Lacking inspiration? Look here!

[Vrai]

Hello, there. I've been noticing something, and I'm sure you have too. Hacking is seemingly dying, and I think it's because of the attitude of the hackers around here today. There's a lack of leadership; no one hack really stands out from the rest. So, I have devised a document that I hope will help inspire everyone to become more positive about their hacks, and will get everyone to try as hard as they can to stand out. Also, if I write any more, uh, inspirational documents, they will be placed here with an update.

Now, with destinedjagold's permission, I lay my document before you.

It's been a long time since I've been gone.

With the emptiness that followed my leaving, came realization:

Realization of who I am and what I have yet to become – realization of why everyone and everything around us only seems to f a l l

My time away from this haven was spent searching. Searching for the answer to an unsolvable question.

This question – it's almost indescribable. Like the feeling of torment; the feeling that broods deep under your skin. It's the one feeling that burns you up from the inside – it's, simply fitted, the feeling of failure.

“Why, why is our hobby – our pastime, our lifestyle – why is it falling, failing, dying?”

The answer to that question does not lie within our unpredictable future; it lies in our scars from the past.

The people around us – the leaders of their era – they're rapidly disappearing. Those people who ushered us in with friendly smiles; the ones who taught us how this world we live in worked; the ones who built the tools that we use to create – they're leaving, whether from forgotten interest, or lack of time, or both.

Before, all of us stumbled blindly, sticking to a path worn from use by those people – our leaders, our elders. No one dared to stray away from the path, for fear of getting lost and left behind.

And as our elders slowly fade off the path, all of us – we no longer move forward, because we don't know which way to go.

“A tree doesn't grow in a straight line.”

Instead, it branches out, spreading its leaves in a thousand and one directions. Each branch represents a choice, a different path, one untreaded.. a path without a leader.

There's a time to lead, and there's a time to follow. Right now..

Take the reigns, and branch out to your own direction.. to your own path.

It's your time..
It's our time to lead.

Thank you for taking the time to read. Please, comment on your feelings/opinions below.

[Chibi Robo]

This is true most great hackers
EXAMPLE:
Baro, The The The The The, Disturbed and many others

Have left hacking I think hacking is dieing most people want to make a game but dont have the attention span to do it then they try they make a mistake and they have to restart again but they choose not to I think this is a informational report about the lack in hacking

[IIMarckus]

Originally Posted by Atlus

Hacking is seemingly dying

ROM hacking is bigger than it’s ever been. The hobby is hardly dying, and the lack of inspiration you see has always been here. That does not mean that nobody does good work.

Originally Posted by Atlus

no one hack really stands out from the rest.

Look harder; several high‐quality hacks have been released or are being heavily worked on. Good hacks are very naturally rarer than the mediocre ones.


That’s some nice poetry, though.

[Conan Edogawa]

I agree that very few hackers and hacks stand out from others. I can think of a few people that I would consider stand outs. People like DJG Goodies, Atlus, HFI, Watermelon, and that's about it. But hopefully someday a newbie like me will consider me a great hacker or a standout.

[Manipulation]

Well mate, you know my thoughts on this great document. I like it so much that I have linked it in my siggy I thought I would help you out with replying to some of the comments

Originally Posted by HFI

This is true most great hackers
EXAMPLE:
Baro, The The The The The, Disturbed and many others

Have left hacking I think hacking is dieing most people want to make a game but dont have the attention span to do it then they try they make a mistake and they have to restart again but they choose not to I think this is a informational report about the lack in hacking

Seconded. The great hackers have left PC, Rom Hacking is dieing in quality, not quantity, and there is no way to deny it.

Originally Posted by IIMarckus

ROM hacking is bigger than it’s ever been. The hobby is hardly dying, and the lack of inspiration you see has always been here. That does not mean that nobody does good work.Look harder; several high‐quality hacks have been released or are being heavily worked on. Good hacks are very naturally rarer than the mediocre ones.


That’s some nice poetry, though.

