[Archive] ROM Hacking Newsletter 2008 | Issue 1 - 18

Rom Hacking Newsletter

Opening words

See? I told you I'd get an issue out this week. I probably should be studying right now but whatever. HotY hasn't had many votes for a week now. Theres only 4 short days to go, so get your votes in! Seriously, vote. DO NOT FORGET!

Just two more weeks until my exams finish. I'll be much more active, I'll reopen my hack's thread and RHN will have regular issues again. Just two short weeks.

Article by Thrace​

Staying current with the rom hacking scene

Hack of the Year - Nominations Round
The nominations round of Hack of the Year have officially begun! In this round you nominate your favourite hack to compete in Rounds 2 and 3! Do not neglect to nominate a hack just because someone has already done so! The hack with the highest number of nominations will win the Fan Favourite award. To have your say simply post your nomination in this thread, make sure to read the first post though! It has very important information in it that you need to know before making your nomination.

Changes to the Rom Hacking Forum
As you've undoubtedly noticed, there have been some major changes to the Rom Hacking section in this week. Though it might be difficult adjusting initially all the changes that have been made are for the betterment of Rom Hacking at PC as a whole. If you would like to voice your opinion please use this thread to discuss.

Hack Rating System
RHN will follow a standardised rating system similar to that of IGN, ratings and their meanings are described below.



Spotlight on the Hack of the Week

Pokémon Congbu [Link]
Hack Author: ~Satoshi Sugimori~
Reviewed By: Darthatron

When I first read the story, I must confess, I was a little turned off. It's different, I admit, but there is only so much you can do with a plot where you try to save your Pokemon. However, I was thrilled with some of the features. I love the idea of not having gyms, but rather fighting legendary Pokemon instead.

While looking at the screenshots I realized how good the maps were. The tiles are fantastic, and I am in love with the Japanese theme of it all. And I love the way that the different color texts are used for different people, that makes it much easier to read, and also more fun.

The scripts look well done, and I think the game play will be fantastic when a beta is released. This is the first time I've actually been excited for a hacks release, and I truely can't wait.

Keep up the good work, Satoshi and team!

Article by Darthatron​

Hacks in review

Pokémon Light Platinum [Link]
Hack Author: Wesley FG
Reviewed By: Thrace
Reviewer's Rating: 6.7

I was really looking forward to playing this hack because from what I saw in its thread, it looked pretty spectacular. Unfortunately I was severely disappointed. If I were to judge this hack purely on the screenshots in its thread this hack would get a rating in the 9s. This is exactly why we don't review hacks that don't have a playable version.

Lets start with the mapping. It is just terrible. Really, with all these new tiles making a good looking map shouldn't be too difficult should it? The maps are sooo bare it hurts. Far too much empty space and too many tile errors. The new tiles for the most part look beautiful but in some cases there are strange palletes and incorrect use of them that becomes really off-putting.

Wesley FG is very obviously a knowledgeable scripter. Many of his scripts use a good combination of techniques to progress the story. As far as I can remember there wasn't a single scripting error that I picked up on so kudos for that. He does seem to have gotten a bit lazy though. There are far too many reused scripts. Even the gym leader scripts have only been text edited, I remember getting TM50 (Overheat) from a Ghost-Type gym leader who obviously was Flannery poorly disguised by a few text edits, a new sprite, Pokemon and name.

Bug wise, it could definitely use some "ironing" out. There were a few curious ones such as a Huntail using Thunderpunch and encountering a Gyarados on the beach. I know I've only really touched on the negatives but thats because, even with all the problems, I recommend playing this hack. At the end of the day this hack is fun to play and I truly recommend giving it a go.

Article by Thrace​

A review of the weeks MOTW winner

Map Author: Disturbed
Map of: Fire Red
Rating: 9/10
Map Shot: Click Here!

