FireRed hack: Pokémon Lightbolt Version - [Beta 2.1 Released!]

5qwerty · Dec 16, 2015

Pokémon Lightbolt Version (Kind of Tentative Title) - Hack of: Pokémon Fire Red

[PokeCommunity.com] Pokémon Lightbolt Version - [Beta 2.1 Released!]

Introduction:

Hello guys, I'm 5qwerty. As you can see, I've been registered on PokéCommunity since 2009. I was quite active before, but my activity declined as I had to deal with more and more real life events such as studying and being a teenager. Though it seems that I have not been active for the past few years, I have always lurked around the ROM Hacking Forums. Also sorry to anyone I let down in the past - if anyone sees anything that I posted or sent before 2015, they should disregard it.

This hack would technically be my first hack, if you don't count any hacks that I didn't finish a beta for, or any hacks that were made when I was an incoherent child. My focus for this hack is to make a game that is unique, and is also liked by people (enough for people to do Let's Plays or something).

My goal for starting this hack was just to finish making a game, as I have always given up on the games that I have made before. There won't be insane features or anything, so please go easy on me. It's more of like my own "Fire Red" in the sense that there aren't going to be many graphical or mechanical changes compared to Fire Red. The game development philosophy I have is to include overworld challenges so that the player would have to think while playing, instead of brainlessly clearing the game. The development philosophy for this game specifically is to emulate the style of Fire Red, as long as mechanics are concerned.

Also note that I'm basically working on this game alone, bar some friends who tested the game for me and gave me some ideas/input. Keep this in mind when you're reading my story, as it isn't too good. It was going to be a bit more intricate, but I took a break between brainstorming and actually working on the game, so I kind of forgot what I was going to do.

Also I haven't played any Gen 6 games. Please remember this. Though, I have played Sun and Moon.

Story: (updated September 2016)

The Averr Region is quite an average region. It has got many populous cities, each with their own unique identities. The region also has its own Pokémon League, with eight gyms scattered across the region. Pokémon Trainers start their journey by contacting the Pokémon League, after which a representative will come to their town and give them a starter Pokémon, along with a Pokédex and five Poké Balls.

You are [player], a boy or girl who lives in the southernmost town in the region - Little Town. You had already contacted the Pokémon League expressing desire to start your own journey weeks ago, and they're coming now. Your journey plays out as one would expect it to - you travel through the region, exploring unknown but interesting places, and taking on the often-strange Gym Leaders of Averr.

As your journey continues, you end up meeting these people dressed in black - Team Rocket, or so they say. They keep murmuring about some space shuttle - wait are they actually living up to their name? What are they going to do with an ACTUAL rocket?

Features:

The Authentic Gen III Experience - Close enough to the original for nostalgia, but different enough so that you'll be going on a brand-new adventure.
Explore Averr - Travel to many amazing new places such as the coffee shop in Rockhill City, or maybe even the mysterious Ordinary Town?
Challenging Overworld Exploration - Not everything is going to be spoon fed to you. Talk to people, explore, and you'll eventually find your way around.
Radical Tile Puzzles - There are going to be a few mazes and whatnot.
8 Gym System - Battle the 8 Gym Leaders of Averr for their badges. Then you can challenge the Elite Four.
Gym Not Type Dependent - Ha! Guess what? The Gym Leaders are now semi-puns of other things that reflect the Pokémon they use.
New TM Lineup - New TMs such as AncientPower and Poison Gas make their disc-shaped debut.
Running Indoors - Exception to previous point.
New* Moves - I replaced some old moves like Fury Cutter with new custom moves that will help some Pokémon get by.
Updated Movesets and Stats - I changed up some movesets and stats to make Pokémon (such as the starters) more viable/balanced.
Harder Battles - Battles will be harder, unless you grind. May add restrictions on no X Items during important battles or something.
(Hopefully) Funny Dialogue - I mean, I think it's okay. It's up to you to decide whether it's funny or not. The farthest any reference will extend to is another Nintendo game or some stupid meme.

* = not really new

Screenshots:

Credits:

Me - Everything.

