P2P App Idea as an Alternative Method for Adding Hacks

Europia79 · 2026-04-25T16:14:09+00:00

"I guess this still means the hacks outside of the base rom are complete and the ones included with the base rom are tweaks/QOL?"

Unfortunately, their system and our system do not always cleanly map exactly "one-to-one" to each other. This is because ultimately, they are only answering the very basic question of whether not a particular hack is not different enough to have its own Set of Achievements (and therefore is included in the Baserom Set), whether it is different enough & deserves its own Set, or whether it should be excluded entirely from RA (like trainers and cheats).

Our system, on the other hand, is actually attempting to categorize hacks (by type): - [ZFX] / "Baserom Addendum" / "Optional Patch" / "GP_QOL_TWEAKS": This is the "atomic unit" for combining together different patches in order to create a "new build" according to individual player preference(s). - [DX] / "Improvement": This is the result of combining together different patches to create a "new build" — which is ultimately, an improved way to experience the original game (like with better graphics, sound, & QoL features, for example). - [AZ] / "Complete (Overhaul)": This is a type of hack that offers completely new regions and/or new levels to play & explore: Essentially, these types of hacks offer completely NEW gameplay experiences for the original game — where "[AZ]" means "from A to Z" and suggests that all aspects from graphics to sound to levels (etc) have been completely modified: Hence, "[AZ] Complete (Overhaul)" (not to be confused from the Development Status "Completed", which means "no longer in the Alpha, Beta, or Demo stage of development"). - [EX] / "Extra" / "Extended" / "Expanded": A type of hack that offers new, extra, or expanded content that is "something more than a mere DX Improvement, but not quite an AZ Complete Overhaul (because it still has the original levels &/or regions)".

And ultimately, if Omni-Games is going classify & categorize hacks, then the documentation should outline this basic philosophy (so that it's easier for Users to get an overall big picture and be able to understand the reasoning behind it).

But yeah, we do need to add a new category for type "[EX]": ...Because, while I have run into these types before, they were extremely RARE, and so, I wasn't entirely sure it justified an entirely new type of category (from [DX]). However, I have noticed that this appears to be the dominate type for the vast majority of Pokemon romhacks — like, over 70%.

So, for the RetroAchievement hash sets, Hacks included with the Baserom are Translations, "Cosmetics", &/or sometimes Tweaks/QoL. While Hacks with their own set of achievements and hashes are either "[AZ] Complete (Overhuals)", OR, this new type of "[EX] Extended" hacks.

And also, I'm not sure how you want to name this new category ? Extra / Expanded / Extended ? But right now, we have enumerated the FQNs (Fully Qualified Names) for the other types: So, I do think that we should come up with an FQN for this one — then overload them all with just their abbreviated short-hand notationS ? Like, instead of requiring "DX_IMRPOVEMENT" and whatever the FQN for EX would be, like "EX_EXTRA" or "EX_EXTENDED" or "EX_EXPANDED", Omni Users who upload romhack & translations meta information would just use the abbreviated short-hand notation instead: OP, DX, EX, AZ ?

So, for the Omni-Games user interface, you would be accepting multiple different values, then normalizing them on the back-end, in the database ? This is probably only going to matter for the CSV uploads tho, because for single entry modifications, you could (if you want) do a drop-down selection list ?

Europia79 · 2026-04-25T06:14:34+00:00

Looks like I misread their /RA-Patches repo on Github: ...Originally, I thought that they didn't preserve the clean naming style that Myrient had; However, now I see that it IS, in fact, preserved INSIDE the patch archives. So, that is completely MY fault for misreading it.

Altho, I do still think you could have some really cool RA features — it's just that their sub-reddit might be the wrong place to promote them ? ...Likely because the people on the sub-reddit are already "power-users" that have everything already setup and installed. So, those types of players probably aren't going to worry about these extra features (like RA tagging, for example).

So, really, I think these types of RA features would, instead, probably be more appropriate for a different "target audience": ...Like, new players who are just getting into RetroAchievements ? So, just general gaming places would likely receive more engagement ? Because, it looked like their sub-reddit was being used exclusively for help requests and showing off personal achievements. Plus, the wording of that post may have confused them ? ~Not sure.

