What attracts you to a hack? (MOVED)

[SiLeNtDo0m]

EDIT:Okay so this was originally Off Topic Discussion but I moved it here instead and locked the one there.  Hopefully this'll get a greater response here since I'd really like to know why you guys download hacks.

This is actually something I've been wondering for a while.  What makes you want to download a hack?

Now this may seem like an obvious question but actually think about it for a second.  It's definitely tempting to post a generic response, but you should really give a little thought to it.

Here's my response:

When I browse the Brawlvault, here is what I look for as far as each kind of hack goes:

Textures/Vertexes - As far as these go I either try to look for something unique, something that holds true to what it's trying to replicate or something that simply looks good.  I try to avoid simple vertexes now (i.e. something that's basically been imagined off the top of somebody's head by adding a load of spikes to something already existing) and I very very rarely download fan characters unless they're actually noteworthy in how they've been made (something like Wave's persona is something I would download, because he's clearly put time and effort into creating his character.  That and I like Wave :3).

Preference of character is also quite important to me, however if it doesn't look good I simply won't download it and take something else over it.  For example, I'll refrain from downloading any Vegeta hacks over Falcon.  Partly because V.Joe takes up all my slots but even if he didn't I wouldn't put him there.  Because there are other Falcon hacks that I like more.


Stages - The layout must be something simple.  The basic construction of the stage has to be nice and playable.  I never to stage retextures unless it's FD, Smashville or Yoshi's Island.  But probably most importantly, I like stages with a cool or unique gimmick that doesn't mess up the gameplay (this is the reason why LenSho is my favourite stage hacker).  Stuff like Mewtwo2k's Ganon Tower, LenSho's Mt Pyre etc are stages that I really enjoy using.

The other thing that sways me with stages is really how they present themselves aesthetically.  Stuff like ItalianStallion's Water Temple is awesome.  The stage is just nice and simple, but it's beautiful.


PSAs - And now we come to PSAs.  Being my personal field of hacking, I look for a lot when it comes to a PSA, and as a result it's rather difficult for me to say what the absolute most important thing I look for in a PSA is.  However, one of the things that I always look for is the presentation of a PSA.  If a PSA just has an over-abundance of graphic effects (i.e. one that is purely style of substance) it doesn't really interest me (one thing that you may notice about my PSAs, particularly my more recent ones, is that I tend not to abuse graphic effects too much).  But on the other hand, graphic effects need to be there.  If the character jumps off the ground, smoke should come from beneath their feet.  SFX should be in the right place, there should be a suitable use of rumble and movements shouldn't be overly passive or overly exaggerated.  It should never feel choppy in aspects unless it's deliberately choppy.  

Another thing that I think is important about PSAs is that they should feel unique and fresh.  The days of "elemental" and "omega godly" PSAs should've gone.  Changing a few flags and altering a few hitboxes and attributes is hardly what I'd call original or interesting.  Now this may be rather ironic coming from the guy who made Shadow and Cloud, two uber unoriginal characters, but I can argue against that because in both cases I made sure to make the movesets feel new and different.  I made my own animations, gave them new moves and made them play much differently to their previous versions.

These are the two main things, and to be honest (unlike a lot of people seemingly) I couldn't give a flying f*** about who the character is.  When I started my Cloud PSA, I barely knew anything about him.  I've never played any Final Fantasy games and I hadn't watched Advent Children.  But look at how he turned out thanks to a load of time and research that I did.  It's easy to slap a name onto a character and claim it's them, but to actually make the character feel like it should and blend nicely in with the cast of SSBB is something else, and as a result it's what I look for in PSAs.  Here's an excellent example.  Let's take these two PSAs here:

Athena Asamiya (by drsusredfish): http://forums.kc-mm.com/Gallery/BrawlView.php?Number=14039

Sephiroth (by TheCloudPSAisGodly): http://forums.kc-mm.com/Gallery/BrawlView.php?Number=13479