"Thank you" to:

Anyone who made an XSE Tutorial.
Anyone who made a World Map Hacking Tutorial.
Anyone who made any other tutorial that I read. I guess you don't know who you are. But thanks.
Anyone who made a tool.
Spherical Ice, because looking at your hack gave me inspiration.
ddrox13/Spirit Shackle for Beta Testing.
Spherical Ice and Bela, for being patient with my dumb questions.
ROM Hacking discord chat. All of you are cool people (though I only started checking it recently).
Christos. I don't know why.
IRL Friends for Beta testing and some ideas.

Tools Used:

A-Trainer
AdvanceMap 1.92
AdvanceMap 1.95
APE
FSF
Gen 3 Tools
HTE
HxD
LIPS
NTME
WRAP RE
XSE
YAPE 0.9

Again, thank you to those who made these tools!

Frequently Asked Questions:

No one has asked any questions yet. If you have, just ask me any question by PM, VM, or by leaving a reply.
I guess I'll include the answers to some questions you may have here. (I'll add more as if people download and play and ask questions)

Q: Are you going to post solutions to any puzzles?
A: No, they won't be posted. I guess nothing is stopping you from discussing with your friends.

Explanation:

Spoiler:

Q: What do I do if I'm stuck in/at/on/under/after <insert place name here>?
A: Talk to people, explore. Pay attention to your surroundings.

Q: What should I do to try and enjoy the game?
A: Don't frame skip dialogue, don't save scum. Also change Battle Style to Set if you want a "challenge".

Downloads:

Hey, welcome to the downloads section. All downloads are in .zip format, and include a Notes.txt that you should read before playing.

Beta 2.1

This version includes everything from the previous version, with a few minor additions and changes. Here is basically what changed (copied from Notes.txt):

CRAZY MAZE CAVE has been renamed to CRAZY HAZE CAVE and remapped
Changed a lot of stats and learnsets of available POKéMON
Changed a lot of after-battle dialogue with NPCs so that they make more sense
Added "Brock" walking sprites
Added COFFEE and PIKAXE sprites
Added a mining "minigame" (just RNG)
A few more minor tweaks

Also some Trainers have been "nerfed" so to speak. This includes Gym Leaders 3-5.

Bugs:
- Talking to the Blackboard in the Greenbig City school will crash the game.

Beta 2.0

This version includes everything up to the 5th Gym. There aren't that many places to explore compared to the last release, and the storyline barely progresses. Nonetheless, I have indeed added more gameplay, and there are some more Pokémon options available to the player compared to last patch. There are also barely any items to find, and I'm looking to add more NPCs and Item Balls in the near future.

I'll feeling a bit generous, so here are some tips, some of which may be included in the Notes.txt file:

Cacnea is by far the weakest starter when taking gyms 4 and 5 into consideration. Pick up a Spoink or Girafarig unless you want a challenge.
5th Gym (LAMP CITY) is easier than 4th Gym (GIGABEACH CITY). You can visit the two in any order.
The old man previously in front of CLOUDPEAK CITY has now moved to GIGABEACH CITY, and getting the COFFEE will be much easier compared to last release since HM02 is in the game.
Adding on to the previous point, I did some rerouting. You are now forced to fight the third gym before doing the Rocket Hideout, but the Rocket Hideout is optional unless you wish to face the 4th gym.

Beta 1

So this version includes everything up to the 3rd gym. Though, there is a lot between the 2nd and 3rd gyms. Also, I added new text for all of the people in all the houses from all the towns, including Pokémon Centers and Marts.
I also feel like the Wild Pokémon and Trainer Pokémon after the first gym are kind of high, so please give me your feedback.
In addition, this version includes some kind of maze cave part, and a few tile puzzles, so I'm hoping everyone stays patient when dealing with these parts of the game.
Lastly, keep in mind I was at my wit's end when writing a lot of the random NPC dialogue (also the fact that I'm writing this at 1AM).
(I forgot to include this in the Notes.txt, but I was unsuccessful in inserting the COFFEE sprite so you guys get some weird green coffee now)

Pre-Beta

Ok, this wasn't supposed to be released to the public, but I would feel bad if I made this thread without a download. So here it is, the Pre-Beta. It goes up to 2 gyms and a little bit further. Also I would not recommend LPing or recording gameplay from this pre-beta, since a lot of things are old.

Change Log:

Going to be reverse-chronological Month/Day/Year format.

