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FireRed hack: Pokémon Throwback v211001: Kanto, Your Way

93
Posts
12
Years
  • Seen Jul 7, 2019
i know that i send a pm to ritchersnipes about a specific bug, but, now i came across another one, well, first, when using both my save from v2.51, with the latest version, the game freezes when i open the town map, i get a black screen, and the game also freezes when i try to use fly to go to any city or town, it goes to a black screen and do some noise sound ,i hope that you get to fix this as soon as you can....
 

RichterSnipes

Not even a nibble...
513
Posts
12
Years
  • Age 30
  • USA
  • Seen Dec 1, 2023
i know that i send a pm to ritchersnipes about a specific bug, but, now i came across another one, well, first, when using both my save from v2.51, with the latest version, the game freezes when i open the town map, i get a black screen, and the game also freezes when i try to use fly to go to any city or town, it goes to a black screen and do some noise sound ,i hope that you get to fix this as soon as you can....
Sorry, I've been busy as of late and still am. I'm posting this in the main thread because it's important that everyone sees this.

I forgot to mention that freeze bug. It will occur only if you're using the Wardrobe patch, and only if you're playing as a male character. That's because the pointers to the male character's head sprite on the map changed in making the old-school version of it (the new head somehow took up more space than the old one).

Do you have the previous patched version of the ROM? If you do, make a save state after loading its save and use that save state for the new patched ROM. Save states should be compatible between versions.

Also, make sure you're patching a new ROM each time and not applying a new patch on top of a previous version of my hack. If you patch a new version on top of an old version, you're gonna have a bad time. :)
 

TRIFORCE89

Guide of Darkness
8,123
Posts
19
Years
Wow! What a great idea with the GB Player. Love how you incorporated all the Pokemon as well - has a professional feel to it. Not haphazard at well. Any chance of you making '386'-like hacks for other Pokemon games from GenI-III? They way you approached the idea was better than most others I've come across.

Would prefer if the extra patches could be individually applied though.

Wow! What a great idea with the GB Player. Love how you incorporated all the Pokemon as well - has a professional feel to it. Not haphazard at well. Any chance of you making '386'-like hacks for other Pokemon games from GenI-III? They way you approached the idea was better than most others I've come across.

Would prefer if the extra patches could be individually applied though.
 
Last edited:

RichterSnipes

Not even a nibble...
513
Posts
12
Years
  • Age 30
  • USA
  • Seen Dec 1, 2023
WARNING: WALL OF TEXT INCOMING!

Wow! What a great idea with the GB Player. Love how you incorporated all the Pokemon as well - has a professional feel to it. Not haphazard at well. Any chance of you making '386'-like hacks for other Pokemon games from GenI-III? They way you approached the idea was better than most others I've come across.

Thanks so much! I'll start my response with this: I will never dabble in hacking the GB(C) Pokémon games. The work that other hackers, such as miksy91, put into editing such limited games is incredible, and I admire them for what they've achieved. However, I personally find it a waste of time and effort to hack long outdated games that have improved alternatives to them, which would be the updated versions of the old games (FireRed/LeafGreen and HeartGold/SoulSilver).

What I believe is that the remakes should be focused on instead. In my ideal world, all remakes of old games would include everything people love about the originals while providing absolute improvements to what was available before. Remaking the complete 8-bit custom soundtrack for FireRed falls into the former, as many people would take the original tracks over the GBA ones any day of the week. I know I would. The Wardrobe patch also serves this purpose. The Extras patch serves the latter purpose.

This leaves the Catch 'em All patch all alone. I created this because I suspected others would want something like it for my hack (it seems to be a requirement nowadays in all FireRed hacks, like it or not). However, I don't care for taking "personal liberties" with them, as you've already noticed. If it doesn't feel authentic, it won't be in my patch. Also, if you haven't been able to tell yet, I haven't changed anything about the Pokémon themselves. All Pokémon are the same types. They learn the same moves as they do in FireRed. And, yes, the trade-evolve Pokémon still evolve through trade. Changing these things would be changing the canon established in the franchise, and doing that would be against my intentions.

As I've already stated, I won't be making this a 386 hack, but a 251 hack. I also have no intentions to make a 386 hack ever. Doing so would require making a game with two full-fleged regions, which I could never do with the 3rd gen unless those regions were Kanto and Hoenn. That role is already being filled by Suicune and atif, and I have no intentions on stepping on their toes to do that. Plus, making such a massive patch would drain me of too much time and energy. In fact...

