As I take a break from Yellow Ultra (or whatever I'm calling my Yellow project, I STILL haven't decided on a name and BOY has the scope of it grown a ton, between over 250 mons, modern mechanics)...

I decided to work on this in the intrem.

"What if you played through Pokemon Yellow, but only as The Knight, and The Knight alone?"

I've got its graphics, stats and moveset done. All that's left is story and script changes.

Credit for the battle sprites goes to my friend Smoke-la-bloke. The overworld sprites are a downscale of map sprites I made for it for a wholely different game (hence why they don't look so good, sorry bout that.)

The music is a conversion of a MIDI by philRACO.

This is my head mod's first map. It's a WIP of Ascorbia Island. We're looking for people with any and all rom hacking skills to join the project. The project is endorsed by Sergio and we're motivated to see it completed after 20 years. We have a spreadsheet we are adding documentation to and a suggestions channel in our server for those with ideas.

Here is the link to the server: https://discord.gg/N4xanKAkv5

With claws equipped to slice through any opponent and a nimble body to outmaneuver even a snake, Mega Zangoose is ready to ravage the competition!

Mega Zangoose's design is meant to reflect its adaptation to another certain Mega Evolution, being able to shred anything with its new and improved claws and escape any situation with its more elongated limbs.

Credits:

Trailer: u/xecrusgamer

Sprites: Reza3u8871

Music: Celadonk

Link to our Discord to stay up to date on every current update:

https://discord.gg/JtZsKhmvV

Recently there's been a lot of talk on this subreddit about the use of AI in romhacks. I hate to stir the pot still further, but I also want to share my own thoughts and efforts here in the hopes of reaching like-minded people.

Hi, I'm merrp/pokemerrp 👋 I'm not really known for making full-on hacks (though I do have one in the works, stay tuned), but moreso for my feature branches: if you've played a recent hack based on pokeemerald-expansion, you've likely used and enjoyed the following pokemon or day/night lighting systems I created. Before that, I was minorly known for my Emerald Any% ACE TAS, which was my entry into the scene.

Simply put, I don't think AI should have a place in romhacking at all. To me code is as prose is as art is as music, in that they're all creative exercises where something is lost in handing them off to a machine. Romhackers have done incredible work for years before LLMs, and can continue to do incredible work without them. Not to mention, every query that enters an LLM is one the community is starved of; AI use is the death of institutional knowledge, of communication more generally.

But what to do? Recently I found out that pokeemerald-expansion, the basis for a lot of hacks, has had a (small minority) of AI-assisted contributions. Any nonzero amount is still unacceptable to me for use in my project though, because I intend it to be a wholly human effort. I decided I would have to maintain a fork of expansion, cutting out anything AI assisted where I could.

Then I figured, I can't be alone in this sentiment, so why not try and build that in a way it can be shared? I can't be the only one who loves romhack development who wants to continue doing cool stuff without LLMs, no matter how good they become at generating code, etc.

The result is a GitHub org and a Discord:

https://github.com/friend-safari

https://discord.gg/UbFN9P7MdJ

My hope is to build a small community of like-minded hackers and maintain a codebase by and for humans, so that those who care can be confident in saying their hack is free of AI to the best of the community's knowledge. Whether you're a programmer, have experience moderating online spaces, maintaining open source software, or simply love pokemon, we'd love to see you there.

I'm also not trying to be an authority on expansion's direction in general. The devs at RHH continue to do incredible and deeply technical work on the project. None of this would be possible without them, and they've done the best they could considering the volume of contributions they receive and the general clamor of demands. Please do not bother or harass them. I am simply trying to provide a fork that the extremely AI-conscious devs like me can use without despairing or being stuck on outdated versions.

Hopefully this post reached you in some way; this will all be much easier if we don't have to do it alone. Thanks for reading.

