answered HGSS Pokewalker

[loadingNOW]

maybe not really the right board but i don't really know where to post it. is there a "hardware" board?

did anyone who actually has a physical copy mess with that thing and how it works?

like frequency (maybe protocol?)

or does anyone know a japanese site about it? also are the pokemon really transfered of just moved somewhere in the sav and reactivated later?

[Neo]

Theres no Hardware board, though this could go into Miscellaneous R&D. I have a Pokewalker but i have yet to do any major research with it, doing saves atm. Can't be used with Flashcarts (Obviously) but has a weak infrared signal on damaged DSes, Which is due to the fact that my DS Has a slow Card reader and the actual game runs slow too so i wasn't expecting it to be 100%.

[Guested]

From my experience, it seems to me like the data is most likely stored somewhere else in the sav until the Pokemon returns back to the game. This seems to be the most logical. And then pokemon you caught are generated upon their return.

I was planning on doing some checking into whether or not Pokewalker pokemon match any known algorithms with Sabre's program, but haven't gotten that far yet.

[SCV]

Well, so far we have yet to know of someone that has backed up their save. A few of us tried with the same results. Rudolph´s 3-in-1 back up tool does not recognize the save type.

According to some early tests it seems that the pokemon in the pokewalker only grow one level per trip. We have yet to have confirmation though. I haven´t tried my pokewalker so I don´t know how much information is transfered. But I would also expect that the pokemon stays somewhere else in the save. Hopefully the backing up saves issue can be resolved, then we will know for sure.

[codemonkey85]

Like SCV said, unfortunately, no one seems to be able to backup a retail HGSS save file, so testing what is stored in the .sav is... difficult. However, seeing as use of the GTS stores a copy of the Pokémon you upload on the .sav, it is reasonable to assume that the PokéWalker does the same.

EDIT: Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure there is mention of this in the instruction manual. If you lose your PokéWalker, you can apparently "restore" your uploaded Pokémon back to its original place (and state) in your game by hitting some keys in the PokéWalker menu on the DS. Doing so means you will need to reset your PokéWalker once you find it, of course, to prevent cloning and the like. So naturally, the Pokémon is apparently stored in your save file after all.

loadingNOW: Once I buy a new set of batteries for my (rather aged) Pocket PC, which has an IR port, I will attempt to inspect IR communications with the PokéWalker. Or better yet, maybe I'll buy a decent IR adapter for my development laptop. Either way it is something I have been interested in since I first heard about the PokéWalker.

EDIT:

I was planning on doing some checking into whether or not Pokewalker pokemon match any known algorithms with Sabre's program, but haven't gotten that far yet.

Someone should really trade a PokéWalker generated Pokémon to a copy of Diamond or Pearl and rip that sucker to see what it's "made of". I'm thinking there is a special algorithm at work though, judging by the (apparent) correlation between gender and "unusual movesets" in the Yellow Forest Pikachu.

[Guested]

Monkey! Good to see you again, and I'm glad to see you're a part of this discussion, since we were both so excited about the 'Walker.

Anyway,

Couldn't someone just analyze a sav file from a ROM? Like... someone who is playing the game on an emulator or flashcart?

And also, you can dump pkm files from an HGSS sav file using the most recent (albeit extremely basic) version of COM's HGSS Pokesav.

I've got over half a box of PokeWalker Pikachu on my retail HGSS cart, I just need to trade them to either DP/Plat or my flashcart HGSS but then I'll have a few that somene could study, but judging from my level of free time (haven't even played the normal game in a WEEK), I doubt I'll be able to get to it soon... someone will beat me to it, if they're ambitious.

But from the one or two I've looked at, I also think the PokeWalker uses an algorithm different from normal Pokemon.

Lastly, doesn't the official site give the frequency or whatever specs on the PokeWalker?

I'll check it out later, running out of time. Gotta catch a train.

[Poryhack]

Couldn't someone just analyze a sav file from a ROM? Like... someone who is playing the game on an emulator or flashcart?

If you're playing a ROM you can't use any IR functions silly.

If this is the page you were thinking of with specs, it does not seem to have any useful information.

Here's a picture of the circuit board on a IR cart. Doubt it's of any help but...

[Guested]

Yeah, I realized that as I was walking down the street after leaving my apartment after posting that.

