Emerald hack: Pokemon Emerald Squared - Complete!

[MajoraGuy]

Hello everyone,

After just under a year of development, the first public version of pokemon emerald squared is officially available! The hack makes use of emerald expansion's base, several public branches from the lovely people over there such as PSF, BuffelSaft, PCG, Alex, Hedara, and many more, as well as some assets from team aqua assets repo, to mark the first step of this game towards my ideal pokemon emerald doubles enhancement hack! There are many changes brought about by myself and my contributors to pokemon, moves, abilities, items, and trainers, with documentation for all of that upcoming, but here's a brief overview of what's available:

* Every battle and encounter post-saving birch is a doubles battle
* Tera and mega gimmicks both included at various stages of the game, along with a way to change tera types
* Many pokemon received buffs to stats, abilities, and moves, ranging from minor defensive buffs to total overhauls
* New abilities, moves, and items
* Buffed weak items like adrenaline orb, absorb bulb, cell battery
* Trainer party pools for major bosses (you never know what you're going to get, have been told by my closed beta testers this makes hc nuzlockes quite difficult)
* Randomized fire/water/grass starters from 3 different regions offered
* A second starter gifted by birch after receiving the first
* Swap bikes with R
* Pokevial that gets progressively bigger as you beat gym leaders
* Every TM in Scarlet and Violet, as well as two new ones
* Every pokemon through Gen 9 available, with the exception of box art/680 BST legends, coming in patch 2.0
* Infinite Repel
* EV/IV editor
* Expanded and brand-new areas
* Updated battle backgrounds
* Side story that will later unlock a new area with box art/680 BST legends (area coming in patch 2.0)
* Super candies that level you up to the level cap
* Minimal grinding via two toggles for 0 EVs and perfect IVs in Birch's Lab's Bookcase
* And much, *much* more that i've likely forgotten over the past 10 months

Near-term plans (next month or two):

* Bug fixes
* Additional trainer slides mid-battle
* Box legends encounter area, rematches for side bosses and gym leaders
* Additional QoL and feature suggestions that are of minor undertaking
* Complete documentation for those desiring it

Long-term plans (early spring to late summer 2026):

* Additional areas and rebalancings
* Fleshed-out battle frontier with restricted/non-restricted vgc-esque formats
* More polishing before I move on to a more proprietary hack with a whole new region

Recommended emulators:

* mGBA
* Retroarch for mobile using mGBA core

For those who prefer not to join a discord server, here's a link to the documentation and the patch file, but you'll be missing update info, changelogs, and whatnot:

UPS Patch File

Documentation [WIP]

For any help, changelogs, and other information, please do consider joining the discord:

Discord

Screenshots and Videos:






For any further information or clarification, feel free to reach out to me or the moderators/admins in the discord, or to reply to me here. Thank you!

Credits:

The entire emerald expansion development team and community, with special thanks to those mentioned in the first paragraph.
Waffles8me for the first of 10 custom sprites
PSF, PCG, Buffel Saft, and Pawkkie for the various work in maintaining and allowing the usage of their repos and feature branches.

 

[MajoraGuy]

**MAJOR PATCH 2.0: AGARTHA AND POSTGAME PART 1 OF 2**

This is the big, save-breaking update with new content, bugfixes, and QoL features folks! For a rundown, please see the following changelog:

**Feature Updates**

- Agartha (and its legendary encounters) available, as well as rematches for the Agarthan trainers. (Note: Regigigas is currently unavailable, as I would like to create a different area for him.)

- If you have not started the agartha questline and want to know where it is, it's started by interacting with the ||central pillar in the house south of littleroot town||.

- New lever for auto-run added to birch's lab!

- The bag and items put in it have been sorted into 8 slots instead of 5, with the 3 new slots being for transformation held items, battle held items, and medicine (this is what actually breaks the saves)

- Gym leaders and the E4 are now rematchable, and are requisite for those wishing to enter the battle frontier in the next major patch!}

- New Item: Burglary Kit - The holding pokemon can attack the target through substitute and protect. Does not bypass screens, unlike infiltrator or unseen fist. Announces itself on field: "[POKEMON] is looking to break in!"

- Re-enabled RTC and shading

**Balance Changes**

- Protect is now available much earlier and can be purchased in slateport from the guy who formerly sold various "power" tms in vanilla. Same guy with ability patches/capsules and soul dew.

- Almost every single "bad" or suboptimal legendary, trios/quartets included, has been adjusted, with new abilities, buffed moves, and stat adjustments to be viable for postgame and the eventual frontier update.

- Every gym leader has been slightly to significantly overhauled!

- Druddigon is now the only dragon type to get follow me and fake out

- New abilities for some shitters

- Twincast (moves now target both opponents) given to a good chunk of two-headed mons, Sharp Scales (Spikes version of toxic debris) for veluza, Corrosive Odor (Corrosive Gas on entry) for Garbodor, and Ten Steps Ahead (Psychic moves get +1 priority) for Xatu

**Bugfixes**

- Encore locking now doesn't lock you into the same target

- AI is less stupid with encore

- Shops have items after becoming champion

- General bugfixes from expansion

 

[yoshiman5551]

This looks so good how am I the first person to reply to this

 

[MajoraGuy]

This looks so good how am I the first person to reply to this

Probably because the frontier isn't done yet (it IS however in progress), and for a lot of people that's a deciding factor. Well, that and i don't post bugfix updates and minor updates here, only in the discord. But happy to have you and anyone else who wants to enjoy it!

