Pokemon Crystal Maeson v1.31 Readme.txt

Fly September 11, 2021

Pokémon Crystal Maeson v1.31 Readme.txt from Official Docs

Pokemon Crystal Maeson Cover

Category: Documentation
Language: English

Author: Maeson

Source: http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/5706/

Note: Search inside the Page by pressing Ctrl+F or use the "Find" option on your browser to look for a specific area.

Pokémon Crystal Maeson — Public Version 1.3.1

Note: Older save files are compatible with this update. Just put your team on your PC and take it back to update their stats.

Table of Contents

  • [0] Changes up to 1.3.1
  • [1] Installation
  • [2] Introduction
  • [3] General List of Changes
  • [4] Patch Differences
  • [5] Pokémon Changes
  • [6] Type Changes
  • [7] Move Changes
  • [8] Stat Experience, Vitamins and Fruits
  • [9] Mechanic & Gameplay Changes
  • [10] New Kurt Balls, New Ways to Obtain Apricorns
  • [11] The New and Improved Battle Tower and Trainer House
  • [12] Visual Changes
  • [13] Credits

[0] Changes

Version 1.1

  • Pokémon Stats retweaked. Base Stat Totals lowered from 650 to 620 to reduce overall bulkiness and make stat spreads more specialized. True Legendaries dropped from 700 to 660.
  • Normal type replaced by Beast type. To give every type equal standing, Normal has been replaced by a new Beast type, sharing the same number of weaknesses and resistances as all other types. This involved changing some Normal moves to Beast moves, altering some Pokémon type combinations, and updating type matchups. Normal moves still exist but now act as a neutral element — no Pokémon can gain STAB from them.
  • Movesets completely overhauled. Egg Moves, Level Up Movesets, TMs and Tutor Moves were redone for every species to accommodate the new type and moves. Return and Enerbeam (previously Normal TMs) were replaced by Beast Move TMs, though they're still teachable through Move Tutors.
  • Several battle improvements. Raised the stat cap for stat-boosting moves, prevented healing moves from being used during Rest/Sleep Talk combos, disabled boosted stats for critical hits, and added an item to boost Beast type moves.
  • NPC Pokémon corrected and every Battle Tower Pokémon redone with updated stats, types and moves.

Saves are compatible, but given the scope of the changes, starting over is recommended if you're mid-adventure. Post-game players should be fine as long as they redo their Pokémon's movesets.

Version 1.2

  • Fixed various minor mistakes: map borders, typos, incorrect information, etc.
  • Major move shake-up. Several moves were removed (including all OHKO moves) to make room for new ones. Others were tweaked for better usefulness — there's now a Special version of Flail, and a new effect that damages the foe and forces it to switch (similar to Dragon Tail), among others. Movesets and text updated accordingly.
  • Lottery in the Radio Tower is now a daily event.
  • Brought back a Held Item that raises the power of Normal moves. Its effect is twice as strong as similar items (40% increase), since no Pokémon can get STAB from Normal moves anymore — opening up new moveset ideas.

Version 1.3

  • Base Stat Totals adjusted from 620 to 600. This was done to create better differentiation between bulky, agile and offensive Pokémon. At 650 BST everything felt bloated; 600 allows for more meaningful stat spreads. Every Pokémon was retweaked and redesigned where needed. Not-fully-evolved Pokémon were also reworked so that first and second stages are roughly equal, with final stages only slightly more powerful — helping two-stage lines stay competitive.
  • Freeze replaced by Frostbite. Frostbite acts as a Special version of Burn — something the author had wanted since 2018. When someone on the Pokémon Crystal GitHub (Idain) posted a tutorial on implementing it, it finally became possible. The school text was updated, and some moves were tweaked accordingly.
  • Various Pokédex and stat fixes, including a rather embarrassing Shellder with only 10 Base Defense. The Old Pokédex order was also corrected, with missing entries added and duplicates removed.