As you can see, the latter has about 4 times as many downloads as the former, solely because the name "Sephiroth" has been slapped on there.  I've played as both and I can confidently say that the Athena hack is 100 times better than that Sephiroth.  It's clear that a lot of time has been taken into making that hack.  The animations, the combo system, the general balance of it.  It's all been carefully tweaked and balanced nicely and honestly it deserves way more than the 500 odd downloads it has.  That Sephiroth on the other hand is Marth.  That's all it is .  Marth with a couple of basic animation swaps, pointless graphic effects, a pointless air mobility tweak that just makes him move pointlessly and unnaturally fast in the air and a Final Smash (i.e. the best part of the whole PSA) which wasn't even made by him (it was made by BigBadBooya).  Does it deserve anything near 2000 downloads?  Not in the slightest.  It deserves 200 maximum.  Hollow's and DO's definitely deserve more.


Music - Simple one really.  The main thing I look for is perfect looping.  Doesn't everyone?  And of course whether it sounds good and I like the piece.  But music is such an objective subject that I won't really go into detail here.

Now it's your turn

[_Data_Drain_]

Well, with vertex, and texture hacks, I just go for what catches my eye, be it, something silly, like Dederoth, or something really cool like Darkrai, or anything, as long as it looks good in game, and I simply like it's idea, then I'll use it... Although, bonus points if it's Wifi safe, while I'll still use things that aren't, it's nice when you can use something against friends.

Stages... Well, it depends, as long as it looks nice, has cool ideas behind them, and has a nice layout, I'll use it, though I hate anything Newpork like. <_<;
I also like stages that are Wifi safe, while looking vastly different.

PSAs, I normally go for, well made representations of things I know, or if they're fun to play, for example, I may not have played Viewtiful Joe, but I've played as him in MvC3, and TvC, and the PSA looked very well made... And indeed it is, it fits in well with the cast.

I however dislike broken ones... Although on a side note, sometimes I like simple buffs to low tier characters too.

BRSTMs, most of the time I make my own, but, if someone makes a song I want, I'll give it a shot, it saves time, also... If someone converts something funny... I have to check it out. XD

Well, I think that about covers it with not too many words.

[DarkPikachu]

it's kinda complicated for me to simply explain
most of the time I hang around Pika looking for anything good...

but yea...
I'm attracted to animation edits that can be made single slot
or extremely good texture edits (like my green thunder or FS recolor)
^(nothing original either) I'm attracted to new ideas

also what attracts me is my obsession with cute (but epic) things
(why I hang around Pika so much) ^_^

wait until I get the chance to make the actual DP
(not the one posted in BV right now)

the actual DP is on my ava >:3
my DPv4 hack has the hair he needs though >_> (not released yet)

[Lost Saltshaker]

With characters, I'm actually pretty picky. I wouldn't even bother looking at it if the hack were based on a character that I deem too "over hyped." Even if I loved the series, I wouldn't bother because I'm already sick of the character at that point. I think this only really applies to Dimentio, though, but I like TTYD more anyway. I've never even played a FF other than 8, so Sephiroth and Cloud don't even faze me. Still wish to stop seeing them so often, though. I'm on the fence about Shadow, I haven't touched anything of his yet, because I don't want to replace any characters with him. I also ignore any from a series I don't recognize at all. (Believe me, I'm trying to get a copy of Viewtiful Joe D: )

I prefer vertexes over basic textures, but I still check them out, as some can still be interesting. I love it when the vertexes are of a different character without affecting the character's moveset too much. Toon Link vertexes are awesome because of this. Besides the odd head tilt, the moveset still works perfectly with each one. I don't like PSAs, as they are either too overpowered or they're just minor edits.

I only check stages if I'm bored of the ones I already have. But, when I do, I prefer Dos Equis I love size. The bigger the better. I'm one of the few who actually love New Pork City, but not in serious battle. When I'm playing with hacks, I'm not online, so large battles are more entertaining, because the CPUs aren't gonna be smug when they win. If there is a problem I want to avoid, though, it's unnecessary hanging edges (looking at whoever made the Minecraft stage). It's typical to delete a stage or two from a new batch because of this problem because I'm too lazy to fix it myself.

