HGSS Differences in RNG Manipulation [GP 2/2]

Nexus

Forever the Recusant
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
Recent changes:

-RadioSeed guide is not posted on here int he RadioSeed section in Hide Tags. Not as link to a post. The final sentence in the paragraph preceding this has been changed.

-Romsstar's post with a guide on using the Roamer Method is no longer a link to a post, but a guide in hide tags.The final sentence in the paragraph preceding this has been changed.

-Bug Catching Contest abuse information by Zari is no longer a link to a post, but a hidden post with the information. The final sentence in the paragraph preceding this has been changed.

- Removed Wichu's post in the PokeWalker Manipulation section now it's just my general list of PokeWalker because info with credit to Wichu. The final sentence in the paragraph preceding this has been changed.

-Mingot's post on using the Researcher option to determine PokeWalker Pokemon natures is now in Hide tags on the article after Wild Eep's guide. The small bit on this has been slightly changed.

-Wild Eep's post on PokeWalker PID generation in the PokeWalker section has been removed. The paragraph preceding this has been changed.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is an article about the changes in RNG abuse that came with HGSS. Even though a good amount of the information is posted in the All Generation PRNG info/help thread, there were some things like the PokeWalker information and Irwin Calls that weren't displayed. Additionally, I thought it would be nice to have all the information in article form with links to extra information. As always, constructive criticism is welcome and if people feel things should be changed/added/removed feel free to post.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With the release of HeartGold and SoulSilver, players had to adapt to a few changes in the method of fourth generation RNG manipulation. The lack of the Pokétch and Journal, which were present in DPP, forced players to discover new techniques for RNG advancement and seed verification. The following is a compilation of the changes for every aspect of RNG manipulation in HGSS, along with new forms of RNG manipulation introduced in those games.

Calibration

The method of calibration, outlined in Common Information for Breeding and Capturing Perfect Pokémon, hasn't changed from DPP to HGSS. However, the delay range has gone through a significant decrease, from the 590-640 range found in DPP to a range of about 490-520 in HGSS.

Delay

The same methods used to change the delay in DPP are applicable to HGSS. Changing the year changes the delay; adding a certain number of years decreases the delay by that same number, and vice-versa. Removing or inserting a third generation cartridge when you have unlocked Pal Park changes the delay from even to odd and vice-versa. Now in HGSS, scrolling down then back up the opening menu (the menu that displays the Continue, New Game, Connect to PokéWalker options) adds 1 to the delay. There is a set of arrows located on the opening menu to scroll up and down quickly, which is useful if you have a low delay and can't waste time scrolling using the D-pad. Furthermore, you can now use the touch screen, as well as the A button, screen to access the Continue option. Using the A button is preferred because you may have to tap the Continue option on the touch screen multiple times with the stylus before the game registers the action, during which you would have most likely skipped pass your desired delay.

Methods of RNG Advancement and Seed Verification

The PokéGear is the primary source for RNG advancement in HGSS. Specifically, the radio and phone applications on the PokéGear are used to advance the RNG. Calling certain NPCs on the phone advances the RNG by a set number of frames, while the radio advances the RNG by a number of frames depending on the station used and the show that happens to be on at that time. User OmegaDonut has complied a list on the number of frame advancements for each show:

Show Advancements Location on radio screen
Pokémon Music 1 frame or none (inconsistent) Upper-left
Pokémon Talk 14-18 frames (inconsistent) Upper-right
That Town, These People 3 frames (inconsistent) Lower-left
Buena's Password None Lower-right
Trainer Profiles 3 frames (inconsistent) Lower-left
Pokémon Search Party 1 frame Lower-right
Serial Radio Drama 1 frame Lower-right

RadioSeed

Unlike in DPP, players can keep track of their current frame and frame advancements. Through the use of the radio shows Pokémon Search Party and Serial Radio Drama, players can keep track of their current frame based on the message displayed on the radio for that show. User MinusOne has created a program, RadioSeed, which displays the sequence of radio messages corresponding to a particular seed and the message belonging to a specific frame. RadioSeed can be downloaded here. The necessary information to use RadioSeed includes: target delay, delay range, date, hour, minute, target second, and seconds range. The target delay, target second, date, hour, minute, and second can be obtained by using the Seed to Time option on RNG Reporter for your seed. The values for the delay and second range are at your discretion, so pick a range that you feel is appropriate. Serial Radio Drama and Pokémon Search Party are the shows whose sequence of messages RadioSeed uses for seed verification and frame tracking. Additionally, RadioSeed has a function that displays Elm responses for a seed, as well as individual responses for frames, so it can be used as an alternative to RNG Reporter when generating a list of Elm responses for past the 12 displayed by Seed to Time. However, RadioSeed does not factor in roamers when it displays Elm responses for seed verification. Errors in the radio message can be attributed to the following: hitting delays outside the range RadioSeed searched for or not having unlocked all the messages for RadioSeed to work properly. Unfortunately, the latter issue is more difficult to resolve, as it is not certain when specific messages are unlocked in the game and at what point they become available. Finally, it is best to let the message as it is displayed by RadioSeed present itself on the radio screen, otherwise the radio will repeat the message from the previous frame for your current frame, which will give incorrect results on RadioSeed. User MinusOne has created a guide on using RadioSeed:

NOTE To anyone using Pokémon Search Party: RadioSeed assumes that the list of episodes you can get is exactly the same as the one in the research section above. Pokémon Search Party episodes are unlocked as you do certain things in the game and I'm not sure if I have seen them all. If you are not getting sane results with this method, verify that you can see all the episodes listed. If you see one that is not on the list, please PM me so I can add it. Any information on what you have to do to unlock all the episodes would also be helpful.

----------------------------------------

1. Download the program. Here is a link. It works on Windows only and you will need the .NET framework (Microsoft provides this as a free download).

----------------------------------------

2. Assuming you got it started up OK, you will need to enter the date, time and delay of the seed you are trying to hit. Also enter the second and delay ranges within which you wish to search when verifying your seed. If you only want frame tracking, select that mode and enter a max frame to track up to. It doesn't matter whether you have roamers released for the purposes of seed verification as the program can search the first 30 frames of each seed.

----------------------------------------

3. Select your chosen output source:
Pokémon search party plays for one hour from 00:00, 03:00, 06:00, 09:00, 12:00, 15:00, 18:00 and 21:00.
Serial Radio Drama plays for one hour from 01:00, 04:00, 07:00, 10:00, 13:00, 16:00, 19:00 and 22:00.
If your time is outside this, you will get Buena's Password, which cannot be used as it does not affect the RNG. If you still want to use RadioSeed for frame tracking (for example if you are in the champion's room and have used roamers to verify your seed), you can close the lid of your DS (putting it in sleep mode does not affect the RNG) and wait for the hour to change. Professor Elm-based tracking is also available for convenience.

----------------------------------------

4. Click "Generate". The grid will fill with seeds or frames (depending on your choice of mode) and the corresponding outputs. A key will also appear for your chosen output source as, in verify seed mode, the outputs have to be written shorthand to fit in the grid.

----------------------------------------

5. If in verify seed mode, you will be presented with the first ten outputs for each seed in your specified range. Attempt to hit your seed (see the general RNG help for details on that). If you can't see immediately what seed you hit, click the "Search" button.

In track frame mode, you should be able to follow the outputs through the frames. If your frame is far away, you can advance rapidly to somewhere in the vicinity of the target, then use the "Search" button.

----------------------------------------

6. Repeatedly click the bottom-right button on the radio and drag the pointer back to the center of the grid (so that no station shows) (or call Professor Elm if using that method). In the search window, for each output that appears, select the corresponding text from the drop-down and click "Add". It will appear in the search sequence and the number of matches will be updated. Continue to do this until the box shows "1 match found".

----------------------------------------

7. If 0 matches are found, then either this seed/frame is outside the generated range or the sequence may have been entered incorrectly (this can happen if you brush against another radio station while dragging the pointer). You can "Remove" the current entries from the search list and start a new search if you wish. When exactly 1 match is found, click "OK". If in verify seed mode, the seed you hit will now be highlighted in the main window. If in track frame mode, the NEXT frame (i.e. the one you would hit if you encountered your Pokémon now) will be highlighted.

----------------------------------------

8. That's it! If tracking frame, you can continue to do coarse/fine advancement until you reach your target. If you missed your seed, try again from step 5. If you hit your seed, you can put the program in track frame mode, enter a max frame if you didn't already and go back to step 4 to begin advancement to your target.

----------------------------------------

NOTE: the frames displayed may not be exactly what you see in the game. You may see outputs one above or one below the ones displayed (in the output key, one above the top is the bottom and one below the bottom is the top). This is due to the no-repeat rule (see the research for details) and may occur if your entry point (the frame you were on when you opened the radio or after selecting a channel other than the bottom-right) is something other than frame 1. The search function is designed to deal with this and will always produce accurate results, but there is no way to account for every possible entry point into the sequence in the main window. This is quite a rare occurrence anyway and the frames should align again after a few more advancements.


Finally, the radio does not work in caves and atop Bell Tower.

Making phone calls to various NPCs in the game advances the RNG. Currently, there are three NPCs verified to consistently advance the RNG by a set number of frames: Prof. Elm, Youngster Joey, and Juggler Irwin.

Prof. Elm gives you his phone number at the beginning of the game as you're leaving New Bark Town, but to effectively use him for RNG advancement and seed verification you need to achieve certain requirements, in no particular order.

1) Visited the Kanto region.
2) Shown Prof. Elm a Togepi hatched in HGSS (it can be any Togepi, not just the one given to you by Mr. Pokémon).
3) Shown the Pokémon Center Nurse a Pokérus infected/cured Pokémon.

Once these requisites have been met, every time you call Prof. Elm he will give one of three messages:

K: “I expect there are some Pokémon in the Kanto region that I don't know. There are probably methods of evolution that I'm not familiar with yet. I should use that perspective and discover what I can.”
E: “There are so many different ways that Pokémon evolve, aren't there?! Some Pokémon don't evolve until they meet certain conditions first!”
P: “It seems that Pokémon that have been infected with Pokérus level up better. We're not quite sure why…”

K refers to Kanto, E to Evolution, and P to Pokérus. Prof. Elm repeats these messages in a pattern, which can help in verifying your seed. Additionally, each frame has its own corresponding Elm message. For example, Frame 6 for the seed 610A001E has a P, so when you call Prof. Elm on that frame he will tell you about Pokérus. Therefore, you can use Elm calls to keep track of your frame. The “Seed to Time” on RNG Reporter, as of version 8.00, lists the first twelve Elm responses for a seed and has a function that lets the user search for a seed based on the first ten Elm responses. Seed to Time also lets you input a range of delays and seconds to search for; the maximum delay range is ±99 Delays and ±9 seconds. Although Seed to Time can be used to verify a seed based on Elm responses, it does have limits. Most notably, should an event that advances the RNG—an NPC moving—occur, then the sequence of Elm responses will change and the Search Elm function will not produce a correct result, if any result at all. For example, let's assume RNG Reporter produces the sequence (E skipped) K, P, E, P, K, K, P, E, E, E, P, K for an arbitrary seed with one roamer. Now, if I want to check if I hit my seed I would enter this information into Search Elm, with K being the first response I should receive when calling Elm. However, if an NPC should turn and advance the RNG by 1 frame, then the first call I would make would produce the P message. Performing the subsequent calls would produce the sequence: P, E, P, K, K, P, E, E, E, P, K, X (X being the next of the three letters used in the sequence for this seed). If you enter this information you would receive an incorrect result from Search Elm. Fortunately, you can get around this by only taking note of the first 5-6 Elm responses and using other information like the seconds and roamer location to deduce your seed. Therefore, you save time by making only 5-6 Elm calls, in the case of a prior RNG advancement, and using other available information.

Youngster Joey is the first trainer you battle on Route 30. After the battle, you can register his phone number in the PokéGear. Afterwards, each time you call Joey—at times when he doesn't want a rematch—the RNG will advance by 2 frames. Joey asks for a rematch on Monday from 10:00-20:00. Joey's message when he doesn't want a rematch is the following:

“Hello. This is Joey . . . How's it going, [Trainer Name]? I'm checking out RATTATA's moves and devising some strategies. When I come up with a good one, let's battle! All right. Later!”

Furthermore, Joey repeats the same message, so he can't be used for seed verification. Unlike Elm and Irwin, calling Joey also advances the IRNG by 2 when he doesn't want a rematch. So, Joey calls are a great tool when RNG breeding, and a decent replacement for the Pokétch Apps from DPP.

Juggler Irwin is found on Route 35, and after you battle him, you can register his phone number. Afterwards, each time you call Irwin the RNG advances by 1 frame. Furthermore, Irwin calls display three messages, like Prof. Elm does when you call him, so they can be used for seed verification and frame tracking. Irwin displays the following message when you call him:

K: “I'm so glad you called! I was just about to call you, too! I guess we must be a good match!”
E: “Hearing about your escapades rocks my soul! It sure does!”
P: “How are you? What are you doing? Where are you? How many Badges do you have now? How much money have you saved? How's your mom? Have you got lots of Pokémon? Is it going to be sunny tomorrow? Arrgh, there's so much I want to chat about! This is going nowhere!”

K refers to Call, E to Escapade, and P to Pokémon (specifically to when he asks “Have you got lots of Pokémon?”). Similar to Prof. Elm, Irwin repeats these messages in a pattern, so you can use these responses to verify your seed and keep track of your frame. You can track frames and verify your seed using the same combination of K, E, and P produced by Elm responses on RNG Reporter. Irwin calls are perfect for players who want to RNG Pokémon early in their games, especially those who wish to RNG Raikou or Entei at Burned Tower. After you have visited Kanto, it is best to use Elm calls simply because RNG Reporter uses Elm call results and it become intuitive as you RNG and use Seed to Time, which displays the Elm message. Furthermore, it seems that Irwin calls are ineffective during the Team Rocket incident at Goldenrod Radio Tower, but work fine once Team Rocket has abandoned Goldenrod Radio Tower. Irwin calls are a good alternative for players who lack the means to obtain Pokérus to fulfill the Elm calls requirement. Finally, unlike Youngster Joey, Irwin does not ask for a rematch, so you can call him anytime.

Note that the phone does not work inside the Pokémon League and in Lugia's room in the Whirl Islands. Furthermore, you can sort the list of phone numbers to make Juggler Irwin, Prof. Elm, and Youngster Joey's phone numbers more easily accessible.

Similar to DPP, roaming Pokémon in HGSS advance the RNG by a certain number of frames depending on the number of roamers on the map. However, contrary to DPP, a roamer in HGSS can advance the RNG by up to 2 frames; the number of frames a roamer advances the RNG by is dependent on the seed and the location the roamers are at when you save. Furthermore, the roamer locations can be used to verify your seed, as when the game loads the roamers will appear at certain location depending on the initial seed. The “Seed to Time” option on RNG Reporter, as of version 8.00, lists the roamer locations for a range of seeds. Additionally, it has a function that allows the user to search for a seed on a specified range of delays and seconds based on the roamer locations. The roamers are most effective for seed verification when all 3 are on the map. With fewer roamers, it becomes more difficult to verify your seed with them as multiple seeds may have the same roamer locations. Having only one roamer out makes seed verification solely with roamer locations exceedingly difficult as there will definitely be seeds that share the same roamer location. If you're unlucky, seeds that share the same locations will be adjacent to each other so you will have to rely on precision and other information such as Elm responses to accurately identify the delay and seconds you hit. Although the roamer method can generate accurate results, it is best to not use them when initially attempting to hit a certain delay. The reason is that the delay you end up hitting the first time may be outside of the range that Seed to Time can display. Initially, you should capture a Pokémon to verify the delay you hit with accuracy. Furthermore, you can make the first 12 Elm calls to verify your seed while you are still adjusting. User Romsstar has posted a guide on how to use the roamers for seed verification:

RNG Reporter Seed Verifying

HeartGold and SoulSilver use a different method of seed Verification.

Alas, we don't have the Poketch in HG/SS anymore, But we have the PokéGear and we still can use it to verify our seed, you just have to know how to utilize its various functions.

Let me try illustrate this with a concrete example.

Roamer Method:

Prerequisites:

- You have to record the route that your roamer(s) is (are) at the moment you saved as their Route is stored in the save.

In this example Entei was Roaming at Route: 37

Guide:

Remember to note the routes your roamers were at the moment you saved
because this is important if you want 100% accurate results.

Open RNG Reporter.
Go to the Seed to Time option




D2140289 is our Target Seed.

First, enter the route Entei was located in when we saved in RNG Reporter. Entei was roaming at Route 37 in this example.
Now read the output:

E: 30
Elm Responses for the Seed : (K skipped) E, P, P, K, P, P, E, E, K, K
Frame Advanced: 1

This output means that with Entei roaming, when you call Elm the first Elm response, which happens to be K, will be skipped and when you make the first call he will start talking about Evolution (E). Additionally, it means that Entei has advanced the RNG by 1 frame.

Currently, we have two methods of verifying our seed with RNG Reporter: roamer locations and Elm calls.

In this example:


You press Generate and the Adjacent Finder will output Results.
If you hit your Delay the results will match the above.
(E: 30, Elm Responses for the Seed : (K skipped) E, P, P, K, P, P, E, E, K, K)

If not, you can use "Search Roamers" and input the Route your Roamer is at to see how much you were off.

Or you can input the Elm Response pattern.


The methods of RNG advancements described above can be combined to advance the RNG faster. Entering your seed into the Seed (Hex) box on the main window of RNG Reporter, changing the Method to the appropriate one, and then clicking Generate will produce the remaining Elm responses, along with the initial 12 responses given by Seed to Time and their respective frames for that seed. Then, using radio advancements to advance the RNG by 18 frames depending on the show and/or Joey calls to advance the RNG by 2 frames, you can reach higher frames faster while keeping track of your current frame. When using the radio or Joey calls to advance the RNG quickly, it is best to stop 15-20 frames prior to your target frame and start using Elm or Irwin calls at that point to gauge how close you are to your target frame and to make any corrections to your remaining advancements. Simply make a number of Elm or Irwin calls, observe the responses, and locate the list of frames that correspond to that sequence of calls. If it appears the sequence of calls deviates from the frame you should be on from your previous advancements then consider the following: did you miscount the number of radio advancements or Joey calls? If there are NPCs in the area, could they have moved prior to starting your RNG advancements? Is the method of RNG advancement inconsistent at times (some radio shows can advance the RNG by an inconsistent number of frames)? Essentially, with the ability to check your current frame, you should be able to hit your target frame most of the time; any variations that caused you to miss it are probably due to an NPC movement or an error while calculating the target frame when factoring in the monster frame.

A few more methods of RNG advancement that were effective in DPP have become useless in HGSS. The 128 steps advancement that advances the RNG by a number of frames equal to the number of Pokémon in your party every 128 steps is inconsistent in HGSS. Turning or taking a step in an area with wild Pokémon no longer advances the RNG by 1 frame. Instead, the number of frame advanced by turning or taking a step in an area with wild Pokémon can range from 0-4 frames.

Advancing the RNG is quicker in DPP compared to HGSS. Since you know the number of pages have a message that advances the RNG when using the journal, you can just flip from one page to another and keep count of each flip. However in HGSS, if you use Joey calls, which also advance the RNG by 2 frames, you must wait for Joey to pick up the phone, complete his message, and hang up. While advancing the RNG may be faster in DPP, achieving an odd frame in HGSS is easier due to the existence of Irwin/Elm calls, which advance the RNG by 1 frame. In DPP, generally you had to either perform the 128 steps advancement with an odd number of Pokémon in your party (only in areas without wild Pokémon) or have a roamer wandering around Sinnoh.

