Hack Series: Pokémon Photonic Sun & Prismatic Moon

[AyeDidio]

Hi I recently downloaded the game for prismatic moon and I'm having an issue where my game crashes when I try to buy things from the pokecenter market. Are there any fixes to this? If so can you give me a link to the fix? I appreciate any help you can provide!

 

[Buffel Saft]

Hi I recently downloaded the game for prismatic moon and I'm having an issue where my game crashes when I try to buy things from the pokecenter market. Are there any fixes to this? If so can you give me a link to the fix? I appreciate any help you can provide!

Hey, that usually happens because you either don't have the title update installed along with the hack (if you're on 3DS), or there's something wrong with your patched title update cia (if you're on citra). If you're on citra I'd suggest trying a different title update dump and following the install guide again to get it patched.

 

[RachelTheIvysaur]

Hello! I followed your installation guide and you were right; it was fairly simple but a little time consuming. With that said, I would like to express my joy at the work you have done here. I had recently made it through Eternal X as well, which was a blast! I do have questions/suggestions for PSPM if you are still tweaking/planning on updating. Reading the important trainer rosters, I couldn't help but notice that every Elite 4 and beyond were all Level 100. I understand that providing a more difficult experience is one of the main goals of your hack, but, and this is from a view point of someone who has not gotten that far yet, I feel like things reaching 100 at that point, while there are still the Rainbow Rocket Episode and Title Defense matches make it feel like there is no more growing you can do as a player/trainer. This may not be the case for others, but I felt like your level scaling in EXWY was perfect. Diantha's team was 85-87, and my team matched that with only my Azumarill being 88 at the start of the Champion fight. Maybe I will feel different when I get to that point in PSPM, but in my experience playing other fan projects, level 100 works best for a final boss. I am excited to fight your Super Giovanni though.

As for non level related stuff and moreso Pokemon improvements, did you ever end up giving Emboar Wood Hammer? I saw it on one of the earlier pages and thought it was a great concept. Everything else feels great and I'm glad that everyone else's feedback has shaped many bad pokemon into usable and fun experiences. (I would ask for Boomburst Primarina or Energy Ball Delphox, but those would be overkill lol)

 

[Buffel Saft]

Hello! I followed your installation guide and you were right; it was fairly simple but a little time consuming. With that said, I would like to express my joy at the work you have done here. I had recently made it through Eternal X as well, which was a blast! I do have questions/suggestions for PSPM if you are still tweaking/planning on updating. Reading the important trainer rosters, I couldn't help but notice that every Elite 4 and beyond were all Level 100. I understand that providing a more difficult experience is one of the main goals of your hack, but, and this is from a view point of someone who has not gotten that far yet, I feel like things reaching 100 at that point, while there are still the Rainbow Rocket Episode and Title Defense matches make it feel like there is no more growing you can do as a player/trainer. This may not be the case for others, but I felt like your level scaling in EXWY was perfect. Diantha's team was 85-87, and my team matched that with only my Azumarill being 88 at the start of the Champion fight. Maybe I will feel different when I get to that point in PSPM, but in my experience playing other fan projects, level 100 works best for a final boss. I am excited to fight your Super Giovanni though.

As for non level related stuff and moreso Pokemon improvements, did you ever end up giving Emboar Wood Hammer? I saw it on one of the earlier pages and thought it was a great concept. Everything else feels great and I'm glad that everyone else's feedback has shaped many bad pokemon into usable and fun experiences. (I would ask for Boomburst Primarina or Energy Ball Delphox, but those would be overkill lol)

Hey, thanks for the kind words! It's awesome seeing so many people play both of my hacks.

I completely agree with you on the level curve; the only reason it gets to 100 is that USUM use the scaling exp system from BW, and I didn't want to combine that with the experience reduction that EXWY had to keep the EXP share in check. It would have made wild Pokemon give really low amounts of experience, or forced me to make them the same levels as the trainers (which gets really annoying when you want to use repels). It worked out well for USUM's post game though, as you can play through it in a few different orders and having everything at level 100 means all the opponents will be at the player's level no matter what they do first.

I think I decided against Wood Hammer Emboar in the end, I liked the reasoning behind it but it didn't line up with the other Pokemon that learn the move; they're all grass types, have a piece of wood in their design or are Sudowoodo. Might add it in a future update anyway, there are a few good suggestions that haven't been added in yet (Solid Rock Torterra and something for Wigglytuff). Energy Ball Delphox is actually pretty reasonable I think, but yeah definitely not doing Boomburst Primarina haha.

