 |
| Register | Login | |||||
 |
Main
| Memberlist
| Active users
| Calendar
| Chat
| Online users Ranks | FAQ | ACS | Stats | Color Chart | Search | Photo album |
|
| | ||
|
| Register | Login | |||||
|
Main
| Memberlist
| Active users
| Calendar
| Chat
| Online users Ranks | FAQ | ACS | Stats | Color Chart | Search | Photo album |
|
| | ||
| 0 users currently in ROM Hacking. |
| Acmlm's Board - I3 Archive - ROM Hacking - ROM hackers mass interview |
New poll |  |  |
| Pages: 1 2 | Add to favorites | Next newer thread | Next older thread |
| User | Post | ||
|
Splunt Newcomer                Since: 04-28-06 Last post: 6565 days Last view: 6565 days |
| ||
| Hi All!
I'm a university student who’s studying the ROM hacking community. I thought I'd try posting some interview questions up to see if anyone cares to answer them in this thread. If anyone wants to contribute I would be very grateful! If you want, maybe you can start by writing your name/handle, your age, what you've done in the ROM hacking community, or any websites you're affiliated with. After that, here's some questions I wanted to start with. 1.What draws you to the ROM hacking community? 2. Do you think playing/modifying hacked ROMs should be more user friendly? 3.What are the advantages/disadvantages of ROM hacking vs. ripped sprites with code written from scratch? 4. Do you think there are limits to what people should be allowed to do with their games? 5.What do you think about the future of the ROM hacking community? I'd be very interested in hearing anything you'd like to say! So if you can answer any of the above questions or add something else to the thread, it would be a great help to me! Thanks! (edited by Splunt on 04-28-06 06:39 PM) |
|||
HyperHacker Star Mario Finally being paid to code in VB! If only I still enjoyed that. <_< Wii #7182 6487 4198 1828     Since: 11-18-05 From: Canada, w00t! My computer's specs, if anyone gives a damn. STOP TRUNCATING THIS >8^( Last post: 6289 days Last view: 6289 days |
| ||
| 1.What draws you to the ROM hacking community?
ROM hacking is fun. 
2. Do you think playing/modifying hacked ROMs should be more user friendly? A lot of the editors could stand to have better (read: not sucky) interfaces, but besides that, it's fairly difficult to make things easier and still legal. 3.What are the advantages/disadvantages of ROM hacking vs. ripped sprites with code written from scratch? You don't have to know how to code to ROM hack. It's a nice way to learn how games work so that you can make your own later.
4. Do you think there are limits to what people should be allowed to do with their games? If we start trying to enfore rules about what can and can't be in a ROM hack, then we're no better than the anal-retentive censors who do this to commercial games. Plus it'd be pretty difficult to just tell someone "hey, you can't put that in your hack!"  As long as it's not like a virus or something, it's not like you paid for it, so who cares if you don't like it?
5. What do you think about the future of the ROM hacking community? Eh, I can't see much changing from how it is now, except for having more advanced hacks and tools. |
|||
Jigglysaint Octoballoon  Since: 11-19-05 Last post: 6308 days Last view: 6293 days |
| ||
| I am Jigglysaint, and I've been in the community for nearly 5 years, although I do not actually release hacks but rather concentrate on inspiring the production of level editors by finding as much data as I can for games that interest me.
1.What draws you to the ROM hacking community? The community is a great source of information. People come, and they post their findings, and share their untilities and hacks with others. Also, some of the people are not half bad. 2. Do you think playing/modifying hacked ROMs should be more user friendly? Some of the editors, like SMW and SMILE, have a slight learning curve, but it's not impossible to figure out. Hex editors and rom corruptors are less user friendly, so I would say that good documentation to use them effectivly are more important than making existing editors easier to use. 3.What are the advantages/disadvantages of ROM hacking vs. ripped sprites with code written from scratch? Well since I don't work with code and ripped sprites, I would have to say that for the most part, rom hacking doesn't require you to learn how to program. It's actually good that way because a person who knows little about ASM code can make a good hack. You can apply your talents to rom hacking. Maybe you aren't good with graphics, like myself, but you can make up for it by taxing the existing engine to it's limits, or maybe even partly re-write the engine. 4. Do you think there are limits to what people should be allowed to do with their games? No. People should only be limited by what they are capable of doing. Of course I'd draw the line at a rom hack that acts like The Ring when played. That would be going too far. 5.What do you think about the future of the ROM hacking community? Well the hacking group wars are pretty much over, and I hope people will take a more united apporach to the community rather a more reserved clique approach. |
|||
Smallhacker Super Koopa I AM A Group Of Officially Frustrated Younglings, G.O.O.F.Y. MEMBER |
| ||
| I'm Smallhacker, a SMW Hacker with skills... above average. I've created pretty many (although some nearly useless) programs for editing SMW.
