Gen 4.5 Game Mechanics

Gen 4.5 will use a combination of an upgraded version of the Gen 3.5 Randomizer applied to the Gen 4 TTP game interface & engine, for more information on the randomizer updates see Randomizer Change Log.

Information
New chat color: Yellow = New to HeartGold

Democracy Mode was first activated on 3d 3h 29m, and voting set to activate every 30 to 130 minutes, though the countdown is hidden.

Sometime after the Mob defeated the fourth Gym Leader, Democracy voting stopped activating. This caused many to believe it was disabled. Whether this was intentional or not is unknown, but if this was a glitch the Streamer seems to have decided to leave it the way it is.

Democracy Mode was later enabled wile trying to get through Blue's Gym due to it's Team Rocket HQ like flour tiles, but almost immediately after defeating Blue Democracy Mode was disabled again

Randomizer Change Log
This release includes a few more bug fixes and some ease-of-use related improvements.

You should read the following before using it:
 * The included readme file
 * http://pokehacks.dabomstew.com/randomizer/acks.php - the Acknowledgements page
 * http://code.google.com/p/universal-pokemon-randomizer/wiki/KnownIssues - the Known Issues page

Full Changelog (technical)
v1.6.1 - 16-05-2014

- Support for Generation 4 non-English games has been restored to pre-1.5.0 levels. - You can now load "Settings" files from older versions. - Trying to load a seed/preset file from an older version will now tell you which version you can use to open it. - The "4 starting moves" option to give every Pokemon 4 moves at Level 1 is now available for most games instead of just Generation 1. - It's now easier to copy the seed & config string when you finish randomizing a ROM, though saving the seed file is still easier overall. - When you open a ZIP file, RAR file or IPS patch file in the randomizer (instead of a randomizable ROM file) it will now let you know instead of just giving a generic error. - Fixed a bug where randomizing static Pokemon using the "Legendary <-> Legendary and Normal <-> Normal" option could cause a lockup/infinite loop.
 * This refers to the "Load Settings"/"Save Settings" files that just set/unset options, not premade seeds.
 * Any options that didn't exist when you made the settings file will be set to "Unchanged" or equivalent.
 * When you do load an old settings file, you will be warned to check for new options.
 * The 5 bundled settings files will still be updated each release to avoid giving you this warning.
 * It is still unavailable for most Generation 2 games due to technical reasons.
 * This happened if you limited the Pokemon available so that there weren't enough legendaries available to replace the legendaries in the original game.

v1.6.0a - 13-05-2014 - "Wild Pokemon > Similar Strength" and "Wild Pokemon > Randomize Held Items" are now saved and loaded from preset files correctly. - Overwriting the original ROM when randomizing a DS game has been blocked. - Fixed a bug where the randomizer would always ask to copy old name files over on each startup even if you already chose to copy them earlier. - Increased error reporting a bit more, to allow users to get more information to submit to enable bugs to be fixed faster. - The update check function is now a little bit more efficient.
 * I have now looked over all the options carefully and hopefully all of the bugs of this kind are now gone in 1.6.0a.
 * This fixes a bug in 1.6.0 where doing so would corrupt the resulting game.
 * All other overwrites are allowed, but will now be prompted first.

