[To the ROM Hackers] - Something that might help you out.

[.Seth]

Now you're probably guessing "Oh no, Raikou-san/Seth is at it again with his stupid criticism threads." Well, I am. Sort of. Anyways, this is something I typed out that I'd like you all to read.

I'm taking a different approach this time, and I'll just hope it goes well.
Kind of a revamp of the Criticism thread, in a way.

And before you hit that reply button, take a little time to read this, it'll most likely help you out. This first section's kind of for new people, but if you want to, go ahead and read it. Otherwise, just skip it.

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So let's say you just joined PokeCommunity and you wanted to make a hack. You ask for help from some people without knowing much about ROM hacking. Some people will choose to help you, or they might call you a n00b or something along the lines of that. You might get a little annoyed at the more experienced hackers around saying they won't help you, or that they just tell you to read some tutorials.

Even though they're rejecting your asking for help, sometimes, they'll give you advice. Even though that one guy said to go read some tutorials, he's right. Tutorials are what give you knowledge about ROM Hacking. Even though you might not want to, reading tutorials is the way to go. You can find basic ones to teach you mapping, like this one. You can also find tutorials for scripting, like diegoisawesome's XSE tutorial or mine.

It's using the information in these tutorials that'll really help you out. Like remaking maps from a mapping tutorial into a practice hack, a hack just for fun and practice.

If you really need help, don't be afraid to ask for it. Just because someone said no a time or two, don't give up. Just ask some different people, some of them are bound to at least give you some tips or something. :) I find that, if I ever need to ask for help, using good grammar and spelling really helps out. It makes you look professional and smart, and basically, in the-person-you're-asking's eyes, someone worthy of their time.

Make sense?

To sum it all up, asking for help can be easy, if you just ask nicely, ask different people, and look smart by using good grammar and spelling.
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This next section is for everyone that wants to take the time to read it, of course.

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Something, I noticed with some of the hacks I see today in the ROM hacking section, is that there's the really good hacks which we all know and love ShinyGold, and there's the bad hacks. You see, it used to be balanced, with some good hacks, some "ok" hacks, and some great hacks.

It's kind of like a scale, like this one:

Newer members probably won't remember it like that, but anyways, I'll go on.

Now it's like one side of it's waaay up in the air, and the other side is reaaaally low. It's unbalanced basically.

I was thinking, if anyone can make a hack, they can make a great hack. But, the only problem with that is effort. Some of the "good" hackers we know and love don't know a few of the harder things in hacking. Now, I'm not saying that anyone who is consider "good" doesn't know much, I'm just saying: "You don't have to know everything about ROM hacking, to be good at it.

If you put a lot of effort into your maps, or your scripts, or whatever :P, it can be good. By taking time to look back at your errors, and fixing them, you get better. You don't get better by learning new things, you get better by learning how to do them well.

So, even if you stick to just one subject of ROM Hacking, you can be good at it, by practicing and fixing errors you notice, or someone else notices. It's pretty simple, really.
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I have a few other things I'd like to say.

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One, is that you shouldn't just "auto-accept" something. If you see someone who made a hack, even the scrapbox, (Or a map in the Map Rating Thread) you might see tile errors or something. Even if you're a new person, you might notice that "Hey, that doesn't look right." If this happens, just kindly point it out to the author/creator of the hack. Usually, if they think you're trying to help, they might say something like "I'll fix it, don't worry." or "That's going to be fixed." Something like that.

And, if they think you're insulting them, it's best to just leave them alone. And if they take your criticism well, and you see other flaws, point those out too, in a polite way, of course.

Another thing I wouldn't mind mentioning, if someone asks you to help them with their hack or do something for them, decline it, if you want, or accept it. But, whichever way, offer them some advice like linking them to a tutorial about what their asking. If they say that they can't understand the tutorial, or they still want your help, just politely decline or accept, whatever.

And if they don't take no for an answer, just ignore them. They might actually just try and end up learning whatever is they were asking you about. You never know. And if they end up quitting after two days, then don't worry about them.
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This next bit is by Alistair, so kudos to him.