Spoiler:

KiyoshiDono · Dec 16, 2015

Might play. But I'll wait for for some additions. :)

5qwerty · Dec 16, 2015

KiyoshiDono said:
Might play. But I'll wait for for some additions. :)

Good, that is what I would suggest.

The Pre-Beta that I put out is just a kind of teaser-thing (kind of? Don't really know what a correct term is). It is going to be very different from the next release.

I'm currently done all the maps of the next version/beta/whatever. Only really scripting left...ugh.

curiters · Dec 16, 2015

Good things for this hack doesnt need mega but you create a versatile hack and yes gen 3 mechanics.

looneyman1 · Dec 17, 2015

so no spec/phys split? Totally your choice but that makes the majority of pokemon useless in the end. You will want to change base stats at the very least to fix that, but again your choice.

5qwerty · Dec 19, 2015

Sorry, I didn't want to respond without posting some updates.

curiters said:
Good things for this hack doesnt need mega but you create a versatile hack and yes gen 3 mechanics.

If you mean:
No megas + gen 3 mechanics = Good

Then I agree.

looneyman1 said:
so no spec/phys split? Totally your choice but that makes the majority of pokemon useless in the end. You will want to change base stats at the very least to fix that, but again your choice.

Yes I will be changing some base stats and learnsets. I wouldn't agree that Pok?mon are useless without the Physical Special Status Split. Sure they aren't as strong as they could be (and kind of defies logic), but I feel like during an in-game run, the stats don't matter too much. Pok?mon can still be strong without the split. Birds can use Steel Wing, Fighting Types get Rock Slide and Earthquake, and high-Sp.Atk Pok?mon get Elemental Punches and such. It's something, I think.

Ok, so I have here the World Map, a preview of one of the puzzles, and also a sprite I made for COFFEE.
World Map:

Spoiler:

Puzzle:

Spoiler:

COFFEE:

Spoiler:

I have a few questions/problems; can anyone help answer my questions?
1. After inserting my map and changing the palette, using the TOWN MAP item in the bag and exiting screws up the bag screen. What is the reason for this, and how do I fix it?
2. Which are the variables that I can use (for both level scripts and also just in general)? I am currently using 0x7000 just like in diegoisaweome's tutorial, but apparently variables 5EF4 - 7FFF are unsafe or something. I have tried 0x4001, 0x4002, etc, but the level script just repeats itself. Is there something I'm doing wrong?

Please answer, I actually have no clue about anything.

curiters · Dec 19, 2015

5qwerty said:
Sorry, I didn't want to respond without posting some updates.

If you mean:
No megas + gen 3 mechanics = Good

Then I agree.

Yes I will be changing some base stats and learnsets. I wouldn't agree that Pok?mon are useless without the Physical Special Status Split. Sure they aren't as strong as they could be (and kind of defies logic), but I feel like during an in-game run, the stats don't matter too much. Pok?mon can still be strong without the split. Birds can use Steel Wing, Fighting Types get Rock Slide and Earthquake, and high-Sp.Atk Pok?mon get Elemental Punches and such. It's something, I think.

Ok, so I have here the World Map, a preview of one of the puzzles, and also a sprite I made for COFFEE.
World Map:

Spoiler:

Puzzle:

Spoiler:

COFFEE:

Spoiler:

I have a few questions/problems; can anyone help answer my questions?
1. After inserting my map and changing the palette, using the TOWN MAP item in the bag and exiting screws up the bag screen. What is the reason for this, and how do I fix it?
2. Which are the variables that I can use (for both level scripts and also just in general)? I am currently using 0x7000 just like in diegoisaweome's tutorial, but apparently variables 5EF4 - 7FFF are unsafe or something. I have tried 0x4001, 0x4002, etc, but the level script just repeats itself. Is there something I'm doing wrong?

Please answer, I actually have no clue about anything.

omg dat puzzle? i prepared my eyes for that tho

chrunch · Dec 19, 2015

I hope when you say "only gen 3 mechanics" that doesn't mean you'll be using gen 3 sprites too. I don't want to fight against another 1st gym leader that looks mysteriously similar to Brock.

