[Archived] Hack ideas: for those without the skill but with all the ideas.

[CM30]

I'd like to see a 2D sidescrolling Zelda game for the SNES or GBA.  Kind of like Zelda 2, except with high quality 16 bit graphics and audio and with more ideas from the later Zelda titles included (like more items to use as weapons).

I'm surprised little like this exists to be honest.

[Jeville]

Convert Top Gun (NES) into an outer space game.

[CM30]

Oh, here's a random interesting one:

Five Nights at Freddy's, in ROM hack form.

Not sure how it'd work best, but there are two awesome ways that game could be done as a hack or homebrew:

1. A fairly accurate clone of the mechanics using the Sega CD or something.  Heck, this game could probably even work on the CD-i to be honest.  Or even a more traditional system, if the scenes were significantly colour reduced.

2. A level in another game hack based on it.  It was a few years too late for a Mushroom Kingdom Fusion level, but come on, someone so has to make a game where your favourite characters are adventuring through the pizza parlour and dodging/defeating the rogue animatronics.  Would it make a mockery of the game's tone?  Oh sure, but come on, Mario or Sonic or Link or Mega Man or whoever going in 'all guns blazing' would be hilarious.  Especially if it had the MKF style guns, with the Metal Slug voices shouting 'heavy machine gun!' or 'rocket launcher!' respectively.

[Tsukiyomaru0]

Oh, here's a random interesting one:

Five Nights at Freddy's, in ROM hack form.

Not sure how it'd work best, but there are two awesome ways that game could be done as a hack or homebrew:

1. A fairly accurate clone of the mechanics using the Sega CD or something.  Heck, this game could probably even work on the CD-i to be honest.  Or even a more traditional system, if the scenes were significantly colour reduced.

2. A level in another game hack based on it.  It was a few years too late for a Mushroom Kingdom Fusion level, but come on, someone so has to make a game where your favourite characters are adventuring through the pizza parlour and dodging/defeating the rogue animatronics.  Would it make a mockery of the game's tone?  Oh sure, but come on, Mario or Sonic or Link or Mega Man or whoever going in 'all guns blazing' would be hilarious.  Especially if it had the MKF style guns, with the Metal Slug voices shouting 'heavy machine gun!' or 'rocket launcher!' respectively.

I second that idea. Would be quite the "wake-up call" on some people that claim FNAF is the best thing ever and etcetera, while it is actually a ridiculously simple to design game.

[Midna]

Heck you could probably make it a Pac-Man hack if you wanted, assuming you could find space in the ROM to replace all the ghosts with decent-ish representations of Freddy and co.

[TheLuigiLightning]

I'm really getting depressed with how there are no level hacks of Battletoads.  It's hands down the best game on the NES, and easily an under-appreciated game.  I really want someone to make a level hack of the game, because I certainly would not have the skill to do so.  However, if a level editor were to be made, I would have no problem making it myself.  So step one is to make a level editor for the game.  Any programmers?

[Tsukiyomaru0]

not sure if possible or not, but here's a pair of ideas for Sonic Advance 3:
- In 2 Players mode, grant the second player the same properites the AI had in Single Player. (infinite lives, dying doesn't affect first player, doesn't drop rings)
- A "solo mode", so you don't have to choose a partner.

[Gary_Oak]

I just noticed that the player movement physics in SMB 1/2/3 on Super Mario All-Stars doesn't feel "right" like in the NES originals, ditto for MM 1/2/3 in Wily Wars. It'd be great if someone managed to fix that one day.

[Jeville]

I just noticed that the player movement physics in SMB 1/2/3 on Super Mario All-Stars doesn't feel "right" like in the NES originals, ditto for MM 1/2/3 in Wily Wars. It'd be great if someone managed to fix that one day.

Yeah, Mario feels heavier in All-Stars (specifically SMB1 & Lost Levels) compared to the originals. I'm not sure if it's just the aesthetics that's making it look this way.

[aterraformer]

MM 1/2/3 in Wily Wars

I thought that was my Genesis controller.  That's too bad.

[KiddoCabbusses]

Yeah, Mario feels heavier in All-Stars (specifically SMB1 & Lost Levels) compared to the originals. I'm not sure if it's just the aesthetics that's making it look this way.

It's mostly SMB1/Lost Levels that have some physics/behavior changes.

Perhaps those who want a more accurate SMB1 on SNES might want to check the AGDQ TASBot stream from this year which featured of port of SMB1 to SNES re-done - I actually played that a good it, and it's mechanics are 100% the NES originals.

As for Wily Wars... that has a bunch more quirks that are harder to briefly summarize, but basically, that's the consequence of recoding the game from the ground-up. (as opposed to All-Stars, where it feels more like whatever changes were done were intentionally invoked by Nintendo.)
There's so much that could theoretically be fixed - slowdown, collision detection, damage counters, scaling of sprites (Protoman and Mega Man should be the same size, for crying out loud.), and changing how shooting and damage works so it's more accurate to the NES originals. Then, maybe when all of those are fixed, 4-6, 9 and 10 can be done "Wily Wars" style.

[aterraformer]

Then, maybe when all of those are fixed, 4-6, 9 and 10 can be done "Wily Wars" style.

I'd like to see that

[Dogeritos]

I know, I know, there's a 2D remake of OoT (well made, btw), but it'd be cool to see games like Twilight Princess and Wind Waker be demade into 2D games. It would be difficult, but how cool would it be to play 16-bit Wind Waker?! Does anyone agree?

[Chronosplit]

I just noticed that the player movement physics in SMB 1/2/3 on Super Mario All-Stars doesn't feel "right" like in the NES originals, ditto for MM 1/2/3 in Wily Wars. It'd be great if someone managed to fix that one day.

As for All-Stars, I know there's a hack in here that fixes a physics screwup.  However I hear down the grapevine that it's not compatible with some emulators or a real console.

[Tsukiyomaru0]

Just thought this one: GTA Chinatown hack that positions the camera a little more behind the player, to give a bit of the modern GTA vibe.

[bradzx]

I really want play 3 hearts challenge in A Link to the Past, but sadly it won't let you process the game until you get heart after defeat the boss.   It there a way to remove heart container after defeat boss or skip heart container? Let me know if you know someone who can remove it.

[Zoinkity]

I think that only applies to the first set of bosses.  You could try getting the labyrinth items first without completing in order to get the mirror.  Using it takes you back to the start, but not sure if it works in a boss room much less after they die.

Having done a minimum equipment run before I can say that won't be easy.

[CM30]

A Mario themed Majora's Mask ROM hack could be interesting.

Have it like Mario 64 DS where Mario uses caps to transform into Toad, Wario, Luigi and Waluigi (for the Deku, Goron, Zora and Fierce Deity forms respectively).

[FAST6191]

I really want play 3 hearts challenge in A Link to the Past, but sadly it won't let you process the game until you get heart after defeat the boss.   It there a way to remove heart container after defeat boss or skip heart container? Let me know if you know someone who can remove it.

Do cheats in SNES emulators have conditionals? I can not imagine it would be hard to start with an infinite health cheat but say if health is greater than ? (I do not know if there are half or quarter hearts) then set to 3 hearts. I can not remember if this will trouble the sword beam though.

[Jeville]

I'd like that for Link's Awakening DX too.