Version 1.3 Addition (21/08/22)

  • Optional no-flash patches added. Several people raised concerns about harmful flashing animations (during battles, from Poison while walking, and from Shiny Pokémon encounters). Extra patches are now available to remove these. The main patches have the Poison flash removed by default, while battle animations remain. Apply the main patch first, then the optional no-flash patch if desired.

The author notes that on backlit screens, rapidly alternating between pure white and pure black is genuinely uncomfortable for most people — not just those with photosensitive conditions.

Version 1.3a

  • Fixed wrong colors on Crobat's back sprite.
  • Added a Shiny icon to the Naming Screen so Shinies can be identified on the PC.

Version 1.31

  • Main patches now have flashes removed by default.
  • Fixed an issue with the Clock Reset function. The button combination is now simpler (Hold Down + B), and no password is required.
  • Palette adjustment: All uses of pure white (RGB 31,31,31) replaced with a slightly softer tone (RGB 30,30,30) to reduce eye strain on backlit screens. The difference is subtle but noticeable over long sessions.
  • Fixed a Traveling Monk trade that was checking for the wrong item.
  • Kurt's Apricorn Ball making is now instantaneous, since waiting a full day was too harsh given how slowly Apricorns are obtained.

[1] Installation

Patching is straightforward. The recommended tool is Lunar IPS (LIPS).

This hack must be patched onto a Pokémon Crystal 1.1 ROM:

Pokémon - Crystal Version (UE) (V1.1) [C][!].gbc CRC-32: 3358E30A

Open your patcher, point it at the IPS patch and the original unmodified ROM, and apply. There are four patch versions — choose only one (see the Patch Differences section). After applying your chosen patch, you may also apply the optional no-flash extra patch.

[2] Introduction

This hack was made by Maeson, who has previously made hacks for other RPGs. The goal is always the same: create a different, refreshed experience from a game played many times over — improving what's there, adding challenge, and ironing out things that could be better.

Pokémon as a franchise held a lot of appeal once, but Game Freak's decisions over the past decade — combined with a disappointing lack of meaningful balance work across so many game releases — have made it increasingly hard to stay enthusiastic about the main series. What kept the author engaged was discovering the disassembly projects maintained by the PRET community, which made it possible to actually make the changes they'd always wanted to see.

Pokémon Crystal was chosen because it had the most complete disassembly project, a long adventure with substantial post-game content, and being an earlier generation left more room for meaningful changes.

The goal of this hack:

Create a new balance, make the game more challenging, and iron out things that could be improved. Every monster should feel like a fun, valid team member and a real threat as an opponent. No filler, no rollover wins, no eugenics breeding simulator.

If you're expecting a new story or region, this isn't that hack — and the author is completely fine with that.

[3] General List of Changes

Balance overhaul. Types, moves, and Pokémon stats have been deeply reworked. No more species with bad typings and excessive weaknesses, no more filler with low base stats. Every type now has the same number of weaknesses and resistances.

Moves and TMs completely reworked. The Physical/Special split has been implemented. Each type now has both Physical and Special moves across different power tiers. Many old moves were removed and new ones added. Every evolutionary line has a moveset that makes sense for its archetype.

DVs (IVs) no longer affect stat calculations. Every member of the same species has identical potential. Female Pokémon can now have good Attack. Shiny Pokémon are no longer penalized. No more spending hours breeding for good IVs.

Trainers completely reworked. Better AI, more varied teams, properly trained Pokémon with Stat Exp. Several hardcoded advantages that made NPC trainers artificially inferior have been removed. Trainer levels are higher and team sizes are larger. No illegal moves, no Hyper Beam spam, just competent opponents.

Items changed significantly. Healing items are no longer usable in battle (in the intended version). Several held items have new or adjusted effects. Kurt Balls are completely redesigned. New berry types added.

