Issue: Hacks/Fangames Misleading

[Zeak6464]

The issue came to my attention when people can't figure out the difference between "Rom-Hacks" and "Fan Games".

1: Most Pokemon Rom Hacks are "Pokemon Based" but some "Fan Games" don't like to follow the rule of this like "Digimon" & "Dragon Ball Z" in a pokemon game
, yes it's a rom hack of a pokemon game but now it's a "Other" game no longer pokemon.. in a way...

2: The word "Fan Game" is kinda misleading it self... What considers a game to be a "Fan Game" ?
How it was made ?
What type of game is it ?
Does it still have pokemon in it ?

This is my point , games in "Game Dev" section are also considered to be "Fan Games" but they don't get the spot light they deserve like "Rom-Hacks" do,
and to me that just doesn't seem to be fair at all to the community it self because their missing out on playing or even helping out a "Fan Game"

What considers a fan game to be a "Fan Game" ?

 

[DJTiki]

This is simply the natural consensus that players have between Fan Games and ROM Hacks. As much as I do hate it when they mix up the terms, there's really not much you can do. ROM Hacks get more spotlight because ROM Hacks have been around for ages. Same can be said with Game Dev, but most people would associate any fan game as a ROM Hack. It isn't fair, but meh.

"Fan Games" are considered those that are made with an outside engine, but most consider it a fan-game once it was made by the Pokemon Essentials Starting Kit provided by the Pokemon Essentials team. You should probably ask Maruno about it. If you create your own game from the bottom up with another engine, where it's subject matter is about an already existing franchise, that's a "Fan Game".

A "ROM Hack" is just that- a hack of a ROM into a new experience. I could easily explain all of this, but I'm too lazy for that. It's not fair and we're all just going to have to put up with it. I'm sorry. ;-;

 

[Mana1]

I'm guessing it was a slip up on whoever coded that part of the style. I think it's only Color Flattered that those links are seen.

But yes, I fully agree that Fan Games encompasses non-hacks and hacks a like (and, in the community, is generally referring to the non-hacks).

I'll pass the message up and see if someone can tweak those links.

 

[Desert Stream~]

More people know how to setup an emulator than setup a fan game. Also, people just like Rom hacks more, as fan games aren't always pokemon-style.

 

[Crizzle]

Fan game: Any game made by a non professional fan.

Rom Hacks are a type of fan game. They're specifically hacked versions of the original games(though often they are significantly hacked to the point it is unrecognizable from the original).
Game Dev section has fan games that aren't ROM hacks(mostly made with RPG Maker/Pokemon Essentials)

Not sure what's confusing or misleading about it.

 

[Dedenne1]

Basically what Crizzle said

Rom Hacks are basically hacked versions of original roms such as emerald ruby fire red, etc. Thats kinda why you have to patch the games for them to work.

Fan Games are different and that is the current official name for them according to the list on pokemon essentials. And just as Crizzle said these are made with RPG Maker and Pokemon Essentials and a couple other different programs which allows for these games to sometimes idk how to say it, kinda look more new? They tend to go into more of the 4th and 5th sprites while most rom hacks tend to stay with 1st 2nd and 3rd gen sprites. Now beyond all of that Fangames tend to be downloaded from a website such as mediafire or mega and they come in a zipped folder which once unzipped usually contains another folder with more folders and items which has copies of sprites music etc. However the large difference here is where rom hacks are played through an emulator and have to be patched first fangames simply have that folder and all you click on is game.exe or [game name here].exe and then it tends to run in a seperate window by itself.

So the two are quite different, fangames can be for any franchise or such as long as its a game based upon an official work that is created by a "fan" of that work. Although i must say most fangames here are pokemon related although some contain other fandoms.

Both styles are good and both have their pros and cons although for me I prefer playing fangames because I have just played fangames that are higher quality than hacks such as pokemon reborn. But thats not to say hacks are bad! Believe me hacks are great and many people go the other way prefering hacks over fangames and such. Hope I helped you with your confusion ^-^