Since HGSS utilizes the touch screen more than DPP, there are multiple ways to access items and options such as the PokéGear. There are two ways to access the PokéGear: pressing X to bring up the menu and select it from there or using the stylus and tapping the PokéGear icon. In areas with wandering NPCs, it is best to use the X button to bring up the menu, as that will stop the NPCs from moving and you won't have to waste time finding the PokéGear icon and opening it by touching the screen. The PokéGear can be exited in two ways: the first involves using the B button to exit the PokéGear, which will take you to the menu, then pressing it again to exit the menu; the second is using the arrow located on the bottom right-hand of the PokéGear to exit it, skip the menu, and take you directly to the overworld. The first option is best used for Sweet Scented Pokémon, as you can stay on the menu when you exit the PokéGear and have your Pokémon Sweet Scent without ever leaving the menu. By doing this, you never run the risk of a random NPC movement ruining your RNG advancements. The second option is best for breeding and encounters that involve interacting with the Pokémon in the overworld (ex: Red Gyarados). Because you are exiting the PokéGear you can just mash the A button and quickly pick up the Egg or interact with the Pokémon, which is especially important if there are wandering NPCs in the area.

Changes in RNG Manipulation of Wild and Gift Pokémon

The greatest change from DPP RNG manipulation of wild Pokémon was the introduction of a new method of generating the PIDs of wild Pokémon. Every wild Pokémon, bar the roamers and the Red Gyarados, is generated through Method K. No Pokémon in HGSS is generated through Method J. The roamers, like in DPP, are generated through Method 1. The Red Gyarados is generated as a chained shiny. More information about the Red Gyarados will be provided later in this section.

The following is a list of Method K Pokémon, their starting frames, and if there are wandering NPCs in the area they are located in:

Pokémon Monster Frame Wandering NPC(s)
Sweet Scented Pokémon in Grass 1 or 2* Depends on Area
Sweet Scented Pokémon in Cave/Building 1 or 2* Depends on Area
Sweet Scented Pokémon in Water 2 or 3* Depends on Area
Fished Pokémon 4 Depends on Area
Headbutt tree Pokémon 3 Depends on Area
Ho-Oh 1 No
Lugia 1 No
Suicune 1 No
Articuno 1 No
Zapdos 1 No
Moltres 1 No
Mewtwo 1 No
Groudon 1 No
Kyogre 1 No
Rayquaza 1 No
Latios (Enigma Stone Event) 1 Yes
Latias (Enigma Stone Event) 1 Yes
Sudowoodo 1 Yes
Snorlax 1 Yes
Lapras 1 Yes

*In HGSS, the starting frame for Sweet Scented Pokémon varies from game to game, but once you determine what the monster frame for your game is the frame remains consistent for any future RNG attempts. Furthermore, having your lead Pokémon follow you in the overworld makes the monster frame for Sweet Scenting inconsistent so it is best to Sweet Scent while on your Bicycle, when possible.

The following is a list of Method 1 Pokémon found in HGSS, their starting frames, and if there are wandering NPCs in the area they are located in:

Pokémon Monster Frame Wandering NPC(s)
Chikorita 1 No
Cyndaquil 5 No
Totodile 9 No
Togepi (from Mr. Pokémon Egg) 1 Yes
Raikou 1* No
Entei 6* No
Eevee (from Bill) 1 Yes
Goldenrod Game Corner Pokémon 1 No
Celadon Game Corner Pokémon 1 Yes
Latias (Non-Event) varies** Yes
Latios (Non-Event) varies** Yes
Kanto Starters (Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle) varies Yes
Hoenn Starters (Treecko, Torchic, Mudkip) 1 No
Fossil Pokémon 1 Yes
Dialga/Palkia/Giratina 1 No

*Raikou's monster frame is 6 and Entei's is 1 on European versions of HeartGold and SoulSilver.

**Latios/Latias monster frame isn't set due to the fact that once you leave the Pokémon Fan Club there is a slight pause before Steven comes and talks to you, so the NPCs in Vermilion City may have moved during that time. You will have to do some calibration to see what Latios/Latias's monster frame will be for the particular seed and frame you're aiming for.

Since you can re-release the roamers in HGSS, like the legendary birds in Platinum, the roamers have another set of monster frames. The monster frames for the roamers when they are all re-released after defeating the Elite Four are as follows:

Raikou: 1
Entei: 6
Latias/Latios: 11

*In European versions Entei is on frame 1 and Raikou on 6.

The roamers regenerate in the order Raikou -> Entei -> Latios/Latias or Entei -> Raikou -> Latios/Latias (in European versions). Only roamers that have been KOed will be re-released, and any that have been captured or left roaming will not be re-released. Therefore, if a roamer is left roaming or is not captured then the remaining two will be generated in the same order, but will occupy Frames 1 and 6. For example in HG, if you decide to capture Entei and re-release Raikou and Latias, then Raikou will be released on Frame 1 and Latias will be released on Frame 6. If you decide to only re-release one roamer, then it will be released on Frame 1.

Users Destiny100 and Sixfortyfive have posted a guide on abusing the roamers at the Pokemon League:

RELIABLY RNG-ABUSING THE HGSS ROAMERS POST-ELITE FOUR

(tested on HeartGold, US version) [Note: It has been reported that in European versions Entei is on frame 1 and Raikou on frame 6, rather than the other way around.]

First, a hat tip to Destiny100 for suggesting this method. This is pretty much his idea; I just typed up a short guide for it.

PREREQUISITES:

- Figure out the seed and frame you need to hit for your desired spread, either with RNG Reporter or another program. It is recommended that you select a frame as low as possible for your spread but not lower than 3.
- Have all 3 roamers (Entei, Raikou, Lati@s) released and roaming on the map. It is probably fine if you only have 2 roamers released, however.
- Familiarize yourself with the Roamer method for Seed Verifier.

NOTES:

When the roamers are regenerated post-E4, their stats are created via Method 1 on the following frames:

1st roamer: frame 1
2nd roamer: frame 6
3rd roamer: frame 11

The order for regeneration is Entei -> Raikou -> Lati@s. If all 3 roamers have been released and KOed, then defeating Lance will respawn Entei with Frame 1's spread, Raikou with frame 6's spread, and Lati@s with frame 11's spread. If Raikou has been caught and the other 2 have been KOed, then Entei will respawn with Frame 1's stats and Lati@s will respawn with frame 6's stats. If Entei is still roaming and the other 2 have been KOed, then Raikou will (probably) respawn on Frame 2 and Lati@s on frame 7. The extra offset on the last example is due to the fact that having Entei on the map will cause the frame to automatically advance by (at least) 1 when the game starts.

HITTING YOUR SPREAD:

Make sure that all the roamers are released. Find and KO the roamer that you wish to abuse. The other roamer(s) must be roaming the map. I will assume that you have released all 3 roamers and fainted only the one you are currently trying to abuse.

Fight your way to Lance and stop one step in front of him. To be more precise, stop one step before the auto-walk sequence begins and forces you into the fight with him. Open your radio and drag the tuner to the very center so that no station is playing. Open the map and note the locations of the other roamers. Save your game.

Adjust your date/time settings and hit your desired seed. Use the Roamer method of Seed Verifier to confirm it.

Once you have hit your seed, use the radio to advance the frame. Remember, since you have 2 other roamers on the map, you (probably) begin the count from Frame 3 instead of Frame 1. (Make sure to check the output of Seed Verifier to confirm whether you should start from 3.) So if your desired spread is on frame 100, you must advance the frame exactly 97 times. Use the bottom-right station of the radio to advance your frame. Keep in mind that Buena's Password does not advance the frame, and that commercials may throw off the count as well. Other programs on this station always advance the frame by 1. The other stations are not as consistent as this one. You may need to use a different date/time setting in order to get a program other than Buena's Password.

Once you advance to the desired frame, walk forward and beat Lance. Skip the credits and load the game once more.

Find the roamer you just respawned and capture it. Use a Master Ball if you have one. Check its stats to see if everything worked correctly. If you hit the wrong spread, figure out which frame it was respawned on and determine why you missed the one you wanted. Did you miscount the radio taps? Did you accidentally hit another station? Was some other program than Pokemon Search Party or Silver Drama playing? Did you properly verify your seed and starting frame? Restart and try again.

If you hit the correct spread, restart without saving. The roamer will keep its desired stats, and you get your Master Ball back. Furthermore, now you can repeat the process for one of the other roamers, and since you need multiple roamers released simultaneously in order to verify your seed, it's best that you don't actually capture and keep any of the roamers until all 3 of them have been respawned with the stats that you want.


Red Gyarados

The Red Gyarados is generated in the same manner that chained shiny Pokémon were in DPP. Therefore, when selecting a spread for the Red Gyarados, you will have to check that the IV spread you want has the correct nature by using the Chained Shiny (Theoretical) option on RNG Reporter. The nature corresponding to an IV combination, when viewing spreads using the Chained Shiny (Theoretical) Method, is dependent on your TID/SID, so you will have to find your SID before RNGing the Red Gyarados. Luckily, the Red Gyarados functions like a chained shiny Pokémon, so it can be used to find your SID. The Capture option in RNG Reporter's Time Finder can be used to search for spreads for the Red Gyarados. However, for the Red Gyarados there are a few changes in the information you enter into Time Finder. First, the Method can be any of the Methods listed; however, Method 1 is best as selecting Method K or J may exclude certain spreads from the list generated by Time Finder. Second, the Nature box can be left as “Any” because you will have to re-enter the seed given by Time Finder in the main window of RNG Reporter and click Generate with the Method set to Chained Shiny (Theoretical) to view the nature corresponding with the IV spread based on your TID/SID. Third, do not check the Shiny Only box on Time Finder; checking the box will only limit the number of spreads generated by Time Finder. The Red Gyarados has a monster frame of 1. Furthermore, it moves around, so once you have verified your seed and advanced the RNG you must immediately interact with it. There are wandering NPCs around Lake of Rage as well that may advance the RNG once you exit the menu. Synchronizers should not be used when RNGing the Red Gyarados, as their effects when RNGing it are not completely understood.

Spiky-eared Pichu

The Spiky-eared Pichu is another Pokémon that is generated differently than your standard gift Pokémon. The Spiky-eared Pichu is generated through the Wondercard IVs Method. Its nature is set to Naughty, gender set to female, and has a starting frame of 1. The event activates the instant you interact with the shrine in Ilex Forest. The Spiky-eared Pichu will appear and join your party if you have space, but if you have a full party then it will not join you. Therefore, if you plan on RNGing the Spiky-eared Pichu, either save before interacting with the shrine or keep a full party and come back later to RNG it; it will be standing there waiting for you so you don't have to repeat the event. There are no wandering NPCs in Ilex Forest.

Sinnoh and Hoenn March Pokemon

The radio controls the appearance of certain Pokémon. While normally unavailable, Hoenn and Sinnoh Pokémon can be found by playing the Sinnoh or Hoenn March in certain areas. Pokémon encountered by playing one of the aforementioned shows are treated the same as Sweet Scented Method K Pokémon, except you must have one of these shows playing as you initiate the encounter through Sweet Scent. Having the Hoenn or Sinnoh March show playing does not advance the RNG. The appearance of Swarm Pokémon is also determined by the radio. The show Pokémon Talk displays the Swarm Pokémon for that day and is played for the entire day on the upper-right hand station. Swarm Pokémon are generated through Method K. The Pokémon Talk show does not have to be playing to make Swarm Pokémon appear, so you can use the radio to RNG abuse.

Headbutt Tree Pokemon

Headbutt Tree Pokémon are those produced by Headbutting certain trees. Once you Headbutt a tree and a wild Pokémon appears, that tree will always produce a Pokémon. If a tree does not generate a Pokémon then it never will. Headbutt Tree Pokémon can be RNGed in the same manner as Sweet Scented Pokémon. Furthermore, since they are generated using Method K, you can use a Synchronizer to help generate your desired spread on more frames. Currently, there is no way to determine which Pokémon will appear on a specific frame when abusing Headbutt Tree Pokémon.

Bug Catching Contest Pokemon

Bug Catching Contest Pokémon can be RNG abused in HGSS. However, a number of difficulties arise when manipulating the RNG to catch these Pokémon. Firstly, since the Bug Catching Contest only occurs Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, you must use a target time on one of these days. Secondly, the Contest lasts 20 minutes, so you must perform your RNG advancements and catch the Pokémon within that time frame. Lastly, there are numerous wandering NPCs in National park during the Bug Catching Contest, so the RNG may have advanced considerably by the time you start making Elm/Irwin calls or using the radio to check your current frame. Therefore, it is best to use a high target frame (at least above Frame 30) when RNG abusing these Pokémon. Pokémon encountered during the Bug Catching Contest are generated through Method K and have a monster frame of 3. User Zari has complied information on the RNG manipulation of Bug Catching Contest Pokémon, along with information on determining the encounter slots for each Pokémon:

The encounter slot is determined by your current frame + 1, while the IVs/nature/etc is determined by your current frame + 3, all PID numbers and calculations taken and done from the Method K values, not the "actual" values. The actual slots are broken up as follows:

[number obtained via current frame + 1 latter 4 hex digits / 656; the usual process]

Slot 1: 0 - 19
Slot 2: 20 - 39
Slot 3: 40 - 49
Slot 4: 50 - 59
Slot 5: 60 - 69
Slot 6: 70 - 79
Slot 7: 80 - 84
Slot 8: 85 - 89
Slot 9: 90 - 94
Slot 10: 95 - 99

These values correspond to the following charts:

Encounter Slots Pre National Dex:

Slot 1: Caterpie
Slot 2: Weedle
Slot 3: Metapod
Slot 4: Kakuna
Slot 5: Paras
Slot 6: Venonat
Slot 7: Butterfree
Slot 8: Beedrill
Slot 9: Scyther
Slot 10: Pinsir

Encounter Slots Post National Dex

Encounter Slots (Tuesday)

Slot 1: Caterpie
Slot 2: Weedle
Slot 3: Metapod
Slot 4: Kakuna
Slot 5: Paras
Slot 6: Venonat
Slot 7: Butterfree
Slot 8: Beedrill
Slot 9: Scyther
Slot 10: Pinsir

Encounter Slots (Thursday)

Slot 1: Wurmple
Slot 2: Nincada
Slot 3: Silcoon
Slot 4: Volbeat
Slot 5: Kricketot
Slot 6: Kricketune
Slot 7: Dustox
Slot 8: Combee
Slot 9: Scyther
Slot 10: Pinsir

Encounter Slots (Saturday)

Slot 1: Wurmple
Slot 2: Nincada
Slot 3: Cascoon
Slot 4: Illumise
Slot 5: Kricketot
Slot 6: Kricketune
Slot 7: Beautifly
Slot 8: Combee
Slot 9: Scyther
Slot 10: Pinsir

For the actual catching process, since you only have one Pokémon with you during the contest, it has to be able to at least Sweet Scent and weaken the opposing Pokémon through a status condition and attacks such as False Swipe. In 4th Generation games, there are only three Pokémon that legally learn the combination of False Swipe/Spore/Sweet Scent: Paras, Parasect, and Smeargle.

As for using a Synchronizer, that is the next thing to figure out. Sadly, as none of the aforementioned Pokémon have the ability Synchronize, this limits the number of available frames that have your desired spread or that possess the necessary encounter slot.


Changes in RNG Manipulation of Bred Pokémon

The IRNG is used to generate Egg PIDs, which display characteristics of bred Pokémon. These characteristics include: nature, gender, ability, and whether the bred Pokémon will be shiny. IVs for bred Pokémon are determined separately by the main RNG. In DPP, the Pokétch Apps (Happiness Checker and Coin Flips) were used to advance the IRNG, but since they were removed from HGSS, players had to find new ways to advance it. One way involves accepting or rejecting Eggs from the Day Care Man, which advances the IRNG by 1 frame for each Egg that is accepted/rejected. Furthermore, calling Youngster Joey— when he doesn't want to battle—has been show to advance the IRNG by 2 frames. Therefore, when selecting a seed, it is best to pick one that has an odd frame. That way, you would only have to make Joey calls and pick up your Egg; since picking up the Egg advances the IRNG by 1, you always end up with an odd frame. Additionally, random phone calls you may receive might advance the IRNG, which is another reason to use Joey calls to advance the IRNG faster instead of accepting/rejecting Eggs from the Day Care Man and risking a random NPC call. The phone call you receive from the Day Care Man informing you that your Pokémon had an Egg does not advance the IRNG. Elm and Irwin calls only advance the main RNG, so they cannot be used to RNG abuse Egg PIDs, aside from seed verification. Finally, should you happen to miss your frame, you can check the frame you did get by using the DPPt Egg PID (Normal) and (International) Method options on the main window of RNG Reporter, as Egg PID generation hasn't changed from DPP. Enter your seed into RNG Reporter's main window, select DPPt Egg PID (Normal) or (International) depending on the Pokémon you placed in the Day Care (if one is from a different language game then use the International option), and press Generate. A list of frames will be produced that display the nature, ability, gender ratios, and PID of the Pokémon. In HGSS, you can ignore the “Coin” column. From the list, you can determine what frame you hit based on the information (nature, ability, etc…) of the Pokémon that hatches from the Egg.

Searching for Egg PIDs can be done through the Shiny Egg tab on RNG Reporter's Time Finder option. Enter your desired date, seconds, delay range, nature, ability, and the Pokemon's gender ratio on Shiny Egg and click Generate. Do not forget to check the HGSS shiny box. A list of PIDs, along with their corresponding frames and target times, will appear based on the information entered prior to conducting the search. Remember, it is best to select an odd frame, so you can make Joey calls to advance the RNG faster, as opposed to rejecting/receiving Eggs from the Day Care Man.

RNG manipulation of bred Pokémon's IVs has become easier in HGSS. First, there is only one wandering NPC on Route 34—where the Day Care is located—so there is no need to perform a frame calibration every time you want to RNG. Essentially, you can retrieve an Egg on Frame 1 if you don't have any roamers and if the NPC at the bottom of the route does not move. Typically, your starting frame will lie between Frames 1-3, without roamers. Furthermore, since the IVs of bred Pokémon are generated using the main RNG, you can use Elm/Irwin calls or the radio to advance the RNG and track your current frame.

The method of IV inheritance has changed; now all IVs have an equal chance of being passed down. Therefore, when searching for a spread using the Egg IVs tab on Time Finder, you must remember to check the HGSS Inheritance box. Additionally, when generating a list of frames of the available IV spreads for a bred Pokémon on a specific seed, you must select the Breeding (HGSS) option in the Methods list to reflect these changes. Finally, HGSS introduced a new breeding mechanic involving the Power Items. Attaching a Power Item to a Pokémon while breeding would force the IV for the stat that the Power Item affects to be inherited by the offspring. For example, if you attach a Power Anklet to one of your parents with a Speed IV of 31, then the bred Pokémon would inherit that 31 IV in Speed. In terms of RNG abuse, user OmegaDonut provides the following example: 31\A\B\7\A\13 spread becomes 31\19\B\7\A\A with a Power Anklet on the A parent. However, the effects of Power Items on RNG abuse of bred Pokémon are not fully understood. For example, they can cause the bred Pokémon to inherit only IVs from a single parent. In the previous example, this means that instead of the Pokémon inheriting the IVs 31/19/B/7/A/A, it would inherit all its IVs from parent A (or whichever parent is holding the Power Item) and have the following spread 31/19/A/7/A/A. Currently, it is not understood how the game decides what stat to favor over the Power Item stat. Since the Power items have an unpredictable effect on RNG abuse, it is best to not use them while RNGing.

Changes in RNG Manipulation of Wondercard Pokémon

Wondercard Pokémon still have their IVs generated through the Wondercard IVs Method, which is the Method 1 frame + 2 frames. The nature of a Wondercard Pokémon is dependent on the specific Wondercard you are abusing; it can be random or set, much like DPP. However, unlike in DPP, HGSS has PokéMarts without wandering NPCs. Therefore, you don't have to constantly worry about a potential NPC movement ruining your RNG advancements or seed verification. The PokéMarts in Cerulean City and Fuchsia City do not have wandering NPCs.