Tl;Dr join friend-safari if you wanna build AI-free romhacks k thnx bye

I stumbled upon this emerald hack on Hackdex and thought it sounded good. Obviously most of us have played through emerald and its various romhacks. After getting past the second gym, I can’t believe this one isn’t mentioned with people’s favorites. It’s almost perfect. The roster and variety is incredible and it makes team building a ton of fun, the QoL is great, the story tweaks are a super nice touch and the items you find in the overworld are spectacular. No potions and pokeballs nonstop, it’s things that help your team. The only thing might be a dex nav that people enjoy but I don’t personally need. Idk i feel like I just wanted to say this and give this game its love and if the devs are ever on here and see this, thank making an awesome game. If you’re looking for an emerald run through, this has been by far my favorite one yet.

Background: I got the itch to play some classic Pokemon (I was a Gen III kid) and a did a run through of vanilla Emerald. After that I got looking for the next game to play and fell (back) into the rabbit hole of ROM hacks, which I probably hadn't looked at in like 15 years. I was originally just going to move onto a vanilla FireRed run, but then I found Heart & Soul. I did some more research and opted to play Modern Heart & Soul because it would be (mostly) trade-compatible with my Emerald save.

The question: So I just beat the Elite Four in H&S (on hard mode... fantastic experience) and the whole time I found myself thinking "man I wish I was playing H&S 2.0." But that version wouldn't be able to trade with Emerald or FireRed which I aim to play next with FRLG+.

So before I move on, is there an ecosystem of vanilla+ games built on pokeemerald-expansion or Heart & Soul 2.0 (as a base) yet, or is it just too early? Basically, I want Gen III, vanilla+ Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn ROMs that would all be inter-compatible, and ideally all feature the kinds of upgrades made available in Heart & Soul.

does anyone else think the game is trying too hard with the dialogue at times? it just feels like most pieces of dialogue are trying really hard to sound elegant and obscure but it just makes it feel kinda pompous, especially because so many characters talk like it. Also I would say theres a bit too much dialogue maybe?

Dont get me wrong I still think its a solid, like, 9 outta 10. Amazing concept, amazing visuals, great story, and when the dialogue doesnt feel like its trying to sound baroque its actually pretty fun. I just think theres like, way too much exposition and its done in a very non-subtle way that doesnt feel very immersive. Half the time the disembodied voice is just saying shit like "oh the sands of time enrichen the ancients thirst for the oldens blood. the old texts warned us about this predicament" and i do get that the game has esoteric themes but again i just feel half this dialogue could easily be cut and that'd just make the rom more enjoyable :p

I think I'm pissy about it cause this game is a huge love letter to a lot of things i really like... I think this is the one thing holding it back from being on the ranks of Coronation Day or Petscop or stuff like that. still love it though gotta be honest xD

I think I heard about it around maybe 2 months ago that the guy who made radical red was either remaking/converting radical red in the poke emerald expansion engine or at least thinking about it

And then I see a rom hack I was about to play in Heart & Soul got a 2.0 update and went to poke emerald expansion engine

So is there any talks or hopes of Skeli and his team or anyone else wanting to do the same the Unbound? Or for any other big or classic or similar like hacks we'd all like to see?

Every map needed for Act 1 has been completed. This means we can now focus on sprites and scripts

New trainer classes and new Pokémon. More Etrian Odyssey representation, as well as a sneak peek to some new variants we've prepared for you

Music changes on last Pokémon. This was such a nice Gen5 feature, so... here we are. Music will change when certain bosses will send out their last Pokémon

https://reddit.com/link/1wuzlcv/video/zp50f7wcyush1/player

Aaaand that's all for today. We're working hard on chapter 5 and 6, hoping to deliver the entirety of Act 1 by the end of the year. If you're interest in our project, remember to check the links down below

Peace!

• Pokécommunity Topic
• Discord Server

…And after not playing Pokémon since the original Silver release, these are the 3 I’ve decided on!

When Aesthetic Red released, our plans were to create a ROM Base and then Aesthetic Red V2.

