Help Thread: Quick Questions & Answers

[Sayuri]

Okay, I'm back again with another question, this time on scripting. How do I edit an already existing script? When I try to compile it again it doesn't seem to overwrite the original script as it gives me a different place in the memory to store it.

For clarification, all that I do is open the script in Advance Map, make my edits and hit compile.

What script editor are you using? After you compile it, it most likely will give you a new offset that you'll have to assign to overwrite the existing script.

 

[Meister G. Rool]

What script editor are you using? After you compile it, it most likely will give you a new offset that you'll have to assign to overwrite the existing script.

I am using XSE. And if you could elaborate on how to overwrite the existing script, that'd be super helpful. Thank you for the information so far.

 

[chrunch]

I am using XSE. And if you could elaborate on how to overwrite the existing script, that'd be super helpful. Thank you for the information so far.

Try going to options > decompile options and unchecking "refactoring". Keep in mind however, if your edited script is larger than the old one, you will need to reinsert it.

 

[Shadowraze]

H'okay, so I'm trying to create some routes on a ROM that contains snow in the landscape. I'm using a Firered ROM and Advance Map. Is there a way I can take some snow tiles from another area (say, the Seafoam Islands) and add them to the routes I'm editing? Or do I have to go through all of the steps of ripping sprites from other games?

Yes, although the tiles in seafoam islands are from another tileset you can import it with the respective pallete to the tileset you're using in your map :)

Hey guys! I feel like a complete twerp for coming here and asking this, but I really want to play some Hacks! I've seen some that have been saved onto a GBA cartridge but wanted to check if these are playable on the GBA as normal or do you still need some sort of emulation device?

Yo, you'll be needing an emulator to play GBA Hacks and LIPS (pretty sure you can find it in google) to patch your clean ROM's (I can't link you the ROM's as you can't do that here you'll have to find where to download those yourself.) so you can play your hacks. :) You can download your hacks here on the Hacks Studio forum again you won't be directly downloading the game you'll have to patch on a clean ROM.

With this script on a Hidden person event, it resets my game and sends me back to the start screen whenever I enter the map. Is there any particular reason?
The tile is currently an unpassable box tile that I want to be replaced with a passable floor tile after the player "opens" it.

Spoiler:

#dynamic 0x801800

#org @main
lock
msgbox @1 0x6
fanfare 0x13E
msgbox @getshoes 0x4
waitfanfare
closeonkeypress
msgbox @2 0x6
setflag 0x82F
setmaptile 0x2 0x8 0x1 0x0
special 0x8E
setvar 0x402C 0x1
release
end

#org @1
= \v\h01 opened the box...

#org @getshoes
= The box contained RUNNING SHOES!

#org @2
= \v\h01 put on the RUNNING SHOES.

Instead of a block, blocking your path why not make it an event person? Much like how you get items from a pokeball and instead of giveitem just give the respective special for the running shoes and do a hidesprite and use a setflag to make the event complety hidden after executing.

You can find the codes for those commands here on my scripting tutorial. :)

Okay, I'm back again with another question, this time on scripting. How do I edit an already existing script? When I try to compile it again it doesn't seem to overwrite the original script as it gives me a different place in the memory to store it.

For clarification, all that I do is open the script in Advance Map, make my edits and hit compile.

You would have to take note of the offset that you have for the @main pointer of whatever your scripts original pointer was and it should automatically repoint when you put the offset on A-map. :)

I'm rusty on scripting please don't kill me lol

 

[Meister G. Rool]

It worked perfectly. A quick follow-up question, though; do you know if XSE will tell me if the new data is too much for the memory? I don't want to break my ROM that way.

 

[Shadowraze]

It worked perfectly. A quick follow-up question, though; do you know if XSE will tell me if the new data is too much for the memory? I don't want to break my ROM that way.

I think it doesn't that's why I would advise you to just re-do the script and do your changes repoint every pointer and just the offset for that script in A-Map and you should be good. :)

 

[Sayuri]

Yes, although the tiles in seafoam islands are from another tileset you can import it with the respective pallete to the tileset you're using in your map :)



Yo, you'll be needing an emulator to play GBA Hacks and LIPS (pretty sure you can find it in google) to patch your clean ROM's (I can't link you the ROM's as you can't do that here you'll have to find where to download those yourself.) so you can play your hacks. :) You can download your hacks here on the Hacks Studio forum again you won't be directly downloading the game you'll have to patch on a clean ROM.



Instead of a block, blocking your path why not make it an event person? Much like how you get items from a pokeball and instead of giveitem just give the respective special for the running shoes and do a hidesprite and use a setflag to make the event complety hidden after executing.

You can find the codes for those commands here on my scripting tutorial. :)



You would have to take note of the offset that you have for the @main pointer of whatever your scripts original pointer was and it should automatically repoint when you put the offset on A-map. :)

I'm rusty on scripting please don't kill me lol

Sorry, I meant to say that the tile itself (the image) is of a box, and I used a Hidden person event for that offset, but it crashes. So setting another flag would allow me to enter the map without resetting?