RNG Manipulation of PokéWalker Pokémon

PokéWalker Pokémon behave like Wondercard Pokémon because their IVs are generated using the Wondercard IV Method. Furthermore, their nature does not correspond to the IV spread, but is instead generated using the IRNG. The following is general information concerning the different aspects of PokéWalker RNG abuse, obtained from research done by user Wichu:

- Connecting the PokéWalker to the DS system through options such as “Receive Gift” advances the IRNG by 192 frames plus an additional frame for each Pokémon sent over. Sending items does not advance the IRNG.
- Sending over a Pokémon from the PokéWalker advances the RNG by 2 frames. The first three Pokémon are generated on Frames 1, 3, and 5 in that order. Therefore, transferring three Pokémon will cause the next three sent over to generate on Frames 7, 9, 11.
- PokéWalker Pokémon cannot be generated on even frames at the moment.
- PokéWalker Pokémon cannot be Quirky natured.
- Any seed used for abusing PokéWalker Pokémon must have a delay of 0. You can change the year to make the delay 0.
- Communication errors between the DS and PokéWalker messes up the RNG advancements, which will cause you to start over, so always keep the PokéWalker aligned with your HG/SS cart.

User Wild Eep has kindly posted a step-by-step guide on abusing RNG PokéWalker Pokémon:

  1. Make sure your stroll is configured to produce the monster you actually want to catch. You can figure this out before starting the RNG process, so doing it now saves you aggravation later!
  2. Find a seed with good IVs. A viable seed has zero delay at some year in legal DS time (you can't be picky about the year because only one year works per seed!). With current knowledge, only odd frames can be achieved, and you can't go higher than 1079 (and you'd need a completely empty PC for that!).
  3. Find a point on the IRNG with an acceptable nature. As things stand now, this is a pain in the neck. Run an IRNG search on your target seed from (192*(1+[P/3])) to some large number, where P is the number of Pokémon you have to catch to reach your frame (P=[(F-1)/2]+1). **Export this to CSV and open it in your favorite spreadsheet program. Use a find/replace function to search for spaces and replace them with nothing so that the Egg PIDs can be manipulated. Make a new column with a formula to convert the hexadecimal PIDs to decimal, like =HEX2DEC(A1) [or wherever your PID is]. You will also want another column to determine the PokéWalker nature from this. The algorithm is Egg PID mod 24, so a sample formula would be =MOD(B1;24). Match the resultant numbers to this list to determine the nature. Because mod 24 returns a number from 0 to 23, Quirky (24) cannot be selected, which is probably a good thing.
  4. The next challenging part is finding an acceptable IRNG frame to use. An IRNG frame I is acceptable if (I-P)/192 is an integer greater than P/3. The resultant integer is the number of Pokewalker-to-DS connections you have to make in your journey. It has to be at least P/3 because that is the minimum number of connections you have to make to get your target frame
  5. Make sure you can reach your seed before starting. In other words, calibrate or make sure that you have already done so. Set the DS clock to a time near the seed (you have to use a year such that the seed's delay is zero) and attempt to start the game at the correct second. Send a few fodder Pokémon to the DS and compare the Wondercard IVs list for the target seed and seeds with the same delay (0) but several seconds off in either direction.
  6. Once you can achieve your seed, try to land it and begin your quest. Catch all the Pokémon you need, and send them over (via Receive Gift only) in the requisite number of connections for nature purposes. In between connections, I recommend leaving your DS at the Pokewalker connect menu in sleep mode and plugged in. Also, beware of connection errors! Even one error will cause you to lose control of the nature! The clock striking midnight appears to have no effect on the RNG's advancement, and neither do items your Pokémon finds on the ground.

**An alternative to Step 3 of Wild Eep's guide is to use the method presented in this post by mingot to determine which frames will produce the nature you desire. Note: the Researcher application used in this example is only available on RNG Reporter 8.30 and later versions.

Do this:



Use this list:

0 Hardy
1 Lonely
2 Brave
3 Adamant
4 Naughty
5 Bold
6 Docile
7 Relaxed
8 Impish
9 Lax
10 Timid
11 Hasty
12 Serious
13 Jolly
14 Naive
15 Modest
16 Mild
17 Quiet
18 Bashful
19 Rash
20 Calm
21 Gentle
22 Sassy
23 Careful
24 Quirky


Currently, determining the ability of a PokéWalker Pokémon involves complex computations. However, user Wild Eep has made a few interesting observations concerning nature and ability combination. Most notably, Munchlax with event move Selfdestruct and a Careful nature will always have the ability Thick Fat.

Finally, user OmegaDonut has provided lists of useable PokéWalker spreads in this post. The seeds for each spread are displayed along with the year necessary to make the delay 0.

Finding your SID using the Red Gyarados

The following is a step-by-step guide on using the Red Gyarados to determine your SID:

1) Save directly in front of the Red Gyarados. You must save prior to interacting with the Red Gyarados, as you will be catching it multiple times.
2) Interact with the Red Gyarados to start the battle and capture it.
3) Check the IVs and nature of Red Gyarados. You must calculate the exact IVs of the Red Gyarados you caught, since a range of IVs or an incorrect IV will produce incorrect results. Metalkid's IV Calculator is a useful tool for determining the IVs. Since the Red Gyarados is at level 30, you may have to level it up to obtain accurate IVs.
4) Once you have determined its IVs, enter the necessary information into Chain to Seed and click Calculate. The information you entered (nature, IVs, gender ratio, and ability) should appear in the gray box below. Additionally, you should see the possibilities value, initially at 8192, decrease.
5) Reset or turn off your game without saving and repeat steps 2-4 until Chain to SID displays an SID based on the information entered.
 
I just skimmed this, but I have some comments/suggestions for you. Forgive the lack of flow in this post, but I'm just posting things as they come to mind.

First of all, a number of people have encountered problems with RadioSeed, so I would be careful with how I refer to that. I haven't used it however, so I can't vouch for its accuracy or lack thereof.

*In HGSS, the starting frame for sweet scented Pokémon varies from game to game, but once you determine what the monster frame for your game is it remains consistent for any future RNG attempts. Furthermore, having your lead Pokémon follow you in the over world makes the monster frame for sweet scented inconsistent so it is best to Sweet Scent while on your Bicycle, when possible.
Is this really so? Something tells me that this was posted early on as a result of NPCs or roamers advancing the frame. "Varies from game to game" is something I don't really believe.

Additionally, you refer to the bred Pokémon RNG as the IRNG, which I believe offhand is incorrect. In DPP, the IRNG was the RNG used for weather effects/Egg attributes sans EVs/Pokétch apps. In HGSS, since all Egg manipulation is handled through Elm/Joey calls and radio de-tuning, it is running off the main RNG. Hence, I'm not sure why you mention an IRNG at all.

I would also like to make some comments on the Pokégear. First of all, I think it should be noted that you can move

Additionally, I know that the way you have the Irwin responses the way they were originally listed in the research thread, but there is a much easier way to think of them, such that there is no need to convert. I think that going by "adventures" and such just adds an extra layer of confusion. The system I use is as follows:

E: Hearing about your escapades rocks my soul! It sure does!

The "e" from evolution equates to the "e" in escapades.

P: How are you? What are you doing? Where are you? How many Badges do you have now? How much money have you saved? How's your mom? Have you got lots of Pokémon? Is it going to be sunny tomorrow?
Arrgh, there's so much I want to chat about! This is going nowhere!

Now, instead of the immediate response (How are you?), you will be using the fact that he asks about Pokémon to identify this response with P. This still works, as none of his questions involve "e" or "k," and with practice, you will immediately associate "How are you?" with P.

K: I'm so glad you called! I was just about to call you, too! I guess we must be a good match!

This one is a bit more involved, but it is reliant upon the fact that the "c" in "called" makes the same sound as the letter "k." This message does reveal how Irwin calls are not perfectly matched to Elm calls, but I find using the above system is much easier than converting from a rather arbitrary system into the Elm messages. With the elimination of conversion, the advantages of Irwin and Elm are more distinct:

Irwin: Can be used by players with no access to Pokérus, and is available before the Kanto requirement to make Elm function correctly is fulfilled, allowing players to RNG Pokémon such as Lugia/Ho-Oh, the Red Gyarados, and Raikou/Entei the first time around.

Elm: Shorter overall messages (the longest Elm message is shorter than the longest message for Irwin), completely intuitive responses.

Now, as for the radio. There is a post in the research thread that describes a much easier way of advancing the frame, and was posted a good while ago; if it's wrong, forgive me, but nobody has ever responded to the post to my knowledge, which leads me to believe that it has been largely unnoticed. It is by palkiaqua, as follows:

I noticed an easier way to advance frames utilizing the radio by accidentally switching pokegear functions when advancing 667 frames for Entei at Lance.

It's pretty much the same thing as before, except you don't need to drag the cursor back every time:

Start from the center of the radio app. Tap the lower right or desired radio station. Then tap another app, like the map. Then tap the radio app afterwards. Going back to the radio will restart the broadcast, thus causing you to advance however many frames that broadcast usually advances, like 1 frame if Pokemon search party.

Say I want to advance 2 frames. I'd start w/ the center. Then I'd tap the lower right station when Search party is on. So far, I've advanced one frame. I'd tap the map button, to move away from radio, then tap the radio button. Doing this causes the broadcast to start from the beginning, triggering another frame advancement. So now I've advanced two frames. Make sure you drag the cursor back to the center when finished advancing desired # of frames, especially before commercial breaks come on.

I noticed I spent half an hour advancing 667 frames utilizing the old fashioned way of radio advancement, where you drag the cursor back and forth from the radio broadcast to the center (with 1 frame advanced per detuning). With this method, you minimize risk of triggering another radio station and you don't need precision for fine hand gestures. It's also faster b/c you don't have to keep dragging the cursor back. It's just either tapping or using the D-pad to switch back and forth between pokegear apps.
As the author states, this is much quicker and easier than the "conventional" method of dragging the pointer, and it makes the process a lot less stressful because you only have to worry about counting, as opposed to counting and not messing up the de-tuning. If this tip works (again, haven't tested it myself), then the advantages of the radio VS. Joey would be:

Radio: Faster, but as such, requires more diligent counting.

Joey: Easier to keep track of frame advancements, but moves at a slower pace.

On that note, I think it would be nice to state that by generating a list of spreads appropriate to your method in the main window, it is possible to generate a list of Elm responses beyond the 12 initially offered. By taking a break from Joey/the radio when you approach your seed, you can instead call Elm and verify that your responses are in line with the frames you should be on at that point from your previous advances. If they are not, then you should evaluate why this is (For example, did you simply miss a call/de-tune or forget to count one? Or should you adjust when you are counting to prevent errors?), and subsequently correct your position with the appropriate advances. To allow for a good amount of responses (so you can gauge where you are) and potential correction time, you should probably do this when you think you are about 15-20 frames away from the target frame. This effectively means that unless there is NPC movement, or you miscalculate your target frame (forgetting to subtract the monster, for example), you will always be able to hit your spread, since you know that you are hitting the exact frame. This is a large advantage over DPP, in my opinion, and while it is somewhat acknowledged in the breeding section, and given a link to a forum post, it's a pretty valuable mechanic for beginners during any type of manipulation (experienced RNG abusers will have little use for it when not aiming for exceptionally large frames, however). As such, I think it deserves a mention in the guide proper.

On that note, there are other advantages/disadvantages to HG/SS and DPP, which should probably be noted in such an article. For example, it is much faster to hit a high frame in DPP than in HG/SS. Joey calls are unequivocally slower than flipping the journal, and not as simple either, since you have to count each individual call, whereas with the journal, you know exactly how many pages you have with captured/defeated Pokémon messages, and how many advances you will get when you flip to the end of the book. I have not compared the time of "quickly" de-tuning the radio and flipping the journal, but again, the former must be counted much more meticulously than the journal. As such, the skill of hitting higher delays (so that a higher frame can be obtained) is much more valuable in HG/SS than it was in DPP (though it comes into play for getting "legitimate" dates in both).

Conversely, it is much easier to obtain odd frames in HG/SS than it is in DPP. In the former, you need only make an extra Elm call/radio de-tune to turn an even frame to odd, whereas in DPP, you will have to take extra measures to obtain an odd frame, such as walking a certain amount of steps or having a roamer out.

Now, returning to some other things I think need to be mentioned or addressed. First of all, the "export to .csv" function in "Seed to Time" is an excellent resource for HG/SS RNG abuse, perhaps more than DPP, since seed verification runs off the same RNG as frame advancement. To make abuse a lot easier, you should record your frames in the following format:

1| 2| 3| 4| 5

Where the numbers are the appropriate Elm responses, and the | is the character found on your keyboard. This makes it so that you can easily search through the exported .csv file (in a spreadsheet or word processing program), as equivalent Elm results to my above list are displayed as follows in the spreadsheet:

P| E| P| K| E|

By incorporating the | into your records, you make it much easier to search and find the exact responses you want. Furthermore, it is important to note that the final character in my format is not succeeded by a |. This is again to account for the .csv format, where the twelfth result is not succeeded by |. Depending on the number of advances that occur before you open the menu (more on this in a second), 5 could hypothetically be the last result.

To account for moving NPCs, I find that it is always best to do only a couple Elm responses at first (maybe five or so) to verify my seed, since I don't know how far along these five responses will lie. Doing twelve responses and a subsequent search will not always yield the correct results. For example, in my most recent RNG, my desired result looked like this:

(K skipped) K| K| P| E| P| K| E| E| E| E| E| P

When verifying, I advanced the frame to 12 by making the following calls:

P| E| P| K| E| E| E| E| E| P

In addition to the initial K call that was skipped (I had Entei roaming), two more Ks were skipped over thanks to NPCs. Had I recorded my first twelve calls as I had received them, I would have recorded something like this:

P| E| P| K| E| E| E| E| E| P| x| y

Where x and y are the next results for the seed. Obviously, had I searched for this in the spreadsheet, I would not have found the correct result, as the program would have looked for my sequence of twelve calls—two calls had been previously skipped, not due to a roamer, for which RNG Reporter accounts, but because there were NPCs in the area in which I was resetting. As such, when verifying a seed, you should only do maybe five or six Elm calls before searching, and using your seconds value (this should pretty much always be hit), and roamer location, determine the most reasonable result.

On the subject of roamers, it would be nice to see them elaborated upon in this guide as well. For most seeds that I have obtained, I have been able to reset immediately after seeing the roamer on the map, knowing I was maybe 2 or 4 away from my desired delay. That said, you should always catch the Pokémon the first time you are trying to get your delay, and verify the seed that way—I think RNG Reporter allows you to export .csv files with delays + or - 90 or so from your desired delay, but your actual delay (before any adjustments) may be outside that range. Additionally, while you are still adjusting, it is always best to ensure that the Elm responses match the full range of those displayed in RNG Reporter for your suspected delay.

I have also found that there are two ways to perform many actions in the game (related to the RNG abuse process), many of which have specific advantages and disadvantages, or at the very least, RNG abuse implications.

For instance, there are two ways of starting the game: pressing the A button at every prompt, or by tapping the touchscreen repeatedly, and tapping the "continue" button to begin. I would imagine the timing for each of those differs, so you should stick to one or the other when RNG abusing. There are also two ways to scroll down on the menu; you may either opt to press the arrow in the righthand corner of the touchscreen, then the arrow in the top corner, or you can scroll down with the directional pad, and scroll back up to Continue. I find that the latter is quicker, which is best for if you are trying to hit a delay that is very low. Finally, there are two separate ways to open the Pokégear. The first is by tapping the icon on the touchscreen, and the second is by pressing X when the game loads, and either selecting it or tapping it then. The latter is preferable, as when the menu is "open" with X, all NPCs are frozen, and it is much easier to tap the Pokégear icon then than finding it when the game loads; in other words, it is easier to tap a button than to find an icon on the touchscreen. Finally, there are two ways to exit the Pokégear. The first is by pressing B once to exit, and then B again to "close" the menu and properly enter the overworld, whereupon you will want to initiate the encounter with the Pokémon you want, or obtain your Egg. The other way is to press the arrow in the bottom righthand corner of the Pokégear screen, which takes you directly to the overworld, bypassing the menu entirely. The former is better for wild encounters, as while the menu is open, NPCs are still frozen, and you can then navigate to "Pokémon," and activate your Sweet Scent without ever closing the menu screen. Conversely, the latter is arguably better for everything else, as while the Pokégear is closing, you can begin mashing A, in order to initiate your encounter; by closing it with B, you need to subsequently press A, which I have found to be more difficult.

As for minimizing the effect of NPCs on your frame, saving the game right after an NPC moves will minimize the effect of them moving again (or so I have found). This is especially important for something such as the Red Gyarados; if you save right in front of it, after it moves into this position, it should never move before you have a chance to engage it in battle (provided you use the methods I described in the previous paragraph).

On the note of the Red Gyarados, I think it is worth creating a section for Pokémon with methods of RNGing specific to HG/SS; namely, Raikou/Entei/Latios/Latias from the Elite Four, and Red Gyarados, as they may be problematic for many users. I know you have already mentioned them both in passing (with more depth for the latter), but I think that they deserve their own sections on how to RNG abuse them effectively. That way, there is only one place where a user needs to go to find out how to RNG abuse in HG/SS for the vast majority of Pokémon, rather than using auxiliary forum guides. For the Red Gyarados, it should be mentioned that you will want to search in Time Finder for spreads in method K in a search just for IVs; for this you should not use a synchronizer, your trainer ID or secret ID, a desired nature, or an ability. Then you will need to get each of these seeds and go through the process you mentioned of searching in the main window for spreads of the correct nature (for this you need both TID and SID). For the roamers, there is a good guide in the RNG help thread, and also a different guide for RadioSeed (again, which people seem to have trouble with). In my opinion, more people will need to abuse these Pokémon than something like Pokéwalker Pokémon, and they are different from anything encountered in DPP; therefore, I would say they merit an in-depth mention in this guide. Especially since the Red Gyarados is difficult to find information for right now.

Finally, a small tidbit: since Joey only has one message that will advance the RNG, it may be useful to note it in the guide, since you have noted every other call response. That way, there is absolutely no doubt whatsoever when Joey is or isn't advancing the RNG properly. I know you have noted his rematch times, but I think that this is useful to note nonetheless. Joey's response is as follows:

Hello. This is Joey. . . How's it going, [Trainer Name]? I'm checking out RATTATA's moves and devising some strategies. When I come up with a good one, let's battle! All right. Later!

That's all I can think of at the moment, but as I mentioned at the beginning of my post, I have not really read this very thoroughly. However, I would like to note that unless I have expressed my own uncertainty, all of my advice comes from my own recent HeartGold RNG manipulation endeavours, so it is tested, practical advice that should come in handy for your guide. I'll have another look at this later, but please let me know if you have any comments or questions concerning this post. I did this in bits and pieces, so let me know if anything came out incoherent.
 

Ditto

/me huggles
is a Tournament Director Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
Arseus, I have done a good amount of testing with several other people on IRC and we concluded that Sweet Scent will advance either 1 or 2 frames depending on the game. Multiple people got both, but we do not know what causes it.
 

Nexus

Forever the Recusant
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
ok I'll address this point by point

I just skimmed this, but I have some comments/suggestions for you. Forgive the lack of flow in this post, but I'm just posting things as they come to mind.

First of all, a number of people have encountered problems with RadioSeed, so I would be careful with how I refer to that. I haven't used it however, so I can't vouch for its accuracy or lack thereof. Most of the problems I see were from people having delays outside the range they had RadioSeed search for, some computer problems that wouldn't let them access RadioSeed, or they didn't have all the message unlocked for RadioSeed to work properly. MinusOne mentions that it may not work properly if all the messages haven't been unlocked. The problem is finding out when these message are unlocked in the game and at what point they become available.

Is this really so? Something tells me that this was posted early on as a result of NPCs or roamers advancing the frame. "Varies from game to game" is something I don't really believe.
Yes, it was tested by other users prior if you look at the Sweet Scent Guide it's mentioned there to. and Ditto just posted right above.

Additionally, you refer to the bred Pokémon RNG as the IRNG, which I believe offhand is incorrect. In DPP, the IRNG was the RNG used for weather effects/Egg attributes sans EVs/Pokétch apps. In HGSS, since all Egg manipulation is handled through Elm/Joey calls and radio de-tuning, it is running off the main RNG. Hence, I'm not sure why you mention an IRNG at all.
The IRNG is still what is controlling the generation of Egg PIDs (natures, abilities, shininess etc), try calling elm and see if you can manipulate the egg's PID; it won't affect them at all. A simple test using the shiny egg tab on time finder would suffice find a frame greater than 1 and try using elm calls to reach it using Elm calls. I already noted that Joey calls affect the IRNG. Furthermore, that first paragraph was only referring to controlling the Egg Pokemon's PID the second is where I go into detail about manipulating Egg IVs, those run off the LCRNG or the main RNG whichever term you prefer. Elm calls run soley off the RNG and have no affect aside from IVs on egg attributes. Joey calls advance both the IRNG and main RNG so he can be used for both aspects. Albeit, I should have worded the intro to those paragraphs better.

