Just a reminder that providing specifics on, sharing links to, or naming websites where ROMs can be accessed is against the rules. If your post has any of this information it will be removed.
Ever thought it'd be cool to have your art, writing, or challenge runs featured on PokéCommunity? Click here for info - we'd love to spotlight your work!
Our weekly protagonist poll is now up! Vote for your favorite Conquest protagonist in the poll by clicking here.
Welcome to PokéCommunity! Register now and join one of the best fan communities on the 'net to talk Pokémon and more! We are not affiliated with The Pokémon Company or Nintendo.
In Minimal Grinding Mode you can still trade at the Rock Tunnel PC.
This could be used to inject forbidden moves into Hardcore, or EVs into Min Grinding Mode.
Also, sorry to beg but since Lapras was removed as an Ice typing could you make a new Ice type Mega? I'd love to see that in an ice mono-run.
This is an absolutely niche thing, but has anyone by chance converted the documentation to .txt? Some of them can be done natively in the google docs, but the impressive spreadsheets are impossible.
For what it's worth, I ask because I play romhacks on my modded Switch using the appropriate emulators. There's this neat thing called text overlay that lets me view documents on the fly right from my system! It's not a huge deal, but it is nice to have free access to the info without needing anything but the thing I'm playing it on.
It doesn't double the damage of dragon type moves, it halves it (multiply by 0.5 is like dividing by 2)
Maybe the description on Bulbapedia would be clearer https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Misty_Terrain_(move)
Unfortunately can't seem to post the image directly
Considering how often terrain is used in this game, it is usually great
sorry for my grammar, english is not my native language
Radical network has been a very satisfying experience, although if I have a question, is there a dialogue after finishing the league that talks about EVS training in the hardcore mode?
Also, you have not thought about removing the restrictions that hardcore mode has after passing the league. I say this because it allows different teams to be assembled and it is fun.
When can I get my lugia ? T.T I really wish you could put the big legendaries in the game man... T.T or a custom option at the start to make them available T.T please I need it so bad :<
Intro
I've been playing Pokémon ROM hacks since I was a kid, starting with Quartz, Ruby Destiny Reign of Legends, and Shiny Gold, all of which helped spiral my obsession, making me a long-time lurker in the community. Although I have made attempts to make one myself, I simply lacked the knowledge or dedication to make anything happen. Now, around 10-12 years later, seeing how far ROM hacking has advanced and with more confidence in my skills, I've decided to revisit developing my own ROM hack.
Fire Red enhancement hacks are definitely a dime a dozen these days, so you're probably wondering what this hack has to offer. I personally enjoy difficulty hacks the most, which is why I consider ROM hacks like Clover and Vega to be the two best ones out there.
This hack is at its core a difficulty hack, but with massive additional features added to help you navigate through this game's difficulty.
If I had to draw a comparison it'd be quite similar to Drayano60's enhancement hacks, which provide access to nearly all the Pokemon while also adding relevant buffs to make all sorts of different Pokémon and playstyles viable, but with an insane amount of quality of life features added that also make many gruesome tasks far less tedious.
This is a joint project with me and a friend koala4; although I've handled pretty much everything on the technical side he's assisted me immensely in balancing, giving suggestions, doing the wild Pokemon locations for the most part, testing, and more.
Features
This hack utilizes the Complete FireRed Upgrade engine (!!!!) and Dynamic Pokemon Expansion built by Skeli789, Ghoulslash, and others. It's responsible for most of the significant features in the hack; I'll list the important ones below.
Provided by CFRU and DPE
Spoiler:
Physical/Special split + Fairy Typing
All Pokémon up to Gen 8 obtainable (with some exceptions, see further down)
Moves up to Gen 8, including some of the Isle of Armor DLC moves!
Updated Pokémon sprites
Mega Evolution
Abilities up to Gen 8
All important battle items (with some exceptions)
Raid Battles
Reusable TMs
Expanded TM list
Additional move tutors
EV Training Gear
Ability popups during battle
Gen 8 Exp Share
Hidden Abilities
Day and Night
DexNav, which allows you to search for Pokemon with hidden abilities and other neat things!
Even faster turbo speed (!!!)
Abilities like Magma Armor have field effects like recent Gens
Destiny Knot, Everstone have updated breeding mechanics
... and more!