5qwerty said:
I have a few questions/problems; can anyone help answer my questions?
1. After inserting my map and changing the palette, using the TOWN MAP item in the bag and exiting screws up the bag screen. What is the reason for this, and how do I fix it?
2. Which are the variables that I can use (for both level scripts and also just in general)? I am currently using 0x7000 just like in diegoisaweome's tutorial, but apparently variables 5EF4 - 7FFF are unsafe or something. I have tried 0x4001, 0x4002, etc, but the level script just repeats itself. Is there something I'm doing wrong?

Please answer, I actually have no clue about anything.

To answer your questions (although you should have probably posted in the quick questions thread):

Spoiler:

5qwerty · Dec 19, 2015

curiters said:
omg dat puzzle? i prepared my eyes for that tho

Yeah it hurts, right?

chrunch said:
I hope when you say "only gen 3 mechanics" that doesn't mean you'll be using gen 3 sprites too. I don't want to fight against another 1st gym leader that looks mysteriously similar to Brock.

To answer your questions (although you should have probably posted in the quick questions thread):

Spoiler:

1. No idea. I've changed both the map and palette in my hack and it works fine. Maybe something went wrong during the inserting process? You could try reinserting the map in a firered ROM and see if you encounter the same issue.
2. Vars in the 7000 range are absolutely not safe. These overwrite the PC box space and are one of the causes of bad eggs. The only vars that you can use are between 4000 - 40FF, however some of the vars are used by the game engine and others are used in scripts, which shouldn't be a problem if you're not reusing anything from FR. Here's a comprehensive list, it should help you choose the right ones.

Alright, thanks a bunch. I totally forgot that the thread existed. I'm afraid my questions will drive people crazy.

Also if the Town Map is such a big issue, I'll just not give to the player. I don't know how many people check it. It's always available in the Pok?mon Center.

Again, thanks.

curiters · Dec 20, 2015

5qwerty said:
Yeah it hurts, right?

Alright, thanks a bunch. I totally forgot that the thread existed. I'm afraid my questions will drive people crazy.

Also if the Town Map is such a big issue, I'll just not give to the player. I don't know how many people check it. It's always available in the Pok?mon Center.

Again, thanks.

ye my eyes got blurred. HAHAHA

Nex · Dec 20, 2015

That puzzle just killed my brain

5qwerty · Dec 22, 2015

chrunch said:
I hope when you say "only gen 3 mechanics" that doesn't mean you'll be using gen 3 sprites too. I don't want to fight against another 1st gym leader that looks mysteriously similar to Brock.

Oops, forgot about this part. Right now the sprites are just going to be placeholders. I'll probably be making sprites for new gym leaders, but not right now.

curiters said:
ye my eyes got blurred. HAHAHA

Nex said:
That puzzle just killed my brain

Good.

Kind-of-Update: I have just realized that all of the flags/vars I was using are unsafe/wrong, so I will be taking some time to fix all my scripts. I was contemplating whether I should reply now (or probably earlier), or wait until I had legitimate new content, but then I remembered that I can double post to update. Also, to those who care, I also have been busy with a lot of real life stuff (end of term etc., preparing to move), so there won't be many new things I can post (except for maybe a few maps).

Hopefully I'll get all these scripts working, and better than before! I'll also try to make some FR/LG styled NEW TILES (or at least new palettes) to replace some of the old ones that I won't be using (Bike Shop).

Also, what do you guys think I should do with screenshots? I always have this kind of thought where I don't want to reveal the "good stuff" and wait until the release for people to see. Mainly these are the "funny" dialogues, and I don't really want to ruin the "joke" (note quotes because not everyone finds it funny). But recently I have been thinking that this kind of thought process (the one I just described) may veer people away from my hack because I'm not showing many "features" (from the few that I would have to offer). I am currently struggling with this, and would like some input.

(Also I say "also" a lot)

5qwerty · Jul 15, 2016

Ok, so I'm bumping after like 3 decades because I finally got some more time to work on this game, so I did some work.