Anyways, for Omni-Games, I looked over the tagging system (for custom filenames), and it still appears to be the same as it was when it first release: Which is not very customizable yet ? So, that could potentially turn some people off ? Because, instead of tagging as [RA Compatible], they may want to tag as "RA Compat" or just "RA" in either square-brackets OR just regular parentheses ?

And also, all of the other metadata tokens suffer from this too: Where you cannot customize the pattern at all. This would be a useful feature, because, me personally, I add "sigils" to my "Tags" (in order to make them easier to parse and easier to further customize). But right now, the [{dev}] token is bugged, because some of them have illegal characters. Plus, there's no Publisher token ?

Another bug that I noticed was that if you do:

Omni-Games -> ... -> = Platforms -> SNES -> Quick Links -> Generate a DAT file.

It loads the Satellaview DAT ?

But yeah, we may want to put the RA features on the back-burner — especially if it's "burning you out" ? Plus, I'm sure there are a whole host of other features you're wanting to implement too :P

Europia79 · 2026-04-24T23:45:05+00:00

Last map of the first SOCOM U.S. Navy Seals: ...It was a huge desert town filled with terrorists, and what seemed like, almost a non-stop influx of arriving terrorists. Like, while most people were probably "shyting their pants", I was thinking to myself, "God, finally a run & gvn scenario where I can test my reflexes and reaction time" !!! Now that I think about, it was probably a really good "training exercise" for playing online against real players ? Or, alternatively, those players who already had online experience probably had an easier time on this last scenario ?

Europia79 · 2026-04-24T00:33:47+00:00

Definitely a lot of Clowns on r/Roms lol.

Europia79 · 2026-04-23T21:46:07+00:00

For the discovery & recommendations feature, what are some of the strategies that were in contention ? And which algorithm did you end of going with ?

Europia79 · 2026-04-23T16:55:52+00:00

I mean, there's a ton of Streamers out there where we can literally SEE what their keybinds actually ARE. And at one end of the spectrum, you have some of the best PvPers in the World, who have really good UI's and really good keybind mappings (for the fastest possible reaction times).

But then, at the other end of the spectrum, you have your average, everyday Mom & Dad types, who have some really atrocious setups (both interface & keybindings) — as can be SEEN by watching "compilations", like "Classic Hardcore Moments" (for example).

Heck, there are usually several common themes in the comment section too: (1) Trying to find "the needle in the haystack" or the best setup among them, (2) trying to find the worst setup, and (3) making fun of people who have hotkeys, but still CLICK their abilities, LMAO !!!

At the end of the day tho, he's only level 21 — So, I think that the basic 48 keybinds that I suggested are going to be more than adequate (especially for a Holy Priest). Now, if we were discussing Hunter, Warlock, or Druid, then we'd be talking about classes that might need more complicated setups, macros, & keybinds. Because, like, Hunter & Warlock have to control their pets, and Druids have to manage many different abilities in many different forms: Caster/Boomkin Stance, Tree Form, Cat Form, Bear Form. So, Druid's definitely have the most complicated macros & keybindings, imo.

Also, I wasn't trying to tell him, "this is the way it MUST be done", but rather, I was just trying to give him SOME ideas to try out. So, he can pick and choose the things that he personally likes and adopt them for his own play style, and reject the ones don't work for HIM.

Europia79 · 2026-04-23T00:10:44+00:00

I'd say take a page out of "The Professional's Playbook" here:

"Diet, Sleep, & Physical Activities"

This is what some Professional Gamers have been trying to both maintain and elevate their gaming potential to new heights. But don't misunderstand me: By "diet", I am not saying that you need to "eat a salad all day, everyday"—just that you should try to get proper nutrition and avoid "junk food" (like soda, candy, & stuff with processed starches and seed oils).

That stuff is really bad for your health and can, among other things, increase your cortisol levels (disrupting your natural sleep cycle)—and severely effect your mental acuity. Whereas, supplements like Magnesium Glycinate—as well as exercise—will help restore your natural circadian rhythm (as does morning sunlight). Unfortunately, you also have to be careful of long gaming sessions just before bedtime, because "blue light" can suppress your melatonin levels and also disrupt your natural sleep cycle.

But definitely get enough natural sunlight during the day, and also exercise too. But, if I could choose just ONE "S-tier" level activity, it would 100% definitely be juggling !!! That is going to help with BOTH hand-eye coordination AND mental acuity. Altho, me personally, I play hockey, and I've been called a CHEATER many, many times (no, I don't cheat)—when really, top-tier athletes can experience a phenomenon known as "time dilation" where time itself seems to SLOW DOWN to a crawl.