Additional Features
Do keep in mind many of these are also provided by CFRU.
Spoiler:
Much higher difficulty
Bosses have max IVs with proper EV spreads (barring the early bosses), along with optimized movesets/hold items
Improved AI
Battle style forced to Set
Can't access bag against Gym Leaders and other select bosses
Similar to Pokemon Clover, there is a soft level cap based on the next boss battle. Many "challenge" hacks can easily be beaten by simply spamming turbo boost and overlevelling. This prevents you from doing so, instead allowing you to reevaluate your team and strategy to defeat bosses.
Bosses near the end will randomly choose between 1 of 3 teams
Elite Four Members each have a Legendary
Gym Leaders have access to Mega Evolution before you do
Some optional side bosses will have their levels scale according to your team
Johto Gym Leaders as additional side bosses(Some mandatory, but mostly optional)
Brendan as an additional Rival
Archer and Ariana present as Admins
Thief/Magician won't steal from trainers
An additional Team Rocket event right before the 8th gym
My own curated buffs to a lot of deserving Pokémon, including Megas!
May include type changes, stat changes, ability changes, an additional learnsets
Brand new abilities (Some taken from Clover, others exclusive to this game)
A revamped Game Corner
No more coins/Coin Case, just exchange with regular Pokecoins
Sells pseudo legends for a steep price, with options to upgrade to Shiny
Sells even more TMs
IV grade and colored natures on Summary Screen
An IV perfecter in Celadon for a very steep price
EV checker/reducer in Saffron
An ability swapper also in Saffron, along with an option to swap to Hidden Ability in exchange for an item
EV training areas with its corresponding EV training gear
Move relearner moved to Cerulean
Move tutor that teaches Egg moves
Additional Legendaries obtainable before the Elite Four:
Unown Heatran Regigigas Cresselia
Lugia Ho-Oh Kyogre Groudon
Rayquaza Dialga Palkia Giratina
Reshiram Zekrom Kyurem-Black Kyurem-White
Xernas Yveltal Cosmog (can be found in a Wonder Egg, though) Cosmoem
Solgaleo Lunala Necrozma Forms Zacian
Zamazenta Eternatus Calyrex forms
Deoxys Magearna Darkrai Shaymin-Sky
Arceus Marshadow
Gym leaders may ask for rematches or side quests for their Mega Stones and other rewards
Day care south of Cerulean now can hold two Pokemon allowing for earlier breeding
... and more!
Quality of Life changes
Spoiler:
Thanks to CFRU:
No need to teach HMs (Even Dig and Teleport show up as Field Moves if you have the TM and a Pokemon that is capable of learning it - does not need to be taught!)
Use DexNav to easily get a specific encounter you want, in addition to a chance of getting Egg Moves, better IVs, Hidden Abilities, and higher Shiny odds!
Press Start in the bag to sort items
Use L to toggle Auto Run
Can select multiple key items
Press L on a move you're using in battle to check its info
Toggleable Gen 6 Exp Share
Pokemon receive boosted EXP when above 220 points of affection
Item Image on obtain
Base stats on Pokedex summary screen
Press B on the Bike gives a boost
Removed Poison damage in OW
Other significant QOL improvements:
Lucky Egg boost increased from 1.5x to 2.5x
A Nature Changer in every Pokemon Center!
Frisk now boosts chance of Wild Pokemon holding items(along with Super Luck and CompoundEyes) for maximum item farming efficiency
Macho Brace EV multiplier boosted from 2x to 4x (16x after becoming Champion)
Power Item EV Yield boosted from 8 to 24 (They give 252 EVs after becoming Champion)
Consumable held items come back after trainer battles (but not wild or raid battles)
Pokemon holding Amulet Coin do not need to participate in battle in order to receive the prize money boost
Thiefed items go straight to the bag
Shadow Tag/Arena Trap on Wild Pokemon no longer prevents the player fleeing from battle
Magma Armor/Steam Engine/Flame Body now reduce egg steps by 4x instead of 2x
Macho Brace/EV training items reduce speed by slightly less
Catch rate universally increased after becoming Champion
Significantly reduced the price of Potions (Potion->Full Restore, Revives, Paralyz Heal, etc) as they have much less use in this game. Price of Repels have also been reduced.
