ROM Hacking Newsletter

[Logan]

Introduction

Well, here we are. Goodies and Vrai, or Harry and Jake if you see it that way. Well, we recently inherited the RHN, from a Mister Panda. Panda finally gave into the fact that he was too busy continue the RHN. So, we both know we aren't the most well-known or experienced hackers. But we both know that we are the right men for the job, and we know we can take the RHN back to it's former heights! So, we shall get this started! But there are a few things you need to know. Well, we decided to scrap the ever controversial rants and we are soon to bring back reports. Also, we are really sorry that there is no tips and tricks this week, but next week we promise there will be!

Some Screenshots.

Hack Of The Week Review - Pokémon Shian

Reviewed by Chibi Robo

Well I'm reviewing the hack Shian and this looks like a good hack overall and it looks like a lot of work has been put into the tiles the fakemon and everything ………. Except the storyline.
Pokemon Shian has the storyline of an average 1 day hack in the scrapbox only with a few more details put in there. Put the progress of this is great though. The Fakemon are looking pretty good (I wonder who made them) and the mapping I can tell will be excellent with Watermelon, Sasquatchd00d and others. I also love the rombase that surf whipped up for this hack the tiles look very mellow and good on the eyes! So far the maps look fun to go and play on. It also is interesting that Goodies is using Swablu as a starter very interesting to use it as a starter. Plus it is also the first Partner hack with Pokemon Granite.
A partner hack is when there are 2 hacks with references to each other but are made by 2 different creators.
Anyways I probably should give some C+C now the storyline instead of Team Galactic is regrouping and trying to take over Taboon they should have already taken over some cities in Taboon. Instead of just battling a Cyndaquil and after beating it you get a Pokédex it should be that a general pokemon scientist gets startled by you and battle him and after you battle him you tell him about your journey to become a pokemon master he hands you a Pokédex. That would make a little better and give it a better sense of originality. I really can't wait till the beta comes out because of goodies wonderful scripting It will be interesting how goodies scripts will work and what they will do. So In a short quick little hit Pokemon Shian is good because of the tiles, fakemon, mapping and scripts just needs a little more work on the mapping

Some Screenshots

Pokémon Granite - First Opinion

Reviewed by MegaMaccer

Surviving. That seems to be a big point of this hack. HFI is also being quite mysterious with the storyline.
But, off that for now, I'm going to go through my stages of reviewing, and we'll see what score this guy gets:
Tiles and Sprites: The tiles are nice, and have an islandy feel. It's nice seeing some tiles that aren't commonly used.
The Sprites are also good. The overworld looks good, and I think we can look forward to some good Fakemon coming forward in the not-too-distant future.
Maps: The mapping seems good, and very playable. My only comment is that the trees are squarely placed. I think that is a tile
issue more than a mapping issue, but it would be better if it were fixed, I think.
Story: Well, the story is original, but seems a little odd. Once again we see shadows brought into a hack, but I hope he does something more interesting than a lot of other hacks.
I can't really comment too much due to the small story we have visible at the moment.
Grammar: Judging by the story, I'd say we may have a few grammatical or spelling issues. I know no one is perfect, but there are a few errors in the story which makes me think they
may be in the hack. I hope I'm wrong, but I can only go by what I see.
Overall: I don't find the story appealing, and the grammar issues could pose a problem. But, prove me wrong HFI! ^^

Some Screenshots

Pokémon Granite - Second Opinion

Reviewed by Atlus

Pokémon Granite, by Chibi Robo (formerly known as HFI), is not a hack that particularly stands out from the rest, sadly. There are interesting parts to it, but there just seems to be that lack of oomph that usually comes along with an outstanding hack. However, let's take a look at all of the parts that Chibi has pieced together, eh?

Well, for starters, the title of the hack is certainly eye-catching. It's black on a white CSS style, so it's noticeable, and stands out. The text is rather annoying to read, however; the all-caps style really makes it seem like he's shouting out the words, trying to get you to notice them. I dunno if it's just me, but I don't like that.

Like most hacks, Granite is a hack of Pokémon FireRed. Unlike a lot of hacks, it plans on having fakemon (i.e. fake Pokémon) included. These fakemon aren't half bad, too.