I would also like to make some comments on the Pokégear. First of all, I think it should be noted that you can move
Don't even know what you mean by this sentence.

Additionally, I know that the way you have the Irwin responses the way they were originally listed in the research thread, but there is a much easier way to think of them, such that there is no need to convert. I think that going by "adventures" and such just adds an extra layer of confusion. The system I use is as follows:

E: Hearing about your escapades rocks my soul! It sure does!

The "e" from evolution equates to the "e" in escapades.

P: How are you? What are you doing? Where are you? How many Badges do you have now? How much money have you saved? How's your mom? Have you got lots of Pokémon? Is it going to be sunny tomorrow?
Arrgh, there's so much I want to chat about! This is going nowhere!

Now, instead of the immediate response (How are you?), you will be using the fact that he asks about Pokémon to identify this response with P. This still works, as none of his questions involve "e" or "k," and with practice, you will immediately associate "How are you?" with P.

K: I'm so glad you called! I was just about to call you, too! I guess we must be a good match!

This one is a bit more involved, but it is reliant upon the fact that the "c" in "called" makes the same sound as the letter "k." This message does reveal how Irwin calls are not perfectly matched to Elm calls, but I find using the above system is much easier than converting from a rather arbitrary system into the Elm messages. With the elimination of conversion, the advantages of Irwin and Elm are more distinct:

Irwin: Can be used by players with no access to Pokérus, and is available before the Kanto requirement to make Elm function correctly is fulfilled, allowing players to RNG Pokémon such as Lugia/Ho-Oh, the Red Gyarados, and Raikou/Entei the first time around.

Elm: Shorter overall messages (the longest Elm message is shorter than the longest message for Irwin), completely intuitive responses.

I like your associations between Elm and Irwin I'll change it to what you said.

Now, as for the radio. There is a post in the research thread that describes a much easier way of advancing the frame, and was posted a good while ago; if it's wrong, forgive me, but nobody has ever responded to the post to my knowledge, which leads me to believe that it has been largely unnoticed. It is by palkiaqua, as follows:



As the author states, this is much quicker and easier than the "conventional" method of dragging the pointer, and it makes the process a lot less stressful because you only have to worry about counting, as opposed to counting and not messing up the de-tuning. If this tip works (again, haven't tested it myself), then the advantages of the radio VS. Joey would be:

Radio: Faster, but as such, requires more diligent counting.

Joey: Easier to keep track of frame advancements, but moves at a slower pace.

I will test it, and if it proves to be true then I will change what I have written to that.

On that note, I think it would be nice to state that by generating a list of spreads appropriate to your method in the main window, it is possible to generate a list of Elm responses beyond the 12 initially offered. By taking a break from Joey/the radio when you approach your seed, you can instead call Elm and verify that your responses are in line with the frames you should be on at that point from your previous advances. If they are not, then you should evaluate why this is (For example, did you simply miss a call/de-tune or forget to count one? Or should you adjust when you are counting to prevent errors?), and subsequently correct your position with the appropriate advances. To allow for a good amount of responses (so you can gauge where you are) and potential correction time, you should probably do this when you think you are about 15-20 frames away from the target frame. This effectively means that unless there is NPC movement, or you miscalculate your target frame (forgetting to subtract the monster, for example), you will always be able to hit your spread, since you know that you are hitting the exact frame. This is a large advantage over DPP, in my opinion, and while it is somewhat acknowledged in the breeding section, and given a link to a forum post, it's a pretty valuable mechanic for beginners during any type of manipulation (experienced RNG abusers will have little use for it when not aiming for exceptionally large frames, however). As such, I think it deserves a mention in the guide proper.

Will make a mention of the aforementioned, but in a more condensed form.

On that note, there are other advantages/disadvantages to HG/SS and DPP, which should probably be noted in such an article. For example, it is much faster to hit a high frame in DPP than in HG/SS. Joey calls are unequivocally slower than flipping the journal, and not as simple either, since you have to count each individual call, whereas with the journal, you know exactly how many pages you have with captured/defeated Pokémon messages, and how many advances you will get when you flip to the end of the book. I have not compared the time of "quickly" de-tuning the radio and flipping the journal, but again, the former must be counted much more meticulously than the journal. As such, the skill of hitting higher delays (so that a higher frame can be obtained) is much more valuable in HG/SS than it was in DPP (though it comes into play for getting "legitimate" dates in both).

Conversely, it is much easier to obtain odd frames in HG/SS than it is in DPP. In the former, you need only make an extra Elm call/radio de-tune to turn an even frame to odd, whereas in DPP, you will have to take extra measures to obtain an odd frame, such as walking a certain amount of steps or having a roamer out.

Quick mentions of the aforementioned as well.


Now, returning to some other things I think need to be mentioned or addressed. First of all, the "export to .csv" function in "Seed to Time" is an excellent resource for HG/SS RNG abuse, perhaps more than DPP, since seed verification runs off the same RNG as frame advancement. To make abuse a lot easier, you should record your frames in the following format:

1| 2| 3| 4| 5

Where the numbers are the appropriate Elm responses, and the | is the character found on your keyboard. This makes it so that you can easily search through the exported .csv file (in a spreadsheet or word processing program), as equivalent Elm results to my above list are displayed as follows in the spreadsheet:

P| E| P| K| E|

By incorporating the | into your records, you make it much easier to search and find the exact responses you want. Furthermore, it is important to note that the final character in my format is not succeeded by a |. This is again to account for the .csv format, where the twelfth result is not succeeded by |. Depending on the number of advances that occur before you open the menu (more on this in a second), 5 could hypothetically be the last result.

This I don't find very useful, maybe not to the degree you do at least The. CSV file includes coin flips which are useless to HGSS RNG. Furthermore, I'd rather leave the results on Seed to Time and use the Search Elm or Search Roamers if I quickly wanted to locate what Seed I hit while abusing. Finally, I'd rather have the first twelve responses than just the first five for a seed.


To account for moving NPCs, I find that it is always best to do only a couple Elm responses at first (maybe five or so) to verify my seed, since I don't know how far along these five responses will lie. Doing twelve responses and a subsequent search will not always yield the correct results. For example, in my most recent RNG, my desired result looked like this:

(K skipped) K| K| P| E| P| K| E| E| E| E| E| P

When verifying, I advanced the frame to 12 by making the following calls:

P| E| P| K| E| E| E| E| E| P

In addition to the initial K call that was skipped (I had Entei roaming), two more Ks were skipped over thanks to NPCs. Had I recorded my first twelve calls as I had received them, I would have recorded something like this:

P| E| P| K| E| E| E| E| E| P| x| y

Where x and y are the next results for the seed. Obviously, had I searched for this in the spreadsheet, I would not have found the correct result, as the program would have looked for my sequence of twelve calls—two calls had been previously skipped, not due to a roamer, for which RNG Reporter accounts, but because there were NPCs in the area in which I was resetting. As such, when verifying a seed, you should only do maybe five or six Elm calls before searching, and using your seconds value (this should pretty much always be hit), and roamer location, determine the most reasonable result.

Ok I see what you mean here. I may change the number of recommended Elm Calls, but it doesn't convince me that a .CSV file would be more useful, if that wasn't your intention with this set of paragraphs, sorry just seems like it.


On the subject of roamers, it would be nice to see them elaborated upon in this guide as well. For most seeds that I have obtained, I have been able to reset immediately after seeing the roamer on the map, knowing I was maybe 2 or 4 away from my desired delay. That said, you should always catch the Pokémon the first time you are trying to get your delay, and verify the seed that way—I think RNG Reporter allows you to export .csv files with delays + or - 90 or so from your desired delay, but your actual delay (before any adjustments) may be outside that range. Additionally, while you are still adjusting, it is always best to ensure that the Elm responses match the full range of those displayed in RNG Reporter for your suspected delay.

Make a note of that.

I have also found that there are two ways to perform many actions in the game (related to the RNG abuse process), many of which have specific advantages and disadvantages, or at the very least, RNG abuse implications.

For instance, there are two ways of starting the game: pressing the A button at every prompt, or by tapping the touchscreen repeatedly, and tapping the "continue" button to begin. I would imagine the timing for each of those differs, so you should stick to one or the other when RNG abusing. There are also two ways to scroll down on the menu; you may either opt to press the arrow in the righthand corner of the touchscreen, then the arrow in the top corner, or you can scroll down with the directional pad, and scroll back up to Continue. I find that the latter is quicker, which is best for if you are trying to hit a delay that is very low. Finally, there are two separate ways to open the Pokégear. The first is by tapping the icon on the touchscreen, and the second is by pressing X when the game loads, and either selecting it or tapping it then. The latter is preferable, as when the menu is "open" with X, all NPCs are frozen, and it is much easier to tap the Pokégear icon then than finding it when the game loads; in other words, it is easier to tap a button than to find an icon on the touchscreen. Finally, there are two ways to exit the Pokégear. The first is by pressing B once to exit, and then B again to "close" the menu and properly enter the overworld, whereupon you will want to initiate the encounter with the Pokémon you want, or obtain your Egg. The other way is to press the arrow in the bottom righthand corner of the Pokégear screen, which takes you directly to the overworld, bypassing the menu entirely. The former is better for wild encounters, as while the menu is open, NPCs are still frozen, and you can then navigate to "Pokémon," and activate your Sweet Scent without ever closing the menu screen. Conversely, the latter is arguably better for everything else, as while the Pokégear is closing, you can begin mashing A, in order to initiate your encounter; by closing it with B, you need to subsequently press A, which I have found to be more difficult.

Again another mention of which is the recommended method.

As for minimizing the effect of NPCs on your frame, saving the game right after an NPC moves will minimize the effect of them moving again (or so I have found). This is especially important for something such as the Red Gyarados; if you save right in front of it, after it moves into this position, it should never move before you have a chance to engage it in battle (provided you use the methods I described in the previous paragraph).

Will mention this.


On the note of the Red Gyarados, I think it is worth creating a section for Pokémon with methods of RNGing specific to HG/SS; namely, Raikou/Entei/Latios/Latias from the Elite Four, and Red Gyarados, as they may be problematic for many users. I know you have already mentioned them both in passing (with more depth for the latter), but I think that they deserve their own sections on how to RNG abuse them effectively. That way, there is only one place where a user needs to go to find out how to RNG abuse in HG/SS for the vast majority of Pokémon, rather than using auxiliary forum guides. For the Red Gyarados, it should be mentioned that you will want to search in Time Finder for spreads in method K in a search just for IVs; for this you should not use a synchronizer, your trainer ID or secret ID, a desired nature, or an ability. Then you will need to get each of these seeds and go through the process you mentioned of searching in the main window for spreads of the correct nature (for this you need both TID and SID). For the roamers, there is a good guide in the RNG help thread, and also a different guide for RadioSeed (again, which people seem to have trouble with). In my opinion, more people will need to abuse these Pokémon than something like Pokéwalker Pokémon, and they are different from anything encountered in DPP; therefore, I would say they merit an in-depth mention in this guide. Especially since the Red Gyarados is difficult to find information for right now.

I am aware of the existing guide for the roamers in OmegaDonut's post on the first page, so I will include that here. For the Red Gyarados, I don't think an in-depth guide on how to abuse it is necessary since you can abuse it like you would most other Pokemon. I already noted that it moves. I will add that synchronizers have no affect on it. I am not sure whether I will mention that bit about using Time Finder, as there is a much faster method using PokeRNG. Furthermore, you don't need to limit your search to Method K, you can use Method 1 as well, just pointing that out. I am not sure who posted that other guide on RadioSeed so if someone knows and can post a link here or the username that would help.

Finally, a small tidbit: since Joey only has one message that will advance the RNG, it may be useful to note it in the guide, since you have noted every other call response. That way, there is absolutely no doubt whatsoever when Joey is or isn't advancing the RNG properly. I know you have noted his rematch times, but I think that this is useful to note nonetheless. Joey's response is as follows:

Hello. This is Joey. . . How's it going, [Trainer Name]? I'm checking out RATTATA's moves and devising some strategies. When I come up with a good one, let's battle! All right. Later!

That's all I can think of at the moment, but as I mentioned at the beginning of my post, I have not really read this very thoroughly. However, I would like to note that unless I have expressed my own uncertainty, all of my advice comes from my own recent HeartGold RNG manipulation endeavours, so it is tested, practical advice that should come in handy for your guide. I'll have another look at this later, but please let me know if you have any comments or questions concerning this post. I did this in bits and pieces, so let me know if anything came out incoherent.
Ok, well I think I addressed most of your points, I agreed with most of them and will be implementing them shortly. As for the .CSV file thing, if you want to fight for the addition of that bit of info your welcome to but right now it seems pointless, with the only thing being that should the user want to keep a file that they can access outside of RNG reporter then they should use that, but I'd rather use Seed to Time to search for roamer locations and possible elm responses.
 
Arseus, I have done a good amount of testing with several other people on IRC and we concluded that Sweet Scent will advance either 1 or 2 frames depending on the game. Multiple people got both, but we do not know what causes it.
Okay, I didn't even know that this was properly tested; this is admittedly one of the reasons that this guide is necessary. I always got a frame of 2 when Sweet Scenting, though this is of course one of the possible options.

Most of the problems I see were from people having delays outside the range they had RadioSeed search for, some computer problems that wouldn't let them access RadioSeed, or they didn't have all the message unlocked for RadioSeed to work properly. MinusOne mentions that it may not work properly if all the messages haven't been unlocked. The problem is finding out when these message are unlocked in the game and at what point they become available.
Okay, then these issues should be noted directly in the post. Right now RadioSeed has a smaller section than the Pokéwalker, while I am pretty sure more users will be in a situation where they want to use the former as opposed to the latter.

The IRNG is still what is controlling the generation of Egg PIDs (natures, abilities, shininess etc), try calling elm and see if you can manipulate the egg's PID; it won't affect them at all. A simple test using the shiny egg tab on time finder would suffice find a frame greater than 1 and try using elm calls to reach it using Elm calls. I already noted that Joey calls affect the IRNG. Furthermore, that first paragraph was only referring to controlling the Egg Pokemon's PID the second is where I go into detail about manipulating Egg IVs, those run off the LCRNG or the main RNG whichever term you prefer. Elm calls run soley off the RNG and have no affect aside from IVs on egg attributes. Joey calls advance both the IRNG and main RNG so he can be used for both aspects. Albeit, I should have worded the intro to those paragraphs better.
Again, this is something that should be noted then. Without this clarification, it is not clear that Joey advances both the RNG and the IRNG, or that calling Elm only advances the regular RNG (and that you can therefore call Elm and verify your seed without advancing the IRNG). There are also no mentions of shiny Eggs whatsoever in that paragraph, so I think, as you mentioned, that section may be in need of a bit of a revamp.

Don't even know what you mean by this sentence.
Sorry, this one is completely my fault. As I mentioned, I did this in bits and pieces, and this appears to be an unfinished thought. I meant to say that you can move the locations of the various registered numbers in your Pokégear, so that Irwin/Elm and Joey can be placed at the top, reducing any need to scroll through the numbers to access them. Again, sorry about that!

I may change the number of recommended Elm Calls, but it doesn't convince me that a .CSV file would be more useful, if that wasn't your intention with this set of paragraphs, sorry just seems like it.
I will concede that there isn't really any advantage to exporting a .csv file if you are just aiming for a legendary in an area in which there are no NPCs. Additionally, unless you are aiming for a very low frame, there is no reason to do any less than ten or twelve Elm calls in such an area. However, I think I have made it fairly clear that it is incredibly useful where there are some. I would have to retest RNG Reporter before I say anything concrete, but it searches for the first ten responses, does it not? Again, it does not take into account NPCs, so if your frame has already been advanced by three or more (which can happen), you won't find your seed by searching for ten responses. The .csv file also exports roamer locations (assuming you enter them while generating), so while I also admit that it is easier to search multiple roamers in RNG Reporter, it's not as though you can't see roamer locations at all in the .csv. I'm not saying it has to replace what you currently have entirely, but from my experience, a .csv has been immensely useful where NPCs are a factor.

I am aware of the existing guide for the roamers in OmegaDonut's post on the first page, so I will include that here. For the Red Gyarados, I don't think an in-depth guide on how to abuse it is necessary since you can abuse it like you would most other Pokemon. I already noted that it moves. I will add that synchronizers have no affect on it. I am not sure whether I will mention that bit about using Time Finder, as there is a much faster method using PokeRNG. Furthermore, you don't need to limit your search to Method K, you can use Method 1 as well, just pointing that out. I am not sure who posted that other guide on RadioSeed so if someone knows and can post a link here or the username that would help.
As I mentioned in passing, you already provide a pretty good foundation for the Red Gyarados, but I don't really see how abusing it is "like most other Pokémon" when we have discussed the cases which clearly distinguish it as its own entity (the closest you will get is a chained shiny, which doesn't have a guide on-site). If you add the necessary information (I am still convinced you should note Time Finder, but I'll elaborate on that next), everyone should have a clear understanding of how to abuse for it. It isn't dramatically different from most Pokémon, I'll give you that, but it is clearly different in the way it is set up, and as such, I think we need to completely describe said set up.

Now, as for Time Finder. You say there is a much faster method using PokéRNG. That's all well and good to justify your answer to me, but you make no mention of it in the guide, so it's currently useless to the reader. Additionally, I don't know what the site policy is on linking to external programs (unless things have changed, there are different standards for what external links are okay for the site compared to the forums), so you might have to talk to a higher-up about RadioSeed and PokéRNG. They are by Smogon users, so I think that you should be okay, but again, you might want to get cleared by someone. There's also the risk of linking to too many programs; there is a faster way to do wondercards with a different program as well, but it is listed in the RNG thread, rather than mingot's guide. As such, I think it's best that you do list the Time Finder information, to remain consistent with RNG Reporter, and to explain where exactly you are getting the IVs (and how). Otherwise it is not immediately clear. For example, someone might try to search for their shiny spreads, then subsequently check the nature through the Chained Shiny method.

Additionally, I don't know for certain if Synchronizers don't work, or if we just don't know how they work right now (I recall the option for a synch nature was greyed out in RNG Reporter, but the Chained Shiny method is admittedly still "Theoretical". Upon seeing MinusOne's post again, I think that may actually be the guide I of which I was thinking when I made my post.

Honestly, the largest "issue" I see here is that while you can provide me with valid responses to my concerns, your responses often follow the format of "This is because of x," where x is something that isn't mentioned in the guide. It should be pretty clear why this is a bit of a problem; the reason that this guide is necessary is that much HG/SS RNG information is somewhat dispersed, but then you go on to mention more information that you have outside the article. In some cases, relevant information is contained in the links you provide, but the links should really just supplement the main article, which should be sure to include the majority of information on HeartGold/SoulSilver. If you adapt most of the information in your reply to the main guide, you will be effectively addressing the vast majority of my issues.

Admittedly, my other concern is that you mention making "quick" references to a couple points; I understand that there is no need to extend the guide beyond what it needs to be, and that there is a need to be clear and concise. However, I would also like to state that it is incredibly important not to gloss over information, or omit useful information from the guide proper.

Now, I have two other comments to make in addition to everything above:

It might be worth creating a section on "Finding your SID," and moving the relevant information out of the Red Gyarados section. The reason being that everyone who has not caught the Red Gyarados in HG/SS will be able to find their Secret ID by catching multiples, while chaining in DPP is much more of a hassle. Additionally, once you add the shiny information in the breeding section, there will be multiple categories which feature shiny information, so it is likely worth having a centralized location where information to finding your Secret ID ls located. This can also be used to make things more explicit (for example, you can never use just one Red Gyarados to try to calculate your SID, since it is a "chained" shiny as opposed to a regular one).

