ROM Hack Pokewalker app idea

[TM2-Megatron]

@CrashmanX
how can you really think is impossible? dude... there is a hack/crack for everything on this planet. some hackers have installed linux on a potato... ON A POTATO! yeah http://www.bbspot.com/news/2008/12/linux-on-a-potato.html
so yes... i believe it's possible... we just need some atention from some good homebrew developher.

That's bullshit and you know it.

@TM2: Did you read my next reply? There might be something in the PokéWalker (be it hard- or software) that blocks any IR signal but those from the retail game cart.

Sure, there might be. It might also use 256-bit AES encryption... a lot of things might be possible; that doesn't make them likely. Until someone actually confirmed such a mechanism exists, I doubt the Pokewalker includes anything like that. The IR hardware it uses is probably the most basic variety you can get.

 

[blopa]

@TM2: Did you read my next reply? There might be something in the PokéWalker (be it hard- or software) that blocks any IR signal but those from the retail game cart.

in one way or another, there's data coming from retail cart to the Pokewalker "telling" to the Pokewalker that it's a retail cart... so it's the same think. we just need to build some app that cracks that algorithm.


EDIT: it would be nice if someone who understand this thinks told us if it's possible or not, them this post can be closed.

 

[Overlord Nadrian]

@CrashmanX
how can you really think is impossible? dude... there is a hack/crack for everything on this planet. some hackers have installed linux on a potato... ON A POTATO! yeah http://www.bbspot.com/news/2008/12/linux-on-a-potato.html
so yes... i believe it's possible... we just need some atention from some good homebrew developher.

That's bullshit and you know it.

@TM2: Did you read my next reply? There might be something in the PokéWalker (be it hard- or software) that blocks any IR signal but those from the retail game cart.

Sure, there might be. It might also use 256-bit AES encryption... a lot of things might be possible; that doesn't make them likely. Until someone actually confirmed such a mechanism exists, I doubt the Pokewalker includes anything like that. The IR hardware it uses is probably the most basic variety you can get.

Yeah, we'll see about it then

 

[Sicklyboy]

I honestly think a better idea would be to make a PokeWalker homebrew app for the DS, have it interface with the save file of the HG/SS save for your rom. Yet we still run into the problem of not knowing exactly how it works. Also the fact that the ds isn't a pedometer... T.T

 

[blopa]

I honestly think a better idea would be to make a PokeWalker homebrew app for the DS, have it interface with the save file of the HG/SS save for your rom. Yet we still run into the problem of not knowing exactly how it works. Also the fact that the ds isn't a pedometer... T.T

yeah... but the good thing about Pokewalker is that it's VERY portable. Like a keychain *-* very cute

 

[Overlord Nadrian]

I honestly think a better idea would be to make a PokeWalker homebrew app for the DS, have it interface with the save file of the HG/SS save for your rom. Yet we still run into the problem of not knowing exactly how it works. Also the fact that the ds isn't a pedometer... T.T

Good idea, but you'd have to make one from scratch, as you can't use any of the data on the PokéWalker itself.

 

[Dragonmasta666]

@CrashmanX
how can you really think is impossible? dude... there is a hack/crack for everything on this planet. some hackers have installed linux on a potato... ON A POTATO! yeah http://www.bbspot.com/news/2008/12/linux-on-a-potato.html
so yes... i believe it's possible... we just need some atention from some good homebrew developher.

That's bullshit and you know it.

@TM2: Did you read my next reply? There might be something in the PokéWalker (be it hard- or software) that blocks any IR signal but those from the retail game cart.

Definately not trying to insult or disrespect you:
youve posted nothing but "Its not gonna work" in almost 20 different ways. On top of that its all "might be" "may be" this and that. Your as in the blind as the person suggesting this possibility. I'm not gonna say this will work or even be possible but its pretty annoying to scroll down a decent thread with an interesting idea and see the same naysayer poster having 20+ posts stating that its impossible and wont happen even though you YOURSELF have no idea what the heck is built in to the pokewalker and what isn't. And you stated that GTS is digital pokewalker is physical making it impossible? That about as true as saying hacking a PSone, PS2,PSP, 360, and gamecube are all impossible. For most of those its a simple soldering with an extra chip and whalaa fixed.... if anything the fact that its located on a physical (i.e. local) medium rather than hosted on a secure remote server like GTS would hypothetically allow easier manipulation .... Good day.