Once I've finished my work with FireRed Throwback, I'm done with GBA hacking. Considering the GBA is also now a dead system, I'd like to stop being a part of it. If anything, I might dabble with DS hacking, as there are technically superior games available for it that serve a similar purpose as the games available for this system. I know the DS will have a long-lasting hacking scene, as we will likely never see a hacking community for the 3DS, much less an emulator, or even flashcarts, for it. I'm eager for the new era to usher in full! The upcoming DS Map Editor for the 4th (and 5th?) gen games makes me proud of this community and their achievements in game hacking.

I'm sorry if this response upsets you, but it's what I believe now. I've thought about it for quite a while now, and this decision didn't come without deliberation.

Would prefer if the extra patches could be individually applied though.
By that, do you mean that each specific extra is patchable on its own, or that the extras altogether are patchable alongside the other offerings? The Extras patch is already separate from the others. I think that the problem with separating each extra into its own patch is that it would result in too many optional patches, confusing people enough to make them not want to try out my hack.

In that case, the main feasible options would be to either make a program capable of letting the user pick which patches he/she wants and have it do all the work for them, or create a webpage with a similar function. I don't see either of those happening from my own power. For the former, I don't have the skills necessary to code a program that could do such a thing. As for the latter, I have a base idea of what to do, but going through with it would result in an immediate cease-and-desist by Nintendo/Game Freak/Creatures for having the game's data available on the web. Not to mention the swift perma-banning I'd get from PC as a result...

I'd gladly support a program that could serve the former purpose if one ever got made, or exists in any fashion right now! I just wouldn't be able to do it myself given my current skill set.

***

Just a quick update for everyone: Thank you for your responses to the poll! I now have a base idea of how I'd want to implement Mew and Celebi. Details in the spoiler:

Spoiler:


This just leaves one question left: What will be done about the Johto starters? They're now the only Pokémon I have no idea what to do with. Polls wouldn't suffice with this as it requires more defined responses.
 
52
Posts
14
Years
  • Seen Dec 23, 2019
This just leaves one question left: What will be done about the Johto starters? They're now the only Pokémon I have no idea what to do with. Polls wouldn't suffice with this as it requires more defined responses.

Personally, I would have Prof. Oak give you one to start your National Pokedex (kind of like how he gave you a Kanto starter to begin your Kanto Dex). The others...? Maybe get one (either directly or indirectly) from your Rival, and the third could be a prize from Oak for completing the Kanto Dex.

Speaking of Oak, I had an idea the other day:
You probably know that Prof. Oak had trainer data in the 1st-gen games. Why not put that fight in the remakes? You could do it a number of ways -- He could challenge you in his Lab, he could be a surprise E4 battle (as his Pokemon were at a higher level than the Rival's entire team), you name it!

Anyway, there's my two cent's worth. I imagine I'll be happy no matter what you do, though! (^_^)
 

RichterSnipes

Not even a nibble...
513
Posts
12
Years
  • Age 30
  • USA
  • Seen Dec 1, 2023
Personally, I would have Prof. Oak give you one to start your National Pokedex (kind of like how he gave you a Kanto starter to begin your Kanto Dex). The others...? Maybe get one (either directly or indirectly) from your Rival, and the third could be a prize from Oak for completing the Kanto Dex.

I was considering having one or two of them be obtainable from Prof. Oak, in a similar fashion to that. It worked for Emerald, after all. However, that would leave the question of how I could properly fit them into the game. Having your rival give you another starter would seem real off; the only reason he gave you the hatched egg of his starter (game-wise) was because he saw it as disposable, unnecessary. As someone who would be new to Johto Pokémon, I don't think he'd be willing to relinquish a Johto starter no matter what, which also means he'd never risk getting an egg of it.

Speaking of Oak, I had an idea the other day:
You probably know that Prof. Oak had trainer data in the 1st-gen games. Why not put that fight in the remakes? You could do it a number of ways -- He could challenge you in his Lab, he could be a surprise E4 battle (as his Pokemon were at a higher level than the Rival's entire team), you name it!
I don't think the battle would be that fitting regardless of where I would put it, IF I was to put it in. Doing so would infer that Prof. Oak spent the entirety of the game training the unchosen Kanto starter into its final form, AND assembling a team of other Pokémon at levels greater than that of your rival. I'm of the belief that that specific battle was cut out of the game early in production, considering that there's no reference to it in the original ROM at all, not even an associated script. Plus it really wouldn't make sense given the context of the game's final release. Changing the story isn't my objective. Adding extras to it, though? I'm fine with that.

