[Archive] ROM Hacking Newsletter 2008 | Issue 1 - 18

[Dratii]

I sleep at 9:30. Then, I get home at 4:30 after school. 5 hours of time not at school a day on weekdays. At least half of that is used up in dinner and homework. Well, I'm not allowed to play computer on weekdays anyway. And now that I got a terrible test result, no Pokemon at all. :( Anyway, my holidays are limited. My parents won't let me play that much... x.x I've had about 25 minutes of gaming time all week, all of it in the morning sneaking. :( Even in a good week, I only get around ten hours. In the holidays, I can probably churn out 2-5 hours a day...so...about 20 a week?

And I'm meant to be doing homework right now. Better get back to work.

Now that basically sums up my week aswell

 

[Thrace]

Rom Hacking Newsletter

Issue 15 - Sunday, 7 December 2008

Introduction

Opening words

It sucks when you're busy in the holidays. Yeah, its late, in fact it'll probably be Monday when you're reading this. I guess I just haven't been organised. So yeah, thats my excuse.

RHN has lost a couple of members so we may, possibly, maybe not, be looking for more staff. You know where to apply (the team thread in the Team Discussions Forum). Also, HotY Round Two yearns for more votes. If you haven't voted already, why not do so now?

Opening by Thrace​

Hacking News

Staying current with the rom hacking scene

New IRC Channel for Rom Hacking
Theres a chat room for Rom Hackers now that everyone should join. The notification underneath PC's banner will tell you all you need to join it. I'll be online most of the time so feel free to join and chat.

Genesis Restart
Thats right, I've decided to restart Genesis. I'm not starting completely from the beginning. The region, names etc. will be the same, as will the story, although it'll be developed much earlier. The maps will be much better, the scripts will be polished and overall it'll just be better. A new thread will be made once I catch up to where I left off.

Hack Rating System
RHN will follow 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.

Compiled by Thrace​

HOTW Winner

Spotlight on the Hack of the Week

Pokémon Fallen [Link]
Hack Author: ~element
Reviewed By: Thrace

After 15 weeks of reviewing the HotW winner, I rarely get excited by what I find when I review them. This hack, sadly, was no different.

As usual, there is the paragraph length story. A standard list of features. A couple of scripts and the driving force behind the hack; a couple of nice looking maps. The new palettes give the hack a really grungy feel which for me is really off-putting. The hero OW which is designed very well somehow looks awkward and out-of-place. The maps appear to be made very well. Certainly not my kind of mapping but I'm sure it appeals to others. My biggest issue with that kind of mapping is how it makes playing the hack annoying as you have to weave in and out of trees and bushes. Its fine occasionally, say in a forest or dungeon but it shouldn't be used everywhere.

The script where you find your dad dead is made very well. Although its not overly complicated its executed well and it tells a story. Your dad being shot in the world of Pokemon seems excessively violent to me. But perhaps thats what we need? With all these boring, generic, innocent stories perhaps something a little more adult is what we need.

Article by Thrace​

Map of the Week

A review of the weeks MOTW winner

Map Author: Stealth
Map of: Fire Red
Rating: 9.5/10
Mapshot: Chick Here!

Wow. When I first look at this map, I notice all the intracate weavings of the mountains. The mountains are so amazingly placed I can't comprehend it. They wind in such an amazing pattern it astounds me. They look like a maze, luckily the player is not forced to wind through them.

The next thing I noticed is the river that cuts through the middle of the map. This is not a badly done river...at all! It is full of curves, and all the mountain/shore tiles are correctly placed, which is a great addition. The rocks are scattered around in it wonderfully, and he alternated them quite wonderfully. The waterfalls are also done correctly, which isn't often seen.

I love the way Stealth placed the caves, and the number of them he added. The color coordination dots are a nice addition, however I'm not adding that in the rating(that would be pointless). I like how he put the caves in the depressions of the mountain, it adds a realistic feel.

The trees are placed nicely, and Stealth used the shadows correctly. You don't see that much. The trees add to the curvy feel of the map, which is a plus in my book.

Overall, This map is wonderful. This is one of the best maps I have ever seen. There are no errors that I could spot, and The map has a great shape. Everything is placed wonderfully, and the map is stellar. Congratz Stealth.

