Another format,, takes shifted data into account, resulting in much smaller patches. Though saxman's RXL patch format was designed to replace IPS, it quickly faded into obscurity along with its predecessor.

The massive shifts in the ROM that can result from reassembly made IPS patches very large, and they would often contain a good volume of code anyway, thus eliminating the alleged legal advantage.

This format fell out of use when split disassemblies became available as a way to edit game data, and when dial-up was being replaced by faster broadband connections. It was also believed, that since patches do not contain any copyrighted code, it was not illegal to distribute one. In the past, IPS patches were used, since these are usually much smaller than a full ROM and were, therefore, easier to distribute in a time when dial-up was widely used. Hacks in the Sonic community are now usually distributed as full ROMs. Today, with the assistance of hex editors, disassemblies and specific Sonic Hacking Utilities, fans have been creating more extensive modifications. level art changes and original level layouts.major art (title screen, HUD, et al.) changes.Over time, as the scene learns more about the underlying code behind the '' Sonic the Hedgehog series, the extent of these modifications has expanded. While earlier hacks were simple, such as minor palette changes, a number of hacks today are very complex. Starting with the early documents penned by Cyan and saxman, to the Nemesis guides, the Sonic Community Hacking Guide, and beyond, researchers have used their understanding of the Sonic games to alter them in various ways. From the emergence of Cyan Helkaraxe's Sonic 1 Beta Hoax in 1999, the production of hacks has been a vital part of the Sonic research community and scene. Sonic hacks are altered versions of Sonic the Hedgehog games that have been edited through the process of ROM Hacking. Knuckles the Echidna in Sonic the Hedgehog is a hack that allows a player to play as Knuckles the Echidna in Sonic the Hedgehog, a feature that Sega intended to be possible using Lock-On Technology, but ultimately removed due to technical problems.

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