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-   -   The key to a good hack? (https://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?t=252508)

bcrobert May 17th, 2011 10:28 PM

The key to a good hack?
 
What would you say is the most important aspect of making a crisp, playable hack? Some people want novelty (a gripping new plot) whereas others want tradition (the classic 8 badges). On the technical side we have mapping, scripting, pokemon data, sprite editing, text edits, new features, etc.

For me the most important thing is a balance between progress and security. In other words, I like to see how new a hack can feel without too many major errors or inconsistencies popping up unintentionally.

But now I'd like to get a feel for the general views of the forum. What do you think is the key to a good hack?

Lord Varion May 19th, 2011 5:34 AM

Basically the key to a good hack is one word.
"originality"
You need a daamn good idea which no-one has used or thought of before.
Otherwise i see it as a regular hack following the orginal 8-badge 10 year kid with a dream game.

Quilava's Master May 19th, 2011 1:48 PM

What makes a good hack eh? I'll go with practice. Nobody's first hack is superb. As you hack more you start to get better. Eventually you'll get to the point where you're comfortable with your hacking ability. Once you get to the point where you're very comfortable with your hacking skills you tend to want to go above and beyond what you are used to doing. And that's how I think you create a good hack.

r0bert May 19th, 2011 1:52 PM

Listening to advice, but don't let them make it no more fun for you.

E.C. May 19th, 2011 2:13 PM

i think the key to a good hack is put as much effort in your work as you can, if you don't care much about your hack and make only slight changes to the hack, then it won't be as good as someone who dedicates their time to work on it and if they don't understand something, get help and not just give up, because if you do give up, you never learn, and your hack will remain ungood (ungood is not a word, but i didn't know what else to say :P)

bcrobert May 19th, 2011 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quilava's Master (Post 6649087)
What makes a good hack eh? I'll go with practice. Nobody's first hack is superb. As you hack more you start to get better. Eventually you'll get to the point where you're comfortable with your hacking ability. Once you get to the point where you're very comfortable with your hacking skills you tend to want to go above and beyond what you are used to doing. And that's how I think you create a good hack.

Well put. And I might venture to expand that by saying that practice and research go hand in hand, too. If it weren't for the tutorials and R&D threads here, I for one would've been sunk.

ShadowMrk May 23rd, 2011 7:52 PM

What makes good ROM Hack, eh? Hmmm... I would have to say features that make other hackers go "How the poop did they do that?" which ultimately roots back to practice and research as stated by the previous posts.

Spherical Ice May 24th, 2011 9:05 AM

Dedication, and for the hacker to enjoy what he's making.

Btw, OP, you're signature is wrong - Emerald is NOT unstable. It just has less/more unstable tool compatibility (i.e the tools are unstable).

Banjora Marxvile May 24th, 2011 11:49 AM

In my opinion, it is dedication and the like. It may not need to be original, but well-planned and fit exactly what the creator intended to make, backed with the appropriate research and care to make what they want a reality. Within reason.

colcolstyles May 24th, 2011 2:23 PM

At the end of the day, video games are a form of entertainment. Thus, the best hacks are the ones that are the most entertaining. Yes, that's a generalization but it has some merit. Most people on this forum have played more than one hack. Because of this, they're not going to be swept off their feet by a yet-another-run-of-the-mill hack. The best hacks challenged standards and broke conventions. Rescue Rangers comes to mind (it is my favorite hack, after all) because it gave the player the ability to play as a pokémon, something that hadn't really been done before. And that new feel is what made the game so fun and entertaining which, in my opinion, is why it's one of the best hacks to this day.

miksy91 May 28th, 2011 3:07 AM

Originality and knowledge; those two should take you kinda far.

aperso May 28th, 2011 3:56 AM

the tools used. the hackers abilities. the effot. the determination to finish it. is that list good enough?

Lord Varion May 28th, 2011 4:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aperso (Post 6663848)
the tools used. the hackers abilities. the effot. the determination to finish it. is that list good enough?

