Hello KCMM. This is Black Boo, or "The guy that does all the Zelda hacks." This topic is a bit of a public service announcement to the hackers here.
What I want to talk about is hacks and their...creativity. Yes, their creativity. I'm noticing that the creativity in BrawlVault is reaching a frightening low. Why you say? Well, isn't the fact that just the other day, there were three Shadow hacks on the top downloads per day list proof enough?
Another thing, besides the multiples of hacks out there that's diminishing the creativity here is simple recolors. Now I realize that for some members, vertex editing is difficult. But really, if you're going to do a recolor, don't do something that's been done already, and if it hasn't been done, make it original. I'd hate to point out a specific hack, but the Black and Gold ones come to mind. The BnG Peach was good, but the BnG Zelda...not so much.
besides, that's what the vertex request forums are for. If you want to make a hack and be able to publish it, ask around the forum for an edited model, but not an edited texture, and say that you're going to release it yourself, but don't forget to give credit.
Although I suppose that really doesn't matter since a lot of people constantly ignore request threads. True I can understand that a lot of them are rather far fetched, but if you're out of ideas and in a slump, give them a look, and see if you can't find something manageable. Lend a hand, make a fellow hacker's dream come true.
Lastly, in the creativity department, is ORIGINAL IDEAS. We already have at least twenty or thirty Shadow hacks floating about, same with Mewtwos and Roys. True, you might have an original idea, but you don't have the thought process to pull it off. If you do, and is often times my case, sit back, relax, and think. Just think on how you can create the hack that you desire. It took me about a week of planning for Queen Ambi.
The real key to this is inginuity. You need to look at what you have to work with, and then say "Okay, how are we going to make this work? This was the case for my (still work in progress) Midna, though I'm still having patching issues with her. Since she's not released, she'll be the perfect example. Just...don't steal my ideas and not give me credit, alright?
Look here. The often neglected bow on the back of her head. I made it ouf ot her earrings.
Her cloak sleeves, made from the verts just above the elbow.
This is a key tip. Go the extra mile! If it's for the sake of making a character actually look like themselves, about an extra hour of work is worth it, don't you think?
But what if you were working on a hack, and someone else has already finished it? Didn't I say earlier that you should be original? Yes, I did. But if your hack was in production, and you believe that you can make the hack, dare I say it and offend someone, better than the other one that's up right now, then, by Jove, do it! That's what I did with Toon Zelda.
A last minor point I'm going to address is anime based hacks. They're out there folks. And quite frankly, some of them are repulsive. Trust me, I've spent days at a time just perusing BrawlVault, and I have come across some not so pretty sights. Do we all remember that Nami that looked like Weegee? Yeah, that'a a prime example. So all in all, cut back on the anime. Some people might know who the character is, most of us don't.
I thak you for the time that you've taken to read this post, and have a happy remainder of your holiday season.