Most notably, Munchlax with the event move Selfdestruct always have the ability Thick Fat with a Careful nature.
I just read WildEep's post, and I'm led to believe that some combinations are "very hard" to get, not that there's only one possible combination. Are you referring to a different post?
 

mingot

free agent
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Admin Alumnusis a Top Researcher Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis an Administrator Alumnus
Arseus, I have done a good amount of testing with several other people on IRC and we concluded that Sweet Scent will advance either 1 or 2 frames depending on the game. Multiple people got both, but we do not know what causes it.
1 Seems pretty impossible.

Mainly because an RNG call is necessary to determine what the monster should be.
 
It might be necessary to see some sort of logs for the Sweet Scent tests, then. Again, as I have stated, I always got a frame of 2 (same as DPP) when I used Sweet Scent. Since we're on this topic, I think I may have had my Pokémon following me as well (though I am not certain). Is it possible that it is not the following Pokémon, but NPCs in the area that led to an unpredictable frame?
 

Ditto

/me huggles
is a Tournament Director Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
It might be necessary to see some sort of logs for the Sweet Scent tests, then. Again, as I have stated, I always got a frame of 2 (same as DPP) when I used Sweet Scent. Since we're on this topic, I think I may have had my Pokémon following me as well (though I am not certain). Is it possible that it is not the following Pokémon, but NPCs in the area that led to an unpredictable frame?
I tested multiple times with sweet scent with 3 different pokemon following me with the same seed, in same area with no NPCs, wandering or stationary. 2 pokemon advanced it by 1 frame, 1 pokemon advanced by 2 frames, however they always advanced consistently with those amounts.
 
Stuff in bold seems to be a copy-paste repeat, and bold italics mean that a multiple-word phrase is repeated. I suggest changing the second of them to "One of the best changes from DPP is that..." but it's up to you.

Wondercard Pokémon still have their IVs generated through the Wondercard IVs Method, which is the Method 1 frame + 2 frames. The nature of a Wondercard Pokémon is dependent on the specific Wondercard you are abusing; it can be random or set, much like in DPP. However, unlike in DPP, HGSS has Wondercard Pokémon still have their IVs generated through the Wondercard IVs Method, which is the Method 1 frame + 2 frames. The nature of a Wondercard Pokémon is dependent on the specific Wondercard you are abusing; it can be random or set, much like in DPP. However, unlike in DPP, HGSS has PokéMarts without wandering NPCs. Therefore, you don’t have to constantly worry about a potential NPC movement ruining your RNG advancements or seed verification. The PokéMarts in Cerulean City and Fuchsia City do not have wandering NPCs.
without wandering NPCs. Therefore, you don’t have to constantly worry about a potential NPC movement ruining your RNG advancements or seed verification. The Wondercard Pokémon still have their IVs generated through the Wondercard IVs Method, which is the Method 1 frame + 2 frames. The nature of a Wondercard Pokémon is dependent on the specific Wondercard you are abusing; it can be random or set, much like in DPP. However, unlike in DPP, HGSS has PokéMarts without wandering NPCs. Therefore, you don’t have to constantly worry about a potential NPC movement ruining your RNG advancements or seed verification. The PokéMarts in Cerulean City and Fuchsia City do not have wandering NPCs.
in Cerulean City and Fuchsia City do not have wandering NPCs.
 

Wild Eep

pet pet pet
is a Forum Moderatoris a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Researcher Alumnus
I just read WildEep's post, and I'm led to believe that some combinations are "very hard" to get, not that there's only one possible combination. Are you referring to a different post?
As far as Munchlax is concerned, this makes Selfdestruct + Sassy + Thick Fat very difficult to get*, and Selfdestruct + Careful + Pickup impossible.
I think this is where Nexus is getting the Careful + Thick Fat connection from.

The more appropriate description, I think, would be "Most notably, Munchlax with the event move Selfdestruct, if they have a Careful nature, will always have the ability Thick Fat." or something equivalent but with better prose.
 

Zari

What impossible odds?
is a Contributor Alumnus
Changes in RNG Manipulation of Wondercard Pokémon

Wondercard Pokémon still have their IVs generated through the Wondercard IVs Method, which is the Method 1 frame + 2 frames. The nature of a Wondercard Pokémon is dependent on the specific Wondercard you are abusing; it can be random or set, much like in DPP. However, unlike in DPP, HGSS has Wondercard Pokémon still have their IVs generated through the Wondercard IVs Method, which is the Method 1 frame + 2 frames. The nature of a Wondercard Pokémon is dependent on the specific Wondercard you are abusing; it can be random or set, much like in DPP. However, unlike in DPP, HGSS has PokéMarts without wandering NPCs. Therefore, you don’t have to constantly worry about a potential NPC movement ruining your RNG advancements or seed verification. The PokéMarts in Cerulean City and Fuchsia City do not have wandering NPCs.
without wandering NPCs. Therefore, you don’t have to constantly worry about a potential NPC movement ruining your RNG advancements or seed verification. The Wondercard Pokémon still have their IVs generated through the Wondercard IVs Method, which is the Method 1 frame + 2 frames. The nature of a Wondercard Pokémon is dependent on the specific Wondercard you are abusing; it can be random or set, much like in DPP. However, unlike in DPP, HGSS has PokéMarts without wandering NPCs. Therefore, you don’t have to constantly worry about a potential NPC movement ruining your RNG advancements or seed verification. The PokéMarts in Cerulean City and Fuchsia City do not have wandering NPCs.
in Cerulean City and Fuchsia City do not have wandering NPCs.
The red portions are pieces of information that got duplicated/messed up and should be removed. Other than that, looks pretty good; I'll take a look at the pokewalker zip file when I get home and compare it with the post I made in the research thread; I hand searched through the minimum 2400 possibilities required to find all spreads (using correlations between altering certain numbers of the seed)

If we want to include how to go through by hand and pick out spreads, I can provide a quick write up/info of what I did to reduce the searching required.
 

Nexus

Forever the Recusant
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
@Arseus

WildEep addressed your concerns about Munchlax.

The syncrhonizer part about the Red Gyarados will change when more is learned about how synchronizers affect it. If no one continues with it, then it will stay that synchronizers should not be used.

As for the Finding your SID using the red gyarados. Fine, I'll make it a seperate section.

As for the rest, I already admitted that some sections lacked information and I will be fixing that, specifically the Breeding one. I was working on one but due to an error while posting it I have to re-do it.

@ Zari and Vesper fixed what you mentioned.
 

Nexus

Forever the Recusant
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
ok so the OP has been updated with the latest version of this guide, the following changes have been implemented:

-Went more in-depth on the discrepences between DPP and HGSS for stuff like wild Pokemon RNG.
-Edited the breeding section to talk a little about what characteristics of an egg Pokemon are affected by the IRNG and used Shiny Egg tab on RNG reporter to search for suitable Egg PIDs.
-Most of Arseus changes have been implemented.
-RadioSeed is now its own section right after the radio info to discuss it a bit more.
-Finding your SID using the Red Gyarados is now a mini step-by-step guide at the bottom of the article.
-Included guide on abusing the Roamers.

I am thinking about moving all the posts I link to in the middle of certain sections to the bottom as extra info/helpful links, but I would like to hear thoughts on that.

Additionally, I'm not to sure on the placement of the Red Gyarados guide I may place it after the breeding section or if anyone else has a better idea feel free to mention it.
 

Nexus

Forever the Recusant
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
post above has been addressed through PMs.
I have added one more paragraph concerning the recent findings on Bug Catching Contest abuse and replaced the Microsoft word apostrophes. So, I guess this is ready for GP checks.
 

Flora

Yep, that tasted purple!
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Researcher Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
It seems like the hide tags in the middle of the guide messes up with my hide tags so I won't hide the edits.

GP Check 1/2:
additions/changes/comments in blue
removals in red

With the release of HeartGold and SoulSilver, players had to adapt to a few changes in the method of fourth generation RNG manipulation. The lack of the Pokétch and Journal, which were present in DPP, forced players to discover new techniques for RNG advancement and seed verification. The following is a compilation of the changes for every aspect of RNG manipulation in HGSS, along with new forms of RNG manipulation introduced in those games.

Calibration

The method of calibration, outlined in Common Information for Breeding and Capturing Perfect Pokémon, hasn't changed from DPP to HGSS. However, the delay range has gone through a significant decrease, from the 590-640 range found in DPP to a range of about 490-520 in HGSS.

Delay

The same methods used to change the delay in DP are applicable to HGSS. Changing the year changes the delay, adding a certain number of years decreases the delay by that same number, (comma) and vice-versa. Removing or inserting a third generation cartridge (i got stumbled into confusion here so adding this in) when you have unlocked Pal Park changes the delay from even to odd and vice-versa. Now in HGSS, scrolling down then back up the opening menu (the menu that displays the Continue, New Game, Connect to PokéWalker options) adds 1 to the delay. There is a set of arrows located on the opening menu to scroll up and down quickly, which is useful if you have a low delay and can't waste time scrolling using the D-pad. Furthermore, you can now use the touch screen to access the Continue option, as well as use the A button. Using the A button is preferred because you may have to tap the Continue option on the touch screen multiple times with the stylus before the game registers the action, which during this time you would have most likely skipped pass your desired delay.
(spaced)
Methods of RNG Advancement and Seed Verification

The PokéGear is the primary source for RNG advancement in HGSS. Specifically, the radio and phone applications on the PokéGear are used to advance the RNG. Calling certain NPCs on the phone advances the RNG by a set number of frames, while the radio advances the RNG by a number of frames depending on the station used and the show that happens to be on at that time. User OmegaDonut has complied a list on the number of frame advancements for each show:

Show Advancements Location on radio screen
Pokémon Music 1 frame or none (inconsistent) Upper-left
Pokémon Talk 14-18 frames (inconsistent) Upper-right
That Town, These People 3 frames (inconsistent) Lower-left
Buena's Password None Lower-right
Trainer Profiles 3 frames (inconsistent) Lower-left
Pokémon Search Party 1 frame Lower-right
Serial Radio Drama 1 frame Lower-right

(are there changes between being in kanto or johto? different stations at different regions? if so, maybe you can label the region. if not, ignore this.)

Radio Seed

Unlike in DPP, players can keep track of their current frame and frame advancements. Through the use of the radio shows Pokémon Search Party and Serial radio Drama, players can keep track of their current frame based on the message displayed on the radio for that show. User MinusOne has created a program, RadioSeed, which displays the sequence of radio messages corresponding to a particular seed and the message belonging to a specific frame. RadioSeed can be downloaded here, and a guide on how to use it can be found here. The necessary information to use RadioSeed includes: target delay, delay range, date, hour, minute, target second, and seconds range. The target delay, target second, date, hour, minute, and second can be obtained by using the Seed to Time option on the RNG Reporter for your seed. The values for the delay and second range are at your discretion, so pick a range that you feel is appropriate. Serial Radio Drama and Pokémon Search Party are the shows which sequence of message RadioSeed uses for seed verification and frame tracking. Additionally, RadioSeed has a function that displays Elm responses for a seed, as well as individual responses for frames, so it can be used as an alternative to the RNG Reporter when generating a list of Elm responses for past the 12 displayed by Seed to Time. However, RadioSeed does not factor in roamers when it displays Elm responses for seed verification. Errors in the radio message can be attributed to the following: hitting delays outside the range RadioSeed searched for or not having unlocked all the messages for RadioSeed to work properly. Unfortunately, the latter issue is more difficult to resolve, as it is not certain when specific messages are unlocked in the game and at what point they become available. Finally, it is best to let the message as it is displayed by RadioSeed present itself on the radio screen, (comma) otherwise (removed comma) the radio will repeat the message from the previous frame for your current frame, which will give incorrect results on RadioSeed.

Finally, the radio does not work in caves and atop Bell Tower.

Making phone calls to various NPCs in the game advances the RNG. Currently, there are three NPCs verified to consistently advance the RNG by a set number of frames: Prof. Elm, Youngster Joey, and Juggler Irwin.

Prof. Elm gives you his phone number at the beginning of the game as you're leaving New Bark Town, but to effectively use him for RNG advancement and seed verification you need to achieve certain requirements, in no particular order.

1) Visited the Kanto region.
2) Shown Prof. Elm a Togepi hatched in HGSS (it can be any Togepi, not just the one given to you by Mr. Pokémon).
3) Shown the Pokémon Center Nurse a Pokérus infected/cured Pokémon.

Once these requisites have been met, every time you call Prof. Elm he will give one of three messages:

K: “I expect there are some Pokémon in the Kanto region that I don't know. There are probably methods of evolution that I'm not familiar with yet. I should use that perspective and discover what I can.”
E: “There are so many different ways that Pokémon evolve, aren't there?! Some Pokémon don't evolve until they meet certain conditions first!”
P: “It seems that Pokémon that have been infected with Pokérus level up better. We're not quite sure why…”

K refers to Kanto, E to Evolution, and P to Pokérus. Prof. Elm repeats these messages in a pattern, which can help in verifying your seed. Additionally, each frame has its own corresponding Elm message. For example, Frame 6 for the seed 610A001E has a P, so when you call Prof. Elm on that frame he will tell you about Pokérus. Therefore, you can use Elm calls to keep track of your frame. The “Seed to Time” on the RNG Reporter, as of version 8.00, lists the first twelve Elm responses for a seed and has a function that lets the user search for a seed based on the first ten Elm responses. Seed to Time also lets you input a range of delays and seconds to search for; the maximum delay range is ±99 Delays and ±9 seconds. Although Seed to Time can be used to verify a seed based on Elm responses, it does have limits. Most notably, should an event that advances the RNG—an NPC moving—then the sequence of Elm responses will change and the Search Elm function will not produce a correct result, if any result at all. For example, let's assume the RNG Reporter produces the sequence (E skipped) K, P, E, P, K, K, P, E, E, E, P, K for an arbitrary seed with one roamer. Now, if I want to check if I hit my seed I would enter this information into Search Elm, with K being the first response I should receive when calling Elm. However, if an NPC should turn and advance the RNG by 1 frame, then the first call I would make would produce the P message. Performing the subsequent calls would produce the sequence: P, E, P, K, K, P, E, E, E, P, K, X (X being the next of the three letters used in the sequence for this seed). If you enter this information you would receive an incorrect result from Search Elm. Fortunately, you can get around this by only taking note of the first 5-6 Elm responses and using other information like the seconds and roamer location to deduce your seed. Therefore, you save time by making only the 5-6 Elm calls, in the case of a prior RNG advancement, and using other available information.

Youngster Joey is the first trainer you battle on Route 30. After the battle, you can register his phone number in the PokéGear. Afterwards, each time you call Joey—at times when he doesn't want a rematch—the RNG will advance by 2 frames. Joey asks for a rematch on Monday from 10:00-20:00. Joey's message when he doesn't want a rematch is the following:

“Hello. This is Joey . . . How's it going, [Trainer Name]? I'm checking out RATTATA's moves and devising some strategies. When I come up with a good one, let's battle! All right. Later!”

Furthermore, Joey repeats the same message, so he can't be used for seed verification. Unlike Elm and Irwin, calling Joey also advances the IRNG by 2 when he doesn't want a rematch. So, Joey calls are a great tool when RNG breeding, and a decent replacement for the Pokétch Apps from DPP.

Juggler Irwin is found on Route 35, and after you battle him, you can register his phone number. Afterwards, each time you call Irwin the RNG advances by 1 frame. Furthermore, Irwin calls display three messages, like Prof. Elm does when you call him, so they can be used for seed verification and frame tracking. Irwin displays the following message when you call him:

K: “I'm so glad you called! I was just about to call you, too! I guess we must be a good match!”
E: “Hearing about your escapades rocks my soul! It sure does!”
P: “How are you? What are you doing? Where are you? How many Badges do you have now? How much money have you saved? How's your mom? Have you got lots of Pokémon? Is it going to be sunny tomorrow? Arrgh, there's so much I want to chat about! This is going nowhere!”

K refers to Call, E to Escapade, and P to Pokémon (specifically to when he asks “Have you got lots of Pokémon?”). Similar to Prof. Elm, Irwin repeats these messages in a pattern, so you can use these responses to verify your seed and keep track of your frame. You can track frames and verify your seed using the same combination of K, E, and P produced by Elm responses on the RNG Reporter. Irwin calls are perfect for players who want to RNG Pokémon early in their games, especially those who wish to RNG Raikou or Entei at Burned Tower. After you have visited Kanto, it is best to use Elm calls simply because the RNG Reporter uses Elm call results and it become intuitive as you RNG and use Seed to Time, which displays the Elm message. Furthermore, it seems that Irwin calls are ineffective during the Team Rocket incident at Goldenrod Radio Tower, but work fine once Team Rocket has abandoned Goldenrod Radio Tower. Irwin calls are a good alternative for players who lack the means to obtain Pokérus for fulfill the Elm calls requirement. Finally, unlike Youngster Joey, Irwin does not ask for a rematch, so you can call him anytime.

The phone does not work inside the Pokémon League and in Lugia's room in the Whirl Islands. Furthermore, you can sort the list of phone numbers to make Juggler Irwin, Prof. Elm, and Youngster Joey's phone numbers more easily accessible.

Similar to DPP, roaming Pokémon in HGSS advance the RNG by a certain number of frames depending on the number of roamers on the map. However, contrary to DPP, a roamer in HGSS can advance the RNG by up to 2 frames; the number of frames a roamer advances the RNG by is dependent on the seed and the location the roamers are at when you save. Furthermore, the roamer locations can be used to verify your seed, as when the game loads the roamers will appear at certain location depending on the initial seed. The “Seed to Time” option on the RNG Reporter, as of version 8.00, lists the roamer locations for a range of seeds. Additionally, it has a function that allows the user to search for a seed on a specified range of delays and seconds based on the roamer locations. User Romsstar has posted a guide on how to use the roamers for seed verification, as well as information on the use of Elm calls for seed verification and RNG advancement. The roamers are most effective for seed verification when all 3 are on the map. With fewer roamers, (comma) the it becomes more difficult it will be to verify your seed with them (removed comma) as multiple seeds may have the same roamer locations. Having only one roamer out makes seed verification solely with roamer locations exceedingly as there will definitely be seeds that share the same roamer location. (period) If you're unlucky, (comma) seeds that share the same locations will be adjacent to each other (removed comma) so you will have to rely on precision and other information such as Elm responses to accurately identify the delay and seconds you hit. Although the roamer method can generate accurate results, it is best to not use them when initially attempting to hit a certain delay. The reason is that the delay you end up hitting the first time may be outside of the range that Seed to Time can display. Initially, you should capture a Pokémon to verify the delay you hit with accuracy. Furthermore, you can make all the first 12 Elm calls to verify your seed while you are still adjusting.

The methods of RNG advancements described above can be combined to advance the RNG faster. Enter your seed into the Seed (Hex) box on the main window of the RNG Reporter, change the Method to the appropriate one, then click Generate will to produce the remaining Elm responses, along with the initial 12 responses given by Seed to Time (removed comma) and their respective frames for that seed. Then, using radio advancements to advance the RNG by up by to 18 frames depending on the show and/or Joey calls to advance the RNG by 2 frames, you can reach higher frames faster while keeping track of your current frame. When using the radio or Joey calls to advance the RNG quickly, it is best to stop 15-20 frames prior to your target frame and start using Elm or Irwin calls at that point to gauge how close you are to your target frame and to make any corrections to your remaining advancements. Simply make a number of Elm or Irwin calls, observe the responses, and locate the list of frames that correspond to that sequence of calls. If it appears the sequence of calls deviates from the frame you should be on from your previous advancements then consider the following: did you miscount the number of radio advancements or Joey calls? If there are NPCs in the area, could they have moved prior to starting your RNG advancements? Is the method of RNG advancement inconsistent at times (some radio shows can advance the RNG by an inconsistent number of frames)? Essentially, with the ability to check your current frame, you should be able to hit your target frame most of the time; any discrepancies (reword this to a simpler synonym like "differences") that caused you to miss it are probably due to an NPC movement or an error while calculating the target frame when factoring the monster frame.

