Acmlm's Board - I2 Archive - Super Mario World hacking - What is the purpose of hacking nowadays?
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cpubasic13
Posts: 284/1346 |
My priorities:
- Level Design
- Memorable Levels
- Cool way of using the Map16
- Original design
- Do the objects work together (ledges have sides, look like one ledge is in front of the other, etc.)?
The last thing I really care about is the quality of the ExGFX unless the hack meets the above stuff. Then I start judging the ExGFX.
The worst thing in ExGFX is the fact that a lot of people must have the All Stars look. It is ok for maybe a level or two, but not the whole world... unless it is appropriatly designed in the overworld. Even then, those graphics are overused.
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JJ64
Posts: 39/919 |
Because it's nice to able to do what you want with the levels. |
BGenesis
Posts: 14/38 |
True hacking allows you to enjoy the readily coded beauty of a game without having to do it yourself... hence my Earthbound hack. In fact EB has been so well decoded that the entire engine can be twisted to do whatever you like.
If you haven't tried your hand at hacking Earthbound, I recommend you try. It's enjoyable once you get down to the nitty gritty, ie decompressing graphics editing them in yy-chr and then recompressing them into the ROM, finding there's not enough room and you've ruined it. Load up a backup, and now recompress into the extra MBYTE of the rom. Now change the HEX pointer of the original titlescreen to the area you have inserted it to in the new MBYTE.
I bet I've put you all off. But that isn't half of it. You have to develop characters, worlds even. But then it comes into it's own and you feel so satisfied that you have edited an entire titlescreen and two characters sprites. Trust me... you want to try it. |
DavePhaneuf
Posts: 4/18 |
I myself work on my DKC Style Mario World (Mostly Level Design) once in a while. And I find it fun to bring my ideas to life. Though I don't use much ExGfx a still find it fun, though my hack is quite easy for most who have tried a demo way back, speaking of which I'll have to release another one soon. ^^
My Priorities for SMW hacking:
1.Level Design and Creativity is defenitly number 1 here.
2.I like uniqueness in a hack. Trying to come up with something new and making you're hack different than anyone elses. Doesn't have to be ASM either, though it's still really cool to see. 
3.Vairied themes and levels. I've always liked hacks that have many different kinds of levels and themes.
Well, that's my opinion anyway.  |
Juggling Joker
Posts: 147/1033 |
Sadly, my hack has been described a couple of times already in this topic, whether by accident or on purpose is irrelevant. Though, the graphics are not the central core of my hack, and it was difficult on accident but I am trying to rectify that in subsequent releases.
Anyhoo, to answer the original question, I hack because I find it fun. It's an interesting diversion from the blandness of my real life. I also hack because I know that most people (myself included) enjoy playing new versions of their favorite games. Finally, and this is really only a minor half-thought goal, I intend to raise the average quality of SMW hacks. Too often does some wannabe hacker step in thinking they're making the Best Hack In Existence, only to fail miserably. If more quality hacks are released, hopefully the appearance of horrible hacks will sort of peter out. |
HyperLamer
Posts: 678/8210 |
I know what you mean. Just about every time I download an SMW hack, it goes the same way. I like the GFX, but the game's too hard and I quit by the third level or so. Hard levels are fine, but games are supposed to start easy and get harder! One-block jumps over lakitus while trying to dodge falling celing spikes and hammer bros is NOT acceptable for the first level, or even the first world, no matter how good the graphics are!
To me, importance is somewhat like this:
-Overall fun (incredibly hard != fun)
-Level design
-Ease of playability (doesn't have to be easy to beat, just easy to play; no complicated controls etc)
-Cool new ideas (ex: ASM hacks)
-Graphics
-Sound (and this is still important, just the rest are moreso) |
Black Charizard
Posts: 4/16 |
Most good hacks are difficult.To make a good game you don't need exGFX.But exGFX adds to the game.I just said a bunch of things most people know but Meh........ |
Atma X
Posts: 174/801 |
I'm working on making a 3D Mario game, but I don't know how to program, so all I can do is make the levels, which gets boring after a while if you can't really play through them while making it. That's why I would see hacking an already made game as fun, because most of the hard stuff is already done for you. But on the other hand, console game editing is a lot more difficult in its own way because of its own limitations that it has. The problim about hacking/recoding roms is that you don't know where all of the data is, and it takes a long time to find all of it (and ExGfx takes to long to insert). Overall, I think it's quite difficult to complete both a Rom hack, and your own custom game (unless your an excellent C++, Java, or C, etc. programmer). |
BGenesis
Posts: 4/38 |
When I hacked SMW, I did it for fun, not for the gfx editing at all. In fact, I tried to stay away from major GFX and custom block changes, I wanted to see the magic I could create using what was there.... I must admit, I came up with some awesome levels...