Eviolite prevents your Pokemon from evolving (like Everstone)
Screenshots (some screenshots are outdated...)
GIFs:
Download Release Version 2.3a DOWNLOAD/PATCH INSTRUCTIONS:
You can easily patch Radical Red using our online patcher which Karthik has provided (original patcher from here) . Simply supply a 1636 Pokemon Fire Red Squirrels ROM and choose a version to receive a patched Radical Red ROM.
Other patching resources if the above option does not work:
Another alternative patcher you can use for mobile or Mac users can be found here.
After patching, you should have a .gba file that you can open with an emulator to play. You can play on mGBA or VBA if you are on Windows, openEmu if you are on Mac, myBoy if you're on Android, and gba4IOS if you are on iOS. I'm not too familiar with getting this to work on real hardware (although it IS compatible with real hardware) so you'd have to look at other resources to get that set up.
This is playable up until the first Pokemon League challenge. Please do look at the known bugs before playing! Anything from 2.0 forward is compatible with any foreseeable future releases Please keep in mind this game is still in Beta, post-game, more content and bug fixes are planned in the future
A little guide on the difficulty options..
Spoiler:
Hardest to Easiest
Hardcore Mode goes without saying this is the hardest mode; there is some consideration made for the player (hence the presence of Min Grinding Mode) but it's filled with a lot of unfair obstacles and silly team compositions. I wouldn't advise nuzlocking this at the moment (i would presume it'd be quite difficult even with knowledge of the boss teams) but I know that won't stop some of you lol
Restrict Mode prevents you from using a lot of the broken team compositions/set-up cheese, so it's a bit harder than normal RR without the Hardcore ridiculousness
Restrict Mode + Min Grinding much less grindy than the above option while also making the early game-mid game much easier. Probably the preferable option if you're streaming a nuzlocke.
Normal RR a little grindy but it's what I originally envisioned :) and you can use a lot of the broken Pokemon to its full potential, so that's always fun
Min Grinding ModeIf you just want to play RR without the grind but still keep a bit of the challenge, then this is it. Another option if you're streaming a nuzlocke but don't like the restrictions of Restricted Mode. Game is overall slightly easier than normal RR since you're on a much more even playing field.
Easy Mode This is actually potentially easier than Easy Mode + Min Grinding Mode since you can use EVs to your advantage (as Boss pokemon won't have them), although the early game is slightly more difficult & most people playing this game mode won't bother with optimizing EVs. I will stress Easy Mode is still more difficult than vanilla games and your traditional ROM hack.
Easy Mode + Min Grinding Mode Pretty much allows you to play Min Grinding Mode while also being able to use items and Switch Mode. The early game is also a lot easier here as opposed to normal Easy Mode
Changelogs Changelog up to 2.3a Known Bugs Incompatible with PizzaBoy, Eclipse, Twilight Menu. Tested to perform fine on: mGBA, VBA-M, VBA, OpenEmu, myBoy, JohnGBA PLEASE DO NOT REPORT BUGS IF YOU USED CHEATS. This should be self explanatory, but... using cheats will impact your games in many ways and will lead to bugs that would not have happened otherwise.
Radical Red Showdown Server
Want to fight against others in a Radical Red environment? Now you can with the RR Showdown Server!
Spoiler:
Developed by Pacmanboss256 (RRSH head dev), Karthik, Budget Cyro and Aegide!