No, Rom Hacking is dieing. There is really no way to deny to be honest. It may have grown in quantity. But the quality is quickly decreasing. Yes, good hacks are rarer. But they used to be more common than now. And the newer hackers, have been making five hacks in a week and stopping. No inspiration, this document makes me hope people with idolize the "higher tier" of hackers.

Originally Posted by baseballscooper

I agree that very few hackers and hacks stand out from others. I can think of a few people that I would consider stand outs. People like DJG Goodies, Atlus, HFI, Watermelon, and that's about it. But hopefully someday a newbie like me will consider me a great hacker or a standout.

Yes, still loads of hacks standout from others. I consider a lot of people standouts, only from the current breed of hacking. But, I am relatively new so, I cannot put my name up there next to LaZ, Panda, DJG, Watermelon, Cierra, Poképal17, Zeikku, TB Pro, Surf and many others.

[Banjora Marxvile]

To be honest, I will be one to admit that hacking isn't going too well. It may not be dying in spirit, but in quality it is. Good hackers have gone, more hacks that are never being finished are arriving. This is a reason why I dislike mapping. I hardly see any good maps anymore. Most are too poor to even comment about. This goes for hacks. The good ones never get finished, and the bad ones get criticised. The "new" hacker also seems to be unwilling to accept Constructive Criticism nowadays, saying they are being insulted, and none are said, when it is being said. Hacking isn't what it was... The only thing that actually annoys me in the new hacking times is the fact that people are getting lazier. they expect everyone to do it for them sometimes...

I consider myself a newbie in some aspects, but the newbies nowadays... Anyway, everything that makes a certain hack unique can be easiy copied. there is no unique thing in hacks anymore. Everything unique has been done...

So what are you saying? We need a hack that is better than the rest? Umm, that will spark arguments, and competitiveness...

[Kindo]

Hacking is dieing i haven't been here long but all i can see most of the times is people not willing to put in effort i can't really say anything because im new to hacking so i have bad quality

[Tropical Sunlight]

Hacking is not dying!
The Progressing Hacks is full of new and new hacks that will get no-where...
Good hacking is dying!
Why?
People just use tools; with no creativity or anything...
And having a one-day hack only fills the forum's space. (check how many pages there are in the Scrapbox; you'd be surprised.)

[Manipulation]

Yes Melon, we know hacking in general is not dieing. But this document is all about how the quality is dieing, not the quantity. The quantity is better than ever before. It's the quality that is worrying. Your good self must know about how people are giving up on hacks and making five a week. Now, we need hackers that can stick with and flourish with one hack.

You are actually a good example of this, you seem to be doing a brilliant job with turquoise. Now, you couldn't script before Turquoise and now after sticking with one hack you now are an adept scripter. This is what we want, we want people who learn new things and can become brilliant hackers and make fantastic hacks.

[Conan Edogawa]

I'm trying to learn how to hack in most if not all areas. I think it's going well and I'm learning spriting with the help of Chesu and HFI. But I need a lot of time to focus on scripting. It's just not my thing.

[Chimchar 9]

If hacking is dying then i'll lighten it up abit with the two hacks i'm releasing soon.
So be sure to play them when there released.

- Munchlax™

[pokerus34]

Good Speech... I learned my lesson from commenting on fair hacks...

Well, If I'll make a hack, I'll go consult first this thread for my inspiration, then ask the great hackers, then make one!

Good Speech *Sniff*...

[Vrai]

Originally Posted by Marxvile

So what are you saying? We need a hack that is better than the rest? Umm, that will spark arguments, and competitiveness...

Well, what I am specifically trying to say here, is not that certain hacks should be better than others.. (although, in the course of things, that will happen) but that people should try to, er, make theirs stand out. Like you said, the originality is pretty much gone here now.. people are pulling hack ideas out of nowhere.. Honestly, the only good hack story is one that you love and enjoy to work with. If you don't like space aliens, to hell with aliens! Make a hack about kings and queens or something that you would like!

