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[Archive] ROM Hacking Newsletter 2009 | Issue 19 - 22

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nice new thread for the RHN, Thrace.
Though I ain't in a good mood to read it as of now, it seems a bit short, but no matter.
I am sure it's still a great issue.

Congrats to the team of RHN for making this newsletter a very nice one.
You've reached far. Hope you'll keep this going.
Keep up the good work.

Happy New Year~
 
Its been a while before i commented on one newsletter, but this one was pretty good. It seemed long enough, and the tip section was a good, simple one. but shouldn't the mountain and tree tiles be flipped(tree switches places with mountain)? Maybe its just me.
 
I guess you're starting fresh, right?
It was pretty short but a good amount of quality in it. I like the tip. I couldn't figure out how to do that XD.
 
A really well done newsletter, awesome! And, I see you used that trick that you told me about when I first started talking to you. If I catch you on MSN, I got a similar trick, except it applies for everything. ;D
 

ROM Hacking Newsletter

Issue 19 - Tuesday, 6 January 2009
Introduction
Opening Notes
Well 2008 has come and gone and a new year has begun. 2008 was a pretty special year for ROM Hacking, as much as the veterans might say that the golden era has passed I think the ingenuity and style shown in some of todays hacks is something the community can really be proud of.

2008 is and will probably remain the most memorable year (as far as ROM Hacking is concerned) for me. Though I joined way back in 2007 it wasn't till mid-2008 that I really became active here. My Rom Hacking group in my contact list had a total of 4 people at the start of 2007, now I'm afraid to check how many I've had. 2008 was the year that the first issue of RHN was released. Its the year RHN got stickied and I became a moderator. Its also the year I made some really good friends. Well 2009, you've got a pretty hard act to follow but I can't wait to see how you do. :D
Opening by Thrace​

Hacking News
Keep up with the latest in the ROM hacking scene
Anti-Piracy
As most of the community is probably already aware of. interdpth and Haraken have graciously donated their anti-piracy bootscreen. This is a very effective way to fight pirates and because of how easy it is to implement theres no excuse for not using it. Grab it here for FR/LG and in on of the lower posts thethethethe has made a Ruby adaptation.

Hack Rating System
RHN will follow a standardised rating system similar to that of IGN, ratings and their meanings are described below.
Spoiler:

Compiled by Thrace​

Hack of the Week Review
Spotlight on the HOTW winner
Pokémon Omega [Link]
Hack Author: Mac_Mini
Reviewed By: Thrace

>_> I don't remember giving permission to use my thread layout to anyone. I wouldn't mind so much if it was given major alterations but its exactly the same. Nothing has been changed. Uh, anyway on to the review.

The mapping is for the most part (tile errors aside) is really nice. Or at least is a step in the right direction. Theres no crazy maze like mapping where the player has only 1 or two blocks to move through. Its clean and stays true to the Game Freak style. The only problem is that it isn't developed enough, for example the green path is a great excuse to go wild and have a non-uniform path. But they're just too darn straight. Thankfully the sand paths are uniform and straight as they should be. My biggest issue with Mac_Mini's mapping is the mountains. They just look bad. It requires quite a bit of experience to know the right amount of randomness and uniformity to employ when creating mountains but I'm sure its something Mac_Mini will pick up.

Theres not much to comment on, on the scripting side. The only screenshots shown of scripts are fairly simple ones. The text does seem a little too bland though and using the proper text colour on the correct gender is something that should really be standard nowadays. The story is... really similar to Genesis'. It does interest me however and if the text improves then it should become a very exciting hack.
Article by Thrace​

Tips and Tricks
An interesting Tip or Trick that you may not know
Many of you already probably know what I'm about to show and to be honest its not really much of a tip. However I almost never see it used and it can be quite useful. This week's tip will be about unused tiles from the original FRLG tileset. I only know of a couple though so if you know of any others PM me and I'll include it in a future tip.

Though I haven't seen this in any other hacks you might come across something like this in one of my maps:
[PokeCommunity.com] [Archive] ROM Hacking Newsletter 2009 | Issue 19 - 22
Yes, the tip of the tree is above a completely covered edge of a mountain. Exciting isn't it?

