(Questions, Programs, etc.)

[FelixWright]

[spoiler]Hi. I'm very green here because I just made an account.
Other than the list of ZM Hacks, I see everything kind of--say--Disorganized. :yaynoes:

I'm doing some research myself, and will try to scrap what I can together in categories (And in layman's terms if possible because I am very uninformed about ASM, Hex, and editing games.)
Actually, I should probably ask first, because I think that could be plagiarism.

To kind of cut this short, I have very many questions when it comes to modification/design, upon other things.



Let's start with some of my bigger questions.
- I have to use IPS AutoPatch in my emulators to play hacks instead of Lunar IPS or any other IPS-related doohickeys. Whenever I try to use a patching software, it never turns out very good. If any of you guys could be my best pallies and explain to me how the IPS patchers work, and perhaps a short and sweet guide on how to use them.

- Still looking around, I have not seen very many topics. So bear with me if someone has asked these questions and have been answered with instruction. How is hexadecimal coding implemented in games? What correlation does it have to development of a Metroid hack and how does it work? Can someone show me how to use it and give examples? What is ASM? I love computers, but still don't know very much about programming and things like these.

-I basically have absolutely no idea how to use DH on my own. I would love to have a very simplistic guide on how to use that. (I'm sorry interdpth, but yours was very long and there weren't many examples or video tutorials.)

- A guide for GeneSplicer would be nice; if any of you with experience can post one here, I would love you all forever and ever.

- At the moment I am using a WinVista x86 with 3GB RAM and a 2.7Ghz processor. That should be OKAY, but when I pull up a GBA emu like VisualBoy or No$GBA, it tends to not run so well, even with frameskip set to 0 and no throttle. Does anyone know where I can find a GBA emulator that takes very little to no resources?

- What is TLP? Can I use it to add extra tilesets to DH or GS?

- I saw some screenies of Disturbance, and have been intrigued...How can I put MF tilesets into MZM and vice-versa?

- Are any of you guys open to sharing screens and voicing with me on skype if I have anything more to ask?

- Do hacks have to be an IPS file? Why aren't there any hacks with GBA? Does it have to do with something they did in the hack?

- How do I create an IPS File?



I Believe those are all the questions I have for now, I suddenly blanked when I actually thought about my queries.[/spoiler]

[Quietus]

I can answer some of these for you:

I have to use IPS AutoPatch in my emulators to play hacks instead of Lunar IPS or any other IPS-related doohickeys. Whenever I try to use a patching software, it never turns out very good. If any of you guys could be my best pallies and explain to me how the IPS patchers work, and perhaps a short and sweet guide on how to use them.

There isn't really much to this.  An .ips file is a file that stores the differences between the two files - your original ROM and the edited ROM.  This allows other players to use this .ips patch to apply those changes to their original ROM, so they can play your hack.  There is no magic to applying these patches, you open Lunar IPS (or whatever you use), select the patch, then select the original ROM.  That's it.

How is hexadecimal coding implemented in games? What correlation does it have to development of a Metroid hack and how does it work?

All information in a game's ROM is just a long sequence of thousands (or millions) of bytes.  These bytes are usually stored in hexadecimal format (0123456789ABCDEF INSTEAD OF 0123456789).  This allows more data variations to be stored in less space.  You don't really 'use' this for making a hack.  You normally use an emulator to find which part of the ROM you wish to edit, then manually change bytes to see what happens until you get your desired result, or overwrite certain bytes in a hex editor with changes that are already known.

What is ASM?

THE big question.  Essentially, it's a coding language, and if you understand it you can write your own code to do almost anything you want.

Does anyone know where I can find a GBA emulator that takes very little to no resources?

I've never had any problems with VBA, and I don't have a powerful machine.  Have you tried turning down all of the graphics settings?  As in 800x600 resolution, no filters, etc.?

What is TLP? Can I use it to add extra tilesets to DH or GS?

Tile Layer Pro is a graphics editing program.  With it you can edit any graphics within a game to customise them to your liking.  As for adding extra tilesets, I don't know, but you can certainly replace what's there with new graphics.

Do hacks have to be an IPS file?

No, there are various patching formats, but .ips is very common within the hacking world.

Why aren't there any hacks with GBA?

I'm not sure if you're referring to all GBA games, or just Metroid.  If the latter, the short answer is that people experienced the same problem you have.  There's very little documentation out there for people to get started, and almost no help for when you get stuck. :neutral:

I hope that helps somewhat.