 

[RachelTheIvysaur]

Hey, thanks for the kind words! It's awesome seeing so many people play both of my hacks.

I completely agree with you on the level curve; the only reason it gets to 100 is that USUM use the scaling exp system from BW, and I didn't want to combine that with the experience reduction that EXWY had to keep the EXP share in check. It would have made wild Pokemon give really low amounts of experience, or forced me to make them the same levels as the trainers (which gets really annoying when you want to use repels). It worked out well for USUM's post game though, as you can play through it in a few different orders and having everything at level 100 means all the opponents will be at the player's level no matter what they do first.

I think I decided against Wood Hammer Emboar in the end, I liked the reasoning behind it but it didn't line up with the other Pokemon that learn the move; they're all grass types, have a piece of wood in their design or are Sudowoodo. Might add it in a future update anyway, there are a few good suggestions that haven't been added in yet (Solid Rock Torterra and something for Wigglytuff). Energy Ball Delphox is actually pretty reasonable I think, but yeah definitely not doing Boomburst Primarina haha.

Understandable! Also, is there a location with Audino and/or Chansey/Blissey like the Restaurants in EXWY? Or is SOS Happiny this game's version of that?

 

[Buffel Saft]

Understandable! Also, is there a location with Audino and/or Chansey/Blissey like the Restaurants in EXWY? Or is SOS Happiny this game's version of that?

There aren't really any dedicated grinding spots, I couldn't fit Audino or Happiny onto every route and there weren't any repeatable battles at the right levels.

 

[WizardOfOdd]

I'm just going to say, that you've made a very great hack and i'm really having fun with it. Thanks for making this romhack.

P.S. However it's a total pain to Nuzlocke why? Because of Totem Pokemon + Their Aura. Well i'm not telling you to make some more adjustment on that. Maybe this game is not meant to be Nuzlocked, it's simple as that. However, it doesn't diminish my enjoyment of this hack whatsoever.

 

[Buffel Saft]

I'm just going to say, that you've made a very great hack and i'm really having fun with it. Thanks for making this romhack.

P.S. However it's a total pain to Nuzlocke why? Because of Totem Pokemon + Their Aura. Well i'm not telling you to make some more adjustment on that. Maybe this game is not meant to be Nuzlocked, it's simple as that. However, it doesn't diminish my enjoyment of this hack whatsoever.

Thanks, glad to hear you're enjoying the hack!

Yeah it's definitely not designed for Nuzlockes, if a totem doesn't K.O. at least one Pokemon it's not doing its job.

 

[Asotte87]

Hello, I would really love to play this hack. But for some reason, everytime I try to extract the rom with hackingtool, it doesnt give me any of the maps needed, only some files. Why is this? I run pack9 so I dont know what is wrong

 

[Buffel Saft]

Hello, I would really love to play this hack. But for some reason, everytime I try to extract the rom with hackingtool, it doesnt give me any of the maps needed, only some files. Why is this? I run pack9 so I dont know what is wrong

All I can suggest is trying other versions of it, some of them will work for some people while others won't. It's a very unreliable tool but unfortunately it's the easiest way to unpack and repack the game update. You could also try getting a copy of the game update from somewhere else in case the copy you have has been dumped incorrectly.

 

[RachelTheIvysaur]

Hello again! So after many an hour of playing through your hack 2x in total since my last post, I would like to give my final thoughts and review. In short, it was a blast both times, and the reason I went through a 2nd time was to have more knowledge and in theory an even better time. In long however, there are certain things that I will critique. Most critiques will be based on my first time through, since I had far more knowledge during the 2nd time through

First off, the Good:
1. Buffs. Playing through any pokemon game or hack where your favorites are strictly better will always be a fun experience. This is extra true when no starter has an innate disadvantage compared to the others during the early parts of the journey. I went through with Popplio first, then Rowlet. It never felt like trying to use Chikorita or Charmander in their respective generations, and that was a major plus. So, when it comes to pokemon changes and the buffs you chose, you knocked it out of the park. It is easy to go overboard at times, but it never felt like that. Everything had reason behind it, and the documentation provided meant that I would not be surprised provided I took the time to look through it.
2. Marts. I loved what you did in EXWY, and this was more of the same goodness and then some. Training items at the first specialty shop were the bomb for a consistent team even with occasional rotation.
3. Selection. I never felt like I was starved for team member choices, and since different patches of grass on the same route have different encounters, it was super easy to find specific pokemon most of the time.

