Hack Series: Pokémon Photonic Sun & Prismatic Moon

[Buffel Saft]

First off, thank you Buffel Saft for making more or less of a spiritual successor to Blaze Black, which I enjoyed playing many years ago. I'm thinking up a team to edit into my save file at level 5 while going through the pfd that contains all the changes you've made to many Pokemon. Some of the balance changes, while cool, seem to make some Pokemon overpowered.

For example, I think the idea of a Shell Smash Torterra with Head Smash, Rock Head and Wood Hammer makes for an interesting unique combination, but on paper it looks kinda broken. So while I'm tempted to use it, I'll get bored half-way if it makes the game way too easy. Maybe it's stats should be altered like what you've done with Maractus lowering it's attack score but giving it Huge Power. If Torterra gets Head Smash, may as well give it to Aerodactyl as well to go with Brave Bird. Mega Steelix would also like Rock Head and Head Smash instead of Sand Force, though that might break him too considering he has Shore Up.

Serperior with Contrary is already plenty powerful considering it's in the OU tier, but with dragon typing and Draco Meteor few things can resist it. It does have a boring movepool apart from those moves as it has enough speed to make Glare rather situational.

Electivire getting a fighting type is cool, though I think Sheer Force would be more useful on him than Galvanize? A suggestion would be giving Alolan Golem Rock Head so it can be an interesting choice whether to go for Galvanize or Rock Head as both have pros and cons. I think Hitmontop getting contrary is interesting, but his brothers are still pretty mediocre even with a HP buff as are numerous other Pokemon that didn't get rebalanced nearly as much and are therefor less appealing.

Might be neat to give Noctowl No Guard so it exclusively has a 100% accurate Hypnosis, making it a bit of a flying-type Parasect. On Reddit they have a Rebuild Tuesday where people provide ideas to make Pokemon more interesting and balanced and I wouldn't be surprised if there are more places were people discuss this stuff like Smogon. Ideally these changes could be tested for balance, but that's probably unrealistic lol.

Just my 2 cents 😆.

Yeah some of the changes definitely make certain Pokemon overpowered, though Shell Smash in general is overpowered in game as the AI has no idea how to respond to it. Torterra's still not as strong as Blaziken or Greninja are with their hidden abilities, so I figured those changes wouldn't be too out of place on a starter (though looking back it probably shouldn't have gotten an attack increase as well). The only reason I didn't give Aerodactyl Head Smash is that it becomes absolutely ridiculous on Mega Aerodactyl; Brave Bird is very strong too of course but both is a bit much IMO.

Serperior is absolutely broken with STAB Draco Meteor and Leaf Storm, but the trade off is that it isn't very strong until it gets Leaf Storm at level 62, and Draco Meteor isn't available until it's almost level 80. The only reason I made that change was because I had so much fun using it in Blaze Black.

Sheer Force would definitely be a good option for Electivire, though it doesn't boost many fighting-type moves to go with its new typing. There are probably hundreds of Pokemon that could use more interesting buffs; it's tricky to come up with changes that both make sense and give each Pokemon a niche, especially with how many of them there are now.

I do like those Noctowl and Golem suggestions, I'll keep them in mind for the next time I update this hack, though I don't know if or when that will happen as I'm currently focused on making a similar hack for Emerald. Might have to take a look Rebuild Tuesday too, sounds interesting!

Thanks for taking the time to give such detailed feedback, hope you have fun with the hack!

 

[Frostiikin]

I've been having a lot of fun with this hack so far, just beat the ghost trial, but one thing kinda bugs me, and that is that there's no version of the hack that makes it so wild pokemon are their native levels... it makes it almost the perfect version of this game, but due to the lack of that feature, any sos chained shinies would be considered illegitimate by the game... being a shiny hunter, that kinda hurts the game quite a bit, but I could just turn the hack off at times if I want to hunt something. I get that it would take an absurd ammount of work to restore wild pokes, and would make anyone playing through the first time in that version a bit under leveled, but it would still be a great addition at least for once the game is beaten. I'm not sure what you'd wanna do with non natives in a version like that, likely they'd have to be removed if it was to be a true legal version... oh well lol this hack is still amazing anyways, thanks!

 

[Buffel Saft]

I've been having a lot of fun with this hack so far, just beat the ghost trial, but one thing kinda bugs me, and that is that there's no version of the hack that makes it so wild pokemon are their native levels... it makes it almost the perfect version of this game, but due to the lack of that feature, any sos chained shinies would be considered illegitimate by the game... being a shiny hunter, that kinda hurts the game quite a bit, but I could just turn the hack off at times if I want to hunt something. I get that it would take an absurd ammount of work to restore wild pokes, and would make anyone playing through the first time in that version a bit under leveled, but it would still be a great addition at least for once the game is beaten. I'm not sure what you'd wanna do with non natives in a version like that, likely they'd have to be removed if it was to be a true legal version... oh well lol this hack is still amazing anyways, thanks!

