ROM Hacking Discussions

[Satoshi Ookami]

Also, I would be interested to know how many 'hackers' still use hex editors nowadays :P

Hex edit is always needed isn't it? :D
So imo more then half :)

 

[HackMew]

Hm, it would be interesting to know how they did their scripting. Perhaps they too had some form of script editor?


I know. That's the joke :D

More like what Wichu said, I think. I doubt they actually wrote the scripts all by hand.
And yeah, I was joking too XD

I doubt their tools modify the ROM directly, though; most likely, the maps/scripts/etc are saved as separate files, and then a program is used to compile them all to the ROM at once.

EDIT: Also, I would be interested to know how many 'hackers' still use hex editors nowadays :P

No, no ROMs are edited indeed. Simply because there are no ROMs to edit.
The ROM is the final product.

Considering the fact you wrote "hackers" in quotes, then the percentage is probably around 1-2%, being optimistic.
I hex edit all the times, and that's what other hackers do as well.

Hex edit is always needed isn't it? :D
So imo more then half :)

More than half? No, seriously...

 

[Pokepal17]

Yeah, a hex editor is a tool with which we can do anything to the rom and most poeple don't know how to search a simple text string.

 

[NarutoActor]

Realy?, That's sad. I like to hex and I use it, to be honest once in a while only because its faster to use a program.

 

[Pokepal17]

Realy?, That's sad. I like to hex and I use it, to be honest once in a while only because its faster to use a program.

Yeahit is, but that also shows laziness, which is probably causing all this bad rom hacking and why newcomers are having ah hard time. Also, hex is safer because some tools are badly coded and can end up screwing up roms. A commonly used tool which is like this is advnce map, which, when not careful, can do bad things to a rom. For example, a friend of mine tried to add a new map bank with a-map and it removed the whole map bank header somehow. However, most tools are generally safe.

 

[Banjora Marxvile]

I'll admit I am a lazy hacker, and pretty much any tool can screw your ROM, mainly by Human Error (Wrong INIs sometimes, the poor workmen who blame their tools...). I will Hex Edit any ROM though if I see the need (I will soon look into the Kirby ROMs, when I get time. Always been an aim to hack!)

 

[NarutoActor]

O.o your friend must of seriously mest up. when ever I do something I am not used to or I am about to make a big script I back up the hack.
I haven't came accorse any "unstable tools" (especially advance map) its more so the ability of the rom hacker. That's why some tools have a basic and professional view.

That adds for another thing, how often do you guys back up your hacks.

 

[Banjora Marxvile]

O.o your friend must of seriously mest up. when ever I do something I am not used to or I am about to make a big script I back up the hack.
I haven't came accorse any "unstable tools" (especially advance map) its more so the ability of the rom hacker. That's why some tools have a basic and professional view.

That adds for another thing, how often do you guys back up your hacks.

Everytime I make a Tile Change (I have about 21 backups of my ROM Base, ranging from when I started to now, so I can track if any bugs were created and at which process, then I can tell how to avoid it, or even recreate it!)

 

[Pokepal17]

O.o your friend must of seriously mest up. when ever I do something I am not used to or I am about to make a big script I back up the hack.
I haven't came accorse any "unstable tools" (especially advance map) its more so the ability of the rom hacker. That's why some tools have a basic and professional view.

That adds for another thing, how often do you guys back up your hacks.

No he didn't and I know what unstable tools can do since I used them in my early days. Take it from me, LinkandZelda doesn't mess things up. Advance map does, I've seen it happen. It once overwrote tiles I inserted with a map. O.o

 

[Wichu]

Yeahit is, but that also shows laziness, which is probably causing all this bad rom hacking and why newcomers are having ah hard time. Also, hex is safer because some tools are badly coded and can end up screwing up roms. A commonly used tool which is like this is advnce map, which, when not careful, can do bad things to a rom. For example, a friend of mine tried to add a new map bank with a-map and it removed the whole map bank header somehow. However, most tools are generally safe.

A-Map is a bad example, really. Map editing isn't one of the things that's feasible to do in hex. I haven't really used it, so I can't testify how buggy it is, but it's still more efficient to use it (backing up your ROM once in a while) than to hex-edit maps.

Besides, if nobody could be bothered to hex-edit, we wouldn't get any new discoveries or new tools being made. But I guess you all know that anyway :P

 

[Ninja Caterpie]

A-Map is a bad example, really. Map editing isn't one of the things that's feasible to do in hex. I haven't really used it, so I can't testify how buggy it is, but it's still more efficient to use it (backing up your ROM once in a while) than to hex-edit maps.

