Pokemon Emerald 386's main goal is to give players the opportunity to meet and obtain at least one of every Pokemon available in generation 3 as naturally as possible, thereby completing the Pokedex without the need to connect to or interact with other games or events. This project DOES NOT try to increase/decrease difficulty; add modern mechanics; change lore; "fix" balancing "issues" with the original Emerald release; or include post-gen 3 pokemon, evolutions, items, etc. On top of creating an environment in which to complete the Pokedex, the game also tries to compliment the expanded availability of Pokemon by giving players repeated access to ALL TMs, Move Tutors, and Evolution items.
This is NOT intended to be a modern version of Emerald! It is intended to be the
Original Emerald… only completable as a solo player. Players looking for
the old-school experience should be happy with what is on offer, and can find a more detailed account of changes in the readme. However, plenty of care has been taken so that all added wild Pokemon are somehow hinted at or triggered in the Pokedex so players should not need the readme for added locations, and in addition, NO vanilla encounters have been removed.
Highlighted Features:
- Original Special-Event Tickets & Map properly restored (pictured)
- Gen 1 and 2 Legendary Pokemon given appropriate events
- More Legendary Pokemon now have de-spawn safety (as well as the Sudowoodo)
- Trade-Evolutions achieved through a special NPC "trade-helper" - trade-evolve YOUR Pokemon and keep it! (pictured)
- Fossil Regenerator expanded to include all fossil Pokemon (pictured)
- ALL TM's become available for re-purchase at certain points (partially pictured)
- One-Time Move Tutors can be reset for continual access
- Unused or Missing Decorations added (pictured)
Other Bonus Stuff:
- The missing Zigzagoon from the cable-car scene restored to intended chances of appearing!
- Deoxys learned move-set expanded to include all version exclusive moves from FR/LG & R/S.
- Some NPC Pokemon teams expanded to trigger Pokedex "seen" flags, allowing players to hunt newly-added wild Pokemon.
- NPC's added to hint at new content like where in-game trades are located and what is on offer, or where they caught a certain Pokemon. (pictured)
- Ability to reset the RTC for players who have emulators which do not properly keep track of time when the hardware is powered off.
- Some in-game rewards for things like fetch-quests, Hoenn Pokedex completion, story progression, etc. have been updated - Talk to everyone!
- Cacnea appears in the intro speech as an immediate means to tell you that the patch was successful. (pictured)
- Custom box art provided for use with emulation front-end interfaces
Extra Note: ver1.0 was released after
considerable testing and beta testing. Not only was each change/addition tested,
personally, immediately after implementation (I really did ride that cable car a zillion times to make sure that not only did the Zigzagoon actually appear, but that all of the other NPC's who have a chance at appearing, still do.), they were also tested in a regular play-throughs by myself
and with the help of beta testers across multiple beta-test versions to make sure that even ver1.0 is as solid as possible. I would love for this to be a one-and-done type download (especially considering that RHDN will no longer let me update the version that is hosted there). Emerald 386 handles every addition or change in a way I am very content with, and would only need to be updated if I overlooked something quite meaningful, or, in the event glitches are found. I am highly confident that whatever bugs and glitches which might be left are part of the original Emerald experience (though I have even tackled a few of those which might hurt the players experience, like roaming Pokemon no longer disappearing forever if they were to use roar), and that my hack will not need many (if any at all) updates - ver1.0 is pretty dang solid. Though, if something does come up that needs updating, I will def want to make sure I do so, which is why that computer in Devon Corp allows you to check which version you are running (pictured).
IF YOU DECIDE TO PLAY AND REVIEW... Firstly, I would like to say thank you for taking a chance on my hack, and then deciding to share with the community your thoughts and feelings. Secondly, I would request that your review try to spoil as little information as possible, while still sharing your degree of approval, for example: "The way Moltrese was handled was absolutely *insert opinion and thoughts*." avoids saying exactly how the event was done, but still gives useful insight into weather it fit naturally into the game, or totally breaks the spirit. I would also request that you do write a review and post it in the comments, as RHDN, sadly, no longer will be taking review submissions, and it will be harder for the world to know if this hack is worth it or not.