Oh, and welcome to MetConst. :^_^:

[FelixWright]

[spoiler]

There isn't really much to this.  An .ips file is a file that stores the differences between the two files - your original ROM and the edited ROM.  This allows other players to use this .ips patch to apply those changes to their original ROM, so they can play your hack.  There is no magic to applying these patches, you open Lunar IPS (or whatever you use), select the patch, then select the original ROM.  That's it.

Ehh, I'll try that process again and see what it does...But it tends to act very weird for me. I just don't exactly grasp why it gets strange. I grab the IPS file and then grab the prerequisite headered or unheadered rom and patch it, but the ROM just frags up a lot. especially with SM patches. Is ZSNES faulty, or should I just try again with what you said? Likely the latter.

All information in a game's ROM is just a long sequence of thousands (or millions) of bytes.  These bytes are usually stored in hexadecimal format (0123456789ABCDEF INSTEAD OF 0123456789).  This allows more data variations to be stored in less space.  You don't really 'use' this for making a hack.  You normally use an emulator to find which part of the ROM you wish to edit, then manually change bytes to see what happens until you get your desired result, or overwrite certain bytes in a hex editor with changes that are already known.

How do I know where to go in a ROM when I want something changed, and how exactly do I open the ROM to edit the hex anyway?
I got the application to edit hex with from PJ's Fusion posts, but I have no idea how to do any of this stuff. Also, how do I know what characters, letters, or numbers I need to put in to make that change? Is it all a game of chance?

THE big question.  Essentially, it's a coding language, and if you understand it you can write your own code to do almost anything you want.

Where can I learn this language? Do I need to download anything? Is it interpreted or direct? What can I do with it in the GBATroids?

I've never had any problems with VBA, and I don't have a powerful machine.  Have you tried turning down all of the graphics settings?  As in 800x600 resolution, no filters, etc.?

My computer doesn't support OpenGL2.0 if that means anything important. Yes, I have done 800x600. How do I disable filters and make it more minimal in demand for RAM?

No, there are various patching formats, but .ips is very common within the hacking world.

Do you compile to make an IPS? How does one make such file?

I'm not sure if you're referring to all GBA games, or just Metroid.  If the latter, the short answer is that people experienced the same problem you have.  There's very little documentation out there for people to get started, and almost no help for when you get stuck. :neutral:

I hope that helps somewhat.

Oh, and welcome to MetConst. :^_^:

Yeah, the latter. xD
Is that because the GBATroids are a modification of the Warioworld engine or whatever?
You're helping a lot!
Also, thank you for the welcoming. x3

Question: I've been around Metroid communities since 2008, and they had really just....Declined after 2010  on an incredible scale. We all know it wasn't possibly JUST other M's fault, was it? What could have made the community slow down so much everywhere else?[/spoiler]

[Quietus]

I've spoilered my reply because this page is rapidly becoming an eyesore. :^_^:

[spoiler=Mega Reply #2]

Is ZSNES faulty, or should I just try again with what you said?

It's unlikely to be the emulator.  Make sure you're using a clean ROM too.  The ROM should be "Super Metroid (JU) [!]".

How do I know where to go in a ROM when I want something changed, and how exactly do I open the ROM to edit the hex anyway?
I got the application to edit hex with from PJ's Fusion posts, but I have no idea how to do any of this stuff. Also, how do I know what characters, letters, or numbers I need to put in to make that change? Is it all a game of chance?

To answer these in order: You don't.  You'll need to look into how to use a debugging emulator, and set it up to track certain things while playing, and track changes in the bytes.  Once you've found the right spot, you then change it to something different, and see what you get - yes, it's trial and error.  To open the ROM, you do just that: Load a hex editor, and open the ROM.

Where can I learn this language? Do I need to download anything? Is it interpreted or direct? What can I do with it in the GBATroids?

You can learn it from many places.  There are documents online that can help, but it's no easy task, so be sure before you start.  Also, there's a beginner's session from a few years back here.  For the GBATroids, I believe that's an entirely separate language, so it won't be ASM at all.

How do I disable filters and make it more minimal in demand for RAM?

It's all in the options.  Start out with minimum on everything, and work up until you experience slowdown, then back up a step.

Do you compile to make an IPS? How does one make such file?

Each editor is different, but it'll be in the menu somewhere.

Is that because the GBATroids are a modification of the Warioworld engine or whatever?