A few more methods of RNG advancement that were effective in DPP have become useless in HGSS. The 128 steps advancement that advances the RNG by a number of frames equal to the number of Pokémon in your party every 128 steps is inconsistent in HGSS. Turning or taking a step in an area with wild Pokémon no longer advances the RNG by 1 frame. (period) Instead, (comma) the number of frame advanced by turning or taking a step in an area with wild Pokémon can range from 0-4 frames.

Advancing the RNG is quicker in DPP compared to HGSS. Since you know the number of pages have a message that advances the RNG when using the journal, you can just flip from one page to another and keep count of each flip. However in HGSS, if you use Joey calls, which also advance the RNG by 2 frames, you must wait for Joey to pick up the phone, then for him to complete his message, (comma) and hang up. While advancing the RNG may be faster in DPP, achieving an odd frame in HGSS is easier due to the existence of Irwin/Elm calls, which advance the RNG by 1 frame. In DPP, generally you had to either perform the 128 steps advancement with an odd number of Pokémon in your party (only in areas without wild Pokémon) or have a roamer wandering around Sinnoh.

Since HGSS utilizes the touch screen more than DPP, there are multiple ways to access items and options such as the PokéGear. There are two ways to access the PokéGear: press X to bring up the menu and select it from there or using the stylus and tapping the PokéGear icon. In areas with wandering NPCs, it is best to use the X button and bring up the menu, as that will stop the NPCs from moving and you won't have to waste time finding the PokéGear icon and opening it by touching the screen. The PokéGear can be exited in two ways: the first involves using the B button to exit the PokéGear, which will take you to the menu, then pressing it again to exit the menu; (semi-colon) the second is using the arrow located on the bottom right-hand of the PokéGear to exit it, (comma) and skip the menu, (comma) and take you directly to the overworld. The first option is best used for Sweet Scented Pokémon, as you can stay on the menu when you exit the PokéGear and can head to the Pokémon (? Pokemon party menu?) and have your Pokémon Sweet Scent without ever leaving the menu. Thereby By doing this, you never run the risk of a random NPC movement ruining your RNG advancements. The second option is best for stuff like breeding and encounters that involve interacting with the Pokémon in the overworld (ex: Red Gyarados). The reason is while Because you are exiting the PokéGear you can just start mash the A button and quickly pick up the Egg or interact with the Pokémon, which is especially important if there are wandering NPCs in the area.

Changes in RNG Manipulation of Wild and Gift Pokémon

The greatest change from DPP RNG manipulation of wild Pokémon was the introduction of a new method of generating the PIDs of wild Pokémon. Every wild Pokémon, bar the roamers and the Red Gyarados, is generated through Method K. No Pokémon in HGSS is generated through Method J. The roamers, like in DPP, are generated through Method 1. The Red Gyarados is generated as a chained shiny. (period) More information about the Red Gyarados will be provided later in this section.

The following is a list of Method K Pokémon, their starting frames, and if there are wandering NPCs in the area they are located in:

Pokémon Monster Frame Wandering NPC(s)
Sweet Scented Pokémon in Grass 1 or 2* Depends on Area
Sweet Scented Pokémon in Cave/Building 1 or 2* Depends on Area
Sweet Scented Pokémon in Water 2 or 3* Depends on Area
Fished Pokémon 4 Depends on Area
Headbutt tree Pokémon 3 Depends on Area
Ho-Oh 1 No
Lugia 1 No
Suicune 1 No
Articuno 1 No
Zapdos 1 No
Moltres 1 No
Mewtwo 1 No
Groudon 1 No
Kyogre 1 No
Rayquaza 1 No
Latios (Enigma Stone Event) 1 Yes
Latias (Enigma Stone Event) 1 Yes
Sudowoodo 1 Yes
Snorlax 1 Yes
Lapras 1 Yes

*In HGSS, the starting frame for Sweet Scented Pokémon varies from game to game, but once you determine what the monster frame for your game is it remains consistent for any future RNG attempts. Furthermore, having your lead Pokémon follow you in the over world makes the monster frame for Sweet Scenting inconsistent so it is best to Sweet Scent while on your Bicycle, when possible.

The following is a list of Method 1 Pokémon found in HGSS, their starting frames, and if there are wandering NPCs in the area they are located in:

Pokémon Monster Frame Wandering NPC(s)
Chikorita 1 No
Cyndaquil 5 No
Totodile 9 No
Togepi (from Mr. Pokémon Egg) 1 Yes
Raikou 1* No
Entei 6* No
Eevee (from Bill) 1 Yes
Goldenrod Game Corner Pokémon 1 No
Celadon Game Corner Pokémon 1 Yes
Latias (Non-Event) varies** Yes
Latios (Non-Event) varies** Yes
Kanto Starters (Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle) varies Yes
Hoenn Starters (Treecko, Torchic, Mudkip) 1 No
Fossil Pokémon 1 Yes
Dialga/Palkia/Giratina 1 No

*Raikou's monster frame is 6 and Entei's is 1 on European versions of HeartGold and SoulSilver.

**Latios/Latias monster frame isn't set due to the fact that once you leave the Pokémon Fan Club there is a slight pause before Steven comes and talks to you, so the NPCs in Vermilion City may have moved during that time. You will have to do some calibration to see what Latios/Latias monster frame will be for the particular seed and frame you're aiming for.

Since you can re-release the roamers in HGSS, like the legendary birds in Platinum, the roamers have another set of monster frames. The monster frames for the roamers when they are all re-released after defeating the Elite Four are as follows:

Raikou: 1
Entei: 6
Latias/Latios: 11

*In European versions Entei is on frame 1 and Raikou on 6.

The roamers regenerate in the order Raikou -> Entei -> Latios/Latias or Entei -> Raikou -> Latios/Latias (in European versions). Only roamers that have been KOed will be re-released, and any that have been captured or left roaming will not be re-released. Therefore, if a roamer is left roaming or is not captured then the remaining two will be generated in the same order, but will occupy frames 1 and 6. For example in HG, if you decide to capture Entei and re-release Raikou and Latias, then Raikou will be released on Frame 1 and Latias will be released on Frame 6. If you decide to only re-release one roamer, then it will be released on Frame 1.

Users Destiny100 and Sixfortyfive have posted a guide on abusing the roamers at the Pokemon League:

RELIABLY RNG-ABUSING THE HGSS ROAMERS POST-ELITE FOUR

(tested on HeartGold, US version) [Note: It has been reported that in European versions Entei is on frame 1 and Raikou on frame 6, rather than the other way around.]

First, a hat tip to Destiny100 for suggesting this method. This is pretty much his idea; I just typed up a short guide for it.

PREREQUISITES:

- Figure out the seed and frame you need to hit for your desired spread, either with the RNG Reporter or another program. It is recommended that you select a frame as low as possible for your spread but not lower than 3.
- Have all 3 roamers (Entei, Raikou, Lati@s) released and roaming on the map. It is probably fine if you only have 2 roamers released, however.
- Familiarize yourself with the Roamer method for Seed Verifier.

NOTES:

When the roamers are regenerated post-E4, their stats are created via Method 1 on the following frames:

1st roamer: frame 1
2nd roamer: frame 6
3rd roamer: frame 11

The order for regeneration is Entei -> Raikou -> Lati@s. If all 3 roamers have been released and KOed, then defeating Lance will respawn Entei with frame 1's spread, Raikou with frame 6's spread, and Lati@s with frame 11's spread. If Raikou has been caught and the other 2 have been KOed, then Entei will respawn with frame 1's stats and Lati@s will respawn with frame 6's stats. If Entei is still roaming and the other 2 have been KOed, then Raikou will (probably) respawn on frame 2 and Lati@s on frame 7. The extra offset on the last example is due to the fact that having Entei on the map will cause the frame to automatically advance by (at least) 1 when the game starts.

HITTING YOUR SPREAD:

Make sure that all the roamers are released. Find and KO the roamer that you wish to abuse. The other roamer(s) must be roaming the map. I will assume that you have released all 3 roamers and fainted only the one you are currently trying to abuse.

Fight your way to Lance and stop one step in front of him. To be more precise, stop one step before the auto-walk sequence begins and forces you into the fight with him. Open your radio and drag the tuner to the very center so that no station is playing. Open the map and note the locations of the other roamers. Save your game.

Adjust your date/time settings and hit your desired seed. Use the Roamer method of Seed Verifier to confirm it.

Once you have hit your seed, use the radio to advance the frame. Remember, since you have 2 other roamers on the map, then you (probably) begin the count from frame 3 instead of frame 1. (Make sure to check the output of Seed Verifier to confirm whether you should start from 3.) So if your desired spread is on frame 100, you must advance the frame exactly 97 times. Use the bottom-right station of the radio to advance your frame. Keep in mind that Buena's Password does not advance the frame, and that commercials may throw off the count as well. Other programs on this station always advance the frame by 1. The other stations are not as consistent as this one. You may need to use a different date/time setting in order to get a program other than Buena's Password.

Once you advance to the desired frame, walk forward and beat Lance. Skip the credits and load the game once more.

Find the roamer you just respawned and capture it. Use a Master Ball if you have one. Check its stats to see if everything worked correctly. If you hit the wrong spread, figure out which frame it was respawned on and determine why you missed the one you wanted. Did you miscount the radio taps? Did you accidentally hit another station? Was some other program than Pokemon Search Party or Silver Drama playing? Did you properly verify your seed and starting frame? Restart and try again.

If you hit the correct spread, restart without saving. The roamer will keep its desired stats, and you get your Master Ball back. Furthermore, now you can repeat the process for one of the other roamers, and since you need multiple roamers released simultaneously in order to verify your seed, it's best that you don't actually capture and keep any of the roamers until all 3 of them have been respawned with the stats that you want.


The Red Gyarados is generated in the same manner that chained shiny Pokémon were in DPP. Therefore, when selecting a spread for the Red Gyarados, you will have to check that the IV spread you want has the correct nature by using the Chained Shiny (Theoretical) option on the RNG Reporter. The nature corresponding to an IV combination, when viewing spreads using the Chained Shiny (Theoretical) Method, is dependent on your TID/SID, so you will have to find your SID before RNGing the Red Gyarados. Luckily, the Red Gyarados functions like a chained shiny Pokémon, so it can be used to find your SID. The Capture option in the RNG Reporter's Time Finder can be used to search for spreads for the Red Gyarados. However, for the Red Gyarados there are a few changes in the information you enter into Time Finder. First, the Method can be any of the Methods listed; however, Method 1 is best as selecting Method K or J may exclude certain spreads from the list generated by Time Finder. Second, the Nature box can be left as “Any” because you will have to re-enter the seed given by Time Finder in the main window of the RNG Reporter and click Generate with the Method set to Chained Shiny (Theoretical) to view the nature corresponding with the IV spread based on your TID/SID. Third, do not check the Shiny Only box on Time Finder; checking the box will only limit the number of spreads generated by Time Finder. The Red Gyarados has a monster frame of 1. Furthermore, it moves around, so once you have verified your seed and advanced the RNG you must immediately interact with it. There are wandering NPCs around Lake of Rage as well that may advance the RNG once you exit the menu. Synchronizers should not be used when RNGing the Red Gyarados, as their effects are not completely understood when RNGing it. . (delete extra period)

The Spiky-eared Pichu is another Pokémon that is generated differently than your standard gift Pokémon. The Spiky-eared Pichu is generated through the Wondercard IVs Method. Its nature is set to Naughty, gender set to female, and has a starting frame of 1. The event activates the instant you interact with the shrine in Ilex Forest. The Spiky-eared Pichu will appear and join your party if you have space, but if you have a full party then it will not join you. Therefore, if you plan on RNGing the Spiky-eared Pichu, either save before interacting with the shrine or keep a full party and come back and later to RNG it later; it will be standing there waiting for you so you don't have to repeat the event. There are no wandering NPCs in Ilex Forest.

The radio controls the appearance of certain Pokémon. While normally unavailable, Hoenn and Sinnoh Pokémon can be found by playing the Sinnoh or Hoenn March in certain areas. Pokémon encountered by playing one of the aforementioned shows are treated the same as Sweet Scented Method K Pokémon, except you must have one of these shows playing as you initiate the encounter through Sweet Scent. Having the Hoenn or Sinnoh March show playing does not advance the RNG. The appearance of Swarm Pokémon is also determined by the radio. The show Pokémon Talk displays the Swarm Pokémon for that day and is played for the entire day on the upper-right hand station. Swarm Pokémon are generated through Method K. The Pokémon Talk show does not have to be playing to make Swarm Pokémon appear, so you can use the radio to RNG abuse.

Headbutt Tree Pokémon are those produced by Headbutting certain trees. Once you Headbutt a tree and a wild Pokémon appears, that tree will always produce a Pokémon. If a tree does not generate a Pokémon then it never will. Headbutt Tree Pokémon can be RNGed in the same manner as Sweet Scented Pokémon. Furthermore, since they are generated using Method K, you can use a Synchronizer to help generate your desired spread on more frames. Currently, there is no way to determine which Pokémon will appear on a specific frame when abusing Headbutt Tree Pokémon.

Bug Catching Contest Pokémon can be RNG abused in HGSS. However, a number of difficulties arise when manipulating the RNG to catch these Pokémon. First, since the Bug Catching Contest only occurs Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, you must use a target time on one of these days. Second, the Contest lasts 20 minutes, so you must perform your RNG advancements and catch the Pokémon within that time frame. Lastly, there are numerous wandering NPCs in National park during the Bug Catching Contest, so the RNG may have advanced considerably by the time you start making Elm/Irwin calls or using the radio to check your current frame. Therefore, it is best to use a high target frame (at least above Frame 30) when RNG abusing these Pokémon. Pokémon encountered during the Bug Catching Contest are generated through Method K and have a monster frame of 3. User Zari has complied information on the RNG manipulation of Bug Catching Contest Pokémon in this post, along with information on determining the encounter slots for each Pokémon.

Changes in RNG Manipulation of Bred Pokémon

The IRNG is used to generate Egg PIDs, which display characteristics of bred Pokémon. These characteristics include: nature, gender, ability, and whether the bred Pokémon will be shiny. IVs for bred Pokémon are determined separately by the main RNG. In DPP, the Pokétch Apps (Happiness Checker and Coin Flips) were used to advance the IRNG, but since they were removed from HGSS, players had to find new ways to advance it. One way involves accepting or rejecting Eggs from the Day Care Man, which advances the IRNG by 1 frame for each Egg that is accepted/rejected. Furthermore, calling Youngster Joey— when he doesn't want to battle—has been show to advance the IRNG by 2 frames. Therefore, when selecting a seed, it is best to pick one that has an odd frame. That way, you would only have to make Joey calls and pick up your Egg; since picking up the Egg advances the IRNG by 1, you always end up with a odd frame. Additionally, random phone calls you may receive might advance the IRNG, which is another reason to use Joey calls to advance the IRNG faster instead of accepting/rejecting Eggs from the Day Care Man and risking a random NPC call. The phone call you receive from the Day Care Man informing you that your Pokémon had an Egg does not advance the IRNG. Elm and Irwin calls only advance the main RNG, so they cannot be used to RNG abuse Egg PIDs, aside from seed verification. Finally, should you happen to miss your frame, you can check the frame you did get by using the DPPt Egg PID (Normal) and (International) Method options on the main window of the RNG Reporter, as Egg PID generation hasn't changed from DPP. Enter your seed into the RNG Reporter's main window, select DPPt Egg PID (Normal) or (International) depending on the Pokémon you placed in the Day Care (if one is from a different language game) then use the International option, and press Generate. A list of frames will be produced that display the nature, ability, gender ratios, and PID of the Pokémon. In HGSS, you can ignore the “Coin” column. From the list, you can determine what frame you hit based on the information (nature, ability, etc) of the Pokémon that hatches from the Egg.

Searching for Egg PIDs can be done through the Shiny Egg tab on the RNG Reporter's Time Finder option. Enter your desired date, seconds, delay range, nature, ability, and the Pokemon's gender ratio on Shiny Egg and click Generate. (period) Don't forget to check the HGSS shiny box. A list of PIDs, along with their corresponding frames and target times, will appear based on the information entered prior to conducting the search. Remember, it is best to select an odd frame, so you can make Joey calls to advance the RNG faster, as opposed to rejecting/receiving Eggs from the Day Care Man.

RNG manipulation of bred Pokémon's IVs has become easier in HGSS. First, there is only one wandering NPC on Route 34—where the Day Care is located—so there is no need to perform a frame calibration every time you want to RNG. Essentially, you can retrieve an Egg on Frame 1 if you don't have any roamers and if the NPC at the bottom of the route does not move. Typically, your starting frame will lie between Frames 1-3, without roamers. Furthermore, since the IVs of bred Pokémon are generated using the main RNG, you can use thanks to Elm/Irwin calls or the radio to advance the RNG and track your current frame.

The method of IV inheritance has changed; now all IVs have an equal chance of being passed down. Therefore, when searching for a spread using the Egg IVs tab on Time Finder, you must remember to check the HGSS Inheritance box. Additionally, when generating a list of frames of the available IV spreads for a bred Pokémon on a specific seed, you must select the Breeding (HGSS) option in the Methods list to reflect these changes. Finally, HGSS introduced a new breeding mechanic involving the Power Items. Attaching a Power Item to a Pokémon while breeding would force the IV for the stat that the Power Item affects to be inherited by the offspring. For example, if you attach a Power Anklet to one of your parents with a Speed IV of 31, then the bred Pokémon would inherit that 31 IV in Speed. In terms of RNG abuse, user OmegaDonut provides the following example: 31\A\B\7\A\13 spread becomes 31\19\B\7\A\A with a Power Anklet on the A parent. However, the effects of Power Items on RNG abuse of bred Pokémon are not fully understood. For example, they can cause the bred Pokémon to inherit only IVs from a single parent. In the previous example, this means that instead of the Pokémon inheriting the IVs 31/19/B/7/A/A, it would inherit all its IVs from parent A (or whichever parent is holding the Power Item) and have the following spread 31/19/A/7/A/A. Currently, it is not understood how the game decides what stat to favor over the Power Item stat. Since the Power items have an unpredictable effect on RNG abuse, it is best to not use them while RNGing.

Changes in RNG Manipulation of Wondercard Pokémon

Wondercard Pokémon still have their IVs generated through the Wondercard IVs Method, which is the Method 1 frame + 2 frames. The nature of a Wondercard Pokémon is dependent on the specific Wondercard you are abusing; it can be random or set, much like DPP. However, unlike in DPP, HGSS has PokéMarts without wandering NPCs. Therefore, you don't have to constantly worry about a potential NPC movement ruining your RNG advancements or seed verification. The PokéMarts in Cerulean City and Fuchsia City do not have wandering NPCs.
without wandering NPCs.

RNG Manipulation of PokéWalker Pokémon

PokéWalker Pokémon behave like Wondercard Pokémon because their IVs are generated using the Wondercard IV Method. Furthermore, their nature does not correspond to the IV spread, but is instead generated using the IRNG. The following is general information concerning the different aspects of PokéWalker RNG abuse:

- Connecting the PokéWalker to the DS system through options such as “Receive Gift” advances the IRNG by 192 frames plus an additional frame for each Pokémon sent over. Sending items does not advance the IRNG.
- Sending over a Pokémon from the PokéWalker advances the RNG by 2 frames. The first three Pokémon are generated on Frames 1, 3, and 5 in that order. Therefore, transferring three Pokémon will cause the next three sent over to generate on Frames 7, 9, 11.
- PokéWalker Pokémon cannot be generated on even frames at the moment.
- PokéWalker Pokémon cannot be Quirky natured.
- Any seed used for abusing PokéWalker Pokémon must have a delay of 0. You can change the year to make the delay 0.
- Communication errors between the DS and PokéWalker messes up the RNG advancements, which will cause you to start over, so always keep the PokéWalker aligned with your HG/SS cart.

User Wichu provides a more in-depth explanation of the mechanics of RNG abuse, here.

