Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is this a ROMhacking module?

A: No, this module is not purly designed for ROMhacking, while is no doubt would be useful to anyone involving themself with ROMhacking this project has no immediate intended integration with ROMhacking at all. In fact, there are many reasons to use this project outside of modifying Video game Intellectual Property. This filetype could be used to update files in your software or creating a config file modificaiton script

Q: Is it legal to ROMhack?

A: In answering this I, Brette the creator, cannot be found liable for the potential crimes you commit. However, I can say in full confidence that ROMhacking’s legality has always been a grey area, while I cannot think of one person who has been imprisoned for ROMhacking - there have been many times where creators were told that they would have to stop their project due as it is often illegal to create a local copy of a game and modify it

Q: If ROMhacking is illegal why is it commonplace?

A: Simply, in as much as it is illegal - that does not mean that it must be resolved. While it is true that creating a copy of a game is illegal as long as you do not share the game it is almost like you never created the copy. Likewise these mods also do not contain any illegal data (typically) and therefore are perfectly legal - It is a world that cannot be controlled but in truth is so harmless that there really is no need to

Q: How do I use this tool?

A: After installing a Python 3 environment you should be able to run teh command pip install patchlib or if you are using a posix system you may wish to use pip3 install pathlib. ips files must be processed into an ips object before handling, after this the methods of the ips and instance can be used to manipulate the data as needed.

Q: I have found an error in the code, what can I do?

A: One of the very helpful things that you can do is commit an update, or if you cannot code you can fill out an “issue form”. The source code for this project is, however, publicly available and can be accessed by anyone should an immediate change need to be made that you cannot wait for.

Q: The Module is slow overall, or with a certain Feature.

A: The project is highly optimized where necessary, should you find a way to make it run faster then do so - however this is a Python module and should be expected to be bottlenecked so. If project does not perform fast enough to your liking then you will need to switch to a faster differnet alternative. Currently patchlib is only a Python module, this may change in the future however there are no current plans for this.

Q: I have a suggestion for patchlib , how can I be heard?

A: If you have something to say about patchlib then you can speak on the Discord Server or Submit a Feature Request.