ROM Hacking Discussions Page 32

Started by Christos July 14th, 2009 12:46 PM
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  • 1199 replies
Age 29
Male
Seen March 10th, 2023
Posted August 22nd, 2022
3,482 posts
15 Years
About a different subject: The ROM Hacking forums. Why are all threads closed in 'Beginners Lounge' with questions. I mean, the whole point of a subforum for beginners is that beginners can ask questions. However, the moderators abviously think all questions should go in the stickied threads. >=( But in those threads not all questions are answered (due to the massive overload of questions) and in individual threads one's problems are better helped.
Does anyone agree with me that the Beginners lounge should be open for individual threads?
Actually, the point of the beginning forums isn't for that. I think it is for new hackers to get help on their ideas that they brainstorm. The Simple Questions is for questions, and Team Discussions for "I NEED A TEAM!"

I think the Simple Questions thread is effective, as most people do find their answer. I believe it is fine how it is. After all, it would get annoying as threads would be pushed back and unanswered (even more so than the Simple Questions thread is, as loads of people look at that who need help, but also have answers for other things), and easier to spam and make multiple threads on the same questions.


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Age 30
Male
It is for me to noe and all of you to find out
Seen April 17th, 2022
Posted October 16th, 2021
1,318 posts
14.2 Years
hey, i want to continue the hero speaking convo part since i still have not decide whether to let my hero talked in-game or whether to have him silent.
One of my friend who fixed up the grammar in the hack suggested to have the hero talked since it will be awkward to have him silent when everybody is talking to him but i don't think it is a good idea since i don't like it.
Some people like the hero to talk while others don't. So maybe i can know more people opinions here and then decide..xD
------------------
Crimson Stardust

colcolstyles

Yours truly

Male
The Bay Area
Seen May 18th, 2019
Posted August 13th, 2012
1,588 posts
15 Years
hey, i want to continue the hero speaking convo part since i still have not decide whether to let my hero talked in-game or whether to have him silent.
One of my friend who fixed up the grammar in the hack suggested to have the hero talked since it will be awkward to have him silent when everybody is talking to him but i don't think it is a good idea since i don't like it.
Some people like the hero to talk while others don't. So maybe i can know more people opinions here and then decide..xD
------------------
Crimson Stardust
Well, whether or not the silence is "awkward" or not really depends on the type of hack that you're making. If you're making a canon, 8-gym type of hack, then you should be able to pull off a silent protagonist. Hey, Game Freak did it so it's definitely possible. However, if you're making a more plot-driven hack or one that draws on themes like corruption and crime and death, then it might be a little harder. The thing is, a ROM hack is not a movie. Yes, a silent protagonist in a movie would be a little awkward (though I imagine it would be an amazing movie if it was well done) but there is a huge gap between video games and movies. If you want your hack to be like a movie, one that the player gets to actually play through firsthand, then you can probably get away with a talking protagonist. It's really a tradeoff. You can either have the silent protagonist (which I think players, on the whole, enjoy more) with more "awkward" scenes or you can have a talking protagonist (which will probably annoy a lot of people) but the scenes won't be as weird. It's up to you, really.

Brother of Vrai
Age 27
Male
Best City OCE
Seen October 18th, 2021
Posted April 1st, 2013
5,978 posts
15.2 Years
Honestly; I'm playing through Black/White now and there are quite a few scenes where, in most cases, a person would talk; particularly as the Team Plasma storyline escalates. However, the silent protagonist...it doesn't feel weird, because that's a player-character. It's a video-game representation of yourself, not some story-designated character you might role-play as. There's quite a difference, really. It sort of lets you mold other people's personalities better, because you don't have a person (ie. you) butting in and stopping someone going where they were going to go.

In the end, it's your choice. In my opinion, though, if a game lets you name the main character, then the protagonist should usually remain silent (eg. Pokemon). If not, then it should be fine (eg. Final Fantasy). There are games with the opposite (eg. Mario and Luigi has the titular character not really talk, and FFTA2 has your "player-character", talk), so, really, it's all about execution.
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astar_01

Creator of Pokémon Grey

Age 30
Male
Warwickshire, England
Seen December 18th, 2015
Posted June 29th, 2011
106 posts
15.4 Years
I'm with most of the other comments, It feels weird to have a talking hero.
I felt that it worked to an advantage in Pokémon Identity yet it doesn't work with most other hacks.
Personally in my hack the player is only seen talking in flashbacks*. These events are obviously from the past so whats been said has already been said, whereas in the present the player remains silent so he can be what the person playing wants him to be.

*A flashback example: Player and Sister arguing.
It wouldn't be right for the Player to be silent in a past event.

What are your opinions on that then?