That isnt neccesarily true.
Many people use the same tools as others but their hacks are better than others.
For example two people would use Advance map one of the two's hacks could possibly be better for the story they use the features they have and orginality ;D

Ninja Caterpie May 28th, 2011 4:32 AM

Inspiration and dedication. Inspiration to give you ideas; the story; characters; scripts. Dedication to let you pull it off.

Shiny Quagsire May 28th, 2011 7:02 AM

As ColColStyles said, the key is entertainment. What makes a game fun is an original storyline and a good plot. Rescue Rangers was also a favorite of mine, and that is probably one of the most original hacks to this day!

chrunch May 28th, 2011 9:46 PM

Originality. Whenever I look at the progressing hacks and see another average, 8 badges, pokemon league, team rocket hack I lose interest. A good hack should have something like a gripping plot to make it competely new, and original. A hack is no fun if it's the same boring thing repeated over.

/art-56/ May 29th, 2011 9:06 AM

the key to good hack it: new graphics and storyline, and most importantly originality!

AmethystEEVEE June 1st, 2011 1:43 PM

imo, what makes a good hack, is when you play it, and you forget it's a hack until you defeat the game and realize you just have to see more hacks from the creator. That means:
New region(s);
New maps, maybe a few fakemon, new characters, new BADGES
New play style;
New scripts, new events

Another thing is pretty much everything else in the thread that has been said, with a few changes; for example, "the 8 badges" How many official non-spoof pokemon games have you played where you don't collect badges? My only thing is that the badges can't have the same design or name. Same with Team Rocket, have an actual storyline, but use a new antagonist. Otherwise I agree with everything that has been said.

MegaMaccer June 1st, 2011 4:07 PM

I know it's been said, but originality is key. And the drive to finish the hack. I know I'm no one to speak about that, I've been gone for a long time, but if you don't finish, or at least show progress, people will lose interest quickly. It's not all about having the newest tiles or having the neatest Fakemon, it's the story and the originality that matter. As a rule of thumb, if you include Team Rocket as we know it, have 8 badges, or need to do other generic, boring Nintendo gameplay techniques, you won't be successful. Show some spark and branch out. If it's a flop, fix it. If it's not, well done. At least, that's what I think.

jabberjabber8 June 5th, 2011 7:16 AM

It needs originality, creative flare...
If a fire red hack has 8 gyms team, team rocket, and the E4 BUT some new maps!!!!!!!
No one is going to play that...

hackerofdarkness June 5th, 2011 7:59 AM

Dedication,focus,honesty and originality,think if you're not dedicated the hacks not going anywhere,lack of focus can cause the hack to come to a complete stop a prime example for this would be Shiny Gold,due to the fact that Zel's interest in Pokemon is fading away,for originality,few hacks have a good story but during a specific process that story ends up in the trash then becomes the same old traditional 8th badge quest for becoming the champion of that specific region.

shinyabsol1 June 10th, 2011 6:45 PM

Aside from all of the things others have mentioned above, another key to making a great hack (in my opinion) is actually finishing it.

There are so many incomplete hacks that their creators have given up on or quit in the middle....Naranja comes to mind. Sure, I thought Naranja was awesome when I played it, but was sorely disappointed when it ended unfinished after like two gyms.

Find the dedication to go far with your hack!

Rock Star Incorporated June 15th, 2011 10:29 AM

I have only been hacking for like a month, but I am pretty hooked on it and wish I could do stuff...

What I think makes a good hack is having a strong direction of events. There needs to be a clear path to follow throughout the hack, so that it flows smoothly, however not having blatently obvious solutions to problems which would occur. Probably the hardest aspect (in my opinion) to engage the player, is the scripting of new events which excite and make things interesting as a game progresses.

Basically, you need a neat concept, and the skills to execute it.

Logan June 16th, 2011 6:49 AM

Hunger.

The hunger to want to be the best and have the best hack will drive you forward better than anything else.

PaulGR June 16th, 2011 8:29 AM

gRAPHICS
 
Graphics by my opiion is making a hack a good one....


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