v1.6.0 - 27-04-2014 - There are no longer separate "normal" and "internal config" releases. - The annoying/confusing "cannot load gameboy_jap.tbl" screen should now be gone. - There is no longer a seperate jar file to run to disable automatic updates. - A new feature, "Limit Pokemon" has been added to allow you to limit the Pokemon that appear in the randomized game. - A group of small adjustments to gameplay mechanics, "Code Tweaks", have been added. - The efficiency/speed of DS game randomization has been significantly improved. - A new option for Generation 1 games has been added which gives every Pokemon 4 starting moves at Level 1. - "Standardize EXP Curves" has been added as an option to change up the balancing of the game. - The "Update Moves" function has been changed up a bit. - The "Remove Trade Evolutions" option has been overhauled and renamed to "Change Impossible Evo[lution]s". - "Randomize Held Items" has been seperated into two options under Starter Pokemon and Wild Pokemon respectively. - A few more moves have been added to the banlist which stops them being picked as the required damaging move on each Pokemon when movesets are randomized. - The "Minimum Catch Rate" option has been reworked a bit. - The Pokemon that Oak shows you in the intro to Pokemon Yellow is now randomized, though the color palette remains yellow, quite amusingly in some cases. - Spore has been added as a "broken move" in Generation 1, because of its ability to infinitely lock Pokemon into sleep and 100% accuracy. - The "No Early Shedinja" option has been changed to "No Early Wonder Guard". - The inner mechanics of the "Rival carries starter through game?" checkbox under trainer randomization have been changed a little bit. - The speed of the scrollbar arrows / mouse wheel on the randomization options panel has been significantly increased. - The ability of the randomizer to catch errors and make log files for them has been improved slightly. - Metronome Only Mode now works correctly in Generation 3 games. - Fix a small issue with randomizing multiple Generation 2 games in the same randomizer session. - Rotom is no longer considered a "legendary Pokemon" by the randomizer (because the games don't really treat it as such) - Randomizing static Pokemon in Pokemon Silver no longer causes a softlock when you obtain Shuckie in Cianwood City.
 * The randomizer now uses the "internal config" framework by default.
 * Customized trainer names / class names / trade nicknames can still be provided by placing appropriately named text files in the directory where the randomizer is kept (instead of inside the config folder).
 * If you customized these names inside the config folder on an earlier version, the randomizer will prompt you to move them to the new location when it is first opened after the update.
 * However, the randomizer still needs to be able to read files from disk and write files to disk to function, so it'll warn you if this isn't possible.
 * You still really need to extract the randomizer from the zip file before running it.
 * You can disable automatic updates inside the program itself, using the "Update Settings" button.
 * The randomizer will still have automatic updates ON by default.
 * If you really don't want to open the randomizer even once with automatic updates on, you can create a config.ini text file with autoupdate=false as the only line before opening it.
 * You can pick which generations of Pokemon appear, as well as including "associated" Pokemon (evolutions/pre-evolutions) from generations that you don't entirely include.
 * This will only affect things which are actually randomized - if you don't randomize something, the original Pokemon will be kept even if they aren't in your set limits.
 * This also doesn't have any impact on systems which aren't randomizable (yet), such as the various Battle Towers/Frontiers.
 * Pokemon which you don't include in your randomization will be cut off from evolution trees, so you won't be able to obtain them even via breeding or evolution.
 * Keep in mind that certain Pokemon choices using this feature will make some post-game gameplay objectives impossible, such as obtaining the National Dex in FireRed/LeafGreen (requires 60 of the original 151 caught) or Diamond/Pearl/Platinum (requires all the Pokemon in the Sinnoh dex to be at least seen). This feature is best used for just the "core" experience (up to the first round Elite Four)
 * Right now, these tweaks are focused on Generation 1 games, but more will be added in the future.
 * The current tweaks mainly aim to correct some of the more broken things about the games to make the gameplay more fun/balanced.
 * The "B/W Exp Patch" option has been categorized as a Code Tweak (because it is one), and moved into that window.