Hey, thanks for the kind words! Good to hear you've been enjoying the hack so far. I did plan to have a version with unmodified wild Pokemon levels, but unfortunately there was no easy to way to make it due to the way I edited the wild Pokemon. If you just want the default wild mons you can remove the large file in the romfs/a/0/8 folder (it'll be about 470MB and named either 2 or 3), and that will get rid of the wild Pokemon changes without affecting any other parts of the hack.

 

[Frostiikin]

I remember seeing a different usum hack that had regular wilds but with different encounter rates and no version exclusives, maybe I could just merge the two now that I know what to edit. Would removing wild changes mess with ultra wormhole legends, since you said they're all available here regardless of game

 

[Buffel Saft]

I remember seeing a different usum hack that had regular wilds but with different encounter rates and no version exclusives, maybe I could just merge the two now that I know what to edit. Would removing wild changes mess with ultra wormhole legends, since you said they're all available here regardless of game

Yeah that'll work; all the ultra wormhole encounters are in another file, so they won't be affected.

 

[Murkrow]

playing prismatic moon standard latest version, confide tm description text is about curse instead. in your rebalanced version that tm is changed to curse so...

 

[Guinevil]

Yeah some of the changes definitely make certain Pokemon overpowered, though Shell Smash in general is overpowered in game as the AI has no idea how to respond to it. Torterra's still not as strong as Blaziken or Greninja are with their hidden abilities, so I figured those changes wouldn't be too out of place on a starter (though looking back it probably shouldn't have gotten an attack increase as well). The only reason I didn't give Aerodactyl Head Smash is that it becomes absolutely ridiculous on Mega Aerodactyl; Brave Bird is very strong too of course but both is a bit much IMO.

Serperior is absolutely broken with STAB Draco Meteor and Leaf Storm, but the trade off is that it isn't very strong until it gets Leaf Storm at level 62, and Draco Meteor isn't available until it's almost level 80. The only reason I made that change was because I had so much fun using it in Blaze Black.

Sheer Force would definitely be a good option for Electivire, though it doesn't boost many fighting-type moves to go with its new typing. There are probably hundreds of Pokemon that could use more interesting buffs; it's tricky to come up with changes that both make sense and give each Pokemon a niche, especially with how many of them there are now.

I do like those Noctowl and Golem suggestions, I'll keep them in mind for the next time I update this hack, though I don't know if or when that will happen as I'm currently focused on making a similar hack for Emerald. Might have to take a look Rebuild Tuesday too, sounds interesting!

Thanks for taking the time to give such detailed feedback, hope you have fun with the hack!

Considering Torterra looks like an Ankylosaur I think it would make sense to focus on amplifying it's defensive capabilities. As suggested in the rebuild tuesday on Reddit, Solid Rock would be a fairly flavorful and helpful ability. Also it wouldn't be out of place if it could learn Shore Up. I think it can still keep Shell Smash for a bit of variety, but remove Rock Head and Head Smash. I think the powerful Head Smash and Rock Head combo would maybe be best reserved for only a few Pokemon like Tyrantrum and Golem maybe.

Aerodactyl and it's mega form could be turned into the ultimate glass cannon. Maybe give the regular form Tough Claws and the mega Reckless. It has access to Roost, but considering it's mediocre defenses it can easily be revenge killed. It's also weak to priority moves and Choice Scarf, but I assume the AI doesn't use it as much as human players do.

As for Electivire maybe Iron Fists makes more sense then, perhaps even pairing it with Plasma Fists. I agree that tons of Pokemon could really use some revamps. I've downloaded pk3ds as I've been tempted to take a look and see how underused Pokemon could be made to be more effective at the strengths they already possess. Take for example Wigglytuff with Huge Power or maybe Regenerator for a defensive build. Or giving Poliwrath Technician and Aqua Jet to use along with other interesting moves like Circle Throw, Force Palm or Rock Tomb.

I also checked the level up moves of a number of Pokemon and they lack egg moves, like Belly Drum Charizard? Since there are so many egg moves adding them to the regular level up moves list effectively doubles it. It would be a daunting task to include them all and come up with appropriate levels for them. Granted, letting Bulbasaur learn moves like Grassy Terrain, Ingrain, Charm, Curse and Amnesia through leveling up can easily make for more varied gameplay while players are still leveling and unlocking new moves.