Music is annoying for me, as I play so few game series it gets hard to find something for every stage. Half of the ones I do play aren't really known for their music. Earthbound, Crash Bandicoot, and Mario Remixes are about all I can find and relate to. Well, I think that about covers it.

[ForOhFor Error]

What unnecessary hanging edges would those be?
XD
I'm sorta unhappy with my minecraft stage, too.
I'm gonna update it sometime.

[Lost Saltshaker]

Really, though, you only need hanging ledges on the edges against the water and the sides of the tree. The rest really affect battling.

[DarkPikachu]

Really, though, you only need hanging ledges on the edges against the water and the sides of the tree. The rest really affect battling.

I know what you mean...
like putting hanging ledges on platforms

[_Data_Drain_]

I know what you mean...
like putting hanging ledges on platforms

Yeah, I notice LenSho does this a lot too. XD

[Carnage]

when i see  a hack first i need to know the character i dont like to use hacks without knowing anything about them  second it must have a psa for me downloading a texture just isnt good enough if that character doesnt have a psa i will probably wont download it becuase i dont like seeing characters doing something they shouldnt doo like Gengar ridding a bike and farting like wario :S so thats about it i must know the character and it must have a psa

hacks i have on this momente (shadow over dk v7--Zero over Link--Goku over Captain falcon--Megaman over ness--melle mewtwo1.01 over lucario--Naruto over ike--Raichu over pikachu(yes it has a psa but needed more work)--sasuke over marth(same but i fixed a few things so its playable)--Scyther over Falco) and the only i have without texture/vertex True mario psa xD

if anyone know any good psas i missed let me know i never played FF so i dont download them they dont mean mutch for me im more like megaman pokemon naruto one piece DBZ  person i had master chief at one time but goku replaced  him

[SiLeNtDo0m]

when i see  a hack first i need to know the character i dont like to use hacks without knowing anything about them  second it must have a psa for me downloading a texture just isnt good enough if that character doesnt have a psa i will probably wont download it becuase i dont like seeing characters doing something they shouldnt doo like Gengar ridding a bike and farting like wario :S so thats about it i must know the character and it must have a psa

Personally, that kind of thing doesn't bother me.  Sure it would be nicer if the moveset fit better, but if the vertex kicks ass I'm still gonna use it.  And besides, watching Gengar ride a motorbike is freakin hilarious XD

hacks i have on this momente (shadow over dk v7--Zero over Link--Goku over Captain falcon--Megaman over ness--melle mewtwo1.01 over lucario--Naruto over ike--Raichu over pikachu(yes it has a psa but needed more work)--sasuke over marth(same but i fixed a few things so its playable)--Scyther over Falco) and the only i have without texture/vertex True mario psa xD

if anyone know any good psas i missed let me know i never played FF so i dont download them they dont mean mutch for me im more like megaman pokemon naruto one piece DBZ  person i had master chief at one time but goku replaced  him

It's not really possible to recommend possible movesets to you (nothing personal).  I know plenty of good movesets, but none of them by the looks of it would really take your fancy because of the fact that you judge initially by whether you know the character or not.  Personally, I'm less fussed about whether I know a hack, and more fussed about how good the hack itself looks.  For example, if I see a video of a PSA and the attacks look nicely balanced and offer something cool and interesting (like the example in the OP), I'll download it even if I don't have a flying f*** who the character is.

Heck when I was first introduced to Smash, I didn't know who half the characters were.  Yet most of those characters I enjoy playing as.  Same with something like Tatsunoko vs Capcom (in fact, even more so).

My opinion of it really is that one shouldn't just go for hacks with names that they know and like, because
1) They'll be missing out on some real gems as far as hacks go
2) They may (infact, they're probably more likely to) be disappointed by their preferred character that they downloaded because it may not live up to their expectations.