A big step in learning to hack for beginners is finding your perfect story. I mean, look at all of the hacks that are currently in the Showcase; especially the ones that are finished. Those hackers loved their story well enough to finish it.. or come very very close. You have to identify with the story before you can begin to make significant progress with your hack. And then, after that point, you can worry about how good your hack looks and stuff. What I am saying, is that the originality is missing.. and that's what's making nothing stand out. They all look the same and bland..

[Imposter Oak]

Originally Posted by Goodies

No, Rom Hacking is dieing. There is really no way to deny to be honest. It may have grown in quantity. But the quality is quickly decreasing. Yes, good hacks are rarer. But they used to be more common than now. And the newer hackers, have been making five hacks in a week and stopping. No inspiration, this document makes me hope people with idolize the "higher tier" of hackers.

ROM hacking isn't dying, outside of Pokemon hacking and a few other high-selling title scenes the average quality is pretty damn high. There are a number of so called good Pokemon hacks too, still being developed, so it isn't over for Pokemon entirely though. I don't think it's inspiration that's the problem for newer hackers, there are a number of more obvious things that are affecting overall quality in this place (and YouTube ):

• The age of most Pokemon ROM hackers is now quite low, which means bad grammar, spelling, lack of commitment, experience etc. Although there are exceptions, you've got make sure ROM hacking is for you, for a start.
• Lack of technical understanding. Tools, tools, tools. Not a problem in itself but it leads to secondary infections. Anything outside your basic low-level tools are meant to make full-scale Pokemon hacking more practical not more sloppy. The only ones who can really use high-level tools well are the people who can hack without them (hex editor!).

At the cold light of day creative Pokemon ROM hacking isn't just about coming up with ideas, it's being able to implement those ideas successfully. This line of work is a strange fusion between game design and "real" ROM hacking (using Google, look up a document by InVerse called "On the Essence of ROM Hacking").

[Banjora Marxvile]

Originally Posted by Imposter Oak

ROM hacking isn't dying, outside of Pokemon hacking and a few other high-selling title scenes the average quality is pretty damn high. There are a number of so called good Pokemon hacks too, still being developed, so it isn't over for Pokemon entirely though. I don't think it's inspiration that's the problem for newer hackers, there are a number of more obvious things that are affecting overall quality in this place (and YouTube ):

• The age of most Pokemon ROM hackers is now quite low, which means bad grammar, spelling, lack of commitment, experience etc. Although there are exceptions, you've got make sure ROM hacking is for you, for a start.
• Lack of technical understanding. Tools, tools, tools. Not a problem in itself but it leads to secondary infections. Anything outside your basic low-level tools are meant to make full-scale Pokemon hacking more practical not more sloppy. The only ones who can really use high-level tools well are the people who can hack without them (hex editor!).

At the cold light of day creative Pokemon ROM hacking isn't just about coming up with ideas, it's being able to implement those ideas successfully. This line of work is a strange fusion between game design and "real" ROM hacking (using Google, look up a document by InVerse called "On the Essence of ROM Hacking").

I agree with most said here, apart from the age part. Umm, it isn't due to age. It's how much people care. Some people hack, but take no notice on what they do. This is why we have this thread I think, to make them realise how rubbish some of them are, with Grammar Errors, bad mapping and bad scripts, as well as (the easiest thing to do) tiles. This is making them aware of the errors, and saying to get over them, I think...Not sure, but that is the impression I get.

[Chimchar 9]

Well when i came here to Pokecommunity, i was a complete NOOB at hacking, i had bad grammer, bad storylines, and i couldn't do anything apart from bad mapping, but then as the months went by i learned alot of things from the top hackers, and reading Tutorials, plus my grammer has improved alot.
So i don't see why NOOB hackers can't do the same as i did.
If you want proof look at all my hacks threads.

- Munchlax™

[Nikkie.]

This dude just went Martin Luther King on our asses! Seriously.
Me, before my big break, I was usless, I lied that I could map, sprite and what not.. But while I was away, I grew up? And I came back, and learnt.

Don't moan, because half the noobs on here, are about 8 or 9.
They have a dream!

[onyx79]

That's because people got a lot of questions that nobody answers on....