Theoretically, though, it wouldn't be hard to do. We already know what his Pokémon would be, and a battle sprite is already present (the one used for the Fame Checker). I'd just have to create a script that chooses which battle will be had based on the player's starter.

Anyway, there's my two cent's worth. I imagine I'll be happy no matter what you do, though! (^_^)
Thanks! Right now I'm working real hard on a critical update to the patch. It won't be one that introduces much in getting more Pokémon, but rather one that attempts to remedy the hack's original focus. That's all I'll say, but, for anyone who happened upon a couple of my posts in a different thread, you probably have an idea of what it is. I hope to get it out before next week.
 
52
Posts
14
Years
  • Seen Dec 23, 2019
I was considering having one or two of them be obtainable from Prof. Oak, in a similar fashion to that. It worked for Emerald, after all. However, that would leave the question of how I could properly fit them into the game. Having your rival give you another starter would seem real off; the only reason he gave you the hatched egg of his starter (game-wise) was because he saw it as disposable, unnecessary. As someone who would be new to Johto Pokémon, I don't think he'd be willing to relinquish a Johto starter no matter what, which also means he'd never risk getting an egg of it.

Yeah, I kind of felt the same way about having the Rival give it to you, but I can't think of much better... Maybe Bill or Celio could give it to you? They have contact with Lanette, and Bill travels to Johto in HG/SS, so it's not entirely out of the question...
It may not fit too well, but that's the best I have right now.

As for fitting in an Oak event where he gives you a Johto starter, it could be part of the scene where he gives you the National Dex. It's not perfect, but it could work.

I don't think the battle would be that fitting regardless of where I would put it, IF I was to put it in. Doing so would infer that Prof. Oak spent the entirety of the game training the unchosen Kanto starter into its final form, AND assembling a team of other Pokémon at levels greater than that of your rival. I'm of the belief that that specific battle was cut out of the game early in production, considering that there's no reference to it in the original ROM at all, not even an associated script. Plus it really wouldn't make sense given the context of the game's final release. Changing the story isn't my objective. Adding extras to it, though? I'm fine with that.

Theoretically, though, it wouldn't be hard to do. We already know what his Pokémon would be, and a battle sprite is already present (the one used for the Fame Checker). I'd just have to create a script that chooses which battle will be had based on the player's starter.

You know, when you put it that way... (-_-)
You're right, it doesn't fit very well, but I think I might have an explanation for why he might do all that training: It could be part of his research.

Oak's research is on human-Pokemon relations, and he could be training Pokemon again so he can remind himself what these relationships are like. A little Farfetch'd perhaps, but I think it makes sense.

Also, this could be connected to the Johto starter event, but that could make things a bit awkward...

Out of curiosity, if you were to put the Oak battle in, which patch would it be in? Or would it need its own patch?

Thanks! Right now I'm working real hard on a critical update to the patch. It won't be one that introduces much in getting more Pokémon, but rather one that attempts to remedy the hack's original focus. That's all I'll say, but, for anyone who happened upon a couple of my posts in a different thread, you probably have an idea of what it is. I hope to get it out before next week.

"The hack's original focus"...
Wasn't that primarily the music?

By the way, I sometimes feel like this hack is progressing TOO fast, believe it or not! I still haven't had time to try the current version (SCHOOOOOOL!!!! (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻ ), and now I'm afraid to start because with my luck, the day I start is when you'll release the next update...


No matter what you do, this will continue to be an amazing hack, especially because users can choose what to use. Unless you completely ruin everything you've done, I'll be happy with pretty much anything!


...This is a much longer post than I thought it would be...
 

RichterSnipes

Not even a nibble...
513
Posts
12
Years
  • Age 30
  • USA
  • Seen Dec 1, 2023
Yeah, I kind of felt the same way about having the Rival give it to you, but I can't think of much better... Maybe Bill or Celio could give it to you? They have contact with Lanette, and Bill travels to Johto in HG/SS, so it's not entirely out of the question...
It may not fit too well, but that's the best I have right now.