Anyway, below is the location of the tile required. About 2/3rds the way down in tileset 0 you'll find those two tiles. You have to use palette 1 of course. Then its just a simple matter of making the block for it.
[PokeCommunity.com] [Archive] ROM Hacking Newsletter 2009 | Issue 19 - 22
[PokeCommunity.com] [Archive] ROM Hacking Newsletter 2009 | Issue 19 - 22

Another is an unused rock found in tileset 36.
[PokeCommunity.com] [Archive] ROM Hacking Newsletter 2009 | Issue 19 - 22
Thats actually the rock I use in tileset 0 for Genesis. So yeah... thats it for this week, hopefully we'll have something better next week.

Tip donated by Thrace​

Interview
An in-depth chat with...
Spoiler:

Interview by Disturbed​

​
CSS by Darthatron
 
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Late as always, Thracey.

It was a good issue this week, short, but good.

I really needed that Tip, too. :D
 
Nice one catzzzzzzz. I liked everything, although I just wondered about something. Didn't myself and Miksy91's hacks win HotW before Mac Mini's? I'm not complaining, I just kinda wondered. Everything else seems to be in order, keep er up dudes. Luck~
 
Thanks for the nice review Thrace ^^
I do need to spice the hack up a bit though
I'll change the CSS layout as well
sorry.
 
Neat. I'll sure try to remember Linkandzelda's words before i make one of these mistakes. (can't promise it's gonna work, but mommy told me intentions are what really counts.)
 
Great job Thrace! :D
I actually wasn't lazy enough to read it all, so, yay!
Except for the tip, because ~Fire already told me that a while ago.

Again, great job~
 
Nice tip. I had no idea that those tile were there. I had always just created those tiles manually. Although in your screenshot, you haven't used the waterfall tiles correctly (I'm surprised Disturbed hasn't gotten on your case about that). As I once told him (Disturbed) back in ye olden days, take a look at Cape Brink to see the correct usage.
Also the interview was very enjoyable ^_^
Keep up the excellent work!
 
There won't be an issue this week. I'm just far too busy. If another member of the team wants to do it I'd really appreciate it.
 
Well that's a shame :( I always look forward to reading the RHN every Sunday. But I understand that you've got more important things to do. I can only hope next week's issue will make up for this one. Best of luck :)
 

ROM Hacking Newsletter

Issue 20 - Wednesday, 14 January 2009
Introduction
Opening Notes
Well first thing first, we like to apologise to the readers of the Rom Hacking Newsletter for this week's late issue. This week Thrace has been kind of busy lately so I volunteered to help with this issue. And for your information there will be no interview this week. Hope you like it. And yea, it is a really short issue this week.
Opening by Kaizer-X​


Hacking News
Keep up with the latest in the ROM hacking scene
Hack Rating System
RHN will follow a standardised rating system similar to that of IGN, ratings and their meanings are described below.
Spoiler:

Compiled by Thrace​


Hack of the Week Review
Spotlight on the HOTW winner
Pokémon Rebirth [Link]
Hack Author: Vrai
Reviewed By: Kaizer-X

After another endless week of voting; a new hack of the week emerges, beating other hacks on the seven day road to glory…Ok, I guess I shouldn't go overboard.

The hack storyline is pretty interesting and original. By dividing the plot into four and posting it in a storytelling-kind-of-way, he had made the storyline more entertaining. But the bad thing is I am a little confused by the storyline especially the characters and the role that they play in the story.

The maps look really good without any visible errors in the screenshots. I really like the new tree tiles and pallets which made the maps look nice and green. The maps with the rocks and mountain tiles look pretty decent too though the wooden fence seemed a bit out of place, I mean what are the fences doing on a mountain. Other than that I found green-coloured petals of the flowers distasteful but I guess it does make the maps looks more Mother-Naturish so, oh well, I guess I could live with it. For me I would prefer another brighter colour though.