But a lack of grammar ruins the ideals here. There are a couple of run-on sentences (which will become obvious when looking through the thread) as well as various misspelled words. Looking at the screenshots, the mapping is decent, although we don't really get to see much. The tiles, although unique, are not exactly tasteful. The trees don't work too well in multiples (in rows, etc.) and they look rather square. The lighter part that shapes the grass tile (not the wild grass, just the regular stuff) is nearly invisible, making it look like a bland greenish color, which makes it not really look like grass. On a lighter note, the hero sprites are good. ^^

Overall, most everything can be improved. There's lots of hacks that are better, but there are way more that are worse. Chibi Robo has a lot to work on, but we should expect a lot if he tries hard. For now, Chibi has a good start in Pokémon Granite.

Some Screenshots

*image removed*
*image removed*

Pokémon Turquoise - Only Opinion

Reviewed by Goodies

Well, this hack is created by ~Watermelon. It seems to be a very good hack. Watermelon has done very well; he has assembled a rather good team. It consists of many good hackers such as, himself, Nikeiphoros and Surf. He has improved as a hacker as he has progressed on Turquoise. Before Turquoise he was a very good mapper, but throughout the creation of Turquoise he has become a very adept scripter.

What is ever so brilliant about this hack is that, the storyline is well planned out and rather original. But, one of the most stunning things about Turquoise is the fantastic tiles. There are tiles from many different artists and they are all inserted to perfection.

Watermelon has also done a brilliant job at inserting the fakemon. Most of the Turquoise fakemon have been created by Samson, Samson is one of the most well known and brilliant artists around. But, his fakemon are very overused, this is because he has put them up as free-use. But they are still very brilliant, and again fantastically inserted.

Well, my overall opinion of Turquoise is that it is a very promising hack. It seems to be progressing really well and I wish my good friend Watermelon, the best of luck!

But, there are a few things that bother me. The fact that Watermelon always seems to give up on things, the grammar, this could really be a problem.

An interview with Munchlax!

Interviewed by Goodies

<Goodies>: Thank you Munchlax™, for giving us an interview.
<Goodies>: Now, do you mind telling us what got you into hacking?
<Munchlax™>: No problem mate.
<Munchlax™>: Well, I was searching Pokémon White by foullump on YouTube. Then I was randomly linked to PokéCommunity. Then, I joined and met Platinum Lucario who convinced me to start hacking.
<Goodies>: Interesting.
<Goodies>: How did you know ROM's, and most importantly hacking existed?
<Munchlax™>: Well I didn't. So, I kept on searching A-Map etc. Then I discovered the wonders of hacking.
<Goodies>: Hmm… Seems, different; so, you discovered White before ShinyGold?
<Munchlax™>: Yeah, because White was very popular back then, more so than ShinyGold. Of course it still is popular, just not as much as ShinyGold.
<Goodies>: Yeah, ShinyGold is pretty much the king of popularity now.
<Goodies>: To you, what is the most difficult aspect of hacking?
<Munchlax™>: Well, at the moment it is stuff like editing the title screen etc… But I am learning, which is good.
<Goodies>: Yeah, a lot of people have problems with the graphical aspects of their hacks.
<Goodies>: So, what do you find the easiest?
<Munchlax™>: Is that supposed to be a trick question? :P. Mapping is the easiest and most fun aspect of hacking, for me that is.
<Goodies>: Yeah, we all know that about you xD.
<Goodies>: I know this one will hurt, but why do you always seem to give up on your hacks?
<Munchlax™>: Well, most of those hacks I made and gave up on were when I was a noob at hacking. And some of them were not good enough for me, say like the storyline was bad etc. But the two hacks I am currently working on will be the best you'll ever see from me.
<Goodies>: Well, Pikachu's Tail is already a well known hack of course, started by Woofer.
<Goodies>: So, what do you think you will bring to the rebirth of PT?
<Munchlax™>: A lot of progress, good maps, good scripts and of course awesome betas.
<Goodies>: What do you think is the difference between past and present hacks/hacking?
<Munchlax™>: Well all the awesome hackers seem to disappear, leaving their hacks un-finished. But a few amazing hackers are still around, like, Cierra, djg, Lex, Neti and many more.
<Goodies>: What about me and Vrai? ;)
<Munchlax™>: Yeah, you two as well xD.
<Goodies>: Well, I fully agree with the original statement you made.
<Goodies>: So, any tips you have for the newer hackers?
<Munchlax™>: Yes I do. Okay to all you new hackers out there! To start a very good hack, you need a team thread. This is needed to get experienced hackers on your side, because at the moment you don't know much. And as you are starting on your hack, never stop looking at tutorials. Because you'll get better every time you examine one.
<Goodies>: Yeah I fully agree with that one.
<Goodies>: Just to wrap this off, what hack do you recommend following and/or playing?
<Munchlax™>: Pokémon Crono, by Dante.
<Goodies>: Yeah I like it too, but what is your reasoning?
<Munchlax™>: Oh yeah, I forgot xD. Well there are many reasons; it has awesome graphics which will lighten up with your eyes. The scripts are just pure class, that goes for the mapping as well!
<Goodies>: Well, thanks for the interview buddy ;).
<Goodies>: I hope to get another soon xD
<Munchlax™>: No problem.
<Goodies>: Well readers, I hope you enjoyed this interview, and of course mine and Vrai's first issue of the RHN!​