 

[yoshiman5551]

Probably because the frontier isn't done yet (it IS however in progress), and for a lot of people that's a deciding factor. Well, that and i don't post bugfix updates and minor updates here, only in the discord. But happy to have you and anyone else who wants to enjoy it!

:3

 

[MajoraGuy]

A Note on Pokemon Emerald Squared's Future

Hello everyone ,

I just wanted to give a quick update as to my plans for additional content for pokemon emerald squared. As of now, I only have plans to integrate new pokemon (forms/megas included), and update the battle frontier. Any other changes will be small balance changes or additional small qol features, in addition to anything pulled from expansion. However, I also wanted to have a quick discussion about the frontier itself.

The frontier is an often overlooked part of enhancement hacks due to the large challenge it provides in terms of coding for the following reasons:

1.) Coding in pokemon sets requires an extra conversion layer (shoutout to ydarissep for creating the tool for this, what a goat)
2.) The actual logic for how teams are constructed is convoluted and full of outright silly logic in order to save rom space
3.) Facility code is also somewhat spaghettified, but not entirely unmanageable
4.) the record/replay system can be a pain in the ass to modify/remove (I will be doing this to save space and time for the player, records/replays are finnicky anyways)
5.) Each facility has its own quirks and modifying them for that reason can take quite a bit of time.

With all that said, here are my plans for the frontier, so as not to keep you all content-dry. I don't have an official timeline for either of these, but doing it this way should hopefully make it so that players can be a lot more free to enjoy the endgame sooner than later.

1.) The first version to release will be Emerald Squared 2.5. This *will* be able to be considered a final version of the hack in that it won't have many facility modifications to it (i.e. you'll have your single battle and double battle formats relatively unchanged), and it'll essentially feel like a vanilla+ version of the battle frontier with an emerald squared twist to it. This will release sooner than the full final version. Speaking of...

2.) The second version to release will be Emerald Squared 3.0 and its following versions for balance and bugfixes. Unlike 2.5, this version will receive rolling support for bugfixes, balance, and additional QoL/new mons/other things. This version will take longer, but as a result, will also have more features. Such features include:

- Restricted formats instead of singles
- Different regulations instead of singles
- Different party sizes
- More diverse AI parties and strategies

3.) The current patch is 2.3. Starting next patch, 2.4 (coming this weekend, the 2nd weekend of november), I will be updating the battle factory for beta testing! It will initially only have kanto mons (about 200 different sets), but 2.4.1 will add johto mons, 2.4.2 hoenn, etc, and will act as a testing ground for my other frontier work.

I hope that whichever version you choose to stick with in the end (sometime next year, probably summer at some point for the second and spring for the first), you enjoy it to your hearts' content and let me know of any feedback, bugs, requests, or whatever else you may need. I've already begun work on the frontier, as I enjoy it just as much as any of you, and I hope to see you all challenge it next year.

Sincerely,

Jorts

 

[The_Collector_Guy]

Hi there, MajoraGuy, I was wondering if you could please expand the PC Box Storage to something like Box 30 on the next update.


I just feel the need to complete the entire Pokedex on just about every single romhack I play. But, If this ends up consuming a lot of space then, please feel free to ignore this request of mine.

 

[MajoraGuy]

Hi there, MajoraGuy, I was wondering if you could please expand the PC Box Storage to something like Box 30 on the next update.


I just feel the need to complete the entire Pokedex on just about every single romhack I play. But, If this ends up consuming a lot of space then, please feel free to ignore this request of mine.

Unfortunately, between upgrading the bag size and a few other saveblock changes, it becomes a bit difficult to have more boxes. This is actually a common issue in the expansion community, but if ever we find a way to save space, I will implement a greater number of boxes, even if it breaks existing saves!

 

[The_Collector_Guy]

Unfortunately, between upgrading the bag size and a few other saveblock changes, it becomes a bit difficult to have more boxes. This is actually a common issue in the expansion community, but if ever we find a way to save space, I will implement a greater number of boxes, even if it breaks existing saves!

Thank you for the quick reply!

I'll still be a huge fan of the hack regardless of the box increase or not. Been having a lot of fun the last 2 days playing your romhack. And, I'll definitely be following along each update!


Anyways, take care and thank you for your time.

 

[MonstieRiderGirl]

REMINDER TO NOT GIVE UP ON 3.0! YOU GOT THIS BUDDY!


NEVER GIVE UP!

 

[MajoraGuy]

REMINDER TO NOT GIVE UP ON 3.0! YOU GOT THIS BUDDY!


NEVER GIVE UP!

3.0 is going to be a pain in the butt, however I will do my best to get everything out. Battle Factory beta is a good test for the frontier mons, and so far things are looking good!