As for fitting in an Oak event where he gives you a Johto starter, it could be part of the scene where he gives you the National Dex. It's not perfect, but it could work.
Actually, I had a different initial idea as of what to do with the Johto starters: make them the prizes for finishing the Trainer Tower in its various forms. You know, kind of be like how Mt. Battle works in Pokémon XD (the game, not the emoticon). However, given the lack of references in scripts for it, I think I wouldn't be able to do what I intended with them without ASM hacking.

You know, when you put it that way... (-_-)
You're right, it doesn't fit very well, but I think I might have an explanation for why he might do all that training: It could be part of his research.

Oak's research is on human-Pokemon relations, and he could be training Pokemon again so he can remind himself what these relationships are like. A little Farfetch'd perhaps, but I think it makes sense.

Also, this could be connected to the Johto starter event, but that could make things a bit awkward...

Out of curiosity, if you were to put the Oak battle in, which patch would it be in? Or would it need its own patch?
Something like that sounds a bit too involved for it to be fitting for this game. The first two generations of Pokémon games had very little to offer in the story department when compared to other RPG games. Giving Prof. Oak his own battle with this premise would be out of character for this game. It might fit in today's Pokémon games, but I'm not aiming for that (story-wise).

If I were to include it, it would be more fitting for a patch of its own. It would include several of the things other people put into their hacks, such as characters/Pokémon from other regions, DS-esque overworld graphics, and an extra rival based on me, along with the aforementioned "flesh". Of course, that would stray too far from the hack's intent, as I'm not a genius when it comes to creating unique content. Plus I wouldn't have that much interest in doing all that.

"The hack's original focus"...
Wasn't that primarily the music?
Yep! People who listen closely will be able to hear the difference in the update. I'll reveal why the new revised music is so special, for people who don't know, once I release it.

By the way, I sometimes feel like this hack is progressing TOO fast, believe it or not! I still haven't had time to try the current version (SCHOOOOOOL!!!! (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻ ), and now I'm afraid to start because with my luck, the day I start is when you'll release the next update...

No matter what you do, this will continue to be an amazing hack, especially because users can choose what to use. Unless you completely ruin everything you've done, I'll be happy with pretty much anything!
Fast? I certainly think not! I've only released three or four "significant" updates, and the first two of those were just GB Player function updates. But I guess perspective can change all of that. If you do start it before I release the update, make sure you save it with the GB Player off before you apply the new patch. Otherwise it may not even get past the Game Freak screen. This is because music locations will be different, of course.

The idea of choosing patches/features actually came from another hack that I was involved with awhile back. It was such an inspiring thing for me because I hadn't seen anything like it before: a fan alteration of a classic game that attempted to only improve its flaws and make it feel more full than it was before, without making something original out of it while also giving people the choice on what they wanted to include in it for themselves. As it turned out, the hack's intent and execution was original all on its own.

I might not be as skilled as a hacker as others, but I'm happy to contribute something that aims to perfect a classic game (Red, that is; FireRed isn't original enough to be much more than an update. HG/SS, on the other hand...) and leaves resources for other hackers to use in the future.

...This is a much longer post than I thought it would be...
That's alright, it happens to all of us. Especially me, as you see here!
 

RichterSnipes

Not even a nibble...
513
Posts
12
Years
  • Age 30
  • USA
  • Seen Dec 1, 2023
VERSION 3.2 AVAILABLE!

Confused by the numbering? Don't be! I chose that because I felt it to be right for my purposes regarding the hack. Plus it represents the -bit system that is the GBA (32-Bit).

Anyways, today's update doesn't really have new features. Instead, I chose to completely overhaul the element that I originally focused on with this hack: the music. Before, the 8-Bit songs in this hack sounded awfully close to the real deal. I haven't heard anything in the ways of complaints since addressing the few that I had when I first released it, so most of you might not even know what I'm talking about when I say that the old tracks were a bit off, even after my self-touted major upgrade awhile ago.

Anyways, no more being down on my old work. Recently, I made a few posts in the old GB Player thread in the Research & Development forum. Since doing so, I happened upon something that was a gold mine to me: a major correlation between the structure of songs in the original games and the structure of GBA tracks! With a lot of work, and a bit of frustration, I now present to you the fruits of my labor: nearly perfect recreations of the 8-Bit tracks. Listen closely for those wonderful beeps-and-boops of old times.

Oh, yeah: you can now finish your pre-4th Gen Eevee-lution collection! Yay :).