​

An interview with Rakiou-San!

Interviewed by Atlus

Vrai: Alright, are you ready?
Seth: Sure.
Vrai: Okay, so we're going to start off with the age-old question: What first got you into hacking?
Seth: Well, I started out having a few drawings lying around of some fakemon I drew about 2 years ago, and I was searching around for a Pokemon site to post them on. I came across PokeCommunity, and decided to join. Almost instantly, I noticed they had a ROM hacking section. Curious as I had been at the time, I found out you could make your own pokemon game. I figured this would be the best way to show off my drawings.
Vrai: Neat.
Vrai: So, do you like fakemon in hacks?
Seth: Actually, I rather do. Well-made or not.
Vrai: Well, what's your favorite part of hacking?
Seth: Scripting. That kind of comes as surprise (even to myself) since I devote much of my time making CSS-Styled things, which is very graphical. I'm just rather fond of hard-coding stuff, so I guess that's why. Plus, that feeling of seeing a script work never gets old.
Vrai: I guess that's why you have a scripting tutorial, eh? ^^
Seth: Very.
Vrai: Hacking is often difficult at times, to everyone. What's the most frustrating part of hacking to you?
Seth: I'd say working with palettes. They can be unforgiving if you make a mistake, such as editing the wrong palette.
Vrai: And don't I know it. xD
Seth: I suppose.
Vrai: Out of any hacker that there ever was, is there anyone that you look up to?
Seth: Oh, of course! thethethethe taught me just about everything I know about scripting (through his well-written tutorial). I always idolized zel, *cough*obvious reason*cough*. I also look up to naoi., he and his hacks keep me inspired.
Vrai: Are you currently working on a hack?
Seth: Well, as I stated in a post in a blog post about mine (link: https://www.pokecommunity.com/blog.php?b=2294), I am working on something. It probably won't be released in the next few days, but it'll be around soon. ^_^
Vrai: Ooh, sounds quite interesting.
Seth: It is. I've spent over 24 hours working just on it's thread's CSS. @_@
Vrai: xD
Vrai: What do you think about the hacking scene today, as compared to what it was like earlier in your hacking career?
Seth: Well, the overall scene is increasing in quantity, but, it's rapidly declining in quality. There are a few great hacks out there, but I think newcomers need some standards to exceed, if the scene wants to make a recovery. Earlier, it was fun, inspirational.
Vrai: Yeah, I agree.
Vrai: Do you have a hack in mind to recommend to our readers?
Seth: I've heard Pokemon Shian looks rather well. There's no release as of yet, but it does look very well made.
Vrai: Do you have any tips for new hackers?
Seth: A few.
1. Learn scripting on your own. No one is going to do it for you every time. So just learn it now.
2. You're not being insulted, it's call constructive criticism. (Unless they're like "this sucks11".)
3. If you can't figure something out, it's OK to get help.
Vrai: Alright, thanks a ton for the interview, Raikou-san!
Seth: No problem. I enjoyed it.
​

 

[MegaMaccer]

Yay! First post :D
It looks great. Awesome job guys. Its a very pleasing thread to look at, and very informative. Keep it up :D

 

[Chibi Robo]

Looks great goodies love the CSS style you put together but where is the tricks and tips Section?
Ill change the RHS banner because It doesn't look to good with a white backround.
Anyways overall good job.

 

[Tyrantrum]

Finally, a newsletter! :D
I've been waiting to see this for a while, good job, guys~ ;D

 

[Vrai]

Looks great goodies love the CSS style you put together but where is the tricks and tips Section?

I don't think we got any tips and tricks from anyone. And Raikou-san is the guy who compiled the CSS; props to him.

I think there's a few things we need to change still (like getting some sort of separate CSS for the second opinions, so they stand out), but it wasn't half bad, for our opener.