 

[MonstieRiderGirl]

THERE WAS A KANYE WEST JOKE IN THE SECOND GYM LMAOOOOOO XD

 

[MajoraGuy]

Minor Patch 2.4.1: Joht-Oh No

Bugfixes

- Okay, for real this time, all bugs with the event items and SS Tidal should be fixed. Idk why gamefreak decided they needed 4 variables for each event, but they sure did code it that way anyways

Balance Updates

- Sewaddle -> Leavanny at 17, Sewaddle can now be evolved into at level 10 instead of 20

Feature Updates

- Johto mons and their regional variants have entered the frontier! Rejoice!

- Dexnav has been added, currently missing the last 4 water pokemon slots though ! To activate, speak with one of the scientists on the second floor of the rustboro devon corporation to enable it in the menu. When you get close to a pokemon you're looking for, sneak up on it by holding A.

- The girl in oldale town now which tells you which version you're on... as long as I don't forget to update it in the future

Additionally, please fill out this form, as it helps me both maintain and improve the game AND may help your favorite weaker pokemon! https://forms.gle/vtwRZ7TAigFfq1fH6

 

[MajoraGuy]

Minor Patch 2.4.2: (Don't) Call me maybe?

Bugfixes

- Disabled random trainers match calling you every 10 steps. Rejoice!
- Fixed an issue which caused Molten Burst to have lower-than-intended priority
- Disabled debug menu

Feature Updates

- The battle factory now has all hoenn mons and their variants!
- Oricorio can now change forms by purchasing nectar from a slateport vendor

Balance Updates

- Each starter pokemon has been given a secondary regular ability, with some having their abilities shifted around as a result.
- Kantonian Farfetch'd got a funny buff. If it uses a leek in battle and loses it in any way, its attack and speed double a la unburden, even when switched out and back in.

Additionally I am putting out a bounty on battle factory head nolan! The first person to complete the following conditions will receive an in-game trainer representation of themselves with pokemon of their choice, and potential (read: reasonable) buffs for those mons to be applied through anyone else's playthrough! The critera are the following:

- Record your entire match against Factory Head Nolan using whatever emulator recording method you have, and win.
- Scroll through your pokemon at the start of the match so I can verify that you are in fact using the sets and not playing some other emerald version lmao
- Fly to oldale and talk to the girl and show that your version is 2.4.2, then you can stop recording.
- post it in this thread or in the Jorts Ltd Discord in the emerald squared team discussion channel

Good luck, and have fun!

Lastly, I am once again asking you all to fill out this form. One of the responses already got me to take a look at Infernape (and all other starters) for the changes you see in this patch! You could influence the game too! https://forms.gle/QDEeJu85vUQh2nZD9

 

[MajoraGuy]

Minor Patch 2.4.3: Don'tcha know? It's Sinnoh!

Bugfixes

- Fixed a bug where celebi would potentially infinitely loop its ability
- Fixed a bug where sandsworn ground moves would miss levitating pokemon

Feature Updates

- Added sinnoh pokemon to the battle frontier and factory!
- Added the Stellar tera type to the tera type changer in lavaridge. Whoops!

Balance Updates

- Readded the debug menu. Beating wallace will tell you where the button to enable it is, and can also be accessed very early if you have the knowledge foir subsequent playthroughs
- Removed AI_FLAG_OMNISCIENT from the smart trainer ai system. The ai should no longer know and play around your exact moves, items, and abilities without seeing them first, though a dumbed-down version called "assumptions" *has* been implemented. If it turns out that the AI implemented this way sucks, I will revert it.

 

[fanyx]

Wait, this looks sick!
Haven't ever heard of your hack but I'll keep an eye on it now. Can't wait for when you consider it feature complete to check it out!!

 

[MajoraGuy]

Wait, this looks sick!
Haven't ever heard of your hack but I'll keep an eye on it now. Can't wait for when you consider it feature complete to check it out!!

You can read back on what i consider to be feature complete, but it'll essentially be sometime near christmas or new year's for the first feature-complete version where i leave a singles version of the frontier in place, and a more rich, doubles-focused feature complete version with a total overhaul of the battle frontier sometime early to mid next year, and that'll be the final version barring just adding new pokemon and forms as they are brought into the emerald expansion base. I'll support this game likely through next year, but after that, i'm going to shift towards working on a hack with a custom region, story, and a few original fakemon and regional variants.

 

[MonstieRiderGirl]

yoooo buddy hows it goin? dont forget to celebrate christmas and give your parents somethin!

 

[MajoraGuy]

yoooo buddy hows it goin? dont forget to celebrate christmas and give your parents somethin!

Doing fantastic. Just waiting on a lag fix to be merged into expansion to release the next version, which will also have a fun new feature in my custom wonder trade branch for people to play wonderlockes, alongside Gen 5 pokemon in the battle factory, a new item/battle, and summary screen move tutor changes. Additionally, when Z-A sprites are added to expansion and are fully functional, I'll be making a balance pass over some of them and implementing them in the game as well.

 

[MajoraGuy]