I dunno where to ask for help on this one, but does anybody know how to convert English GameShark codes for GBA Pokemon games to Japanese ones so I can use them on Japanese Pokemon roms in VBA?
ROM Hack Convert English GameShark codes for GBA Pokemon Games to Japanese ones
- Thread starter Princess Emily
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One does not typically convert a code between regions like you might between cheat code formats -- it is almost inevitable that different locations are used in memory. Granted if you understand the locations and how they work in the US/EU dumps then the sensible money is on at least very similar* structures being used in the Japanese ones that you can immediately convert across to -- change names, text and do any censorship as far as gambling machines, cigarettes, revealing outfits and whatever and as far as most translation outfits are concerned you are good, they might even have an edict not to change it (easier for others to then make pokemon stadium type affairs and whatever else).
*possibly identical but if the Japanese names used different text formats there could be a very slight change. Similarly if an overpowered combo was discovered in the Japanese version it might not make it across for the US/EU releases.
All this said pokemon is the exception for a lot of things in hacking owing to how much attention is lavished upon it. Probably still easier to go hunting for Japanese codes by themselves rather than seeking to convert. Even if the English language versions have extra cheat options (given I have seen generators for cheats as there are hundreds of pokemon, with billions of stat combos and items to match, to say nothing of the slot things will be put in as part of it... you are never going to get anything sensible in a text file there) it might still be worth having some of the Japanese stuff as the locations might be a fixed distance apart from the other known locations (I might not be able to predict where a given bit of data lands but if something is 200 bytes ahead of something in the English version then first thing I would do is look around 200 bytes ahead of something in the Japanese version).
Also worth noting here. If the Japanese version only has say a basic have ?? potions cheat then most of the time inventory items will follow the same pattern between regions. That means you could probably adapt the English cheat to the Japanese addresses easily enough, or generate the relevant item codes. Same applies to given pokemon (with however many hundred there are then they are essentially another type of item).
*possibly identical but if the Japanese names used different text formats there could be a very slight change. Similarly if an overpowered combo was discovered in the Japanese version it might not make it across for the US/EU releases.
All this said pokemon is the exception for a lot of things in hacking owing to how much attention is lavished upon it. Probably still easier to go hunting for Japanese codes by themselves rather than seeking to convert. Even if the English language versions have extra cheat options (given I have seen generators for cheats as there are hundreds of pokemon, with billions of stat combos and items to match, to say nothing of the slot things will be put in as part of it... you are never going to get anything sensible in a text file there) it might still be worth having some of the Japanese stuff as the locations might be a fixed distance apart from the other known locations (I might not be able to predict where a given bit of data lands but if something is 200 bytes ahead of something in the English version then first thing I would do is look around 200 bytes ahead of something in the Japanese version).
Also worth noting here. If the Japanese version only has say a basic have ?? potions cheat then most of the time inventory items will follow the same pattern between regions. That means you could probably adapt the English cheat to the Japanese addresses easily enough, or generate the relevant item codes. Same applies to given pokemon (with however many hundred there are then they are essentially another type of item).
The only codes I wanna use on the Japanese roms are the 100% catch codes BTW.
I tried using the 100% capture code on Japanese Emerald but it wouldn't work.
Here's the 100% catch code for US Emerald BTW (this code is nowhere to be found on Google, it just happened I loaded one of my old save states & found this codes by accident at the VBA's Cheats menu):
3EF8A5F007A0EFBC
AA7C07D30D67D1F8
CD080EFCB9010916
65DA389A09D8882C
Also tried Googling the 100% catch code for Japanese Emerald, & as usual there's nothing.
I tried using the 100% capture code on Japanese Emerald but it wouldn't work.
Here's the 100% catch code for US Emerald BTW (this code is nowhere to be found on Google, it just happened I loaded one of my old save states & found this codes by accident at the VBA's Cheats menu):
3EF8A5F007A0EFBC
AA7C07D30D67D1F8
CD080EFCB9010916
65DA389A09D8882C
Also tried Googling the 100% catch code for Japanese Emerald, & as usual there's nothing.
That might be too specific a search term. If you want to try general code lists or something you might get somewhere. I tapped in ポケットモンスターエメラルド AR code (the Japanese name for the game) and it spat back
http://ds-cheat.boy.jp/gba/pokemonemerald.html
My Japanese is not great but
サファリパークのポケモン必ず捕獲
FF779124 FFFE968E
7AAC54B9 D6E2CE0C
I think that is always capture wild pokemon.
http://ds-cheat.boy.jp/gba/pokemonemerald.html
My Japanese is not great but
サファリパークのポケモン必ず捕獲
FF779124 FFFE968E
7AAC54B9 D6E2CE0C
I think that is always capture wild pokemon.
Hmm just tried it, and it didn't work either.
BTW, in Google Translate, サファリパークのポケモン必ず捕獲 = "Pokemon must be captured at Safari Park"
I guess that only works at the Safari Zone.
BTW, in Google Translate, サファリパークのポケモン必ず捕獲 = "Pokemon must be captured at Safari Park"
I guess that only works at the Safari Zone.
Tried that too, but still no avail.
I think that's the equivalent of "easy capture wild pokemon" cheat, which only makes their catch rate higher but not 100%, especially for legends with catch rates of 3 or 5.
Thanks for your help though.
Only way is to bruteforce it I guess because the memory address is different in Japanese.
EDIT: True I could also use master ball, but most of the time I want another ball because master ball's colors doesn't match most of the legendary mon's colors except shiny Kyogre.
I think that's the equivalent of "easy capture wild pokemon" cheat, which only makes their catch rate higher but not 100%, especially for legends with catch rates of 3 or 5.
Thanks for your help though.
Only way is to bruteforce it I guess because the memory address is different in Japanese.
EDIT: True I could also use master ball, but most of the time I want another ball because master ball's colors doesn't match most of the legendary mon's colors except shiny Kyogre.
Last edited by Princess Emily,
Did you remember to enable the mastercode (which, IIRC, includes an anti-memory-randomization effect)?
I don't like to use this sentence but it's a valid workaround, so: "if you are going to cheat anyway" you could change the used ball in PkHeX
Did you remember to enable the mastercode (which, IIRC, includes an anti-memory-randomization effect)?
I don't like to use this sentence but it's a valid workaround, so: "if you are going to cheat anyway" you could change the used ball in PkHeX
Where's the master code in this website again? http://ds-cheat.boy.jp/gba/pokemonemerald.html
I tried searching for マスタ (Master in Katakana) via Ctrl+F, but the only result is "マスターボール" which is about Master Ball instead of Master Code.
As for editing it in PkHex, no thanks.
I think (without understanding the descriptions) it's the second one, "memory address something", which sounds fitting for its purpose
("Master code" is not literally always used in English, either - "(M) must be on" is in fact a probably more common title for it - but given its nature is generally listed at the top)
