Not sure if this is the right place, but whatever, I am thinking of making my own pokemon rom hack for soul silver I want to change dialogue and sprites maybe also add h-scenes. Is there any good simple guide to do that ?
Even change dialogue mod would be nice for start. I am not a programmer, or hacker, but there should be a list of text right, that I could just rewrite ? The idea of a more adult pokemon is awesome. It would also be kinda a dating sim that allows to date all trainers, like you get numbers after beating them in heart gold, that could work like a dating app system. I have a lot of ideas. Just there do I start. I played psychic adventures as a teen. That hack that lets you train hypno. The maker seemed to have chaged dialogue sprites and added h.scenes. How to do that ?
so is this something doable, probably since at the core you change the code of the game and i imagine other people have done something similar, the question is just how much work it is
So, the first thing you need to decide is whether you want to make a ROM hack or go the Pokémon Essentials route. Both have their pros and cons, so here’s a quick breakdown to help you figure it out:
- ROM Hack, You’ll be modifying an existing game (like Soul Silver), so a lot of the base game is already set up for you. It's also easier to play on mobile later. The downside? You're a bit more restricted in what you can add/change compared to Essentials (but truthfully there are told to get around this).
- Pokémon Essentials: This gives you a lot more creative freedom, so you can build pretty much anything from the ground up, including those dating sim elements. But it requires more work since you'll have to build more things from scratch (but a lot of people give out free resources on the internet including map packets). Also, it’s trickier to get it working on mobile.
To get a feel for each, check out these guides:
- For Essentials Thundaga’s YouTube guide gives a great intro to making games with Essentials.
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- For ROM Hacking Retro's guide is good for understanding ROM hacks.
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Both guides are a bit outdated, but they’ll still give you a solid understanding of how the development process works.
Just keep in mind, since I work with Essentials, I can't offer much advice on ROM hacking itself, but I can point you in the right direction.
If you want to ask questions and see the work of others, these are great places to look into
- ROM hacking community r/PokemonROMhacks
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- Pokémon Essentials info r/PokemonRMXP
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Also, here are some good spots for resources and help where it is more mixed
- Eevee Expo
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- PokéCommunity
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Good luck with your project!