Changelog:

Spoiler:

Enjoy the new version, guys!
 

Jambo51

Glory To Arstotzka
736
Posts
14
Years
  • Seen Jan 28, 2018
Just a quick question, RichterSnipes.

Did you find any music table in Pokémon Red/Blue/Yellow? I'm currently writing a programme which deals with Gen 1 and 2 music. It's working quite well for Gen 2 (well, for Gold and Silver, since I also don't have Crystal's music table location), but I can't test it on Gen 1 because I don't have a song table.

Incidentally, I will cry if there isn't one. :)
 

RichterSnipes

Not even a nibble...
513
Posts
12
Years
  • Age 30
  • USA
  • Seen Dec 1, 2023
Just a quick question, RichterSnipes.

Did you find any music table in Pokémon Red/Blue/Yellow? I'm currently writing a programme which deals with Gen 1 and 2 music. It's working quite well for Gen 2 (well, for Gold and Silver, since I also don't have Crystal's music table location), but I can't test it on Gen 1 because I don't have a song table.

Incidentally, I will cry if there isn't one. :)
I would think that there is a music table in the ROM. Doesn't every elaborate game released by the time of these games have one? Regardless, I didn't actively go to figure out if there is one in the first place. All I did was find the location of the actual tracks ingame.

Funny thing about those: the song data itself was stored in three different areas in the ROM (I'm talking about Red, specifically). Those areas were from 9BA3-BFF3, 22330-23F51, and 7DBBB-7FFF9. The headers were at 822E-82FD and 7C249-7C2FC. I don't know what a music table looks like, or where one would be located, for that matter. My best guess is that it'd be at offset 8000. Don't quote me on that...unless you feel like it.

Out of curiosity, what is the location for the music table in Gold and Silver? That program you're making sounds awfully interesting!
 
52
Posts
14
Years
  • Seen Dec 23, 2019
WALL OF TEXT ALERT!

Actually, I had a different initial idea as of what to do with the Johto starters: make them the prizes for finishing the Trainer Tower in its various forms. You know, kind of be like how Mt. Battle works in Pokémon XD (the game, not the emoticon). However, given the lack of references in scripts for it, I think I wouldn't be able to do what I intended with them without ASM hacking.

(O_O)
It's... Perfect!

If you can do this, that would be the best solution, definitely. It would give me more motivation to try the Trainer Tower, for starters (no pun intended).

My question then becomes how many of the Johto starters would you be able to get in this way? Getting all of them from this seems a bit much, no matter how you handle it...

Something like that sounds a bit too involved for it to be fitting for this game. The first two generations of Pokémon games had very little to offer in the story department when compared to other RPG games. Giving Prof. Oak his own battle with this premise would be out of character for this game. It might fit in today's Pokémon games, but I'm not aiming for that (story-wise).

You're right... *sigh*
Changing the story just to add in one battle doesn't make much sense, especially considering the goals of this project. I guess if I want this, I'll just have to make my own hack (though I'll probably wait for this project to finish -- I'd want it to be compatible with your patches).

If I were to include it, it would be more fitting for a patch of its own. It would include several of the things other people put into their hacks, such as characters/Pokémon from other regions, DS-esque overworld graphics, and an extra rival based on me, along with the aforementioned "flesh". Of course, that would stray too far from the hack's intent, as I'm not a genius when it comes to creating unique content. Plus I wouldn't have that much interest in doing all that.

I figured you'd say something like that. I knew it would need its own patch, and it seemed like it wasn't quite enough to have an entire patch to itself...

Fast? I certainly think not! I've only released three or four "significant" updates, and the first two of those were just GB Player function updates. But I guess perspective can change all of that. If you do start it before I release the update, make sure you save it with the GB Player off before you apply the new patch. Otherwise it may not even get past the Game Freak screen. This is because music locations will be different, of course.

*Sees version 3.2 is available*

I CALLED IT!

I just started it yesterday! (All I did was start a new file to test the GB player, but still...)

Ah well... I haven't made any significant progress, so I'll just make a new save file.

The idea of choosing patches/features actually came from another hack that I was involved with awhile back. It was such an inspiring thing for me because I hadn't seen anything like it before: a fan alteration of a classic game that attempted to only improve its flaws and make it feel more full than it was before, without making something original out of it while also giving people the choice on what they wanted to include in it for themselves. As it turned out, the hack's intent and execution was original all on its own.