No, it's because the creator didn't provide any in-depth documentation, there are limitations and bugs with the editor, and nobody really has enough experience to help others that get stuck.  Others have come before you asking exactly the same questions, and they always hit the same wall.

I've been around Metroid communities since 2008, and they had really just....Declined after 2010  on an incredible scale. We all know it wasn't possibly JUST other M's fault, was it? What could have made the community slow down so much everywhere else?

Any site is only alive as long as its fans are there.  Since there hasn't been a great Metroid game since Zero Mission (Prime 2 and 3 are OK), interest has slowly waned to the point where each site eventually dies.  You should consider yourself lucky that those sites lasted until 2008 / 2010!  We're lucky here, since Super Metroid is still generally heralded as the best in the series, and interest is still relatively high. :^_^:[/spoiler]

[FelixWright]

Solution: I got VBA-M. It is cross-plat as well.
SourceForge: http://sourceforge.net/projects/vbam/
Site: http://vba-m.com/

It does exactly what I want it to, and is incredibly simple.

I'll look into everything you posted for me!  :grin:
Let me spoiler the big posts too

[FelixWright]

MAKING PROGRESS!

[Hawntah]

- A guide for GeneSplicer would be nice; if any of you with experience can post one here, I would love you all forever and ever.

Guide: Don't use GeneSplicer. It's nowhere near as good as DH.

- Do hacks have to be an IPS file? Why aren't there any hacks with GBA? Does it have to do with something they did in the hack?

ROMs (*.gba files) contain copyrighted material, therefore distributing them is illegal, unlike an IPS patch which is just a list of changes between the modified ROM and the original and does not contain the actual game data.

All information in a game's ROM is just a long sequence of thousands (or millions) of bytes.  These bytes are usually stored in hexadecimal format (0123456789ABCDEF INSTEAD OF 0123456789).  This allows more data variations to be stored in less space.

Wrong. Data is stored in binary format (0's and 1's), it's displayed in hexadecimal format in a hex editor (every 4 bits correspond to 1 hexadecimal "digit") to make it easier for humans to read/edit.

For the GBATroids, I believe that's an entirely separate language, so it won't be ASM at all.

ASM is not one language. Each architecture has its own ASM language.

Do you compile to make an IPS? How does one make such file?

Each editor is different, but it'll be in the menu somewhere.

There is no "create IPS patch" option in DH, you'll have to use LunarIPS to create patches.

Since there hasn't been a great Metroid game since Zero Mission (Prime 2 and 3 are OK)

We're lucky here, since Super Metroid is still generally heralded as the best in the series

Not according to this.

[FelixWright]

Yeah, I learned GS was BS firsthand.

Still though, I see you mod ZM. We should IRC or something.

[Quietus]

All information in a game's ROM is just a long sequence of thousands (or millions) of bytes.  These bytes are usually stored in hexadecimal format (0123456789ABCDEF INSTEAD OF 0123456789).  This allows more data variations to be stored in less space.

Wrong. Data is stored in binary format (0's and 1's), it's displayed in hexadecimal format in a hex editor (every 4 bits correspond to 1 hexadecimal "digit") to make it easier for humans to read/edit.

Out of context, yes, it's wrong.  In the context of the question, which asked about hex in relation to hacking, it's correct.  Hackers are never going to deal with binary's 1s and 0s, and hex is all they'll see.

ASM is not one language. Each architecture has its own ASM language.

This doesn't really answer FelixWright's question.  Can you expand on it at all?

[Hawntah]

Out of context, yes, it's wrong.  In the context of the question, which asked about hex in relation to hacking, it's correct.  Hackers are never going to deal with binary's 1s and 0s, and hex is all they'll see.

I disagree. Nothing is stored in hexadecimal format, and most certainly not "instead of in decimal" as you claim. Hackers deal with 0's and 1's every time they deal with hex, because they are the same thing.

This doesn't really answer FelixWright's question.  Can you expand on it at all?

You're right, it doesn't. It does, however, (hopefully) prevent FelixWright from blindly believing your untrue statement that GBA ASM actually isn't ASM at all. If you're so interested in this topic, I suggest you try a Google search. You'll probably find much more in-depth and accurate information than I could ever provide you with.

[Quietus]

I disagree. Nothing is stored in hexadecimal format, and most certainly not "instead of in decimal" as you claim. Hackers deal with 0's and 1's every time they deal with hex, because they are the same thing.

