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ROM Hacking Help & Advice

AstrixAlchemy

    • 8
    Posts
    4
    Years
    • Seen May 2, 2021
    It's a really long post so please bear with me :/
    Hey there.
    I've been working on my ROM Hack for a few weeks now & I'll be honest, it hasn't been going so great. As much as I want to learn more about it, there's always a hint of frustration when things don't work out.
    In the beginning, it felt like everything could be done quite easily as I was referring to YouTube videos & various posts on this community. And I recently just completed SphericalIce's Pokémon Gaia & was genuinely impressed & inspired by his work. But what I didn't know was there were complications to everything I planned on doing, or maybe I just wanted to do more than I could grab. 😔
    Anyway, I'll get to my point. I've been working on an Emerald Hack which I wanted to convert into a Generation VI generic ROM. Practically imitating the Pokémon X & Pokémon Y games featured in the 3DS with some subtle extra cameos & references to the anime as well. Since my knowledge regarding the whole field of hacking is relatively new, I need a whole lot of help for this project to be completed or atleast reach a Beta version.
    ---
    Knowledge So Far
    • I planned on using Emerald because Tools such as The Advanced Series; Sprite, Position & Icon Editors work perfectly with it which makes the work a tad bit easier.
    • With the help of YouTube videos, I have the basic knowledge regarding scripting with XSE.
    • So far, I have recreated a few maps from X&Y in Advanced Map.
    ---
    Issues
    • I have tried switching versions with Fire Red, but programs like the Advanced Series don't tend to work with it.
    • Need to learn about Overworld Sprites, Hex Editing & Tile Mapping.
    • Since my hack is based on Gen VI, I'd obviously want to add Mega Evolutions, Fairy type, New Abilities & movesets with an expanded Pokédex as well.
    • Programs such as NSE & PGE don't tend to work well with Emerald. (Atleast with me)
    • It's a really long shot or probably a lot I'm hoping to do, but what I really need is help & advice from the users of the community & from those who have an experience with all of this.
    ---
    Either way, work on the hack is paused till I find an alternative. Your help would mean a lot :)
    Thanks,
    A.
     
    AstrixAlchemy said:
    <snip>
    Click to expand...

    It is always great to see new hackers coming along, bringing with them determination which sparks a fire in me too, even though I started hacking in 2019.
    Anyways, to the point:

    Your best bet is FireRed. It holds something special for beginners and experts alike (though this is entirely your choice). I recommend FireRed as it just proves easier to hack than others. Though now with Decomp, I believe Emerald is more popular.

    How do I get started?
    I would always recommend some type of Base or Engine Upgrade for any game, but some people tend to don't.
    For FireRed: CFRU or Leon's Ultimate Base
    For Emerald: Pokéemarld BEU

    Now with all that set up, I would recommend these tutorials. They prove helpful for anyone looking to hack for a long time, or something similar.

    After this, now what?
    Now you should just mess with things to get the grasp of it. I always thought to release a remake of any game, to get to know more about hacking, but I never did, and started work on my other project.

    Issues
    • Though other tools can do the work of Advance Series, I wouldn't stop you using them, as they are quite good. As to why FireRed isn't working, see below.
    • There are quite a few tutorials for all of those things.
    • This issue is instantly solved by adding a Base.
    • See below.
    • It isn't a long shot if you are determined.

    Other Advice
    • Always use v1.0 of any ROM, as v1.1 isn't well supported.
    • Use A-Map 1.92 instead of A-Map 1.95.
    • If you are ready, switch to Decomp.

    That's it. I hope it helped.
     
    PokeChu said:
    It is always great to see new hackers coming along, bringing with them determination which sparks a fire in me too, even though I started hacking in 2019.
    Anyways, to the point:

    Your best bet is FireRed. It holds something special for beginners and experts alike (though this is entirely your choice). I recommend FireRed as it just proves easier to hack than others. Though now with Decomp, I believe Emerald is more popular.

    How do I get started?
    I would always recommend some type of Base or Engine Upgrade for any game, but some people tend to don't.
    For FireRed: [] or [ Ultimate Base[/URL]
    For Emerald: [ ]

    Now with all that set up, I would recommend [] tutorials. They prove helpful for anyone looking to hack for a long time, or something similar.

    After this, now what?
    Now you should just mess with things to get the grasp of it. I always thought to release a remake of any game, to get to know more about hacking, but I never did, and started work on my other project.

    Issues
    • Though other tools can do the work of Advance Series, I wouldn't stop you using them, as they are quite good. As to why FireRed isn't working, see below.
    • There are quite a few tutorials for all of those things.
    • This issue is instantly solved by adding a Base.
    • See below.
    • It isn't a long shot if you are determined.

    Other Advice
    • Always use v1.0 of any ROM, as v1.1 isn't well supported.
    • Use A-Map 1.92 instead of A-Map 1.95.
    • If you are ready, switch to Decomp.

    That's it. I hope it helped.
    Click to expand...

    Thank you so much! I downloaded the v1.0 version of Fire Red & it works perfectly with the Advanced Programs. Like you said, I think I'll shift my work to Fire Red now.
    Now since that's done with, you recommended an upgrader to the ROM like CFRU or Leon's Ultimate Base. Which one would be better & how do I apply it to my ROM?
     
    AstrixAlchemy said:
    Thank you so much! I downloaded the v1.0 version of Fire Red & it works perfectly with the Advanced Programs. Like you said, I think I'll shift my work to Fire Red now.
    Now since that's done with, you recommended an upgrader to the ROM like CFRU or Leon's Ultimate Base. Which one would be better & how do I apply it to my ROM?
    Click to expand...

    I would recommend the CFRU, as it is quite useful. Though it may be harder in the beginning to set up, it will be worth it. As to how to apply it to your ROM, I believe both Base's explain that in their threads or notes.
     
    I am trying to create a hack for gba (creating on my windows computer), using a firered rom engine (and using advance-maps), but I am honestly having trouble figuring out how to actually play the game, and to make sure my script (using XSE) is working properly. What sort of app do I need to download to playtest the game?

    Any details are helpful, thanks : )
     
    so guys, i also had a situation like him and i knew that fire red was gong to be easier to hack because
    *emerald have a starting truck animation which i thought would be hard to change and edit [noob]
    *then their is the getting starter script which also seemed difficult
    *in fire red the only prob is the oak's starter occasion [i did not got a nice word sry]
    i found a nice way just remove that nice script tile and teleport tile to lab and
    REMOVE THAT LAB FROM THE FACE OF THE EARTH!!!!!!!! EASY!!!!!!!!!

    and thx to upsurge and tacobell24. i have seen many post with them replying and got familiar with these stuff. thx
    and i had at first thought of adding a patch for mega evolution. Then why not add z moves to tooo. then why not dynamax.
    these where my thought which eventually lead me to complete fire red upgrade then leon's base. That single thread
    [i dont know what u guys call that is assume its a thread] made me create a account and start this journey towards my dreamhack,
    with all anime characters several regions all legendary. well, its been a whole day or something sinc i started my account.
    BUT, NOT EVEN A SINGLE PERSON WELCOMED ME !!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you. have a nice day.
     
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