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-   -   [Archive] ROM Hacking Newsletter 2008 | Issue 1 - 18 (https://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?t=149701)

Dratii October 26th, 2008 1:03 AM

Great as always Dshayabusa,
But some the new articles you spoke about up the top aren't there, are they still being done?

destinedjagold October 26th, 2008 1:09 AM

Wow. :)
I really like the newsletter today...
But, at first sight I was like "OMG it's a looooooooong newsletter!!! :shocked:" but it was fun to read (but I still find it short. :\ oh well...)...

The interview was fun to read. :)

the HotW section has three reviews! neat! :D
Breakdown has been a good hack, and still is. :)

well, overall, the newsletter today is really great.
great job for the RHN Team. ;)
Keep up the great work~

Thrace October 26th, 2008 1:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dratii (Post 4067572)
Great as always Dshayabusa,
But some the new articles you spoke about up the top aren't there, are they still being done?

I haven't had a response from EarthsVisitor so QotW isn't done yet. I had a Beginner's Corner written up but I guess I must have accidentally deleted the latest version from my Inbox (I was cleaning it).

I think it was long enough without those two for this issue anyway.

hi sir tomato my password is syvniti October 26th, 2008 2:14 AM

I didn't understand the tip, but jazz was an od hacker, who made a leaf green map, helped at brown, did some thing inportent to some text hacking, fixed some roms which wasn't working... I think

Neti October 26th, 2008 2:44 AM

nice newsletter like always
i got to apologize for not making the map review in time, i was going to do it on firday or saturday but my plans were destroyed by some real life problems...

Argent Crusader October 26th, 2008 4:13 AM

Very good as always! Quite enojayable to read on a Sunday's morning :D
I thank you to point to my thread, I think it's important people look a little bit on the history (not what the thread has became exactly).
Also all hack reviews are interesting. Very good hacks there.
Keep working hard and good luck!

EarthsVisitor October 26th, 2008 6:29 AM

Sorry about Question of the Week guys.
It was short notice, and I was busy yesterday.

But I sent it to db, so he should add as soon as he logs on. :]

TB Pro October 26th, 2008 9:40 AM

Wow, this was great! Erm...it was long, but not super long, I think it was just right. Wow, THREE HotW reviews? Awesome. Err, yeah, Breakdown! is/was a great hack. If you didn't know, it switched owners, Horus owns it now. Finally Genesis got a review. I was glad to see that Shrouded Chaos got a review. The Tips and Tricks section was great for newer hackers, and for some others...The interview was nice. Err...That's all I have to say, It was a great issue! BOL!

Thrace October 27th, 2008 1:11 AM

I've added the Question of the Week.
I've edited that post 6 times now...

And and I'll put an explanation in next week, EarthsVisitor.

The Abyss October 27th, 2008 1:17 AM

That was an interesting question. I would have to agree with Britney Spears on the answer though.

Hat? October 27th, 2008 2:03 AM

First of all I'd like to say well done to the RHN team, the newsletters are very fun to read!

I also have a suggestion for an optional alternative interviewing method, which if used, the person being interviewed could choose this method or the original one. Anyway, I put the idea in one of those collapsed boxes, if anyone wants to have a look:

Spoiler:
The interviewer sends the person a fixed amount of questions (that doesn't change each week) about, well, whatever thethethethe thinks people might want to know about that person.

The person then answers the questions, but this method allows for them to think out what they're going to write and neither the interviewer or the interviewed person can be cut off mid-sentence by the other. The person then sends back the questions with the replies (as long or as small as they like, hopefully not too small though ;)).

I was thinking that the fixed amount of questions should be a relatively small number because there's at least a part 2 to this idea and you don't want to ask ALL the questions in one go.

The interviewer then reads the replies, then sends back different questions for the person to fill in (same fixed amount), these can be either questions that ask to elaborate on answers from the previous round of questions or anything else thethethethe would like to ask.