Article by TB Pro!​

The Forum Revamp: Another Perspective

A report on the hacking community

When looking at a play, you'll notice it's divided into parts. First, divided into an "act"; next, divided into a "scene." You don't say, "the one with such-and-such in it." You say, "Act 2, Scene 2." This is very similar to what's happening with the forum revamp.Think of it another way! In the science world, some form of life is divided into kingdom, phylum, class, etc. down to species. It's just another way of organizing, and organization is key!

The forum revamp was done to keep the forum clean and organized. I honestly, can't see how that would be a bad thing. Especially since it helps make more threads viewable at a time. Think about it (and use simple mathematics). Compare one forum to three. With the one, you have nine pages and fifteen threads viewable per page. With the three, you have three pages each with 15 threads viewable per page. You'd still have nine pages, but they're divided in a way that allows more threads to be viewable on the first pages of those forums. It's difficult to explain, but works in practice.

It's also a good way of separating the threads into competitive groupings. When battling Pokémon competitively, you use "ubers" to battle "ubers", and "underuseds" to battle "underuseds." It keeps thinks competitive, so a hack that's just starting out doesn't have to compete for attention with a hack like ShinyGold.

Finally, it's a good way to make the user find a hack they're looking for easier. If you want something playable right then, look in the "Hacks Showcase." If you're looking for a development or help thread, check the "Scrapbox". This also gives the creator a sense of promotion when their hacks are moved to a better forum. Motivation wise, the revamp would make people want to try harder to get into the "Hacks Showcase" now that the standards are higher.

Overall, I think the revamp will make the community better, as a whole, when people start to take advantage of the new forums (and prefixes [wink, nudge]).

Article by Kawaii, Inc.​

Beginner's Corner

Tips for new hackers

Spoiler:

Article by Punk Rocker​

Interview

An in-depth chat with...

Spoiler:

<Darthatron> So, gabe_k... Some call you the king of D/P hacking, but I just call you nub.
<Darthatron> How did you first get into Pokemon Hacking?
<E-Bag> And I call you a nub
<E-Bag> so it's cool
<E-Bag> anyway
<E-Bag> i got into pokemon hacking when i was about 8
<E-Bag> when i first discovered emulation, one of the first roms i found was pokemon aqua
<E-Bag> after that i discovered gold map and pokemap and that stuff
<E-Bag> so i mostly used tools for a few years
<E-Bag> so then i decided
<E-Bag> "ima hack dp"
<E-Bag> so i did
<Darthatron> I see... So you kind of skipped the whole "GBA Generation"?
<E-Bag> i hacked gba for about 3 months
<E-Bag> during which i didn't have an internet connection
<E-Bag> then after that i decided to move onto dp
<E-Bag> because of how annoyingly limited gba was
<Darthatron> Interesting...
<Darthatron> Was that when you started the infamous "PokeSpam" hacking team?
<E-Bag> pretty much
<E-Bag> it started out as me and virtual chatot trying to hack dp
<E-Bag> then we got you and gff
<E-Bag> and things actually started happening
<Darthatron> Indeed.
<Darthatron> How do you feel when people call you the person who basically started D/P Hacking?
<E-Bag> like that person is an idiot has not considered all the facts
<Darthatron> I see...
<Darthatron> So, you've pretty much moved away from the Pokemon scene now, am I correct?
<E-Bag> yeah, i pretty much lost intrest when the xbox 360 CON resigner was released
<Darthatron> You spend most of your time hacking the 360 now, but do you ever think you'll come back to PC?
<E-Bag> I'll come back when I get unbanned to see how people do with DP hacking, until then I'm being a good boy and not evading my ban
<Darthatron> If you were really a good boy, you wouldn't be banned.
<E-Bag> I'm a good boy because I dump my own roms
<E-Bag> that's more then can be said for 99% of the pokemon hacker
<E-Bag> those evil pirates
<Darthatron> Yes, evil.
<Darthatron> Anyway... Would you like to reccomend a hack?
<E-Bag> Pokemon Aqua
<E-Bag> it's a blue hack as i recall
<E-Bag> maybe red
<Darthatron> Ok.
<Darthatron> And would you like to tell the members of the PC Hacking community what you really think of them? And how they might be improved?
<E-Bag> I think the hacking community is pityful. I think that the way to improve it would be if people took the time too figure out how to do stuff on their own
<E-Bag> before asking about it
<Darthatron> Said like a true poet.
<E-Bag> Thank you
<Darthatron> Well, I guess that's about it. Thanks for the interview E-Bag/gabe_k/nub.
<E-Bag> No...
<E-Bag> U

Interview by Darthatron​

Closing Notes

Some house keeping

I'm well and truly starting to run out of stuff for the Tips and Tricks segment now. If you've got any ideas at all, even if you don't know how to do it, but want to know how to, PM with your idea.

