Originally I wanted to make a thread on "how to make good hacks" but that's far too subjective and I'd get my ass burned. So instead I thought it'd be better to have an open ended discussion on how we think hacks should be made, seeing as most of this subforum is just guides and releases, objective topics. I'm hoping this thread will cover multiple subjects such as gameplay, art, and level design, but I'll start fairly general. From my perspective there's 2 kinds of hacks: "Sequel" hacks and gimmick hacks. My use of sequels doesn't necessarily mean it's Sonic 5/6/7 or whatever, but rather a hack that tries to be a new adventure using the core Sonic gameplay as a base, for some recent examples, Hellfire Saga and Sonic Isles of the Magnetic Artifacts comes to mind. Gimmicks are pretty obvious, they change up the game's core mechanics and do something interesting with it, for example, CrazySonic and Sonic 1 Freefall, or by my definition even character swap hacks. I'm of the opinion that when you make a sequel hack, creativity needs to take priority over technicality. It doesn't matter how optimized your engine is, or if you added the Spindash, I don't want to play it if it's just Green Hill, Marble, Spring Yard, etc again. When you make a 'new adventure' I expect a new adventure. I don't mind if tropes of the original are used, Sonic 2 Advanced Edit's Neo South Island invokes ideas of Green Hill, however it's not Green Hill and I'm okay with that. On the opposite end, I don't mind if gimmick hacks use (mostly) vanilla assets, as the actual gimmick is what I'm interested in and focusing on. Personally I also prefer gimmick hacks as in my mind that's what it means to ROM hack, to twist a familiar game on it's head. That said, I still respect sequel hacks, at least the ones that put in the effort. So let's talk, what are the things you look for in a hack?
I only look for one thing in hacks: good design that makes for a fun experience. I don't mean to sound snobbish, but from my experience many Sonic hacks are technical marvels, but just... aren't very fun to play IMO. Whether they're "sequel" or "gimmick" hacks. The former tend to suffer from poor or dull level design. The latter tend to suffer from poor balance. The added or tweaked mechanics might be a great showcase of programming, but they often feel either superfluous, or game-breaking, eliminating much of the difficulty. I feel many of those "gimmick" hacks could benefit from level design tweaks to accommodate the gimmicks. You know, just like KIS2 tweaked the level design to account for Knuckles' abilities. Of course, I don't mean that this applies to all hacks. There are many Sonic hacks that are genuinely great experiences. But it's just kinda frustrating to see hacks that are technical wonders be held back by poor design. It feels like such a waste.