But hey, that's just me.  As I said, this is a discussion topic so everyone is entitled to their own opinions.  No one's opinion is invalid ^^

[Carnage]

Personally, that kind of thing doesn't bother me.  Sure it would be nicer if the moveset fit better, but if the vertex kicks ass I'm still gonna use it.  And besides, watching Gengar ride a motorbike is freakin hilarious XD

It's not really possible to recommend possible movesets to you (nothing personal).  I know plenty of good movesets, but none of them by the looks of it would really take your fancy because of the fact that you judge initially by whether you know the character or not.  Personally, I'm less fussed about whether I know a hack, and more fussed about how good the hack itself looks.  For example, if I see a video of a PSA and the attacks look nicely balanced and offer something cool and interesting (like the example in the OP), I'll download it even if I don't have a flying f*** who the character is.

Heck when I was first introduced to Smash, I didn't know who half the characters were.  Yet most of those characters I enjoy playing as.  Same with something like Tatsunoko vs Capcom (in fact, even more so).

My opinion of it really is that one shouldn't just go for hacks with names that they know and like, because
1) They'll be missing out on some real gems as far as hacks go
2) They may (infact, they're probably more likely to) be disappointed by their preferred character that they downloaded because it may not live up to their expectations.

But hey, that's just me.  As I said, this is a discussion topic so everyone is entitled to their own opinions.  No one's opinion is invalid ^^

i know there are great hacks but even in brawl i usualy dont pick characters i dont know i really never did more than one or two matches with some characters and mostly because i as brawling as random and they got selected  the characters i play the most are toon link Lucario/mewtwo pokemon trainer pikachu marth snake sonic luigi mario and jiglypuff and rarely olimar since  i have both pikmin games xD but thats about it i never really like playing with the rest of the brawl i dont fell the conection to the characters  dont know how to explain it anymore but with hacks my most used are mewtwo shadow naruto and sasuke because they are fun to play and chars i know well

[Herculeswill22]

Vertex/Textures:
Truth be told I very rarely use these, unless there is a PSA for them. The exception is a couple of Ike vertexes and the Black Knight for ganondorf.

Stages:
Whatever catches my eye, for various reasons. Bridge of Eldin extended? Win. World Tournament? Who doesn't want that SOB? Typically I look for stuff that I know from other games (like Radical Highway from Sonic Adventure 2), and also descriptions. If the description sounds nice, I might give it a try. Oh, and also what it is over. Stuff over a couple stages doesn't work for me

PSAs:
First off, stuff I recognize. Second, balancing. Balanced characters are huge for me. I can't stand OP characters (since I mainly play brawl with a bunch of losers who find the cheapest character I have and spam the hell out of me -.-). On a distant third, I prefer characters whose AI works well with the PSA. This is not mandatory, but I like it.

Music:
Epicness. If I see epicness, I grab it. That's the only requirement.

[Hollow]

Well, since I'm lazy, I'm not gonna write out an entire speech on how these attract me (unless I had Dragon, which I'm soooo getting when I have enough money), I'm just gonna make bullets.

Textures:
-Meh, I'm not really into textures that much, I won't download something just for the texture, unless I'm applying the texture to something.

Vertexes:
-It needs to look professional. A smooth, relatively flawless vertex. It needs to look like it belongs in the game, not just something slapped together, like, "oh, I edited the fingers a little to make them claws, here's my submission."(not pointing anything out, it's just an example)  No, that kind of crap doesn't deserve to be in the vault.
Well, looking at me, I can't vertex for crap, I gave up on it before I got anywhere, so I know how complicated it can be to vertex, but seriously, put some effort into making it look good.

PSAs:
-Obviously, this is my field, so I have a knowledge of it. What attrats me to PSAs is new material. Something I don't know how to do, or something I do know how to do used in a unique way, which I could learn from. Uniqueness, creativity, and a big portion of it is great animating. I love PSAs with masterful animations, they give it a great credibility (and resource in case I want to use the animation) and it makes the overall move a creative and imaginative work. It doesn't happen often, either.