Quality of life improvements throughout. Expanded item storage, faster egg hatching, every Pokémon obtainable in-game, Pokédex now shows Base Stats and Shiny forms, faster saving, infinite TMs, smoother overworld scrolling, a completely revamped Battle Tower, a new Trainer House end-game, rematches, remote PC Box changing, Move Tutors, and more.

[4] Patch Differences

There are four patches total. Here's how they break down:

Original vs. Alternative

The Original version has the standard experience. The Alternative version offers a different playthrough with these changes:

  • Starters are swapped to Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle.
  • Gym Leaders, Elite Four, and key NPCs no longer have type-themed teams. Their teams are more varied and unpredictable — you can no longer coast on type advantages. This changes how you build your team, since there's no longer a clear "bring this type for this gym" strategy.
  • The Rival has a different team that develops based on their starter choice.
  • Some in-game trade order has changed, along with minor text edits.

Intended Version vs. Items in Battle

The Intended Version disables healing items in battle and forces Set mode (no free switches after knockouts). This option isn't even in the settings — it's locked off.

The Items in Battle version allows item use and lets you change the battle option, but with a cost:

  • Several new held items are unavailable to you.
  • Item prices are higher and HP restoration is reduced.
  • NPC trainers will also use items against you.

A team-healing item (heals all Pokémon to full) can be carried in quantities of 3 on the Intended version, but only 1 on Items in Battle versions.

Switching between the two versions mid-save is possible (save at a Pokémon Center first, patch a clean ROM, and rename the .SAV file to match), but switching between Original and Alternative is not recommended.

Trading and battling with vanilla Pokémon Crystal is not compatible and will cause a glitchy mess. The four versions of this hack are all compatible with each other for trading and battling.

[5] Pokémon Changes

Base Stats

Almost every fully evolved Pokémon has a Base Stat Total of 600. Tyranitar and Raticate stand on equal footing. The higher base number isn't a problem when it's the same for everyone — it just creates more room to meaningfully differentiate stats between species. "True" Legendary Pokémon sit at 660.

Not-fully-evolved Pokémon were also reworked. First and second stages are roughly equal to each other, with final evolutions only slightly stronger, so two-stage lines stay competitive with three-stage ones.

Other Pokémon Changes

  • Many archetypes changed. Furret, for example, is now a fast Special Attacker.
  • Gender ratios standardized. Almost every Pokémon now has a 50/50 male/female split. Blissey, Chansey, and the Hitmon family can now be either gender. The Magnemite and Voltorb lines remain genderless.
  • Legendary trios now have genders and can breed, functioning almost as regular Pokémon.
  • Pokédex entries completely rewritten. The first page of each entry now shows Weaknesses and Resistances. The second page shows Base Stat spreads — actually useful in-game information. Pressing Select while viewing a Pokémon's data activates Shiny Mode, showing their alternate colors.
  • Shiny Pokémon are much more common. You'll encounter a fair number throughout the adventure. NPC trainers also have Shinies occasionally.
  • Wild held items greatly expanded. Most species now carry items. Chances are split: 50% no item, 40% common item, 10% rare item (up from the original 2%). An icon now appears on the enemy HUD when a wild Pokémon is holding an item.
  • DVs no longer factor into stat calculations. Only Base Stats and Stat Exp matter. The stat formula was also slightly adjusted — the +5 end-bonus is now +6, meaning a fully trained Pokémon with 100 Base Stat (non-HP) reaches exactly 300.
  • Evolution streamlined. All Pokémon evolve at consistent levels: three-stage lines at 20 and 32, two-stage lines between 22 and 24. Stone evolutions can happen at any time, but evolving at the right level matters — many species learn important moves exactly when they would naturally evolve. Exceptions apply for Caterpie and Weedle, which still evolve quickly. A Move Reminder is available if you miss anything.

[6] Type Changes

Every type is now defensively weak to exactly two other types, and resistant to three (including itself). There are no immunities. Every type is equal in this regard.