Now, the Critiques:
1. Levels. Unfortunately, what I had said in an earlier post about levels was very accurate to how I felt. On the first playthrough, the drive to take on Giovanni was enough motivation for me to not care as much about my opponents being maxed out by Elite 4 and beyond. On the 2nd playthrough however, I had no motivation to do the Rainbow Rocket episode or explore Poni Wilds. This is negative from my own personal perspective, but others will certainly enjoy the level curve.
2. Megas. Perhaps this is something that cannot be addressed in USUM's coding, but the fact that you start to see opponents using Megas far before you will ever get that power boost is... disheartening? I am unsure of the correct term to use. It certainly does add difficulty, but it means that these opponents have access to a tool that you will not have until after you have already beaten the game. Is it not possible to provide a player with a Key stone/Mega Bracelet outside of when Dexio gives you it in the post game? This was probably my biggest issue as the game went on.
3. Totem Auras. I think you went a bit too happy with Omni-boosts. In base USUM, Omni-boosts start happening with Mimikyu, but they start with Marowak in PSPM. This felt like an arbitrary difficulty increase to me, when I felt like your strategy changes more than sufficed. The worst part about some of the fights with the excess boosts were when I felt I NEEDED Pokemon Refresh to even succeed. Affection is (almost) universally agreed upon as a broken mechanic, and I would have loved to not have used it. On my first time through though, I fed every team member Rainbow Beans due to the negative experience with the first Omni-boosted totem. The worst of all was Ultra Necrozma. It is certainly meant to be a super boss of sorts, and it fulfilled that role, but I would be lying if I said I earned the victory. Tried to start with Vikavolt just to launch a specs Bug Buzz to do damage, but was outsped and one-shot. Then I sent in Assault Vest Tyranitar, which proceeded to affection dodge or survive 5 turns in a row. I didn't truly earn that victory, but I also felt like I would never win without Refresh.

Final Verdict: I will certainly play through at least one more time, as I need to have the Incineroar experience. The negatives and/or critiques I listed may seem like they hampered my fun, but in the end I'm still going to recommend your hacks to anyone I meet who is looking for a tougher pokemon experience. I look forward to whatever you may have in store for the future.

 

[whapak]

hello good day, are pokemon is not all here? ex the gen 5 starter pokemon.

 

[Buffel Saft]

Hello again! So after many an hour of playing through your hack 2x in total since my last post, I would like to give my final thoughts and review. In short, it was a blast both times, and the reason I went through a 2nd time was to have more knowledge and in theory an even better time. In long however, there are certain things that I will critique. Most critiques will be based on my first time through, since I had far more knowledge during the 2nd time through

First off, the Good:
1. Buffs. Playing through any pokemon game or hack where your favorites are strictly better will always be a fun experience. This is extra true when no starter has an innate disadvantage compared to the others during the early parts of the journey. I went through with Popplio first, then Rowlet. It never felt like trying to use Chikorita or Charmander in their respective generations, and that was a major plus. So, when it comes to pokemon changes and the buffs you chose, you knocked it out of the park. It is easy to go overboard at times, but it never felt like that. Everything had reason behind it, and the documentation provided meant that I would not be surprised provided I took the time to look through it.
2. Marts. I loved what you did in EXWY, and this was more of the same goodness and then some. Training items at the first specialty shop were the bomb for a consistent team even with occasional rotation.
3. Selection. I never felt like I was starved for team member choices, and since different patches of grass on the same route have different encounters, it was super easy to find specific pokemon most of the time.