In terms of scripting, I can see that Vrai has done a pretty good job so far as we can see from the running-shoe events and the varieties of textboxes. His idea of using humour in the hack is a good one as it makes the player more relaxed instead of only being tense with fighting. The use of different coloured-text is also a big bonus point to the hack as it makes the hack more appealing to the eye.

For me Pokemon Rebirth has tons of potential and room for more improvement, more humour and more fun and I would like to play it when the beta is released.
Article by Kaizer-X​


Tips and Trick
An interesting Tip or Trick that you may not know
Well here is a really basic tips especially for those people who are new to hacking and wants to start their own hack.

STARTING POKEMON
When choosing the types for the first Pokemon, it is better to follow a triangle diagram.
For eg:-
[PokeCommunity.com] [Archive] ROM Hacking Newsletter 2009 | Issue 19 - 22
Fire beats leaf and leaf beats water and so on. This is one of the most basic starter types that people used. Also there are some hacks where there is only one starting Pokemon or different Pokemon of the same type. This is up to you really.
Another thing is don't use any Legendary Pokemon as a starter is not a good choice as it is unpopular and makes the hack less challenging due to their insane high stats.

EDITING MULTI-CHOICE TEXT
For those people who wants to know how to change the text in the multi-box. It is pretty easy actually.
1st step I make my own script with the multibox I want. For this Script I had chosen the multichoice 0x39 which contain 3 choices. The text in the multi-choice 39 is actually the names of the island.
Code: 
#org 0x2723D6
msgbox2 0x827266A '"Which POKéMON would you like?"
waitmsgbox
multichoice 0x0 0x0 0x39 0x0
After scripting, use the tool a-text and load your rom file. Then search for one of the texts in the multi-choice and then you edited to any text of your choice.

[PokeCommunity.com] [Archive] ROM Hacking Newsletter 2009 | Issue 19 - 22


Here is a screenshot of when I had already edited the text.
Well I hope these tips will prove useful to you.
Tip donated by Kaizer-X​


​
CSS by Darthatron
 
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Not a really exciting newsletter, but the tips & tricks were neat.
 
You could've asked me for my interveiw and i would have sent you a copy
 

ROM Hacking Newsletter

Issue 21 - Sunday, 18 January 2009
Introduction
Opening Notes
I apologise for not being able to produce an issue last week. Luckily Kaizer-X was able to step in and get one out quickly so thanks a lot for that Kaizer-X. Uhhh, I totally forgot what I was going to write here. Well anyway enjoy this issue. Theres no tip this week unfortunately, I just couldn't think of one.
Opening by Thrace​

Hacking News
Keep up with the latest in the ROM hacking scene
Hack of the Month
Hack of the Month, PC's monthly hacking award for outstanding hacks has been given a restart. With a total of 58 votes in only 5 days its been pretty successful so far. The problems we've had in previous years with the system have been dealt with. The community itself now votes for the winner. The poll should also help in getting more of a community-wide perspective as voting is much simpler due to the poll. So if you haven't voted yet I recommend that you do, the link to the thread is here.

Hack Rating System
RHN will follow a standardised rating system similar to that of IGN, ratings and their meanings are described below.
Spoiler:

Compiled by Thrace​

Hack of the Week Review
Spotlight on the HOTW winner
Pokémon Whitefog [Link]
Hack Author: myfavouriteax
Reviewed By: Thrace

Ah, Team Cardinal Sin. One of if not the most notorious Teams at PC. And if they aren't notorious they sure as hell are annoying to me.

By no accounts is Whitefog your average Pokemon hack. The story is very interesting and it hooks you straight away if only because of how different it is from other hacks. The features are very enticing too especially the new attacks. They are probably just attacks that have been edited but it'll be interesting to see how they are implemented. The new sprites are also a great idea. The new Ghastly and Haunter sprites look wonderful.

Mapping is in my opinion sub-par. Unfortunately the rest of the community obviously does not. Why do people think that restricting the Player's movement is a good thing? I absolutely hate that in a hack, its one of the biggest turn offs for me. Having to zig-zig in and out of trees on a normal route is just ridiculously irritating. Some of the maps do look nice however. The errors are somewhat frustrating because they are so easily avoidable and the lack of tree shading is disappointing. Most of the new tiles that have been inserted look out of place and "cardboard" like. Some of the palette changes too just look plain awkward, the new PC colours for example.