Karthik's Custom Calc
This is a showdown calculator developed by karthik with the updated stats and abilities of all the Radical Red Pokémon
RR Showdown Discord Server Link
This server will serve the purpose of keeping you up to the date with the current tier changes and any updates related to the showdown server. But you will not be able to talk in here, make sure to use #showdown in the RR server for all showdown related talk
Complete Fire Red Upgrade: Skeli789, ghoulslash and team - For this powerful, super accessible resource and their extremely useful documentation; this hack would be completely irrelevant without it. koala4: Co-creator. Testing, wild Pokemon locations, balancing, suggestions, and for being a good friend throughout the process. Drayano60: Game draws a lot of inspiration from his enhancement hacks. Pokemon Clover: Game draws some inspiration from this hack (Level cap, Dream Ball, Abilities Striker and Blademaster more specifically) Smogon CAP: Inspiration for Mega Coloassal's ability Mountaineer InnerMobius: For the backsprites used for Red and Green Noodlewhiz on Discord: Helping me implement the Hidden Ability swapper Kalerie: For these overworld sprites used in Leon's base SageDeoxysOverworld sprites for G-Zapdos, G-Moltres, G-Articuno Leparagon, and everyone that contributed to DS-style Gen VII and Beyond Pokémon Sprite Repository in 64x64 kingofthe-x-roadsFor the Galarian Slowbro, Inteleon, and couple other Gen 8 battle sprites Everyone that contributed to theGen 8 Sprite Project LarryTurbo for Gen 8 Icons Professor Leon for the DPE/CFRU ROM Base hyo oppa for the Brendan trainer front sprite NateRiver, Omega/WesleyFG Custom Battle Backgrounds Nisarg, JK For updated bag graphics ! hackito Updated Textbox YoY-XPlatinum HP Bar Delta231FRLG HGSS Style Sprites Pokemonrater Silver OW Sprite thebrawlunit archer/ariana/giovanni sprites, Jo7A Johto Gym Leader Sprites VentZX, DrSeuss Sword Shield style Type Icons Varrio: The header picture with the Mega Houndoom :D Ghabra, Khaospire, Daina, mossedUp, Sergio, Gress, moods, Xan, Cubism, ExpoSeed, Datudou, Kled, Nikki, Manny, Hail, Maliboo, matty boy : For testing, and being great pals. Pacmanboss256 (RRSH head dev), Karthik, Budget Cyro and Aegide For developing the RR Showdown Server. Karthik is also responsible for the Dex and RR patching website Azimuth on WAH for the sleek Stat Scanner graphical screen
How do I play the game? I can't open it!
Download the .ups file provided in #updates .
Find original Fire Red 1.0 rom ( 1636 Fire Red Squirrels.gba).
Use a patching tool to apply the .ups patch file onto the Fire Red rom (Tsukuyomi/NUPS for Windows, Unipatcher for Android. Alternatively, there is a rom patcher website marcrobledo.com/RomPatcher.js/ that you can use as well.)
Follow simple interface in these tools to apply the patch. Also, check the next question before you start playing.
I get a warning about real time clock not being enabled. I can't save in-game. Day/night cycle isn't working. What to do?
Make sure your emulator has Real Time Clock (RTC) enabled. Also, save type HAS to be set to flash 128K. If you started playing without this, you will have to start over. Delete your save file, make sure your emulator is set up correctly and ONLY THEN open the rom. If you did everything correctly, there shouldn't be a warning about RTC not being enabled anymore.
What about HM moves? Do I need HM slave(s)?
No, HM moves have been reworked, you no longer need to teach it to your Pokémon to progress the game. All you need is the corresponding badge and the HM in your bag.
Where is the move relearner?
The move relearner is in Cerulean City, he wants shrooms in return.
Is there an EV checker/EV subtracter? Is there a way to change Pokémon's ability?
Yes, there are nerds in Saffron City's fan club house.
Where is the name rater?
The name rater is in Lavender Town, same as in vanilla FR/LG.
Where is the happiness checker guy?
Happiness checker guy is in Cerulean City, replacing the Barry Master guy from vanilla FR/LG. In the house next to him is also a guy that can groom your Pokemon to increase their happiness.
Are Sevii Islands available?
As of now, the game ends after becoming the Champion. Sevii Islands are currently not part of the game.
How does the EXP. Share work?
It's gen 8 EXP. Share. The EXP from battles is distributed amongst ALL of your party Pokemon even if some of them did not participate in the battle. You receive it early on, before the 1st gym battle. It can be toggled.
My Pokemon get almost no experience from battles? Is my game broken???
If your Pokemon gets reduced amount of experience, it means it hit a level cap before the next important battle (gym leaders, Team Rocket boss, E4 etc.). When you beat the next important battle, the level cap will increase again.
The game is too hard! Make it easier!
The point of this hack was to make it hard and challenging in a reasonable way, not just increasing level curve like crazy. If it's too hard for you, then this hack is probably not for you.
I found a bug, what to do?
First, check the Known Bugs document in the Google Drive to see if that bug isn't already known. If it isn't there, report the bug in #bugreports , if possible, provide screenshots and videos and be as detailed as possible.