Some other sources I've found useful for inspiration are the False Swipe Gaming Youtube channel which has videos on the role and efficacy of Pokemon throughout each generation and their competition, as well as documentation of Drayano's Sacred Gold & Storm Silver.

 

[Buffel Saft]

playing prismatic moon standard latest version, confide tm description text is about curse instead. in your rebalanced version that tm is changed to curse so...

Whoops, seems that was the case for all the edited TMs. Thanks for reporting that! I've just replaced the game text file (which is a/0/3/2) in both standard versions so it will be fixed now.

 

[ishj1337]

A few things in the documentation that I noticed:

1. Trial Captain Acerola is missing.
2. Some Rival battles are missing.

Edit: I am really enjoying the difficulty curve. Really making me think. Out of curiosity, what team did you run or recommend?

 

[Buffel Saft]

A few things in the documentation that I noticed:

1. Trial Captain Acerola is missing.
2. Some Rival battles are missing.

Edit: I am really enjoying the difficulty curve. Really making me think. Out of curiosity, what team did you run or recommend?

The first one is missing because Acerola doesn't have a Trial Captain fight, you'll battle Nanu or Sophocles instead depending on version. Do you know which rival battles are missing? I thought I'd included all of them except for the multi battles (as they're allied with you) and the royal dome.

I ran with Decidueye, Scizor, Dodrio, Hydreigon, Gardevoir and Wishiwashi/Gastrodon. I'f you're playing rebalanced I'd recommend trying out an Ice type so you can use the new Freeze-Dry TM, or one of the gen 7 Pokemon that received a speed increase (Vikavolt or Tsareena are pretty fun). If you're playing standard Hawlucha is kinda broken early on and will be strong through your whole playthrough.

Glad you're enjoying the difficulty so far!

 

[ishj1337]

I think I am in the wrong because I saw you "skipped" a few rival battles but didn't realise you skipped multi-battles, etc. I thought you'd name them as 1, 2, 3, so on and just forgot to add a few battles. Lol

I have whited out a couple of times. Glad I am not a nuzelocker. Will try an Ice type.

 

[Buffel Saft]

Considering Torterra looks like an Ankylosaur I think it would make sense to focus on amplifying it's defensive capabilities. As suggested in the rebuild tuesday on Reddit, Solid Rock would be a fairly flavorful and helpful ability. Also it wouldn't be out of place if it could learn Shore Up. I think it can still keep Shell Smash for a bit of variety, but remove Rock Head and Head Smash. I think the powerful Head Smash and Rock Head combo would maybe be best reserved for only a few Pokemon like Tyrantrum and Golem maybe.

Aerodactyl and it's mega form could be turned into the ultimate glass cannon. Maybe give the regular form Tough Claws and the mega Reckless. It has access to Roost, but considering it's mediocre defenses it can easily be revenge killed. It's also weak to priority moves and Choice Scarf, but I assume the AI doesn't use it as much as human players do.

As for Electivire maybe Iron Fists makes more sense then, perhaps even pairing it with Plasma Fists. I agree that tons of Pokemon could really use some revamps. I've downloaded pk3ds as I've been tempted to take a look and see how underused Pokemon could be made to be more effective at the strengths they already possess. Take for example Wigglytuff with Huge Power or maybe Regenerator for a defensive build. Or giving Poliwrath Technician and Aqua Jet to use along with other interesting moves like Circle Throw, Force Palm or Rock Tomb.

I also checked the level up moves of a number of Pokemon and they lack egg moves, like Belly Drum Charizard? Since there are so many egg moves adding them to the regular level up moves list effectively doubles it. It would be a daunting task to include them all and come up with appropriate levels for them. Granted, letting Bulbasaur learn moves like Grassy Terrain, Ingrain, Charm, Curse and Amnesia through leveling up can easily make for more varied gameplay while players are still leveling and unlocking new moves.

Some other sources I've found useful for inspiration are the False Swipe Gaming Youtube channel which has videos on the role and efficacy of Pokemon throughout each generation and their competition, as well as documentation of Drayano's Sacred Gold & Storm Silver.

Yeah Torterra probably shouldn't have Head Smash + Rock Head, but I don't want to remove existing buffs at this point, especially as that one was a request and it does bring Torterra more in line with the other Sinnoh starters. I'm not sure about giving it Shore Up, as it's supposed be a move that heals the user by gathering sand. I only gave it to Steelix because it eats soil, and even then it's a bit of a stretch.

