Question: How to Write Hacks?

[SilverQuil]

No, I don't mean literary hacks

I have a basic idea for a fic - sort of a "What if it was possible to hack Pokemon in a universe similar to the Anime?" kind of thing. It stands to reason that some of the Pokemon characters in such a fic would be hacked (mostly the antagonists' Pokemon, since overpowered and underhanded is a perfect combination for villains). The only problem is, since I don't use hacks myself I don't know much about hacking Pokemon.

DISCLAIMER: In order to respect Serebii Forums rules against discussing illegal content, I want to make it absolutely clear that I AM NOT ASKING FOR ACCESS TO CHEATING DEVICES, only for vague information about how they work. I request that anybody who replies to this thread do not add links to illegal content, and that they please refrain from mentioning specific illegal content by name (i.e. if somebody wants to talk about how GameShark works, do not call it "GameShark" - call it "a cheating device"). I also want to make it clear that in this planned fic of mine, only the villains will intentionally obtain illegal Pokemon, and the heroes' goal will be to bring them to justice.

First off, are the hacked Pokemon created by cheating devices, or do the devices simply take an existing Pokemon and alter it?

Second, would it be possible to hack a Pokemon for an Ability that it normally wouldn't have or Moves that it normally wouldn't learn?

Again, please keep your answers vague and brief. I'm looking for information for a fanfic here, not for an infraction. Although if the moderators feel that this thread is too dangerous and wish to remove it, I would be willing to accept that.

 

[JX Valentine]

I'm going to answer your questions literally because I'm assuming you already have ideas.

First off, it depends on what hacks you use. From experience, a lot of hacks just straight-up create new Pokémon for you, but it's entirely possible to crack open a save file and alter data if you have the right means of doing it. (See Pokésav.)

To your second question: yes.

If you need help figuring out how that second point works, I would recommend checking out an online Pokémon save file editing program to understand it. (Pokédit has one. And yes, it's perfectly legal. As a note, there is absolutely nothing illegal about hacking a game you've bought. It's only ROM sharing that gets into shady territory, and that's because you're basically enabling the pirating of the games. Hacking is a completely different entity, especially if you're doing it to the game you've bought with your own money anyway.) That particular site should also have a quick tutorial on how hacking works from Gen IV onwards.

 

[Dragonfree]

Yes, it's possible to do all of the things you asked about. Though in a fanfic like this you shouldn't really be so concerned with what's possible on an actual game - presumably in your fic's world "hacking" Pokémon doesn't work like it does in the games anyway, so you'd be perfectly justified in just deciding that in your "hackable" world it's possible to do X and Y (so long as you're doing it in a way that makes the story better).

Also, you really don't need to be so careful. You're doing research for a story. Authors doing research on how murders are committed are not doing anything wrong, even though murder is both wrong and illegal (unlike cheating devices). If there were some other mod who wanted to infract you for this, I'd be the first person to object.

 

[Creepychu]

In terms of the games, the answer to your question is yes and so much more. With the right tool and know-how, you can alter anything on your pokémon; base stats, IVs, EVs, moves, type, ability, and even OT information. You name it. Heck, I've seen a code for RBY that randomly generates a type combination, statline and learnset for every single pokémon encounter you enter (as in, a new random combination for every individual pokémon; not just every species). The same can be done with any other numerical value related to your game, such as inventory items, plot flags etc. As long as it functions within the parameters set by the game itself, it can be hacked in.

As Dragonfree pointed out, though, you could certainly make a case for it within the pokémon universe even if this wasn't the case. There's actually even a precedent for people doing just that, provided you are willing to accept pokédex canon. The original Porygon is a species of pokémon that was virtually created (by Silph co. if memory serves) and then made manifest in the real world and later had its abilities and shape altered by addition of extra code in the form of the Up-Grade and Dubious Disc. Now granted, it would probably be a lot more difficult to do this with pokémon that weren't created as neatly written parcels of code from the get-go, and the results of getting it wrong with a flesh-and-blood pokémon could turn out pretty gruesome. It's also sort of implied with Porygon2 (and even more strongly with Porygon-Z) that the modified Porygon started developing and changing independently of the actual software update, so that might be something to keep in mind when writing out the consequences of doing this. But yeah, going by game/pokédex canon, pokémon have already been both created and modified virtually, so I don't see any real barrier to people doing the same with data from organic pokémon species beyond the difficulty of figuring out how to code for them.

Long story short, this idea sounds both totally feasible and awesome.

 

[The Great Butler]

I think the most vital part of writing about hacks is to establish a logical way for them to exist in your universe. It would obviously not be as simple as using a GameShark or Action Replay, considering that if you are using a universe similar to the anime, such a thing wouldn't make sense in a 'real life' context.

A good example to use as a starting point is the 2006 anime special The Mastermind of Mirage Pokemon. It's the closest the anime has ever come to depicting hacks. In the special, a scientist creates a machine that generates holographic Pokemon from computer data that can then be modified to learn any attack, even ones that species cannot normally learn; the machine is then taken over by an antagonist who uses it to generate a hacked Mewtwo with unlimited attacking potential.

I'm going to be tackling the subject in a sense myself, coincidentally enough, so maybe my plans can help you as well.

Spoiler: The Angel of Reckoning spoilers

Colress, still in pursuit of the way to unlock a Pokemon's true strength, is conducting a genetic experiment using the Pokerus and Dream Energy. He ultimately devises a system that can raise a Pokemon's power to its limits and ultimately, give the Pokemon any attack and ability.