Emerald hack: Pokémon Emerald Horizons - Emerald Difficulty Hack [Complete, v1.16 ft. New Rocket Storyline, Boss Gauntlet, Gen 1-8, Side Quests, and QoL features]

[Dark2Dawn]

So...Treecko's at level 10...The level cap is 15.

Why can't it level up? Really doesn't make sense.

 

[BrandonXL]

So...Treecko's at level 10...The level cap is 15.

Why can't it level up? Really doesn't make sense.

Hey, did you patch an Emerald Trashman file? This is really important to make sure everything works properly. I just tested on a clean file, and everything is working as it should be. See below image for reference.

There are different versions of Emerald floating around, so the only one that is compatible with this patch is the Trashman one. Let me know if you have any other questions and if you're able to get it working!

 

[Dark2Dawn]

I used 1986 - Pokemon Emerald (U)(TrashMan).gba and patched it with EmeraldHorizonsv101.bps I got from clicking the HERE link under Documentation and Patching using the romhacking.net Rom Patcher JS. I finished the battle using a Galarian Meowth (Whose dex page showed a Kantonian Meowth when I caught him, btw.) and a Treecko. When the battle finished, the Meowth gained experience and I got a message telling me that no other Pokemon could gain experience from the battle.

 

[Dark2Dawn]

Wait! Hold on. I just read it wrong. It said 'Pokemon not at level cap gained experience from the battle.' My bad! Though the Meowth thing might need to be looked into (Unless you didn't do dex pages for the forms.).

 

[BrandonXL]

Wait! Hold on. I just read it wrong. It said 'Pokemon not at level cap gained experience from the battle.' My bad! Though the Meowth thing might need to be looked into (Unless you didn't do dex pages for the forms.).

Glad it's all working then haha! And you're correct on the dex pages; alternate species are ID'd by their original iteration in the dex.

 

[Dark2Dawn]

Glad it's all working then haha! And you're correct on the dex pages; alternate species are ID'd by their original iteration in the dex.

Well hopefully one day the limits of the Pokemon gba rom will allow for multi form dex pages. I do love me some flavor text to compare the lifestyles of species strains.

 

[Dark2Dawn]

Now if you'll excuse me...I got to get this cat to learn something it can use twice without failing so I can fight a dog that knows 3 busted moves and a bird that uses stall tactics AI.

 

[BrandonXL]

Now if you'll excuse me...I got to get this cat to learn something it can use twice without failing so I can fight a dog that knows 3 busted moves and a bird that uses stall tactics AI.

My hope is that you finally got through things and you're not stuck anywhere :)

Also, I'd like to note that I have now updated the project to 1.02. Very small in the grand scheme of everything, but an important update nonetheless that relates to optional bosses.
Firstly, Ultra Burst is now functioning, so a certain boss fight has now been updated accordingly to feature this change.
I've also rebranded the Champion Rounds to be named the Masters Eight in accordance with the anime and (naturally) added two new trainers to round out the supposed top 8 trainers, leaving us with a grand total of 32 straight battles in the Boss Battles gauntlet.

This version is compatible with previous iterations of the game, but I always recommend making a backup just in case.
Again, thank you all for playing and I hope you are able to find joy in this experience :)

 

[hategirlism]

Heya, haven't seen this brought up yet. My Alcremie doesn't have a sprite in the party menu and instead just has the '?' sprite. Its battle sprite and status screen sprite work just fine. This isn't anything gamebreaking, and I don't know if it's something you can fix, but I figured it'd be good to bring up anyway.

I'm having fun with the hack so far, though! I'm enjoying the relatively vanilla feel it has compared to some other hacks I'm playing.

 

[BrandonXL]

Heya, haven't seen this brought up yet. My Alcremie doesn't have a sprite in the party menu and instead just has the '?' sprite. Its battle sprite and status screen sprite work just fine. This isn't anything gamebreaking, and I don't know if it's something you can fix, but I figured it'd be good to bring up anyway.

I'm having fun with the hack so far, though! I'm enjoying the relatively vanilla feel it has compared to some other hacks I'm playing.

Hey, thanks so much for bringing this to my attention. Stuff like this can go undetected since I didn't use Alcremie in my playthrough, so it's incredibly helpful when people are able to find issues like these. I'm going to look into it and fix it soon enough.
I would make a backup save just in case (since you never know); are you version 1.0 or a different version?

Edit: disregard the latter question, version doesn't matter. I'll fix accordingly.

 

[burningsoul]

Now this is a challenging rom. Is there a money cheat or rare candy cheat somewhere because I dont want to grind for exp & money.

 

[BrandonXL]

Heya, haven't seen this brought up yet. My Alcremie doesn't have a sprite in the party menu and instead just has the '?' sprite. Its battle sprite and status screen sprite work just fine. This isn't anything gamebreaking, and I don't know if it's something you can fix, but I figured it'd be good to bring up anyway.