Aerodactyl doesn't need anything more than recoilless Brave Bird IMO, giving it extra damage gets pretty crazy:
[SPOLIER]252 Atk Choice Band Tough Claws Aerodactyl Brave Bird vs. 240 HP / 52 Def Mew: 312-367 (77.8 - 91.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Choice Band Aerodactyl Brave Bird vs. 240 HP / 52 Def Mew: 240-283 (59.8 - 70.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Reckless Aerodactyl-Mega Brave Bird vs. 240 HP / 52 Def Mew: 229-271 (57.1 - 67.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery[/SPOLIER]

Electivire with Iron Fist would be pretty good and it makes sense too.

Regarding egg moves, there's a limit of 25 level up moves Pokemon; any more than that and the move reminder stops working, so that's why some egg moves are still egg moves. That, and level up moves have to be in order to work properly, so adding new moves anywhere that isn't level one or the end of a learnset is a lot of work (and requires hex editing as pk3DS doesn't have a good way to reorder them).

Sorry if I come across as dismissive of your ideas; it's not intentional, it's just that I'm currently working on another hack, so I don't want to be making large balance updates for my existing hacks right now. If I do add things they'll likely be minor changes bundled with bug fixes.

Thanks again for the feedback!

I think I am in the wrong because I saw you "skipped" a few rival battles but didn't realise you skipped multi-battles, etc. I thought you'd name them as 1, 2, 3, so on and just forgot to add a few battles. Lol

I have whited out a couple of times. Glad I am not a nuzelocker. Will try an Ice type.

Ah ok, that's understandable.

Yeah I wouldn't want to nuzlocke these hacks either, vanilla ultra Necrozma is bad enough as it is and it definitely doesn't get any easier here.

 

[Frostiikin]

Speaking of ultra stuff, is there a way to restore warp ride legends to their native levels in this hack for shiny hunting like you told me to do with the wild encounters? Even if it does get rid of them all being accessible in both games, I do have both us and um so that's not a huge deal

 

[Frostiikin]

Also I just beat ultra necrozma which was expectedly ridiculously hard.
How did you manage to give it an ally pokemon? I definitely wasn't expecting that.

 

[Buffel Saft]

Speaking of ultra stuff, is there a way to restore warp ride legends to their native levels in this hack for shiny hunting like you told me to do with the wild encounters? Even if it does get rid of them all being accessible in both games, I do have both us and um so that's not a huge deal

All of the ultra wormhole stuff is in a/1/5/9, so you can remove that to get the original encounters back. Just be aware that that file also contains every other static encounter, including totem battles and island scan Pokemon.

Also I just beat ultra necrozma which was expectedly ridiculously hard.
How did you manage to give it an ally pokemon? I definitely wasn't expecting that.

Good to hear that battle's working as intended 😄. How did you beat it in the end?
I gave it an ally by hex editing its encounter data to be similar to the other totem battles, then set its ally to be one of the unused ones leftover from Sun and Moon and edited that. That can all be done easily with pk3DS now though; it's had a few updates since I made these hacks.

 

[Frostiikin]

Ah, that's really interesting! I just beat the game and all that I really have to add right now is that maybe the league could be a bit harder, a oricorio with choice scarf was able to make quick work of 3/4 of them lol. Other then that, this is an incredible hack and in my opinion the definitive way to play this game. Thanks so much for this amazing hack!

 

[Frostiikin]

3/4 of the elite four that is, hau wasn't that hard either but he was a bit harder.

 

[Frostiikin]

Oh, and how I managed to beat it was soft resetting until an attack missed so I could use some z move that was super effective as well as blizzard

 

[Buffel Saft]

Ah, that's really interesting! I just beat the game and all that I really have to add right now is that maybe the league could be a bit harder, a oricorio with choice scarf was able to make quick work of 3/4 of them lol. Other then that, this is an incredible hack and in my opinion the definitive way to play this game. Thanks so much for this amazing hack!

Yeah the E4 could definitely be harder; I wanted to be sure they'd be stronger in their rematches but doing that might have made their initial teams a bit weak.
Thanks for the kind words, that's really good to hear!

Oh, and how I managed to beat it was soft resetting until an attack missed so I could use some z move that was super effective as well as blizzard

That's definitely a creative strategy, I just went with a boring Toxic + Protect on everything until it fainted from poison damage.

 

[Murkrow]

rather than level curve (which is generally fine here), i would nitpick the "iv/ev curve" this hack have here. its starts off small but not even a quarter of the way through the hack even grunt trainers start to have near max iv and ev on their mons. imo its the most painful aspect of nuzlocke runs, having sub iv mons getting unexpectedly oneshot by a random move on a enemy weaker attacking stat. imo just like level it should more gradual and progressive, with only lategame named trainers and totem mons having perfect iv/ev.