Changes

With another command-line tool called [http://www.romhacking.net/utilities/224/ Atlas], you may re-insert that text file (after modifying it) in the ROM, and the tool will take care of updating the pointers. You can, for example, tell it to start inserting text in an empty yet accessible location at the end of the ROM. The possibilities are endless.

===Editing graphics with tile editors===

* IDA Pro with some user-made plugins can also take a ROM file from the system covered in said plugin, and try to disassemble its binary to a text file. Some emulators offer the option to do this if you give them which address in the ROM (or RAM) you want to disassemble from.

That is, not to mention the numerous cases where the developers DON'T want you to look at their code: so it's either protected against disassembler tools during runtime (Denuvo on PC games), compressed then the game uncompresses just what it needs to the RAM and executes from there (Ys 5 for the Super Famicom), or most of the programming is written in another arbitrary programming language and the remaining 10% recognizable assembly code for that hardware is just the part which translates that arbitrary languages and not much else - this is also called bytecode and is used in many RPGs, with a quite infamously complicated variant being present in Earthbound (Mother 2) for example.

* a documentation of the hardware you're working on (including the various registers, hardware registers for stuff like the VRAM, the memory addressing...)

* an opcode list for that hardware, which includes all the instructions allowed on that hardware which you'll encounter (in the game's original code) and probably will use (in the code you'll write as a replacement)

* a hex editor

* optionally, knowing how to use a cheat engine, since the RAM addresses it finds can lead to the instructions we need to find and eventually mod, in case those instructions affect those RAM addresses.

* any of the aforementioned disassembly solutions, as long as they can help you pinpoint which instructions in the original interest you and could be changed to achieve the effect you desire.

If you're more interested, check SMWCentral's boards for tutorials introducing you to SNES hacking with Super Mario World. Then if you feel more comfortable tackling harder stuff, you could learn PS1/PS2 assembly and translate/mod/fix some games.

* PS1: SLUS_*** or some variation

* PSP: EBOOT.BIN, BOOT.BIN

* '''Cheats:''' You modified some text and graphics in the final stage but can't be bothered to replay the whole game legitimately. In case the emulator doesn't support this natively, you might want to consider using [http://www.cheatengine.org/ Cheat Engine].

* '''Debuggers''' with the following features:

** '''Breakpoints:''' A breakpoint throws a fit and pauses the game if a specific address is tampered with. Of course, to know which address it is, you need to find it first with a cheat/RAM search.

===Emulators===

|+NES

|-

! scope="col"|Useful?

|-

|}

* '''FCEUX''' is the golden standard for emulator debuggers, it's a fully featured one and very newbie friendly. So please check it out even if you're not interested in NES games as it's an excellent starting point for game modding. It's one of the few emulators, alongside PCSX2 and PPSSPP, to include conditional breakpoints.

|+SNES

|-

! scope="col"|Useful?

|-

|-

|-

|}

* Older '''bsnes''' versions, and many of its forks - notably BizHawk and Marmelade, have an extensive VRAM viewer, some versions having ones topping NO$SNS, as well as a memory viewer. byuu says he wants to make a proper debugger himself called Loki (citing this as the reason for putting on hiatus the FEOE:Zero translation) but don't hold your breath for it.

* As for '''NO$''' emulators, right off the bat when you start it, they have a fully editable debugger (upper-left), RAM memory viewer (lower-left), hardware register (upper-right) and stack (lower-right). You can set breakpoints on addresses or programming lines (opcodes). You can view I/O status (for stuff like sound and DMA) with the F10 hotkey.

** Custom build allowing searching for unused RAM areas. If you want to change the game's programming you'll need to find an empty place in memory to put your new code, so this is extremely useful.

** Custom build allowing to select a DEBUG option under Slot-1. The console window will show every single file loaded off the cartridge in real time, and it's also logged to a text file. If you're, say, looking for the title screen to change it, you can this way narrow down which files you need to look for.

* [http://www.chmaas.handshake.de/delphi/freeware/xvi32/xvi32.htm XVI32]

* [http://www.romhacking.net/utilities/219/ Translhextion]

==Game-specific==

* [https://www.ff6hacking.com/wiki/doku.php FF6Hacking Wiki] – The most complete Final Fantasy VI hacking wiki with information on the SNES version but also on Final Fantasy VI Advance (GBA).

* [http://ffhacktics.com/ Final Fantasy Hacktics] – Community for FFT hacking with a variety of completed hacks, patches, and resources.

* [http://www.feshrine.net/hacks.html Fire Emblem Shrine] – An active and prominent Fire Emblem hacking community. Hosts a variety of completed hacks and FAQs to get you started.

* [http://serenesforest.net/forums/index.php?showforum=8 Serenes Forest] – Another active and prominent Fire Emblem hacking community, though perhaps a bit more active than Fire Emblem Shrine.

===The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past===

===Pokémon===

* [http://www.pokecommunity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=37 The PokéCommunity] – Very active (and helpful) Pokémon hacking community.

===Sonic the Hedgehog===

* [http://metroidconstruction.com Metroid Construction] – The most prominent and active Super Metroid hacking community currently. Hosts a large variety of hacks, resources, FAQs, and an active community and forum. Originated in m2k2 before becoming its own dedicated site.

* [http://wiki.metroidconstruction.com/doku.php Metroid Construction Wiki] – As its name implies, a wiki created by the Metroid Construction community.

==Downloads==

* [https://mega.nz/#F!R8RCnZZY!Zxyqoynu9GVWIwFHCISK2Q!og53jJJL ROM Hacks]

[[Category:FAQs]]