I'd also like to mention thethethethe, who recently left ROM hacking, even though he won't see this. thethethethe has been one of, if not the most reliable member of the RHN team. He was one of the first people to join the team and he has consistently provided me with quality articles. Not to mention all he's done for the ROM hacking community in general. Gosh, I'm making it sound like he's died or something aren't I? Anyway, thanks for everthing thethethethe, you'll be missed.

Closing by Thrace​

CSS design and graphics by Thrace. Ask for permission if you want to use them!

 

[~Teh Panda~]

Amazing issue! I love the review and it really sparked me up to try that hack :)

 

[GKS]

The newsletter is pretty good, but it needs more to it.

 

[Ripper]

The newsletter is pretty good, but it needs more to it.

Easier said than done my friend.

Sorry I've been away Thrace, I don't think I told you :( I'll get some reviews and stuff done for the next issue guaranteed.

 

[Ninja Caterpie]

I'd also like to mention thethethethe, who recently left ROM hacking, even though he won't see this. thethethethe has been one of, if not the most reliable member of the RHN team. He was one of the first people to join the team and he has consistently provided me with quality articles. Not to mention all he's done for the ROM hacking community in general. Gosh, I'm making it sound like he's died or something aren't I? Anyway, thanks for everthing thethethethe, you'll be missed.​

Say what? But it IS like he's died!

Hmmm... Good one this time...and it's pretty interesting...although...I can't think of a tip. xP
​

 

[destinedjagold]

things are really getting busy and many are leaving lately... it makes me sad...

Anyways, nice new issue as usual.
A bit short but it was still nice.

Keep things up, RHN Team~

 

[interdpth]

Gabe lies, he downloads the ROMs I've seen it!

 

[Thrace]

Rom Hacking Newsletter

Issue 16 - Sunday, 14 December 2008

Introduction

Opening words

The promised new layout will be coming soon! Its actually already been made by Darthatron (hopefully I saved it somewhere) it just needs a few tweaks here and there. All I'm going to say is that it'll look more like an official part of the PokeCommunity.

The new PC chat is really thriving! So don't be shy to visit, theres always people there who are up for a chat.

Opening by Thrace​

Hacking News

Staying current with the rom hacking scene

interdpth's interactive tutorials
interdpth held a tutorial today (or yesterday depending on your timezone) on various aspects of Rom Hacking which were very useful and enjoyable. It was held in PC's new Rom Hacking IRC channel. If you missed it you can check out the log on his thread here. There should be another being held next week. I'm not sure on the time or day but just check his thread regularly so you don't miss out.

Hack Rating System
RHN will follow 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.

Compiled by Thrace​

HOTW Winner

Spotlight on the Hack of the Week

Pokémon Sentra Journeys [Link]
Hack Author: Lucario 9
Reviewed By: Thrace

Yet another hack by Lucario 9. This hack seems to have quite a bit of progress behind it but does it have what it takes for Lucario 9 to stick with it?

Unfortunately it doesn't. A good story is central to a hacker's determination to finish their hack and Sentra Journey's doesn't even have one. One thing that really ticks me off about this hack is the lack of attention to detail in scripts. The hack just doesn't look polished. Everything about this hack is mediocre and its sad to see because Lucario 9 has the skills to make an excellent hack.

The Alpha although lengthy (for an Alpha) seems rushed. Theres a few good maps and some interesting scripts here and there but it just gives the impression that the creators were really lazy. Theres many easily avoidable bugs and tile errors and the dialouge is really boring. The dialogue! Urgh! It made everyone in the hack seem so lifeless. The mapping in many places restricted the player's movement which became very irksome. It wasn't exciting to play through really, it seemed more like a chore. You're probably thinking this review was too harsh, right? Well, after someone has made as many hacks as Lucario 9 has I don't think it is unreasonable to expect something at least a little out of the ordinary.