Boom.dk and I created SMW Central. (He coded the site, I added data.) 1.What draws you to the ROM hacking community? I'm very interested in math and programming, so I'm curious about how the SNES and the games works and interacts with each other. Also, it helps me gain experience and knowledge about ASM programming. 2. Do you think playing/modifying hacked ROMs should be more user friendly? Playing ROMs is pretty much as user friendly as it can get without breaking any laws. However, hacking ROMs should be LESS user friendly. In my honest opinion, there's too many n00bs that are dependant on all these tools created for increased user friendlyness. If those tools didn't exist, they would have no ability to hack a ROM due to their lack of knowledge about how computers works at the processor level and how code and data are stored. Those people does actually not deserve to be called ROM Hackers, since the term "Hacker" means a person skilled at computer hardware and/or software, which I wouldn't call these persons. *Phew* ...did I say that out loud? 3.What are the advantages/disadvantages of ROM hacking vs. ripped sprites with code written from scratch? As a programmer, I know that making a game requires a huge amount of effort and time. It's easier to modify existing code to do what you want it to than to make it all from scratch. However, making it from scratch gives you full control and abiltity to do anything. The existing code may not be capable of doing certain things without rewriting big parts of it. This may be even harder than making it all from scratch. Summary: Editing is easier and faster, but programming gives less limitations. 4. Do you think there are limits to what people should be allowed to do with their games? There's one big thing I'm against when it comes to ROM Hacking, and that is to steal code, levels, graphics or other data from another person's hack (if that person is the author of those things, that is). If I make a hack and create an ÜBER PWNAGE ASM hack that makes the game reall awesome, I wouldn't like someone to steal my code and use it in their own hack. Some people say that stealing from another hack is the same thing as ripping from a commerical game, but in my opinion, it's not. 5.What do you think about the future of the ROM hacking community? It'll go downhill. With all these amazingly user friendly toys, less people gets interested in knowing how it actually works. Therefore, the amount of skilled hackers that leaves will be bigger than the amount of new skilled hackers. In the end, there'll only be a few ones left, surrounded by people bound to user friendly editors. (edited by Smallhacker on 04-28-06 06:18 PM) |
|||
Jouw Koopa  Since: 12-03-05 Last post: 6298 days Last view: 6298 days |
| ||
| I'm 11 years old, and I mainly hack Mario games (SMB1 and SMB3 specifically, I absolutely DETEST SMW and will never play it, or a hack of it)
1.What draws you to the ROM hacking community? Here, I can get opinions on my hacks and etc. On sites, if I want to submit something to an archive and there's a way to submit by the forum instead of the site submit form, I'll choose the forum. Everyone can give you opinions, suggestions, etc. It's hard to do that the other way - will anyone even notice your submission? 2. Do you think playing/modifying hacked ROMs should be more user friendly? YES. Too many editors are outdated, badly translated from Japanese or just very unergonomically designed. Some also don't work on WinXP computers. Basically, we don't need Microsoft-type wizards to hack ROMs, but not what we have now. SMB3 Workshop is an exception, it's a great user-friendly editor. It's done originally in English, so there are no things like "Pirana plants" or "Edit some game stuff". The interface is easy-to-use and non-confusing. 3.What are the advantages/disadvantages of ROM hacking vs. ripped sprites with code written from scratch? I'm not good at coding platform games, and I love the original Mario games, so I'd rather get right into the design and avoid the coding part. 4. Do you think there are limits to what people should be allowed to do with their games? I don't really understand this question. 5.What do you think about the future of the ROM hacking community? No idea.. I haven't been ROM hacking for long. |
|||
|
C:/xkas bio.asm Compiled ASM code  Since: 11-17-05 Last post: 6289 days Last view: 6288 days |
| ||
| 1.What draws you to the ROM hacking community?
