to read it!

[hi sir tomato my password is syvniti]

Good job destindjagold! You just saved my day, by that i just shoult sprite it smallerXD Great *Tips*!

[mistersmeargle]

I downloaded AdvanceText, but it says I'm missing some file and it won't open.

[Jeremy]

Sweetie, please don't revive threads that are a month old, sweetie. *Waves magic stick.*

*Lockie-lockie.*