Besides, if nobody could be bothered to hex-edit, we wouldn't get any new discoveries or new tools being made. But I guess you all know that anyway :P

'course we do. It's just most of the time in Pokemon, it's too easy to not.

 

[HackMew]

Since it was implicitly brought to attention, how do you handle you backups?
And most important, how do you handle your ROM hacking work? Do you keep a changelog, etc.?

As for myself, I have no backups. No, I'm not crazy. I just don't need to because I have different patches for the edited things.
All of which are properly logged, regarding offsets used, the changes that were made and more.
It definitely takes more time, but makes things more organized and easier to debug, for example.

 

[Pokepal17]

Since it was implicitly brought to attention, how do you handle you backups?
And most important, how do you handle your ROM hacking work? Do you keep a changelog, etc.?

As for myself, I have no backups. No, I'm not crazy. I just don't need to because I have different patches for the edited things.
All of which are properly logged, regarding offsets used, the changes that were made and more.
It definitely takes more time, but makes things more organized and easier to debug, for example.

I keep back-ups but I don't really keep a change log because I'm not like that. I can usually remember what's in each back-up so I don't worry. I don't use patches as back-ups because incaes of patching errors (although I'm sure .ups doesn't have any).

 

[HackMew]

I keep back-ups but I don't really keep a change log because I'm not like that. I can usually remember what's in each back-up so I don't worry. I don't use patches as back-ups because incaes of patching errors (although I'm sure .ups doesn't have any).

You know, what doesn't get recorded might get lost. I would recommend a change log anyway. Will save trouble in future, if any.

Patching errors? No, thanks. I test the patches to make sure they're working as expected.
Besides, I use my own patcher, which will be released to the public someday.

And another thing: patches are way smaller than a full backup, so you save space (and time).

 

[Giga Universe]

Space

You know, what doesn't get recorded might get lost. I would recommend a change log anyway. Will save trouble in future, if any.

Patching errors? No, thanks. I test the patches to make sure they're working as expected.
Besides, I use my own patcher, which will be released to the public someday.

And another thing: patches are way smaller than a full backup, so you save space (and time).

I don't know why, but patching annoys me for some reason. I think is because of the fact that my patcher is buried deep within my hard drive. I rather just directly copy my ROM as a backup (As I have a terabyte hard drive I don't need to worry about space), its takes about two seconds. I also use a change log and an array of flash drives, as I am a tad paranoid when it comes to hacking XD.

 

[Satoshi Ookami]

I rather just directly copy my ROM as a backup

I do the same thing :D
Everytime I have like 3 backups just to be sure :D
I'm just lazy to create patches xD

 

[NarutoActor]

Same here, I don't like patches in general.

 

[Pokepal17]

You know, what doesn't get recorded might get lost. I would recommend a change log anyway. Will save trouble in future, if any.

Patching errors? No, thanks. I test the patches to make sure they're working as expected.
Besides, I use my own patcher, which will be released to the public someday.

And another thing: patches are way smaller than a full backup, so you save space (and time).

I guess I'll start using ones then. :3

Well, until get your patcher, we'll have to use rom backups or .ups patches

 

[Liquid Shadow]

Hex editing is the most powerful hacking tool. Once you grasp just a simple understanding of hex editing and pointers and such, you can easily repoint many things like the music table, overworld table and palettes, etc. Apart from that, you can also script in hex (which would, however, be a hassle). You can also map in hex (not a good idea I know).

Although tools are not necessary for hacking, they are certainly extremely helpful. Not hex editing at all, I mean you could still be considered a hacker, but your hack will probably have no originality/a lot of errors. But things like scripting and mapping are made much easier with tools, and without things like XSE and AdvanceMap there would probably be way less hackers to begin with.

 

[Pokepal17]

Here's something that has been bothering me for a loooooong time.

If .ips is so darn buggy, why not use .ups?

I've seen so many hacks get spammed about bad patching errors and they all use .ips patches. I released a beta of my hack in .ups and I never got a post about bad patching errors. And yet when I suggest that .ips is buggy and .ups will stop the bugs, I get a load of crap about .ups being buggy or that it won't work or .ips works just fine. It really annoys me because it shows how ignorant people are and how much they can't stand new thngs.

What are your views on this?