Now, the Critiques:
1. Levels. Unfortunately, what I had said in an earlier post about levels was very accurate to how I felt. On the first playthrough, the drive to take on Giovanni was enough motivation for me to not care as much about my opponents being maxed out by Elite 4 and beyond. On the 2nd playthrough however, I had no motivation to do the Rainbow Rocket episode or explore Poni Wilds. This is negative from my own personal perspective, but others will certainly enjoy the level curve.
2. Megas. Perhaps this is something that cannot be addressed in USUM's coding, but the fact that you start to see opponents using Megas far before you will ever get that power boost is... disheartening? I am unsure of the correct term to use. It certainly does add difficulty, but it means that these opponents have access to a tool that you will not have until after you have already beaten the game. Is it not possible to provide a player with a Key stone/Mega Bracelet outside of when Dexio gives you it in the post game? This was probably my biggest issue as the game went on.
3. Totem Auras. I think you went a bit too happy with Omni-boosts. In base USUM, Omni-boosts start happening with Mimikyu, but they start with Marowak in PSPM. This felt like an arbitrary difficulty increase to me, when I felt like your strategy changes more than sufficed. The worst part about some of the fights with the excess boosts were when I felt I NEEDED Pokemon Refresh to even succeed. Affection is (almost) universally agreed upon as a broken mechanic, and I would have loved to not have used it. On my first time through though, I fed every team member Rainbow Beans due to the negative experience with the first Omni-boosted totem. The worst of all was Ultra Necrozma. It is certainly meant to be a super boss of sorts, and it fulfilled that role, but I would be lying if I said I earned the victory. Tried to start with Vikavolt just to launch a specs Bug Buzz to do damage, but was outsped and one-shot. Then I sent in Assault Vest Tyranitar, which proceeded to affection dodge or survive 5 turns in a row. I didn't truly earn that victory, but I also felt like I would never win without Refresh.

Final Verdict: I will certainly play through at least one more time, as I need to have the Incineroar experience. The negatives and/or critiques I listed may seem like they hampered my fun, but in the end I'm still going to recommend your hacks to anyone I meet who is looking for a tougher pokemon experience. I look forward to whatever you may have in store for the future.

Hey, thanks for taking the time to type up this in depth review! Happy to hear you liked the main features of the hack, especially the Pokemon changes; the way you describe them is exactly what I was aiming for, so that's really good to hear.

I still agree with you on the level curve, having so much of the game at 100 isn't something I'll be doing again.
As for megas, I can give the player a keystone via a mart, but it won't work without setting a flag too, and no one has figured how to do that in game just yet (at least as far as I know). It can be done with PKHex though, so I should probably type up a guide on how to do that at some point. I'd love to have it be given to you by Kukui in Malie Garden, so hopefully that'll be an option in the future.
The totem boosts roughly follow the original game's level curve; Mimikyu is level 35 in USUM, and Marowak is 37 in PSPM. Though as you say, the hack's versions are stronger, so +3 speed might have been good enough for Marowak. Ultra Necrozma was definitely meant to be that way; I intended it to be almost unbeatable with just damaging moves (though some people have done it), so something like Toxic + Protect, Destiny Bond or Endeavor is the easiest way to handle it.

Thanks again for the feedback, I really do appreciate it! I'm slowly working an 807 hack of Emerald, which will definitely benefit from your criticism.

hello good day, are pokemon is not all here? ex the gen 5 starter pokemon.

Hey, they should all be there. Two of the gen five starters are only available as their evolved forms (Servine and Pignite) in Lush Jungle.

 

[whapak]

hello again, is there a way to complete the pokedex?if u dont have the pre evolve pokemon?

 

[TheZipBon]

hello again, is there a way to complete the pokedex?if u dont have the pre evolve pokemon?

You can breed the evolved forms.

 

[whapak]

You can breed the evolved forms.

i mean the not the evolved form, ex. the gen 5 starter only like servine already in 2nd form in the wild, but no 1st form in the wild.

 

[Buffel Saft]

i mean the not the evolved form, ex. the gen 5 starter only like servine already in 2nd form in the wild, but no 1st form in the wild.

If you breed the evolved form the eggs will hatch into the first form. Don't forget there's no national Pokedex in sun and moon though, so the gen 5 starters won't be added to the dex anyway.

 

[whapak]

If you breed the evolved form the eggs will hatch into the first form. Don't forget there's no national Pokedex in sun and moon though, so the gen 5 starters won't be added to the dex anyway.

oh sorry didnt know sun and moon dont have national pokedex, didnt play the unmodded rom, i came from black 2 straight to this AWESOME MOD so i dont have idea. thank you for the info.
more power ✊

 

[j6unlimited]

Hey, I have a quick question;

Is it possible to randomize wild encounters for this hack?

 

[Buffel Saft]

Hey, I have a quick question;

Is it possible to randomize wild encounters for this hack?

Hey, it is possible. The way to do it is pretty much the same as with a clean ROM, but you'll need to merge the hack's files into the ROM before randomizing the encounters. There should be plenty of guides around explaining how to do this, but if you want me to explain it I'm happy to do so.