Article by Thrace​

Hack Review

Hacks in review

Pokémon rijonAdventures [Link]
Hack Author: Haruki Hanai
Reviewed By: Ripper
Reviewer's Rating: 8.0

Another long serving hack to the Community is Rijon Adventures, the third game in the 'Rijon Trilogy'. Rijon Adventures serves as an Advanced redo of the first game Pokémon Brown, in that it is set in the same region, and features many characters seen before in previous Rijon games.

What's great about the current Rijon Adventures is that it provides enough game play to be enjoyable, for a long period of time. Were one to play RA without using a speed up function they'd get a good six or seven hours out of the game, and that's without any form of level grinding. Rijon Adventures introduces to the player a protagonist who, in reality, will spend much of their time living up to their father (a legendary trainer) and brothers' (the presumed League Champion) high reputations. As your journey begins you meet up with your close friend and head off to Professor Jen's lab to receive your first Pokémon, and Pokédex. What this climaxes in is an enjoyable journey through the heart of the region of Rijon (catchy isn't it?).

Haruki Hanai has done an amazing job with the all forms of hacking within RA. The scripting is nigh perfect, the maps are well interpreted advances on those featured in Brown, and overall the experience is wonderfully enjoyable. From updating letterboxes to frequent rival battles Rijon Adventures provides a little bit of everything for everyone. Along with characters from previous Rijon games, RA is filled with original, interesting characters in the form of Gym Leaders. Each Leader (as shown on the RA site [link]) has their own back story, and history, and it's great to know that plenty of time has been put into Rijon Adventures to ensure there aren't any strange loopholes.

It's hard to find gripes with Haruki Hania's creation; the only real negative points come from the fact that many of the Pokémon featured early on are very similar to those featured in Fire Red. I'm sure many of you out there will find the Pokémon adequate, but damn it I want my Houndour! The tiles have been left untouched, but it's better to have good looking FR tiles than chunky looking created ones. The final negative point surrounding Rijon Adventures is that, one way or another, it does seem similar to Fire Red, structure wise. I could guess lots of the time what I would be faced with next, specifically regarding the Silk Tunnel. This is partly due, however, to the game being based off Pokémon Brown, a game made from the base of the original Game Boy games.

Overall, Rijon adventures would have to be one of the greatest Advanced hacks created. It contains a bit of everything, to cater to the needs of any budding gamer. It is well deserving of its place in the HotY nominations (everyone get voting!).

Article by Ripper​

Tips and Tricks

A cool new trick

This tip isn't very useful but it can be used to make your hack more original. In fact, it's really easy.
There is a command called "braille". It converts anything you write into braille format. Braille has only one parameter and its one that points to the offset of the sentence you want to convert to braille.

This is how it is used:

braille @offset

But there are three things need to notice:
1.Command braille must follow a message command. (Both Yes/No and Normal are ok)
2.The braille sentence should be written like this:

#org @braille
#braille ABC

3.After using the command braille, there must be a waitkeypress, or the braille won't show.

Here is an example in XSE:

#dynamic 0x[your offset]
#org @start
lock
faceplayer
msgbox @3
boxset MSG_NORMAL 'Must be a msgbox!
braille @4
waitkeypress
release
end

#org @3
= There is something strange on the stone...

#org @4
#braille something 'the braille words

Tip donated by liuyanghejerry​

Beginner's Corner

Tips for new hackers

Okay, a lot of people are going around saying that they can't change the name of a map they just inserted (and if they do, Pallet's name changes too). I'll show you how to fix that problem. I'm changing the SS. Anne entrace map, by the way

1. Go to the header of the map you've inserted and click the dropdown box for the names.

2. Click on a useless-looking one. The ones called "Sevii Island 6", "Sevii Island 7", "Sevii Island 8" and "Sevii Island 9" are useless unneeded maps so you can replace those. Also, "Sevii Isle 22-24" are useless.

3. Change that in the text box, save and reload the ROM.

4. Look for the map that you changed. It should be under the right name now.

5. Voila! You changed an area's name without changing anothers!

Article by Ninja Caterpie​

Interview

An in-depth chat with...

