hack or mod, what is the diffrence

[stentor]

what is the difference between a romhack and a mod?

[The Holy Chicken Overlord]

A mod, or moderator, essentially helps keep order and moderates something, whether it be a debate, forum, whatever. Hack is a synonym for hitting something.

[Quint the Alligator Snapper]

Originally posted by ichabod:

what is the difference between a romhack and a mod?

Not much, really. Romhack is more used for games that come in rom form, while mod is used to refer mainly to modifications of pc games.

Originally posted by President Alfred Left:

A mod, or moderator, essentially helps keep order and moderates something, whether it be a debate, forum, whatever. Hack is a synonym for hitting something.

ba-dum tssh

[Commander Makara]

A 'romhack' is essentially an alteration to ROM. ROM = Read Only Memory. Given the READ ONLY stats, usually ROM is 'protected' or physical (such as with optic media)
Therefore, certain more elaborate techniqwue is required to alter ROM.

"Mod" essentially means just 'modification' - Any change, intentional, customised or otherwise is such a modification.

HOWEVER
Given the context (i.e. in videogame platform discussions) the two terms have generally become popular usage to refer more specifically to the adapotion of certain videgoames.
Often an amount of customisation, whether authorised or licesnes or not, is possible through altering files and/or settings, or, when tools, SDK and editors are provided and of course script functionality. Adaptations such as this are considered "Mods".
In the case of such, when the potential for modding is limited or unavailable without decompiling or otherwise modifying the or compiled binary executables, typically the working set (which is externally ROM) for example, this is considered such a 'Romhack'.

[Commander Makara]

Or more simply (given the caveats and specification above):

Mod: Editing non-executable files, scripts or using provided tools
Romhack: Editing the compiled binary data of an executable or library.

[Quint the Alligator Snapper]

Ah, that's enlightening. I never thought of it that way.

[Commander Makara]

Well with all such terms, and the evolution and interpretation, colloquilism and popular cultural/media influence, specific original intended meanings of terms gradually becomes distorted or confused with other terms.

Just consider the word "hack" and all it has now come to mean depending on who you ask and in what context.

[Wacky Blacky]

When i think of mods i think of Cry of Fear, Trouble in terrorist town, and markiplier. When i think of hacks i think of Crossfire.