If this was to go past 2 rounds (I thought the amount of rounds should be fixed aswell), then any following rounds would be similar to round 2 (being able to ask to elaborate on previous rounds answers).

I haven't thought of a fixed amount of questions, but I did have another thought: there could be 3 rounds. These 3 rounds would be about the past, present and future of ROM hacking respectively, not just general ROM hacking, I also mean about the persons past etc as well.

Thrace October 27th, 2008 2:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Black_Phantom (Post 4070832)
First of all I'd like to say well done to the RHN team, the newsletters are very fun to read!

I also have a suggestion for an optional alternative interviewing method, which if used, the person being interviewed could choose this method or the original one. Anyway, I put the idea in one of those collapsed boxes, if anyone wants to have a look:

Spoiler:
The interviewer sends the person a fixed amount of questions (that doesn't change each week) about, well, whatever thethethethe thinks people might want to know about that person.

The person then answers the questions, but this method allows for them to think out what they're going to write and neither the interviewer or the interviewed person can be cut off mid-sentence by the other. The person then sends back the questions with the replies (as long or as small as they like, hopefully not too small though ;)).

I was thinking that the fixed amount of questions should be a relatively small number because there's at least a part 2 to this idea and you don't want to ask ALL the questions in one go.

The interviewer then reads the replies, then sends back different questions for the person to fill in (same fixed amount), these can be either questions that ask to elaborate on answers from the previous round of questions or anything else thethethethe would like to ask.

If this was to go past 2 rounds (I thought the amount of rounds should be fixed aswell), then any following rounds would be similar to round 2 (being able to ask to elaborate on previous rounds answers).

I haven't thought of a fixed amount of questions, but I did have another thought: there could be 3 rounds. These 3 rounds would be about the past, present and future of ROM hacking respectively, not just general ROM hacking, I also mean about the persons past etc as well.

Thats a good idea Black_Phantom but I'm not sure how effective it will be. From my experience with interviewing, its not like a conversation, people certainly take a long, long time to respond.

Hat? October 27th, 2008 2:54 AM

Thanks, I see what you mean but I just thought it might be another option you could offer to the people you interview, some people may feel under pressure to rush what they're going to say due to there being someone waiting right there for their response. There's only one disadvantage I can see with this method however and that's the usual one, getting people who contribute anything, to be reliable and get it in on time.

Darthatron October 27th, 2008 8:32 PM

Awesome issue. Good job. :) I like it because I'm in it. :D

The Abyss October 27th, 2008 8:42 PM

Why is this is the Hacks Showcase now?

Kaizer-X October 27th, 2008 8:52 PM

Nt sure but it still great. Haha. Cool and long issue with 5 reviews! Yay! My hack is one of them. xD looking for next week issue with the new features

Thrace October 27th, 2008 9:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XDRules (Post 4073760)
Why is this is the Hacks Showcase now?

RHN is now and official part of PC, therefore it will be stickied in the Hacks Showcase from now on.

Ninja Caterpie October 27th, 2008 9:57 PM

Hwa...? That's confusing! It should be a sticky in the main forum!

Surf October 27th, 2008 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dark Lakitu (Post 4073909)
Hwa...? That's confusing! It should be a sticky in the main forum!

It's probably because it has a lot to do with the Hack Showcase because it reviews lots of hacks that are here

But I'm probably wrong

Meh

Yes I quote the entire newsletter LOL
it looks like the Ripper was sucking up a bit
But i have to agree with him in his rating

Thrace October 31st, 2008 10:17 PM

Hackimon12 please don't double post, its against the rules.