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If you're new, you should to try post meaningful posts in order to reach the 15 minimum rather than posting generic, boring messages like "this hack is awsum!!1." Using correct grammar and actually putting meaning into your post (such as why you like/dislike the hack) will make it seem like you actually care about ROM hacking. Posts should not be minutes apart, either. This is a popular way of getting 15 posts, but it is usually spammy and annoys the regular members of the board. A good way to get some posts is to ask valid questions in the Simple Questions thread, although you should do a little research before you post (check if the question has been asked/answered before). Now, this make take more than five minutes to get the required post count, but regular users will likely like you better.
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I know most new people aren't going to read this type of thing, but I tried to word it so it sounds like it'll help you (which it does, I hope).

Anyways, I appreciate and thank anyone who takes their time to read this. I don't care if you criticize the hell out of it, I'll do my best to put it to good use.

Thank you.

 

[level.]

Just saying, your link to Neti's mapping tutorial is messed up.

Cool thread, but I'm nowhere close to being able to worry about that sort of a thing. I don't have a clue where to start with a hack.

 

[DarkPrince304]

*Claps for Raikou San*
This is so true...I agree with you 100 %
T.T
If someone can't accept criticism he should just leave hacking

 

[Satoshi Ookami]

This is written in very professional way.
I think it'll sure help new hackers.
Great job Raikou :)

 

[Alistair]

Much better than your other thread, Seth. It is worded in a way that should not offend newbies.

One thing that should have been mentioned is spamming to get 15 posts. Newbies just entering ROM hacking should actually post meaningful posts in order to reach the 15 minimum rather than posting generic, boring messages like "this hack is awsum!!1." Using correct grammar and actually putting meaning into your post (such as why you like/dislike the hack) will make it seem like you actually care about ROM hacking. Posts should not be minutes apart, either. This is a popular way of getting 15 posts, but it is usually spammy and annoys the regular members of the board. A good way to get some posts is to ask valid questions in the Simple Questions thread, although you should do a little research before you post (check if the question has been asked/answered before). Now, this make take more than five minutes to get the required post count, but regular users will likely like you better.

 

[.Seth]

Just saying, your link to Neti's mapping tutorial is messed up.

Cool thread, but I'm nowhere close to being able to worry about that sort of a thing. I don't have a clue where to start with a hack.

Oops. I'll go fix that! :P

Well, if you want to start a hack, just download the ROM you want to hack, and the tools you need (like AdvanceMap), and figure out how to work it.

*Claps for Raikou San*
This is so true...I agree with you 100 %
T.T
If someone can't accept criticism he should just leave hacking

Thanks. Yeah, the criticism thing is a big problem, but, it sort of solves itself in a way, because they'll just quit after a few days, usually.

This is written in very professional way.
I think it'll sure help new hackers.
Great job Raikou :)

Yeah, I tried a much different and better approach, and I even titled it so it doesn't sound commanding or harsh.

Thanks.

Much better than your other thread, Seth. It is worded in a way that should not offend newbies.

One thing that should have been mentioned is spamming to get 15 posts. Newbies just entering ROM hacking should actually post meaningful posts in order to reach the 15 minimum rather than posting generic, boring messages like "this hack is awsum!!1." Using correct grammar and actually putting meaning into your post (such as why you like/dislike the hack) will make it seem like you actually care about ROM hacking. Posts should not be minutes apart, either. This is a popular way of getting 15 posts, but it is usually spammy and annoys the regular members of the board. A good way to get some posts is to ask valid questions in the Simple Questions thread, although you should do a little research before you post (check if the question has been asked/answered before). Now, this make take more than five minutes to get the required post count, but regular users will likely like you better.

Well, I can always add that in, can't I? As I said earlier I used a better and less-offensive approach. I do hope that more new people will read this and take everything into consideration.

I'll add that bit in to the first post.

