Lacking inspiration? Look here!

[Kirby115]

As a newbie, I can't say a lot, really, and I probably won't have the opinion held in highest regard, but what I can say is.. The problem I see lies in the difficulty of making a hack. And I don't mean the difficulty in a situation as follows...

1 "I know how to hack"
2 "Oo, let's make a hack"
3 "This is hard work, I'm lazy"
4 "I quit."

I'm sure that's rarely the problem. Sure, it happens, but the true problem is more like this.

1 "I'm really inspired to make a hack"
2 "Let's get some tools"
3 "Okay, I kinda know how to use these because they have nice interfaces"
4 "Umm, wow, I can't really make anything better than that one dude's Leaf Green +"
5 "Okay then, I'm not gonna give up, let's look for hacking tutorials"
6 "Uhh.. Okay.. There's some mediocre mapping and scripting tutorials out there.. A couple scripting tutorials tell you how to do either really basic stuff or some really specific stuff"
7 "Great, none of the tutorials are really telling me what the programming I'm looking at is, how to program/script at all in general, and how to do basic things that'll make a Pokemon hack possible (like making a guy come in from the north and talk to you when you walk on a certain space or something)"
8 "Though I have the spirit to hack, I have to quit, there are plenty of resources to help me, but there's not anyone to teach me how to script or map in a better way than tinkering with Advance Map and not getting anywhere"

That's my opinion on it. I would be glad to make a hack, especially since I have another enthusiast, but there is NO way for us to easily learn how to script. And I'm not expecting scripting to be easy, what I'm saying is, there's no easy way for us to find someone who's willing to teach us for an extended period of time until we can do things on our own.

 

[Mana1]

Kirby :)

Nobody ever taught me to script, instead I learnt from Thethethethe's tutorial and went from there, using trial and error until I was confident with each step. Scripting is never going to come easy but working off a tutorial for the first however many scripts is the way to start off an understanding.

I have been on this forum a few months now and am currently working on my own hack. I have made just ONE attempt and I plan to stick with it even if I take some breaks along the way. However what gets me is how some people come along and instantly think they can Hack, then they post not one but (in a case this month I noticed 3) more threads when they don't have the drive to get much further than a mediocre storyline.

Now I know some people think my hack is nothing special, but if I stick with it and finish it then atleast I have contributed rather than giving a half assed attempt like some people do...

Good luck everyone still working on a hack out there!

 

[Aljam]

when i came here i completely sucked! I didn't know how to do anything but mapping. At first my mapping sucked. It eventually got better and I was like "I'm bored of mapping." So I tried scripting. After epicly failing I tried doing whatever it takes to make a hack good. So I learned how to sprite. I made my Ows and then ent back into mapping. Recently, I found out that i was scripting wrong and i was overwriting scripts instead making new ones. Thats when FSF became my friend and most of my problems were solved. The point of this is: never give up. keep doing what you do best and expand your horizons. Try to do something new in hacking and ask questions.

 

[Moonshine]

I don't know how you did this..

How did you ever think this up? You truely inspired me. Although it's not really insperation, it's more of a Rant of some sort. It works both ways. Thanks, Atlus, for this ground breaking thread. I'll be sure to remember this, when hacking.

 

[Chibi Robo]

Well when I came here I was bad at mapping and spriting
I had to work on my spriting and my mapping now I can make pretty good maps and my spriting is top notch
I tried to make granite stand out from the other hacks by the custom fakemon and the interesting storyline

Most people at pc just wants to make a hack not spend very much time on it and say "its good enough"
You should never have that attitude because your hack will never go anywhere if its good enough you have to make it as good as possible

Thats my opinion though.....

 

[.Seth]

I think what we need, if any of us want to spark competitiveness, interest, and desire to succeed in ROM hacking here, is a really really great hack. If they want to copy something, let them copy something great!

And people will (should, at least) try to make hacks that attempt to meet or exceed the quality of a really great hack. So what do you think of my idea?

 

[Thrace]

I agree somewhat with the above post. People need to get excited about hacking I think but there are very few things left to discover with the third generation games and people won't take hacking the fourth generation seriously until a map editor is made.

Someone, somewhere has to do something new that people haven't seen before. The new generation of hackers need to replace the veterans that have left/are inactive but no one seems to be stepping up to the plate.

 

[Vrai]

I agree somewhat with the above post. People need to get excited about hacking I think but there are very few things left to discover with the third generation games and people won't take hacking the fourth generation seriously until a map editor is made.

Someone, somewhere has to do something new that people haven't seen before. The new generation of hackers need to replace the veterans that have left/are inactive but no one seems to be stepping up to the plate.

You summed it up in a few choice words. We all should try to step up to that plate. ^^

 

[DA-Kizemaru]

Hacking is dieing because we work with the same games. I think it will pick up when we are able to make games from diamond and pearl.

 

[Banjora Marxvile]

Hacking is dieing because we work with the same games. I think it will pick up when we are able to make games from diamond and pearl.

