Emerald hack: Pokemon Trick-or-Treat House

[tustin2121]

Pokemon Trick-or-Treat House
2022 Release
Download: v3.0.7
The download is a Binary Script Patch file, which can be applied easily using this web app.

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The Trick Master is back from his journey around the world, and this Halloween, he's bringing all the new puzzle together for one heck of a Halloween Treat! Make your way through forty different puzzles, from old classic movement-style puzzles to brand new tricks and treats never seen before in Pokemon! Collect candy! Go trick or treating! Battle against other costumed trainers! Can you make it through them all?

This is NOT a full Pokemon journey hack with all the usual trappings and plot. This is a puzzle showcase, originally developed for TwitchPlaysPokemon, and featuring submissions from the community and rebuilt puzzles from the core series. The game can probably be completed in a couple hours. The puzzles are overworld-focused, exploring the mechanics and edges of the Emerald engine. Several puzzles are submitted by community members, and more submissions are welcome for possible inclusion next year!

Features:

• Select three starter pokemon from a random selection of twelve!
• 40 different puzzles, ranging from mazes to battle gauntlets to logic puzzles. Several are community submitted!
• Candy is everywhere! Pokemon drop candy and items! Every rock and tree could be hiding some candy!
• Over 40 types of candy to find scattered everywhere, featuring various use and hold effects, some never seen before.
• There's a mysterious Trick Mistress vying for making the best puzzle possible, and she's asking for your help!
• Now with Pokemon up through gen 8 thanks to the RHH pokeemerald Expansion!
• How fast can you go? Features an in-game per-puzzle timer!
• How random do you want it? Several puzzles have randomized elements, which can be turned off in Half-Moon mode!
• Which costume are you wearing? Mudkid, sported by our boy Brendan? Torchick, worn by our girl May? Or Treekid, donned by our enby buddy Alex?

Screenshots:

Known bugs:

Spoiler:

As of v3.0.7:

• HM Items are missing icons.
• In "Scale the Belfry", some battle text is normal due to an oversight.
• In "The Last Hurrah", there can be a visual bug with the puzzle name display.
• In "The Last Hurrah", it is possible to complete the "PokeStage" and it not be marked as "done" on the map. This will not affect the player's ability to complete the puzzle.
• It is not possible to get a 15th "puzzle essence". The game can be completed successfully regardless, as the puzzle they are for is designed to handle any number of these items collected.
• In "A Safari Among Friends", it is possible for the game to crash when asking Alex to chat. The puzzle solution and dialog in this section is randomly generated, so it is a random crash (but persistent if you find the crash). Alex can still be battled fine even if their dialog crashes.

As of v3.0.6:

• Possible bug where the scroll would not be accessible in "The Last Hurrah" on the largest puzzle layout. (Fixed in v3.0.7)

As of v3.0.5:

• Breaking bug in "The Last Hurrah" if you attempt to reset the puzzle after getting the scroll on the largest puzzle layout. (Fixed in v3.0.6)

As of v3.0.4:

• Breaking problem with "The Last Hurrah" if you attempt to reset the puzzle on the largest puzzle layout. (Fixed in v3.0.5 - If you saved the game with the puzzle in this broken state, it should fix itself when you reset the puzzle again.)
• "The Last Hurrah" reports 7 more candies than are currently obtainable. (Fixed in v3.0.5)

As of v3.0.3:

• Teaching an HM after teaching a level up move can softlock the game. (Fixed in v3.0.4)

Special thanks to the PRET and the RHH community. The hack itself contains many thanks and shoutouts.

 

[therealzef]

i think you uploaded the patch wrong? it's bsp instead of bps, and renaming it doesn't seem to work.

 

[tustin2121]

i think you uploaded the patch wrong? it's bsp instead of bps, and renaming it doesn't seem to work.

Ah, this must be what that other user on discord was talking about, being confused as to why his patching tools weren't working. No, it's not bps, it is bsp for Binary Script Patching. I guess it's not as widely used as I thought, but it's supposed to be very versatile. You can apply it to a pokeemerald ROM using this web app, which is what I usually use: https://aaaaaa123456789.github.io/bsp/

 

[Axerion]

Fire hack, it's really well done and the main cast of character all feel very alive, unique and believable. There is just one problem/bug? I have with the hack so far. At the very end of the game

Spoiler:

after I talk to the Trick Master to reset the sliding puzzle the ghost tile seems to have duplicated

. Is this intended? It wasn't there when I initially did the puzzle. The bug also turns it into a teleport tile (I went from ghost to booster to shell to loatoad, accidentally rearranged them before taking the screenshot). Another thing I find weird is that if you miss certain items for this puzzle you won't be able to get them after completing the puzzle they are found in, locking you out of completing the last puzzle...

