aninymouse

Has anyone ever successfully edited an Ability's effect in generation 4 or 5? I know generation 3 games have had them edited, but I was under the assumption no one had the know-how, or at least the drive to really dig deep and figure that one out. Because while I know there's been success in editing items to varying degrees, I've never heard of any with abilities. Then again, I haven't been hanging around the Pokecommunity emulation forum much at all, lately... hmm. I guess that's also what I was thinking of. The topic of the thread is twofold, so I guess I lumped them together in my mind... Man... an ability that reduced damage from Rock-type attacks in some way would be amazing...

Right. I was talking moreso about the potion effects like andi said, I guess since the OP mentioned HP recovery... my brain works in weird ways sometimes. Obviously I remember Drayano altering the Pink Scarf, but then again I don't remember him ever saying what all was entailed in that.

Andibad's correct. Editing abilities, item and attack effects to some extent requires a lot more than just messing with the narc files. So yeah, is it possible? of course it is. Is it going to be a huge undertaking? You bet.

I see. I was afraid of that. Thank you for the quick reply! I'll rectify this.

If I may, one last comment on that: Something that most people don't know, is that in RBY, Articuno, Zapdos & Moltres were not equal at all. Articuno had 485 base stats, Zapdos had 490, and Moltres had 495. As you can see, it wasn't until GSC that they decided to make them all equal, so to speak, after the Special Split. Articuno was designed initially to be the weakest of the three. While I agree that 125 Special Attack for Articuno would be nice, having 125 Special Defense does help differentiate him from the other two. Because he is more unique (and more beautiful), he has always been the most popular among fans, I would wager. Why make him the same as the other two?

Ah yes. I remember this problem. From what I recall, no one ever found a way to fix this in Gen 4. I know the same problem applies to HGSS, too, since I did some sprite work in that game myself a while back.

...No, no we won't. Generation 6 is fine right where it is. My goal is to produce my personal version of what "perfect Gen 5" would look like. No more, no less.

Wow, now that's exciting! I know I really felt like, after the april fools thread, that I was getting a glimpse of what the future could look like. And boom, here it is. Very impressive, I must say.

Something that I think annoys all of us, but that is rarely dealt with, is the fact that using an evolution stone on a Pokemon usually means that it won't learn any more attacks -- Eevee and users of the Dawn Stone are some exceptions. For instance, how many times have you decided you want to use an Arcanine or some such, and yet almost gave up on it halfway through the game, due to the conundrum you find yourself in: evolve early and miss out on the best attacks, or evolve late but be left with a Pokemon with horrible stats? No more, I say. From now on, you don't have to worry about if you should evolve a Pokemon with a stone or not, more or less. Now you can evolve Petilil at level 17 and still get Leaf Storm! Also, Pokemon like Lilligant, who learn some attacks only after they have evolved, will still learn all those attacks, too, in addition to the attacks of their lower forms, like Petilil. As a bonus, Pokemon like Raichu who gained no new attacks at all by evolving by any means will have a few attacks thrown in for good measure. Can't let Pokemon like Cloyster have all the fun, right? I'm looking into removing the necessity for Incense items in breeding, as well. If something is a baby Pokemon, it ought to pop out naturally. What is the point of Pokemon like Budew if you can hatch a baby Roselia? One measly egg move? It doesn't even make sense for a creature to be able to start its life multiple ways within one species. Life doesn't always end the same, but it always begins more or less the same!

It's been a while since I tried using PRC with BW2, but tonight I tried re-downloading everything and using it again. Sadly, it's not working properly. It always USED to work great, which puzzles me. When I try using the waza (attack) editor, I get this exception: ************** Exception Text ************** System.ArgumentOutOfRangeException: Value of '17' is not valid for 'Value'. 'Value' should be between 'Minimum' and 'Maximum'. Parameter name: Value at System.Windows.Forms.NumericUpDown.set_Value(Decimal value) at POKEMON_BW2.SkillForm.ReadData(Int32 index) at POKEMON_BW2.SkillForm..ctor(SkillData[] skill) at POKEMON_BW2.Form1.skillToolStripMenuItem_Click(Object sender, EventArgs e) at System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem.RaiseEvent(Object key, EventArgs e) at System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripMenuItem.OnClick(EventArgs e) at System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem.HandleClick(EventArgs e) at System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem.HandleMouseUp(MouseEventArgs e) at System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem.FireEventInteractive(EventArgs e, ToolStripItemEventType met) at System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripItem.FireEvent(EventArgs e, ToolStripItemEventType met) at System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip.OnMouseUp(MouseEventArgs mea) at System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripDropDown.OnMouseUp(MouseEventArgs mea) at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WmMouseUp(Message& m, MouseButtons button, Int32 clicks) at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WndProc(Message& m) at System.Windows.Forms.ScrollableControl.WndProc(Message& m) at System.Windows.Forms.ToolStrip.WndProc(Message& m) at System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripDropDown.WndProc(Message& m) at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.OnMessage(Message& m) at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.WndProc(Message& m) at System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.Callback(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wparam, IntPtr lparam) The untranslated Japanese version of the program works great, however. It's just a bit sluggish for me to use, since I don't remember what a lot of the attacks are in Japanese...

Thanks, I'll look into this. I couldn't have even begun without this tip, so thanks again

Youtube, I find, is the best method for learning how to edit sprites; mostly because there are so many steps in the process, and written instructions can become confusing. I used to do HGSS sprite editing a year or two ago, and I got quite good at it, but I have long since deleted all my work and have forgotten nearly all my methods for Gen 4. This video should explain everything! [video=youtube;IanpeTRdp24]

Boogers. Sounds like a lot of work... but it's still something I want to do. I hate messing around in the arm9 since there is so little documentation to help you navigate. Can you help point me in the correct direction? This is something that was never really researched in Gen 4, either, so I think it's overdue for investigation.