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Ooka

Cosmic

Age 30
Challenging The E4
Seen September 15th, 2022
Posted January 18th, 2020
2,621 posts
15.8 Years
I think if anything consistency should be used. So in the case of even a flashback I would think "..." should be used for the main character.
Age 30
Male
It is for me to noe and all of you to find out
Seen April 17th, 2022
Posted October 16th, 2021
1,318 posts
14.2 Years
Yeah, thats what i thought too, having a silent hero.
Thanks for the tip off, lol,
Now i know just what i have to do and what kind of script to come up with because at first i was torn out between talking or non-talking so i can script first as both scripts ended up diffirently..xD..
Thanks guys.
-----------
crimson stardust

Darthatron

巨大なトロール。

Age 31
Male
Melbourne, Australia
Seen February 2nd, 2015
Posted October 28th, 2014
1,152 posts
17.4 Years
I was just wondering: Does anyone know how to change where you start the game? As in, Celadon instead of Pallet town?
Use the Simple Questions (Emulation > Beginners Lounge) thread next time.

HackMew released a tool to edit all that, look in his thread, in the Toolbox. It's called SMEA. :)
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Age 48
Male
Scotland, Lesmahagow
Seen August 3rd, 2015
Posted February 7th, 2011
1,087 posts
13.4 Years
On the subject of the player talking, I think it's a great idea for some situations, such as Identity, Mystery Dungeon themed hacks, and super-special-awesome-plo hacks. Other than that, I'm not too fond of it.
Age 32
Seen January 24th, 2021
Posted March 7th, 2011
61 posts
14.6 Years
Personally, I feel the player character should talk if the character has a significant amount of backstory or if the game/hack is very story-driven. For the regular Pokemon games, they aren't very story driven and the main character isn't some hero sent from the heavens with a mysterious past destined to save the world or anything like that. S/he's just a regular boy/girl living in a regular town. That's something that players can usually identify with which makes it easy to see that character as their in game avatar.

Once you make the player character speak, it is no longer a representation of the player and becomes a standalone character in the world of your hack/game. At that point, you have to keep player character talking consistently as well as develop the character's personality, feelings, beliefs, etc. If you can't do that, I suggest you keep the player character silent to prevent the player from seeing the player character as anything more than their in-game persona. Otherwise that character might end up boring and players might lose interest.
Age 30
Male
It is for me to noe and all of you to find out
Seen April 17th, 2022
Posted October 16th, 2021
1,318 posts
14.2 Years
Hey guys, Here a new discussion i am coming up with.
I am pondering upon whether to use fire red rom or ruby/emerald as the base rom for my hack.
IMO Ruby/emerald have much more cool features that fire red do not have but still hearing commentd from you guys will make my decision better.
And ruby and emerald is the same right?

Logan

Age 28
Male
Salisbury, England
Seen July 19th, 2022
Posted November 12th, 2021
10,414 posts
14.5 Years
If you want a load of people to repeat the exact same thing in consecutive posts then I suggest you search through this thread or find the 9001 threads that were created for this topic. That question's been answered enough times as it is, we don't need it answered again.

colcolstyles

Yours truly

Male
The Bay Area
Seen May 18th, 2019
Posted August 13th, 2012
1,588 posts
15 Years
If you want a load of people to repeat the exact same thing in consecutive posts then I suggest you search through this thread or find the 9001 threads that were created for this topic. That question's been answered enough times as it is, we don't need it answered again.
This.

To keep this post from being marked as SPAM, I've got a little question: what's a good level range for the Elite Four (or the entire region, for that matter). For example, in Johto the Champion's highest level pokémon is Lv. 50 while in Sinnoh, the lowest level pokémon is Lv. 53 while the highest is Lv. 66. So if you were designing an Elite Four lineup, what would you cap the levels at? I'm trying to settle on a good "difficulty level".

Brother of Vrai

Logan

Age 28
Male
Salisbury, England
Seen July 19th, 2022
Posted November 12th, 2021
10,414 posts
14.5 Years
This.

To keep this post from being marked as SPAM, I've got a little question: what's a good level range for the Elite Four (or the entire region, for that matter). For example, in Johto the Champion's highest level pokémon is Lv. 50 while in Sinnoh, the lowest level pokémon is Lv. 53 while the highest is Lv. 66. So if you were designing an Elite Four lineup, what would you cap the levels at? I'm trying to settle on a good "difficulty level".
Well, in my opinion, you honestly don't know until you get there. If you try and predict that your E4 is going to be around 60-65 and when you playthrough your levels are 55-58 then you're in trouble. If you want to be accurate with your levels then I think you need to make all the levels 1 then playthrough your game and, when you get to that stage, decide each E4 member's Pokémon one by one.
Age 27
Male
Best City OCE
Seen October 18th, 2021
Posted April 1st, 2013
5,978 posts
15.2 Years
That depends on the region and how much EXP you can get from it (as well as how much you can waste training up recently-caught wild Pokemon). For example, in Isshu, the E4 have teams of 45/48/48/50 each, with the endgame boss(es) at level 50-54, making it "equally hard" as Johto's Elite Four, maybe harder with the sheer power of some Pokemon and some excellent movesets.

