ROM Hack FAQ: PokeSav

Zinic

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Frequently Asked Questions for PokeSav​
v1.0
by Zinic


"What is PokeSav?"

PokeSav is a utility for editing Pokemon Diamond/Pearl save files for FlashCarts (*.dat/*.sav/*.0) or emulators.


"Where can I get PokeSav?"

There's several places that host it. Here's a couple of mirrors for it.

Official PokeSav site (Japanese, and so is the PokeSav version you can get from here.)
Latest PokeSav (Mirror provided by Flam9)
Latest PokeSav (Mirrored on RapidShare)
Pokestation.net's PokeSav section


"So I've got PokeSav, what do I do with it?"

First of all you need a save file. These can be gotten by starting up the game on your flashcart/emulator and creating a new game and then saving it. After you have a save file, you can usually find it in the folder in your FlashCarts save folder, or where ever it might place save files. In my case (I have an M3 Perfect MicroSD and a PassKey3) these save files are stored in I:\NDSSAVE\ under the filename lgc-pkmd.dat (Pokemon Diamond) or whatever the rom is called when you put it on the flashcart.

After you've found your save file, back it up. What I usually do is that I'll copy the save file to the same folder as I saved PokeSav to and rename the original lgc-pkmd.dat.backup, just in case I might mess something up. After editting, I'll then just copy the save file I've editted to my flashcart and start up the game to play with the changes.

After backing up, fire up PokeSav and let's get hacking.

First of all, you need to load up your savegame in PokeSav. Click load and browse to the location where you copied your save, select it and open it. All of your saved details should now be visible in the editor and you can now change everything as much as you desire.


"How do I get ?"

There several ways to do this. Which one you want depends on wether or not you want legit pokemon (pokemon that have unaltered stats, levels, etc.).

The first method, which is non-legit, is simply clicking the Edit button for the corrosponding party number which you want to insert the pokemon into and then filling out the information in the dialog that follows. Here's a rundown on what needs to be added for it to work:

Pokemon dropdown: Select the pokemon you want to add.
Item dropdown: Select the item you want the pokemon to have, or just leave it empty if you don't want it to have anything.
Trainer and Secret ID: Just press the "Input Own ID" button here.
Level: Input the level you want the pokemon to be.
Exp. Points: Just leave it blank, as editting the level should fill it out automatically.
Friendship: Change to whatever value you want. Ranges from 0-255 and determines how much the pokemon likes you.
Attribute: Determines the nature of your pokemon. Click Create and fill out the needed information. It dosen't really matter wether or not you choose first or second classes. Check the Shiny option if you want the pokemon to be shiny.
Name: The Name of the pokemon. You can choose the original name by clicking the Original Name button, or make up one yourself. The Change Name checkbox is there to signify if the pokemon has had it's name changed, so there's no real reason to check it. PokeSav AFAIK puts whitespace after the Pokename name if you use "Original Name" for some reason, so you should probably delete the spaces if you don't want to see "Trainer sent out MEW !" all the time.
OT: Original Trainer. States who the original trainer who caught the pokemon. Just click the Own OT Name for this.
Met at Level: The level the pokemon was met at. Input any level lower than the level you specified in the Level field.
Met in Place: Select a place in the dropdown box and it'll automatically fill it out for you. Place matters little as you aren't going for a legit pokemon.
Country: Country of origin. Determines the localization of the game from which the pokemon came. Select the one that corrosponds with the game localization you have.
Fateful Encounter: Wether or not the pokemon was caught in a fateful encounter. This is usually not needed and mostly only appears with Legendary pokemon.
Poke Ball caught with: The pokeball the pokemon was caught with.
Ability: The ability of the pokemon. If you don't know which ability the specific pokemon has, there's several sources on the net that can help you. You don't HAVE to choose one, but it's highly recommended that you do.
Hometown: The region the pokemon is from. This is the game in which the pokemon was originally caught. Select whichever you want as it dosen't really have any effect.
Battle Moves: The moves your pokemon has. First select a move a move from the dropdown box, then input the PP that move has in the field right next to it. The "PP UP's used" option is optional and dosen't matter.
Stats Edit: The stats of the pokemon. Here you can either click the "All Max" button and let it fill out the information itself, or you can input the stats as you like. Make sure to edit the Level to make it the same as the level you originally set.
Egg: This allows you to change the selected pokemon into an egg. Simply check the "Change" option and input a number from 1-255 in the dialog and the egg will hatch after taking that many steps. Any pokemon can be hatched this way, no matter which level of evolution they are. Note that if you add more than one egg this way, the game can only hatch one egg at a time, and seems to reset the counter for the second egg after the first has hatch. This is also one of two ways to get the pokemon into your pokedex. (Any pokemon hatched using this method will start at level 1 and base stats and the skills normally available to that pokemon at that level.)