This is very interesting!
What hack was that? You've made me curious...

I might not be as skilled as a hacker as others, but I'm happy to contribute something that aims to perfect a classic game (Red, that is; FireRed isn't original enough to be much more than an update. HG/SS, on the other hand...) and leaves resources for other hackers to use in the future.

You may not be as skilled of a hacker as others, but you are the one who put everything together into this amazing collection! I won't accept this humility from you! (^_^)

By the way, I agree about Red & FireRed being essentially the same... And HG/SS being new games. (Why can't I delete phone numbers anymore?!?!)

VERSION 3.2 AVAILABLE!

Confused by the numbering? Don't be! I chose that because I felt it to be right for my purposes regarding the hack. Plus it represents the -bit system that is the GBA (32-Bit).

32 bit? Version 3.2? (^_^)

Anyways, today's update doesn't really have new features. Instead, I chose to completely overhaul the element that I originally focused on with this hack: the music. Before, the 8-Bit songs in this hack sounded awfully close to the real deal. I haven't heard anything in the ways of complaints since addressing the few that I had when I first released it, so most of you might not even know what I'm talking about when I say that the old tracks were a bit off, even after my self-touted major upgrade awhile ago.

Such irony... While Pallet Town sounded fine, I was going to tell you that the title theme sounded off (parts of it sounded too high), and the Game Freak sound seemed odd, too (I can't really speak for anything beyond that, as I haven't even tried to leave Pallet yet). I'll have to check the new version to see it that's been fixed.

Anyways, no more being down on my old work. Recently, I made a few posts in the old GB Player thread in the Research & Development forum. Since doing so, I happened upon something that was a gold mine to me: a major correlation between the structure of songs in the original games and the structure of GBA tracks! With a lot of work, and a bit of frustration, I now present to you the fruits of my labor: nearly perfect recreations of the 8-Bit tracks. Listen closely for those wonderful beeps-and-boops of old times.

Very interesting...
Again, I'll have to check the new version, but if your past work is any indication, this will be incredible!

Oh, yeah: you can now finish your pre-4th Gen Eevee-lution collection! Yay :).

Yay? That's all you can say? Yay?! I demand more excitement from you! This was one of the things that truly bothered me about FR before, and you've fixed it!

Changelog:
Spoiler:

Enjoy the new version, guys!

*Looks through changelog*

I may have missed something in previous posts, but is the glitch with the map in the Wardrobe patch still there? I don't want to use it if that hasn't been fixed... I need to be able to fly, after all!



Some final notes:

How many Pokemon are currently available with the Catch 'em All patch? Also, dou you have any estimate of when all 251 will be implemented? (I'm expecting a very rough estimate of a very long time...)

While it is nice that all of the trees will stay cut, would it be possible to do the same with the Rock Smash stones? They're at least as annoying, and the HM to clear them is much later in the game and less useful.

Similar to above, while the trainer facing fix is cool, I'd rather have the running shoes work inside. Not because I'm impatient as much as because... They should work indoors to begin with. I believe HackMew has a simple tutorial on how to do it, and I think most players would like the addition.

Finally, I'd like to use this hack (specifically the extras and the Catch 'em All patches) so my niece can enjoy Pokemon as it should be. However, as she's still a beginner, it would be nice if you could get the Teachy TV by talking to the old man after his demonstration. This way, it wouldn't bother those who don't need it, and its still there for those who do. Of course, if you removed the item at some point during development then you can ignore this entire paragraph.

Thanks!
 
Last edited:

RichterSnipes

Not even a nibble...
513
Posts
12
Years
  • Age 30
  • USA
  • Seen Dec 1, 2023
MOAR TEXT FOR RESPONSE!

(O_O)
It's... Perfect!

If you can do this, that would be the best solution, definitely. It would give me more motivation to try the Trainer Tower, for starters (no pun intended).

My question then becomes how many of the Johto starters would you be able to get in this way? Getting all of them from this seems a bit much, no matter how you handle it...
Yeah, I did want to make all Johto starter obtainable through it. At least that would give people more of an initiative to even go through the Trainer Tower and all of its pre-eReader card variations!
*Sees version 3.2 is available*

I CALLED IT!

I just started it yesterday! (All I did was start a new file to test the GB player, but still...)