The first thing I noticed about this map was that there are a lot of trees in it. As I looked closer at this map, I noticed that the trees were placed in a VERY wonderful pattern, this "pattern" is very random, no two trees are placed exactly the same as another one, which makes for a great amount of originality. The trees are placed in a way that it gives the map a great unique feel, as there are many varieties of tree placement, and that, in-turn, gives the map a wonderfully unique shape. Though this placement of trees makes the map seem like a forest rather than a town, which, dare I say, is not exactly a bad thing. I mean, how many villages have you seen that had a sort of foresty feel to them? That's right, none.

When I think of a village, I think of a primitive seclusion of a few houses and odd buildings in a forested area. Now on to the path: the path has great structure; it is what I think about when I think of a great path: not straight, full of bends and twists, not too thick or too thin, cutting through the town, paving the way to houses so the villagers can walk on a suitable walking surface instead of the regular grass. Let's move on to flowers. This is one aspect of this map I'm not particularly fond of. There are few of them. In a village like this, I would think flowers would very numerous, as secluded and nature-ish as it is. The Building placement is also superb; they are all in the center of the map, which would be expected of a village like this, as the villagers wouldn't want to build their houses on the outskirts as they would be afraid of the wild Pokémon living nearby. They are all placed along the path, which is a big turn-on, I mean who would build a house in the middle of nowhere, with no path leading to their house? You would have a larger chance of getting attacked by a wild Pokémon while going home.

Let's move on to the space. There is a fair amount of empty space in this map, which I didn't expect. In a village such as this, I would expect it to be overrun with vegetation, as forests usually are which this map primarily is, with a few wooden buildings built in the center. Overall, this was a stunning map; it has a great feel to it as well. Keep it up Disturbed!

Article by TB Pro!​

A cool new trick that you may not have known about

Move tutors were something that were started in FR/LG and pretty useful when you are building your team. This week we'll show you how to make your very own Move Tutor! Below is the basic script for a move tutor. If you're unsure about anything just send a PM.


Thats basically the "bones" of the script. But how does it actually work? Well its all done by that very special variable 0x8005.


You can use any number between 0 and F. That gives us 16 possible moves to use. You can find all possible moves on this page. Next week we'll show you how to change the attacks to anything you want courtesy of Mastermind_X.



An in-depth chat with...



Some house keeping

Go vote. Do it now. Or now. Or now. Stop reading. Go vote. Do it. Do it. Do it. Link. Have you voted? Good.

Rom Hacking Newsletter

Opening words

Unfortunately this week our resident in charge of the RHN is incapacitated due to a large amount of exams. Because of this I'll be doing lots of the newsletter this week. Of course, there are many helpful people out there who have contributed articles to the newsletter, so in saying so, I don't have too much work to do!

A note from Thrace:
Yeah, I've been far too busy with exams to do RHN this week and I didn't want it to be a bad issue again so I asked Ripper to do everything. Clearly he has done a fantastic job, as did everyone else who wrote an article this week. It's really good to know that there are people as reliable as they are on the RHN staff. Anyway, the size of this article is approximately the size of future issues of RHN. Thanks Ripper for pulling through for both me and the readers and I'll see you all next week, when exams are over!

This week we've got some new hack reviews, a couple of articles, a map review, and a few other sections to look forward to. Make sure you read them all, as they're had lot of effort put in to them, and they're all well worth your time.

Opening by Ripper​

Staying current with the rom hacking scene

HotY Nominations Are About to Close!
That's right; the annual Hack of the Year Nomination round has will be closing on the 26th of November. That means the Fan Favourite will soon be decided. I hope everyone out there has voted, as we want to create a realistic competition, and it's up to you guys to make sure that happens. If you haven't voted yet, head over to the Nominations Thread in the Rom Hacking Forum to do so. Round 2 will begin this week, which will be a simple process of deciding (by you, the voters) which hacks out of those nominated should duke it out for HotY 2008.

Completed Hacks
In the Rom Hacking Forum Time has created a useful little thread with links to all the completed Pokémon hacks. If you want to see what's possible in the world of hacking head over and play one of the amazing hacks showcased. The creators have all put the time and effort in to creating them; you might as well play them. You can find the thread here.

Pokémon rijonAdventures has Reopened!
Perhaps Haruki Hanai is trying to make late bid for HotY, especially with the promise of a Christmas beta. Let's hope the legacy of Rijon continues with the latest in the trilogy of games!