If that becomes the case, everyone would jump to Diamond and Pearl, if it were simple, making it the same situation.

We need more unique things, maybe more hacks of Red and Gold, less of the GBA games. Basically, we need more (as I call them) risky hackers, who don't use tools, but HEX for everything, to make it perfect.

 

[IIMarckus]

If that becomes the case, everyone would jump to Diamond and Pearl, if it were simple, making it the same situation.

We need more unique things, maybe more hacks of Red and Gold, less of the GBA games. Basically, we need more (as I call them) risky hackers, who don't use tools, but HEX for everything, to make it perfect.

I believe in the power of hex editing. There is no better way to learn how the game works internally—using tools doesn't even compare. However, we should keep things in perspective. Hex editing is inefficient. There is typically no way to comment changes in hex, or insert data between other data, or quickly repoint. This is why (some) tools are useful. After all, Game Freak didn't code their games by hand in a hex editor.

On the other hand, many tools are not useful, instead shoehorning hackers into editing a specific way. Tools that have fixed offsets are often useless—look at all the tools made for Ruby and Sapphire that would work for Emerald had the author had the foresight to allow changing of offsets. Editing TMs with an editor that has 50 drop‐down boxes is really no more efficient than using a hex editor. A proper map editor or a real trainer editor that allows one to insert data correctly, on the other hand, outclasses a hex editor in every way.

Write good tools, not mediocre tools!

 

[Riku_RP]

To be honest, I will be one to admit that hacking isn't going too well. It may not be dying in spirit, but in quality it is. Good hackers have gone, more hacks that are never being finished are arriving. This is a reason why I dislike mapping. I hardly see any good maps anymore. Most are too poor to even comment about. This goes for hacks. The good ones never get finished, and the bad ones get criticised. The "new" hacker also seems to be unwilling to accept Constructive Criticism nowadays, saying they are being insulted, and none are said, when it is being said. Hacking isn't what it was... The only thing that actually annoys me in the new hacking times is the fact that people are getting lazier. they expect everyone to do it for them sometimes...

I consider myself a newbie in some aspects, but the newbies nowadays... Anyway, everything that makes a certain hack unique can be easiy copied. there is no unique thing in hacks anymore. Everything unique has been done...

So what are you saying? We need a hack that is better than the rest? Umm, that will spark arguments, and competitiveness...

What you just described sounds like the rest of society today lol also the lack of Ideas are there, then theres alot of facts many people dont want to play hacks that arnt based off of some book, movie, manga or anime I bet you if you made a Harry Potter or Twilight hack you'd get alot more people wanting to play it or wanting to learn how to do it, .....oh god.....mental image of harry or dumbledor as a pokemon...*snickers* sorry!

Anyways Hacking today is alot like games nowadays if you had a kid of today pick up metroid nintendo game they would probably wouldnt even get past the first stage and then just drop it and lose interest, and if you had a kid from back then play a game from now they'd play thru the whole thing and think it was way to easy. Which is one of the reasons I played hacks, its because of the added challange hackers would give on some of the games they hacked, so I guess what Im trying to explain is most kids nowadays wernt raised on hte classics like some of us older generation 'kids' they know nothing of challange and are very lazy, yet its funny youd think with them all being obsessed with graphics this generation is they would be better... 0_0 but I guess its the lack of challange that makes them to lazy to do anything really well.

Now Im not saying everybody is like that, just most, I saw some on youtube and most of those were just short/crude/lame humor and thats all you couldnt even really play it normally they just walk around and look at things like 'wtf' made out of plants in the sky 'htough that did make me laugh a little'

I vote us classic players tie the new generation to chairs and force them to play atari or nintendo or the classic gameboy games XD ...eh Im rambling now....so sorry if this doesnt make 'any' scense, I keep getting distracted by my girlfriend on MSN and its making me loose my train of thought....@_@ sorry!

 

[mattattack]

It's ok I wish people like Zel, thethethethe, DJG, Hackmew, LU-HO, and all those others didn't left, but we need to evolve. Think about it. They were noob hackers, too. Soon we'll evolve and gain great knowloege. I used to be studpid when it came to scripting, hated to insert sprites, and never liked Advancemap now I love them. I make decent scripts and understood flags, I make great maps now, and I love to insert pokemon. So we need to evolve and come in different groups. The Mappers, the scripter, the spriters, the tool makers, and need to move p from beginner to advance. It will be a hard and long battle, but we WILL make progress

EDIT BIG EDIT: guys their was an old saying out their and lets what we do best " Stop the Lack! And fix it with a Hack!"

 

[[BlackEyedHacker]]

Pokemon Hacks are not as, I don't know, amazing these days because - well - it's all been done. All that's left is to make storylines, but honestly. 99% of the people play pokemon for one reason. Catching pokemon, making a dream team, and fighting the Elite Four 1k times. Or if you're a WiFi Rabbit, then to face insane dream teams which were probably only editted with PokeSav (I won't even lie, I PokeSav all my online battles. I mean, seriously. [Deletes 2 paragraphs of ranting on about online play]. Anyways, back on topic.