 * Code Tweaks in general are experimental, and if your game doesn't work after you apply one, you should try again without them active.
 * The time taken to load DS ROMs should be significantly reduced, while save times should stay about the same.
 * Older versions of the randomizer would extract the entire contents of the DS ROMs to a folder each time you opened them, and not clean up that folder once you were done.
 * This version only extracts what it needs to edit, and deletes temporary files/folders when it is closed.
 * You'll still need to delete the temporary folders made by old versions of the randomizer manually.
 * This attempts to balance out Pokemon which only have one or two starting moves and don't learn any moves for ages with those which have more fortunate movepools.
 * This option is only available for Generation 1 games, but is not really required in later games because the advent of breeding necessitated that a large majority of Pokemon learn more moves at low levels anyway.
 * If this option is chosen, all non-legendary Pokemon will use the Medium-Fast curve (1,000,000 EXP to Level 100) and all legendaries will use the Slow curve (1,250,000 EXP to Level 100).
 * This makes some Pokemon more usable (namely non-legendaries without great stats that had the Slow curve such as Lapras) while making others a little less overpowered early on (Alakazam having the Medium-Slow curve and lots of levelup moves made him a monster in early game).
 * Legendaries still use the Slow curve to balance them out with regular Pokemon to some degree.
 * The core function "Update Moves" now updates moves to their Generation 6 power/accuracy/PP instead of Generation 5.
 * Because of this, it is now available for Generation 5 games too.
 * For people that don't like the changes Generation 6 introduced, a "Legacy" checkbox is available to update moves to Generation 5 instead.
 * The Generation 5 updates have also been tidied up slightly, they weren't entirely accurate before.
 * This option still removes trade evolutions, but now also addresses other evolutions that are impossible in the game played or made impossible by the randomization.
 * The former category of impossible evolution mainly impacts the remake games. FireRed/LeafGreen are missing a clock for Espeon/Umbreon and contests for Milotic, while HeartGold/SoulSilver are missing contests for Milotic and specific locations for Magnezone/Probopass/Glaceon/Leafeon. These evolutions are changed to either use stones or be achieved via levelup.
 * The latter category impacts Generation 4 games onwards, where certain Pokemon evolve when they learn a certain move. These evolutions are now replaced by pure levelup evolutions if you enable this option and randomize movesets. If you don't randomize movesets, they will be left alone.
 * As always, you can see the specifics of the changed evolutions by looking at the log file created after you save your randomized game.
 * The Starter Held Items option controls held items for the Starters only, and is available in Generations 2/3.
 * The Wild Held Items option controls held items for wild Pokemon in general as well as some static encounters, and is available in all Generations except Gen 1.
 * Held items on in-game trades continue to be controlled by the same checkbox as before.
 * These moves include the extraordinarily weak Constrict, the lock-in moves Rollout & Ice Ball, and the fixed-damage moves Sonicboom & Dragon Rage.
 * These moves can still be picked as any other move in the randomized movesets.
 * It now makes normal Pokemon slightly easier to catch than before, but legendary Pokemon are a bit harder to catch.
 * The minimum catch rate for a weakened normal Pokemon with this option on should be about 30% in a Poke Ball, whilst legendaries should be at about 15%.
 * This makes it possible to catch most Pokemon early on, whilst still giving at least some special status to legendaries.
 * In Generation 2 onwards, a Pokemon will always get a move off every time it wakes up, making sleep a lot less broken.
 * This means that if you randomize abilities and allow Wonder Guard, any Pokemon that get it will no longer appear early on when this checkbox is checked.
 * These adjustments should ensure that the starter Pokemon is always last in the Rival's party (though he might not always bring it out last in later games) except when the original games deliberately put it first.
 * This impacts a few rival fights, the majority of which are in the Generation 1 games, Red/Blue/Yellow.
 * This should help track down the cause of a few annoying bugs, such as the bug which stopped DS games from randomizing fully on certain PCs (if it still exists in this version)