the number 255  , since young, I alway wondered why it appear in so many game, this is one of the first reason why I wanted to learn Hex/ASM
2. Do you think playing/modifying hacked ROMs should be more user friendly? not really, since a full-featured editor demotivate people to learn ASM, and, like Smallhacker said, ASM allow people to depend less from editor and other person 3.What are the advantages/disadvantages of ROM hacking vs. ripped sprites with code written from scratch? its all depend on what you're wanting to do and the game you're hacking, some game are too crappy coded to allow easy graphic/level/ASM modification 4. Do you think there are limits to what people should be allowed to do with their games? the only limit is the one given by the actual hardware 5. What do you think about the future of the ROM hacking community? being closer to the video game company, more and more company add level editing support for their game, I consider this a step forward  (edited by Bio on 04-28-06 06:32 PM) (edited by Bio on 04-28-06 06:32 PM) |
|||
|
eb_h4x0r Newcomer Since: 12-24-05 From: California Last post: 6584 days Last view: 6584 days |
| ||
| 1.What draws you to the ROM hacking community?
The editing of games. 2. Do you think playing/modifying hacked ROMs should be more user friendly? Not that much. 3.What are the advantages/disadvantages of ROM hacking vs. ripped sprites with code written from scratch? Advantage: You could learn more about the ROM structure. Disadvantage: It takes a crapload of work. 4. Do you think there are limits to what people should be allowed to do with their games? If the game is still being sold(GameCube, GBA), then yes. 5. What do you think about the future of the ROM hacking community? Like Bio, the future of ROM Hacking could come closer to the video game company and could live in harmony. |
|||
|
Deleted User Banned    Since: 05-08-06 Last post: None Last view: 6289 days |
| ||
| I am 17, sort of an amateur when it comes to rom-hacking. I have tried to attempt making SMW hacks in the past, but they never work out.
1.What draws you to the ROM hacking community? Well, it's cool that you get to customize games anyway you want. 2. Do you think playing/modifying hacked ROMs should be more user friendly? With modifying hacks, their should be tutorials with the level editor for beginners who are interested in ROM editing (if there are, I'm sorry, I've just never seem them before). 3.What are the advantages/disadvantages of ROM hacking vs. ripped sprites with code written from scratch? Trying to change graphics for some games (Super Mario World basically). See, I use The Games Factory (a game making engine) and it's pretty easy to use to create graphics. I mean with NES games, it's easy to create graphics but with SNES games, it's a little difficult. 4. Do you think there are limits to what people should be allowed to do with their games? Not really, people can actually use their ideas as long people are attracted by the game and want to play as long as they understand what to do in the game. 5.What do you think about the future of the ROM hacking community? It's probably gonna be the same even though there might be more level editors for more games. I just hope that the more I try to attempt to create a hack, the more I would understand what to do. |
|||
Ice Ranger Grizzo  Since: 11-24-05 Last post: 6298 days Last view: 6288 days |
| ||
| Ice Ranger (originally Chill Penguin) is my handle, and I am 22.
1.What draws you to the ROM hacking community? I didn't have a clue how all these changed levels of Super Mario Bros. 2 screen shots were put on the internet. I eventually stumbled across Acmlm's where I met a large group with the same interest, in fact, these hackers were true hackers that knew more than using an editor without making crappy hacks. 2. Do you think playing/modifying hacked ROMs should be more user friendly? To an extent, some things should be made easier, other parts should remain the same. Again, don't want a lot of crappy hacks to sort through. For easier, I mean making debuggers and decompilers easier to use, not game specific editors (of course, level editors are the most appreciated). 3.What are the advantages/disadvantages of ROM hacking vs. ripped sprites with code written from scratch? The advantages of ROM hacking include expanding the ROM (if you have the know-how) to include some of the features you may want to tag on. This sometimes isn't possible, so learning how to code requires a lot of patience and gathering data to see how the code works in order to create your own. Ripping sprites with code written from scratch is defintely a no-no, it is not the same as ripping from commercial games (as said earlier), mainly because people who do this lose a lot of respect within the community. Only if someone states he was granted permission to use graphics from someone else's hack is it acceptable. 4. Do you think there are limits to what people should be allowed to do with their games? Not really. The only limit I think should be put on games is ridding the community of these adult themed hacks (basically should be called p0rn hacks since it is completely unneccessary and overshadow the advances hackers have made over the years. Very few adult-themed hacks are worthy of a player's time. 5.What do you think about the future of the ROM hacking community? It's on a decline, or so it seems for the NES and SNES. The new wave seems to be for the GBA and N64. Personally, I'm adding a lot of data to datacrystal.org in order to have the information out there for anyone interested. Perhaps it may even interest some people into getting the old games out again. (I don't know, honestly, unless the few gurus around the internet stick around, it's probably going to be a lot of crappy graphic hacks again). (edited by Ice Ranger on 04-28-06 08:25 PM) |
|||
|
Simon Belmont Except I'm totally fucking hyped about Dracula X: Chronicles.  Since: 11-18-05 From: Pittsburgh Last post: 6288 days Last view: 6288 days |
| ||
| 1.What draws you to the ROM hacking community?