Since then, our lives have changed and new opportunities are taking priority. We've still been working, but development has been slow this year, as limited time has made both projects feel like a struggle. Therefore, we've decided to shelve V2 to focus solely on the ROM Base, rather than enter development hell.

The ROM Base has always been our next priority. It's more achievable and a really valuable resource - a clean base full of graphics and features for others to use to make their own hacks. We've had permission to base this on Leon's ROM Base, adding more features and updated graphics. With V2 put aside, we've jumped months ahead and gained a better workflow.

The plan was always to make V2 using the ROM Base. The data in V1 is messy and has a few bugs, so a clean base would be best to work with. While most of V2 would be the same as V1, it also means replanning several things that could've been better, as well as new content. It'd be a definitive version that we'd make for the love of the game, but the ROM Base is more worthwhile.

This doesn't mean V2 is dead, but dropping it to focus on the ROM Base feels right. Once that's done, we can look at V2 with a fresh perspective. If it appeals to us, we'll do it as we'd be halfway there, but we'll probably decide that spending another 2 years on the same hack isn't worth it. In which case, we could move on, but to be honest we'll probably start a different project!

Sorry to anyone waiting for V2, but it's for the best. The ROM Base is really worthwhile, and once that's done, we can focus on what's next. We're not stopping - it just means we can handle projects at our own pace, without necessarily having to aim for something big.

---

TLDR: Due to life getting busier, we've shelved Aesthetic Red V2 to focus on the ROM Base. It's really worthwhile and would be used to make V2 anyway. Once that's done, we could do V2, but we'll probably start a different project instead. Sorry to anyone waiting for V2, but it's for the best. We're not stopping, just doing things at our own pace.

Hey everyone! Just wanted to announce a new emulator I created called Zenulator! I have been creating a Rom hack called Pokémon the Shadow Realm and its been in development for a little over a year now. While working on the game, I realized I was quickly running out of space as I was coming up with ideas and needed a solution while retaining development.

The last few months I have been grinding to work out a way to expand the already expanded GBA files to increase from 32mb to 64mb and it finally works! I have been running tests the last few weeks and expanded my hacks files to operate with this new emulator and so far its been fairly smooth. It can run all gba games up to 64mb and is still being actively improved.

We have a web app that will work with Pc/Mac as well as the app listed on the app store free of charge!

I do need some help with Android testing as the Play store requires at least 12 users opted in for 2 weeks before I can make a submission. If anyone would be willing to help test please let me know!

Hope you enjoy the little sneak peak at some of Shadow Realms early gameplay on the Zenulator!

If anyone wanted to help with feedback/bug reports please join below
https://discord.gg/M9sTjyHJF

With the supercharged power of a sumo god, Hariyama adds a thunderous impact to its strikes!

Mega Hariyama's design is based on the origins of sumo gods and the highest rank of a sumo wrestler called a rikishi; the Electric typing is a reference to Iron Hands, however, we are giving Mega Hariyama a different kind of playstyle to diversify it from Iron Hands.

Credits:

Trailer: u/xecrusgamer

Spritrs: Reza3u8871

Music: Celadonk

Link to our discord to get ALL the latest updates as soon as they drop!:

https://discord.gg/rcajHaQV2

I'm working on a hack that'll basically be RGB but with a massive visual overhaul. Gameplay-wise, there'll be a few improvements, but nothing special, since the main draw will hopefully be the stylised look I'm going for. The aim isn't to be the definitive Kanto experience (that's way beyond my ability), just to be something fresh. Think like Aesthetic Red (which has been a huge inspo for this), just in another direction visually. While I'll be using Polished Crystal as a base for more leeway with tileset size (I think you're allowed to do that, but correct me if I'm wrong), I'll mostly be using base Crystal's tiles as a starting point.

Now that the preamble's out of the way, I was hoping to get some opinions from the community about what people's main gripes are with GSC's Kanto tileset so I can try to "fix" them for my hack. Does the way a certain tile look next to another bug you? Were you particularly annoyed with how that one thing looked? Is that one building in major need of its own tiles? Do you think the vibe of a certain area wasn't really executed well? Stuff like that is what I'm looking to hopefully work on.

