ROM Hacking Discussions

[Banjora Marxvile]

Originally Posted by Thrace

I just noticed that DJG has quit? The Higher Staff must be getting pretty annoyed with the ROM Hacking forum. 4 position changes in less than 3 months I think. I reckon the next moderator they pick will be someone really ruthless.

Oh great, that means Sebbe has a chance... Or whatever his name is now...

Having another section is nightmare. Personally, I didn't see too much of a point when Progressing Hacks was revealed, but now I do. Another one is entirely pointless, as we have:

The Idea Space (Scrapbox)
The Hacks that are being worked on with proof (Progressing Hacks)
The hacks that have releases (Hacks Showcase)

What else do you need?

[thethethethe]

Originally Posted by Alice.

Well, the judging can easily be done, through moderator discrection.

Easier said than done. ROM Hacking is almost an art form. Therefore the hack is up for a subjective view, and since the two moderators tend to be in different timezones, there's no room for discussion.
Better to leave things as is. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[sasquatchd00d]

This is how I see it:

Hacks Showcase: This is the place for hacks with a great amount of work done on them and contain a lengthy amount of gameplay.
Progressing Hacks: This section would be for hacks that are showing hard work and progress, yet do not have a release or do not meet the requirements for the Hacks Showcase.
New Section: This will pretty much be a place for hacks that are destined fail or to be quit.
Scrapbox: This is a place for ideas and storyline development.

Honestly, a new section would just be setting up a place for the "one week hacks" that are quit soon after they're started. So, it would be utterly pointless to add another section. In fact, it could make things worse. Well, maybe. xD

[Banjora Marxvile]

Originally Posted by thethethethe

Easier said than done. ROM Hacking is almost an art form. Therefore the hack is up for a subjective view, and since the two moderators tend to be in different timezones, there's no room for discussion.

Originally Posted by thethethethe

Better to leave things as is. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

But if it ain't perfect, try to improve it.

But I agree with what you say. By the time they do discuss (due to the possibility of timezones interrupting), then people will be annoyed, and more hacks will build up, waiting to be approved/checked. I think more stricter rules are required for the Scrapbox, but seeing as even the current rules aren't followed sometimes, then... Well, what can you do?

[Surf]

Originally Posted by colcolstyles

I'm not in the mood to be writing massive walls of text today so I'll just say:
Everything is just fine as it is right now.

Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.
Anyways, if anyone's interested, I got the Fire Red PokéCenter and PokéMart door animations into Emerald sometime last night. Here's a video of it working. I encountered more trouble with the block above the door than the actual door block itself.

Wow, Styles, thats pretty cool.
I can't wait to play your hack!
It looks epic.
And, would you be able to share the offsets for the doors in FR and Emerald?
Well, the Emerald ones at least.

[Ninja Caterpie]

Originally Posted by colcolstyles

I'm not in the mood to be writing massive walls of text today so I'll just say:
Everything is just fine as it is right now.

Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.
Anyways, if anyone's interested, I got the Fire Red PokéCenter and PokéMart door animations into Emerald sometime last night. Here's a video of it working. I encountered more trouble with the block above the door than the actual door block itself.

Oh my...can you help me do that, styles? I'm making my new hack on Emerald, and the ugliest thing is the Pokémon Centre. T_T

[colcolstyles]

Originally Posted by Surf

And, would you be able to share the offsets for the doors in FR and Emerald?

Originally Posted by Ninja Caterpie

Oh my...can you help me do that, styles? I'm making my new hack on Emerald, and the ugliest thing is the Pokémon Centre. T_T

Just navigate to 0x487000 in an Emerald ROM and the door animation graphics will be there. Make sure to set your canvas size to 2x2. You'll probably have to shift the blocks around to get a prime positioning. Then you have to change the colors in the palette to those in whichever palette the door uses (Palettes 0 & 1 if you're doing the PC/Mart animations). I've found that exporting palettes via VBA works best. Anyways, once you've got a decent palette, you can then pretty much draw whatever you want for the animations.

If people really, really want me to, I could probably devise a patch with the door animations from Fire Red but there would be a few limitations with the target hack's palettes. Eh, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

[NarutoActor]

Originally Posted by sasquatchd00d

This is how I see it:

Hacks Showcase: This is the place for hacks with a great amount of work done on them and contain a lengthy amount of gameplay.
Progressing Hacks: This section would be for hacks that are showing hard work and progress, yet do not have a release or do not meet the requirements for the Hacks Showcase.
New Section: This will pretty much be a place for hacks that are destined fail or to be quit.
Scrapbox: This is a place for ideas and storyline development.