 

[bwillb]

IR isn't really secure at all, the most security it would have is an identification sequence which could be copied just as easily as any command sequence, you'd just have to have a source to copy it from (like, rent the game and make your own rip from the rental) but I doubt it even has that.

 

[Atashi]

I've dabbled a bit with IR applications in the past. I have some slight experience, but I'm no expert. Having said that, there are a few things that would need to be addressed first.

I get the impression that people think IR is IR and that's all there is to it. This is not correct. That's like assuming you can plug a telephone into your 10BaseT network because they both use twisted copper wire. Computer/USB IR dongles, IR ports on cellphones, PDAs, etc, are meant for communication with the IRDA protocols. There are other protocols. HPSIR was an older one, for instance.

IR hardware that works well on one setup may work very poorly on another setup, or not at all. For instance, computer / phone / pda IR ports can be forced to mimic TV remote controls, but generally speaking they suck at it because it's forcing the hardware to do something it isn't meant to.

So before diving in and saying that you can connect a USB IR dongle to a Pokewalker, you need to confirm the Pokewalker is using IRDA. It might be, but it's just as possible that Nintendo set it up on another system, or invented a proprietary protocol, or took an existing protocol and tweaked it, et cetera.

So step 1 is figuring out what IR protocol is in use. A shortcut here is that the pokewalker circuit board has some helpful testpoints, including RX and TX data, so you can just tap right into that and bypass the IR, for now.

Then there's the data itself that is transfered. Is it encrypted? If so, then that needs to be cracked before the data can be analyzed.

Once you've identified exactly what data is sent, over what IR protocol, and how it is encrypted, then you can start writing your application to interact with the Pokewalker.

I'm not saying it's impossible, just that there's more to it than any old IR USB dongle and a computer.

-Atashi

 

[Sicklyboy]

I honestly think a better idea would be to make a PokeWalker homebrew app for the DS, have it interface with the save file of the HG/SS save for your rom. Yet we still run into the problem of not knowing exactly how it works. Also the fact that the ds isn't a pedometer... T.T

Good idea, but you'd have to make one from scratch, as you can't use any of the data on the PokéWalker itself.

Pokewalker needs some kind of PC-pokewalker interface (unless the IR were to be hacked, of course). Then we could access the hardware, possibly dump- a rom of the walker, etc etc... all crap I don't know how to do.

completely unrelated: I should try writing a homebrew for the ds at some point. I have a pretty decent understanding of C++/Java.

 

[blopa]

@Atashi
thank you for all this information. could you do this kind of research? i mean... if someone else says that would like to developh this app, we can "chip in" to buy a Pokewalker for you. well, that's jut an idea.

@plasma dragon007
do you have the skills to crack? do you know someone who have it?
thx

 

[kickhopper]

I'm pretty sure Pokemon aren't really "sent" to the Pokewalker, just enough data for the Pokewalker to work. This includes species, gender (for sprite differences) and happiness. Hell maybe not even happiness, maybe the Pokewalker just tells the game to add to it's happiness when it comes back. Stuff like moveset, stats, ribbons, etc., don't come into play, so it doesn't make sense to send that to the Pokewalker. All the data is kept in the game, that Pokemon just isn't available to the in-game until it is "sent back," or retrieved through the recovery option.

So this wouldn't be useful for transfering Pkm files from the walker to the computer or anything like that involving Pkm files. Something that could emulate the Pokewalker program on the computer might be useful though. That way you might be able to communicate between your game cart and your computer. You could unlock all the courses in one day.