Spoiler:

<Darthatron> Hello Coolboyman, the creator of one of the most known hacks of all time, and the sequal.
<Coolboyman> Hi there.
<Darthatron> I guess the thing most of the people at PC want to know is how did you first get into Pokemon Hacking?
<Coolboyman> Well it was a long time ago when I was surfing the web and I discovered a nifty program called "Pokemap", that actually let me edit the maps in Pokemon Red and Blue
<Coolboyman> I fiddled around with it a bit and grew attached.
<Coolboyman> I hacked other games before Pokemon, but Pokemon just had something special to me.
<Darthatron> I see... You've been working on Pokemon Brown for a few years now, correct? Was that the first hack you've done?
<Coolboyman> Nah, I did other hacks before Brown. My first one was of Super Mario Bros.
<Coolboyman> Although it was no good... I was just experimenting back then.
<Darthatron> Of course, that's how many hackers start out.
<Coolboyman> Yeah, it's a good series to start out on just to test things out.
<Coolboyman> I see lots of Super Mario World hacks that are obviously made by newcomers in the hacking business.
<Darthatron> Indeed.
<Darthatron> You have many interesting features in your hacks, such as the ability to change the players clothes mid-game in Prism. Did you do all the work by yourself, or did you have a few people giving you a helping hand?
<Coolboyman> Well "The Dude" helped me with the complicated ASM stuff. To be honest, I'm not much of an ASM man, I'm more of a game designer than a programmer. He did stuff like choosing your gender, repointing the type effects table to another bank, and the ability to change your sprite. I basically did everything else.
<Darthatron> Oh, ok. You seem to like the older generations (RGBY/GSC), but do you think you might start hacking the GBA games, or even DS in the future?
<Coolboyman> Well it depends if I want to do another Pokemon hack, which probably won't happen. I have my eyes on another game which I won't mention right now that I want to hack once I'm done with Prism. If I were to make another Pokemon hack, I'd change the concept completly, as in you wouldn't just be another trainer trying to get a certain number of badges and become the master of a league or that sort of thing.
<Darthatron> Fair enough. So after Prism is finished you don't think you'll be staying with Pokemon Hacking? Will you leave PC aswell?
<Coolboyman> I'll probably still play Pokemon hacks, and I'll tell people of my new hack on PC.
<Darthatron> Well that's good.
<Darthatron> What are your thoughts on the Hacking Community?
<Darthatron> Does the fact that less and less people know how to Hex Edit now, or even want to learn, annoy you?
<Coolboyman> Well yeah it does annoy me, because programs are limiting what a person can do. With hex, you could do everything that the programs won't let you do. People would have to figure out how the game is put together and how the data is stored, and I can't see many hackers of any game trying to figure it out.
<Coolboyman> People need to figure out how to do things for themselves when hacking, not rely on other people all the time. I admit I need help here and there, but the problem is many of these "hackers" can't do anything with the game without a tutorial or a program.
<Coolboyman> Newcomers need to also slow down, I know it's exciting when you're making your first hack, but the reason you should slow down is because it's your first, and it's probably going to suck. I see countless "hacks" from several different games being released so quickly that are obviously bad and the person didn't even try.
<Coolboyman> People need to actually play popular hacks to understand what makes a good hack.
<Darthatron> I couldn't agree more.
<Darthatron> So, the new rule for the ROM Hacking section (the new forum "Progressing Hacks"), what do you think about that? Good or bad idea?
<Coolboyman> I think it's a good idea. Progressing hacks gives people time to build up on their hack before having it in the "main ROM Hack forum". It's basically a step above "Idea forum" (Scrapbox) but below a presentable version forum (Showcase). It's more of a "Working on it". Anyone can get into Hacks Showcase if they put time into their hack, test it many times and iron out all the glitcfhes that they
<Coolboyman> see, and overall have some new features that weren't presented in the original Pokemon games.
<Darthatron> Indeed.
<Darthatron> Would you like to give our readers some information about the new version of Brown?
<Coolboyman> Well it's going to be an update of Brown where the text is fixed up, glitches eradicated, some brand new areas, and most importantly, new Pokemon. This will be the first Pokemon Red hack that has new Pokemon, and there will be about 70 of them. Of course, there will be some other extra goodies. I'm hoping to get this out by the end of December, but if not you'll be sure to see it in January.
<Coolboyman> I'm really happy to do this, mostly because my hacking skills were obviously not as good as they are now. Throughout the years, I've wanted to do an update to Brown, mostly because whenever I see Brown, I sigh at what I could have done better, and now I have that opportunity to improve it.
<Darthatron> That's cool.
<Coolboyman> So make sure to give it a try once it's released.
<Darthatron> Did you get "The Dude" to repoint the Pokemon Table? And of course I will try it.
<Coolboyman> Well the pictures for the new Pokemon wouldn't be possible without him, so make sure to thank him.
<Coolboyman> and after I'm done with this, I'll return to Prism
<Darthatron> That's good.
<Darthatron> Would you like to recommend a hack?
<Coolboyman> I haven't played many hacks recently, so that's up to you guys. Everyone should try out many hacks on the forums, and decide for themselves what they like best.
<Coolboyman> Alright then
<Darthatron> Would you like to give a tip to our readers?
<Coolboyman> Yeah, don't be afraid to experiment and try to implement your ideas. Just remember to try, and of course, if you're the first person to do something, that means you will have to figure it out, mostly likely without help from others
<Coolboyman> Try to make your hack different as you can from the Nintendo games. Be in the players shoes, imagine how he or she would feel experiencing new ideas introduced into a Pokemon game.
<Darthatron> Good tips.
<Darthatron> Thanks for the interview Coolboyman. I hope we see the new Brown soon.
<Coolboyman> Thanks, and keep up the good work with the newsletter!