 

[tustin2121]

Fire hack, it's really well done and the main cast of character all feel very alive, unique and believable. There is just one problem/bug? I have with the hack so far. At the very end of the game

Spoiler:

after I talk to the Trick Master to reset the sliding puzzle the ghost tile seems to have duplicated

. Is this intended? It wasn't there when I initially did the puzzle. The bug also turns it into a teleport tile (I went from ghost to booster to shell to loatoad, accidentally rearranged them before taking the screenshot). Another thing I find weird is that if you miss certain items for this puzzle you won't be able to get them after completing the puzzle they are found in, locking you out of completing the last puzzle...

Thanks!

And yes, that is a big game-breaking bug that should be fixed in the latest patch (link in the OP is updated). The save should continue to be compatible and the bug will fix itself when you reset the puzzle again. It's something I should have caught in testing the reset mechanic, so apologies for that.

Spoiler:

As for missing items for the final puzzle, that puzzle is designed to adjust to how many items you've managed to find and collect. It theoretically should function with any number of items collected, though it will be more lackluster the less items collected. (Though I saw another possible bug by seeing your screenshot, which should be fixed in the latest patch; you might want to revisit the one-exit room when you go back in.) (Also, fear not, you've only missed one item; the two-exit room you "missed" isn't possible to get in the current release, due to time constraints.)

I've considered putting a means of jumping to old puzzles again after the credits roll, but I haven't gotten around to adding it yet. (Right now, after the credits roll, the puzzles repeat from the beginning, with occasional developer comments in the end room about the just-completed puzzle.)

 

[Axerion]

That was quick! Thank you very much!

 

[L'Avocarpe]

I like short (even though 8 hours without speedups isn't that short) and puzzle-oriented hacks so that was a real treat for me (pun intended) !
The characters and references here and there really add to the ambience and the charm of the game and the random batch of 12 Pokémon at the start gives the hack some replay value. I also like the fact that you're limited to 3 Pokémon and don't get exp from battles, makes the battles engaging while keeping the game fair.

Spoiler:

The puzzles were all pretty good, especially the last one, but the only thing I didn't enjoy that much was the room "Fog in the Forest". I get that it's probably from a Zelda game but I didn't really know which one (Twilight Princess maybe) and it felt like trial and error. The first Lost Woods room was ok since it was so iconic in OoT and recognizable here but also much shorter than the second one so beginning from the start isn't that frustrating.

Besides that, I was really impressed by the quality of the hack and the amount of things you can do with the Emerald engine. I highly recommend this to anyone and shoutouts to all the people involved in the project, you guys did some nice work.

 

[ersonjan]

It sounds like "The Trick Master's Halloween Treat" is a creative and unique Pokémon fan game that focuses on puzzles and challenges rather than the typical Pokémon journey experience. Here's a breakdown of the features and elements you mentioned:

1. Puzzle Showcase: The game serves as a showcase for a variety of puzzles, from classic movement puzzles to new tricks and treats. It's designed for short playthroughs, making it a great fit for a Halloween-themed game.

2. Starter Pokémon Selection: Players can choose three starter Pokémon from a random pool of twelve, adding an element of randomness and surprise to the game.

3. 40 Different Puzzles: There are 40 puzzles to solve, including mazes, battle gauntlets, and logic puzzles. Some of these puzzles are created by the community, which adds an element of collaboration to the game.

4. Candy Collecting: Candy is a central theme, and players can find it scattered throughout the game world. The candy has various effects, adding an extra layer of strategy and exploration to the gameplay.

5. Trick Mistress: There's a mysterious character known as the Trick Mistress who is involved in the puzzle-making process and seeks input from players. This adds an interactive and community-driven aspect to the game.

6. Pokémon up to Gen 8: The game includes Pokémon from up to Generation 8, which allows for a wide variety of Pokémon to encounter and collect.

7. In-Game Timer: Players can challenge themselves by attempting to complete puzzles as quickly as possible, thanks to an in-game timer.

8. Randomized Elements: Some puzzles have randomized elements, adding replayability and variety to the game. These elements can be toggled on or off, allowing players to customize their experience.

9. Costume Selection: Players can choose between different costumes for their character, including Mudkid, Torchick, and Treekid. This adds a fun cosmetic aspect to the game.

Overall, "The Trick Master's Halloween Treat" seems like a fun and engaging Pokémon fan game that offers a different gameplay experience compared to traditional Pokémon games. The focus on puzzles and community involvement makes it a unique addition to the Pokémon fan game community.

 

[NoDoubtNoHarm]

Hey, I know I'm playing this wayyyy out of season and over a year since it was last touched, but this is a really fun hack! Although, I was hoping someone could tell me if friendship is broken or intentionally left static. I used a Return TM on a Combusken and it gets middling damage after an amount of grinding and items that I'd expect to raise it to a reasonable extent, and one of my other starters was a Snom so it would be nice to know if I can evolve it.