Message from DarkForce.

Carnivol · Post by **Carnivol** » Wed Jan 12, 2005 10:37 am

A salute in the direction of DarkForce!
Even though we rarely spoke, I miss seeing him around!

Personaly, I think I have the potential for becomming a great romhacker (yeah yeah, I know some of you must be laughing your heads off now, maybe I can't become "great" but I can atleast become "good")

Even though I've got a lack of stuff to show off (I blame that on my own fuck ups)

Anyway,
I learn from trial and failure, instead of just reading crap, I have to see how it works, how it behaves and I definitivly need to touch it!
I quickly see patterns in stuff, I'm good at mathematics, I'm patient with stuff, as in when I've first started on something, I rarely let go of it 'til I've fallen asleep or something unfortunate shows up that requires me to quit working on it.

Unfortunatly, I just lack the motivation to start something of my own...
I need someone to sorta say "ey, do something!", 'cause then I actualy do it right there, on the spot.

I'm like a dog...
Can learn tricks, but I wont do them on my own.
Someone has to take on them the task of teaching me the tricks.
And someone has to tell me to do the tricks after I've learned them!

Pombar the Englishman · Wed Jan 12, 2005 6:28 pm

Carnivol wrote:Personaly, I think I have the potential for becomming a great romhacker (yeah yeah, I know some of you must be laughing your heads off now, maybe I can't become "great" but I can atleast become "good")
Anyway,
I learn from trial and failure, instead of just reading crap, I have to see how it works, how it behaves and I definitivly need to touch it!
I quickly see patterns in stuff, I'm good at mathematics, I'm patient with stuff, as in when I've first started on something, I rarely let go of it 'til I've fallen asleep or something unfortunate shows up that requires me to quit working on it.

And modest to boot!

But seriously, carnivol may be overestimating his abilities a bit(or not, what do i know), he has the drive, right? Sure younger people don't have the intelligence to do the hardest yet, but if they're taught the basics now, they can learn as they get older, and when they reach your age-Bingo! Another Dark Force?

Vag · Post by **Vag** » Wed Jan 12, 2005 9:14 pm

Everything is needed. But I think that patience and persistence are even more important than intelligence. Also more rare...

Pombar the Englishman · Wed Jan 12, 2005 9:17 pm

Vag wrote:Everything is needed. But I think that patience and persistence are even more important than intelligence. Also more rare...

Alas, tis true... and yet educating each that comes along will eventually get at least 1 guy willing to put in the effort, right?

Nightcrawler · Post by **Nightcrawler** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 2:24 pm

All the education is already there. Romhacking.com is full of information for you to read.

Once you've mastered that stuff, it's up to you to further educate yourself and maybe ask a veteran when you get hung up. Each game is different. Some skills, no one can really teach you. Reverse engineering SNES code is something that you can't really get taugt. You just need to try and get used to how to find or look for certain things. It's a developed skill rather than a taught one.

Pombar the Englishman · Thu Jan 13, 2005 5:06 pm

Yeh... now i just wish when my old PC blew my parents hadn't bought me a Mac to replace it. (Darn those anti-PC peoples)

Louis Cypher · Post by **Louis Cypher** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 3:58 am

Nightcrawler, that's a brilliant way of putting it. I've never thought about it like that before.

That'll definitely get mentioned in TNRB if I ever do any more work on it :p

zdknight2002 · Post by **zdknight2002** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 4:20 am

DarkForce you are the man, sorry you have to go but we will always feel thankful to your contributions.

Nightcrawler · Post by **Nightcrawler** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 2:42 pm

Louis Cypher wrote:Nightcrawler, that's a brilliant way of putting it. I've never thought about it like that before.

That'll definitely get mentioned in TNRB if I ever do any more work on it :p

Thanks.

I guess there is still some intelligence locked away in that brain of mine! I was just speaking from experience. The developed skills is what turns a good hacker into a great hacker. I can reverse engineer and find common routines in minutes when it used to take me hours. Same goes for writing your asm hacks. You can bang them out in a few minutes as opposed to when you first learned. Things like that no one can teach you, you just develop your skills. However, people can give you pointers and tips that will help though.

Hexlord · Post by **Hexlord** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 11:35 am

I just found this thread and after reading it, my respect for someone like DarkForce has increased tremendously. Hope he gets better soon, and good luck to the ppl taking over the projects...

Tallgeese · Post by **Tallgeese** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 12:21 pm

Is the Dark Force who regged the real DF?

Post by **Nach** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:12 pm

Metatron wrote:Is the Dark Force who regged the real DF?

Yes. But that doesn't mean you should start PM'ing him with every request in the world.

Tallgeese · Post by **Tallgeese** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 2:18 pm

Nach wrote:
Metatron wrote:Is the Dark Force who regged the real DF?
Yes. But that doesn't mean you should start PM'ing him with every request in the world.

Oh come on, do I seem like the kind of guy who'd do that? Seriously. I was thinking it might be some poser using his name for kicks, thus my question.

Malcster · Post by **Malcster** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 3:20 pm

Also chiming in to wish Dark Force the best of luck in the future. I once thought I'd have the potential to make a good ROM hacker but after the first few failures I got really disenheartened.. and now the stuff I do in C++ means I have no real drive to learn ASM. Maybe I'll pick it up at some point during or after University, but then I become one of Nightcrawler's undergrad degree + job people.