I get to ban stupid people
2. Do you think playing/modifying hacked ROMs should be more user friendly? No, I don't. I see too much crap from alot of people, that it really makes me sick. hex editors = <3. If it's too easy to make, the people with the skill will be overshadowed by ZOMG MARIO IS BALD SO ORIGINAL. Instead I think there should be more documents [actually there are plenty out there]. 3.What are the advantages/disadvantages of ROM hacking vs. ripped sprites with code written from scratch? advantages: it's 100% easier. and if you have the know-how, you can build on an already existing engine. disadvantages: there's alot of learning to go through; you're pretty much editing pre-compiled un-commented code. so it can be tough if you don't know what you're doing. 4. Do you think there are limits to what people should be allowed to do with their games? Nothing that isn't pre-defined by the console. 5.What do you think about the future of the ROM hacking community? I think it's going to stay suckign with only a few good people here and there. like it always has. |
|||
|
S.N.N. wtf Since: 11-17-05 From: Ontario, Canada Last post: 6294 days Last view: 6288 days |
| ||
| Well, I'm SoNotNormal (SNN for short) and my forte is hacking Yoshi's Island, which I've been doing for nearly a year now. I'm 17, turning 18 in July, and....yeah, that's about it.
1.What draws you to the ROM hacking community? Playing all my favorite old games (SMW, YI, etc.) differently! 2. Do you think playing/modifying hacked ROMs should be more user friendly? Not really. ROM hacking isn't meant to be easy. It's supposed to be a challenge, supposed to be time-consuming, and supposed to be frustrating. Changing around a game completely was never easy, especially if you have to do it ALL in a hex editor. 3.What are the advantages/disadvantages of ROM hacking vs. ripped sprites with code written from scratch? Well, I'm not fully sure what you mean here, so I'll go with what I think. Big advantages of ROM hacking are basically bending a game to do what you want with it. The main disadvantage is that if you really wanna make the best game, you gotta learn, and it's not easy. Ripped sprites with code, on the other hand, I've never really done
4. Do you think there are limits to what people should be allowed to do with their games? Not at all. These are your own creations, you should be allowed to do what you want with them. 5.What do you think about the future of the ROM hacking community? I think eventually, someone, somewhere, in a far off time period, will discover a way to hack ROMs thats so incredibly easy, an idiot could do it. Also, soon, I think we could even expect to see (MARIO SUNSHINE EDITOR RELEASE)....Iwe could get into very advanced crap (edited by SoNotNormal on 04-28-06 11:13 PM) |
|||
Nosuch Bronto Burt  Since: 01-11-06 From: Oklahoma Last post: 6411 days Last view: 6411 days |
| ||
| My present handle is Nosuch (short for the Nosuch Gaming Company, heh) and I've actually been doing ROM hacks on and off since about 1998 or 1999. In all that time, though, I've only really released four hacks. That's partially because I tend to keep these things to myself sometimes, but most of the time an idea just never gets off the ground and I abandon it for better or worse.
