Useful unused data and routines

This page is for pointing out unused data or routines that were left over in the pokecrystal ROM.

(The Cutting Room Floor (TCRF) has documented a lot more unused content, but some of it is incomplete leftovers: for example, the maps in maps/unused/, or text for unimplemented events like data/text/unused_sweet_honey.asm.)

Contents

• The GS Ball and Celebi event
• NPC sprites
• Pink overworld sprite color
• Map environment for outdoor dungeons
• Tile collision behavior (including water currents)
• Held item effects to prevent status conditions
• Held item effects to raise stats mid-battle
• Experience growth rates
• Emotes
• NPCs that trade for a male Pokémon
• Move effect to defrost opponent and raise Attack
• unused_johto tileset for beta towns and cities

The GS Ball and Celebi event

The Japanese release of Pokémon Crystal had an entire event where you are given a GS Ball, show it to Kurt, and use it to encounter Celebi in Ilex Forest. This was entirely adapted and translated for the English version, but was never enabled until the 3DS Virtual Console release.

The initial script where you get the GS Ball is in maps/GoldenrodPokecenter1F.asm. It calls BattleTowerAction with the parameter BATTLETOWERACTION_CHECKMOBILEEVENT and checks for the result MOBILE_EVENT_OBJECT_GS_BALL. You could just change this to a typical checkevent command, or do what the Virtual Console release did and enable the original check:

EnableGSBallScene:
	ld a, BANK(sMobileEventIndex)
	call OpenSRAM
	ld a, MOBILE_EVENT_OBJECT_GS_BALL
	ld [sMobileEventIndex], a
	jp CloseSRAM

Just put that in a map event script and instead of a typical setevent command, do callasm EnableGSBallScene.

NPC sprites

From constants/sprite_constants.asm:

• SPRITE_CAL: The player's original spriteset from the SpaceWorld 1997 demos of Gold and Silver.
• SPRITE_UNUSED_GUY: A generic old balding man with a moustache. Does not have walking frame graphics.
• SPRITE_OLD_LINK_RECEPTIONIST: The Cable Club receptionist from RBY.
• SPRITE_PAPER: The letter from RBY.

Use them in maps/*.asm.

Pink overworld sprite color

From constants/sprite_data_constants.asm:

• PAL_NPC_PINK: A counterpart to the other PAL_NPC_* constants. Pink looks very similar to red.

The actual color can be changed in gfx/overworld/npc_sprites.pal.

Map environment for outdoor dungeons

From constants/map_data_constants.asm:

• ENVIRONMENT_5: An environment that seems neither outdoors nor indoors. You can't use Fly, Teleport, Dig, Escape Rope, or the Bicycle; and its colors change with the time of day, but unlike TOWN and ROUTE maps, they don't use the special outdoor water colors. Gamefreak's source code calls it pimg_SHIP, suggesting it was intended for the deck of the S.S. Anne or Aqua.

Use it in data/maps/maps.asm.

Tile collision behavior (including water currents)

From constants/collision_constants.asm:

• COLL_CURRENT_*: Force the player to Surf RIGHT, LEFT, UP, or DOWN. Similar to the current tiles in RSE west of Pacifidlog Town.
• COLL_WALK_* and COLL_BRAKE: Force the player to walk RIGHT, LEFT, UP, or DOWN, or to stop forced walking. Similar to the spinner tiles in RBY's Rocket Hideout, but without the spinning.
• COLL_HOP_UP, COLL_HOP_UP_RIGHT, and COLL_HOP_UP_LEFT: Counterparts to the other COLL_HOP_* constants. Useful for upward-facing ledges.
• COLL_DOWN_WALL and other COLL_*_WALL: Counterparts to COLL_RIGHT_WALL, COLL_LEFT_WALL, and COLL_UP_WALL. Blocks only specific edges from being walked across. COLL_DOWN_WALL is useful for placing above cave entrances in case the player can walk on top of cliffs with caves.
• COLL_*_BUOY: Like COLL_*_WALL but for water.

Use them in data/tilesets/*_collision.asm.

Held item effects to prevent status conditions

From constants/item_data_constants.asm:

• HELD_PREVENT_*: For held items that prevent status conditions: POISON, BURN, FREEZE, SLEEP, PARALYZE, or CONFUSE.

Use it in data/items/attributes.asm.