You're arguing semantics.  FelixWright is a beginner, and is asking beginner questions.  When I used the word 'stored', I was referring to what he would see should he open the ROM in a hex editor to make changes.  And when I mentioned 'decimal', it was only to clarify that what he would see would not be the usual 0-9, but would instead be 0-F, which is how hex is displayed.

If you're so interested in this topic, I suggest you try a Google search. You'll probably find much more in-depth and accurate information than I could ever provide you with.

You misunderstand.  I have no interest in this at all.  I was merely hoping that, since you corrected my assumption regarding ASM usage in the GBATroids, you knew more about it, and could help FelixWright with his questions. :neutral:

[Hawntah]

You're arguing semantics.  FelixWright is a beginner, and is asking beginner questions.  When I used the word 'stored', I was referring to what he would see should he open the ROM in a hex editor to make changes.  And when I mentioned 'decimal', it was only to clarify that what he would see would not be the usual 0-9, but would instead be 0-F, which is how hex is displayed.

You misunderstand.  I have no interest in this at all.  I was merely hoping that, since you corrected my assumption regarding ASM usage in the GBATroids, you knew more about it, and could help FelixWright with his questions. :neutral:

One does not help a beginner by making deliberately misleading and false statements when answering their questions. Perhaps you should do your research first next time.

[Quietus]

Perhaps you should understand that bombarding newcomers with technical information beyond the scope of their question is not helping at all..?

[FelixWright]

If I understand correctly, this really isn't TOO technical at all. It may or may not be beyond the scope, but I like the information.
Hawntah is correct though, Hexadecimal code is like an abbreviated binary. Instead of having to write millions of bytes to do one simple task, you can shorten it by instead using letters.
I'm looking into ASM (I laughed at the link), and from what it says, I feel a similarity between ASM and hex. I'll keep looking at it in case I'm wrong, but it looks like you still deal with strings of numbers and letters.

(If it wasn't for my programming club, I would have no idea what ROM stood for, what binary was, and how hex...."counts?")

[Quietus]

Hawntah is correct though

Yes, we already established that, but you were asking about hex in relation to hacking, and how to change it, which is why I was answering in kind.  If you already knew the answer to your own question, are you saying me and Hawntah had a lovers' tiff for nothing?  Damn it!  Now we have to kiss and make up again... :glomp:

[FelixWright]

I knew what hex was, just not how to use hex in a game. This "lovers' tiff" you had got me to understand it.

[Quietus]

This "lovers' tiff" you had got me to understand it.

Hehe, see?  It was all worth it? :^_^:

:study:

[FelixWright]

One of the first things I'm gonna try to do is enable the fullypowered suit from start in ZM using hex if I can find it.

It was all worth it. :3

[Quietus]

There's a patch for that among PJ's stuff.  There's a link on our Doc's page.  Of course, it could be a worthwhile test to see if you can find it on your own. :^_^:

[Hawntah]

If you already knew the answer to your own question, are you saying me and Hawntah had a lovers' tiff for nothing?  Damn it!  Now we have to kiss and make up again... :glomp:

Ehh.. I think I'll pass.  :neutral:

There's a patch for that among PJ's stuff.  There's a link on our Doc's page.  Of course, it could be a worthwhile test to see if you can find it on your own. :^_^:

Unfortunately, that patch breaks bomb block chains and suit palettes and stuff, use the attached one instead (note: I have absolutely no idea why that one doesn't work properly and this one does, it might break the ROM in other, even more horrible ways).

[Quietus]

Yeah, there's also a note about the Zero Suit section, so be sure to save before it, just in case.

[Scooterboot9697]

Yeah, there's also a note about the Zero Suit section, so be sure to save before it, just in case.

I think that's only if you have it as an active codebreaker/gameshark/cheat code, although, I could be wrong...

[Quietus]

I'm not so sure.  It seems like a normal patch to me, and I'm just going on PJ's note:

Makes it so that you always have the suit the chozo gives you, which means you can't have the zero suit

[Scooterboot9697]

I'm not so sure.  It seems like a normal patch to me, and I'm just going on PJ's note:

Makes it so that you always have the suit the chozo gives you, which means you can't have the zero suit

:oh: Huh, well then, just use the Menu Hack? Because when you actually do enter the Zero Suit part, most of your items will be turned off, in which they'll need to be turned back on. Although, you'll still get the silly experience of going through the Mother Ship in your fully powered suit.
:colonrightv:

[FelixWright]

I patched them both together to give ZM an SM feel.