..we also forgot a closing section. *headdesk*

 

[.Seth]

Nice job on RHN, guys! And thanks for crediting me with the CSS compiling. :D

 

[BlitŻ1]

Nice job, and i really agree with Raikou-san's opinion on learning how to script

 

[Hiche..]

Very nice presentation; I like the CSS design. Both interviews were fun to read.

I hope to see more of this, and good luck to all. xD

 

[Surf]

Urgh, I have to rip this to shreds.
Well, I'm sorry to say this, but I don't think that this is the best issue I've read.
The only part that I liked was the interview with Seth.
The reviews didn't flow at all, they just seemed to stop and start.
Some grammar and spelling mistakes here and there.
Remember, I can correct it!
And Harry, I wouldn't call Melon an adept scripter, more a competent scripter.
And:

Before Turquoise he was a very good mapper, but throughout the creation of Turquoise he has become a very adept scripter.

It should be "He has also become a very competent scripter."
Mac, you shouldn't break the review down into different sections, it should all flow as one or two paragraphs.
HFI, you shouldn't use abreviations in articles, they look sloppy; like you don't care.
And:

Anyways I probably should give some C+C now the storyline instead of Team Galactic is regrouping

That whole part didn't make sense, you have to proof read your work every time or people won't understand what you're trying to say.
Atlus, yours was alright, but the second paragraph kind of stopped the review, then after that it picked up.
Come on guys, you're better than this!
Step it up next issue and I bet it will be great!

 

[Chimchar 9]

Urgh, I have to rip this to shreds.
Well, I'm sorry to say this, but I don't think that this is the best issue I've read.
The only part that I liked was the review with Seth.
The reviews didn't flow at all, they just seemed to stop and start.
Some grammar and spelling mistakes here and there.
Remember, I can correct it!
And Harry, I wouldn't call Melon an adept scripter, more a competent scripter.
And:

It should be "He has also become a very competent scripter."
Mac, you shouldn't break the review down into different sections, it should all flow as one or two paragraphs.
HFI, you shouldn't use abreviations in articles, they look sloppy; like you don't care.
And:

That whole part didn't make sense, you have to proof read your work every time or people won't understand what you're trying to say.
Atlus, yours was alright, but the second paragraph kind of stopped the review, then after that it picked up.
Come on guys, you're better than this!
Step it up next issue and I bet it will be great!

Well you don't really need it perfect, do you?
Unless your M.r Prefect, which you ARE! :P

Anywayz the newsletter was really good to read, and i enjoyed it quite alot!:)
Good work!
And em keep it up.;)

 

[Vrai]

Come on guys, you're better than this!
Step it up next issue and I bet it will be great!

Those words are probably the words we needed most; thanks for that.

 

[.Seth]

He's right. I'll try to incorporate some better CSS next time. ;D That really wasn't very well. I rushed a lot. Ahehe... ^^'

 

[Vrai]

Graahh.. we also forgot the Hacking News section, which is definitely the most important part.

So, for next time, we need to include.. a) a conclusion, b) tips & tricks and c) Hacking News.

On that note, if anyone has any news they want to share (whether it's about your hack, a new tool you're making, etc.), then send it to myself or Goodies. :D

 

[Thrace]

Why don't you guys try something a bit different? Newsletters are getting boring IMO. Why not do something like a podcast? You could, for example, include things like live discussions/debates and group reviews of hacks.

 

[Chibi Robo]

Why don't you guys try something a bit different? Newsletters are getting boring IMO. Why not do something like a podcast? You could, for example, include things like live discussions/debates and group reviews of hacks.

nice idea thrace I kinda had a idea for live reviews too...

 

[Tyrantrum]

Why don't you guys try something a bit different? Newsletters are getting boring IMO. Why not do something like a podcast? You could, for example, include things like live discussions/debates and group reviews of hacks.

By that, do you mean, a video?

 

[.Seth]

Hmm... I might could hook us up with a podcast, but how would we do the actual podcast?

 

[Thrace]

By that, do you mean, a video?

No just audio. Video would be awkward (because of the different locations) and would make it too big to download.

Hmm... I might could hook us up with a podcast, but how would we do the actual podcast?

I'm not sure tbh. You can record it with Skype and then I guess register on iTunes.

 

[Logan]

That is a very good idea. Well, both naoi. and Rakiou-San have now come to me with an idea like that. So, we could have something original very soon ;)