Held item effects to raise stats mid-battle

From data/battle/held_consumables.asm:

• HELD_*_UP: When held, will automatically raise the stat and consume the item: ATTACK, DEFENSE, SPEED, SP_ATTACK, SP_DEFENSE, ACCURACY, or EVASION

Use it in data/items/attributes.asm.

Experience growth rates

From constants/pokemon_data_constants.asm:

• GROWTH_SLIGHTLY_FAST: Needs 849,970 experience to reach level 100.
• GROWTH_SLIGHTLY_SLOW: Needs 949,930 experience to reach level 100.

Use them in data/pokemon/base_stats/*.asm.

Emotes

From constants/script_constants.asm:

• EMOTE_*: Along with the used SHOCK, HEART, SHADOW, ROD, BOULDER_DUST, and GRASS_RUSTLE, there are emotes from Yellow Version that are unused in GSC: QUESTION, HAPPY, SAD (a skull, not a frown), BOLT, SLEEP, and FISH.

Use them in map scripts, etc.

NPCs that trade for a male Pokémon

From constants/npc_trade_constants.asm:

• TRADE_GENDER_MALE: A counterpart to TRADE_GENDER_FEMALE.

Use it in data/events/npc_trades.asm.

Move effect to defrost opponent and raise Attack

From constants/move_effect_constants.asm:

• EFFECT_DEFROST_OPPONENT: Thaws a frozen opponent and raises the user's Attack one stage.

Use it in data/moves/moves.asm.

unused_johto tileset for beta towns and cities

The unused BetaGoldenrodCity.blk map matches quite well with the johto_modern tileset, except for the train tracks being swapped with the gate roofs, and some early Radio Tower blocks being replaced with the Crystal-only Pokémon Communication Center. (pokegold-spaceworld still has its radio antenna graphics in gfx/tilesets/tileset_02.png.)

However, the rest of the beta towns and cities in maps/unused don't really match with either johto or johto_modern. What they do match with is unused_johto—except that tileset has no graphics or palette map, only metatiles and collisions.

Create gfx/tilesets/unused_johto.png:

And create gfx/tilesets/unused_johto_palette_map.asm:

	tilepal 0, GRAY, BROWN, BROWN, RED, GREEN, GREEN, GRAY, RED
	tilepal 0, RED, RED, ROOF, ROOF, ROOF, GREEN, GREEN, GREEN
	tilepal 0, ROOF, ROOF, ROOF, ROOF, WATER, ROOF, BROWN, BROWN
	tilepal 0, RED, RED, BROWN, BROWN, BROWN, GREEN, GREEN, GREEN
	tilepal 0, BROWN, BROWN, BROWN, RED, RED, BROWN, YELLOW, BROWN
	tilepal 0, BROWN, BROWN, BROWN, BROWN, BROWN, BROWN, GREEN, GREEN
	tilepal 0, BROWN, BROWN, BROWN, BROWN, BROWN, BROWN, GRAY, YELLOW
	tilepal 0, YELLOW, BROWN, BROWN, BROWN, BROWN, BROWN, GREEN, GREEN
	tilepal 0, BROWN, BROWN, BROWN, BROWN, BROWN, BROWN, BROWN, BROWN
	tilepal 0, ROOF, WATER, GRAY, BROWN, BROWN, BROWN, GRAY, GRAY
	tilepal 0, BROWN, BROWN, BROWN, BROWN, BROWN, BROWN, BROWN, BROWN
	tilepal 0, WATER, GRAY, GRAY, GRAY, BROWN, BROWN, GRAY, GRAY

Now you can open the beta maps in Polished Map, pick the unused_johto tileset, and they'll look nearly correct, except for the gate roofs using some old pagoda roof graphics.

Some interesting points about the unused_johto tileset:

• The complete pagoda roof graphics take the place of the final whirlpool and gate roof graphics.
• A few tile graphics which are not in johto, like the train track and staircase, are still in johto_modern at the same locations as here.
• The Cut tree used to be located where the middle roof graphics are now. (This was also the case in pokegold-spaceworld's gfx/tilesets/tileset_01.png.)
• There are no warp carpet graphics; bricks are used for those instead.
• The gate roof blocks are the very last ones in the metatileset, so they were probably a late addition.
• Block $0D is missing or was never used; it has all $FF tiles.
• The blocks' collisions use TALL_GRASS_10 instead of TALL_GRASS ($18), and WATER_21 instead of WATER ($29).
• Headbutt trees just use the WALL collision; there was no HEADBUTT_TREE feature.
• The TOWN_MAP ($95) collision is used for the Pokémon Center and Poké Mart signs.