Honestly, a new section would just be setting up a place for the "one week hacks" that are quit soon after they're started. So, it would be utterly pointless to add another section. In fact, it could make things worse. Well, maybe. xD

thats what I have been saying new section begining hacks

[colcolstyles]

Originally Posted by narutoactor

thats what I have been saying new section begining hacks

Actually, he was arguing against a new section. As he said, the new section would only be suitable for the type of hacks "that are destined fail or to be quit." If they're destined to be quit, then why even give them a section to be posted in the first place?

The problem with this topic is that it's difficult to enforce a "higher standards policy". As thethethethe put it, ROM Hacking is borderline art and therefore a hack can't be labeled as good quality or bad quality. Disturbed mentioned that the screenshots in a hack's thread should be "diverse" which I believe is an excellent point. We, somehow, need to come up with rules that require a hack to actually have a decent amount of work to have been put into it. The current rules allow a hack to get into Progressing Hacks with a minimal amount of progress.

If the upper echelons can come up with a more suitable system, I'm sure we'll hear about it.

[NarutoActor]

mmmm maby there should be a voting tread were other hackers can vote for it to go in the progesive hacks or not do to if they think it has potential or not
also it would go
scrapbox-ideas
begining hacks-hacks that have screen shots and progres from the begining to at least the secened route
progsivehacks-hacks that show they progesed a lot at least the second gym
hackshowcase-showcase hacks that have gone a long way at least six gyms

[Vrai]

Originally Posted by colcolstyles

I have been unable to find a way to import palette files into Tile Molester, which makes things very frustrating when you have to copy each individual color's Red, Green, and Blue values separately, so if anybody finds a palette format that Tile Molester accepts (and actually works (this is key!)), let me know. Anyways, once you've got a decent palette, you can then pretty much draw whatever you want for the animations.
.

Hmm.. I thought Tile Molester Alternate could import .pal files? Prove me wrong, though.. :/

[colcolstyles]

Originally Posted by Vrαi

Hmm.. I thought Tile Molester Alternate could import .pal files? Prove me wrong, though.. :/

Huh, for some reason it worked this time. Maybe the problem was that I was exporting the palettes straight from AdvanceMap, while this time I tried saving the palette via VBA's palette viewer. Now I feel like an idiot for all that wasted time I spent copying colors individually.

Here's a thought: has anyone ever considered trying to use multiple palettes when making a world map? I always thought it would be cool to have a region map that was more than just different shades of green and orange with some blue here and there. How 'bout drawing an actual mountain range or some other geographical features? The closest I've seen to this is the world map for Quartz, which can be found here.

[Manipulation]

Have you seen the new map tiles from HeartGold and SoulSilver? I think they are amazing, they show so much detail and vegetation. I'm sure someone made a region map in the rating thread not long ago. Lemme go check and I'll edit here if I find it.

Edit: I think this is the finished product. I'd love to see how the official map turns out.

[Forgotten Memory]

Originally Posted by Alice.

Have you seen the new map tiles from HeartGold and SoulSilver? I think they are amazing, they show so much detail and vegetation. I'm sure someone made a region map in the rating thread not long ago. Lemme go check and I'll edit here if I find it.

Edit: I think this is the finished product. I'd love to see how the official map turns out.

Ew, no, the HG/SS world map is gross. ;o; However that map you linked too is really pretty, it'd better than the HG/SS one. :3

[Manipulation]

I haven't seen the HG/SS world map as of yet. But, I only linked to that because the tiles show details in the map etc. I'll definitely be using these tiles in Shinite. I just need to draft up my map then sprite it :D.

[Thrace]

Wouldn't adding too much detail make it look less like a real map? Maps irl only have terrain, roads and landmarks on it. I agree that one Alice. linked to looks good though.

Also, someone should update the FAQ in the ROM Hacking Forum, its out-dated and incorrect in places.

[Manipulation]

Okay Thrace, I'll look into what I should put in there and update accordingly. Anyone with suggestions can feel free to PM them.

Edit: I edited three or four of the questions with new answers, and new links etc. I think I may start another, if Vrai and Christos approve. It'll be easier to start another than to do extensive editing.

[Thrace]

So I was wondering if anyone had tried to work out how tile animations work? I remember I had a look a while back and I think Darthatron had a look too. From what I can remember searching for the pointer goes to a list of other pointers.

[Surf]

Which animations are we talking about, because I've been looking into changing some of the water animations.
Still don't know how to add them though >.<

[Thrace]

Oh haha, I guess I wasn't very clear. I mean adding animations, or even making a tile animate with an existing animation. Not replacing the existing ones. In Genesis the doors in some tilesets have no animation anymore.