Interview by Darthatron​

Closing Notes

Some house keeping

The end of another RHN, this time delivered on time! Yay! I always have no idea what to say for this part. Its always something stupid and useless, maybe people will avoid reading it altogether eventually? I might just merge this and the Opening words because theres really no need for the two. Anyways you'll see what I decide on in the next issue.

Oh, also, could everyone take some time to read the rules please? It doesn't take long and it'll be well worth your time if you do. They aren't as obvious as you might think in some cases. And if you're thread isn't accepted and you can't work out why, take a look at the threads that already exist in that section.

Closing by Thrace​

CSS design and graphics by Thrace. Ask for permission if you want to use them!

 

[Darthatron]

Nice Hack Review (Tip). Very informative. I can't wait until we get an issue without an error. :'D

 

[TB Pro]

Nice guys. Sadly, this issue had some errors(a lot(DON'T RIP OFF MY HEAD ;_; )), but that's mmk. Keep it up. Luck~

 

[Ninja Caterpie]

Yay, that was great! Mainly because I had some sort of input, but meh

A new layout eh? Woot! I can steal the old one!

G'luck in the future!

 

[destinedjagold]

although a bit short, I am surprised that CBM was being interviewed this week and I liked it. ^^
But one thing is still questioning me about CBM though, for last year(when I joined PC), CBM was er, scary, but still was nice, but this year, he's a nice guy now, without the 'scary' part... :P

Oh well...
Thanks for this week's issue.
Keep things up, RHN team. ;)

 

[Neti]

I enjoyed reading it, keep up the good work!

 

[Ripper]

CBM has some interesting things to say...

I doubt we'll ever see a completely mistake free issue. Readers have to rememeber that this 'magazine' is being made by students in their spare time.

 

[Chimchar 9]

Hmmm..Thace i think you was abit harsh on me there,it seems i have failed another hack again.
what you could of done is put some nice things in there instead of all bad.
you would of gave the rate of the hack:Bad.

p.s - that review has just put me off hacking now !!

 

[Ikwaylx]

Hmmm..Thace i think you was abit harsh on me there,it seems i have failed another hack again.
what you could of done is put some nice things in there instead of all bad.
you would of gave the rate of the hack:Bad.

p.s - that review has just put me off hacking now !!

It allows you to aim higher! Bad comments can be good sometimes too.

Anyway, great issue. I enjoyed the review with Coolboyman and the RJ review. Quite an informative review so I'm pleased with it.

 

[Thrace]

Nice Hack Review (Tip). Very informative. I can't wait until we get an issue without an error. :'D

HUR HUR. >:[

Nice guys. Sadly, this issue had some errors(a lot(DON'T RIP OFF MY HEAD ;_; )), but that's mmk. Keep it up. Luck~

*rips of head*

Hmmm..Thace i think you was abit harsh on me there,it seems i have failed another hack again.
what you could of done is put some nice things in there instead of all bad.
you would of gave the rate of the hack:Bad.

p.s - that review has just put me off hacking now !!