Ah well... I haven't made any significant progress, so I'll just make a new save file.
Sorry for the bad timing! Or, was it good timing? It all depends on how you look at it!
This is very interesting!
What hack was that? You've made me curious...
Check your PMs. I decided to send you one about that!
You may not be as skilled of a hacker as others, but you are the one who put everything together into this amazing collection! I won't accept this humility from you! (^_^)
Yes, but that noticeable inferiority is enough to justify such humility. I don't consider myself a hacking great, not by a longshot! And I'm actually a bit surprised that nothing's been done like this before! I guess everyone's just wanting to make new stories out of these games, or make all Poké's/difficult versions of them.

By the way, I agree about Red & FireRed being essentially the same... And HG/SS being new games. (Why can't I delete phone numbers anymore?!?!)
Good that you see things in a similar manner when it comes to that. But...I'd list many other reasons as to why HG/SS are new enough games before phone numbers!

Such irony... While Pallet Town sounded fine, I was going to tell you that the title theme sounded off (parts of it sounded too high), and the Game Freak sound seemed odd, too (I can't really speak for anything beyond that, as I haven't even tried to leave Pallet yet). I'll have to check the new version to see it that's been fixed.
Yeah, about the Game Freak logo...chances are I'll never get that sounding right. That particular jingle uses some strange wave distortion that I have absolutely no idea how to recreate. It's the same distortion used in the evolution start jingle and Jigglypuff's Song, neither of which have 8-Bit versions in this game because that distortion was the defining part of those particular tunes. Sorry!

You'll be awfully surprised by the rest of the tracks in the game, though. The opening and title screen have finally received the treatment they deserve!

Yay? That's all you can say? Yay?! I demand more excitement from you! This was one of the things that truly bothered me about FR before, and you've fixed it!
Yeah, I guess. But the only thing the RTC does is affect those evolutions. It was something that didn't really require any work on my own, but hey!

*Looks through changelog*

I may have missed something in previous posts, but is the glitch with the map in the Wardrobe patch still there? I don't want to use it if that hasn't been fixed... I need to be able to fly, after all!
That problem was only for people who were using the same saves (save states?) between two different versions of the game. I don't have any problems with the Wardrobe patch on my end.

Some final notes:

How many Pokemon are currently available with the Catch 'em All patch? Also, dou you have any estimate of when all 251 will be implemented? (I'm expecting a very rough estimate of a very long time...)
Yeah, it'll be a while. As of right now, you can catch everything except the Johto starters and the real-life event legendaries (Mew and Celebi). Their inclusions will require massive map edits and scripting, which will take quite a while. I'm actually a bit spent on hacking right now, though; real life is starting to really interfere. Sorry about that!

While it is nice that all of the trees will stay cut, would it be possible to do the same with the Rock Smash stones? They're at least as annoying, and the HM to clear them is much later in the game and less useful.
Not gonna happen. Smashing rocks can lead to wild Pokémon battles, which I feel makes it important that they can be repeatedly smashed. And I never recall rocks being a hassle in the game! They only appear much on the Sevii Islands and in Cerulean Cave.

Similar to above, while the trainer facing fix is cool, I'd rather have the running shoes work inside. Not because I'm impatient as much as because... They should work indoors to begin with. I believe HackMew has a simple tutorial on how to do it, and I think most players would like the addition.
This was something I never saw as a priority. I could include it along with the other extras. And what do you mean by "rather?" Can't you just have both?

Finally, I'd like to use this hack (specifically the extras and the Catch 'em All patches) so my niece can enjoy Pokemon as it should be. However, as she's still a beginner, it would be nice if you could get the Teachy TV by talking to the old man after his demonstration. This way, it wouldn't bother those who don't need it, and its still there for those who do. Of course, if you removed the item at some point during development then you can ignore this entire paragraph.
The item itself is still in the game's code. I could make a special version just for you that has the Old Man still give you the Teachy TV, if you'd like.

You're welcome. :)
 

Jambo51

Glory To Arstotzka
736
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Nit picky point, but the M4AA engine is actually 16 bit. The GBA is a 16 bit system by design. All the memory buses are 16 bit (the channels of communication between processor and cartridge only support 16 bit data transfers). The M4AA engine is coded in 16 bit THUMB, and as such is 16 bit itself. :P

Hardware lesson over, the music table in GS is at 0xE906E, it has 3 byte pointers on it which point to the music headers. The format of the music headers is identical between gen 1 and gen 2.