However, in Black, my team was level 46 across the board by the time I was at the Elite Four (no grinding at all), but in HeartGold, my team was merely in their late-30's. It really depends on how the game is like (but then again, Isshu's EXP system is rigged, lol). I'd prefer a smooth curve up until the Elite Four, then a little 3-4 level jump to the actual Elite Four, so there's a little challenge.
Everything ends,
and that's always sad.
But everything begins again, too,
and that's always happy.

U.Flame

Maker of Short Games

Age 27
Male
Unknown
Seen 1 Day Ago
Posted January 17th, 2023
1,322 posts
15 Years
I need opinions. My hack will have cussing so I'm wondering what people generally think of that. It won't cuss at every sentence, just mainly in the scenes with drama, violence, and the antagonists.
The more you learn about something, the more you realize just how much you don't know. I've shelved my more ambitious ideas in favor of smaller, more feasible projects and contributions. While I still have an ongoing project, and still intend to experiment with improving Gen 3's multiplayer, it's been much less stressful doing smaller things, like entries for Anthroyd's MAGM contests.

Of which you can check out here:
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Perri Lightfoot

Let's give it a go!

Female
Seen April 16th, 2022
Posted March 1st, 2014
173 posts
15.2 Years
I need opinions. My hack will have cussing so I'm wondering what people generally think of that. It won't cuss at every sentence, just mainly in the scenes with drama, violence, and the antagonists.
The analogy I use in my own thinking is that swearing is a garnish. Your dish won't be any less delicious without it; but a little placed here and there in the areas where it will have the most impact can enhance your hack's tone, characterization, and/or storytelling. This "garnish" should never be added frivolously - if your dish is already artfully arranged just the way it is; than even a sprinkling of parsley could be seen as distracting and unnecessary. A good "test" to do is this: if you can imagine your scene without swearing and finds it loses much of its impact in the process, you'll know your garnish is well-placed; if the lack of bad language seems to make no difference whatsoever, than err on the side of caution and leave it out. :)

Of course, garnishes are meant to be used sparingly, and their purpose should be to enhance the overall attractiveness of the meal of a whole. If you heap on so much garnish that it stands out more than your dish does - like so many of those "My first ROM Hack!" videos you find on Youtube; that are essentially one-trick ponies modded with Advance-Text who's sole reason for being is to have PROFESSOR PENIS give you a Pokemon in CLOYSTER TOWN while NPCs ask you to **** them - you give off the impression of being a twelve-year-old with a mentality that hasn't advanced beyond the Beavis and Butt-Head stage yet. Hacking a slew of four-letter words and dirty sex talk into a Pokemon game doesn't make one "mature" and "edgy" - far from it!

Edited to add: Sometimes, however, your dish NEEDS garnish. Slavishly avoiding bad language in situations that would appropriately call for it can be just as bad as overdoing it. Lines like "gosh dang it to heck!" - in the mouth of a character where such wouldn't make sense (such as your scary Big Bad) - can push your hack into the realm of Narm (in other words, ridiculously cheesy and ineffective at delivering the intended emotional impact). If you're wanting to avoid both swearing and the Narm-y avoidance of such in tense situations, reworking your dialogue to avoid any need for silly euphemisms (or planning it that way from the beginning) is generally what I recommend. The fine line between avoiding swearing to silly extremes and cursing like a sailor can be a difficult one to walk sometimes...but if you have a good instinct for your story, your characters, your setting, your overall mood, and your audience; finding that opportune moment where you have a real reason to use "damn" over "darn" - or not needing to use an expletive at all - will come easy to you. ^^
Signature under construction. Watch this space~

Platinum Lucario

The Legendary Master of Light!