What I was originally thinking is that you could analyze the place where the PokeWalker pokemon was stored on the save file by using a rom sav, but ... then I realized there's probably no way to know WHERE that is on the sav file unless a pokemon IS already there... which would require the IR functions...

;

[loadingNOW]

maybe you can by looking for the data that decrypts to all zero. But not necessarily.

[Sabresite]

I threw the pokemon someone traded to their platinum game, into legality checker and it came up as "Hacked". Good luck guys

[Guested]

Good luck, guys? YOU're the algorithm expert here...

;

[Sabresite]

Good luck, guys? YOU're the algorithm expert here...

;

Honestly it looks like it uses the same algorithm as mystery gifts (nothing). Again, I don't have the game, but I assume you retrieve everything from a menu, and not in-game.

[Guested]

I assume you retrieve everything from a menu, and not in-game.

Correct.

[ultikarp]

What if there was a flashcart with an infa-red recevier on it?

[Poryhack]

Then I suppose with considerable know-how on the flashcart-maker's part it would be possible to use the IR functions.

I don't see it happening though, there are only two games that use it and the pedometers are not sold separately to the best of my knowledge.

[loadingNOW]

http://www.amazon.de/Nintendo-DS-Lite-Activity-Meter/dp/B001PR1PL0/ref=pd_sim_vg_1_img you can i don't know what the "game" is called in english so it's an amazon.de link

[Poryhack]

Oh, I stand corrected. Do you know if the pokewalkers are also sold separately?

[evandixon]

I wouldn't be supprised.

What if you lost it?

[ifyfg]

you can get your pokemon stored on it back.

but, we need confirmation that they do or don't have replacements (yet, or soon to be released).

personally, i doubt that there are replacements. but one day they might produce them?

lol, 3rd party pokewalkers....

[evandixon]

you can get your pokemon stored on it back.

but, we need confirmation that they do or don't have replacements (yet, or soon to be released).

personally, i doubt that there are replacements. but one day they might produce them?

lol, 3rd party pokewalkers....

I see it: the M3 Pokwalker!

[ifyfg]

lol, i'm thinking madcatz, pelican, walmart own brand ones

[Arty2]

And a teardown alongside the Activity meter: http://www.legendarypokemon.net/2009/11/26/Articles/pokewalker-and-activity-meter-teardown

[codemonkey85]

Hey Arty2! Good to see you around these parts. (We've corresponded via E-Mail before, regarding the Spinda Painter on your site.)

I hope this means reverse-engineering the 'Walker is a thing that will happen.

[Arty2]

Indeed, I do recall that, I hope you've been doing well

Since I am mostly focused on my studies and other projects at the moment, i haven't engaged in anything deeper than opening the unit apart, I want to have a better look into it though when I get a chance.

I'm mostly interested in analyzing the IR signal and replicating/altering it afterwards. However that required both some custom electronics (something I am not really familiar with) and perhaps custom software too. That'd require lots of reading, tinkering and fiddling and my free time is limited these days...

[opoq]

Indeed, I do recall that, I hope you've been doing well

Since I am mostly focused on my studies and other projects at the moment, i haven't engaged in anything deeper than opening the unit apart, I want to have a better look into it though when I get a chance.

I'm mostly interested in analyzing the IR signal and replicating/altering it afterwards. However that required both some custom electronics (something I am not really familiar with) and perhaps custom software too. That'd require lots of reading, tinkering and fiddling and my free time is limited these days...

Arty, based on the ethos you seem to carry with other forum members, I think we could work together on this. I have enough experience with microcontrollers that I could build the hardware necessary to bug the connection between game and pokewalker.

Roughly speaking: | PC |

|____|

| |

---------------------- -----|-- |---- ------------------

|Pokewalker In <-|--------|----^--|----|-----------<-| Out Cartridge|

| Out --|-->----|-Bug--^---|------------>| In |

---------------------- -------------- ------------------

With a pair of IR transceivers as [roughly] shown above, I could get the raw IR data. By starting with simple transactions, ie Pokemon out and then right back in, I can get get the most fundamental of transfers down. Which is where you come in; sounds like you're better on the code end of things?

Let me know if you want to try this!

opoq

EDIT: Oook. Here it is simpler:

Walker-->--<--->----<--BUG-TO USB---<-->--<-->--<-->---Cartridge

Edited March 26, 2010 by opoq
fix format changes :(