Beast type replaces Normal as a Pokémon type. It follows the same rules as all other types. Normal moves still exist but are neutral to everything and grant no STAB to any Pokémon.

Offensively, each type is super effective against two types and resisted by three (including itself).

Fairy type has been added, though it doesn't work exactly like its official counterpart.

No Pokémon in this hack have double weaknesses. The maximum number of weaknesses any Pokémon can have is four — and if it has four, it compensates with six resistances.

Type information is available in multiple places: the Type Matchup image included in the archive, the books in Violet City's Pokémon Academy, the stats text file, and the Pokédex entry of any captured Pokémon.

[7] Move Changes

Physical/Special Split

Every type now has both Physical and Special moves across different power tiers, giving every Pokémon solid STAB options that match their stat distribution.

Secondary Effects

Most attacks now have secondary effects. Generally, the lower the power of a move, the higher its chance of triggering effects. For example, Fire Breath (70 Power) has a 15% burn chance, while Flamethrower (95 Power) has only 10%.

Removed and New Moves

Many redundant moves were removed (Wrap and Bind were the same move; Whirlwind and Roar were the same move) to make room for new ones. OHKO moves are gone. New moves include a Special version of Flail, a forced-switch effect move, and a full Beast type move pool.

Priority Changes

Safeguard, Haze, Mist, Transform, and Bide now act before other moves. This makes the AI noticeably smarter about preventing status conditions, and makes Ditto considerably more usable.

TMs

TMs no longer get consumed on use — infinite uses. Most TMs now teach end-game-level Physical or Special moves. There are 55 TMs total. None are sold in shops; all must be found or earned.

HMs

HMs are more useful as attacks now. Cut is a 70 Power Normal move with high critical ratio. Fly is 110 Power with recoil. Flash deals damage and lowers accuracy. Strength is Fighting type and causes flinching. Whirlpool is stronger and takes more HP per turn — useful alongside Toxic.

HMs can also be forgotten like regular moves.

Overworld HM Usage

The following moves can be used in the overworld without needing to teach them to a Pokémon — you just need a Pokémon capable of learning it, and the relevant Badge:

Headbutt, Rock Smash, Cut, Surf, Strength, Waterfall, Whirlpool.

Flash has an alternative item found in Mahogany (after things calm down) that lights up dark caves. It can be assigned to Select for quick use.

Fly is unlocked via a small sidequest later in the game, rewarding you with a Key Item that works like Fly but with a different animation.

The result: you never need to have any HM on a Pokémon unless you actually want it as an attack move.

[8] Stat Experience, Vitamins and Fruits

TL;DR: Use Vitamins and Fruits. They improve your Pokémon's stats and you need to keep up with NPC trainers who have properly trained Pokémon. Don't waste them early on. Vitamins are cheaper and less limited than in vanilla. Fruits are new and twice as effective.

How Stat Experience Works

Stat Exp ranges from 0 to 65535 per stat. HP, Attack, Defense, and Speed have separate pools. Special Attack and Special Defense share one pool. Maximizing all of them gives a Pokémon perfect stats. Even Level 100 Pokémon can gain Stat Exp, though they need to be stored in the PC for the stat update to apply.

Gaining Stat Exp Through Battles

Defeating a Pokémon adds its Base Stats to your Stat Exp pools. This is the slowest method, but it happens naturally as you play. Pure battle training is inefficient and tedious — use it to finish off the last bit of Stat Exp after Vitamins and Fruits have hit their cap.

A special condition called Pokérus doubles Stat Exp gained from battles. It's extremely rare, spreads through your party, and eventually becomes inactive. If you get it, store a Pokérus-active Pokémon in the PC to preserve it.

Vitamins

Each Vitamin gives 10,240 Stat Exp (equivalent to 40 EVs in modern terms). They can be used until a stat's Stat Exp reaches 51,456 (roughly 201 EVs). In practice, an untrained Pokémon can eat 6 Vitamins per stat to reach near-maximum. Vitamins are much cheaper here than in vanilla.

