Research: Hacking the checkgender Command?

Hey everyone.

I've been gone for a long time now (around six or seven months?) because of various health problems, but I'm going to try to be back in action now. I'm coming in hot with a question I'm not sure how to word properly, but I'll make an attempt at it anyway.

Back when I was actively working on this project, I posted a thread about implementing a race choice feature (not unlike the one featured in PKMN X/Y) and some gender variance. Eventually through some conversation with fellow hackers, I decided that the best course of action would be to scrap gender modifiers entirely and make the race choice and character designs a priority. An idea came to mind for adding a new variable command to replace or modify checkgender and alter it to the command checkpronoun. There would be an input box similar to the player name input.

I'll include an example in the spoiler below using fae/faer pronouns for demonstration.



My problem is with actually hacking the command. I've never done something like this before, although I know that Touched has (in this Mega Evolution Thread), but I think this is a bit different and I'm not entirely sure where to start. This also feels a lot more detailed and perhaps a bit more arduous. :/

I suppose what I'm asking is for some help to point me into the right direction on how to start this whole crusade. Hacking commands seems like it would need even more than ASM and could possibly require C/C++ like the Ruins of Alph, as suggested by another user.

Telinc1 said:

I don't know GBA ASM, though judging from other projects, this cannot be created with just a simple ASM routine - you would probably need to code it in C and then compile that into the game (kinda like how the Ruins of Alpha puzzle was done). Not to mention the amount of graphics and checks you would need - some things that come to mind immediately are the overworld sprites (~3 or 4 of them per gender, with a ton of frames each), backsprites and the trainer sprites.
While this is definitely possible, I don't think it will be very easy to create.

Click to expand...

If this seems unclearly worded, please tell me and I'll do my best to clear it up. I did some cursory Google searches on the matter to see if any previous unlocked threads existed for this, and so far I've had no luck. If this thread is in the wring place, please don't hesitate to let me know and/or move it.

I don't think you should hack checkgender, as it specifically designed to return a number based on your chosen gender. Changing the functionality that drastically removes the potential to create custom events based on gender. Rather, you should add a new command or special that buffers the desired pronouns, or even just hack the string renderer so that we have more buffers that permanently contain the pronouns.

I doubt hacking the command will need C. Nothing really requires C: C just makes it easier if you hack contains lots of logic, function calls, or other things that are annoying to do in ASM. Hacks that involve extensive custom graphics and animations are just easier in C, which is why custom intros and titlescreens are generally written in it.

Anyway, if you want text entry, I already have a thread for that describes (sort of) how to create custom text entries here. You could quite easily create text entries with custom lengths and prompts using that information. Feel free to ask if you have any questions relating to that.

As for adding custom commands, it's simply a matter of repointing the script table. The bigger issue is making script editors recognise the new command. This is still true for hacking existing commnds - any changes to the parameters requires changing the script editors. This is probably why JPAN used specials for his custom commands.

This hack will get more difficult if you want to hack the Oak intro (which you probably will, since that's where you select gender). I wrote the custom one for PRPB in C, but it really depends on how much you wish to modify it.

*facepalm*

The gender stuff again?

Come on, I know this is the age of political-correctness, but does gender seriously matter in a pokemon game? They barely refer to the main character with pronouns anyway. It would be so much work for so little difference.

If you want to preach acceptance so bad then let players accept that being male or female isn't oppressing them.

HungLikeATauros said:

*facepalm*

The gender stuff again?

Come on, I know this is the age of political-correctness, but does gender seriously matter in a pokemon game? They barely refer to the main character with pronouns anyway. It would be so much work for so little difference.

If you want to preach acceptance so bad then let players accept that being male or female isn't oppressing them.

Click to expand...

You... have right. But this threat is more about hacking than about political-correctness. If somebody is feeling that this gender bullshit is needed in his hack then okay, i don't agree with his/her/whatever decision but i will try to not start another talk about gender, because this is not the subject of this thread. The subject is to do something new in pokemon games, it does not matter how hacker will use this new option that he/she/whatever is trying to implement in his game.

HungLikeATauros said:

*facepalm*

The gender stuff again?

Come on, I know this is the age of political-correctness, but does gender seriously matter in a pokemon game? They barely refer to the main character with pronouns anyway. It would be so much work for so little difference.

If you want to preach acceptance so bad then let players accept that being male or female isn't oppressing them.

Click to expand...

Checkgender is more than simple text difference. It allows entirely different strings of script! I pitched the idea of using gender select as a character select, and branch off a story or setting that way. Expanding on that potentially expands characters to choose. Thaf's just an example. Like Drewko said, it doesn't matter how this is used, we're researching a new thing to accomplish in hacking. That's all that matters.