And that's it. You've now created your own pokemon. All you need to do now is hit the ok button and you'll now have the pokemon you just made in your party. Note that anything option not mentioned is not required to creating a pokemon, so I have decided to not explain them for now.

Another option, for getting legit (and possibly non-legit) pokemon is to load in a premade pokemon. First of all you will need a .pkm file with the pokemon you want. These can be gotten by asking someone to save one for you from their own game, or by going here and selecting the pokemon you want, and then download it.

After you have acquired the .pkm file for the pokemon you want, all you have to do is click on the Load button under the Party Pokemon option and then selecting the .pkm file with the pokemon you want. After that, save, and you should now have that pokemon in your party.

The only problem with adding pokemon with the above two methods is that they will not be added to your pokedex. One way to make sure they are added is either by changing the selected pokemon into an egg and then hatching it, or by using the trick listed below.

Another way to get perfectly legit pokemon, at least stat wise, is by clicking on the Edit button under Events (Should be in the lower left corner of the editor) and then selecting the pokemon you want under the Mining Museum Pokemon option and then clicking ok. After this is done, all you have to do is head to Orebreugh town and head into the Mining Museum. In there, there'll be a guy that looks like a doctor. Talk to him, and he'll give you a level 20 version of the pokemon you selected in the dropdown. The only thing not legit about this method is the location you've acquired the pokemon, but this can be changed in the editor just like when you created your own pokemon.

PLEASE DO NOT USE THESE POKEMON ONLINE FOR NEITHER BATTLING NOR TRADE. It's considered just plain rude to do this, and Nintendo kills a kitten everytime an illegal pokemon enters the online world.

"HELP! I've tried adding a pokemon I got from that site to my party, but it gives me some strange error message!"

A common problem. Generally, the editor is being a bit bitchy about the location you add the pokemon. If there's already a pokemon in the slot you're loading the pokemon to, it'll give an error. if it dosen't work with an empty slot either, try adding it to the Storage instead, as this seems to work for most people.
MAKE SURE YOU ARE ADDING THE POKEMON TO AN EMPTY SLOT.


"HELP! I tried to add the , but it dosen't work!"

Another common problem. You have to add the special items in a specific way, otherwise they won't work. The way to properly add the items and activate the event is as follows.

Open up the editor, then click the "Edit" button under events in the lower left corner. On this dialog, click the "Mystery Gift Edit" button. At this dialog, go to the "Gift" section and check the "Enable Gift" checkbox and then select the item you need. The items needed for the events are as follows:

Azure Flute - ARCEUS event.
Oak's Letter - SHAYMIN event.
Member Card - Darkrai event.

After you have enabled the item this way, there shuold be a delivery man in green standing in all of the pokemarts, who will then give you the item you selected.

Note you can only add one item at a time this way, but it's a failsafe way to getting the events going. As for completing the events, there's several other guides for this on Gamefaqs.com or similair places. This also works for acquiring the Manaphy Egg. You also MUST have the national Dex for all of these events, except for the Manaphy Egg.


"How do I get the manaphy Egg?"

Same as above, only select Manaphy Egg as the item instead of the others.


Disclaimer
I am not the developer of PokeSav, nor am I the translator of the english version. Any saves made with this editor should NOT be used online as it is considered cheating to use tools such as this. Any pokemon created or loaded with this tool are considered illegal due to copyright infringement and just plain rude if you decide to use them online in either battles or trading. I myself have used this tool, but only for things such as enabling the event-specific pokemon because I do not like the fact that I am forced to go to a Pokemon specific event just to acquire some rare item or pokemon.


Credits
GSD, for translating PokeSav to english.
Flam9, for providing one of the mirrors to the PokeSav and for creating the the .pkm library.
blizzak, for figuring out how to add the event items and activating the events the easy way.
Xenophobe, for helping me spot a couple of things I missed when I originally made the FAQ.
Serebii.net, for providing alot of useful information about all the games.

That about covers the most typical questions. If anyone has anymore question regarding the PokeSav editor, ask them in THIS thread and not any of the others. I'll try to update this FAQ as frequently as possible, but I can't be everywhere on the forums.


LINK TO THE OTHER Pokemon Save Editor?, ALL Pokesave Questions in Here! THREAD

http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=49350

LINK TO THE Pokesav .pkmn file collection THREAD
http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=49691
 

jerm27

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Thanx this was really usefull i wont rely on u as much now flam
thanx to this iv got2n 2/the3 event legendaries im on my way to get ARCEUS now

anytway thanx a bunch :-D
 

OSW

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Having troubles lol.

Dloaded some .pkm pokemon files.
Loaded save file.
Putting the pokemon into party got an error. So i put them into a box.

saved. checked CRC, it was different to old one.

played game. Game appears to be the same. Pokemon are not in the boxes.