Where can I restore fossil Pokémon?
Same as in vanilla FRLG, Cinnabar Island's Pokémon Lab.
How do I transform the three forces of nature Pokémon to their alternate forms?
Talk to a scientist in Cinnabar Island's Pokémon Lab.
Is there an egg tutor?
Yes, he is located in Fuchsia City. He wants Heart Scales in return.
What are the chances of finding a Pokemon with hidden ability using Dex Nav?
the odds of finding hidden ability is 5% at search level 10, 15% at search level 25, 20% at search level 50, 23% at search level 100
How do I mega evolve?
You get Mega Ring after finishing the Silph Co. event, right before Sabrina. If you have the proper mega stone equipped, you can mega evolve your Pokémon during battle by pressing the select button before selecting a move.
How do I update the game to a newer version without having to start over?
Save your current progress using the in-game save (not save state!) in a safe place. (a Pokémon Center for example)
Close the game and delete the patched .gba file. (or better, move it to a different folder in case you mess this up)
Patch the new version .ups onto a CLEAN fire red rom again (1636 squirrels).
Place the newly patched .gba game into the same folder where your previous version was. Make sure the name of your game and save file is the same.
Open the newly patched .gba and load your save.
Where do I find Mega Stones for my starter Pokémon?
Go to the building that connects Cycling Road and Celadon City, and talk to the aid upstairs.
What are the level caps for each boss?
Spoiler:
15, //Before Brock
27, //Before Misty
34, //Before Surge
44, //Before Erika
47, //Before Celadon Giovanni
56, //Before Archer/Ariana Tag battle
57, //Before Giovanni Saffron
59, //Before Sabrina
68, //Before Koga
73, //Before May
76, //Before Blaine
79, //Before Archer/Ariana B2b
80, //Before Giovanni Cerulean Boss
81, //Before Claire
82, //Before Brendan
85, //Before E4
Features I'd Like to Add in the Future:
Spoiler:
More varied trainer classes throughout, Vanilla FR doesn't use that many
Graphical updates (Tiles, Title Screen update)
Additional optional areas so the game feels less squished
I have been playing this game and i can assure you, your mod is pretty top notch, the difficulty, the addition for the main story and adding new pokemon make this mod pretty refreshing
The downside is that the not all Pokémon locations is added in Pokédex unlike pokemon unbound especially for newer generation pokemon, i think maybe in the future you have plans to add that in the game
That's my honest review, thank you so much for this wonderful mod, hope you stay healthy and let's do our best survive in the next year, happy new year
This is my second all time favourite rom hack (second to Unbound) and I've played it across 7-8 different save files for 2500 game hours. Perhaps I'll play 2.3 sometime soon. Can't wait for this version to arrive!
When can I get my lugia ? T.T I really wish you could put the big legendaries in the game man... T.T or a custom option at the start to make them available T.T please I need it so bad :<
I've recently played Drayano's romhacks and Inclement Emerald so i was looking for something similar and Radical Red seems to be a good fit, but i have some thoughts:
I was reading all of the balance changes and, while i found the majority of it pretty interesting and fun, I'm shocked that Serperior is not Grass/Dragon (with Draco Meteor) like on the mentioned romhacks, i know everyone has their own criteria for Pokémon balance but that thing in particular is so much broadly accepted as a common thing in romhacking that it seems strange not to have it in Radical Red.
The other thing I want to ask is if there's some kind of Battle Tower or similar on the game like in Pokémon Unbound.
Thanks in advance.
PS: The Starter Region Select was a pretty good idea in Inclement Emerald, I'm glad is coming to RR.
Hey. First, I should say this is a great game. I've sunk way more hours into this game than any other pokemon game, and it's taught me a lot. But, I'm making this comment mainly to say that while I've been doing raids lately, my dynamax moves haven't been delivering the status benefits that they should. For instance, when my ferrothorn uses max steelspike, I don't get a defense boost. The enemy pokemon does get its boosts. This has been making the raids a lot harder, since I use my ferrothorn right away to stall for me and my partner as we chip away most of its health before the raid pokemon starts koing us for massive attack boosts. I don't think I've overlooekd anything that might be stopping me besides a glitch, since this has been happening across multiple raids.
