Sorry you had such a bad first experience. You've touched on a number of points in your post and I'd like to expand upon them a little.
First of all, the "mapping community" probably is pretty small and I doubt the majority of it hangs around the VGMaps forums. The regular contributors tend to post about the games they're mapping, asking for help when necessary but there's always the chance that an outsider might post finished maps ahead of them. It's happened to me a few times since I usually take so long to finish a game. I know it sucks but unfortunately there's not much we can do about it unless those mappers decide to join the board and keep us updated.
As for this hobby not being beginner-friendly, you're definitely right. There are many different platforms with games on them, some being much easier to map than others. I know you felt lost about what we were telling you but in our defence, there are concepts involved that we are all so used to that they are difficult to explain to the uninitiated. Don't be offended, but it can feel like trying to explain "Google" to your grandmother when she doesn't even grasp the concept of a mouse. It's not her fault but that first step is a big one to overcome.
It's hard to know just how basic to get in explaining stuff, especially if one has never mapped before. You pretty much have to learn partly from experience by playing around with screenshots and whatever paint program you decide to use. Different systems (and/or emulators if required) will require different methods to capture the images you need. Most of the pre-PSX consoles and pre-DS handhelds are pretty straightforward since they usually have rigid ways to display the graphics (layers).
PC games don't have it that easy. Basically, most PC games display graphics in their own way. There's no built-in way to, let's say, remove the background, transparencies or a "darkness" effect the way you usually can with consoles and handhelds. It doesn't help that you seem to have trouble understanding what an emulator is exactly. But we're honestly ready to help you if you want to keep trying.
It's alright not to understand some of that stuff; it doesn't make you stupid, just inexperienced. Taking screenshots is basic stuff while turning off layers is a standard technique; changing memory values is more advanced and decoding data format is for experts only. To give you an idea, it took me a decade and a half to graduate to playing around with variables in memory. So don't feel discouraged; we've all been there and some of us will get better than others (I'm not one of those betters by the way).
I personally feel that forums posts are a bit limited to provide a sort of "Mapping 101" guide, but the only alternative I can think of would be to stand next to a mapper and try to guide him/her through the early steps while answering every question he/she might have along the way.
Anyway, long story short. Don't give up and if you want to map another game, feel free to post about it and we'll help you as best we can. I can't promise we'll be easy to understand but just keep asking those questions and we'll answer as best we can
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