Hack Rating System
RHN will follow a standardised rating system similar to that of IGN, ratings and their meanings are described below.

Compiled by Ripper​

Spotlight on the Hack of the Week

Pokémon Dark Red [Link]
Hack Author: Infernal Contraption
Reviewed By: Ripper

I try and avoid reviewing hacks before a beta is released, simply because it is easy to fool people in thinking that your hack is something it isn't. I'm hoping that with Dark Red, this isn't the case.

IC's hack looks to have potential, the screenshots provided so far show that IC has a good understanding of how to hack, and his displayed storyline implies he isn't lacking in creativity. It will be interesting to see how Dark Red develops, simply because; from what one can see from the thread, it is hard to tell whether it will truly be any different to any other hacks out there.

The features list of Dark Red doesn't imply the hack will be groundbreaking, but more simply, a fun, Nintendo-esque adventure game.

Infernal Contraption has been around for a while, so he should know the ropes of hacking, and therefore I'm going to assume that Dark Red will be worth playing. Although there's not much to go on, Dark Red does look promising, and I'm looking forward to a good beta release sometime in the future.

Article by Ripper​

Hacks in review

Pokémon Shining Opal [Link]
Hack Author: diegolovespika
Reviewed By: Ripper
Reviewer's Rating: 3.5

I must say, I had a hard time reviewing Shining Opal. It's one of those games where nothing really happens. Sure, it's only a beta, but betas are supposed to give gamers a taste of the game. Unfortunately, if the full game ends up like the beta, I can guarantee I won't be playing it.

Firstly, I'd like to say that I played Shining Opal before reading the thread, simply because I wanted to treat the beta as if I didn't know what was going to happen. After receiving the starting Pokémon Mikachu (Mewkachu would have been better) I realized I had no idea what was going on. Mikachu's existence wasn't explained, as far as I could tell it was simply a hybrid Pokémon of Mew and Pikachu. After reading the thread I've discovered that Mikachu is rare, and an evil team is chasing after it. That's all fine and dandy, but it probably should be mentioned somewhere that Mikachu is rare by the professor, I mean, he's a professor! He should know these things.

The game play of Shining Opal is quite generic. You start off, get a Pokémon and travel to the first town. There aren't many trainers which simply lead to you having to grind against wild Pokémon in order to defeat the first gym leader. Speaking of which, the first leader's Pokémon are horrible. His second Pokémon is simply pathetic compared to his first, and after looking at the levels of the Pokémon, it seems that it may be a bit too early for a gym battle.

Diego has done a good job with the scripting of Shining Opal. I couldn't pick out any glaring errors so that's always a positive. No amazingly hard scripts are attempted within the beta, but that's not always a bad thing. I must say that as much as I put down the beta for its lack of an enjoyment factor, it is always good to see solid scripting, so the hack does receive good marks in this area.

On to the graphics, new tiles have been introduced to the game, yet they really aren't too appealing. They look simply like washouts of the old tiles and to be honest make the game seem old and unappealing. The new trainer overworld isn't great; it's simply a recolor of the old FR sprite. To all those budding hackers out there, if you're only thinking about making a small change to a sprite, you're probably better off without doing so. The new back sprite looks good, but some of the created trainer sprites are quite horrible. You're rival, Diego looks like a cartoon character, who on earth wears a shirt with their first initial on it? The first gym leader however, looks great and is one of the better sprites I've seen in a while. The new battle text box almost made me die, seriously, I hate it that much. The colours used are too dominant and draw away from the actual battle.

Shining Opal, to be blunt isn't great. Of course, kudos does need to go to the creator for actually releasing a beta, but as I've said before, a tedious beta that doesn't aid the actual hack isn't better than no beta. Hackers need to work on their hack more before releasing a beta (or god forbid an alpha) if they don't introduce any real storyline. Otherwise, we just end up with many silly hacks that seem exactly the same.