Here is the next download (copy from edited first post):

Beta 1

So this version includes everything up to the 3rd gym. Though, there is a lot between the 2nd and 3rd gyms. Also, I added new text for all of the people in all the houses from all the towns, including Pokémon Centers and Marts.
I also feel like the Wild Pokémon and Trainer Pokémon after the first gym are kind of high, so please give me your feedback.
In addition, this version includes some kind of maze cave part, and a few tile puzzles, so I'm hoping everyone stays patient when dealing with these parts of the game.
Lastly, keep in mind I was at my wit's end when writing a lot of the random NPC dialogue (also the fact that I'm writing this at 1AM).
(I forgot to include this in the Notes.txt, but I was unsuccessful in inserting the COFFEE sprite so you guys get some weird green coffee now)

Again, please point out any errors that you find. It would really be appreciated!

5qwerty · Sep 1, 2016

Ok, shameless bump here.

I'm trying to work hard on the next release, but it's difficult with the amount of chores I have to do. Here's what everyone should expect in the next release:

5 Gyms, which means new areas.
Another puzzle (different, in a sense - will take intense scripting if what I have in mind is to be accomplished).
Fixed Item Balls, since right now they are just what they were before.
Fixed TMs (eg TM05 is not going to be ROAR anymore).
Fixed TM learnability.
More dialogue consistency (currently, one piece of text still says "CERULEAN")
Probably a bit of balancing (wild levels/trainer levels/learnsets/base stats)
Some things that will appear earlier in the game as well. For example, the MUSEUM will have some people after the event there is over.
Other stuff that I currently am not remembering.

I'll also hopefully get these rolling by the next release, depending how itching to get the release out I am when it's ready script-wise:

Some updated tiles.
Updated leader sprites (battle/OW). These will be cheap edits, but at least no more BROCK clones.
Updated Intro.

Also there was an error with the disappearing man in CLOUDPEAK CITY, you have to exit the area (so go into a house) and reenter for him to disappear.

I can't really give a time for the next release, it really depends how busy I get with school.

pirateof7sea · Sep 2, 2016

First of all, I have yet to play his beta but, to be honest, I don't know why you guys think the puzzle is hard.
Judging by the "tiles" in that screenshot used in that puzzle, you pretty much stop every time after 1 arrow tile.
I'd rather he don't use this "illusion" to trick people into thinking it is hard.

I rather he made less arrow tile and cannot be stopped until a specific tile is used. <- I don't know how to explain this but similar to the ice cave's slippery tile where you can only stop when you hit a boulder.

Anyway, would the graphic being improved to DPPT's?

Rafat9 · Sep 3, 2016

This looks cool

i like it when hacks play with the idea of gym leaders having different pokemon that isnt based on typing

princess garghelina · Sep 4, 2016

Good luck. Best of luck.

Disturb Not The Harmony · Sep 9, 2016

Feedback:
-Decent balance. I was playing Nuzlocke, and aside from savescumming to get past the first Gym (because I only had a Wurmple, a Zigzagoon, and Ponyta), I didn't suffer any bullshit deaths. (My Beautifly did die. A Baltoy blew up in her face. T_T )
-THAT WRETCHED CAVE
-- ...good job. That was fun in a weird way.
- The first Gym is difficult to get past, but that's true in vanilla FireRed as well. Thanks for making the Leader's Pokemon neutral to Fire, anyway.
- The dialogue was great.
- It does feel like levels ramp up a bit fast, but it's manageable if one focuses most of the EXP into one Pokemon. The maze's sheer length (if you keep screwing up >_>) allows leveling of a second Pokemon if they're strong against Rock-types. (Possibly two more Pokemon, since I managed to level Machop after Beautifly died...)

A nice hack. I liked playing it.

I was about to say I was stuck at Cloudpeak, but then I accidentally discovered the Rocket Base. Onto more of this hack! :D

Current Team:

Spoiler:

BadEgg~ · Sep 12, 2016

The ROM hack looks great, but there's one thing I take issue with:

|Q: Are you going to post solutions to any puzzles?
A: No. Figure it out.|

See this is how you stop people from playing your game. If they are truly stuck and they cannot progress, they're not gonna finish it. If they just use the solutions without trying to figure the puzzles out, that's their choice. Rather give them the option of seeing the solutions than being (to be honest with you) a bit rude. Just sayin'.

5qwerty · Sep 14, 2016

pirateof7sea said:
First of all, I have yet to play his beta but, to be honest, I don't know why you guys think the puzzle is hard.
Judging by the "tiles" in that screenshot used in that puzzle, you pretty much stop every time after 1 arrow tile.
I'd rather he don't use this "illusion" to trick people into thinking it is hard.