Music:
-I don't dl music, I make my own. (unless I reeeeeeeeeally want it)

Stages:
-My favorite kind of stage is one that makes the battle a lot more enjoyable. It sets the scene for epic fights. Personally, I love HUGE stages with tons of room to fight on, like Noah's Halberd.
But that's just me.

[censored], I did write an entire speech. XD

[Rayn]

Textures - Gonna have to go with Hollow on this one. Unless I can believe that it could have come packaged in the disk, there's no way I will download it.

Vertexes - Meh. They're better than textures, but I'm taking the same stance on this.

Stages - I usually only download stages that either a) bring some form of nostalgia, or b) are just plain epicness in every definition of the term.

PSA - First, I check on who made it. SDoom? Immediate DL. Hyper-Shadic9001lolXD (or some other noobish name like that )? I'll have to give it a thorough observation before it finds a place on my SD. Other things I consider are:

• Do I feel like it could have been programmed into the original game?
• Do I know the series it is from?
• Has it gotten good reviews from users I trust?
  

Music - I have to either know the artist or find the preview so epic that it can't NOT be downloaded.

I don't know, that's my two cents.

[xZedkiel]

Textures/Vertexes:
I usually go for vertexes unless it's a character that I don't necessarily play as or I like the actual model of the character, such as Fox, Wolf, or G&W.

In a Texture I look for:
-Well detailed or original detail.
-Creative, doesn't look like a recolor of the regular one.
-Looks cool, fits my style, and has no Cel Shading.
(It actually depends, some characters look awesome with Cel Shading.)

In a Vertex I look for:
-Very well made, not glitchy, no random looking spots.
-Well made textures, usually a color pack.
-Varying weapons, looks like the character they aimed for.
(If I like the vertex enough, I'd make my own color pack, hence Etna, Blastoise, and Darkrai.)

Stages:
I prefer stages that appeal to my taste yet I can use them for balanced combat, stages like Aquarium Park, Planet's Core, etc. I even like Final Destination, maybe even add a texture to it, but I prefer full replacements over textures because though textures let you retain that original feel while seeing a new look, full stages let you explore a different front, a varying experience, a new feel to your battles.

In a Stage I look for:
-Different experiences, a new way to fight.
-Balanced enough that all Final Smashes are escapable.
-Has a cool, beautiful, or subtle and serene look to it.
-Usually large battlescapes where 1pvs2p+3pvs4p matches can happen without each interrupting each other.

PSAs:
In a PSA what I look for the most is new gameplay, creativity, and, most of all, balancing. I love PSAs that give a brand new experience to a character you're used to or not used to in my case. One example is Viewtiful Joe, he's well balanced and is now my main when playing with hacks ^_^ Another couple are Zero (Eldiran's) and Cloud (SDo0m's). What I dislike are Final Smashes that give invincibility, which in my opinion is unbalanced and two examples are, again, Zero and Cloud lol. I would've preferred Link's old FS with a different graphic such as a Z shape made of energy, or Cloud's Omnislash.

In a PSA I look for:
-Balancing most of all. Balance is key.
-Creativity, altered gameplay, and new features.
-Final Smashes that fit into the whole Brawl cast.
-Characters that are fun and new, not the same old character.
-PSA's that go well with verts(V. Joe + V. Joe, Zero + Zero, AC Cloud + Dis. Cloud, etc.)

Music:
In music, I pretty much look for whatever fits my stages, sounds great, and is perfectly looped. Unless of course it's a long song, then looping wouldn't matter in a 3 minute match (usually how long it takes between my friends and I unless it's not one on one.)

In Music I look for:
-Perfect looping unless long.
-Rock-ish, or Techno-ish music depending on stage.
-Suspenseful or Final Battle sounding epic music.
-Music that fits certain areas like the menu, the CSS/SSS, or SSE Map.

This is pretty much what I look for, therefore my favorites being SDo0m, MarioDK, KingJigglypuff, BeyondYou, Aafyre, KTH, Br3, LenSho, FairKnight, Mewtwo2000, Robzdablade, OizenX, and so forth.