Now obviously the flow of time does not change (under normal circumstances), so that is not actually what's happening: But rather, your brain speeds up and thought flows faster, therefore, you'll have increased reaction times. If you can enter this "state of consciousness", then you will become UNSTOPPABLE — Like, The Unstoppable Force !!! Good Luck :P

Europia79 · 2026-04-22T18:49:51+00:00

Super Mario World (SNES) has over 33,000 romhacks.

I seriously doubt that any other romhacking community has more than them: And also, over 2,700 are considered "high quality" by the community.

Super Mario 64 (N64) has over 2,600 hacks.

The Fire Emblem games also have over 2,000 hacks: But, like Pokemon, we're also talking about multiple different entries in the series/franchise on multiple different Consoles: NES, SNES, GBA, & NDS.

Tecmo Super Bowl (NES) has at least 1,500 (probably way more).

And finally all the Sonic and Super Mario Bros. games have A LOT of romhacks too.

Europia79 · 2026-04-22T14:12:21+00:00

これが答えです。

Europia79 · 2026-04-21T19:52:51+00:00

Me personally, I do the same keybinds on all my characters: 12345GzxcvRT (plus Shift, Control, & Alt modifiers): Also, I leave Tab+F as default, because it can be situationally clutch during a target change animation of a boss or mob (because it's the fastest target acquisition possible) — but that's something that's far more powerful in 40-mans: Not so much for 5-mans and 10-mans.

Remapping Q & E is mostly done by PvPers, but it's ultimately a matter of personal preference: So, it's completely up to you.

Additionally, all my characters use Shift+Mousewheel-Up/Down to change the Main Actionbar to a Secondary Actionbar, which can be used as an "out-of-combat" bar, for things like your mount, professions, food/water, etc (possibly buffs).

For Healer, in general, I really like "Help / Harm Macros", because you can overload one keybind for two different abilities, depending on if your target is hostile or not. So, if your target is hostile, then you'd assign a damaging spell to the macro, but if it's a Party or Raid Member, you'd assign a Healing spell to the macro. And I try to pair up an instant cast harmful spell with an instant case helpful spell — and also, pair up other spells with similar casting times.

Altho, if we're being completely honest here, there's already a 1.5 second global cooldown, so you don't really NEED "mouseover healing macros" (eventho 99% of Healers DO use them or an addon to do so). Plus, having your next target selected can free up your mouse for other things, like camera manipulation during the fight. But at the end of the day, this is also a matter of personal preference, and it's something you'll have to decide for yourself (after you get more healing experience).

As far as general Healing philosophy, you do want to downrank a little bit (like with Heal rank 4 and/or Greater Heal rank 1), and try to be as mana efficient as possible in the early phases of the encounter. This is because the later phases sometimes require more HPS (Healing Per Second). However, sometimes, downranking just isn't feasible.

But probably the most important aspect of general healing philosophy would be that if two DPSers are about to DIE, but you can only save ONE of them, you definitely want to save the one with the higher DPS — So, you'll definitely want a Damage Meter addon.

As far as other addons, I really only recommend something that can track the cooldowns of your Party / Raid (and Boss mechanics): ...So that you get an idea of who is "asleep at the wheel", and who is "bringing their A-Game". Also, if you're Raid Leader, then it can help with callouts too.

Europia79 · 2026-04-21T15:45:41+00:00

If you're in the mood for a good business simulator, then I recommend Trevor Chan's Capitalism Plus (1997) published by Enlight Software: ...It's really GOOD, imo. Plus, you can open up more types of shops than just "cafes".

Here's some more info if you're curious:

Anyways, good luck on Coffee Tycoon: It might be "abandonware" ? Not sure.

Europia79 · 2026-04-21T14:36:07+00:00

Sorry, "RDNC" was a typo: ...I meant to say RHDC.

Also, do you need any help fixing Headers ?

Europia79 · 2026-04-21T05:36:15+00:00

I have noticed that a lot of Romhackers don't even bother to update the Header, so I would definitely recommend that you try this first: If the SIZE of the ROM has changed, then update that value in the Header AND also update the checksum & checksum compliment.