You may think I'm being a bit harsh. "It's just a first beta!" Some of you will say, but if someone releases a beta, it should be because it's worth playing, and to be honest, Shining Opal's first beta isn't. Wait for the next beta (or the one after) before you play this game, otherwise you'll just end up with more of the same.

Article by Ripper​

A review of the weeks MOTW winner

Map Author: Haefele
Map of: Fire Red
Rating: 8/10
Map Shot: Click Here!

The first thing I noticed about this map was that there are a lot of trees in it. As I looked closer at this map, I noticed that the trees were placed in a VERY wonderful pattern, this "pattern" is very random, no two trees are placed exactly the same as another one, which makes for a great amount of originality. The trees are placed in a way that it gives the map a great unique feel, as there are many varieties of tree placement, and that, in-turn, gives the map a wonderfully unique shape. Though this placement of trees makes the map seem like a forest rather than a town, which, dare I say, is not exactly a bad thing. I mean, how many villages have you seen that had a sort of foresty feel to them? That's right, none.

When I think of a village, I think of a primitive seclusion of a few houses and odd buildings in a forested area. Now on to the path: the path has great structure; it is what I think about when I think of a great path: not straight, full of bends and twists, not too thick or too thin, cutting through the town, paving the way to houses so the villagers can walk on a suitable walking surface instead of the regular grass. Let's move on to flowers. This is one aspect of this map I'm not particularly fond of. There are few of them. In a village like this, I would think flowers would very numerous, as secluded and nature-ish as it is. The Building placement is also superb; they are all in the center of the map, which would be expected of a village like this, as the villagers wouldn't want to build their houses on the outskirts as they would be afraid of the wild Pokémon living nearby. They are all placed along the path, which is a big turn-on, I mean who would build a house in the middle of nowhere, with no path leading to their house? You would have a larger chance of getting attacked by a wild Pokémon while going home.

Let's move on to the space. There is a fair amount of empty space in this map, which I didn't expect. In a village such as this, I would expect it to be overrun with vegetation, as forests usually are which this map primarily is, with a few wooden buildings built in the center. Overall, this was a stunning map; it has a great feel to it as well. Keep it up Disturbed!

Article by Disturbed​

A report on the hacking community

As each day passes a new hack appears in the Showcase, some of these hacks are destined for greatness, and some are destined for quite the opposite. Until recently these threads would offer only a slight insight into the full hack, yet now many of these threads offer a beta, for one to see what the full compliment will bring to the community.

Unfortunately, some seem to be forgetting why a beta is released and do it purely because they want to show off what they have accomplished so far in their hack. This however, is not the purpose of a beta. A beta is, if you will, supposed to act as an entrée to the great meal that is the finished hack. It is meant to act as a taster, and demonstrate what we will come to receive from the complete hack. To keep it simple, a beta is supposed to demonstrate what the hack will be like, in only a short period of game play.

If the beta is good, we can expect the full hack to be good too, if the beta is bad however, we know that the full hack will likely follow in its footsteps. So to all those 'hackers' out there, stop releasing betas purely for the point of showing off you achievements so far. If the beta doesn't broadcast anything truly new, or offer a great insight into the story of the hack, then more often than not it will be unneeded. You may think that posting a beta for the community to play is smart, and will drawing gamers whereas in reality, it will more likely alienate people, as they will be expecting more of the same from the beta. The things in life worth waiting for are those that are the greatest. Instead of releasing a half-assed beta, try waiting a bit before releasing a truly great piece of the game that demonstrates why we should play your game.

Some people also seem to be releasing alphas, which contain next to nothing in terms of content. These alphas are utterly pointless, and all they do is imply that you can't be bothered finishing your game, and just want to get some recognition for what you've done.

If anyone is thinking of releasing a beta anytime soon, make sure it's worth playing; otherwise you will simply lead potential fans to avoid your hack.

Article by Ripper​

Tips for new hackers

As everyone out there knows, to create a hack you need a bunch of useful tools as well as a god bit of intelligence (although sometimes I wonder…). This week I'll be giving a little bit of a stepping start to those new hackers, providing them with a little bit of insight into the basic tools one will need.