The note structure is a little different, but it's documented in one of the documents you have read. To find a song headed from the table, take the second 2 bytes, reverse them, then subtract 0x4000 from the number.

Eg, the pointer is 3A D1 7B, reverse the 2nd and 3rd byte (7B D1), subtract 0x4000 (3B D1) and note this location down.

Now, multiply the first byte (3A) by 0x4000 to get the "ROM bank". (0xE8000)

Finally, add the 2 numbers together to get the ROM location. (0xE8000 + 0x3BD1 = 0xEBBD1)

What my tool does at the moment is export the song as a .s file, ready to insert into a gen 3 ROM. It's not perfect, but it's getting there.
 

RichterSnipes

Not even a nibble...
513
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Nit picky point, but the M4AA engine is actually 16 bit. The GBA is a 16 bit system by design. All the memory buses are 16 bit (the channels of communication between processor and cartridge only support 16 bit data transfers). The M4AA engine is coded in 16 bit THUMB, and as such is 16 bit itself. :P

Hardware lesson over, the music table in GS is at 0xE906E, it has 3 byte pointers on it which point to the music headers. The format of the music headers is identical between gen 1 and gen 2.

The note structure is a little different, but it's documented in one of the documents you have read. To find a song headed from the table, take the second 2 bytes, reverse them, then subtract 0x4000 from the number.

Eg, the pointer is 3A D1 7B, reverse the 2nd and 3rd byte (7B D1), subtract 0x4000 (3B D1) and note this location down.

Now, multiply the first byte (3A) by 0x4000 to get the "ROM bank". (0xE8000)

Finally, add the 2 numbers together to get the ROM location. (0xE8000 + 0x3BD1 = 0xEBBD1)

What my tool does at the moment is export the song as a .s file, ready to insert into a gen 3 ROM. It's not perfect, but it's getting there.
Well drat. I could have sworn some trusted source claimed that the GBA was 32-bit. But I figured otherwise, a system with capabilities not that much greater (in certain areas) than the SNES certainly could still be running with 16-bit hardware, just in a more convoluted sense. That's like calling the Atari Jaguar a 64-bit system! :D

It probably would have been a bit easier for me if I had spent a little time with that header information before! All the headers were documented in that second link in that thread, and doing just simple math like that would have inevitably resulted in me finding all the tracks with ease. I'd still be clueless on where the music table is, though!

And how exactly does your tool export the songs from the GB(C) ROMs? Would the tracks still use GB Synth? Will your tool be able to create 1-to-1 versions of those songs with all velocities, modulations, panning, note rises, and distortion intact? If so, then that's awesome! Yet a little sad for me at the same time.
 

Jambo51

Glory To Arstotzka
736
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It has a 32-bit ARM processor, which has a secondary 16 bit mode. It is capable of running in 32-bit, but it almost never does. So it is both 32 and 16 bit, in a way. But it generally runs in 16 bit.

The tool extracts everything except modulation at the moment. It's not perfect, some songs desync badly, and some voices output aren't 100% right, but it's generally very good. I'll link you to a preview version when I get home, if you want.
 

RichterSnipes

Not even a nibble...
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The tool extracts everything except modulation at the moment. It's not perfect, some songs desync badly, and some voices output aren't 100% right, but it's generally very good. I'll link you to a preview version when I get home, if you want.
Alright, I'll bite. I want to see how this thing handles! I'll reserve all other comments on it until I actually get to test it. Thanks for the opportunity!
 
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Hello!

I tried all four patches, and it didn't work - the GB Player item wasn't there, and my character couldn't get down the stairs.

I patched three of the patches - leaving out the wardrobe patch - and everything works!

Any idea what went wrong?
 
52
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  • Seen Dec 23, 2019
Hello!

I tried all four patches, and it didn't work - the GB Player item wasn't there, and my character couldn't get down the stairs.

I patched three of the patches - leaving out the wardrobe patch - and everything works!

Any idea what went wrong?

I had a similar problem with the GB Player earlier... I found that it worked if I applied the GB Player patch last. I think that something in one of the other patches overwrites the GB Player item on the table (But don't quote me on that).

Not getting down the stairs though...? No idea. I'll let RichterSnipes answer that.
 

RichterSnipes

Not even a nibble...
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I'll take a look at patch compatibility in the near future. As of right now I'm incredibly busy and won't be able to do anything about it. Sorry guys!
 
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