 

[Shadowraze]

Sorry, I meant to say that the tile itself (the image) is of a box, and I used a Hidden person event for that offset, but it crashes. So setting another flag would allow me to enter the map without resetting?

So it happens when you enter the map where the script is located? Perhaps it has something to do with the level script.

Why don't you try placing the event on another map or perhaps on a clean ROM to see if the script is fine. If it is, it probably has something to do with the ROM you're using or perhaps the level script on the map.

 

[The Legacy of The Legends Creator :D]

Pokemon Base: FireRed v1.0
Porgram: Advance Map 1.92

The world map editor automatically shows

ERROR
Reading/changing of top layer position not possible. Change Routine before doing this.​

What is this referring to?

 

[chrunch]

Pokemon Base: FireRed v1.0
Porgram: Advance Map 1.92

The world map editor automatically shows

ERROR
Reading/changing of top layer position not possible. Change Routine before doing this.​

What is this referring to?

There's a big "change routine" button in the world map editor. Click it and it will allow you to edit the top layer position.

 

[The Legacy of The Legends Creator :D]

thank you crunch~

 

[Meister G. Rool]

About what I was talking about yesterday with overwriting memory, let me try and explain myself further.

I've been attempting to script one NPC's dialogue for a bit here and kept making mistakes. I would fix the mistake and press the "compile" button on XSE. I changed nothing but the mistake. After I finally got it right I went back to the Free Space Finder to see that both the 800000 slot and the 800100 slot was filled up with what I assume is my mistakes.

Besides just getting things right on the first try, how can I make sure all of this space isn't used up? Hopefully this explains my question further.

 

[Uncommon]

About what I was talking about yesterday with overwriting memory, let me try and explain myself further.

I've been attempting to script one NPC's dialogue for a bit here and kept making mistakes. I would fix the mistake and press the "compile" button on XSE. I changed nothing but the mistake. After I finally got it right I went back to the Free Space Finder to see that both the 800000 slot and the 800100 slot was filled up with what I assume is my mistakes.

Besides just getting things right on the first try, how can I make sure all of this space isn't used up? Hopefully this explains my question further.

I'm interested to see if anyone has a better answer, but what I do is:

- make a copy of the ROM
- write, compile, and test the script into the copy
- keep changing and recompiling into the copy until it works correctly
- then compile the final version into your original ROM and delete the copy

 

[Blah]

I'm interested to see if anyone has a better answer, but what I do is:

- make a copy of the ROM
- write, compile, and test the script into the copy
- keep changing and recompiling into the copy until it works correctly
- then compile the final version into your original ROM and delete the copy

The script offset you get after compiling = starting offset of the script. Compile all you want, but make sure to write the first offset down (or remember it). After the edits are done, write everything after that first offset with FFs, then recompile again.

 

[Meister G. Rool]

The script offset you get after compiling = starting offset of the script. Compile all you want, but make sure to write the first offset down (or remember it). After the edits are done, write everything after that first offset with FFs, then recompile again.

I'm very new to hacking, so could you explain what to do with the first offset in more detail? I don't get what you mean by "Write everything after that" or what "FFs" means. Thank you so much for the help so far. That goes for everyone that's answered my rapid-fire questions.

 

[Blah]

I'm very new to hacking, so could you explain what to do with the first offset in more detail? I don't get what you mean by "Write everything after that" or what "FFs" means. Thank you so much for the help so far. That goes for everyone that's answered my rapid-fire questions.

Oh. Basically, when you compile a script with a script editor, it will give you the location of the compiled script in the ROM (this is what you write into A-map). When you compile the same script over and over again with a dynamic offset, the first script will be untouched, and you'll notice the offset getting bigger and bigger.

The fix I suggested requires you to open the ROM in a hex editor and write over the old revisions of the script with free space (0xFFs). It's probably not something a beginner could be messed with. For now I'd say don't worry about it until you're comfortable with hex, a hex editor, and how dynamic compiling works. The space saved isn't really an issue because ROMs can be expanded ((obviously if you're doing this to many big scripts multiple times it becomes a problem).

 

[Meister G. Rool]

Thank you very much.

 

[chrunch]

Thank you very much.

Alternatively you could use #removeall 0x(script offset) in XSE to delete your earlier mistakes.

 

[fazerlazer]

Hi guys. Just started hacking.

What are .ini files? I see mention of them everywhere and people editing them, and I do see them in the folders of some of the tools. What are they, how do I edit them, and is it even necessary to be editing them?

I tried searching this forum and google but I've come up with nothing- just people mentioning that they are editing .ini's. Thanks.

 

[Shadowraze]

Hi guys. Just started hacking.

What are .ini files? I see mention of them everywhere and people editing them, and I do see them in the folders of some of the tools. What are they, how do I edit them, and is it even necessary to be editing them?

I tried searching this forum and google but I've come up with nothing- just people mentioning that they are editing .ini's. Thanks.

.ini files are simply settings for the tools you're using you can edit those in notepad. Usually you don't need to edit the ini files unless the tools you're using are not working for you. :)