What's the best part of ROM hacking?

[FSBS]

There's a discussion on the hardest part, and I'm not necessarily asking what the easiest part is (subjective) - what's your favorite part of it?

Another good question for the discussion is why do you hack?

My favorite part of the process is testing what I've done, especially if I find bugs and figure out how to fix them myself. Sometimes it gets tedious, but when a map is finalized with events and scripts and there are no errors I feel like I've really made something - which leads me to the second prompt, which is why I hack.

I hack because it is a creative release. I've said it before; if I never get anything released, it's still been a fun hobby to learn - and a steep learning curve at that. I hack because I see hacks that are better than some official releases - in execution or ambition - and it makes me think I could too because regardless of the tools available, there's tons of documentation and tutorials out there for the patient and persistent.

 

[Blah]

My favourite part is also probably compiling my code and seeing it work in the ROM. I know most people don't do it, but writing C code and running through the GBA successfully is the most satisfying feeling I've felt in ROM hacking. I also find the entire struggle to reverse engineer and figure out the original purpose of existing code to be quite fun as well. When it all works out, the build up makes it that much more satisfying. The reason I ROM hack is probably to chase that feeling of satisfaction nowadays. It also feels very good to help others who are struggling with their issues, so long as it's not a problem I've felt like I've solved before.

There used to be a time where I hacked because of inspiration from other hacks. I remember going into the hack forums and seeing what some of the ASM legends were able to do at that time. Looking at HackMew's Oro sole and all the sick features he had gave me goosebumps. I remember they had a huge ASM magician team and hacking crew (ROM Raiders it was called? What a cheesy name lol). Now looking back at it, everything they achieved I could do in a few minutes. There was also Gogo's PRPB, that was really the first hack I've seen that utilized lots of custom C and ASM code and also the first time I had seen things like the Prof. Lecture redone. These kinds of things motivated me to learn and get better, I hope to make others feel the same one day :)

My only wish was that the ROM hacking community was more technology savvy. The tool domination and patch domination of the scene really bottle caps most hackers and intimidates them from learning the real savory stuff. Though at the same time, without that low barrier of entry, perhaps the ROM hacking scene would never have gotten as big as it did during it's booming period.

 

[DizzyEgg]

Pretty much what FBI said.
It's fun to figure out how already-existing features work in a rom and then modify them just as you wish.
I'm also fond of just looking at random functions in IDA and trying to decipher what they do. xD

 

[Deokishisu]

I enjoy the process of mapping. But I think the most satisfying thing I do in a regular hacking session is when I spend a few hours scripting out an event and then finally play through it to see it in action. Like, I hate scripting it out (it's not difficult, just tedious), but seeing everything come together after it's all done is great. So... maybe playtesting is my favorite part?

I'm sure that my answer will change to FBI's and DizzyEggs's answer once I apply what programming stuff I'm learning to the GBA and really dig into it.

 

[Dionen]

It's just fun having your own little game
even though it's not actually yours but well

 

[Logan]

I like, especially with CRH now, having fun with others. :)

 

[Crizzle]

Coming up with ideas and watching them "come to life". Probably the most exciting part.