Man, let me tell you, ive been a fan of the Pokemon IP since it was created, playing the games since gen1 (god im old) and never missed a single gen, and played about every single decent romhack out there
And radical red is, by far, the most fun ive had with the frachise, ever
I dont get how difficult would be for GameFreak to actually make a hard mode on the mainline games, they are so easy its laughable, sometimes i feel like im playing Peppa Pig : Golden Boots
Hardcore mode was really fun although extremely unfair, but thats the point nonetheless
Props to you and the team, absolutely amazing and outsanding job, and all the inclement emerald QoL additions is a massive upgrade, those little details are so important
Is there any way to contribute, like a Patreon or something?
Ace Trainers with Megas on Victory Road was the most dreadful decision in this game because I need to get out to heal after each fight and all the puzzles are reset. Unnecessarily annoying that don't add anything to the challenge.
got some little previews for the next update (which is still a while away, but it'll be worth it!)
big shoutouts to buffel salt for these two ideas from inclement emerald:
Spoiler:
Choose which region your starters are from
that big pokevial thooooo
Portable PC!!! I know you guys are dying to use this in the Pokemon League, but it won't work there :p
Spoiler:
Instant text, instant hp bar and exp for much quicker gameplay (shoutouts to thexaman for implementing this in pokemerald which I ported to CFRU)
Spoiler:
Swap in Pokemon menu with the select button
Spoiler:
Nature Changer in Pokemon Center now has an option to view the current Level Cap, and an option to swap genders for Pokemon! The struggles of Male Combee are finally over :O
Spoiler:
Pressing B in Auto Run let's you walk (a feature that's been requested since probably the first release lol)
Spoiler:
B for faster surfing, also affected by auto run!
Spoiler:
Something new: puzzle battles! complete these to get benefits like the pokevial, and infinite repel!
Spoiler:
and least but definitely not least, we got hisuian forms in the game! these were commissioned from a spriter named Terminaut, who has experience creating sprites for Gen 3 ROM hacks along with Pokemon essentials. he's done a brilliant job with these sprites and he's been working on these sprites quickly for reasonable rates, definitely give him a look if you want some custom sprites for your games :)
Spoiler:
for now, these pokemon will have custom data until the games come out. Stone Axe is also in the game, and is a 120 BP Rock Physical Move that drops Def/SpDef on hit (Close Combat effect), which is even powered up by Blademaster. This move is exclusive to Kleavor and Kabutops!!
another thing I felt like I was having trouble with was having some sort of exploration feel for post game. Since every Pokemon could already be found in the wild in the main game, it would probably make exploring post game feel very empty. So, I've decided to add some custom regional variants as well. There'll be one line from each region, and many will have unique/uncommon typings. Here's a gorgeous Milotic form with Ground/Fairy typing, which is quite an amazing offensive typing, and not too shabby on the defensive side either! Serene Grace is an absurd combo with Moonblast and Scorching Sands. The custom regional variants are also sprited by the big Term, be sure to check out his other work if you're fan!
And if you're annoyed that these are restricted to postgame, there will be an egg obtainable in the midgame that hatches into any of the custom regional variants. They're all quite powerful Pokemon to complement their late game status.
we've also got Darkster revamping the Wild Docs to be far more visually appealing and accessible, some revamps are happening to other documentation as well.
post game is in the works with this update so it's still many a miles away, but I'll make sure it's worth it.
thank you for continuing to play radical red, love y'all <3
Hi! Ran into this hack and loving everything about it - best romhack by far!
Blastoise is my favourite pokemon and I noticed you've decided to use his Heartgold/Sousilver iteration, which is considered to be one of its ugliest sprites lol. Any chance of this being changed to its D/P/Pl rendition instead?
Just wanted to say thank you for making one of the best Pokémon romhacks I've ever played.
Not sure if the main link needs to be updated, the discord appears to be shutting down. Or the mods are trolling everyone for new years eve. My attempts to find out why (along with several others who were asking) were met with insults from the moderators so maybe nothing of value was lost.
Looking forward to the next update when it's ready. Still have 6 more monotype runs to finish!
Ace Trainers with Megas on Victory Road was the most dreadful decision in this game because I need to get out to heal after each fight and all the puzzles are reset. Unnecessarily annoying that don't add anything to the challenge.