This is off topic, but I really don't see Reshiram beating up Pokemon with those flimsy-looking arms of his. I definitely think Analytic on Metagross is a fine ability. The Special spit in Generation 2 was actually a blessing, since it greatly increased the available archetypes... and it made Pokemon like Alakazam fair to fight.

Haha, cool. I was wondering when the original darlings of Gen 4 would pick up the old hobby again. PPRE (version one) was such a nice tool, and really tought me so much when I first looked into this information. Knowing that it's a project that will continue to grow and evolve is rather exciting

Wow, what a neat start to a useful tool! The Subway & PWT are fairly large databases... a tool for them is definitely warranted and appreciated!

I haven't been over at Smogon for a long time... I did a little catching up last night, however. I took a look at the RNG research thread and came upon several posts on the seed that is set for BW2 egg generation. Do I understand correctly that the first egg you receive after boot up each time always has the same IVs, gender, and nature, etc.? And that subsequent eggs will begin to differentiate correctly due to randomly advancing the RNG through normal game play? If I understood correctly... wow, that's awful. Why does Game Freak always screw up the RNG so horribly, ha ha.... I've also noticed that whenever I go on a catching spree (say, collecting Pokemon with Synchronize to use later, like Natu or Munna), I always seem to get certain natures way more often. I've yet to get one with Adamant, for instance, but I constantly get Lax, Bold, Calm, Sassy, Relaxed, Naive... This could purely coincidental, though, but it is frustrating. I notice the same problem when hunting non-Synchronize Pokemon (like Vulpix in Abundant Shrine), where I'll constantly get Lax, Sassy, Naive... using a Modest Synchronize Xatu doesn't help much, either. So much for 50% activation of Synchronize... though of course, there are times when you hit yourself in confusion a gajillion times in a row, so.

Pretty sure I've heard that complaint before abut DS emulation... and emulation in general. I don't think it's Dray's fault.

I've tried them out, and these are easily some of the best new pokemon executables in a long time. Good work!

Nintendo might... but I'm not sure. Perhaps the people in charge of game balancing and metagame consideration might peruse certain forums at times... but if the official Nintendo interviews are to be believed, those in charge of Pokemon creation are forbidden from getting involved with fan art and fan sites too much. The thought is, I suppose, to guard them from potentially plagiarizing. You have to remember, however, that in Nintendo's eyes, we are a community of rogues. We contribute to the demand for piracy. Deliberately? Not all of us. But nevertheless, places like Project Pokemon would be seen as hotbeds of corruption compared to places like Smogon or Serebii. And you have to realize, also, that only very recently has Game Freak started paying more attention to overseas -- they still mostly concentrate on the Japanese demographic. Nevertheless, I still enjoy your ideas

He's saying you'd have to edit a JP or USA ROM, and then patch it with a translation patch for the language you desire. Well, at least I think that was said on the previous page.

This is a level of freedom in hacking that I haven't seen seriously discussed since... Pokemon Brown. Wow. But you're right, how many people who're into the Pokemon hacking hobby are also versed in C++? Not a lot, like you said. But, if we had a way to fundamentally change so many aspects long seen as off limits, don't you think more people would learn how to use a tool like this? The promise of abilities like this ought to draw a lot of curiosity. Sure, many will be totally inept at first, but the number of people who could do this sort of thing and do it well will undoubtedly increase. Me, personally? The biggest thing I miss from hacking Gen 4 (which has opened up a lot recently, too) was changing type effectiveness. Gen 5 is better than Gen 4 in almost every way, other than that... if this kind of hacking is the only way to find this data in the ROM outside of RAM analysis (which I've also never done), I'd love to learn to use your research myself. Another thing that would be AWESOME (but a ton of work) would be to create the return of time-of-day Pokemon encounters! Adding in new encounter tables for existing routes, allowing you to have some different Pokemon show up at night, just like in Gen 2 & 4. You could do the traditional kinds of encounters, like Hoothoot & Zubat flying around outdoors... maybe even Pokemon entering battle sleeping, like Gen 2. Or you could even take a cue from Monster Hunter and have stronger, more vicious opponents roaming the countryside at night, etc....

I'm not opposed to removing attacks, actually. It really can be effective at balancing if handled right. However, it doesn't really matter in a rom hack since hacks aren't meant to be played by tons of people, like the actual game is. In other words, you're usually just facing the computer. Sometimes, stat-boosting moves are the only way the computer can even make you sweat, you know? Anyway.... beside the point. I guess the real reason removing attacks for balance's sake in a hack isn't worth it, though, is because hacked games are waaaaaay more likely to feature hacked Pokemon, from PokeGen or what have you. I'm not saying, "don't do it"; in fact I think it's fine. Keep doing it. Just saying don't be shocked if people aren't excited about it, is all, I guess. Aside from hacks that feature new maps to explore, the most popular hacks are always the ones that make getting what you want much easier. Blaze Black and Volt White, Perfect Platinum, etc., all feature: the ability to get all the pokemon yourself without trading, all items, all legendaries, maybe even giving pokemon rarer moves more easily, etc. I'm NOT saying that's what you need to do. I'm just making conversation.

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I'm away from my computer since I'm out of town... can't wait to try it out. Thank you Seems like if you want to add more moves than the default number, however, that you'll have to do that manually. Or at least until your next update? I think I read that this was a feature you wanted to include. EVEN WITHOUT THAT this looks like a great tool, assuming it works as advertised.