 

[Shadow&Light]

if you want to level up fast, use pokesav lol

 

[Poryhack]

I'm pretty sure Pokemon aren't really "sent" to the Pokewalker, just enough data for the Pokewalker to work. This includes species, gender (for sprite differences) and happiness. Hell maybe not even happiness, maybe the Pokewalker just tells the game to add to it's happiness when it comes back. Stuff like moveset, stats, ribbons, etc., don't come into play, so it doesn't make sense to send that to the Pokewalker. All the data is kept in the game, that Pokemon just isn't available to the in-game until it is "sent back," or retrieved through the recovery option.

So this wouldn't be useful for transfering Pkm files from the walker to the computer or anything like that involving Pkm files. Something that could emulate the Pokewalker program on the computer might be useful though. That way you might be able to communicate between your game cart and your computer. You could unlock all the courses in one day.

I don't think the OP intended to do any of that. It's more of just a way for people with only a flashcard to use the pokewalker. (They can be purchased separately from Nintendo.)

 

[kickhopper]

I'm pretty sure Pokemon aren't really "sent" to the Pokewalker, just enough data for the Pokewalker to work. This includes species, gender (for sprite differences) and happiness. Hell maybe not even happiness, maybe the Pokewalker just tells the game to add to it's happiness when it comes back. Stuff like moveset, stats, ribbons, etc., don't come into play, so it doesn't make sense to send that to the Pokewalker. All the data is kept in the game, that Pokemon just isn't available to the in-game until it is "sent back," or retrieved through the recovery option.

So this wouldn't be useful for transfering Pkm files from the walker to the computer or anything like that involving Pkm files. Something that could emulate the Pokewalker program on the computer might be useful though. That way you might be able to communicate between your game cart and your computer. You could unlock all the courses in one day.

I don't think the OP intended to do any of that. It's more of just a way for people with only a flashcard to use the pokewalker. (They can be purchased separately from Nintendo.)

He mentioned Pkm files and the sendpkm thread, and I believe the idea was mentioned a couple of times in this thread. I was just informing him that I don't think pkm files are even used.

 

[Sicklyboy]

@plasma dragon007
do you have the skills to crack? do you know someone who have it?
thx

Hell no, not in the slightest X_X

 

[blopa]

I'm pretty sure Pokemon aren't really "sent" to the Pokewalker, just enough data for the Pokewalker to work. This includes species, gender (for sprite differences) and happiness. Hell maybe not even happiness, maybe the Pokewalker just tells the game to add to it's happiness when it comes back. Stuff like moveset, stats, ribbons, etc., don't come into play, so it doesn't make sense to send that to the Pokewalker. All the data is kept in the game, that Pokemon just isn't available to the in-game until it is "sent back," or retrieved through the recovery option.

So this wouldn't be useful for transfering Pkm files from the walker to the computer or anything like that involving Pkm files. Something that could emulate the Pokewalker program on the computer might be useful though. That way you might be able to communicate between your game cart and your computer. You could unlock all the courses in one day.

I don't think the OP intended to do any of that. It's more of just a way for people with only a flashcard to use the pokewalker. (They can be purchased separately from Nintendo.)

He mentioned Pkm files and the sendpkm thread, and I believe the idea was mentioned a couple of times in this thread. I was just informing him that I don't think pkm files are even used.

yeah! i was reading about that on projectpokemon.org, it's true! Pokewalker almost surely don't receive the full data from the pkm file... but it receive some data. But just like it was told on this post, the main idea now is to use some HGSS file for the program, because the HGSS game "lock" the sent pokemon until he's sent back to the game. So it'll use the GUI from Pokesav, reading the file, getting the list of all Pokemons (on boxes and on party) and then you can choose which one u like to send. =D

 

[laxman0220]

Someone already had this idea

http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=212879

 

[blopa]

Someone already had this idea

http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=212879
no... not the same idea.

QUOTE(plasma dragon007 @ Mar 23 2010, 10:08 PM) Hell no, not in the slightest X_X

we need to find someone how does =/

 

[codemonke85]

A lot of people assume that the entire PKM isn't stored in the 'Walker, but I don't see why it wouldn't be. After all, the 'Walker does store all of the information of the owning Trainer's current team and stuff (which is transferred if you connect two 'Walkers), and 136 bytes is a trivial amount of data either way.

In any case, I see this project as not impossible, but impossibly difficult.