Don't quote the entire newsletter either. <_<

Kaizer-X November 1st, 2008 1:51 AM

Are they any new stuff for next week newsletter?

zel 2.0 November 1st, 2008 2:56 AM

I was wondering where was the RHN and I found it here, cool. Finally it's back where it deserved to be :)

Great issue, I read it a few days ago. I enjoyed reading it (and by the way, the review made me interested in playing Genesis, which I still havent done, good job! XP)

Thrace November 2nd, 2008 1:04 AM

Rom Hacking Newsletter
Issue 10 - Sunday, 2 November 2008
Introduction
Opening words

Welcome to Issue 10 of RHN! 10 issues already! Can you believe it? Where has the time gone? As you might have seen, RHN is now an official part of the PokeCommunity which is why its been stickied in the Hacks Showcase now.

We've finally got a beginner's corner segment thanks to the newest member of our team; Martin™! Make sure to read it even if you don't consider yourself a beginner, it might have some useful stuff that you didn't know about. HOTW has a full review because theres been so much progress on it, I highly recommend playing it. And I think thats about it, have fun reading!
Article by Thrace



Hacking News
Staying Current with the Rom Hacking Scene

Hack of the Year 2008

Hack of the Year for 2008 has officially begun, to see the format for this year simple visit the stickied thread in the Hacks Showcase or click here. Round 1 starts in just 3 short days so start polishing off your hacks for your hacks chance to hold the coveted title of Hack of the Year.

Just to clarify, the first round is not only a nominations round, its also the voting round for the Fan Favourite award. So don't neglect to vote for your favourite hack just becuase someone else as already nominated it.

Hack Rating System
RHN will follows a standardised rating system similar to that of IGN, ratings and their meanings are described below.
Spoiler:
10.0 to 9.0 - Masterful
Its almost impossible to make a hack that is perfect, but ratings in this range get pretty close. These hacks are flawless in all aspects of hacking, they are innovative and engaging.

8.9 to 8.0 - Impressive
Hacks that we feel are outstanding and are exceptional in at least one aspect will receive ratings in this range. Hacks that we feel are worthwhile and that everyone will find enjoyable. You'd need to put in a lot of effort to get this rating.

7.9 to 7.0 - Good
An excellent hack that is let down by a one or two major problems. Above average in all aspects but just missing a few things it needs to be great. Not amazing but has potential.

6.9 to 6.0 - Passable
Hacks that are just above average. Nothing to really get excited about. Nothing particularly horrible about the hack but nothing all that great either.

5.9 to 5.0 - Mediocre
A hack that provokes no emotion, standard, run-of-the-mill whatever you want to call it, these hacks are as average as they come.

4.9 to 4.0 - Lackluster
Hacks that do not have enough effort put into them. Probably not worth the attention for the time being. Has some potential to be better, but not enough to become something spectacular.

3.9 to 3.0 - Poor
Hacks that are flawed in all areas, most likely caused by inexperience by the author rather than effort. Not worth checking out regularly, will probably be cancelled the next week.

2.9 to 2.0 - Bad
Hacks that we recommend you avoid, not worth playing. Might have a few interesting ideas but ultimately is just very poorly executed. Major flaws in all aspects.

1.9 to 1.0 - Terrible
A hack we believe should not have had its thread accepted. These hacks are not even worth browsing over. These hacks are usually made by people trying to achieve internet stardom.

0.9 to 0.0 - Abysmal
Hacks that are not even truly hacks, more like edits. A few small changes to the original game, achievable in mere minutes.


HOTW Winner
Spotlight on the Hack of the Week

Pokémon Keyra [Link]
Hack Author: eing15
Reviewed By: Thrace
Rating: 7.2

I wasn't looking forward to playing this game when I downloaded it, I tend to avoid hacks in a different language. I've always considered the storyline to be central for a hack and it wasn't any different with this one. I was unsure about giving this a full review until it had an English translation but it seems doubtful there will ever be one and theres far too much progress on this hack to ignore it.

