Again, MKDasher's input is used until beating Aroma Lady Jenna in Eterna Gym(because it desyncs at that point :P). He definitely should be added as coauthor.
- Emulator Used: DeSmuME 0.9.9
- Advanced Bus-Level Timing: OFF
- Genre: RPG
Goal Choice
This movie beats Pokemon Diamond without using any glitches.
Note: While "no tweaking" is practically "glitchless" for international releases, it is possible to enter the void and warp to Hall of the Fame without tweaking in early Japanese releases. Therefore, "glitchless" is used because this is the most descriptive branch name for this run.
Time Comparison
- This run beats the current RTA WR of the same category by around 35 minutes.
- There is a TAS of the same category on Nicovideo that is 18 minutes shorter than is run, but these two runs aren't really comparable by time. First, text differences between Japanese and English are massive. Second, I hate to say this, but there is no movie file for that run so its legitimacy is not verifiable.
Version Choice
While RTAs usually choose Pearl version, this movie uses Diamond version. One reason is the version exclusive Pokemon list(Murkrow in this case, see "The Team" section), the other reason is to... look a little more different than RTA, I guess? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The Team
- Chimchar line is the main battle Pokemon for the majority of the run and learns the first two HMs in order to minimize the number of wild encounters.
- Murkrow learns Fly and serves as a great helper in double battles. This is because most double battles are against Team Galactic grunts, who often use Pokemon of Bug and Fighting types.
- Bibarel learns the other 4 HMs, as you probably expected. What you probably didn't expect is that it comes with a Oran Berry that will play an important role in the run.
- Dialga is the main battle Pokemon during late game because... you wouldn't expect a Pokemon with Rock Smash and Cut to fight during late game, would you?
While Palkia is usually considered the better choice for speedrunning, Dialga isn't strictly worse than Palkia under TAS conditions.
Dialga's biggest advantage is its typing, which makes it immune to sandstorm during the second Elite 4 fight and saves a lot of time.
PP Management
Ethers at Mt. Coronet(Route 207 cavern) and Route 215, a Max Ether at Valor Lakefront, and a Max Elixir at Victory Road are picked up to replenish PPs.
Blaze Abuse aka the Ear Rape
As an almost unavoidable consequence of using the starter Pokemon for the majority of the run, HP is often kept low to abuse Blaze.
Unlike the growl skip trick in Gen 1, Blaze/Torrent abuse is a part of the core strategy and can't be simply forgone.
This is unfortunate. I'm sorry. Please bear with it. :(
HP Management
As mentioned in last section, the starter's HP is often kept low. In Gen 4 Pokemon games, if a poisoned Pokémon is brought down to one HP due to poison damage outside of battle, it will be cured of poison.
For that purpose, I made Gardenia's Roserade poison Monferno so that Blaze is activated by before Jupiter fight in order to OHKO Skuntank.
However, there are two instances during the run when I have to replenish Monferno/Infernape's HP.
The first one is right before the 5th gym battle. I used the Oran Berry carried by Bibarel so that Monferno can survive Drifblim's Aftermath while Blaze is still activated.
The second one is right before the 7th gym battle. I used a Potion so that Infernape can survive the Hail damage.
Luck and Micro-optimization
See this submission.
In addition, I saved and reset the game before encountering Dialga in order to manipulate its nature(a +Speed one in this case) and IVs, mostly because it would have a -Speed nature, which is a fatal disadvantage, if I don't do this.
Please note that the RNG is not scrolling at all before starting the Dialga battle so saving and resetting is the best way to change RNG in this case.
Potential Improvements
- I should have bought Repels in Floaroma Town instead of picking one up on Route 205 and buying more at Eterna City.
- Getting Pokerus early in the run might help. It probably won't help much with the current route since I'm switching to a new main battle Pokemon late in the game, but at least it won't hurt.
- Giving Rival a one letter name can save a few frames. I'm not sure if it's faster to give Bibarel a one character name since it learns 4 HMs.
- It might be faster to pick up the rare candy on Route 207 when I first get there. Giving it to Monferno right before the 5th gym battle can make it evolve and outspeed all opponents. This also saves the need of Oran Berry from Bibarel.
- When DS emulation is improved to the point that it becomes possible to change the system time in DS menu, it might be faster to change the system time and get an ideal Dialga. This should allow me to skip Adamant Orb.
- Shadow Claw turns out to be not very useful during the late game. It's not really more powerful than Dragon Claw(which is boosted by STAB and Adamant Orb) even when hitting enemies weak to Ghost type. Picking up TM34(Shock Wave) at Route 215 can make it easier to KO Empoleon(x2), Milotic, or even Bronzong, although it requires using Cut. Buying TM38(Fire Blast) from Veilstone Department Store can be another alternative, and it might be a good idea to buy a few battle items at the same time in this case.
Special Thanks
- MKDasher for the any% run and all the lua scripts. This movie wouldn't happen without his work on this game.
- YOU, for reading the submission text and watching the movie.
Last and not least, happy early New Year!
Noxxa: Added MKDasher as coauthor, and judging.
Noxxa: Viewer response was quite positive overall. There's some debate as to whether this movie should be published alongside the no save/reset movie or not, but from what I can gather from the topic, there's a slight edge towards publishing both categories - I find that there's some decent merit towards publishing both movies, because they do show pretty different strategies and team composition over the course of the runs.
There have also been some questions about possible improvements, but I don't find there to be any deal-breaking flaws in this movie. Therefore, accepting to Moons as a new branch.
Spikestuff: Here we go again.