 

[Conan Edogawa]

This thread is great. I don't see how anyone can find this offensive as some people did with the other. I agree with what you're saying entirely. It all makes sense and should help people. Great job with this.

 

[Vrai]

Much better than your other thread, Seth. It is worded in a way that should not offend newbies.

This thread is great. I don't see how anyone can find this offensive as some people did with the other. I agree with what you're saying entirely. It all makes sense and should help people. Great job with this.

Yeah. The other one had a bit more of a.. yell-y tone to it. you used nice words this time :D

I agree with just about everything in here, especially the scale. Things that are unbalanced usually don't end up well.. :/

 

[~Teh Panda~]

Meh, will this thread really help Seth? Do you think most of them would bother to read this and have the ability to determine themselves a so called "noob" stated as here and on your other thread. I personally think they should be responsible for their actions and maybe a new enforced rule should go in place denoting the ability to ask for help in someone else's hack thread. It is just plain annoying not only to the thread owner but viewers of the post. AS I said also in your other thread it's not up to us to determine which of these new hackers should and should not become great ones. It is actually up to them for they have their own ability. When i joined as a newer hacker, I made one post which determined my fate. This post led to a redirect to the docs and tuts section which I quickly abused almost 2 years back. Now I have the ability to create a great hack with my gained knowledge (does that make me sound like an ass xD) but I have not had the will to stay with something (well publicly *hints*)

Well once again that is my view on things. KThxBai!

Panda~

 

[.Seth]

Meh, will this thread really help Seth? Do you think most of them would bother to read this and have the ability to determine themselves a so called "noob" stated as here and on your other thread. I personally think they should be responsible for their actions and maybe a new enforced rule should go in place denoting the ability to ask for help in someone else's hack thread. It is just plain annoying not only to the thread owner but viewers of the post. AS I said also in your other thread it's not up to us to determine which of these new hackers should and should not become great ones. It is actually up to them for they have their own ability. When i joined as a newer hacker, I made one post which determined my fate. This post led to a redirect to the docs and tuts section which I quickly abused almost 2 years back. Now I have the ability to create a great hack with my gained knowledge (does that make me sound like an ass xD) but I have not had the will to stay with something (well publicly *hints*)

Well once again that is my view on things. KThxBai!

Panda~

I agree with you. As I said in the original post, "I know not many people are going to read this."

Your rule idea for denoting asking for help in someone's hack thread is a nice idea. It would cut down on the help problem some, but hardly any. I get more people asking for help through MSN sometimes, and mostly through PMs.

It is entirely up to them whether they become good or not, but, a lot of times, they get good through not only their own ability, but through other's help and contributions. At least, that's how some of it was for me.

I had a person help me with applymovements a long time ago, and I chose to put it to good use and ended up making a tutorial about XSE. See what happens?

 

[~Teh Panda~]

Well, what you are saying is correct but... There are simple ways for you to avoid the nuisance that I have done.

1. Get all your friends on your friends list
2. Set up your private messages to only receive from friends
3. Take off your MSN info from your profile
4. Wala, you are defended from noob spam :P

Also about how they got good from learning from experienced people:

I never said they can't ask a person, just not ask so damn rude! haha​

~Panda~

 

[.Seth]

Well, what you are saying is correct but... There are simple ways for you to avoid the nuisance that I have done.

1. Get all your friends on your friends list
2. Set up your private messages to only receive from friends
3. Take off your MSN info from your profile
4. Wala, you are defended from noob spam :P

Also about how they got good from learning from experienced people:

I never said they can't ask a person, just not ask so damn rude! haha​

~Panda~

Yeah, I agree with the step-by-step anti n00b shield. xD Although, who would they ask if everyone did that?

I guess the scene of RH isn't so bad if you think about it, but it could use improvement. I mean, at least people are still making hacks. It's better than no one doing anything to further develop RH.

 

[~Teh Panda~]

Yeah look at hacks like

• Crono
• Top Secret
• Genesis
• Dark Cry
• Simulacra
• Thunder Emblem
• Dark Blue
• Light Platinum
• Liquid Ocean
• (Old) White
• Liquid Crystal
• ...And even more!!!