Graphically this hack is typical of most Spanish hacks; huge range of assorted tiles that generally look very nice together. The mapping however is just plain bad. Theres no getting over it, even with all the pretty new tiles the mapping is simply very poor. Some of the tiles have been inserted very poorly as well, and bad palettes just make it worse. On the upside, the author has not compromised on tiles. Every tile looks exactly like you'd expect it too. Theres even an industrial town with brown water and sewers, its obvious that theres been a lot of attention to detail.

On the scripting side of things, everything has been good, I failed to find any problems in the scripting though of course I can't comment on the quality of the text. Scripting is overall very consistent, although theres been nothing that blew me away it was still very engaging. Many of the scripts have been arranged in a clever manner, with most events forcing you to "go back before you can go forward". I have very few complaints with this hack when it comes to scripting. It is overall very entertaining.

It probably seems like I've picked on the problems more than looking at the good things about this hack. I find it difficult to give it a low rating because although I didn't really follow it, it was fun to play... maybe I just haven't played any hacks for a while? Either way, I'm definitely going to recommend this, its not one that you can't afford to play but you won't regret giving it a go.
Article by Thrace



The Gradual Faltering of Hacking
The Rom Hacking Scene in Perspective

We've all seen it, or said it in some form or another. "Hackers are just doing it for the fame," or "These knew hacks aren't as original as the old ones." But is it really the hackers faults? Many things factor into why "hacks aren't as good as they used to be."

First of all, there are many hacks. This makes writing an original story quite difficult. There are only a handful of legendary Pokémon; there are only a handful of ways to mix up the story. I like Nintendo's standard formula for creating a story. I know my favorite hacks stick to this formula, but sometimes it's best to get the creative juices flowing by doing something outside the box.

Another problem is a lack of "umph" caused by, in my opinion, hacking made easy by an over-abundance of tools. Now, I'm not saying that tools are bad. On the contrary, tools help people delve into the world of hacking. The problem is these people usually don't go past using such tools. People, like CoolBoyMan, that have been around since the beginning had to do EVERYTHING on their own. This has made them excellent at doing what they do, and they really know the ins and outs of the ROM.

My theory (call it what you will) is that this generation of hackers (myself included) doesn't know how to step drastically out of the box. We've been taught with tools and don't know the inner workings of the ROM. I think this is why breaking into Diamond and Pearl is taking so long. We've got a group of dedicated individuals that know what their doing, but other then that, most of us don't know the components of a Diamond ROM. When hackers started hacking FireRed, there were no tools and we had to learned how Gameboy Advanced ROMs work, as we do now with DS ROMs. The difference is that since our generation of hackers don't know the ROMs work, we can't contribute to the furthering of DP Hacking. We know that a tool does what it does and leave it at that. We have a different mentality when it comes to hacking, which I think puts the Hacking Community past it's heyday. Can we return? I cannot answer.

Before I get flamed, I am most certainly playing devil's advocate. I know relatively little about the Hacking Community before the ShinyGold Era. I'm just trying to get people thinking in ways they may not have thought before.
Article by Kawaii, Inc.



Beginner's Corner
Common Problems/Questions

If you are new to XSE and your previous script editor was ScriptEd, you sure have experienced number of errors when compiling a giveitem, givepokemon, trainerbattle, or recently msgbox script. The mentioned constructs (commands with a set of parameters) have changed a bit since ScriptEd era.

To keep track of parameters you need to insert, write out the command name, put your cursor somewhere in the middle of it and press F1. A small window will pop out with the command name and its function. And the number of parameters of course. Each of them is defined in the description.

This is the easiest solution until the prepared major XSE update is released, which will include in-line command help along with amount of parameters displayed.

Until then, here are four mentioned commands with parameters described like in the command help:
Spoiler:
msgbox
Amount of parameters: 2

Parameters:
Pointer - Points to the message data.
Byte - Replaces the callstd/boxset line under msgbox, put in numbers like in callstd/boxset.

---
giveitem
Amount of parameters: 3

Parameters:
Word - Hex number of the item to be given. Can be replaced with ITEM_ITEMNAME (name always without spaces).