Age 30
Male
Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia.
Seen April 2nd, 2023
Posted April 1st, 2021
1,605 posts
15.4 Years
Yeah, so very true. Although if I was creating a sequal to Pokémon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum for instance, I would rather go Nintendo style. But for a stand alone hack (and maybe a sequal to it)... I probably would use swearing in it, after all... it is part of reality after all. Like... I could end up creating a hack of Pokémon Platinum (once I learn how to), I could place it in a timeline that was before humans discovered the parallel world of Pokémon, because it does seem in the anime and games... that it takes place in a world that really isn't planet Earth at all... which means... the animals that inhabit the world... is Pokémon. While the Earth life forms live on Earth, so yeah.
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Male
Seen April 26th, 2014
Posted April 3rd, 2014
16 posts
13.8 Years
All you need to do in the pokemon games is use a super effective attack, and with a few exceptions (eg physical moves on special sweepers), it will usually kill the pokemon you're up against. Don't be afraid to make your hack harder so that items such as X-Attack and moves such as swords dance are actually viable, and people actually spend money on full heals. Keep in mind, unless you're in a cave, you can walk back to the pokemon centre after a particularly taxing battle and fully heal your pokemon, so outside of caves (or routes with a cave in the middle or unavoidable grass) assume that the trainer is going to be fought with a full health team.
Age 27
Male
Best City OCE
Seen October 18th, 2021
Posted April 1st, 2013
5,978 posts
15.2 Years
um i was already needing to use pseudo-competitive tactics in-game in every game in the normal series, making it harder's just going to make me give up. Hardcore players won't quite a good game if it's easy. Casual players will RQ if it's hard.
Everything ends,
and that's always sad.
But everything begins again, too,
and that's always happy.

colcolstyles

Yours truly

Male
The Bay Area
Seen May 18th, 2019
Posted August 13th, 2012
1,588 posts
15 Years
Sorry if I am spamming here but I am very new. Could someone please link me to a thread that states what hacking is?
Here's a good one:

http://www.zophar.net/forums/showthread.php?t=10584

Brother of Vrai

U.Flame

Maker of Short Games

Age 27
Male
Unknown
Seen 1 Day Ago
Posted January 17th, 2023
1,322 posts
15 Years
The analogy I use in my own thinking is that swearing is a garnish. Your dish won't be any less delicious without it; but a little placed here and there in the areas where it will have the most impact can enhance your hack's tone, characterization, and/or storytelling. This "garnish" should never be added frivolously - if your dish is already artfully arranged just the way it is; than even a sprinkling of parsley could be seen as distracting and unnecessary. A good "test" to do is this: if you can imagine your scene without swearing and finds it loses much of its impact in the process, you'll know your garnish is well-placed; if the lack of bad language seems to make no difference whatsoever, than err on the side of caution and leave it out. :)

Of course, garnishes are meant to be used sparingly, and their purpose should be to enhance the overall attractiveness of the meal of a whole. If you heap on so much garnish that it stands out more than your dish does - like so many of those "My first ROM Hack!" videos you find on Youtube; that are essentially one-trick ponies modded with Advance-Text who's sole reason for being is to have PROFESSOR PENIS give you a Pokemon in CLOYSTER TOWN while NPCs ask you to **** them - you give off the impression of being a twelve-year-old with a mentality that hasn't advanced beyond the Beavis and Butt-Head stage yet. Hacking a slew of four-letter words and dirty sex talk into a Pokemon game doesn't make one "mature" and "edgy" - far from it!

Edited to add: Sometimes, however, your dish NEEDS garnish. Slavishly avoiding bad language in situations that would appropriately call for it can be just as bad as overdoing it. Lines like "gosh dang it to heck!" - in the mouth of a character where such wouldn't make sense (such as your scary Big Bad) - can push your hack into the realm of Narm (in other words, ridiculously cheesy and ineffective at delivering the intended emotional impact). If you're wanting to avoid both swearing and the Narm-y avoidance of such in tense situations, reworking your dialogue to avoid any need for silly euphemisms (or planning it that way from the beginning) is generally what I recommend. The fine line between avoiding swearing to silly extremes and cursing like a sailor can be a difficult one to walk sometimes...but if you have a good instinct for your story, your characters, your setting, your overall mood, and your audience; finding that opportune moment where you have a real reason to use "damn" over "darn" - or not needing to use an expletive at all - will come easy to you. ^^
Good advice! Another good idea I just thought of is to have a tester just to check the language.
The more you learn about something, the more you realize just how much you don't know. I've shelved my more ambitious ideas in favor of smaller, more feasible projects and contributions. While I still have an ongoing project, and still intend to experiment with improving Gen 3's multiplayer, it's been much less stressful doing smaller things, like entries for Anthroyd's MAGM contests.

Of which you can check out here:
Naillevaihcam
Magical Altering Gym Menagerie

Darthatron

巨大なトロール。

Age 31
Male
Melbourne, Australia
Seen February 2nd, 2015
Posted October 28th, 2014
1,152 posts
17.4 Years
I've also decided to play it safe- I'm dumping my own roms for hacking.
That will make it difficult to release patches, won't it?
あなた は しきしゃ です
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