I would say its more of a booming time in PC than a noob overhaul.

 

[.Seth]

Yeah look at hacks like

• Crono
• Top Secret
• Genesis
• Dark Cry
• Simulacra
• Thunder Emblem
• Dark Blue
• Light Platinum
• Liquid Ocean
• (Old) White
• Liquid Crystal
• ...And even more!!!

I would say its more of a booming time in PC than a noob overhaul.

Agreed. There's a lot of hacks out there (more than when I joined) that were this good.

Wow, my look on this section of PC has really changed in the last few months. 0_0

No, I'm already used to most of the tools except I can't sprite cause I'm horrible at drawing. I also finished some of the storyline. I meant like should I map out the cities in my hack first or should I...?

How did you start on a hack, Raikou-san?

I hate to say this, but that's kind of off-topic. But, if you really want to know, just PM me.

 

[Satoshi Ookami]

Yeah look at hacks like

• Crono
• Top Secret
• Genesis
• Dark Cry
• Simulacra
• Thunder Emblem
• Dark Blue
• Light Platinum
• Liquid Ocean
• (Old) White
• Liquid Crystal
• ...And even more!!!

Okay and where are RD's?
Jagold's hacks are top ones too ya should've mentioned 'em :/

 

[Vrai]

Yeah look at hacks like

• Crono
• Top Secret
• Genesis
• Dark Cry
• Simulacra
• Thunder Emblem
• Dark Blue
• Light Platinum
• Liquid Ocean
• (Old) White
• Liquid Crystal
• ...And even more!!!

Even though I joined in June of '08, I really only started hacking in early November. And then, almost all of the hacks you mentioned there were around. Crono, Dark Cry, and Simulacra (I think Dark Blue as well, but I thought that was on WaH before) are really the only ones on that from recent times. :/

 

[~Teh Panda~]

[/LIST]
Even though I joined in June of '08, I really only started hacking in early November. And then, almost all of the hacks you mentioned there were around. Crono, Dark Cry, and Simulacra (I think Dark Blue as well, but I thought that was on WaH before) are really the only ones on that from recent times. :/

Each still being updated and each have been here for a long time, I am sorry but I agree with helping noobs, but your apocalyptic view of the rom hack section (dramatic :O) is a bit of an overstatement, ya know? There are a lot of new hacks in the progressing hacks and even more. If you want to see more great hacks spend the time to make one yourself haha :P

 

[Vrai]

Each still being updated and each have been here for a long time, I am sorry but I agree with helping noobs, but your apocalyptic view of the rom hack section (dramatic :O) is a bit of an overstatement, ya know? There are a lot of new hacks in the progressing hacks and even more. If you want to see more great hacks spend the time to make one yourself haha :P

I still stand by my views. And who says I'm not making a hack right now? :/

 

[Hermione Granger]

I just came across this thread, and it was stated that if u can't take criticism you should not hack. I agree with that. I do think though that if a person is new to hacking and is serious about learning how, that for at least their first hack some people should help the person. I'm a rookie hacker myself, but I would like some help with my hacks. I am taking hacking serious, and any help would be appreciated. I know not all so called "newbs" and I strongly am against that using that term, do what you have stated.

 

[.Seth]

I just came across this thread, and it was stated that if u can't take criticism you should not hack. I agree with that. I do think though that if a person is new to hacking and is serious about learning how, that for at least their first hack some people should help the person. I'm a rookie hacker myself, but I would like some help with my hacks. I am taking hacking serious, and any help would be appreciated. I know not all so called "newbs" and I strongly am against that using that term, do what you have stated.

I never said you shouldn't get help. By all means, if you need it, get it. I just stated the best way to ask.

Well, that's good that you're taking hacking serious.
Yeah I know a lot of people aren't going to read it, but the ones that do will probably have a slight advantage over the ones that don't.

That is, if they actually put what they read here to use.