Byte - Quantity of theitem to be given.
Byte - 0 for obtained, 1 for found.
---
trainerbattle
Amount of parameters: 5

Parameters:
Byte - Kind of battle - 0,1,2,3 - I think 0 is normal. Just experiment, one of these is double-battle.

Word - Hex number of battle to start. Use PET to determine desied battle.
Word - Reserved - 0x0.
Pointer - Offset of the message to be shown when challenged.
Pointer - Offset of the message to be shown when defeated.
---
givepokemon
Amount of parameters: 5

Parameters:
Word - Pokémon species to give.
Byte - Level of the Pokémon.
Word - Hex number of the item to be held.
DWord - Filler - 0x0.
DWord - Filler - 0x0.
Byte - Filler - 0x0.

Article by Martin™



Tips and Tricks
A Cool New Trick

This weeks tip will be a small one but could potentially be very useful to some.

Ever notice that in Fuchsia City the Pokemon in the top left compartment is different depending on the Fossil you chose way back in Mt. Moon? No? Yeah, neither did I until a short while ago. In case you were wondering it has the fossil Pokemon that you didn't choose. But its possible to change it to any OW you want and this week I'm going to show you how.

The way it works is through a level script. Put the following in a type 3 level script:
Quote:

setvar 0x4010 0x[OW Number]
And set the OW number of the Person you want to have its OW changed to 240. And thats it! Pretty simple, huh?
Tip donated by Thrace