v1.5.0 - 26-02-2014 - "Field items" - items found in item balls or hidden items - can now be randomized. - In-game trades can now be randomized. - Added Metronome Only Mode as a choice for Pokemon movesets by popular request. - "Similar Strength" is now an available option for randomizing wild Pokemon. It uses the same method as its equivalent for trainer Pokemon. - Excluding HM moves from levelup movesets/TMs/move tutors is now done per game instead of excluding all moves that have ever been an HM. - Pokemon available by fishing are now included in the wild Pokemon randomization in Generation 1. - Shuffling stats in Generation 1 now preserves the Pokemon's base stat total a little better (allowing for the fact that Special is twice as valuable as anything else) - Move names, ability names & item names are now read directly from the ROM. The practical application of this is that log files will contain the names from the language of the ROM you randomize instead of having a lot of English. (The sentence structure and formatting is still hardcoded to be English for the time being.) - The log file produced for each randomized ROM has been improved slightly. - When a ROM fails to load or save, the randomizer will now attempt to save a log file with more details about the problem. Please include this log file in any bug reports if possible. - The text tables for the Generation 1/2 games have been slightly improved to include the accented characters available in the European releases of these games. - Started working on some basics to eventually allow for randomization of more complex ROM hacks that move data around. Nothing concrete yet. - The "Minimum Catch Rate" checkbox will actually function as intended now. In earlier randomizer versions it did nothing. - When trainers are randomized, the Champion Rival battles in Red/Green/Blue will no longer always have Sky Attack on the lead Pokemon nor a set type move on the last Pokemon. - Starter Pokemon should now be randomized correctly in foreign Gold/Silver/Crystal games. - Corrupt text data in Gold/Silver/Crystal is now handled a little more gracefully. - The "Remove Trade Evolutions" feature will finally work correctly for Generation 3/4/5 games and change pure (no held item) trade evolutions to pure level evolutions instead of also requiring high happiness. - When abilities are randomized in Generation 3 games, Pokemon with 2 abilities evolving into Pokemon with only 1 ability will no longer have a chance to lose their ability altogether. - Japanese Ruby/Sapphire can now be randomized. - Generation 4/5 ROM compatibility improved slightly. - Fix a bug in Generation 4 games where moves would sometimes gain weird effects. - Fix a bug in Generation 5 games where perfect-accuracy moves such as Swift were being accidentally changed to just 100% accuracy. - The Area Data function of the Black/White 2 Pokedex will now correctly exclude Pokemon placed in version exclusive areas.
 * "Shuffle" keeps the set of items found on the overworld the same, just shuffles their locations.
 * "Randomize" puts a new random sensible item in each item spot (sensible items exclude things like key items, HMs and glitch items)
 * Item balls containing key items or HMs are not randomized to make sure the game is still able to be completed.
 * TMs are kept in the same balls, but the number of the TM you receive from each ball is shuffled/randomized appropriately.
 * Each TM will still be available in the game at least once.
 * You can pick to only randomize the Pokemon you receive, or also randomize the Pokemon you have to trade in exchange.
 * Where available, you can also randomize the nickname, OT, IVs and held item of each trade.
 * Randomization of nicknames uses a new list of names called "nicknames.txt" stored in the same way as trainer names/classes. Randomization of OT names uses the pre-existing trainer names file.
 * When this is enabled, all Pokemon will only learn Metronome and its PP will be boosted to 40.
 * Randomization of TMs and Move Tutor moves will be disabled, and all of them will be changed to Metronome.
 * HM moves & compatibility will be left alone, but all of them will be set to 0PP to prevent their use in battle.
 * This option is not available at the same time as either Catch-Em-All mode or Type Themes because these can limit the available Pokemon pool too much for it to function adequately.
 * More specific options to limit/ban evolved Pokemon may be added in the future, but this should have a similar effect for the time being.
 * For some examples, you can now get Flash TMs in Generation 4/5 and Waterfall TMs in Generation 1.
 * The name of each trainer is now included. This makes it easier to tell what Pokemon a specific trainer will have (though the game will often contain multiple entries for each trainer, such as rematch teams)
 * Each Wild Pokemon set will have a description of what it is actually used for in Generation 1-3 games. This will be included for the DS games in a future release.
 * The log file also now includes the details of randomized in-game trades if you choose to randomize them, but field items are not included yet.