I'm having fun with the hack so far, though! I'm enjoying the relatively vanilla feel it has compared to some other hacks I'm playing.

This has been patched accordingly; you can update to 1.02b if you'd like, but if you don't mind the little question mark, feel free to play on your current patch.
Thanks again for finding this; while it's true this isn't "gamebreaking," it's still a blemish that I'd rather address now. :)

Now this is a challenging rom. Is there a money cheat or rare candy cheat somewhere because I dont want to grind for exp & money.

Unfortunately, vanilla cheats are not compatible with this game. There is a bit of early game hell based on community feedback, but that smooths out at Slateport.
If you're on 1.02 or 1.02b, I've reduced the Slateport level grinder from $10000 to $5000, so you can get more value from using his services here and there.
As for money, your best bet is to beat the side bosses, who can be pretty challenging at first. They'll pay you handsomely and reward you with some good items.
Thanks for playing and hope you enjoy your adventure :)

 

[Jackquilly]

Hi, I seem to be stuck in the flower shop just before rustboro, is there any way out or will I have to restart the game?

 

[BrandonXL]

Hi, I seem to be stuck in the flower shop just before rustboro, is there any way out or will I have to restart the game?

Hey, this was only an issue in the initial release back in July. That patch isn't circulating anymore, so as long as you patch with what's provided on the drive, this shouldn't be an issue.

 

[lilolryan]

I just finished the game *but not the post game, yet*; it's challenging but rewarding, and I love the miniquests.

 

[BrandonXL]

View attachment 107572 I just finished the game *but not the post game, yet*; it's challenging but rewarding, and I love the miniquests.

Thank you so much for playing this through :) I'm glad you liked it.
Love the shiny Darmanitan, too! Very unique team, which is always something I enjoy seeing.

 

[dada1smo]

Hey! Great job with this. I was looking for a different way to play Emerald without much added flavor and this really nails it. Gotta say, it took me awhile to get a hold of things. I think 10 tries to beat Roxanne? I'm not used to difficult ROMs so I had to really get in the headspace before forming a strategy and beating the first gym. And then, in the second, first try. A bit luck and also Huge Power Azumarill with Play Rough is a beast. I think this style of playthrough reminds of a card game, you have to pick your best deck to face the bosses. Anyway, I'm now really into it! Thanks.

I do have a question. I was under the impression that the Poké Pager was added to replace the need to teach HMs, is that correct? I ask this because I was just in the Dewford Cave and tried to activate the Poké Pager to use Flash (after beating the 2nd gym) and all I got was the dad text "there's a time and place, etc.". And then I taught Flash to my team and it worked. This made me a little confused, only because I didn't have to teach Cut to any pokémon to use it (only beat Roxanne).

 

[BrandonXL]

Hey! Great job with this. I was looking for a different way to play Emerald without much added flavor and this really nails it. Gotta say, it took me awhile to get a hold of things. I think 10 tries to beat Roxanne? I'm not used to difficult ROMs so I had to really get in the headspace before forming a strategy and beating the first gym. And then, in the second, first try. A bit luck and also Huge Power Azumarill with Play Rough is a beast. I think this style of playthrough reminds of a card game, you have to pick your best deck to face the bosses. Anyway, I'm now really into it! Thanks.

I do have a question. I was under the impression that the Poké Pager was added to replace the need to teach HMs, is that correct? I ask this because I was just in the Dewford Cave and tried to activate the Poké Pager to use Flash (after beating the 2nd gym) and all I got was the dad text "there's a time and place, etc.". And then I taught Flash to my team and it worked. This made me a little confused, only because I didn't have to teach Cut to any pokémon to use it (only beat Roxanne).

You're spot on about the card game analogy! It's definitely quite nuanced, but I'm glad you're getting the hang of things and that you're liking it!

Regarding the Pager, every HM but Flash and Fly were implemented, so apologies for the confusion! I removed every other instance of Flash besides Granite Cave, so you won't be needing it anywhere else.

 

[KeniRain]

I like this a lot so far. The lack of IVs/EVs/Natures makes it much simpler to just use whatever mons you catch.
Be cool if you implemented following pokemon and customizing the trainer color like in ROWE.
A day/night cycle would be nice too.
Also one question, where can I get an eevee and a water stone?

 

[BrandonXL]

I like this a lot so far. The lack of IVs/EVs/Natures makes it much simpler to just use whatever mons you catch.
Be cool if you implemented following pokemon and customizing the trainer color like in ROWE.
A day/night cycle would be nice too.
Also one question, where can I get an eevee and a water stone?

There's an Eevee-only patch of grass on Route 115 after you get Surf. Water Stones, along with all other items consumed to evolve, can be found in Slateport. Definitely check out Slateport City's marketplace if you haven't! Loads of goodies there. :)