Let me put it this way. Would anybody really be clamoring for a hack based on a professional wrestler that the vast (VAST) majority of wrestling fans hate and is basically unknown to non-fans, especially if the game it's based on sucks anyway? 1.What draws you to the ROM hacking community? There are some really interesting hacks out there, and I'm just amazed at some of the stuff being done these days. It's also a nice way to make my own games without having to learn how to program. 2. Do you think playing/modifying hacked ROMs should be more user friendly? I guess it depends on how you define user friendly, but overall, I'm fine with ROM hacking as it is. It can be challenging and time consuming, sure, but that adds to the sense of pride when something particularly challenging and/or time consuming gets completed. 3.What are the advantages/disadvantages of ROM hacking vs. ripped sprites with code written from scratch? You don't have to do nearly as much actual programming with a ROM hack, but you're also kind of forced into following certain limitations. 4. Do you think there are limits to what people should be allowed to do with their games? Hah. I don't see the point in setting up some sort of authoritative content review board for ROM hacking, or even how it would be possible. What is there, really, to stop somebody from making yet another quicky adult hack? 5.What do you think about the future of the ROM hacking community? If present trends are any indication, there should continue to be some really nifty stuff getting released. Perhaps even niftier than what's out now. |
|||
|
Kyoufu Kawa Intends to keep Rom Hacking in one piece until the end  Since: 11-18-05 From: Catgirl Central Station Last post: 6288 days Last view: 6288 days |
| ||
| My handle is Kyoufu Kawa. I'm 22 years old, going to 23. I'm best known for EliteMap (Pokémon Advance level editor). I am affiliated with no website but my own.
1.What draws you to the ROM hacking community? The whole concept of taking a game and making it something else. 2. Do you think playing/modifying hacked ROMs should be more user friendly? No. Too friendly tools have their side effects. 3.What are the advantages/disadvantages of ROM hacking vs. ripped sprites with code written from scratch? Code quality. Ever seen that one "Commander Keen" game? Yecch. 4. Do you think there are limits to what people should be allowed to do with their games? Depends on what you mean. 5.What do you think about the future of the ROM hacking community? I don't think about the future that much, sowwy. |
|||
Dragonsbrethren   440  Since: 12-01-05 From: New Jersey Last post: 6475 days Last view: 6475 days |
| ||
| I am Dragonsbrethren, 19 years old, I created Castlevania Retold. I currently maintain the hacks database at ROMhacking.net and I have my own website, Dragonsbrethren Industries.
1.What draws you to the ROM hacking community? From the time I was five I wanted to make my own levels in my favorite games, ROM hacking just happens to be the only way to do that. 2. Do you think playing/modifying hacked ROMs should be more user friendly? Yes to both, ROM hacks should be played on the actual consoles, which means flashcart technology for older consoles needs to become more mainstream. Hacking tools are notorious for working within easy to bypass limitations, a level editor that expands the ROM for more space is much better than one that works within the original. 3.What are the advantages/disadvantages of ROM hacking vs. ripped sprites with code written from scratch? I highly doubt anyone here could program Super Mario Bros. from scratch, and if they did it wouldn't be a perfect clone. I personally only want to make my own levels, programming my own game doesn't appeal to me in the least. 4. Do you think there are limits to what people should be allowed to do with their games? I think they should stay true to the original, and not over complicate their hacks with new features. 5.What do you think about the future of the ROM hacking community? Elitism will kill it, it's getting better now though, a few years back hearing some asinine comment like "real ROM hackers only use hex editors" was not uncommon at all. |
|||
The Kins Hoarder  Since: 11-18-05 From: Hurf. Last post: 6302 days Last view: 6288 days |
| ||
| I'm some random 19-year old jerk. I did some kinda cruddy SMW hack last year. Nothing big or exciting, you'd be better off annoying Gideon Zhi or something for exciting and controversial answers (and maybe nag him to finish that Kunio game translation he was doing a long time ago while you're at it?)
1. What draws you to the ROM hacking community? Simply put, the ability to alter, remake and pay tribute to my favorite games of long ago. 2. Do you think playing/modifying hacked ROMs should be more user friendly? Playing Hacks: You mean it isn't already? Patching is disgustingly easy nowadays, and emulators aren't paticularly troublesome to find. A $15 dollar connector to hook up a playstaton controller to the PC and it's pretty sweet. Making hacks, really, depends on the game. SMW for instance gives you a LOT of legroom, but other games are very tricky to alter. 3. What are the advantages/disadvantages of ROM hacking vs. ripped sprites with code written from scratch? One actually gets released, and the other dies out due to lack of interest/team drama. 4. Do you think there are limits to what people should be allowed to do with their games? Nope. Go ahead! If I don't like your hack, I'll just make fun of it and play something else. 5. What do you think about the future of the ROM hacking community? The Gamecube's still going to be nigh-impossible to emulate. That said, I imagine the community will extend it's arms more into Playstation games, although this would probably require a new patch format and nine billion people bitching about filesize. |
|||
Sliver X Since: 11-22-05 From: Panicus Last post: 6298 days Last view: 6296 days |
| ||
| 1.What draws you to the ROM hacking community?