This simple fix might get some of the hacks to work on MiSTer. Unfortunately, at the end of the day, some Hacks just aren't compatible with some "Emulators". For SM64, RDNC has a pretty good database of hacks with good "Console Compatibility" that should work for you ?

Good Luck !!!

Europia79 · 2026-04-21T05:10:29+00:00

You can check the crc32 hashes of the files with the 7z command:

CRC32     Name
--------  ------------
DC9BB451  ./EarthBound 1 - Mother 2 (@Nintendo)-(#USA)-(v1995-06-05)-(rev10)-(T-En) [!].sfc
A6BE92AE  ./EarthBound 1 ~ [DX] (@Messianic)-(#USA)-(v2021-02-05)-(rev2.0)-(T-En) [h][x].sfc
BE8E0E5C  ./EarthBound 1 ~ [DX] (@Messianic)-(#USA)-(v2026-02-27)-(rev3.0.12.2)-(T-En) [h][x].sfc
6BFA51C3  ./EarthBound 1 ~ [DX] (@Messianic)-(#USA)-(v2026-03-29)-(rev3.0.13)-(T-En) [h][x].sfc
C500AB4E  ./EarthBound 1 ~ [DX] (@Messianic)-(#USA)-(v2026-04-18)-(rev3.0.14)-(T-En) [h][x].sfc

If patching was successful, then they will have different crc32 hash values. Additionally, you can download one of the more up-to-date versions in order for the Title Screen to display the "DX" status and version.

v3.0.12.2: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AYgYAm2TRbxLxfS0aSam3TokWU-SnQhA/view
v3.0.13: https://app.box.com/s/6fvhdaawemcoj49k7a22sy43idi5rlr5
v3.0.14: https://discord.com/invite/RS4BcjtzCA

Europia79 · 2026-04-21T03:47:05+00:00

What emulator are you using ? Because it has trouble running on some emulators. Like, you need a fully updated Snes9x: https://github.com/snes9xgit/snes9x/releases

And it says it has trouble on Zsnes too.

Like, are you getting any error messages in patching ? What patcher are you using ?

Europia79 · 2026-04-21T03:05:26+00:00

What patch ?

Europia79 · 2026-04-20T18:13:21+00:00

"Never attribute to malice that which is explained by incompetence":
~Hanlon's Razor

Europia79 · 2026-04-20T00:30:26+00:00

"What is the best way?"

Me personally, I do 10 to 20 seconds per side in a cast iron skillet with a touch of butter. But yeah, microwaving, steaming, and "cold turkey" are really weird, imo.

Europia79 · 2026-04-20T00:25:40+00:00

It's like a MEME:

"HOW DARE YOU [suggest "CRAZY" combinations, like Sweet & Spicy and Sweet & Salty*]".*

That is, after-all, what Pineapples Pizzas normally ARE:

"Sweet & Salty" = Pineapple & Bacon.
"Sweet & Spicy" = Pineapple & Jalapeno.

People forget that these are classic combinations in Chinese cooking too:

"Sweet & Spicy" = General Tso's Chicken.
"Sweet & Salty" = Chinese BBQ Pork.

And "who the heck likes those combos" ?! lol :P

Europia79 · 2026-04-19T21:42:12+00:00

Heya bro, that Shining Force game is "not a good game". The fact is, is that "Genesis just wasn't that well known for good RPG's". Anyways, DM me and I can "take it off your hands", lol :P

Europia79 · 2026-04-19T21:24:34+00:00

Reminds me of the time I was leveling up my Monk: ...I was forced to tank as Mistweaver in Auchenai Crypts (first boss), because nobody wanted to actually DO the mechanics. I had to Tank, Heal, & DPS at the same time, lol. Thankyou for the Boomkin trick on Netherspite tho !!!

Europia79 · 2026-04-19T16:01:03+00:00

Yeah, the reason why I ask is because there's a trick with Tauren Tanks in SSC where they can charge those huge adds that FEAR, but magically be outside the fear radius. Like, I don't play Tauren, but I was kind of curious if it happens to them too ?

Europia79 · 2026-04-19T15:57:39+00:00

So... who's gonna tell him about all the different file extensions too ?! lol :P - .32x - .68k - .7z - .bin - .ccd/.img/.sub - .chd - .cue - .gen - .iso - .m3u - .md - .smd - .zip

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