Fruits

Each Fruit gives 20,480 Stat Exp (80 EVs). Their cap is 41,216 Stat Exp (161 EVs), meaning an untrained Pokémon can eat 3 Fruits per stat to also reach near-maximum. Fruits are scarce and should be prioritized for Pokémon with little or no training in a given stat.

When using both: always use Fruits first, then Vitamins, to avoid unnecessary waste.

Why the Limits Exist

Feeding a Vitamin or Fruit that would push Stat Exp past 65535 causes a bug that rolls it back to 0. The caps prevent this while still allowing you to reach near-perfect stats.

[9] Mechanic & Gameplay Changes

Clock Reset

The button combination has been simplified: Hold Select + Down, release Down while holding Reset, then hold Up, then release Select. No password required.

Pricing

Prices are generally lower on Intended versions, since you can't abuse items and you'll be spending more money on Vitamins, Held Items, and other training costs.

Catching Grants Experience

Every Pokémon that participated in a battle gets experience when you catch a wild Pokémon — the same amount as if it had been defeated.

Odd Egg

Always produces a Shiny Pokémon, randomly selected from 7 species with both genders available. Each species gets its own unique move instead of all sharing the same one.

Eggs and Breeding

Eggs hatch much faster. Egg Moves have been completely reworked — most basic species have 3–4 Egg Moves, with Starters getting 5. Nidorina and Nidoqueen can now breed. Both legendary trios can breed as well.

Trainer AI

Significantly improved. Trainers prioritize status effects, exploit type matchups, and are no longer hardcoded to fail more often than they should. They have Stat Exp on their Pokémon, more varied teams, higher levels, and slightly larger team sizes. Badge stat bonuses have been completely removed — you no longer get type boosts or stat boosts from earning Badges, making battles genuinely fair.

Trainers also reward more money, since you'll be spending significantly more across the game.

Losing a battle no longer halves your money. Instead, you lose an amount based on how many Badges you have — much fairer early on.

Stat Boost Percentages

Stat changes are now softer to account for higher overall stats:

Before: +1 stage = 150%, +2 = 200%, +6 = 400% Now: +1 stage = 130%, +2 = 160%, +6 = 300%

Debuffs are similarly softened at the lower end.

Item Storage

Two new bag pockets added: one for Berries and Fruits (holds all 13 types), one for Held Items (holds all 50+ types). Apricorns now live in the Ball pocket. The Item pocket holds 35 types instead of 20. PC storage drops from 50 to 30 item types, but since Berries, Apricorns, Balls, and Held Items no longer compete for space there, it's a worthwhile trade.

Pokégear Map

Redesigned to be more informative, with landmarks and distinct icons for towns versus cities.

New Goldenrod Building

Sells all Decoration items previously locked behind Mystery Gift or your mother. Your mother no longer buys decorations — she now purchases more useful items instead.

Move Reminder

Completely free and unlimited. Fully evolved Pokémon can also re-learn a selection of moves from their earlier forms (generally status, utility, and moves with special effects — not simple damage moves). Found in Goldenrod (with the Name Rater and Move Deleter) and in Lavender Town in Kanto.

Pokégear Rematches

Reworked entirely. Trainers' teams now scale with your progress through the game rather than only upgrading if you challenge them repeatedly. Coming back to a trainer for the first time after a long gap might mean facing a full team of Level 80 Pokémon. Many rematch teams include nicknamed Pokémon.

End-Game Rematches

Unlocked after defeating Red:

  • Pokémon League levels bumped to 80–85 with updated teams.
  • All Gym Leaders are available for Level 100 rematches with full teams.
  • Trainer House default trainer goes from Level 70 to Level 100.
  • A faster leveling method unlocks in the Battle Tower.

