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{{short description|Editing technique for video games}}
'''ROM hacking''' (short for '''Read-only memory hacking''') is the process of modifying a [[ROM image|ROM image or ROM file]] to alter the contents contained within them, usually of a [[video game]] to alter the game's graphics, dialogue, levels, gameplay, and/or other elements. This is usually done by technically inclined video game fans to improve an old game of importance, as a creative outlet, or to make new, unofficial games using the old game's engine. ROM hacks
ROM [[Hacker (hobbyist)|hacking]] is generally accomplished through use of a [[hex editor]] (a program for editing non-textual data) and various specialized tools such as [[tile-based video game|tile]] editors, and game-specific tools which are generally used for editing levels, items, and the like, although more advanced tools such as [[assembly language|assemblers]] and [[debugger]]s are occasionally used. Once ready, they are usually [[#Distribution|distributed]] on the [[Internet]] for others to play on an [[Console emulator|emulator]] or a games console.<ref name="dictionary">{{cite web|url=http://www.romhacking.net/dictionary/?page=dictionary|title=Dictionary of ROM hacking terms|website=ROMhacking.net}}</ref>
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Most hacking groups offer web space for hosting hacks and screenshots (sometimes only hosting hacks by the group's members and hosting almost any hack), a message board, and often have an [[Internet Relay Chat|IRC]] channel. There are also many guides created by several hacking groups that aims to help others get into grips with ROM hacking for the first time,
One of the most popular sites devoted to the ROM hacking of games was {{Anchor|Romhacking.net}}ROMhacking.net, which first went online in late 2005.
==Methods==
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===Palette editing===
Another common form of hacking is ''palette hacking'', where color values are modified to change the colors a player sees in the game (this often goes hand-in-hand with [[#Graphics editing|graphics hacking]]); Palette values are commonly stored in [[Hexadecimal|Hex]]. This is fairly easy for [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]] games, the graphics of which use a pre-defined set of colors among which a game selects (using a [[YIQ]]-based color palette); palette hacking in this case entails changing which of those colors are selected. The matter is slightly more complicated with [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super NES]] games as well as games for other systems (which included [[Sega Genesis|Sega Mega Drive
===Level editing===
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As many Game Boy Advance games use the M4A Engine (informally called "Sappy Driver" and officially known as "MusicPlayer2000" or MP2k) for music, the program SapTapper can be used to hack Game Boy Advance music data. Various other utilities were created to work with the engine such as [https://web.archive.org/web/20160306150654/http://www.pokemonhackersonline.com/showthread.php?t=120-Wataru-Kun-s-Ultimate-Pok-mon-Music-Hacking-Guide Sappy 2006]. Another instance of the same engine being used between games is on the Nintendo 64 where most games use the same format; albeit with different sound banks for each game. A utility known as the [https://github.com/jombo23/N64-Tools/tree/master/N64MidiTool N64 Midi Tool] was created to edit the sequences that the majority of Nintendo 64 games use, however it does not cover first-party N64 titles that use a slightly different engine such as ''[[Super Mario 64]]''.
Several games for the [[Sega Genesis|Sega Mega Drive
===ROM expansion===
Generally speaking, a ROM hacker cannot normally '''add''' content to a game, but merely '''change''' existing content. This limit can be overcome through ''ROM expansion'', whereby the total size of the ROM image is increased, making room for more content and, in turn, a larger game. The difficulty in doing this varies depending on the system for which the game was made. For example, expanding an NES ROM may be difficult or even impossible due to the [[Multi-Memory Controller|mapper]] used by the game. For example, if a mapper allows 16 ROM banks and all of them are used, expanding the ROM further is impossible without somehow converting the game to another mapper, which could be easy or extremely difficult. On the other hand, expanding an SNES game (and even a Mega Drive
==Distribution==
Once a hack is completed (or an incomplete version is deemed suitable for an interim release) it is released onto the Internet for others to play. The generally accepted way to do this is by making an [[unofficial patch]] (in IPS format or others) that can be applied to the unmodified ROM.<ref name="dictionary"/> This, and usually some form of documentation, is put in an archive file and uploaded somewhere. IPS is a format for [[File comparison|recording the differences]] between two binary files (in this case, between the unmodified and hacked ROMs) and is suitable for rom hacks.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pokemon Rom Hacks |url=https://www.inversegamer.com/best-pokemon-rom-hacks |website=InverseGamer.com |date=20 September 2020 |access-date=31 March 2021}}</ref> IPS is still used today for small patches—however, as ROMs became larger, this format became useless, leading to quite a few file formats being created—such as NINJA and PPF (also known as "[[PlayStation]] Patch Format"). PPF is still used today, particularly to patch large files such as ISO [[CD-ROM]] images as well as [[Nintendo 64]] games. A new patch format, UPS, has also been developed by the ROM hacking community, designed to be the successor to IPS and PPF.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.romhacking.net/forum/index.php/topic,6059.0.html|title=New patching format, UPS, debuts today|website=www.romhacking.net|date=27 September 2023 }}</ref>
A more recent patching format, the APS patching system, has also been developed by a devoted Game Boy Advance ROM hacker.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pokecommunity.com/member.php?u=28656|title=The PokéCommunity Forums - View Profile: HackMew|website=www.pokecommunity.com|date=27 June 2006 }}</ref>
The main purpose of distributing a hack in patch form is to avoid the legal aspects of distributing entire ROM images; the patch records only what has ''changed'' in the ROM, hence distributing it does not usually distribute parts of the original game. In this
In a novel example of legal distribution, Sega released a [[Steam (service)|Steam]]-based virtual hub for its previous collection of Mega Drive
==Usage==
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==Systems and games==
The majority of ROM hacking is done on [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]] and [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|SNES]] games (including [[Sega Genesis|Sega Mega Drive
<!-- This paragraph isn't here to list every single game that has been hacked, just the most commonly hacked ones. -->
Of these, popular games to play are popular games to hack; many hacks have been released of games of the ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (series)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' series, ''[[Mario (franchise)|Mario]]'' series (including ''[[Mario Bros.]]'', ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'', ''[[Super Mario Bros. 2]]'', ''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]'', ''[[Super Mario Land]]'', ''[[Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins]]'', ''[[Super Mario 64]]'' and ''[[Super Mario World]]''), ''[[Mario Kart]]'' series (
A notable hacked arcade game was ''[[Street Fighter II: Rainbow Edition]]'', which featured increased game speed and new special moves. The success of this game prompted Capcom to release ''[[Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting]]'' as an official response.
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