The community? I'm not sure. I hacked ROMs for years before I ever actually talked to anyone in "the scene". ROM hacking itself is a half realized childhood dream of making my "own" video games (I can't code much of anything from scratch in any language). 2. Do you think playing/modifying hacked ROMs should be more user friendly? Playing is braindead simple, and always has been due to the IPS format. As far as hacking goes, yes, I think some aspects of hacking could be more user friendly. While it's true that the great editors tend to result in a huge flood of worthless drivel (See 99% of any of the Super Mario World hacks), the few people who are actually doing something interesting have the capabilities to do things they may not ordinarily have been able to do, as well as severely lowering a lot of aggravation from things that would require a huge amount of manual work to accomplish. 3.What are the advantages/disadvantages of ROM hacking vs. ripped sprites with code written from scratch? Pros? First, the program is already there, so usually any code modifications are only tweaks. There's a vast difference between hacking ASM and creating it from scratch. Secondly, there's just the whole "Wow, I'm hacking an old console game I played as a kid" factor to it all. And if you have a copier or something, you can play the games on the actual system. As for the cons, you're severely limited by the original programming in most cases, are dealing with ancient hardware that also imposes limitations, etc. 4. Do you think there are limits to what people should be allowed to do with their games? Whatever floats people's boats; I just don't get how a lot of ROM hackers expect everyone to like the steaming piles of shite that constitute the vast majority of ROM hacks (NES in particular, though SMW hacks give them a run for the money). You can tell that most ROM hackers are either lazy, immature, apathetic, talentless, or some mixture of the above. The good ones out there more than make up for the noise, though. 5.What do you think about the future of the ROM hacking community? It'll shift more towards SNES and N64/PSX, though the Genesis scene is growing lately. The main problem with PSX/N64 hacking is just the sheer difference in how games are rendered; to make any progress, you have to understand 3D programming, which is a whole different ballgame than the 2D 8bit and 16bit systems. |
|||
Hyperganon Red Paragoomba Since: 11-20-05 Last post: 6521 days Last view: 6521 days |
| ||
| I'm HyperGanon. I'm 20 years old, and started ROM hacking around 1999-2000. I have given up ROM hacking years ago, but am still drawn to the crowd.
1. What draws me most, is that there are people here who love the games that we all grew up with, and are not appreciated that much by modern gamers. 2. I think it should be a little easier to play ROM hacks. Yes. 3. The advantage to hacking a ROM is that all the hard stuff is already done. You won't have to learn programming to make your own Super Mario. Just modify one of the SMB games. 4. I think there should be some limits. The games that are hacked still belong to the companies that made them, and because of this, ROM hacks should never be sold. I think that ROM hacking should remain a hobby at most. I also believe that one shouldn't destroy their own NES/SNES carts to play a hack on their consoles. It is a game owners choice, of course, but I still believe against it. If too many people break their carts, then there will be a vast decrease in that game's quantity. 5. I think that the ROM hacking scene may actually dissapper. With the future release of Nintendo's Wii, many NES, SNES and N64 games will become available to gamers. With this, Nintendo will probably claim that ROM downloaders and hackers are infringing on their property and usurping profits. It's not definite, but it may be that this could do away with ROM hacking. (edited by Hyperganon on 04-29-06 11:34 AM) |
|||
|
blackhole89 Moronic Thread Bodycount: 17 (since 2006-08-21 09:50 EST) F5 F5 F5 F5 F5 Since: 12-31-69 From: Dresden/SN/DE Last post: 6290 days Last view: 6288 days |
| ||
| I'm blackhole89, 16 years old, the 89 in my nickname has nothing to do with my birthyear (though that would be '89 too). I started ROM hacking about 2002 or 2003 and got into the assembly aspects of it right away because it seemed the more attractive part to me. I think I made myself a name for starting more or less spectacular projects and delaying their release ad infinitum because I lack time to complete them or just am unable to reach the point at which I'd call it at a releasable state. (Most unreleased tools of mine, in fact, work more or less well.)