Nightcrawler · Post by **Nightcrawler** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 6:59 pm

Haha.. I should change the name of Translation Corporation, get a few veteran hackers to join up and call ourselves:

Nightcrawler's undergrad degree + job people

Or something to that effect.

Shinrin · Post by **Shinrin** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 7:26 pm

well sorry to hear about df, i love ToP and SO translation, i haven't done much hacking cept for somewhat of a hard type of ff3/6 patch that works for the english and japanese version of ff6 but doesn't work with ff6 retrans, and i helped beta test ff6 retranslation. i have done hex editors like thingy and the ff6 editor that sometimes crashes. but i wish i could help with translation like inserting text and such... i have even done a Crono talking patch, which had lots of bugs in it.. =P and plus i been working on one on and off changing characters ff3.

Shinrin
RPGone Beta Tester

Malcster · Post by **Malcster** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 9:37 pm

Nightcrawler wrote:Haha.. I should change the name of Translation Corporation, get a few veteran hackers to join up and call ourselves:

Nightcrawler's undergrad degree + job people

Or something to that effect.

You got a deal, I'll see you in 3 and a half years

KaOSoFt · Post by **KaOSoFt** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 1:54 am

I must say I really appreciate DarkForce work on all these years.

The project that "introduced" me DeJap was Tales of Phantasia. Such great game deserved such awsome romhacking/translation work as yours. I am not a native english speaker, but that wasn't a barrier that stopped me from playing it. Although I love the game, I left the savegame just right before Dhaos Castle (final battle) and it was some weeks ago that I TRULY finished it.

DarkForce, our friend Magno (which I'm sure you know) is working in a "good" spanish translation as you may already know, and its progress is pretty nice.

Anyways, I just want to wish you good luck in this new stage of your life and thank you for ALL your hard work, specially multi-language projects... thank you, really.

Goodbye man...

PS: I'm pretty sure YOU won't read this, but I'd like to feel like I'm talking TO you.

Vault Dweller · Post by **Vault Dweller** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 2:53 am

I usually just browse these forums reading stuff here and there, but after seeing this I feel i must pay my respects to Dark Force and wish him a quick recovery.

Also, I'd be more than happy to learn ROM hacking, what with all the free time i have and all. I'm reading all the files i can find on it, and with exams having just finished, i have alot more time than usually. Don't know if i can be any good at it, but trying never hurt, and iv'e been encouraged to learn any kind of computer programming i can.

deathtok · Post by **deathtok** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 6:57 pm

Just wanted to throw in my thanks to Dark Force too. DeJap will remain a legendary group silent or not. Good luck in your future endeavors and thank you for the past ones.

** On the rom hacking note, I've been trying it with some NES stuff and it's tough. Not impossible though. But unfortunately I don't know Japanese and my skills (if any) are still in the beginner stages.

magno · Post by **magno** » Fri Feb 04, 2005 4:58 pm

Well, it has been a long long while since last time a posted here because i have been away from scene due to studies and job (I used to post more often in the previous forums), but it is sad to do it again to say goodbye a friend, a legend and a great person as DarkForce was.

As I told him last time I talked to him in IRC six months ago, he has always been my mentor, although he didn't have the slighest idea of who I was, but he was the mirror I wanted to be reflected in throughout my romhacker "side-life". I learned all I know about SNES by myself to one day be, hopefully, at his level of knowledge to keep a conversation about programming. I promise you that I could fully understand the hacks you made to ToP and I believe I had the answer to that problem you told me you had with memory (I had somewhere the doc I would had wanted to send you someday).

I think there haven't been one lonely day I didn't wish for your fully recovery and I am glad to read what Cidolfas has said about you. If there is somebody over the world that deserves the best luck,that is YOU, DarkForce.

A big hug from Spain from your friend Magno!

arcai · Post by **arcai** » Sun Feb 06, 2005 1:16 am

This is quite sad... I only recently discovered DeJap and rom hacking and I find out that one of the greatest rom hackers is leaving... even tho I am young I will do my best to become a great rom hacker and continue the legacy that DF has started... no matter how long or how much fustration it will take. And even tho I never met you... I shall miss you.

~Arcai

Ysarro · Post by **Ysarro** » Tue Feb 15, 2005 4:11 pm

I'm kind of an old-timer where all this is concerned. Been following various translation efforts since I got an FF5 translation many years ago, but never really contributed anything. I've followed DeJap's projects for long enough that I don't even remember when I started, or what set it off. Anyway, it seems woefully late and inadequate, but thanks Dark Force, and all the people you've worked with over the years on various projects, for the years of enjoyment I got from playing games you put so much effort into translating and patching.

Manbeast · Post by **Manbeast** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 6:06 am

As a long time fan, I have been quiet up to now for the most part. I have a great respect for DF and all the hours of new Square games that he has brought to light for me. I am happy to see that he will continue on with SO, because what has been done already is phenominal. I wish him the best and I hope that in the future he is able to recover his passion and find others willing to help him in his endevours.

Post by **grinvader** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 12:34 pm

Which Square games exactly ?