Is it still a good hack..?

So I've got two FF3us/FF6 hacks on my list to do (one to finish) but I've got an interesting question regarding hacks in general that I was thinking of.

If someone changed some monsters, characters, and the usual text and data changes but leave the below unchanged would it still be a "good" hack? Or would the community (who is VERY spoiled) look "down on these hacks just because they didn't change "it all" even though the data is documented?

-Magic or weapon animations/graphics
-Music
-Skills
-Maps

I'm just curious if my own internal opinions of the evolution of the ROM hacking scene are realized or not.

I love FF3 but playing the same thing over and over gets to be boring I mean every once in awhile I'll go back to the original. I have to admit that completely changed maps would make me want to play it again. I liked the Characters they are apart of what made us all fall in love with the game in the first place. So certain changes would make me play it 100 more times easy. Changes don't need to be drastic to make the game a whole new experience like keeping the same characters just putting them in a different order would be a small change but still make people play it.

Maybe that's the best point, everyone's played FF3us/FF6 so much perhaps simply changing everything but maps and events might seem boring. But that shouldn't mean it wouldn't be a good hack though right?

At least one of my two upcoming hacks will completely flip the script on what the original game was and how it's played.

Personally, I feel like the things you mentioned are icing on the delicious hacking cake. If the hack has good gameplay or a different purpose (like Easytype) I'd still consider it a good hack because the core elements are there. If somebody can do it all, that's even more awesome, but I for one wouldn't expect it...

Every hack that I could find thats been made for FF3/6 I have played there are some that I didn't care for not because it was to close to the original core game but because it felt like someone didn't put what they wanted into it. I think thats what REALLY makes a good hack is when you can tell the hackers style from playing it. There are a lot of greatly skilled hackers/modders on this site. Like I said though I played a version of FF3 that the only change was that one character was different and a little of the dialog changed and enjoyed it a lot.

I think JCE3000GT that all the changes you've mentioned are great additions to a unique hack but as it was said before, a hack too close to the original game would probably stop me to play it, which it would probably not be the case if it was my first time playing it. What push me toward a FF3us hack is an increased difficulty, some new events and changes to the gameplay (ex: battle system, esper system). I'm really annoyed by grammatical errors and badly draw sprites.

For the rest, things like new maps or new music are nice additions. With the documentation and tools available I expect a lot from a FF3us hack to be called a "complete" hack. But the definition of a "good" hack vary from a person to another and depends on elements like how much you played the game, how close to the original is the hack and how difficult it is. You can't please everyone in the end.

Personally, I feel like the things you mentioned are icing on the delicious hacking cake. If the hack has good gameplay or a different purpose (like Easytype) I'd still consider it a good hack because the core elements are there. If somebody can do it all, that's even more awesome, but I for one wouldn't expect it...

This is my overall thinking too as well.

Every hack that I could find thats been made for FF3/6 I have played there are some that I didn't care for not because it was to close to the original core game but because it felt like someone didn't put what they wanted into it. I think thats what REALLY makes a good hack is when you can tell the hackers style from playing it. There are a lot of greatly skilled hackers/modders on this site. Like I said though I played a version of FF3 that the only change was that one character was different and a little of the dialog changed and enjoyed it a lot.

Guess it also would depend on the person playing it as much as the person who hacks it also too? I definitely agree with the hacker's style comment, for instance you can really see my style when you play Mystic Quest Reborn, FF3usHT and FF2usHT. I put my heart and soul (and years of my life!) in to those 3 hacks.

I think JCE3000GT that all the changes you've mentioned are great additions to a unique hack but as it was said before, a hack too close to the original game would probably stop me to play it, which it would probably not be the case if it was my first time playing it.

So just an in-depth change in dialogue text and characters would be preferable over say a little change in all the other categories? Or would something like a dialogue rewrite, character role change and some misc other item/spell/text changes prove to be "a better" hack over a hack that just changes a category or two alone? (ie graphics/characters)

What push me toward a FF3us hack is an increased difficulty, some new events and changes to the gameplay (ex: battle system, esper system). I'm really annoyed by grammatical errors and badly draw sprites.

Agreed on the crummy graphics and stupid dialogue mistakes.

For the rest, things like new maps or new music are nice additions. With the documentation and tools available I expect a lot from a FF3us hack to be called a "complete" hack. But the definition of a "good" hack vary from a person to another and depends on elements like how much you played the game, how close to the original is the hack and how difficult it is. You can't please everyone in the end.

So what you're saying here is the label put on the hack "complete" or "improvement" as it were is a better indication on what to expect from the level of changes made to the game?

So just an in-depth change in dialogue text and characters would be preferable over say a little change in all the other categories? Or would something like a dialogue rewrite, character role change and some misc other item/spell/text changes prove to be "a better" hack over a hack that just changes a category or two alone? (ie graphics/characters)

That is a good question. I think if the hacker can come up with originality it will make his hack truly unique and appealing. And with originality comes often new music, new events and rewritten dialogues. Now the deepness level of the changes could vary depending of the free time of the hacker and if he plans to work weeks, months or years on his hack.

So what you're saying here is the label put on the hack "complete" or "improvement" as it were is a better indication on what to expect from the level of changes made to the game?

Well the label could be a good indication start but "complete", "improvement" or "rebalance" can't reflect at 100% the quality of the hack. And you can have quality (or good) hacks in every category.