Interview
An in-depth chat with...
Spoiler:
thethethethe says (11:47 AM):
I guess we'll start the same way as always with how did you start hacking?
jagolddemium says (11:47 AM):
I started hacking after I got interested to try it out after I saw one of Tamashii's videos on YouTube.
jagolddemium says (11:48 AM):
then my brother made a little research and found A-Map...
jagolddemium says (11:49 AM):
so I decided to investigate and found PC and there I found some interesting stuff and I decided to hack.
thethethethe says (11:50 AM):
You're fairly well renowned for the Ruby Destiny Trilogy, but were there any hacks before that?
jagolddemium says (11:50 AM):
no...
jagolddemium says (11:50 AM):
Reign of Legends was my first hack...
jagolddemium says (11:51 AM):
and I restarted it 3 times before I posted it on PC...
thethethethe says (11:51 AM):
So you've never quit on a hack...
jagolddemium says (11:51 AM):
no
jagolddemium says (11:52 AM):
I always wanted to finish things I started...
jagolddemium says (11:52 AM):
no matter how long it'll take me...
thethethethe says (11:52 AM):
I guess that's a good quality to have.
thethethethe says (11:54 AM):
Since you're working on the third game of Ruby Destiny, do you have any idea on what you'll be doing when you complete that hack?
jagolddemium says (11:56 AM):
actually, I made a decision of what I'll do after LoG(Life of Guardians)...
jagolddemium says (11:56 AM):
I decided that I'll remake Reign of Legends once again to make it even better.
jagolddemium says (11:56 AM):
and after that, Rescue Rangers...
thethethethe says (11:58 AM):
That sounds pretty interesting, I'd love to see a new Reign of legends as I wasn't a big fan of the one that was released at PC
thethethethe says (11:59 AM):
Many hackers have found an inspiration to hack from you, but where do you find your inspiration?
jagolddemium says (11:59 AM):
that's a bit difficult to answer...
jagolddemium says (12:00 PM):
well, my only inspiration is to make a new game for everyone to play
jagolddemium says (12:01 PM):
but also, I am inspired to hack because of Coolboyman, you(thethethethe), zel and Tamashii.
jagolddemium says (12:02 PM):
why? because they make a hack just for people to have a new game to play...
thethethethe says (12:03 PM):
You're quite open about how you believe hacking should be something to be done for fun and not to seek fame, but is there anything you dislike about hacking?
jagolddemium says (12:04 PM):
spriting, that's what I dislike of doing 'cause I have no talent in that field...
thethethethe says (12:05 PM):
So just spriting? Nothing else?
jagolddemium says (12:06 PM):
only spriting... I still need to learn about the field of editing the ROM using hex, so that's not in my dislike list.., for now...
thethethethe says (12:07 PM):
Have you ever considered quitting hacking?
jagolddemium says (12:16 PM):
well...
jagolddemium says (12:16 PM):
I can't deny that fact, so yeah, I once considered to quit on hacking when I was almost done with Rescue Rangers.
jagolddemium says (12:17 PM):
but the world is full of boredom so yeah, I can't stay away from ROM hacking.
jagolddemium says (12:18 PM):
also, there are always new stories that I can think of, and it'll convince me to hack to put all those stories I had.
thethethethe says (12:19 PM):
Was there any specific reasoning behind the name Time?
jagolddemium says (12:20 PM):
well er... its a bit childish, but yeah, I had this dream where some men were chasing me and suddenly, I looked at my right palm and magically a clock showed up on my palm and everything stopped.
jagolddemium says (12:20 PM):
and from that point, I made my escape, and that's why I was convinced to change my name to Time. but I'll be destinedjagold soon.
thethethethe says (12:21 PM):
After being called destinedjagold for a year or so, does it feel weird when people call you 'Time'?
jagolddemium says (12:22 PM):
indeed it is... -__-
jagolddemium says (12:22 PM):
until now
jagolddemium says (12:22 PM):
or rather even today, it still feels weird...
thethethethe says (12:24 PM):
We can't all be hacking forever, and we'll all eventually stop some day, so how long do you see yourself continuing this?
jagolddemium says (12:25 PM):
I don't know...
jagolddemium says (12:25 PM):
maybe when I can find myself too occupied to important stuff in real life where I can no longer have time to hack...
jagolddemium says (12:25 PM):
'Time' can tell when, though...
thethethethe says (12:26 PM):
Have you ever attempted to hack something other than a Pokemon ROM?
jagolddemium says (12:27 PM):
actually, no. I am a die-hard POKéMON fan.
thethethethe says (12:28 PM):
Is there any hack around that you'd recommend people playing?
jagolddemium says (12:29 PM):
to be honest, I haven't played any hacks lately...
jagolddemium says (12:29 PM):
but I recommend Prism and Genesis, since both hacks are very cool.
thethethethe says (12:30 PM):
I guess we'll wrap this up and would you like to leave the people reading this with any advice?
jagolddemium says (12:30 PM):
hm...
jagolddemium says (12:30 PM):
stay on one project and concentrate your attention on it.
jagolddemium says (12:31 PM):
if you have new ideas you thought of, why not try and combine it with your current project?
jagolddemium says (12:31 PM):
also, learn how to script, even the basics, for scripting is really the most important thing you need in ROM hacking.
jagolddemium says (12:31 PM):
and... I guess that's all...
thethethethe says (12:32 PM):
That's a bit to swallow, but thanks for the interview destinedjagold/Time
jagolddemium says (12:32 PM):
sorry about that, and thanks~

http://i33.tinypic.com/9qv1w7.png http://i37.tinypic.com/2isxmq9.png
Interview by thethethethe


Closing Notes
Some House Keeping

HotY nominations are really close, I mentioned it in Hacking News but I'd just like to mention it again. November 5 is when it starts. Yeah thats basically it, the Opening and Closing were rather short this issue...
Closing by Thrace
CSS design and graphics by Thrace. Ask for permission if you want to use them!

Ripper November 2nd, 2008 1:14 AM

Good issue, it's good to see an actual article in there :P

Hiche.. November 2nd, 2008 1:16 AM

I really liked is week's issue. I like the Beginner's corner section. Good thinking.
Also, the interview was nice, not too long though.


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