You're quitting because of one person's opinion? ;_;

 

[Darthatron]

Hmmm..Thace i think you was abit harsh on me there,it seems i have failed another hack again.
what you could of done is put some nice things in there instead of all bad.
you would of gave the rate of the hack:Bad.

p.s - that review has just put me off hacking now !!

"Everything about this hack is mediocre and its sad to see because Lucario 9 has the skills to make an excellent hack." - If that's not nice, I don't know what is. >_>

 

[Thrace]

ROM Hacking Newsletter

Issue 17 - Tuesday, 23 December 2008

Introduction

Opening Notes

Yup, the new layout is here. Made by Darthatron and given a few little tweaks here and there by me. So, what do you think? Post your comments here. Anyway very short newsletter today, I've just been too busy with Christmas and Genesis to work on a proper sized one. Next week I won't be here to do RHN, I'll be leaving Darthatron in charge and hopefully we'll have a decent sized issue to make up for this one.

Opening by Thrace​

Hacking News

Keep up with the latest in the ROM hacking scene

End of Hack of the Year I planned on having a whole article for this but theres really not much point. HotY has ended this year with, thankfully, very little drama as opposed to last years. Congratulations once again to Haruki Hanai for winning HotY, I can't think of any other hack that deserved to win it. Next year there will be a different format to this years, hopefully one that'll make it easier for both the voters and the organisers. Hack Rating System RHN will follow 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.

Compiled by Thrace​

Hack of the Week Review

Spotlight on the HOTW winner

Pokémon Oblivion [Link] Hack Author: TehTehTehTeh Reviewed By: Thrace Now I very rarely get excited about hacks these days. Even when I see a thread with nice screenshots and a beautiful thread layout I barely notice. There was a time when I would play each and every hack available here at PC. Anyway, my personal problems aside, lets get to the review. This hack has one of the most epic sounding storylines I've seen for a long time. It reads exactly like a movie and its understandable why people would get excited over this. The graphics too are by-and-large very nice. I especially love the new grass tile, its unique but it doesn't look awkward and out-of-place like most others. The paths for the city... well I'm not so sure about. I get that its in a city and will therefore logically have roads but to me it just doesn't look good. That Giratina building looks strangely two dimensional too. On the scripting side, theres not much to talk about. The scripts shown are ok, nothing particularly impressive. Its a good idea to have a script that is mildly impressive at the beginning of the game to get people interested. There are some good ideas though. They seem to have neglected the text colour conventions which in my books is pretty unforgivable considering how easy it is to implement. They do have an excellent team with some very talented hackers. I can see this hack going pretty far if they're determned to stick with it.

Article by Thrace​

Tips and Trick

An interesting Tip or Trick that you may not know

This weeks tip will teach you how to change the players overworld. Ok, So open VBA and make sure you're in a place you can see the hero. Go tools > Memory Viewer. Now a new window should appear called Memory Viewer. In the top right corner, there is an empty box next to the Go button. Type "2020648" there and press Go. At the first line it should give you A0 00 3A 08. Reversing this gives us 083A00A0, the 08 is to show its pointing somewhere in the rom. Let's say I inserted my new sprite at, 3A0420 (Ruby Brendan Sprite). Reversed that, and add 8000000. 20 04 3A 08. Now overwrite the A0 00 3A 08 with 20 04 3A 08 in Memory Viewer, and go back to the game. Has the overworld changed into a Brendan sprite with the wrong palette? YAY, Now you can edit the sprite to whatever you want in the overworld editor or repoint to empty space and insert a new OW. For this to be useful in a hack we'll need to be able to use it in a script. The writebytetooffset command will edit bytes in the Memory Viewer. Below is an example of the script.