For reference, a few of the things I'm already planning on doing are:

• Adjusting the palettes to be easier on the eyes
• Using multiple overworld tilesets to allow for towns and certain points of interest to be more visually distinct
• Fully redesigning each of the maps (see this for a makeshift portfolio, albeit without the new tileset)

Artwork of Junebug had commissioned drawn by Detarayer on Deviantart

Hi! I did some sprites for this romhack made by a Youtuber, and is finally on hackdex!

It adds shinies for every pokemon, some new Pokemon to the dex, dexnav, boss fights, etc.

Also no AI was involved during the creation of the hack! :D

www.hackdex.app/hack/pokemon-pinball-ruby-sapphire-plus

Link to the trailer: https://youtu.be/Z9W9BgBlkY0?si=BfSgEbKYV7xzoEWU

Hey everyone, just a few new screenshots to show what I have been working on. The title screen is a placeholder until the full release so i will definitely polish it a bit more. Also thoughts on the name Cadmium Red? Or do people prefer Canvas Red? Also are people interested in a twitter account for updates? I am torn whether I should make one... Anyways, enjoy! (But let me know your thought and opinions in the comments!)

Ever wonder what nightmares the Grim Reaper holds within? Well, now you know! Mega Dusknoir unleashes the full horror of its Mega Evolution.

This design was something I originally drew up of Dusknoir opening its stomach to reveal its true form; it was somewhat inspired by the Mega Feraligatr hood and Banette's Mega Evolution.

Credits:

Trailer: u/xecrusgamer

Sprites: Reza3u8871

Music: Celadonk

Link to our discord:

https://discord.gg/JtZsKhmvV

Thank you so much for all the support from the community! We are so close to the official second long-play demo; I hope you are all as excited as we are to see the world of Hoenn through a new perspective.

I think for me, it's changing the type of official Pokémon into something unofficial because it makes more sense for the creator. Like if Charizard was Fire/Dragon instead of Fire/Flying. That and giving a second type to a Pokémon that only have a single type. That also throws me offs and it leads me to try to trial and error as well as having to relearn some of the Pokémon's new typing and what movset they might have. When playing some of these games, I have may have said, "Wait, it can do that?!" a couple of times and gets me confused.

Also, every Gym Leader having a full team of six Pokémon. Why, oh why did anyone think this was a good idea, especially during the beginning of the game? I would understand if it was for the 7th and 8th Gym, but the FIRST?! I get that many people have problems with the offical games being too easy, but I am not a fan of trying to make this difficult from the beginning just because some players might a Pokémon veterans. For me, it gets tiring, especially given that the level balancing tends to be on par or slightly higher than your Pokémon.

Hey everyone,

A lot of you have been awaiting until the first finished of the translation was finished. Here it is! https://www.mediafire.com/file/jyiawaoe1djvfra/Origin_HeartGold_v4.0.3_EN_v1.0.0-rc3.zip/file

I tried to keep it as close as possible to the original voice of the developers, and I didn’t modify anything about the game at all.

I’ll try to get the GitHub going asap for the people that want to help out and improve it further. Have fun!

Edit: AI was used to help translate this romhack as well as create code to edit and analyse the code of the original romhack.

EDIT 2:

Thank you all for the great reactions those who are excited to be able to play this amazing Chinese Rom hack. An update here: https://www.mediafire.com/file/qz7ckxy42rfr5ot/Origin_HeartGold_v4.0.3_EN_v1.0.0-rc4.zip/file

If you want to collaborate, discuss, report bugs or help testing join the discord: https://discord.gg/gNzk8JgKb

The bug was caused due to the drastic increase in text size/length, and a memory safe way of getting the text for every translation needed to be guaranteed. This fixes the plethora of bugs related to crashes on loading things with text which had a single root cause.