I rather he made less arrow tile and cannot be stopped until a specific tile is used. <- I don't know how to explain this but similar to the ice cave's slippery tile where you can only stop when you hit a boulder.

Anyway, would the graphic being improved to DPPT's?

Ok.

No.

Rafat9 said:
This looks cool

i like it when hacks play with the idea of gym leaders having different pokemon that isnt based on typing

Yes, thanks.

sun princess garghelina said:
Good luck. Best of luck.

Ok thanks.

BadEgg~ said:
The ROM hack looks great, but there's one thing I take issue with:

|Q: Are you going to post solutions to any puzzles?
A: No. Figure it out.|

See this is how you stop people from playing your game. If they are truly stuck and they cannot progress, they're not gonna finish it. If they just use the solutions without trying to figure the puzzles out, that's their choice. Rather give them the option of seeing the solutions than being (to be honest with you) a bit rude. Just sayin'.

Ok, I do agree that it's not too nice, but that's my mindset towards games. Too many people these days just expect everything to be spoon fed (in-game) or given to them (online), me included. Though, I don't feel like any of the puzzles here are difficult enough to make people rage quit. Yes, I know the feeling of "I tried everything but I still don't know where to go!" It is a terrible feeling. Though with this hack, I really don't want people mindlessly plowing through the game. If someone is stuck, they can ask their friends and share the solutions between each other. You know, like people did in the past.

Sorry, but I won't be posting solutions online. I'll change the answer to that questions so it's more nice, I guess.

Disturb Not The Harmony said:
Feedback:
-Decent balance. I was playing Nuzlocke, and aside from savescumming to get past the first Gym (because I only had a Wurmple, a Zigzagoon, and Ponyta), I didn't suffer any bull**** deaths. (My Beautifly did die. A Baltoy blew up in her face. T_T )
-THAT WRETCHED CAVE
-- ...good job. That was fun in a weird way.
- The first Gym is difficult to get past, but that's true in vanilla FireRed as well. Thanks for making the Leader's Pokemon neutral to Fire, anyway.
- The dialogue was great.
- It does feel like levels ramp up a bit fast, but it's manageable if one focuses most of the EXP into one Pokemon. The maze's sheer length (if you keep screwing up >_>) allows leveling of a second Pokemon if they're strong against Rock-types. (Possibly two more Pokemon, since I managed to level Machop after Beautifly died...)

A nice hack. I liked playing it.

I was about to say I was stuck at Cloudpeak, but then I accidentally discovered the Rocket Base. Onto more of this hack! :D

Current Team:

Spoiler:

Zigzagoon L15
Doduo L21
Machop L23
Ponyta L26
Magikarp L11
Surskit L16

Wow, very nice that you managed to do all that. I'm very glad that you took the time to play it and post your findings here.

The first gym is very hard especially for Ponyta, because AncientPower is really strong. I'm glad that you noticed that his 'mons are both neutral to fire. I'm surprised that you played a Nuzlocke yet didn't suffer any casualties in the first gym.
The ~~Hazy~~ Crazy Maze Cave is pretty cancer, and karma will probably come back to bite me some time. I stole some parts from Fire Red I think, so if people are familiar with the Fire Red cave puzzle, they should get through my cave with more ease.

Yeah, and I do have plans for lowering the wild levels already. I also plan on making some things less of a hassle for the player to deal with, because I realize some things are kind of obscure (the goals after the second gym).

Thank you everyone for feedback.

FireRed hack: Pokémon Lightbolt Version - [Beta 2.1 Released!]

More options

5qwerty

KiyoshiDono

5qwerty

curiters

Oblivious - prevents me from being afflicted by in

looneyman1

The Psycho Pokemon

5qwerty

curiters

Oblivious - prevents me from being afflicted by in

chrunch

5qwerty

curiters

Oblivious - prevents me from being afflicted by in

Nex

formerly known as _Nex_

5qwerty

5qwerty

5qwerty

pirateof7sea

I shall crush your hope even if there is none.

Rafat9

princess garghelina

Banned

Disturb Not The Harmony

BadEgg~

Pokémon: Volant Version Developer

5qwerty