v1.2.0a - 26-02-2013 - The "Purrloin Patch": The 5th generation games crash when you open the Pokedex if it has no Unova Pokemon registered as seen at all. To overcome this, the randomizer now gives you a free "seen" entry for Patrat or Purrloin when you get the Pokedex. This also makes sense as these Pokemon are the ones which you are shown how to catch in Black/White and Black2/White2 respectively. - The roamers (Raikou/Entei/Suicine in G/S only) are now randomized in Generation 2 games. - Trainer names in Generation 2 games are now limited to 10 characters again to fix a text corruption bug. - Pokemon in Generation 2 games will no longer flee when encountered randomized. - Fixed TM01 DYNAMIC-PUNCH text not being updated when TMs are randomized in Crystal. - A problem with randomizing FireRed/LeafGreen starter Pokemon has been temporarily fixed. - The "Update Moves" function now works when randomizing Pokemon Platinum. - Removed need for a separate release without update checks. There will now be a packaged file to boot up the randomizer without an update check included with normal releases.

v1.2.0 - 20-02-2013 - An update check has been added to the program which will check for new versions of the randomizer when you open it. - You can now load & save quick settings files which will allow you to perform randomizations with set options. This is useful as it allows you to produce similar ROMs with different actual randomized results. A few sets of recommended settings are included with the randomizer in the settings directory. The included settings are as follows: - Foreign language versions of Generation 2, 3, and 5 games are now fully supported (except the Korean releases of Gold/Silver). - Randomization of Pokemon held items has been added up to a point. In every generation wild Pokemon have their held items randomized, and in Generations 2 & 3 the starters have random held items too. More held item randomization will be added in future releases, where it is possible to do so. Potentially, items on the ground could also be randomized in the future. - The randomization for HeartGold/SoulSilver fishing & surfing Pokemon has been fixed. - The "area" locations for Pokemon in the Pokedex of Black 2 / White 2 are now updated. Sadly, the Habitat List can not be updated due to technical restrictions. The "area" data may still be broken in other games -  this will be checked & fixed in the near future. - Generation 2 games now have the text displayed when TMs are received from an NPC updated. - Generation 2 games have better trainer name randomization - many more names can be picked for each trainer than was previously allowed. - Generation 2 games now have the Pokemon catchable in the Bug Catching Contest randomized. - A bug concerning corrupted trainer names when the trainer names text file contains strange characters has been fixed. - Support for randomizing Generation 3 ROM hacks (hacks of Ruby, Emerald or Fire Red) should now be improved. However, I cannot say if a specific ROM hack will work now - you still have to try them for yourself. Hacks that make large scale changes to events, trainers or expand the number of Pokemon available are still very unlikely to work properly. - Extensions should now be added properly to short saved filenames (less than 5 characters). - The Pokemon that the professor shows you in Generation 1, 2 and 3 games (except Yellow) in the intro is now randomized, as a reminder that you are playing a randomized game. Do note that there is a small chance the original Pokemon could be chosen - this isn't a bug if it happens! - FireRed/LeafGreen are now patched to allow evolutions of Johto or Hoenn pokemon even if you do not use the "Give National Dex at start" option. This is in preparation for the removal or improvement of said option in the future, as it does not work very well right now. - DS hacks which have strange header data in their NARC files (such as Blaze Black 2 / Volt White 2) should no longer bug out the randomizer or refuse to load entirely. They are still not officially supported, however, and will probably not work well yet. - An obscure bug relating to TM item updating in the Generation 4 DS games has been fixed. - The text when the rival recieves his (randomized) starter in Fire Red / Leaf Green is now updated. - Pokemon that have more than 4 level 1 moves will now still be guaranteed to have a damaging move in their starting set.
 * If you have the external config version correctly extracted, you will be able to update automatically and preserve things like your custom trainer classes and names.
 * If you have the internal config version you will be directed to the downloads page to update.
 * If the update check fails due to the site being down or a lack of an internet connection, the randomizer will still work fine.
 * You can also download a randomizer version with the update checks disabled, if you prefer.
 * Balanced: Most things are randomized, but in a way that should lead to a reasonably balanced & fun playing experience. Trainers get Pokemon of similar strength, starters are limited to Pokemon with 2 clear evolutions, neither trainers nor wild Pokemon areas have legendaries, and legendary battles just have the Pokemon swapped to another legendary.
 * Classic: This creates an experience similar to what the idea of randomized Pokemon was when it was first created - starters and wild Pokemon are randomized. Added to these along the same lines are the randomization of Hidden Hollows (in Black/White 2) and static Pokemon. Trainers pokemon, moves and the like are left alone.
 * Trainers Only: Allows you to approach a "new" set of trainers with the rest of the game left unchanged. Trainers each have a type theme (which is kept consistent across Gyms if they're in one) and will use Pokemon of similar strength to the originals, avoiding legendaries entirely and Shedinjas at lower levels.
 * Randomizer Race: Produces settings which are recommended for randomized Pokemon races on speedrunslive.com. Mostly everything is randomized unrestricted except the core Pokemon stats, abilities and types.
 * Super Randomizer Race: The same as above, except with all the core Pokemon traits also randomized. For the brave.