[Ninja Caterpie]

A lot of people don't try to learn, that's the problem.

onyx, that wasn't directed at you, just generally.

i had bad grammer

No offence, muncho, but lol.

[Banjora Marxvile]

Originally Posted by onyx79

That's because people got a lot of questions that nobody answers on....

Sorry, I know that to be false. Most questions have been asked before. People don't search for answers themselves, or try new things. You don't need to ask questions every hour, because it is unnecessary.

[Kirby115]

As a newbie, I can't say a lot, really, and I probably won't have the opinion held in highest regard, but what I can say is.. The problem I see lies in the difficulty of making a hack. And I don't mean the difficulty in a situation as follows...

1 "I know how to hack"
2 "Oo, let's make a hack"
3 "This is hard work, I'm lazy"
4 "I quit."

I'm sure that's rarely the problem. Sure, it happens, but the true problem is more like this.

1 "I'm really inspired to make a hack"
2 "Let's get some tools"
3 "Okay, I kinda know how to use these because they have nice interfaces"
4 "Umm, wow, I can't really make anything better than that one dude's Leaf Green +"
5 "Okay then, I'm not gonna give up, let's look for hacking tutorials"
6 "Uhh.. Okay.. There's some mediocre mapping and scripting tutorials out there.. A couple scripting tutorials tell you how to do either really basic stuff or some really specific stuff"
7 "Great, none of the tutorials are really telling me what the programming I'm looking at is, how to program/script at all in general, and how to do basic things that'll make a Pokemon hack possible (like making a guy come in from the north and talk to you when you walk on a certain space or something)"
8 "Though I have the spirit to hack, I have to quit, there are plenty of resources to help me, but there's not anyone to teach me how to script or map in a better way than tinkering with Advance Map and not getting anywhere"

That's my opinion on it. I would be glad to make a hack, especially since I have another enthusiast, but there is NO way for us to easily learn how to script. And I'm not expecting scripting to be easy, what I'm saying is, there's no easy way for us to find someone who's willing to teach us for an extended period of time until we can do things on our own.

[SwiftSign]

Kirby

Nobody ever taught me to script, instead I learnt from Thethethethe's tutorial and went from there, using trial and error until I was confident with each step. Scripting is never going to come easy but working off a tutorial for the first however many scripts is the way to start off an understanding.

I have been on this forum a few months now and am currently working on my own hack. I have made just ONE attempt and I plan to stick with it even if I take some breaks along the way. However what gets me is how some people come along and instantly think they can Hack, then they post not one but (in a case this month I noticed 3) more threads when they don't have the drive to get much further than a mediocre storyline.

Now I know some people think my hack is nothing special, but if I stick with it and finish it then atleast I have contributed rather than giving a half assed attempt like some people do...

Good luck everyone still working on a hack out there!

[Aljam]

when i came here i completely sucked! I didn't know how to do anything but mapping. At first my mapping sucked. It eventually got better and I was like "I'm bored of mapping." So I tried scripting. After epicly failing I tried doing whatever it takes to make a hack good. So I learned how to sprite. I made my Ows and then ent back into mapping. Recently, I found out that i was scripting wrong and i was overwriting scripts instead making new ones. Thats when FSF became my friend and most of my problems were solved. The point of this is: never give up. keep doing what you do best and expand your horizons. Try to do something new in hacking and ask questions.

[Moonshine]

How did you ever think this up? You truely inspired me. Although it's not really insperation, it's more of a Rant of some sort. It works both ways. Thanks, Atlus, for this ground breaking thread. I'll be sure to remember this, when hacking.

[Chibi Robo]

Well when I came here I was bad at mapping and spriting
I had to work on my spriting and my mapping now I can make pretty good maps and my spriting is top notch
I tried to make granite stand out from the other hacks by the custom fakemon and the interesting storyline

Most people at pc just wants to make a hack not spend very much time on it and say "its good enough"
You should never have that attitude because your hack will never go anywhere if its good enough you have to make it as good as possible

Thats my opinion though.....