I tested twice and same thing.

Tried other edits too and nothing is changed
sleep.gif
 

Zinic

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Having troubles lol.

Dloaded some .pkm pokemon files.
Loaded save file.
Putting the pokemon into party got an error. So i put them into a box.

saved. checked CRC, it was different to old one.

played game. Game appears to be the same. Pokemon are not in the boxes.

I tested twice and same thing.

Tried other edits too and nothing is changed
sleep.gif

Which flashcart do you have? It might have overwritten the save when you put it in and then started up the DS, which is common for most FlshCarts.
 

Monkey01

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Having troubles lol.

Dloaded some .pkm pokemon files.
Loaded save file.
Putting the pokemon into party got an error. So i put them into a box.

saved. checked CRC, it was different to old one.

played game. Game appears to be the same. Pokemon are not in the boxes.

I tested twice and same thing.

Tried other edits too and nothing is changed
sleep.gif
If you start up your flashcart it'll probably backup the save game of the last played game. If you first change the savegame and then start up your flashgame the save will be overwritten again.
So make sure you either start the flashcart without loading pokémon again, or make sure pokémon is not the last loaded game to prevent overwriting from happening.

Another cause, which is less common, may be that you've set the save size to the wrong size in AceKard. It needs to be 4M, if you choose 2M it'll work, but the save will not be read from the MicroSD card but from AceKard's own memory and therefore not editable.
 

OSW

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I'm using Ez4. I'm sure my save isn't being overwritten, because at boot it backs up the save to the microsd card, and i waited for that backup to occur before replacing the save with my computers.

Also i checked and the CRC matched the one that was on my pc.
 

Flam9

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OSW I'm sure that you're problem is your flashcard's autobackup.

Try this step by step. Don't say "oh i did it and it didnt work", try it.

-Save your game ingame.
-Close your DS.
-Reopen your DS and let the M3 auto-backup do it's thing.
-Once you hit the main menu, close the DS.
-Take your save file and do whatever.
-Put it back on your SD (or CF, I guess)
-Load and enjoy.
 

Monkey01

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I'm using Ez4. I'm sure my save isn't being overwritten, because at boot it backs up the save to the microsd card, and i waited for that backup to occur before replacing the save with my computers.

Also i checked and the CRC matched the one that was on my pc.
Have you tried playing another game after playing diamond before changing the sav file? Cause I believe that EZ4 uses the save that's still in it's own memory when it's the one that belongs to the game you want to play.

And what do you mean with the CRC being the same? Is the file you changed the same as the normal one?
 

Zinic

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Is there a list of the save formats that pokesav supports?

PokeSav seems to work with all save formats used by flashcarts, as these tend to be "raw" in terms of data. Essentially, if you could pull the data off your original game as raw data, yoyu'd be able to use PokeSav to edit that aswell.

As for specific file types, no idea. The original site is in japanese, and even translated it gives little information. The included readme wasn't very helpful either, as I couldn't get a unicode version of it to actually work with.

From waht I can tell, the original PokeSav was created specifically for the M3 series of flashcarts and then simply expanded on. The filetypes I know it supports are .sav, .dat and .0 but other other that that, I don't have much to go by.


If someone has tried PokeSav on savefiles other than those of the M3 series of flashcarts (as they all use the same method for storing saves), please post here and tell me wether or not it works for you, and if it doe work, how it works for you as I want to include this information in my FAQ to make sure I cover as many bases as possible. I only have a M3 Perfect MicroSD myself, and can as such only provide support for such.
 