Please take all the above information into consideration before investing time into, and especially before writing a review; it makes no sense to KNOW that this hack avoids introducing things like SURF-boards, running in-doors, or fairy-types only for a reviewer to then complain about the hack not having them; there are plenty of AMAZING hacks which modernize features or back-port useful mechanics, and they are done really well by dedicated rom-hackers! If you are into those things, I highly suggest checking those out! With that being said, you
will see some new-ish areas introduced and new NPC's, but this was to avoid awkwardly cramming so much needed content into existing situations, and I had done this as little as possible.
You can ask questions or talk about my hack here, or in my Discord group (Link found in the README file) - Be aware that the Discord group has special channels dedicated to my Rom Hacks, but is also a part of my twitch stream community, and you will need to follow those same rules (outlined in the discord), however you CAN choose roles and set interests to avoid any of those channels if you desire.
Thank you - razormime
UPDATES:
1.1 -
Very minor update:
- Rephrases "The SUDOWOODO scurried into trees..." to "SUDOWOODO scurried into the trees..."
- Fixes collision with a single rock in one area of the map.
- Updated readme file: Added missing info for GASTLY, and rephrased a sentence for better readability. (9/16/2024)
1.2 - Minor "Hunting Help" update: (October 31, 2024)
- After defeating the Elite 4, your rival will give you the option to share "seen" data in the Pokedex for many (not all) Pokemon, allowing for easier tracking of "new" wild Pokemon. You may decline the offer, and, at any time later, decide to accept the offer.
- Added a "Fishing Rod Guide-Book" to the Super Rod fisherman's house which simply lists all the Pokemon that can be caught with each ROD. When hunting aquatic Pokemon and you are unsure if you need to SURF or to FISH, you can consult this guide for any of the three fishing rods.
- Updated discord link in the readme file. (November 1, 2024)
1.3 - Substantial "Berry" update: (November 20, 2024)
- The daily random berry The Berry Master's Wife gives you is now pulled from a new "rare berry pool" instead of common berries, providing a new repeatable method to obtaining Spelon, Pamtre, Watmel, Durin, Belue, Liechi, Ganlon, and Salac berries. - The berries awarded for her secret phrases remain unchanged.
- Other rare berries are now commonly found on certain wild Pokemon, providing new repeatable acquisitions for Wiki, Mago, Aguav, Petaya, Apicot, and Enigma berries (see included guide for which Pokemon carry them).
- The number of Lansat and Starf berries given to players by Scott has been increased from 1 to 3 each.
- Added a separate "Berry Guide" text file to the download for ease of use to find every berry in the game without need for vanilla guides.
- Updated Readme text file to fix a typo in Ursaring locations, as well as extra info regarding "respawn safety" for legendary Pokemon.
- NOTE: An issue with Teddiursa giving the wrong berry was found with this patch. Please update to 1.3.1 for the fix.
1.3.1 -
IMPORTANT "Berry Fix" update: (November 20, 2024)
- Fixes an issue with Teddiursa not properly carrying Apricot Berries (issue introduced in v1.3)
- Apicot Berry is no longer found on wild Teddiursa (as was implemented in v1.3).
- Apicot Berry given a new overworld pickup location (can be respawned).
- Readme and Berry Guide have been updated with the new info.
1.3.2 - Minor "bug-fix" update: (November 21, 2024)
- Fixes minor collision issues with two tiles in Jagged Pass (issue introduced in v1.3)
- Improved "Berry Guide" text file with a second table for listing berries by method.
- Fixed typo in Berry Guide (~20 minutes after posting the v1.3.2 patch)
1.3.3 - Minor (but very recommended) update: (November 23, 2024)
- Swaps around a couple berry locations
- Removes Enigma berry to prevent potential headaches for players (It doesn't cause any glitches or soft-locks, but it takes 96hrs to harvest if planted and offers no use).
- Updated Readme and Berry Guide text files with extra info on a couple items and information about e-reader berries (Jan 14, 2025)
1.3.4 - Minor (but recommended) update: (February 22, 2025)
- Updates Hiker Trent's Pokemon team and idle-dialogue to offer a hint at where to find Grimer.
- Added a single hidden Water Stone to the early game.
- Updated a bit of text in Birch's post-game event to fix a small typo.
- Some Readme and Berry Guide text rephrased.
1.4 - Minor update: (March 31, 2025)
- Unlocks trading with Fire Red / Leaf Green at the very beginning of the game (Vanilla requires defeating the Elite 4, first).
- The early Water Stone now respawns after defeating the Elite 4
- Removed a misplaced apostrophe from dialogue which only appeared once.