1.What draws you to the ROM hacking community? My technical interest, elitism and the fact it is one of the few somewhat intellectual ones. Also, the people are nice. 2. Do you think playing/modifying hacked ROMs should be more user friendly? Yes/No. Yes for fundamental, linear work like editing levels. No for tools that make actual indepth hacking a one-click process. 3.What are the advantages/disadvantages of ROM hacking vs. ripped sprites with code written from scratch? You don't have to mess with the basic, often resultless first steps of making a new game run. There's more of an intellectual challenge to find your way into others' code which was often even written to be hard to understand. 4. Do you think there are limits to what people should be allowed to do with their games? No. 5.What do you think about the future of the ROM hacking community? It will eventually decrease in size and melt down to a small "hard core" of insiders and people to whom it really means something, rather than just following a trend or showing off. But it probably won't entirely perish within my lifetime. |
|||
Kirk Bradford Myers Shyguy  Since: 01-23-06 From: Baltimore, Maryland Last post: 6583 days Last view: 6583 days |
| ||
| Kirk Bradford Myers
-------------------------------------------- Name: Kirk Bradford Myers Age: 33 ROMHacking Accomplishments: Currently working on a hack of Metroid entitled "Metroid Begins". Also working on an improvement to DahrkDiaz's "Pac-Man III" in my spare time. Work is commencing slowly... Websites: For now, only one...One With The Computer, for my progressive instrumental rock music project. The site needs some work at this time... -------------------------------------------- 1.What draws you to the ROM hacking community? The fact that there are so many people so technically inclined that they would dig into a video game just to see how it works and change it is a really cool thing, and like all communities, it's good to have fellowship with those who share your interests in any regard. I have always been somewhat the perfectionist, playing video games and wishing I could change the games to suit my personal playing tastes, and ROMhacking is a venture that gives me the creative outlet to do that as well as to learn something new. I am an adventurer and a tinkerer at heart. 
2. Do you think playing/modifying hacked ROMs should be more user friendly? One must take the overall intentions of the programmers of the original games into consideration in order to answer that question. I don't think the main purpose when anyone made ROMs was to give people license to tinker with and to reverse-engineer them to see what made them tick, in fact quite the opposite. Of course, these same people probably never thought that we would one day have the tools at our fingertips to twist and morph their games into ones of our own image and likeness, either! People and corporations are very protective of their intellectual property and trade secrets. ROM code, I believe, falls under both of these banners. But in a way, I think that it's a good thing that ROMs are so damn hard to modify sometimes, because it adds to the learning experience and gives one a greater sense of accomplishment when they manage to make one of these things do something it was not originally intended to do. And half the fun, they say, is in the journey to get to where your going. If you could just reach your destiny immediately, go the instant gratification route...where's the fun and sense of accomplishment in that?
3.What are the advantages/disadvantages of ROM hacking vs. ripped sprites with code written from scratch? It takes a lot of time and work to take someone's original idea and turn it into a working game that very few people may end up caring about, probably more work that it's worth sometimes. People don't want to spend hundreds of hours mastering a programming language just to program a crude version of "Space Invaders" as their thesis, when bigger and better ideas are already running through their head. ROMhacking offers a happy medium to this. Someone has already created a game engine, done all the hard work for you, and it's possible to turn it into a completely new game just by tweaking a few parameters. The learning curve is much less and the experience could possibly lead to greater and better things...who's to say that today's ROMhacker isnt' tomorrow's 6502 porgrammer? Not to mention that familiarity with an already established standard will interest people enough to care about the work you've put into a hack and make them want to give it a spin around the block. All of it is a learning experience, really, and ROMhacking let's people indulge themselves in that while getting the instant gratification that is sometimes needed to give one the motivation to continue doing what they do.
