ROM Hacking Discussions

Aye, Disturbed is right on that one. Having a fourth section for posting hacks would be rather, un-pleasent. At another forum I go to, we only have the two places for showcasing our hacks. These of course, are the equivalent of the showcase and the scrapbox here. Yeah, at the moment it's perfectly going well and fine, but we aren't as busy as PC. So, we have no need for three sections. Whereas at PC the need for three sections is pretty much very obvious. But, the showcase is obviously meant for the best of hacks but it's lacking in hacks because of the patience of some people to finish one hack. Most people just post their hacks that haven't put much effort in into Progressing. If they meet the requirements they have to be accepted. No matter how much any of the mods dislike it. So yeah, we need to raise the standards a lot. Some good improvements would be, six or eight screenshots. A video showing off one of the scripts. As this is where most progressing hacks fail, they show basically map shots in screen range. Because they have no scripts, what point of them being in progressing with no scripts? There isn't one, they need to have some scripts on show, at least one maybe two depending on the quality of the scripts. Also, I think the quality of the storyline should be taken into account. We can't have hacks in progressing with bad stories, can we? Well, just think about it guys.

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.

A fourth section would be overkill. What we should do, like everyone else said, would be to step up the requirements for Progressing Hacks.. but I'm not so sure how to do that with an exact method. Increasing the screenshot requirement might help a little bit, yeah, but that's not something that can't easily be fixed by making two more maps. And the quality of the scripts doesn't really have much of a scale to go off of; how are we to judge those? Maybe length could be a possible suggestion for the storyline.. but who's to say someone can't just write a couple paragraphs of nothing?

Well, the judging can easily be done, through moderator discrection. It's all up to the way the moderator sees it. And to be a moderator you have to be a good hacker, right? So I beleive letting the moderators judge is simple and effective.

LOL I think you guys have an unreasonable expectation of what the ROM Hacking forum should be like. The moderators DO reject hacks but obviously we can't see them.

The thing is its impossible to be completely objective when you are approving a hack. Sometimes the only thing a hack has going for it is it's idea or story. I think that most of the storys and ideas in the hacks in Progressing hacks suck but obviously a lot of other people like them. Who is anyone to say what a bad idea is? I don't want to use any examples because I'd probably offend some one.

Also, most people learn from their mistakes and people are terrible at recognising their own mistakes. I could write more but I think I've made my point.

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.

Thrace said:

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.

Click to expand...

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?

Alice. said:

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

Click to expand...

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.

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

thethethethe said:

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.

Click to expand...

thethethethe said:

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

Click to expand...

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?

colcolstyles said:

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.

Click to expand...

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.

colcolstyles said:

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.

Click to expand...

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

Surf said:

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

Click to expand...

Ninja Caterpie said:

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

Click to expand...

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.

sasquatchd00d said:

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

Click to expand...

thats what I have been saying new section begining hacks

narutoactor said:

thats what I have been saying new section begining hacks

Click to expand...

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.

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

colcolstyles said:

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.
.

Click to expand...

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

Vrαi said:

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

Click to expand...

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.

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.

Alice. said:

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.

Click to expand...

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

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.