Theres not much showcased as far as scripting is concerned but I'm sure we'll see a lot of it when the first Alpha is released which I'll be sure to play.
Article by Thrace​

Hack Review
Hacks in review
Pokémon Top Secret [Link]
Hack Author: megiddo
Reviewed By: Mac_Mini
Reviewer's Rating: 7.6

The first thing I noticed about this hack when I started playing was how dull the palletes were. Normally this would be a big turn off for me in a hack but they really suit the hack. But on with the review.

The start of the hack is very messy. The green text doesn't suit the boot screen and the title screen is poorly done. Graphics shouldn't turn people off in a hack but right from the start I had my doubts about whether I would like this hack. The tiles look great but the only thing that bugs me is the red fountain.

Scripting in this hack is hack is okay but really there's nothing top major. Some of the events are a little too dull and generic. Is it so hard to think of a way to receive a Pokémon other than by a professor giving it to you? A few unrealistic events were a bit of a turn off in the hack. The trainer's levels were way too high. Fighting a level 7 with a level 6 makes it really hard to progress in a game.

Now for the mapping, I think that there is a lot to improve in the mapping section. Some maps are a little too square and some are too empty. A couple of problems with the border too which could have been fixed. A couple of mix ups with the warps that just required some double checking to fix.

The arcade is a good idea in a hack. Meddigo gave indications that he would make one. Hopefully it will live up to m expectations. All up I'd have to say that this hack is a decent hack to play in your spare time.
Article by Mac_Mini​

Pokemon Hacks, BORING
An inside report on the ROM Hacking scene
I have noticed an increasingly large amount of hacks, some of you may think this is a good thing, but it can also be a bad thing. I have been here at the community for almost two years, and during that time I have seen same old same old things happening. Of course you do have people making new cool tools that you can use, but the hacks are really making me more of a looker not a watcher. The problem i'm having is the storyline and ideas behind hacks. Sure, everyones hacks now have good scripts, nice maps and some nice graphics. But this is no where near making up for the stories going around. It's all the same, someone is missing and you need to find them because they can help you find some pokemon, a team is trying to catch a Pokemon which can do some boring thing, a journey around 'new' regions. Is anyone here noticing a pattern? It's all actually about a Pokemon or people to do with Pokemon etc. Maybe this is why im so uninterested.

If your a fan like me, you've played Red, Blue, Silver, Gold right through to Diamond. You kinda get tired of just being involved around Pokemon. This is why I need to spread the word, I wanted to keep this idea to myself until my hack came out but I saw the situation like the global economic situation; a depression spreading over hacking. So heres what I think will make hacks much more interesting and thrilling to play. Think about something outside the box. I mean, we can almost do anything with a Pokemon game now. How about changing the Pokemon factor behind it? Lets not just think Pokemon Pokemon Pokemon, lets think Exciting, Scary, Mysterious!

Look at it this way, you had Ruby Dagger Murders (or whatever it was called), that stretched the square a little, but I want the square to explode. Get it? Think of it this way, everyone here is inside a large house, but someone people are trying to open the door, theyre thinking differently from everyone else. But hey, why not take the roof off? I want to see a hack with something interesting in it! How about a secret plot about Aliens trying to take over the world? How about some organization trying to break the time and space barrier and travel through other dimensions? What about a hack based around Pokemon freestyle? Theres so much more to think about when you start on just these.

So the next time you have some free time, grab a paper and pen and just write down whatever comes to mind! People might think 'oh, thats just childish'. But who here wouldn't like to see Aliens trying to take over the world?

Think of this as the hacking communities homework, and wherever you can, spread the word, send people this article, do whatever you can to make hacking that more exciting!

Punk Rocker out!
Article by Punk Rocker​

Interview
An in-depth chat with...
Spoiler:

Interview by Thrace​

​
CSS by Darthatron
 
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