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general:why_rom_hack

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Why ROM Hack?

 Samus approves this page! So, you've got your brilliant idea for a Metroid game - your re-imagination of Super Metroid, or you just want to make Fusion suck less - and you want to make it into a game to show the world, but you don't know anything about programming for making your own game engine…

But wait, have you thought about ROM hacking? With ROM hacking, you can create your own game by editing the existing Metroid games covered here. ROM hacking can also be your first foray into game making! By giving you an easy platform to test your level design out on, you can make a quality game without needing to know anything about programming!

What games can I edit?

So, you decided you want to ROM hack, but which game are you going to pick? Below is a list of games that are hacked on MetConst by people.


Metroid: Zero Mission

 Metroid: Zero Mission MAGE Metroid: Zero Mission is the 5th Metroid game released in the Metroid series, released in 2004. Zero Mission is worked on by a few people over at MetConst. Documentation is still in the process of being written up for this game, but hopefully soon this wiki shall be host to that information.

Currently, the editor for Zero Mission is MAGE. MAGE is a new and improved editor by biospark and is currently in development. For more information please check the Zero Mission segment of the wiki.


Metroid

 Metroid Editroid The game that started the ball rolling, Metroid is the first game in the series. Released in 1986, Metroid is the second most hacked game, behind Super Metroid. However, it still has a good wealth of information around it and new advancements are being pushed forward, all of which are very exciting!

Editroid is the tool of use for when hacking Metroid. It was created by snarfblam in 2007 and is extremely comprehensive, even including a built in assembler for assembly tweaks located on this wiki. The editor is actively worked on by snarfblam and is continually receiving improvements to itself. For more information on Metroid hacking, please check the Metroid segment of this wiki.


Metroid II: Return of Samus

 Metroid II: Return of Samus Samus' second adventure in the Metroid series. Sadly, this one is the least hacked of all the games, because of how little documentation is available for this game, the state of the current editor not being the best, and the new one being too early on to be of much use…

But, with any luck, something may be popping up at some point! Stay tuned on the Return of Samus segment of the wiki.


Super Metroid

 Super Metroid SMILESuper Metroid was the 3rd game released in the Metroid series. Released in 1994, Super Metroid is the most widely hacked game due to its wealth of information that has been documented by MetConst, as well as its popularity with people as most people have fond memories of this game…

Most of Super Metroid editing is done using SMILE (Super Metroid Integrated Level Editor). SMILE was created in 2003 by Jathys; it features everything you would need to make a great ROM hack of Super Metroid, and what it can't edit is covered by the rest of the wiki in the Super Metroid segment.

In addition to this, most people on MetConst are comfortable with editing Super Metroid, so there is plenty of assistance if you require it.


Metroid: Fusion

 Metroid: Fusion MAGE Metroid: Fusion is the 4th Metroid game released in the Metroid series, released in 2002. Fusion is worked on by a few people over at MetConst. documentation is still in the process of being written up for this game, but hopefully soon this wiki shall be host to that information.

Currently, the editor for Fusion is MAGE. MAGE is a new and improved editor by biospark and is currently in development. For more information please check the Fusion segment of the wiki.


What Assistance Can I Get?

So, in addition to the wealth of knowledge on this wiki, Metroid Construction has an Active Forum of people who can answer any questions you may have. There is also an IRC Chatroom available for you to connect to which is populated by most of the active MetConstians and can be useful for a much quicker answer if needed.

The main site also hosts a Resources Page with lots of free resources for an aspiring hacker to use. All of these resources have been created by MetConstians to help you create the best hack possible.

Conclusion

So, you might have started unsure about how you feel about ROM hacking. Maybe the word hacking intimidated you, or perhaps you felt like you needed to know programming to get somewhere, but now you feel confident about ROM hacking, and hopefully, want to get started on a game! So head back to the Start page and pick a game and get hacking! Happy hacking MetConstian!

general/why_rom_hack.1546816539.txt.gz · Last modified: 2019/01/06 23:15 by felixwright