Greetings, young one. I know why you're here - you come in search of knowledge - the power and will to become a truly great PK Hacker. That knowledge is not something easily achieved. It will take a good deal of effort on your part. While these words may be of some help, you will have to take the initiative and learn of your own experience. Yet, though the path that lays before you is long, those with the tenacity to walk it will be richly rewarded.

- What is PK Hacking?

PK Hacking refers to editing of the EarthBound ROM. EarthBound was a cult classic role-playing game released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1995. We of the PK Hack community edit copied versions of this game, known as ROMS, to create new and unique works of gaming. EarthBound's programming is highly flexible - much more so than most other video games. In fact, it's flexible enough that one could create an entirely new game using its engine as a basis. That is the essence of PK Hacking.

- How do I start?

For the purposes of this tutorial, it is assumed that you have already read the Getting Started page on the PK Hack website. It has a great deal of information about everything you need to set off down the path to become a hacker, and what not.

- Riddle me this!

Most people come to the field of PK Hacking without any previous ROM hacking experience. While some people are up to just 'diving in', others just aren't. Before you announce to the world that you're going to make a hack, you really ought to ask yourself some fundamental questions. Your answers to these questions could indicate how well you will succeed in your future endeavors in the world of PK Hacking.

* Do I have the time?
It's a common misconception that one has to modify the entirety of the game for it to be called a hack. If you're already juggling school, a part-time job, a boyfriend/girlfriend, and a social life, do you really have the time to complete a full hack of Earthbound? The record for a thorough, all-encompassing hack is a year, and that was done on a rigorous schedule of a whole lot of hacking and little else. Full hacks such as JonBound: Dark Future rarely get off the ground because of that. You're going to have to learn all the fundamentals of hacking, do all your text editing, your sprite editing, map editing, etc etc etc...and not ONE of these things is easy by itself. You should take an objective look at your situation, and adjust your planning to fit the amount of spare time in your schedule. After all, it's relatively easy with the tools we have now to make a short hack that would only last for about an hour of game play.

* Do I have the patience?
Like I said, learning to hack requires a LOT of reading of technical documents, a lot of experimentation, and a lot of time just sitting down and working. The people who make programs to assist in PKhacking did all this stuff by HAND, first. Then, they spent hours, days, sometimes even weeks figuring out HOW this works, sitting down and coding it, making sure their code works, and polishing it into a presentable application. Of course, this saves quite a bit of YOUR time, but it's still not as simple as throwing a few sprites in, changing 3 lines of text and calling it a hack.

* Do I have the resources?
If you're not going to be able to sit down at a computer and work for extended periods, be able to save your files, install the myriad programs you're going to use, plan out your hack and actually execute it, chances are hacking Earthbound is probably not for you. There's no shame in that... ROM hacking isn't for everyone. But, if you think you do have what it takes, read on...

- Some things that need to be said.

Through years of research, PK Hackery has become advanced to the point where EarthBound can be completely redesigned from the ground up. Compressed graphics data, modifications to map and door data, even changing all of the text in the game. This poses a problem for newcomers to the community.

You see, in ages past, when PK Hacking was in its infancy, many things we take for granted today were unknown. We had only the simplest programs, and much of the ROM was clouded in mystery. Verily, at that point text editing was considered to be the great impossibility. Most of the elite hackers in the community today arrived about this time.

The concepts we dealt with then were simple enough for any beginner to pick up on. And, from there, the commmunity had nowhere to go but up. With the research of the community and Tomato's "weekly miracles," programs to handle increasingly advanced data were developed right and left. Yet, by the time more complex concepts were uncovered and made easily editable, we had managed to master the knowledge provided by working with the earlier programs.

That is not so today. Many tantalizing possibilities are open to those with the right knowledge. However, the temptation to take advantage of our present abilities often leads newcomers into a trap. Diving into the most interesting (and typically most advanced) programs, they'll quickly find themselves overwhelmed by concepts and problems they have no idea how to handle. Soon, they will give up, bitter and disillusioned. This is not something we want.

That is why we ask that you complete these tutorials sequentially. They have been specifically designed with a stable learning curve - one which we hope will enhance your learning experience. After all, a beginner learning to swim doesn't start by leaping into the deep end of the pool. You've got to allow yourself time to master the basics, gain confidence, and learn what to do if something goes wrong. Only then can you really face the depths of the water without fear of drowning.

Thank you for listening to my long story. The tutorial you're about to take will guide you through the creation of a small hack. Don't worry - everything you need will be provided. If you're ready, we can begin right now...