Request Starting Development on a New Melee Balance Mod - NEEDS A NAME!

[Zadamanim]

The goal of my balance mod is primarily to fix moves that don't work at all (like Zelda's down tilt) and give fun buffs to characters that need them. The emphasis should be on fun, like making link's arrows into ice arrows that can freeze an opponent when charged. There will be small nerfs to the top tier, like reducing the hitstun on fox's shine, and the % damage of falco's dair. I do not intend to break any of the things that make these characters fun, though. I will do my best to make the changes feel intuitive and easy to play, rather than emphasizing technical inputs. Lower tiers will get speed buffs to help them combo and keep pressure, though. So far I've modded Link, Zelda, and Luigi. By the end of the week, I'll upload a video showing the changes to YouTube, and I'll link it here. I'll let you guys try it, if you want, and hopefully I'll get some feedback to improve the mod and keep me motivated.

If anyone has experience modding and would like to give advice or contribute, I would gladly accept it. Depending on how things go, I might add HD textures or custom skins with the consent of those who made them. The mod will be released for free, of course, and I'll put it up for download either as a modded ISO or as character mod files / frame speed data / custom texture files. Check MagicScrumpy's video on installing mods, if you want to know how those work.

Anyway, this project needs a name. Any suggestions?
Also what character would you most want to see changes to, and what changes would you like to see?

 

[MagicScrumpy]

It's illegal to distribute ISOs, so don't just upload a modded ISO. Do what the 20XX Training Hack Pack does and upload a .zip of modified files so it can easily be installed using GCRebuilder. You also shouldn't upload a .txt of FSM data; just provide your modded Start.dol (which is where your custom FSMs will be). I would also advise against installing custom textures; if someone wants to customize their ISO, they will, and people probably won't like it if you replace their favorite vanilla skin.

As for a name, how about something like "Melee: All Stars Edition"?

That being said, good luck on the patch. It'll be awesome to see what changes you come up with!

 

[Zadamanim]

It's illegal to distribute ISOs, so don't just upload a modded ISO. Do what the 20XX Training Hack Pack does and upload a .zip of modified files so it can easily be installed using GCRebuilder. You also shouldn't upload a .txt of FSM data; just provide your modded Start.dol (which is where your custom FSMs will be). I would also advise against installing custom textures; if someone wants to customize their ISO, they will, and people probably won't like it if you replace their favorite vanilla skin.

As for a name, how about something like "Melee: All Stars Edition"?

That being said, good luck on the patch. It'll be awesome to see what changes you come up with!

Thanks for the advice! It was your videos that got me started on this project, so maybe I'll call it Magic Melee. Has a nice ring to it, right?
I have a question about preparing it for release, though. How do I know which files have been customized by Crazy Hand? Are all of the character changes and subactions saved in the Start.dol just like the FMS are?

 

[MagicScrumpy]

Thanks for the advice! It was your videos that got me started on this project, so maybe I'll call it Magic Melee. Has a nice ring to it, right?
I have a question about preparing it for release, though. How do I know which files have been customized by Crazy Hand? Are all of the character changes and subactions saved in the Start.dol just like the FMS are?

Character changes (both attributes and subactions) are stored in character files. These are the Pl??.dat files (e.g. PlFx = Fox's file, PlFe = Roy's file, etc.). Don't get these confused with Pl????.dat files, which hold costumes (e.g. PlFxGr = green Fox, PlFeBu = blue Roy, etc.). You'll know which ones are modified because hopefully you're keeping track, but if you forget then you can always compare your file to a vanilla one in a hex editor.

The stuff you can edit in Crazy Hand that modifies Start.dol are FSMs and move logic. Everything else is stored in its appropriate character file.

 

[Zadamanim]

Character changes (both attributes and subactions) are stored in character files. These are the Pl??.dat files (e.g. PlFx = Fox's file, PlFe = Roy's file, etc.). Don't get these confused with Pl????.dat files, which hold costumes (e.g. PlFxGr = green Fox, PlFeBu = blue Roy, etc.). You'll know which ones are modified because hopefully you're keeping track, but if you forget then you can always compare your file to a vanilla one in a hex editor.

The stuff you can edit in Crazy Hand that modifies Start.dol are FSMs and move logic. Everything else is stored in its appropriate character file.

Thanks a lot Scrumpy, you're a hero. ^^