4. Do you think there are limits to what people should be allowed to do with their games? This issue has come up with many different areas of media, such as file-sharing, movies, music, etc. This is the way I see things: If you, the consumer, paid money to buy media, either a book, CD, movie, video game, etc. then you as the consumer of that product should have the freedom of fair use and the right to do anything that you wish to do with your copy of that product. If I purchased a cartridge of Metroid with my own money, I should have the right to use it for a frisbee or a friggin' drink coaster if that is my wish! No one would bat an eyelash if I sold that cartridge to my friend, but if I offer the ROM for free on KaZaA the shit's going to hit the fan? Really, that's stupid. The philosophy that it's okay to sell something, whether it's your intellectual property or not, but it's a crime to give it away for free is stupid, and is the exact reason that prostitution being illegal is asinine. Bottom line, if the government can't tax it, if there's no profit in it for them, it jerks their little weenies the worng way. However, while the above examples could legitimately be considered a copyright violation and an issue of morality, modifying a game you own to suit your own tastes, I believe, is not. You know what they say...if it ain't broke, don't fix it. But if it IS broke... Reverse-engineering a video game for the fun of it should not be illegal so long as no copyrighted material changes hands...
5.What do you think about the future of the ROM hacking community? It's really hard to say at this point. Fads come and go, as fads do, but it's hard to tell right now if this particular activity qualifies as a fad because the interest it's cult-following has generated has not dissipated over the course of the last eight-or-so-years...a pretty long run of time for a "fad" by anyone's standards! Of course, how long did Seattle-grunge rock last, right? Twenty-five years ago, someone said that video games themselves were just a "fad" and would die out pretty quickly. HA!!  My belief is that, as long as there is something new to discover hidden within the code of some obscure video game somewhere, someone with an explorer's heart and a severe case of obsessive-complulsive bipolar attention-deficit disorder is going to be out there trying to find it! As I said before, it's the thrill of the discovery and the challenge of the chase involved in getting there that keeps people coming back for more, and probably will for generations to come. And with that, the ROMhacking community as a whole will continue to grow and to help each other weed out these little secrets. One of the smartest and most profitable things anyone has ever done in the history of video games, I believe, is when Warren Robinett hid his name in a secret room in the Atari 2600 game "Adventure", thus introducing the concept of the "Easter Egg" and ensuring the replay value and marketability of future games to come, and of the community that would dig these games apart to the bare bones to find and take advantage of these secrets. Without a doubt, the ROMhacking community is going nowhere anytime soon. |
|||
|
ShadowTails Grizzo  Since: 11-20-05 From: C:\My Documents\ShadowTails\My House\My Room Last post: 6310 days Last view: 6288 days |
| ||
| I'm ShadowTails(ST for short) I'm 14, I consider myself above average, I haven't really found a hack I wanna stick with, I usually try out many games and see which one gets my hacking intrests the most, this all started because of my obbsession of video games and pixelating sprites and pixel art.
1.What draws you to the ROM hacking community? Creativity, I like being able to show mine off, I like also seeing if anyone can inspire me and make me wonder how some people can make awsome hacks and some people can make hacks that wouldn't look good even on the atari... 2. Do you think playing/modifying hacked ROMs should be more user friendly? Playing roms as said is user friendly, easiest thing for anyone to do... but I basically think people should get out of the pallet hacking, countless sonic games just have hacked pallets with hardly any changes, for example... I mean thats a good place to start, but is that something to show off? 3.What are the advantages/disadvantages of ROM hacking vs. ripped sprites with code written from scratch? Countless people have said it... the original feel of the games can't be copied too accuratley... 4. Do you think there are limits to what people should be allowed to do with their games? There are limits to what people can do depending on the system, but usually limits make freaking awsome hacks ^___^ 5.What do you think about the future of the ROM hacking community? With most the n00bs popping up and asking stupid questions and not knowing what hex is... I'd say about 80% of what I know about rom hacking came from me, the small 20% comes from guides and people who I can ask actual smart non duh your stupid questions... I want to learn more =P I just want to see more creativity and more roms that are being hacked, isn't just seeing mostly Super Mario Bros. and Zelda (very good games) only hacked getting kind of old? with hardly any changes to them where is the fun? once I learn ASM I wanna get into creative hacking and pull people from the normal. As a final note to the future rom hackers and so forth.... CHECK THE FREAKING README FILE... |
| Pages: 1 2 | Add to favorites | Next newer thread | Next older thread |
| Acmlm's Board - I3 Archive - ROM Hacking - ROM hackers mass interview |
| |