Other Changes

  • Buena's Password rewards are more useful.
  • In-game Pokémon trades ask for rarer Pokémon but give better ones in return.
  • Bill's grandfather now gives riddles — show him the correct Pokémon and he'll reward you with Held Items. The riddles rhyme.
  • Fishing bite rates are higher. Pokémon available are more varied even on the Old Rod. Levels are higher (Old Rod ~10, Good Rod ~20, Super Rod ~40). The Old Rod is now available before the first Gym, from the Fishing Guru in the gate between Route 31 and Violet City.
  • Fruit trees now produce 2 items per day.
  • Berry Scouts in Violet, Azalea, and Goldenrod sell basic status-healing Berries.
  • New maps added, including a proper Viridian Forest with trainers and items. Several existing maps extended or redesigned. Gyms expanded with light puzzles added to the simpler ones.
  • Bill's PC now shows Pokémon types while browsing.
  • Smashable rocks can yield stone-type items.
  • Once Moo Moo is healed, one of the twins opens a small shop selling Berry Juice. RageCandyBar has been reworked as an in-battle consumable — stronger than Gold Berries but weaker than Berry Juice.
  • Status effects now display as icons rather than three-letter abbreviations.
  • Item pocket order differs between overworld and battle, placing the Ball pocket adjacent to the Item pocket in battle.
  • All text has been decapitalized.
  • Various bugs fixed: Daisy's haircut happiness bug, Magikarp size bugs in the Lake of Rage, Defense-lowering move through Substitute bug, Mirror Coat/Counter responding to item use bug, flee rate bug, HP bar depletion speed bug at high levels, and more.

[10] New Kurt Balls and New Ways to Obtain Apricorns

The original Kurt Balls were replaced entirely. Playtesting showed that most people barely used them — they were too situational and available only in limited supply.

The new system is simple: each Apricorn Ball offers a ×3 catch multiplier for three specific types. For example, the Red Ball (Red Apricorns) is most effective against Fire, Fighting, and Ground Pokémon. The Pink Ball works on Poison, Psychic, and Fairy. When the type matches, the ball is stronger than an Ultra Ball, and every Apricorn color is equally useful.

Getting Apricorns

  • Trees now yield 2 Apricorns per day.
  • Wild Pokémon hold Apricorns — many species carry them randomly.
  • A Traveling Monk wanders Johto, appearing in a different spot each day. He trades specific items for 5 Apricorns of a given color:
    • Red or Green Apricorns → Tiny Mushroom (held by Paras, Ledyba, Oddish, Vulpix, and others)
    • Blue, Yellow, or Pink Apricorns → Pearl (held by Shellder, Horsea, Seadra, Octillery, Corsola, and others)
    • White or Black Apricorns → Stardust (held by Geodude, Jigglypuff, Phanpy, Staryu, Tentacool, and others)

[11] The New and Improved Battle Tower and Trainer House

The Battle Tower concept is great — three Pokémon each, same level, strategy over grinding. The original execution was not. Enemies had nearly perfect DVs and full Stat Exp while players had no realistic way to achieve the same. Rewards were laughable. Variety was limited.

This hack fixes all of that.

Core Changes

  • All ten floors have updated Pokémon with current stats and vastly more species variety.
  • Rounds shortened to 3 battles instead of 7, for a quicker pace and less frustrating losses.
  • Two shops are available with Held Items to prepare before challenging the tower.

Battle Medals

Winning a round earns you 3 Battle Medals. These are the currency of the Battle Tower and serve multiple purposes:

  • Each sells for 12,000P (three medals = 36,000P, enough to fully feed a Pokémon in 3–4 stats via Vitamins).
  • Used to unlock services, buy rewards, and access tutors within the tower.

