Category: pilot

  • Commercial Publishing Pilot

    Listing Your Romhack Patches for Sale

    For clymax’s projects, click here. You can also follow him on YouTube.

    For the first time, under a new pilot, mod-makers can engage clymax to serve as publisher of mods they’ve made.

    Such mods will be published under the following terms and conditions.

    1. The mod-maker agrees to a publishing cut of 25% from revenues after transaction processing fees and any store fees. In return, the publisher assists with marketing, sales, and distribution of the mod as the publisher sees fit. This includes matters of compliance related to the mod.
    2. The mod-maker has the option to request hacking assistance from the publisher in bifurcating a mod into public and private releases in a compliant manner. This can be of particular relevance to mods deemed non-compliant. The publisher provides such hacking assistance for an additional publishing cut of 25% (for a total of 50%). This includes ongoing technical support related to the bifurcation.
    3. The publisher can, for any reason or for no reason, decline entering into a publishing arrangement. For instance, certain types of mods may not be eligible for this pilot, such as due to reasons relating to compliance.
    4. The publishing arrangement can be terminated by either party with thirty days’ written notice, unless otherwise specified.
    5. The mod-maker retains any and all rights belonging to the mod-maker. The publisher retains any and all rights relating to the bifurcation if performed by the publisher. No rights are transferred between the mod-maker and publisher as part of the publishing arrangement.
    6. Although the mod patches are deemed as being legally published, neither party provides the other with indemnification if the mod patches are alleged as infringing the rights of others.
    7. No legal advice is rendered as part of the publishing arrangement. No client-attorney relationship is formed.
    8. All rights belong to their respective owners. No laws are violated by the mod or the publication of the mod’s patch.

    For more details or to discuss a publishing arrangement, DM clymax via Discord or Twitter/X.

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  • Whirlwind Fiesta

    Bonus Divisions Explored

    For the Whirlwind Fiesta event, click here. For clymax’s projects, click here.

    This post explores the newly split bonus divisions in the Whirlwind Four-Job Fiesta (FJF) event.

    A. Main Divisions I, II, or III

    Mod: FFV: Whirlwind (SFC)

    Complete your run in one of the three main divisions to qualify for the first bonus division.

    • Division I: Fiesta Competition
    • Division II: Fiesta Challenge
    • Division III: Custom Challenge

    For more on the main divisions, see here.

    B. Bonus Division IV-A

    Mods (pick only one per season):

    Final Fantasy

    • FF: Headwind (NES)
    • FFII: Upwind (FC)
    • FFIII: Crosswinds (FC)
    • FFIV: Downwind (SFC)
    • FFVI: Tailwind (SNES)

    Complete your run to qualify for the second bonus division.

    C. Bonus Division IV-B

    Mods (pick only one per season):

    JRPG

    • The 7th Saga: Runic (SNES)
    • Chrono Trigger: Timeless (SNES)
    • Dragon Quest: Ablaze (NES)
    • Dragoh Quest V: Molten (SFC)
    • FF Mystic Quest: Mystified (SNES)
    • Lufia: Fortified (NES)
    • Lufia II: Arise (NES)

    Note that flagship hack Dragon Quest VI: Aflame (SFC) is not currently eligible for redemption in the event.

    Complete your run to qualify for the third bonus division.

    D. Bonus Division IV-C

    Mods (pick only one per season):

    ARPG

    • Secret of Mana: Tremors (SNES)
    • Ys: Lost (FC)
    • Ys II: Forgotten (FC)
    • Ys IV: Unmasked (SFC)
    • Ys V: Sands of Time (SFC)

    Adventure

    • Blaster Master: Item Randomizer (NES)
    • Bionic Commando: Item Randomizer (NES)
    • Demon’s Crest: Item Randomizer (SNES)
    • Legacy of the Wizard: Item Randomizer (NES)
    • Romancia: Awakening (FC)
    • Super Adventure Island II: Item Randomizer (SNES)

    Note that flagship hacks Ys III: Wanderlust (SNES, FC) and Tales of Phantasia: Eternity (SFC) under ARPG and The Battle of Olympus: Item Randomizer (NES) and Willow (NES) under Adventure are not currently eligible for redemption in the event.

    The next bonus division is under planning and is not currently open. If and when that bonus division is open, complete your run in the current bonus division to qualify for the fourth bonus division.

    E. Bonus Division IV-D

    Mods (pick only one per season once division opens):

    ARCADE

    Fighting

    • Super Street Fighter II: Pulverized (SNES)
    • Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3: Pulverized (SNES)

    Shmup

    • Gradius III: Vaporized (SNES) (SA-1)

    Action

    • Contra: Vaporized (NES) (MMC-3)

    This division is not yet open, so mod redemptions are not yet available in this division.

    However, players who have obtained early access via GameJolt are allowed to play in this division, assuming all other requirements are met.

    If you complete your run, congrats! You’ve completed the main division and all bonus divisions in the event.

