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Provided visual example of a Romhack |
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{{short description|Editing technique for video games}}
[[File:Halloween Hack Final Boss.png|thumb|''Radiation Halloween Hack'', a ROM hack of ''[[EarthBound]]'' by [[Toby Fox]]. In this screenshot, the player is in a fan-made boss fight.]]
'''ROM hacking''' (short for '''Read-only memory hacking''') is the process of [[Video game modding|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 typically redesign a game for an all-new, fun gameplay while keeping most if not all of the items the same, as well as unlocking and/or reimplementing features that existed in the game's code but are not utilized in-game.
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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