User Wild Eep has kindly posted a step-by-step guide on abusing RNG PokéWalker Pokémon:

  1. Make sure your stroll is configured to produce the monster you actually want to catch. You can figure this out before starting the RNG process, so doing it now saves you aggravation later!
  2. Find a seed with good IVs. A viable seed has zero delay at some year in legal DS time (you can't be picky about the year because only one year works per seed!). With current knowledge, only odd frames can be achieved, and you can't go higher than 1079 (and you'd need a completely empty PC for that!).
  3. Find a point on the IRNG with an acceptable nature. As things stand now, this is a pain in the neck. Run an IRNG search on your target seed from (192*(1+[P/3])) to some large number, where P is the number of Pokémon you have to catch to reach your frame (P=[(F-1)/2]+1). **Export this to CSV and open it in your favorite spreadsheet program. Use a find/replace function to search for spaces and replace them with nothing so that the Egg PIDs can be manipulated. Make a new column with a formula to convert the hexadecimal PIDs to decimal, like =HEX2DEC(A1) [or wherever your PID is]. You will also want another column to determine the PokéWalker nature from this. The algorithm is Egg PID mod 24, so a sample formula would be =MOD(B1;24). Match the resultant numbers to this list to determine the nature. Because mod 24 returns a number from 0 to 23, Quirky (24) cannot be selected, which is probably a good thing.
  4. The next challenging part is finding an acceptable IRNG frame to use. An IRNG frame I is acceptable if (I-P)/192 is an integer greater than P/3. The resultant integer is the number of Pokewalker-to-DS connections you have to make in your journey. It has to be at least P/3 because that is the minimum number of connections you have to make to get your target frame
  5. Make sure you can reach your seed before starting. In other words, (comma) calibrate or make sure that you have already done so. Set the DS clock to a time near the seed (you have to use a year such that the seed's delay is zero) and attempt to start the game at the correct second. Send a few fodder Pokémon to the DS and compare to the Wondercard IVs list for the target seed and seeds with the same delay (0) but several seconds off in either direction.
  6. Once you can achieve your seed, try to land it and begin your quest. Catch all the Pokémon you need, and send them over (via Receive Gift only) in the requisite number of connections for nature purposes. In between connections, I recommend leaving your DS at the Pokewalker connect menu in sleep mode and plugged in. Also, beware of connection errors! Even one error will cause you to lose control of the nature! The clock striking midnight appears to have no effect on the RNG's advancement, and neither do items your Pokémon finds on the ground.

**An alternative to Step 3 of Wild Eep's guide is to use the method presented in this post by mingot to determine which frames will produce the nature you desire. Note: the Researcher application used in this example is only available on RNG Reporter 8.30 and later versions.

Currently, determining the ability of a PokéWalker Pokémon involves complex computations. User Wild Eep describes the process of PokéWalker Pokémon PID generation in this post, as well as a few interesting observations. Most notably, Munchlax with event move Selfdestruct and a Careful nature will always have the ability Thick Fat.

Finally, user OmegaDonut has provided lists of useable PokéWalker spreads in this post. The seeds for each spread are displayed along with the year necessary to make the delay 0.

Finding your SID using the Red Gyarados

The following is a step-by-step guide on using the Red Gyarados to determine your SID:

1) Save directly in front of the Red Gyarados. You must save prior to interacting with the Red Gyarados, as you will be catching it multiple times.
2) Interact with the Red Gyarados to start the battle and capture it.
3) Check the IVs and nature of Red Gyarados. You must calculate the exact IVs of the Red Gyarados you caught, since a range of IVs or an incorrect IV will produce incorrect results. Metalkid's IV Calculator is a useful tool for determining the IVs. Since the Red Gyarados is at level 30, you may have to level it up to get the accurate IVs.
4) Once you have determined its (lol tits) IVs, enter the necessary information into Chain to Seed and click Calculate. The information you entered (nature, IVs, gender ration, and ability) should appear in the gray box below. Additionally, you should see the possibilities value, initially at 8192, decrease.
5) Reset or turn off your game without saving and repeat steps 2-4 until Chain to SID displays an SID based on the information entered.

No real major issues. This is pretty well-written. Nice job!
 

Nexus

Forever the Recusant
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
thanks flora made most of the changes except the "the RNG Reporter" changes, it just sounds awkward to me and the current articles on the RNG thread just mention it as RNG Reporter and since it's just a name for the program I think it should stay RNG Reporter.

Needs one more GP check
 

Fatecrashers

acta est fabula
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Top Artist Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
Sorry for the delay ladies and gentlemen

GP Check 2/2

Additions
Deletions

With the release of HeartGold and SoulSilver, players had to adapt to a few changes in the method of fourth generation RNG manipulation. The lack of the Pokétch and Journal, which were present in DPP, forced players to discover new techniques for RNG advancement and seed verification. The following is a compilation of the changes for every aspect of RNG manipulation in HGSS, along with new forms of RNG manipulation introduced in those games.

Calibration

The method of calibration, outlined in Common Information for Breeding and Capturing Perfect Pokémon, hasn't changed from DPP to HGSS. However, the delay range has gone through a significant decrease, from the 590-640 range found in DPP to a range of about 490-520 in HGSS.

Delay

The same methods used to change the delay in DPP are applicable to HGSS. Changing the year changes the delay; adding a certain number of years decreases the delay by that same number, and vice-versa. Removing or inserting a third generation cartridge when you have unlocked Pal Park changes the delay from even to odd and vice-versa. Now in HGSS, scrolling down then back up the opening menu (the menu that displays the Continue, New Game, Connect to PokéWalker options) adds 1 to the delay. There is a set of arrows located on the opening menu to scroll up and down quickly, which is useful if you have a low delay and can't waste time scrolling using the D-pad. Furthermore, you can now use the touch screen, as well as the A button, to access the Continue option, as well as the A button. Using the A button is preferred because you may have to tap the Continue option on the touch screen multiple times with the stylus before the game registers the action, which during this time during which you would have most likely skipped pass your desired delay.

Methods of RNG Advancement and Seed Verification

The PokéGear is the primary source for RNG advancement in HGSS. Specifically, the radio and phone applications on the PokéGear are used to advance the RNG. Calling certain NPCs on the phone advances the RNG by a set number of frames, while the radio advances the RNG by a number of frames depending on the station used and the show that happens to be on at that time. User OmegaDonut has complied a list on the number of frame advancements for each show:

Show Advancements Location on radio screen
Pokémon Music 1 frame or none (inconsistent) Upper-left
Pokémon Talk 14-18 frames (inconsistent) Upper-right
That Town, These People 3 frames (inconsistent) Lower-left
Buena's Password None Lower-right
Trainer Profiles 3 frames (inconsistent) Lower-left
Pokémon Search Party 1 frame Lower-right
Serial Radio Drama 1 frame Lower-right

Radio Seed

Unlike in DPP, players can keep track of their current frame and frame advancements. Through the use of the radio shows Pokémon Search Party and Serial Radio Drama, players can keep track of their current frame based on the message displayed on the radio for that show. User MinusOne has created a program, RadioSeed, which displays the sequence of radio messages corresponding to a particular seed and the message belonging to a specific frame. RadioSeed can be downloaded here, and a guide on how to use it can be found here. The necessary information to use RadioSeed includes: target delay, delay range, date, hour, minute, target second, and seconds range. The target delay, target second, date, hour, minute, and second can be obtained by using the Seed to Time option on RNG Reporter for your seed. The values for the delay and second range are at your discretion, so pick a range that you feel is appropriate. Serial Radio Drama and Pokémon Search Party are the shows whose sequence of messages RadioSeed uses for seed verification and frame tracking. Additionally, RadioSeed has a function that displays Elm responses for a seed, as well as individual responses for frames, so it can be used as an alternative to RNG Reporter when generating a list of Elm responses for past the 12 displayed by Seed to Time. However, RadioSeed does not factor in roamers when it displays Elm responses for seed verification. Errors in the radio message can be attributed to the following: hitting delays outside the range RadioSeed searched for or not having unlocked all the messages for RadioSeed to work properly. Unfortunately, the latter issue is more difficult to resolve, as it is not certain when specific messages are unlocked in the game and at what point they become available. Finally, it is best to let the message as it is displayed by RadioSeed present itself on the radio screen, otherwise the radio will repeat the message from the previous frame for your current frame, which will give incorrect results on RadioSeed.

Finally, the radio does not work in caves and atop Bell Tower.

Making phone calls to various NPCs in the game advances the RNG. Currently, there are three NPCs verified to consistently advance the RNG by a set number of frames: Prof. Elm, Youngster Joey, and Juggler Irwin.

Prof. Elm gives you his phone number at the beginning of the game as you're leaving New Bark Town, but to effectively use him for RNG advancement and seed verification you need to achieve certain requirements, in no particular order.

1) Visited the Kanto region.
2) Shown Prof. Elm a Togepi hatched in HGSS (it can be any Togepi, not just the one given to you by Mr. Pokémon).
3) Shown the Pokémon Center Nurse a Pokérus infected/cured Pokémon.

Once these requisites have been met, every time you call Prof. Elm he will give one of three messages:

K: “I expect there are some Pokémon in the Kanto region that I don't know. There are probably methods of evolution that I'm not familiar with yet. I should use that perspective and discover what I can.”
E: “There are so many different ways that Pokémon evolve, aren't there?! Some Pokémon don't evolve until they meet certain conditions first!”
P: “It seems that Pokémon that have been infected with Pokérus level up better. We're not quite sure why…”

K refers to Kanto, E to Evolution, and P to Pokérus. Prof. Elm repeats these messages in a pattern, which can help in verifying your seed. Additionally, each frame has its own corresponding Elm message. For example, Frame 6 for the seed 610A001E has a P, so when you call Prof. Elm on that frame he will tell you about Pokérus. Therefore, you can use Elm calls to keep track of your frame. The “Seed to Time” on RNG Reporter, as of version 8.00, lists the first twelve Elm responses for a seed and has a function that lets the user search for a seed based on the first ten Elm responses. Seed to Time also lets you input a range of delays and seconds to search for; the maximum delay range is ±99 Delays and ±9 seconds. Although Seed to Time can be used to verify a seed based on Elm responses, it does have limits. Most notably, should an event that advances the RNG—an NPC moving—occur, then the sequence of Elm responses will change and the Search Elm function will not produce a correct result, if any result at all. For example, let's assume RNG Reporter produces the sequence (E skipped) K, P, E, P, K, K, P, E, E, E, P, K for an arbitrary seed with one roamer. Now, if I want to check if I hit my seed I would enter this information into Search Elm, with K being the first response I should receive when calling Elm. However, if an NPC should turn and advance the RNG by 1 frame, then the first call I would make would produce the P message. Performing the subsequent calls would produce the sequence: P, E, P, K, K, P, E, E, E, P, K, X (X being the next of the three letters used in the sequence for this seed). If you enter this information you would receive an incorrect result from Search Elm. Fortunately, you can get around this by only taking note of the first 5-6 Elm responses and using other information like the seconds and roamer location to deduce your seed. Therefore, you save time by making only 5-6 Elm calls, in the case of a prior RNG advancement, and using other available information.

Youngster Joey is the first trainer you battle on Route 30. After the battle, you can register his phone number in the PokéGear. Afterwards, each time you call Joey—at times when he doesn't want a rematch—the RNG will advance by 2 frames. Joey asks for a rematch on Monday from 10:00-20:00. Joey's message when he doesn't want a rematch is the following:

“Hello. This is Joey . . . How's it going, [Trainer Name]? I'm checking out RATTATA's moves and devising some strategies. When I come up with a good one, let's battle! All right. Later!”

Furthermore, Joey repeats the same message, so he can't be used for seed verification. Unlike Elm and Irwin, calling Joey also advances the IRNG by 2 when he doesn't want a rematch. So, Joey calls are a great tool when RNG breeding, and a decent replacement for the Pokétch Apps from DPP.

Juggler Irwin is found on Route 35, and after you battle him, you can register his phone number. Afterwards, each time you call Irwin the RNG advances by 1 frame. Furthermore, Irwin calls display three messages, like Prof. Elm does when you call him, so they can be used for seed verification and frame tracking. Irwin displays the following message when you call him:

K: “I'm so glad you called! I was just about to call you, too! I guess we must be a good match!”
E: “Hearing about your escapades rocks my soul! It sure does!”
P: “How are you? What are you doing? Where are you? How many Badges do you have now? How much money have you saved? How's your mom? Have you got lots of Pokémon? Is it going to be sunny tomorrow? Arrgh, there's so much I want to chat about! This is going nowhere!”

K refers to Call, E to Escapade, and P to Pokémon (specifically to when he asks “Have you got lots of Pokémon?”). Similar to Prof. Elm, Irwin repeats these messages in a pattern, so you can use these responses to verify your seed and keep track of your frame. You can track frames and verify your seed using the same combination of K, E, and P produced by Elm responses on RNG Reporter. Irwin calls are perfect for players who want to RNG Pokémon early in their games, especially those who wish to RNG Raikou or Entei at Burned Tower. After you have visited Kanto, it is best to use Elm calls simply because RNG Reporter uses Elm call results and it become intuitive as you RNG and use Seed to Time, which displays the Elm message. Furthermore, it seems that Irwin calls are ineffective during the Team Rocket incident at Goldenrod Radio Tower, but work fine once Team Rocket has abandoned Goldenrod Radio Tower. Irwin calls are a good alternative for players who lack the means to obtain Pokérus to fulfill the Elm calls requirement. Finally, unlike Youngster Joey, Irwin does not ask for a rematch, so you can call him anytime.

Note that the phone does not work inside the Pokémon League and in Lugia's room in the Whirl Islands. Furthermore, you can sort the list of phone numbers to make Juggler Irwin, Prof. Elm, and Youngster Joey's phone numbers more easily accessible.

Similar to DPP, roaming Pokémon in HGSS advance the RNG by a certain number of frames depending on the number of roamers on the map. However, contrary to DPP, a roamer in HGSS can advance the RNG by up to 2 frames; the number of frames a roamer advances the RNG by is dependent on the seed and the location the roamers are at when you save. Furthermore, the roamer locations can be used to verify your seed, as when the game loads the roamers will appear at certain location depending on the initial seed. The “Seed to Time” option on RNG Reporter, as of version 8.00, lists the roamer locations for a range of seeds. Additionally, it has a function that allows the user to search for a seed on a specified range of delays and seconds based on the roamer locations. User Romsstar has posted a guide on how to use the roamers for seed verification, as well as information on the use of Elm calls for seed verification and RNG advancement. The roamers are most effective for seed verification when all 3 are on the map. With fewer roamers, it becomes more difficult to verify your seed with them as multiple seeds may have the same roamer locations. Having only one roamer out makes seed verification solely with roamer locations exceedingly difficult as there will definitely be seeds that share the same roamer location. If you're unlucky, seeds that share the same locations will be adjacent to each other so you will have to rely on precision and other information such as Elm responses to accurately identify the delay and seconds you hit. Although the roamer method can generate accurate results, it is best to not use them when initially attempting to hit a certain delay. The reason is that the delay you end up hitting the first time may be outside of the range that Seed to Time can display. Initially, you should capture a Pokémon to verify the delay you hit with accuracy. Furthermore, you can make the first 12 Elm calls to verify your seed while you are still adjusting.

The methods of RNG advancements described above can be combined to advance the RNG faster. Entering your seed into the Seed (Hex) box on the main window of RNG Reporter, changing the Method to the appropriate one, and then clicking Generate will produce the remaining Elm responses, along with the initial 12 responses given by Seed to Time and their respective frames for that seed. Then, using radio advancements to advance the RNG by 18 frames depending on the show and/or Joey calls to advance the RNG by 2 frames, you can reach higher frames faster while keeping track of your current frame. When using the radio or Joey calls to advance the RNG quickly, it is best to stop 15-20 frames prior to your target frame and start using Elm or Irwin calls at that point to gauge how close you are to your target frame and to make any corrections to your remaining advancements. Simply make a number of Elm or Irwin calls, observe the responses, and locate the list of frames that correspond to that sequence of calls. If it appears the sequence of calls deviates from the frame you should be on from your previous advancements then consider the following: did you miscount the number of radio advancements or Joey calls? If there are NPCs in the area, could they have moved prior to starting your RNG advancements? Is the method of RNG advancement inconsistent at times (some radio shows can advance the RNG by an inconsistent number of frames)? Essentially, with the ability to check your current frame, you should be able to hit your target frame most of the time; any variations that caused you to miss it are probably due to an NPC movement or an error while calculating the target frame when factoring inthe monster frame.

A few more methods of RNG advancement that were effective in DPP have become useless in HGSS. The 128 steps advancement that advances the RNG by a number of frames equal to the number of Pokémon in your party every 128 steps is inconsistent in HGSS. Turning or taking a step in an area with wild Pokémon no longer advances the RNG by 1 frame. Instead, the number of frame advanced by turning or taking a step in an area with wild Pokémon can range from 0-4 frames.

Advancing the RNG is quicker in DPP compared to HGSS. Since you know the number of pages have a message that advances the RNG when using the journal, you can just flip from one page to another and keep count of each flip. However in HGSS, if you use Joey calls, which also advance the RNG by 2 frames, you must wait for Joey to pick up the phone, complete his message, and hang up. While advancing the RNG may be faster in DPP, achieving an odd frame in HGSS is easier due to the existence of Irwin/Elm calls, which advance the RNG by 1 frame. In DPP, generally you had to either perform the 128 steps advancement with an odd number of Pokémon in your party (only in areas without wild Pokémon) or have a roamer wandering around Sinnoh.

Since HGSS utilizes the touch screen more than DPP, there are multiple ways to access items and options such as the PokéGear. There are two ways to access the PokéGear: pressing X to bring up the menu and select it from there or using the stylus and tapping the PokéGear icon. In areas with wandering NPCs, it is best to use the X button and to bring up the menu, as that will stop the NPCs from moving and you won't have to waste time finding the PokéGear icon and opening it by touching the screen. The PokéGear can be exited in two ways: the first involves using the B button to exit the PokéGear, which will take you to the menu, then pressing it again to exit the menu; the second is using the arrow located on the bottom right-hand of the PokéGear to exit it, skip the menu, and take you directly to the overworld. The first option is best used for Sweet Scented Pokémon, as you can stay on the menu when you exit the PokéGear and have your Pokémon Sweet Scent without ever leaving the menu. By doing this, you never run the risk of a random NPC movement ruining your RNG advancements. The second option is best for breeding and encounters that involve interacting with the Pokémon in the overworld (ex: Red Gyarados). Because you are exiting the PokéGear you can just mash the A button and quickly pick up the Egg or interact with the Pokémon, which is especially important if there are wandering NPCs in the area.

Changes in RNG Manipulation of Wild and Gift Pokémon

The greatest change from DPP RNG manipulation of wild Pokémon was the introduction of a new method of generating the PIDs of wild Pokémon. Every wild Pokémon, bar the roamers and the Red Gyarados, is generated through Method K. No Pokémon in HGSS is generated through Method J. The roamers, like in DPP, are generated through Method 1. The Red Gyarados is generated as a chained shiny. More information about the Red Gyarados will be provided later in this section.

The following is a list of Method K Pokémon, their starting frames, and if there are wandering NPCs in the area they are located in:

Pokémon Monster Frame Wandering NPC(s)
Sweet Scented Pokémon in Grass 1 or 2* Depends on Area
Sweet Scented Pokémon in Cave/Building 1 or 2* Depends on Area
Sweet Scented Pokémon in Water 2 or 3* Depends on Area
Fished Pokémon 4 Depends on Area
Headbutt tree Pokémon 3 Depends on Area
Ho-Oh 1 No
Lugia 1 No
Suicune 1 No
Articuno 1 No
Zapdos 1 No
Moltres 1 No
Mewtwo 1 No
Groudon 1 No
Kyogre 1 No
Rayquaza 1 No
Latios (Enigma Stone Event) 1 Yes
Latias (Enigma Stone Event) 1 Yes
Sudowoodo 1 Yes
Snorlax 1 Yes
Lapras 1 Yes

*In HGSS, the starting frame for Sweet Scented Pokémon varies from game to game, but once you determine what the monster frame for your game is it the frame remains consistent for any future RNG attempts. Furthermore, having your lead Pokémon follow you in the overworld makes the monster frame for Sweet Scenting inconsistent so it is best to Sweet Scent while on your Bicycle, when possible.