Trophies

The main hall receptionist exchanges Battle Medals for a Silver or Gold Trophy. Trophies unlock Tower features:

Silver Trophy unlocks:

  • Move Tutors (immediately)
  • Rare Candy Shop (requires beating Red)
  • Level 30 Candies (immediately)
  • Level 50 Candies (requires beating Elite Four)

Gold Trophy unlocks:

  • Egg Move Tutor (immediately)
  • Level 80 Candies (requires beating Red)

Move Tutors

Two tutors, four moves each. Seven moves are unique to tutors; the eighth is Toxic, added for early access since it's a crucial tool for defensive Pokémon. Tutor moves cost one Battle Medal and can only be taught to fully evolved Pokémon.

Egg Move Tutor (The Egg Elder)

For 3 Battle Medals, this NPC teaches any member of an evolutionary line an Egg Move that the line can inherit through breeding — including moves a Pidgeot could learn from a bred Pidgey. No more feeling like your early teammates are missing crucial moves because you didn't breed them.

Special Egg Reward Shop

One Battle Medal gets you a random Egg containing a Pokémon that knows a unique move it can't normally learn. There are 50 possible species, all with equal probability. Shiny resetting will not work here.

Box Changer

The main receptionist also offers a Key Item that lets you switch PC Boxes from anywhere. Note that doing so saves your game.

Post-Red Features

After defeating Red, two new receptionists open:

Rare Candy Shop: 1 Battle Medal for 5 Rare Candies.

Level Candy Shop: Candies that set a Pokémon to a fixed level — 10, 30, 50, or 80 — regardless of its current level. This lets you use your favorite Pokémon in any Battle Tower floor without having to train a second copy. Level 80 Candies are also huge time-savers for getting bred Pokémon or Special Egg Pokémon ready for Level 100 rematches.

Extra Sources of Battle Medals

  • Win them from Buena's Password (1 medal every 2 days, costs 2 points).
  • Certain NPCs in Kanto gift a batch if you complete specific tasks.
  • Some Gym Leaders award one upon defeat.

Trainer House

Located in Viridian City. Originally a feature for battling a friend's team via Mystery Gift IR connection — not very relevant for a ROM hack. It's been reworked into an end-game daily challenge.

After defeating the strongest trainer in the land, the Trainer House upgrades to Level 100 battles. The teams used change depending on the day of the week, and winning earns you Battle Medals.

[12] Visual Changes

Sprites

Every Pokémon (except Unown) had their colors revised and sprites cleaned up. The original sprites were designed for the non-backlit Game Boy screen, with intentionally saturated and dark colors. On modern backlit screens — which is how virtually everyone plays this — those choices don't hold up as well. No criticism of the original artists; the work was right for its hardware. But there's nothing stopping it from being revised.

Many Shiny palettes were also improved. A lot of official Shiny colors are remembered fondly by no one — "puke green" Pokémon, dark unreadable palettes, and cases where the Shiny looks worse than the default. Working within the GBC's 4 colors per sprite, as many as possible were given more appealing alternate palettes.

Back sprites were improved for consistency. Some Pokémon received entirely different sprites where better alternatives existed (Mr. Mime uses its Gold sprite, for example).

Several humanoid Pokémon received minor redesigns to remove elements like the Machop line's underwear or Hitmonchan's boxing gear — things that make sense if the Pokémon only appears as a gift from a specific trainer, but become nonsensical once they appear living wild in nature or gain those accessories through evolution.

Overworld and UI

  • Smooth scrolling implemented via HyperDriveGuy's 60fps work — a significant improvement to how the game feels in motion.
  • New surfing sprites for both the male and female player characters, similar to the Gen 3 style.
  • Pokémon types are now visible while browsing Bill's PC.
  • The Stats Page was redesigned to be cleaner, more organized, and expanded with a fourth screen showing additional info.
  • Status effects now display as icons instead of three-letter abbreviations.
  • The font was changed to a thinner, wider face for better readability and consistency.
  • Battle effect animations now have color — most were gray in the original.
  • Confused Pokémon now see Pidgeys flying around their heads instead of chickens.
  • The Trainer's Card was redesigned with a better Badge section, and a third page was added to track Kanto Badge progress.
  • Asymmetrical Badges now spin correctly (the original code had this feature implemented but assigned it to a symmetrical Badge).
  • Several textbox frames were updated; two are entirely new.
  • The game's overall color palette is less aggressive, with pure white toned down to reduce eye strain on backlit screens.
  • Various cities in Kanto were redesigned to feel more consistent with Johto's visual quality.
  • Each species has a unique icon in the party menu and overworld.