#org 0x16582F checkflag 0x851 compare LASTRESULT 0x1 if 0x1 goto 0x8166917 msgbox 0x817F723 '"Would you like to transform?" callstd 0x5 closeonkeypress compare LASTRESULT 0x1 if 0x0 goto 0x801EE9E setflag 0x851 writebytetooffset 0x20 0x2020648 writebytetooffset 0x4 0x2020649 end '----------------------- #org 0x166917 msgbox 0x817D80D '"Want to stay transformed?" callstd 0x5 closeonkeypress compare LASTRESULT 0x1 if 0x1 goto 0x801EE9E writebytetooffset 0xA0 0x2020648 clearflag 0x851 writebytetooffset 0x0 0x2020649 end '----------------------- #org 0x1EE9E end

Tip donated by Darthatron/X-Buster, thanks to Sebbe for the article​

Interview

An in-depth chat with...

Spoiler:

<Darthatron> So, Zeikku. Thanks for taking time out of your busy life to have an interview with me. <Zeikku> it's alright, It's an honor, really <Darthatron> THIS STUPID MOTHER ****ER DOESN"T SHUT UP <Zeikku> haha rofl <Darthatron> anyway... <Darthatron> You've recently "quit" Pokémon ROM Hacking, yet you still come on PC alot. What's that all about? <Zeikku> well, to be honest, I don't think I ever could just quit. For me it's not that easy. I'm a part of too many hacks mainly as a spriter. The main thing keeping me on PC was Liquid Crystal. I hate letting people down. <Darthatron> I see... So you still work on Liquid Crystal, and some other hacks. How much longer do you think you can keep your "help everyone" attitude before you finally throw in the towel? <Zeikku> I've been doing it for a while now, so I'm kind of unsure. I think 09 will be a year to make a lot of decisions, of who to help and not. Mainly because liquid crystal should be done in 09. <Darthatron> Indeed. Liquid Crystal is getting pretty big. Do you think it could out-shine Shiny Gold, popularity wise? <Zeikku> Hmm, Both games have obviously made an impact. Shiny gold being the most consistant remake one. Liquid Crystal being the event driven hack. Shiny gold is what a remake should be. But I feel Liquid crystal adds some originality to the remake. It may take a while but I see liquid crystal becoming popular. but seeing as shiny gold has been out for ages now. I doubt it could beat the popularity of it. <Darthatron> I see... <Darthatron> How did you first get into Hacking, and when did you first find PC? <Zeikku> well, I had just hacked PC and was actually looking for roms to play... I stumbled across pokemon brown and grew intriuged. I then discovered an interesting gold remake called "shiny gold", after youtubing "pokemon gold hacks". A link took me to PC where I learned to hack. Rijon adventured was the first hack I played actually. mainly because I was a fan of brown. Shiny gold was downloaded after. <Zeikku> beta 3.5 i believe.. <Darthatron> Wow, beta 3.5. I thought you would have joined alot earlier than that. You have a pretty big reputation, for someoen so new. <Darthatron> Have you ever made a hack by yourself? <Zeikku> yes, Super Luigi 64, Clear Diamond but I stopped those. because I have a lot of stuff to do for people on PC and in real life. I'm actually working on a hack called pokemon steel...progressing very slowly though. Yunghoves my scripter, co owner and my only staff member for it. but everything's made by me and him only. <Darthatron> Does Steel have a plot yet? If so, what is it? <Zeikku> well steels plot is: you wake up and your father is taken away. you actually see him being escorted out of the hero/ heroines house. your starter choices are hidden in your own house. Your dad wanted to keep them for emergencies. You go to the next town where you learn more about what has happened. I can't really say much cos everything will have a twist eventually. <Darthatron> Good plot. <Darthatron> The "your father gets kidnapped" thing is a bit over used now-days, though. <Zeikku> yeah I know. but I don't think any in showcase or in progressing hacks have them right? <Darthatron> I don't know. <Darthatron> Do you think you will get this hack finished? <Zeikku> eventually yes, will take forever though, I have very little time working on it. once a beta's out, it'll be hotter than katy perry kissing girls <Darthatron> That's hot. <Darthatron> Would you like to recommend a hack? <Zeikku> hmm, I'll recommend 2, Rijion adventures being HOTY winner and being the first hack I played. Liquid Crystal Because A lot of people have worked hard on it. <Darthatron> And perhaps a tip for our readers? <Zeikku> I have a few, Never skateboard drunk, Don't drink n drive. use a condom, when getting lucky. Do these things and you'll be the next "pounder" on PC XD

Interview by Darthatron​

CSS by Darthatron