Xenophobe

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Pokemon dropdown: Select the pokemon you want to add.
Item dropdown: Select the item you want the pokemon to have, or just leave it empty if you don't want it to have anything.
Trainer and Secret ID: Just press the "Input Own ID" button here.
Level: Input the level you want the pokemon to be.
Exp. Points: Just leave it blank, as editting the level should fill it out automatically.
Friendship: Change to whatever value you want. Ranges from 0-255 and determines how much the pokemon likes you.
Attribute: Determines the nature of your pokemon. Click Create and fill out the needed information. It dosen't really matter wether or not you choose first or second classes. Check the Shiny option if you want the pokemon to be shiny.
Name: The Name of the pokemon. You can choose the original name by clicking the Original Name button, or make up one yourself. The Change Name checkbox is there to signify if the pokemon has had it's name changed, so there's no real reason to check it.PokeSav AFAIK puts whitespace after the Pokename name if you use "Original Name" for some reason, so you should probably delete the spaces if you don't want to see "Trainer sent out MEWÂ Â Â Â Â Â !" all the time.
OT: Original Trainer. States who the original trainer who caught the pokemon. Just click the Own OT Name for this.
Met at Level: The level the pokemon was met at. Input any level lower than the level you specified in the Level field.
Met in Place: Select a place in the dropdown box and it'll automatically fill it out for you. Place matters little as you aren't going for a legit pokemon.
Country: Country of origin. Determines the localization of the game from which the pokemon came. Select the one that corrosponds with the game localization you have.
Fateful Encounter: Wether or not the pokemon was caught in a fateful encounter. This is usually not needed and mostly only appears with Legendary pokemon.
Poke Ball caught with: The pokeball the pokemon was caught with.
Ability: The ability of the pokemon. If you don't know which ability the specific pokemon has, there's several sources on the net that can help you. You don't HAVE to choose one, but it's highly recommended that you do.Less highly recommended, more "if you don't you're an idiot or hate people that trade with you over GTS".
Hometown: The region the pokemon is from. This is the game in which the pokemon was originally caught. Select whichever you want as it dosen't really have any effect.Helps legitness though. Most of the time you're fine with using "11" or "10" (Pearl/Diamond) if you want to at least look legit.
Battle Moves: The moves your pokemon has. First select a move a move from the dropdown box, then input the PP that move has in the field right next to it. The "PP UP's used" option is optional and dosen't matter.The "PP Up's used" option is in a nutshell, how much extra max PP your Pokemon's moves have, which is pretty useful. It's one button anyway, doesn't hurt to press it.
Stats Edit: The stats of the pokemon. Here you can either click the "All Max" button and let it fill out the information itself, or you can input the stats as you like. Make sure to edit the Level to make it the same as the level you originally set."All max" raises the stats to the max that your Pokemon would legally have, calculated by level, IVs and EVs. You don't actually need to adjust the level.

QUOTEAnother way to get perfectly legit pokemon, at least stat wise, is by clicking on the Edit button under Events (Should be in the lower left corner of the editor) and then selecting the pokemon you want under the Mining Museum Pokemon option and then clicking ok. After this is done, all you have to do is head to Orebreugh town and head into the Mining Museum. In there, there'll be a guy that looks like a doctor. Talk to him, and he'll give you a level 20 version of the pokemon you selected in the dropdown. The only thing not legit about this method is the location you've acquired the pokemon, but this can be changed in the editor just like when you created your own pokemon.
It's not a problem getting legit Pokemon stat wise because the only way to screw that up is to modify stats directly (in which case if you put it in the PC it will fix itself) or setting all EVs to 255. It's more effective to make it look like all your Pokemon were hatched from eggs (except legendaries of course).

You may want to add when you add a Pokemon to your party, you have to change the "Party Number" below it as well or else you won't be able to see the Pokemon you added.
 

Zinic

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In response to Xenophobe:

Thanks for the suggestions and information, though some of them I don't all agree with, it does help me make the FAQ better.

As for the Mining Museum trick, I've noticed that the stats generated with PokeSav is not 100% accurate all the time, especially when you move to higher levels which is the main reason I added it at all. As for making it look like all pokemon were hatched from eggs, it's true it does make it look more legit, I simply didn't think of adding the information.

Thanks for the heads up on adding to the party nuber aswell, thought it filled it out automatically, but I didn't think of actually trying it out when I was writing the FAQ.

Also, the creating your own pokemon part was aimed at people who aren't going to trade through GTS, so the legitness is entire up to the person making it. I myself never use added pokemon I haven't caught myself with GTS, and haven't planned on doing it anytime either, as I prefer to keep everything as legit as possible in my own game.

As for stats edit, I've found that if you fill out all the information in the order I listed, everything in Stats Edit will automatically be changed to fit with the stats set. Only reason I didn't add IV's and EV's is because it'd be too much trouble to sit around explaining exactly how they work if the person reading the FAQ dosen't have any previous knowledge about it, and as this is an FAQ for PokeSav and not Pokemon D/P, I want to keep the details as simple as possible.
 

Deaddy

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I said this in the other thread but under natures, pokesav has Hardy and Quirky switched, keep this in mind when looking at natures.

Also, does anyone know what the "Class" option is under Attribute Edit? The options are First and Second.
 

Zinic

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Also, does anyone know what the "Class" option is under Attribute Edit? The options are First and Second.

I have no idea. It dosen't really seem to change anything wether or not you choose First or Second from what I can tell. It's quite possible that natures can be stored two different places in the save file, but I honestly don't know.

I suspect the translation is off on those two, and that's why we don't know.

As for those two natures being switched out, error in translation. Far as I know, GSD (the guy who translated it) hangs out on the M3 Adapter forums. Will see if I can get in contact with him.
 

Deaddy

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Thanks for letting him know about the natures swap. As for Class, I've seen naturally captured pokemon of the same species and gender having either class so as you said, it really doesn't SEEM to change anything but I think it's gotta have an effect of some sort.
 

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