[13] Tips

Starter choice affects early difficulty. In the Original version, Cyndaquil (Fire/Rock) is the easiest start against the first two Gyms. Chikorita (Grass/Ground) is the hardest. Totodile (Water/Ice) is in the middle. Of course, the game is designed around building a full team — you don't have to lean on your starter.

Get an Exp. Share early. After delivering the Egg to Professor Elm and before leaving, go home and leave 2,000P with your mother. After your first battle (Youngster Joey on Route 30), she'll call you with a purchase that can come in handy early on.

Save money with your mother from the start. She buys useful items as you progress, so the earlier you start sending her money, the better.

Look for people in green clothes near city signs during your first few Gyms — they sell status-healing Berries.

Don't waste Vitamins and Fruits early. NPC trainers will have trained Pokémon whether you do or not. Think ahead about which Pokémon you want on your team before spending resources.

Balanced teams help. A team of all slow defensive Pokémon or all fast frail ones will run into trouble at certain points. That said, playing with your favorites and powering through is a perfectly valid approach.

Use Pokémon with stealing moves (like Meowth or Spearow). They're excellent for acquiring items to use or sell. Conversely, watch out for enemy Pokémon with the same ability.

Experiment freely. TMs are infinite, HMs can be forgotten, and the Move Reminder is free. Try different move combinations without any risk. The only moves you can't re-learn are unique Event moves (Odd Egg Pokémon, Battle Tower Special Eggs).

Check the Game Corner in Goldenrod early. It sells HP-restoring Berries (including Gold Berries) and has new Pokémon available that are hard to find elsewhere in the early game.

Every Pokémon is obtainable, including Mew. It's somewhere in the game — you just have to find it.

More hacks from Maeson? No. Between the years of daily work, the burnout, the testing, and a faded love for the franchise, this is the last one. The answer in about fifteen languages is no.

[14] Credits

PRET Community — The disassembly projects that made this possible. https://github.com/pret

Rangi42 — ASM tutorials, bug fixes, and essential knowledge-sharing across multiple forums. Also created Polished Map, the map editing utility used throughout development. https://github.com/pret/pokecrystal

TPP Anniversary Crystal 251 Project — Code for the Move Reminder and ideas for displaying Caught Data in the Stats Page. https://github.com/TwitchPlaysPokemon/tppcrystal251pub

HyperDriveGuy — The 60fps scrolling improvement that made the overworld feel genuinely smooth, and which reportedly re-sparked interest in continuing the hack. https://github.com/hyperdriveguy/pokecrystal-60fps-example

Idain — Tutorial on implementing Frostbite in the Pokémon Crystal codebase, making one of the hack's most wanted features finally achievable.

Chamber, Soloo993, Blue Emerald, Lake, Neslug, and Pikachu25 — Pokémon icons, some used directly, others adapted.

Vice04 — Years of testing. May you never face a Level 168 Slowbro again.

FroggestSpirit — "Hoenn Wild Battle" and "Hoenn Trainer Battle" themes. https://soundcloud.com/froggestspirit

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm — "Hoenn Rival Battle," "Route 101," "Cipher Peon Battle," "X/Y Rival," "Hoenn Champion Battle," and "Shoal Cave" themes. https://soundcloud.com/mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm-1

TriteHexagon — Night themes for cities and the tutorial on implementing them. https://pastebin.com/u/TriteHexagon https://soundcloud.com/user-930339535

Other Pokémon Crystal Maeson Docs:

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