[Ninja Caterpie]

Styles was doing some work on importing Fire Red door animations into Emerald...but...yeah.

[colcolstyles]

Originally Posted by Ninja Caterpie

Styles was doing some work on importing Fire Red door animations into Emerald...but...yeah.

Again, I was merely replacing the existing door animations with new ones. Thrace is suggesting adding entirely new animations, something I, myself, was wondering about a while back.

On the topic of door animations, I discovered something, maybe a half a year ago, which might come in handy to some of you. It is possible to use door animations from any tileset in another tileset. Here's an example: let's say you want to use the door to Oak's Lab in Tileset 1 in another tileset (say Tileset 2). What you can do is find the block number (0x2AC in this case) and create a door block in another tileset in the same block number (0x2AC). If you set the Behavior Byte to 0x69 (Use door/warp), then the animation will execute when you use that door. The only setback I can think of is that the door animation will play in the palette to which it is assigned in its original tileset (10 in our case), which, as you can imagine, causes problems with differing palettes for different tilesets.

Which brings me to another point: it seems that door animations are assigned a palette which is used for that animation. Even if you change the palette of the tiles for that door block in the Block Editor, the door animations still plays in the original palette. Is their some way to change which palette is used for the animation? I haven't looked into it but I assume it's possible.

[Thrace]

Originally Posted by colcolstyles

On the topic of door animations, I discovered something, maybe a half a year ago, which might come in handy to some of you. It is possible to use door animations from any tileset in another tileset. Here's an example: let's say you want to use the door to Oak's Lab in Tileset 1 in another tileset (say Tileset 2). What you can do is find the block number (0x2AC in this case) and create a door block in another tileset in the same block number (0x2AC). If you set the Behavior Byte to 0x69 (Use door/warp), then the animation will execute when you use that door. The only setback I can think of is that the door animation will play in the palette to which it is assigned in its original tileset (10 in our case), which, as you can imagine, causes problems with differing palettes for different tilesets.

Thats interesting... is that only when you import the tileset that you exported from Tileset 1? As in instead of creating a new file for the new tileset are you simply replacing tiles from Tileset 1?

Which brings me to another point: it seems that door animations are assigned a palette which is used for that animation. Even if you change the palette of the tiles for that door block in the Block Editor, the door animations still plays in the original palette. Is their some way to change which palette is used for the animation? I haven't looked into it but I assume it's possible.

You could try looking at the pallete viewer as you go through a door. I assume the pallete would be under Sprite since the Tile ones would be full.

[colcolstyles]

Originally Posted by Thrace

Thats interesting... is that only when you import the tileset that you exported from Tileset 1? As in instead of creating a new file for the new tileset are you simply replacing tiles from Tileset 1?

I'm not quite sure what you mean here.

Originally Posted by Thrace

You could try looking at the pallete viewer as you go through a door. I assume the pallete would be under Sprite since the Tile ones would be full.

Ah, of course. I didn't even think of that. I'll take a look when I get the chance.

And if anyone discovers anything related to inserting entirely new animations, please don't hesitate to post it here. I can think of quite a few good uses for that kind of knowledge.

[sasquatchd00d]

Originally Posted by colcolstyles

On the topic of door animations, I discovered something, maybe a half a year ago, which might come in handy to some of you. It is possible to use door animations from any tileset in another tileset. Here's an example: let's say you want to use the door to Oak's Lab in Tileset 1 in another tileset (say Tileset 2). What you can do is find the block number (0x2AC in this case) and create a door block in another tileset in the same block number (0x2AC). If you set the Behavior Byte to 0x69 (Use door/warp), then the animation will execute when you use that door. The only setback I can think of is that the door animation will play in the palette to which it is assigned in its original tileset (10 in our case), which, as you can imagine, causes problems with differing palettes for different tilesets.

I already knew about this, but I usually did it differently. I would just save the tileset, block data, and palettes of the tileset I was going to use and load them over the old stuff in a different tileset.

Originally Posted by colcolstyles

Which brings me to another point: it seems that door animations are assigned a palette which is used for that animation. Even if you change the palette of the tiles for that door block in the Block Editor, the door animations still plays in the original palette. Is their some way to change which palette is used for the animation? I haven't looked into it but I assume it's possible.

And when I changed the palettes of the doors then, the animation had the correct palettes still. Maybe it's if you edit the palette that it was originally assigned to, such as if it was in palette 10, I would edit palette 10 to change the animation palettes.