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  • Hacking Academy

    Pilot Program Launched

    For clymax’s projects, click here. You can also follow him on YouTube.

    Are you a beginner interested in learning how to hack roms of your favorite games? Having trouble grasping assembly coding on your own? Read on!

    Registration

    1. To join the hacking academy, the player warrants that he or she is new to romhacking. Coding experience in another discipline, e.g., web development, is OK.
    2. The player must not have had any publicly released hacks in the player’s name, in a way that credits the player as a hacker.
    3. The player must have passion for or fondness for the Final Fantasy franchise.
    4. Sign-ups are taken via a dedicated thread in the Discord. Please note, a player may be denied entry for any reason or for no reason.
    5. Especially for the pilot, enrollment may be limited and subject to availability.

    Making Your Hack

    1. If a player is accepted into the academy, the player will be given one calendar year to make a new romhack.
    2. The romhack should be of one of the following games: Final Fantasy I-VI.
    3. The romhack should be for one of the following systems: NES, SNES, and GBA. To be clear, Pixel Remaster (Steam/PC) versions are not accepted.
    4. The romhack can be any type of hack. Examples include comprehensive, improvement, levels, graphics, sound, bugfix, etc.
    5. The player is required to submit a hack description and seek approval by one or more mentors before commencing work on the hack.
    6. Please note, hack descriptions that correspond closely to a feature in one of clymax’s private hacks will likely not be approved.
    7. Important: assembly coding MUST be used in making the hack. Using an assembler and using binary editing are both OK. To be clear, only using game-specific tools is not acceptable for purposes of this program. Using such tools in conjunction with assembly coding is OK.
    8. Choice of debugger must be approved by one or more mentors. This is to ensure availability of a mentor well-versed in the debugger chosen by the player.

    Evaluation and Awards

    1. The player is required to submit the hack by the one-year deadline for evaluation by one or more mentors. The player may be required to explain how the hack was made.
    2. Hacks will be graded on a pass/fail basis. Please note, the decision is final and cannot be appealed.
    3. If the hack passes evaluation, the player will receive the “Certified Hacker” title from FFV Central’s Hacking Academy. Title recipients will be memorialized on the website. The title will also have a corresponding Discord role. The hack that passes evaluation will also be commemorated in a Hacking Academy Hall of Hacks on the website. This will also constitute the player’s graduation from the Hacking Academy.
    4. The player retains any and all rights related to his or her work on the hack. We kindly ask that FFV Central be given credit alongside the player in the hack, but this by no means a requirement and is up to the player.
    5. Terms of the program are subject to change from time to time to suit the needs of program.

    So, what do you think? Comment below, or come check us out on Discord.

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  • Commission a Self-Randomizing Mod

    Want to see your favorite game get randomized items every reset? Here’s your chance!

    For the Whirlwind family of mods, click here.
    For clymax’s projects, click here.

    For the first time, under a new pilot, players can commission research by clymax into creating an self-randomizing romhack of their game of choice.

    No, these are not site-based or app-based randos. Instead, on every reset you can get a new randomization.

    1. The research will be for creating an item randomizer for the chosen game. The game must not be a hack or a homebrew.
    2. No randomization scheme beyond L1 randomization is guaranteed. See clymax’s projects page here for more info on randomization schemes.
    3. The research can be commissioned by arranging for a pre-alpha version of the romhack to be listed on a digital store and purchasing the pre-alpha version.
    4. The cost of the commission is a flat fee of just $199 USD. Please note, to enable the low cost, no refunds will be provided.
    5. Although no ETA is provided for completing the research and delivering an initial build of the hack, a turnaround time of one to seven calendar days can be typical.
    6. A special Commissioner role is available to be awarded to the player in the Discord.
    7. If the research is successful, the player will receive nine additional game keys for the item-randomizing romhack to share with others (for ten copies total of the romhack patch). The game keys include access to all future updates to the romhack.
    8. The initial release of the romhack can be anywhere from an alpha state to a beta state. The work under the commission concludes when the romhack is anywhere from a beta state to a release state.
    9. If the research proves unsuccessful, the player can choose a different game to research. Effectively, the player does not pay for a failed research attempt. This process can repeat until research is successful.
    10. To enable the low cost of the commission, the modder retains all rights related to the romhack. The modder can maintain the hack as a private hack and, just like a private hack that was not commissioned, add the commissioned private hack as a listing on a digital store.
    11. To be clear, the commission does not include any public release of the romhack in any form.
    12. To enable the low cost, no major updates are guaranteed for a commissioned romhack. But additional commissions can be considered to expedite developing the romhack further.
    13. Currently, only the Super Nintendo and Super Famicom are supported as systems.
    14. The modder has discretion to decline a request for any reason or for no reason. Games listed as being unsuitable for rando modding are not eligible.
    15. All rights belong to their respective owners. No laws are violated by the commission, any work under the commission, or distribution of any deliverable resulting from the work.

    For more details or to discuss a commission, visit the comissions topic in the help channel of the Discord. You can also DM clymax.

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