v1.1.2 - 24-01-2013 - An option to remove "game-breaking" moves from the randomizer's possibilities has been added. Using this will mean neither you nor the AI can get moves like Dragon Rage and Sonicboom, which break early game battles severely. In Generation 1 games, OHKO moves are also removed because they can be abused to always hit with X Accuracy/Speed. - Hidden Hollow Pokemon randomization in BW2 now actually works properly. - Fishing & Headbutt Pokemon are now randomized in Generation 2 (GSC) games. - In Generation 1 (RBY) games, every time a NPC talks about a TM, the text is now updated for the new move. This will be coming to other games later. - Static Pokemon support for HGSS has been updated to include Pokemon in the Rocket Hideout and the eggs that Primo gives out. - Randomization of the storyline Giratina in Platinum has been removed because encountering any wild Pokemon other than Giratina in the Distortion World crashes the game. - When Pokemon movesets are randomized, Pokemon that evolve by leveling up with a certain move learned will have that move requirement updated to the one they now learn at the level the original one was learned. - Pokemon with Shadow Tag, Arena Trap or Magnet Pull can no longer appear in Pokemon Tower in FR/LG to prevent Ghosts that the player cannot flee from. Rules set like "Type Themed" or "Catch 'em All" will be ignored when necessary to ensure this. - Game 1-to-1 Wild Pokemon randomization has been fixed to not replace Pokemon that don't crash the game with those that do.

v1.1.1 - 16-01-2013 - Static Pokemon support has been added for English (US) Generation 5 releases. - Hidden Hollow Pokemon can now be randomized in Black2/White2. - The battles with Cheren and Colress at the PWT after badge 5 is obtained in Black2/White2 should now be randomized. The rest of the PWT is left unchanged. - Trainer name/class lists are now included in saved preset files. This allows them to be used irrespective of people having differing lists. - The "B/W Exp Patch" and "Race Mode" checkboxes are now correctly included in presets.

v1.1.0 - 13-01-2013 - Move Tutor moves can now be randomised in Crystal, Emerald, FR/LG, Platinum, HG/SS and B/W2. - There is now a Black/White-style EXP gain system patch available for R/B/Y/G/S/C English games. - HG/SS surfing & fishing Pokemon should now be correctly randomised. - The 2nd rival battle in Black2/White2 now obeys the "Rival Carries Starter" setting. - Static Pokemon can now be randomised in the English versions of all Generation 4 games. - A "Race Mode" has been added which tweaks the randomisation process a bit to be better for races: - An option has been added to stop trainers having Shedinja under level 20 in games that he exists. - A bug with randomizing certain Static Pokemon in Generation 1 games has been fixed. - The framework for multiple languages in generation 1, 2 and 5 games has been put in. - All the release languages are now supported in generation 1, with 2, 3 and 5 to follow. - Pokemon that crash the game when put in certain slots (wild Pokemon, static Pokemon, etc) can now be banned from these slots.
 * Log files cannot be saved
 * A "check value" is displayed to make sure everyone has the same game.

v1.0.2a - 06-01-2013 - Temporarily removed Unown from being able to be chosen for 3rd generation games in the wild due to crashes - Fixed Blue's final rival battle being corrupted when you change the starters - Fixed the internal config version to actually work properly

v1.0.2 - 30-12-2012 - You can now choose to have every Pokemon moved up to a minimum catch rate of 45, if you want them all to be catchable in a reasonable amount of time. - Abilities can now be randomized in the games that have them, with DW abilities also supported. Wonder Guard can be enabled/disabled as you see fit. - Moved generation 4 offsets/filenames to an ini file. Now all unmodified gen4 roms are almost supported, though random English text will still appear. - Randomized Starter Pokemon in Red/Blue will now have their full Pokedex entry appear when you choose the ball, thanks to a little ASM hack. - The extension "sgb" is now valid for loading/saving.

v1.0.1a - 27-12-2012 - Fixed Generation 4 text handling.

v1.0.1 - 27-12-2012 - Fixed the National Dex patch for FR/LG: now the game can be played through fully through the 2nd round of the Elite 4 with the patch applied. - Fixed corruption of Pokemon names in Gen4 Pokedex/Hall of Fame. - Fixed stat & TM/HM compatibility changes for randomizations of Pokemon Platinum. - Added code to auto-add extensions to saved files where appropriate. - Added code to allow for releases with internal config folders.

v1.0.0 - 18-12-2012 First release.