• Our software update is now concluded. You will need to reset your password to log in. In order to do this, you will have to click "Log in" in the top right corner and then "Forgot your password?".
  • Welcome to PokéCommunity! Register now and join one of the best fan communities on the 'net to talk Pokémon and more! We are not affiliated with The Pokémon Company or Nintendo.
    Register

1st Gen flash is optional

Palamon

Palamon

Silence is Purple
8,155
Posts
15
Years
    • Since I feel Flash was a pretty optional hm in gen i, I decided to navigate through Rock Tunnel without it (in Yellow only, I did go through with using Flash in Red/Blue) and I just wanted to say navigating Rock Tunnel in the dark isn't as hard as I thought it would be, especially if you have a Poisoned Pokemon in your party because it does cause the screen to flicker, so you can see where you're going for a brief second.

    (Okay I admit I also followed a tiny guide though).

    So, I decided to ask you guys if you ever navigated Rock Tunnel, Dark Cave, Whirl Islands, Mt. Mortar (g/s only) and Mt. Silver without Flash.
     
    Gardevoir1

    Gardevoir1

    513
    Posts
    8
    Years
    • Rock Tunnel's pathway isn't really all that bad once you've been through it a few times. The Johto caves though.... pure pain. Never again will i go into those without flash or a guide. Dark Cave's ledges are particularly painful because its like one minute im walking and the next i hopped over a ledge accidentally and now im stuck here on the other side.
     
    Nah

    Nah

    15,944
    Posts
    10
    Years
    • Age 31
    • she/her, they/them
    • Seen yesterday
    I've never gone through a dark area without Flash and I don't plan on ever doing so, it sounds so very not worth it.
     
    Devalue

    Devalue

    24,702
    Posts
    3
    Years
    • Any pronoun
    • Seen today
    Packs Flash every time. Fears getting lost due to an encounter or trainer interrupting. Treks through these areas too infrequently to recover.
     
    Megan

    Megan

    23,281
    Posts
    11
    Years
    • She/Her, It/Its
    • Seen today
    Flash being optional is one reason why I think that gen 1 is still the generation that did HMs best. You only need it in one cave, anyway. And even without it Rock Tunnel isn't too bad. Other than that it's a nice addition for catching legendaries as it can at least be freely distributed among party members and reduces the accuracy of opposing Pokemon which in addtion with them having infinite amounts of PP gives you a lot more room to work with.

    Gen 2's dark caves are awful without it. I've gone through Mt Silver without it once and it was a huge time investment.
     

    Code Gage

    6
    Posts
    2
    Years
    • I've read some where that in gen 1 you can talk to your Pikachu(in yellow) if it knows thunder?thunderbolt? You can see rock tunnel bright for a split second .ye its a thing

    Or something like that#_#
     
    Last edited by a moderator:
    Palamon

    Palamon

    Silence is Purple
    8,155
    Posts
    15
    Years
    • Code Gage said:
    I've read some where that in gen 1 you can talk to your Pikachu(in yellow) if it knows thunder?thunderbolt? You can see rock tunnel bright for a split second .ye its a thing
    Click to expand...

    That didn't work for me when I taught my Pikachu Thunderbold in my current playthrough. Maybe it's Thunder, then.
     
    Janp

    Janp

    5,658
    Posts
    11
    Years
    • I'm usually too lazy to get Flash in Kanto, so I often go in Rock Tunnel without it. It's not that hard to navigate and since there aren't any optional areas you could end up, it doesn't even take that long to get past it.

    Also here's the video of what Code Gage is talking about:
     

    Bellsprout

    .
    3,315
    Posts
    10
    Years
    • Seen Jan 1, 2023
    Yeah I've done this many times. I figured out that I could just walk around the outer edge of a cave and be able to navigate it fairly well. I remember doing it for rock tunnel, dark cave, and mt. mortar. I usually never end up going through whirl islands or mt. silver when I do a play through so can't say I have in those caves. I know for sure I never use flash in granite cave from rse.
     
    BoulderSmolder

    BoulderSmolder

    64
    Posts
    2
    Years
    • Seen Oct 29, 2021
    Gen 1 is nice because you can see the walls pretty clearly without Flash.

    I hate teaching stuff Flash, so I tend not to use it except in the really obnoxious caves like Mt Mortar.
     
    Corveone

    Corveone

    1,169
    Posts
    3
    Years
    • Seen yesterday
    Never tried. With Gen 1's lack of decent Pokémon in the first half of the game, there's just no way I'd have a full team by the time I had to go through Rock Tunnel. So bringing a Jigglypuff, Clefairy, or whatever that could learn Flash was no issue.

    It was by Gen 3 and 4 that I really started hating HMs. You need like 4 or 5 in the late game so you pretty much can't go anywhere without an HM slave or two.
     
    Duck

    Duck

    🦆 quack quack
    5,750
    Posts
    3
    Years
    • he, they
    • Seen Feb 23, 2023
    I never use Flash in Kanto since 1) I almost never have enough Pokémon captured to even get the HM and 2) it's just not worth it given my playstyle.

    I've played them so much by now that I can more or less do Rock Tunnel from memory anyways, so it's less of an issue.

    Every other generation I just take a guide and hope for the best.

    I really, really, really, dislike Flash as an HM. It's not useful in battle or not used in puzzles like Strength, it's not a quality of life improvement like Fly, it's not used to traverse new terrain like Surf, it's just a contrivance.

    And not even a good one, since while you could maybe squint and say the other HMs couldn't really be solved well without Pokémon interference (at least in a timely and portable manner), Flash has a pretty easy solution: just use a flashlight. We even know these exist because we've seen trainers with spelunking light helmets.
     
    Lucifer

    Lucifer

    Fallen1
    362
    Posts
    13
    Years
    • I don't remember using Flash past gen one and just once or twice then.

    I learned to light the path in Rock Tunnel by holding my Gameboy Color directly underneath my bedroom lamp and in proceeding gens when Flash areas were changed to tunnel vision I made do with the little fragments of visibility provided within the scope lens.

    As annoying as it could be, it was worth it to not have to waste a move or team slot.

    Flash was the most terrible HM as it's useless in battle since accuracy-reducing moves are effective for the AI but almost never for the player. I'm glad GF realized that and demoted it to a TM and continuously reduced the number of mandatory Flash areas to none.
     

    moon

    37,467
    Posts
    16
    Years
    • they/them
    • Seen Apr 19, 2024
    i legit never wasted a move slot on Flash in gen 1 or 3 iirc, at least not until absolute late game. learned to navigate Rock Tunnel and the Dewford caves without it.
     
    Palamon

    Palamon

    Silence is Purple
    8,155
    Posts
    15
    Years
    • tell me about it @ accuracy lowering moves not really being that great for the player recently tried lowering the accuracy of Snorlax on Mt. silver and even six stages wasn't enough to get Snorlax to miss its move, they still hit!

    Also, gen ii w/o flash is definitely awful. Tried going through Mt. Silver without it and kept bumping walls. Decided the trouble wasn't worth it and went to go get Flash anyway.
     
    Zeostar

    Zeostar

    13,234
    Posts
    6
    Years
    • Seen today
    I used an umbreon with flash through an entire playthrough of crystal. It stopped pretty much every ace pokemon used by a gym leader/elite four.

    Other than that, I still use it for the convenience. I don't mind lowering accuracy since AI doesn't like switching out and can't get rid of it.
     
    You must log in or register to reply here.
    Back
    Top