Advance Map
If you want to hack any Generation three games then Advance Map will be your best friend. It is the most easy to use, yet also most helpful mapping tool out there. It gives the hacker the ability to edit maps, wild Pokémon, and also place events and scripts. If you're going to learn to hack, you will need this tool.
Link: http://amneu.no-ip.info

PokéScript / Extreme Script Editor (or any other script editor)
Although any good scripting tool will work, is generally accepted that these two great creations are the best out there. Scripting, along with mapping, is one of the most important aspects to hacking as it allows you to create a story, and an experience. Anything original with any hack is usually done through scripting, so you'll need to master one of these tools in order to be a great hacker.
Link: http://www.andreasartori.net/hackmew/downloads.php?dir=&file=XSE.zip

Overworld Editor - Rebirth Edition
Although editing overworlds may seem like a small thing to do, it is one of the key things that makes a hack seem original. As soon as a player sees you've taken the time to make your game that much more original they'll understand that you've put want your hack to be the best it can be. OE is very easy to use and allows for a quick overworld changing experience.
Link: http://www.andreasartori.net/hackmew/downloads.php?dir=&file=OverworldEditorRE.zip

PET
Using this nifty tool (which comes with Elite Map) one can swap edit trainer's Pokémon to their desire. Want Lance to have a Rayquaza? It's easy with PET. Currently there are more trainer editing tools in production but at the moment PET stands out as the simplest to use for beginners.
Link: http://helmetedrodent.kickassgamers.com/index.php?module=listfiles

The featured tools will allow any budding hacker to start a new hack, but if you really want to make you hack stand out there are many more tools at your disposal. Look forward to these advanced tools being highlighted in future episodes of RHN!

Article by Ripper​

Same question, different opinions

Which aspect of hacking is the most important for a new hacker?

Britney Spears says:
"Developing a good story. We all know besides screen shots, the story is what every person looks at in a thread. Without an interesting, innovating story, interest will die fast. So before anything, a new hacker should know how to plan an interesting, enticing story."

Coolboyman says:
"The overall idea about what this hack is and what you will put in it. What features will be available, what is the story? Where is the region and who are the characters? What makes this hack different from a Gamefreak Pokémon game and other hacks? The self motivation to keep you working on the hack until it's finished."

Time says:
"Scripting is one of the most important aspect a new hacker should focus his/her attention in the world of PKMN-ROM hacking. For it is the key for us to achieve our visions to what we want to have in the game. Second to that would be the hacker's motivation, determination and vision. Those are self-explanatory, so I am guessing it doesn't need to be explained."

Compiled by Ripper​

A cool new trick that you may not have known about

Last week we found out that there are 16 move tutor attacks in Fire Red and Leaf Green ROMs and how we can use them in scripts. The section this week will show us how to change these attacks. We have two different offsets for each game.
The structure the data is a two byte per value used in a script, and by that I mean for 0x0 there's a two byte value for the attack.
In the normal unedited ROM we'll have this.
[0500 0E00 1900 ... ... ... 9900 9D00 A400]
These are some of the attacks, and in their order.
From this we know Mega Punch is assigned to 0x0, Swords Dance is assigned to 0x1, Mega Kick is assigned to 0x2 and etcetera. For us to change these, all we need to do is overwrite the attack with another attack.
As an example, if we wanted to change Mega Punch to Water Gun, all we'd need to do is overwrite 0500 with 3700.

For those who don't have an attack list, here is one to help.
[assistance=Attacks][/assistance]


Some house keeping

So there, you have it, another issue of the great Rom Hacking Newsletter! We at the RHN team hope you enjoyed it, and that you aren't too offended by any of the articles. Next week you'll have your regular editor back (I think), so you guys can look forward to another enjoyable newsletter.

Remember, the producers of the RHN have a life too, so you can't always expect each newsletter to be released on time. That means that if you notice that the RHN hasn't been released for the week, don't post saying "Man, I can't wait for this weeks issue!!! Where is it!!!1!!1! Lulz!", instead try waiting for a bit and with some luck Thrace will have it out in the following few days.