Anyway, it is pretty fun, but at the same time it feels more satisfying to code an entire game yourself then say: "Hey, look at me, I used an engine completely coded by Nintendo to make an awesome game!"
But I guess most people don't do that, they do it for the fun... at least, I hope so! |
Golden Yoshi
Posts: 76/693 |
There are some hacks with great new gfx but the levels are nearly impossible. However, it seems as though gfx changes are becoming a necessity, unfortunately, which puts me at a drawback, because I liked to put all my focus into level design. When I tried to make SMW The Lost Levels, I wanted it to be like the regular SMW but with all new levels, but people still wanted to see new gfx in it. Then I discontinued it and worked on SMW+6, which did include a lot of new gfx and level design, but that hack was discontinued also. So, I think that the hackers with the best gfx design knowledge and the most innovative level design skills will have the upper hand, but still, I am willing to play hacks without custom gfx. |
Kefka
Posts: 1844/3392 |
I don't hack SMW, but this is what I rom hack for:
-Implement all those ideas I have stuck in my head for levels and such into a game
-Do so without having to program it from scratch
-It's just damned fun
-I think that the games I play are too linear on the NES... so I want to make the ones I hack non linear, see?
-It's fun
-Did I mention it's fun?
Yep, that's why I hack. |
Aioria
Posts: 239/1567 |
Originally posted by Gandalf The Grey
Hmmm ... just one forum above this, and that thread would have fit fine; since this is a hack discussion thread in general and not specifically for SMW
I posted it here because it hapens a lot of smw hacks that could have been much better if the difficult level weren't so extreme. I am not going to say what hacks I'm talking, because the author may feel offended |
Mal'caor
Posts: 7/17 |
I would MUCH rather play a cleverly laid out level than a boring, impossible one with the ultimate exGFX. So if anyone out there has a hack purely about level design and is wondering "will anyone want to play this?", bring it to me, 'cos I'll happily oblige 
BTW, exGFX is nice provided the level design's had some attention too |
Surlent
Posts: 286/1077 |
Hmmm ... just one forum above this, and that thread would have fit fine; since this is a hack discussion thread in general and not specifically for SMW
I never would play a hack because only of graphical changes. Let's take Super Mario Kart R for example. The track design usually is close the original one, to keep the AI game routes so you can play against the computer as well in 1P/2P GP mode.
But there were graphical and track changes too. Added a lot of shortcuts for example (Acid Bath 2), additional "booster arrows" and such; thus new battle tracks
But a SMW which is only hacked graphically with no level change at all, is just more than boring 
I rather play a good hack with no graphic changes at all but impressive new level design than vice versa
Of course everyone would prefer to play good graphically and level/ASM/etc. hacked games, yes ... But this only shows the priority I take to what element in playing hacks  |
Ailure
Posts: 1711/11162 |
Depends on the game... really. 
If it's a unhacked game, it's the challange of finding data that makes me hack. I always get so happy when I figured out where the level data is. After that it's just figuring how it works to...
When it's a game that easily get's havcked with tools. Like SMW, it's just simply creation... thought my hacks have been level only so far. Even if I have been playing with the other thigns... |
BGenesis
Posts: 2/38 |
We could all download Game Maker/Platformer Game Dev... and start coding our own SMW... |
Atma X
Posts: 172/801 |
For me, I like graphics, level desing (most importantly), and changes using ASM. But the gfx take too long to make and I start to get bored with a level before I make make the layout for it. |
Sendy
Posts: 32/93 |
For me the purpose of hacking is to get level ideas out of my head and into the real world. And the biggest buzz of all, apart from seeing your idea realized, is knowing it may give other people fun too.
I see ASM hacking as a means to expand the level design (and occasioanlly aesthetic) potential available to me (and other designers), rather than a means to an end (i.e. this hack has new unseen ASM, therefore it is good).
So for me, level design as a new and evolving art form is really the be-all-and-end-all of it. |
Aioria
Posts: 238/1567 |
I am making this thread because I see many hacks in the recent times that have awesome exgfx, people are getting into ASM, and this is an excelent thing, I mean, we will see a lot of awesome hacks in the future.
BUT I also saw hacks that only care for graphic skills, I mean, even if the hack is fucking difficult and even if the player has to do 1337 save-states to pass the damn level, the hack is considered 'great', or 'awesome' or 'an excellent work' because it has awesome exgfx, etc. But the hack is being excelent even if it is too hard, even if you have to spend hours trying to pass a level, there isn't fun, there is not care for the player, only the hacker's own skills.
This is sad, because we will never be able to see this kind of hack in a snes, for example. And neither the people that doesn't hack smw will like it at all.
So, if some (i am saying SOME, i'm not saying 'ono all the supar maria worlda haxars') people thinks that the concept is only changing the game the best them can do, please post your thoughts here. And so this goes for the people who thinks that changing the game a lot is very important, but the game has to be fun.
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labmaster