Honestly, it's like surfing. You don't enjoy it till you catch a wave. And the waves in this case are generations. We all caught our hacks for Gen I-III. Now we got IV (Which for people my age who stopped watching right around Orange League, or even before, Lol) HAVE NO INTEREST IN THESE CRAPPY NEW POKEMON (Yes, I called your new 152-400+ garbage.)

So that's it really. Until Gen IV can be editted 95%-100%, nothing will generally stand out. Seriously. All the Gen's have been Slash and Burned and remade into every different sort of thing. Hell - I saw a HotTopic/Goth/Emo based Pokemon game. That's when I decided this hack business has gone to hell.

Now, I support hacks - of course - and the one's I do turn an eye too, it's with great diligence, as I think most anything made by a non-professional is utter-crap. It's just - again - all generations have had their shares of originality, but nothing changes really. An attack name here, a few fakemon? Maybe someone was so creative as to make new species/types? But that doesn't change the fact that the game turns on simplistic wheels:
Your Pokemon's Attack has this much power - is this type - and has this effect.

Woot - too long, I didn't even read it.

Oh and this isn't to put down hacks being made. Just putting down the majority of them. As I like to play hacks, because I actually read the text. But I am not impressed by much else as it has already been done and the hacks I make are just for personal reasons.

 

[Dragonmaster91]

So what are you saying? We need a hack that is better than the rest? Umm, that will spark arguments, and competitiveness...

That is a good thing. Competitiveness is just what anything needs to come back. Until someone makes a really good hack, there will be few decent hacks for me to play...

I have been working on one, but it won't exactly be that great.

 

[Zanny77]

Seriously. All the Gen's have been Slash and Burned and remade into every different sort of thing. Hell - I saw a HotTopic/Goth/Emo based Pokemon game. That's when I decided this hack business has gone to hell.

Oh and this isn't to put down hacks being made. Just putting down the majority of them. As I like to play hacks, because I actually read the text. But I am not impressed by much else as it has already been done and the hacks I make are just for personal reasons.

TwT

That's my hack.....

But you know what I think helps this "dying" hobby? When you get a storyline so original, so out there that most people would NEVER have thought it to work and it does!

Like......


Messenger of Peace. (*dies of failing to self-advertise*)

I will honestly play a new hack that has a completely original storyline that puts a nice, good, interesting twist on things. That's why ToxicPurple is going to be AMAZING. Who'd have thought a Rocket game would get so much hype? And then their is mine....

But I mean, I guess some are a little TOO outlandish... (mine...I even thought up a sequel somehow incorporating Victorian era England! ....OK I should seriously stop before I...*shot*)



.....basically, it's up to these few promising hacks to deliver. Many people are getting discouraged because they see "OOOO!!! AWEsome Storlyine!!1 Tis hack is going to Be SWWEEET!1!!!11!" and then play it and "THIs hax Sux0rz on o Momma!11!!!".

ToxicPurple so far has been amazing, and Messenger of Peace is looking very promising. (And even though my hack is being ignored, I'm still working on it....slowly....almost completely alone...TwT)

Soooooooooo....yea...

 

[Vrai]

basically, it's up to these few promising hacks to deliver.

Yes. Even though something may look amazing, we have to deliver upon the promises. You're not going to pay a hundred bucks for a used PSP on eBay, but expect an old GB Color, are you? No, you're going to expect a used PSP. You've got to expect the best from everyone's hack, because they should make it the best before they release it. That's the point of the beta; it's a taste of whatever's going to come.

I've got something to say here, as well; if you're hacking for popularity, get out now. This should be a hobby that you enjoy, rather than "hey I'll be the next great zel or DJG, because I can open up AdvanceMap". I honestly think that whatever's messing with hacking now has a lot to do with kids that make a new hack thread idea, and then dump it the next day for a new idea, that'll "take the hacking world". :/

 

[Banjora Marxvile]

I've got something to say here, as well; if you're hacking for popularity, get out now. This should be a hobby that you enjoy, rather than "hey I'll be the next great zel or DJG, because I can open up AdvanceMap". I honestly think that whatever's messing with hacking now has a lot to do with kids that make a new hack thread idea, and then dump it the next day for a new idea, that'll "take the hacking world". :/

Agreed with this, it isn't about popularity... But if you have fun. If you enjoy what you do, and take it with a passion, your hack will be better. The idea is to make a hack that people enjoy, and you enjoy in the process of creating.

 

[ThePastaThrower]

I think people lack inspiration BECAUSE of the quantity. They have a great idea and then "Oh, that's been done before". This is not every case but it happens. People should plan their hacks very specifically before they start the actual hacking. Otherwise they may end up in a dead end and some may even get bored and quit at this point.

And yes, I agree with Atlus.