The following is a list of Method 1 Pokémon found in HGSS, their starting frames, and if there are wandering NPCs in the area they are located in:

Pokémon Monster Frame Wandering NPC(s)
Chikorita 1 No
Cyndaquil 5 No
Totodile 9 No
Togepi (from Mr. Pokémon Egg) 1 Yes
Raikou 1* No
Entei 6* No
Eevee (from Bill) 1 Yes
Goldenrod Game Corner Pokémon 1 No
Celadon Game Corner Pokémon 1 Yes
Latias (Non-Event) varies** Yes
Latios (Non-Event) varies** Yes
Kanto Starters (Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle) varies Yes
Hoenn Starters (Treecko, Torchic, Mudkip) 1 No
Fossil Pokémon 1 Yes
Dialga/Palkia/Giratina 1 No

*Raikou's monster frame is 6 and Entei's is 1 on European versions of HeartGold and SoulSilver.

**Latios/Latias monster frame isn't set due to the fact that once you leave the Pokémon Fan Club there is a slight pause before Steven comes and talks to you, so the NPCs in Vermilion City may have moved during that time. You will have to do some calibration to see what the Latios/Latias monster frame will be for the particular seed and frame you're aiming for.

Since you can re-release the roamers in HGSS, like the legendary birds in Platinum, the roamers have another set of monster frames. The monster frames for the roamers when they are all re-released after defeating the Elite Four are as follows:

Raikou: 1
Entei: 6
Latias/Latios: 11

*In European versions Entei is on frame 1 and Raikou on 6.

The roamers regenerate in the order Raikou -> Entei -> Latios/Latias or Entei -> Raikou -> Latios/Latias (in European versions). Only roamers that have been KOed will be re-released, and any that have been captured or left roaming will not be re-released. Therefore, if a roamer is left roaming or is not captured then the remaining two will be generated in the same order, but will occupy frames 1 and 6. For example in HG, if you decide to capture Entei and re-release Raikou and Latias, then Raikou will be released on Frame 1 and Latias will be released on Frame 6. If you decide to only re-release one roamer, then it will be released on Frame 1.

Users Destiny100 and Sixfortyfive have posted a guide on abusing the roamers at the Pokemon League:

RELIABLY RNG-ABUSING THE HGSS ROAMERS POST-ELITE FOUR

(tested on HeartGold, US version) [Note: It has been reported that in European versions Entei is on frame 1 and Raikou on frame 6, rather than the other way around.]

First, a hat tip to Destiny100 for suggesting this method. This is pretty much his idea; I just typed up a short guide for it.

PREREQUISITES:

- Figure out the seed and frame you need to hit for your desired spread, either with RNG Reporter or another program. It is recommended that you select a frame as low as possible for your spread but not lower than 3.
- Have all 3 roamers (Entei, Raikou, Lati@s) released and roaming on the map. It is probably fine if you only have 2 roamers released, however.
- Familiarize yourself with the Roamer method for Seed Verifier.

NOTES:

When the roamers are regenerated post-E4, their stats are created via Method 1 on the following frames:

1st roamer: frame 1
2nd roamer: frame 6
3rd roamer: frame 11

The order for regeneration is Entei -> Raikou -> Lati@s. If all 3 roamers have been released and KOed, then defeating Lance will respawn Entei with frame 1's spread, Raikou with frame 6's spread, and Lati@s with frame 11's spread. If Raikou has been caught and the other 2 have been KOed, then Entei will respawn with frame 1's stats and Lati@s will respawn with frame 6's stats. If Entei is still roaming and the other 2 have been KOed, then Raikou will (probably) respawn on frame 2 and Lati@s on frame 7. The extra offset on the last example is due to the fact that having Entei on the map will cause the frame to automatically advance by (at least) 1 when the game starts.

HITTING YOUR SPREAD:

Make sure that all the roamers are released. Find and KO the roamer that you wish to abuse. The other roamer(s) must be roaming the map. I will assume that you have released all 3 roamers and fainted only the one you are currently trying to abuse.

Fight your way to Lance and stop one step in front of him. To be more precise, stop one step before the auto-walk sequence begins and forces you into the fight with him. Open your radio and drag the tuner to the very center so that no station is playing. Open the map and note the locations of the other roamers. Save your game.

Adjust your date/time settings and hit your desired seed. Use the Roamer method of Seed Verifier to confirm it.

Once you have hit your seed, use the radio to advance the frame. Remember, since you have 2 other roamers on the map, you (probably) begin the count from frame 3 instead of frame 1. (Make sure to check the output of Seed Verifier to confirm whether you should start from 3.) So if your desired spread is on frame 100, you must advance the frame exactly 97 times. Use the bottom-right station of the radio to advance your frame. Keep in mind that Buena's Password does not advance the frame, and that commercials may throw off the count as well. Other programs on this station always advance the frame by 1. The other stations are not as consistent as this one. You may need to use a different date/time setting in order to get a program other than Buena's Password.

Once you advance to the desired frame, walk forward and beat Lance. Skip the credits and load the game once more.

Find the roamer you just respawned and capture it. Use a Master Ball if you have one. Check its stats to see if everything worked correctly. If you hit the wrong spread, figure out which frame it was respawned on and determine why you missed the one you wanted. Did you miscount the radio taps? Did you accidentally hit another station? Was some other program than Pokemon Search Party or Silver Drama playing? Did you properly verify your seed and starting frame? Restart and try again.

If you hit the correct spread, restart without saving. The roamer will keep its desired stats, and you get your Master Ball back. Furthermore, now you can repeat the process for one of the other roamers, and since you need multiple roamers released simultaneously in order to verify your seed, it's best that you don't actually capture and keep any of the roamers until all 3 of them have been respawned with the stats that you want.


The Red Gyarados is generated in the same manner that chained shiny Pokémon were in DPP. Therefore, when selecting a spread for the Red Gyarados, you will have to check that the IV spread you want has the correct nature by using the Chained Shiny (Theoretical) option on RNG Reporter. The nature corresponding to an IV combination, when viewing spreads using the Chained Shiny (Theoretical) Method, is dependent on your TID/SID, so you will have to find your SID before RNGing the Red Gyarados. Luckily, the Red Gyarados functions like a chained shiny Pokémon, so it can be used to find your SID. The Capture option in RNG Reporter's Time Finder can be used to search for spreads for the Red Gyarados. However, for the Red Gyarados there are a few changes in the information you enter into Time Finder. First, the Method can be any of the Methods listed; however, Method 1 is best as selecting Method K or J may exclude certain spreads from the list generated by Time Finder. Second, the Nature box can be left as “Any” because you will have to re-enter the seed given by Time Finder in the main window of RNG Reporter and click Generate with the Method set to Chained Shiny (Theoretical) to view the nature corresponding with the IV spread based on your TID/SID. Third, do not check the Shiny Only box on Time Finder; checking the box will only limit the number of spreads generated by Time Finder. The Red Gyarados has a monster frame of 1. Furthermore, it moves around, so once you have verified your seed and advanced the RNG you must immediately interact with it. There are wandering NPCs around Lake of Rage as well that may advance the RNG once you exit the menu. Synchronizers should not be used when RNGing the Red Gyarados, as their effects when RNGing it are not completely understood when RNGing it.

The Spiky-eared Pichu is another Pokémon that is generated differently than your standard gift Pokémon. The Spiky-eared Pichu is generated through the Wondercard IVs Method. Its nature is set to Naughty, gender set to female, and has a starting frame of 1. The event activates the instant you interact with the shrine in Ilex Forest. The Spiky-eared Pichu will appear and join your party if you have space, but if you have a full party then it will not join you. Therefore, if you plan on RNGing the Spiky-eared Pichu, either save before interacting with the shrine or keep a full party and come back later to RNG it; it will be standing there waiting for you so you don't have to repeat the event. There are no wandering NPCs in Ilex Forest.

The radio controls the appearance of certain Pokémon. While normally unavailable, Hoenn and Sinnoh Pokémon can be found by playing the Sinnoh or Hoenn March in certain areas. Pokémon encountered by playing one of the aforementioned shows are treated the same as Sweet Scented Method K Pokémon, except you must have one of these shows playing as you initiate the encounter through Sweet Scent. Having the Hoenn or Sinnoh March show playing does not advance the RNG. The appearance of Swarm Pokémon is also determined by the radio. The show Pokémon Talk displays the Swarm Pokémon for that day and is played for the entire day on the upper-right hand station. Swarm Pokémon are generated through Method K. The Pokémon Talk show does not have to be playing to make Swarm Pokémon appear, so you can use the radio to RNG abuse.

Headbutt Tree Pokémon are those produced by Headbutting certain trees. Once you Headbutt a tree and a wild Pokémon appears, that tree will always produce a Pokémon. If a tree does not generate a Pokémon then it never will. Headbutt Tree Pokémon can be RNGed in the same manner as Sweet Scented Pokémon. Furthermore, since they are generated using Method K, you can use a Synchronizer to help generate your desired spread on more frames. Currently, there is no way to determine which Pokémon will appear on a specific frame when abusing Headbutt Tree Pokémon.

Bug Catching Contest Pokémon can be RNG abused in HGSS. However, a number of difficulties arise when manipulating the RNG to catch these Pokémon. Firstly, since the Bug Catching Contest only occurs Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, you must use a target time on one of these days. Secondly, the Contest lasts 20 minutes, so you must perform your RNG advancements and catch the Pokémon within that time frame. Lastly, there are numerous wandering NPCs in National park during the Bug Catching Contest, so the RNG may have advanced considerably by the time you start making Elm/Irwin calls or using the radio to check your current frame. Therefore, it is best to use a high target frame (at least above Frame 30) when RNG abusing these Pokémon. Pokémon encountered during the Bug Catching Contest are generated through Method K and have a monster frame of 3. User Zari has complied information on the RNG manipulation of Bug Catching Contest Pokémon in this post, along with information on determining the encounter slots for each Pokémon.

Changes in RNG Manipulation of Bred Pokémon

The IRNG is used to generate Egg PIDs, which display characteristics of bred Pokémon. These characteristics include: nature, gender, ability, and whether the bred Pokémon will be shiny. IVs for bred Pokémon are determined separately by the main RNG. In DPP, the Pokétch Apps (Happiness Checker and Coin Flips) were used to advance the IRNG, but since they were removed from HGSS, players had to find new ways to advance it. One way involves accepting or rejecting Eggs from the Day Care Man, which advances the IRNG by 1 frame for each Egg that is accepted/rejected. Furthermore, calling Youngster Joey— when he doesn't want to battle—has been show to advance the IRNG by 2 frames. Therefore, when selecting a seed, it is best to pick one that has an odd frame. That way, you would only have to make Joey calls and pick up your Egg; since picking up the Egg advances the IRNG by 1, you always end up with a an odd frame. Additionally, random phone calls you may receive might advance the IRNG, which is another reason to use Joey calls to advance the IRNG faster instead of accepting/rejecting Eggs from the Day Care Man and risking a random NPC call. The phone call you receive from the Day Care Man informing you that your Pokémon had an Egg does not advance the IRNG. Elm and Irwin calls only advance the main RNG, so they cannot be used to RNG abuse Egg PIDs, aside from seed verification. Finally, should you happen to miss your frame, you can check the frame you did get by using the DPPt Egg PID (Normal) and (International) Method options on the main window of RNG Reporter, as Egg PID generation hasn't changed from DPP. Enter your seed into RNG Reporter's main window, select DPPt Egg PID (Normal) or (International) depending on the Pokémon you placed in the Day Care (if one is from a different language game then use the International option), and press Generate. A list of frames will be produced that display the nature, ability, gender ratios, and PID of the Pokémon. In HGSS, you can ignore the “Coin” column. From the list, you can determine what frame you hit based on the information (nature, ability, etc…) of the Pokémon that hatches from the Egg.

Searching for Egg PIDs can be done through the Shiny Egg tab on RNG Reporter's Time Finder option. Enter your desired date, seconds, delay range, nature, ability, and the Pokemon's gender ratio on Shiny Egg and click Generate. Do not forget to check the HGSS shiny box. A list of PIDs, along with their corresponding frames and target times, will appear based on the information entered prior to conducting the search. Remember, it is best to select an odd frame, so you can make Joey calls to advance the RNG faster, as opposed to rejecting/receiving Eggs from the Day Care Man.

RNG manipulation of bred Pokémon's IVs has become easier in HGSS. First, there is only one wandering NPC on Route 34—where the Day Care is located—so there is no need to perform a frame calibration every time you want to RNG. Essentially, you can retrieve an Egg on Frame 1 if you don't have any roamers and if the NPC at the bottom of the route does not move. Typically, your starting frame will lie between Frames 1-3, without roamers. Furthermore, since the IVs of bred Pokémon are generated using the main RNG, you can use Elm/Irwin calls or the radio to advance the RNG and track your current frame.

The method of IV inheritance has changed; now all IVs have an equal chance of being passed down. Therefore, when searching for a spread using the Egg IVs tab on Time Finder, you must remember to check the HGSS Inheritance box. Additionally, when generating a list of frames of the available IV spreads for a bred Pokémon on a specific seed, you must select the Breeding (HGSS) option in the Methods list to reflect these changes. Finally, HGSS introduced a new breeding mechanic involving the Power Items. Attaching a Power Item to a Pokémon while breeding would force the IV for the stat that the Power Item affects to be inherited by the offspring. For example, if you attach a Power Anklet to one of your parents with a Speed IV of 31, then the bred Pokémon would inherit that 31 IV in Speed. In terms of RNG abuse, user OmegaDonut provides the following example: 31\A\B\7\A\13 spread becomes 31\19\B\7\A\A with a Power Anklet on the A parent. However, the effects of Power Items on RNG abuse of bred Pokémon are not fully understood. For example, they can cause the bred Pokémon to inherit only IVs from a single parent. In the previous example, this means that instead of the Pokémon inheriting the IVs 31/19/B/7/A/A, it would inherit all its IVs from parent A (or whichever parent is holding the Power Item) and have the following spread 31/19/A/7/A/A. Currently, it is not understood how the game decides what stat to favor over the Power Item stat. Since the Power items have an unpredictable effect on RNG abuse, it is best to not use them while RNGing.

Changes in RNG Manipulation of Wondercard Pokémon

Wondercard Pokémon still have their IVs generated through the Wondercard IVs Method, which is the Method 1 frame + 2 frames. The nature of a Wondercard Pokémon is dependent on the specific Wondercard you are abusing; it can be random or set, much like DPP. However, unlike in DPP, HGSS has PokéMarts without wandering NPCs. Therefore, you don't have to constantly worry about a potential NPC movement ruining your RNG advancements or seed verification. The PokéMarts in Cerulean City and Fuchsia City do not have wandering NPCs.

RNG Manipulation of PokéWalker Pokémon

PokéWalker Pokémon behave like Wondercard Pokémon because their IVs are generated using the Wondercard IV Method. Furthermore, their nature does not correspond to the IV spread, but is instead generated using the IRNG. The following is general information concerning the different aspects of PokéWalker RNG abuse:

- Connecting the PokéWalker to the DS system through options such as “Receive Gift” advances the IRNG by 192 frames plus an additional frame for each Pokémon sent over. Sending items does not advance the IRNG.
- Sending over a Pokémon from the PokéWalker advances the RNG by 2 frames. The first three Pokémon are generated on Frames 1, 3, and 5 in that order. Therefore, transferring three Pokémon will cause the next three sent over to generate on Frames 7, 9, 11.
- PokéWalker Pokémon cannot be generated on even frames at the moment.
- PokéWalker Pokémon cannot be Quirky natured.
- Any seed used for abusing PokéWalker Pokémon must have a delay of 0. You can change the year to make the delay 0.
- Communication errors between the DS and PokéWalker messes up the RNG advancements, which will cause you to start over, so always keep the PokéWalker aligned with your HG/SS cart.

User Wichu provides a more in-depth explanation of the mechanics of RNG abuse, here.

User Wild Eep has kindly posted a step-by-step guide on abusing RNG PokéWalker Pokémon:

  1. Make sure your stroll is configured to produce the monster you actually want to catch. You can figure this out before starting the RNG process, so doing it now saves you aggravation later!
  2. Find a seed with good IVs. A viable seed has zero delay at some year in legal DS time (you can't be picky about the year because only one year works per seed!). With current knowledge, only odd frames can be achieved, and you can't go higher than 1079 (and you'd need a completely empty PC for that!).
  3. Find a point on the IRNG with an acceptable nature. As things stand now, this is a pain in the neck. Run an IRNG search on your target seed from (192*(1+[P/3])) to some large number, where P is the number of Pokémon you have to catch to reach your frame (P=[(F-1)/2]+1). **Export this to CSV and open it in your favorite spreadsheet program. Use a find/replace function to search for spaces and replace them with nothing so that the Egg PIDs can be manipulated. Make a new column with a formula to convert the hexadecimal PIDs to decimal, like =HEX2DEC(A1) [or wherever your PID is]. You will also want another column to determine the PokéWalker nature from this. The algorithm is Egg PID mod 24, so a sample formula would be =MOD(B1;24). Match the resultant numbers to this list to determine the nature. Because mod 24 returns a number from 0 to 23, Quirky (24) cannot be selected, which is probably a good thing.
  4. The next challenging part is finding an acceptable IRNG frame to use. An IRNG frame I is acceptable if (I-P)/192 is an integer greater than P/3. The resultant integer is the number of Pokewalker-to-DS connections you have to make in your journey. It has to be at least P/3 because that is the minimum number of connections you have to make to get your target frame
  5. Make sure you can reach your seed before starting. In other words, calibrate or make sure that you have already done so. Set the DS clock to a time near the seed (you have to use a year such that the seed's delay is zero) and attempt to start the game at the correct second. Send a few fodder Pokémon to the DS and compare the Wondercard IVs list for the target seed and seeds with the same delay (0) but several seconds off in either direction.
  6. Once you can achieve your seed, try to land it and begin your quest. Catch all the Pokémon you need, and send them over (via Receive Gift only) in the requisite number of connections for nature purposes. In between connections, I recommend leaving your DS at the Pokewalker connect menu in sleep mode and plugged in. Also, beware of connection errors! Even one error will cause you to lose control of the nature! The clock striking midnight appears to have no effect on the RNG's advancement, and neither do items your Pokémon finds on the ground.

**An alternative to Step 3 of Wild Eep's guide is to use the method presented in this post by mingot to determine which frames will produce the nature you desire. Note: the Researcher application used in this example is only available on RNG Reporter 8.30 and later versions.

Currently, determining the ability of a PokéWalker Pokémon involves complex computations. User Wild Eep describes the process of PokéWalker Pokémon PID generation in this post, as well as a few interesting observations. Most notably, Munchlax with event move Selfdestruct and a Careful nature will always have the ability Thick Fat.

Finally, user OmegaDonut has provided lists of useable PokéWalker spreads in this post. The seeds for each spread are displayed along with the year necessary to make the delay 0.

Finding your SID using the Red Gyarados

The following is a step-by-step guide on using the Red Gyarados to determine your SID:

1) Save directly in front of the Red Gyarados. You must save prior to interacting with the Red Gyarados, as you will be catching it multiple times.
2) Interact with the Red Gyarados to start the battle and capture it.
3) Check the IVs and nature of Red Gyarados. You must calculate the exact IVs of the Red Gyarados you caught, since a range of IVs or an incorrect IV will produce incorrect results. Metalkid's IV Calculator is a useful tool for determining the IVs. Since the Red Gyarados is at level 30, you may have to level it up to get the accurate IVs.
4) Once you have determined its IVs, enter the necessary information into Chain to Seed and click Calculate. The information you entered (nature, IVs, gender ration ratio, and ability) should appear in the gray box below. Additionally, you should see the possibilities value, initially at 8192, decrease.
5) Reset or turn off your game without saving and repeat steps 2-4 until Chain to SID displays an SID based on the information entered.
Looks good to me.

 

Nexus

Forever the Recusant
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
Mingot requested that the link to posts be removed form this article as they could be deleted in the future, so now most of the info is included in the article.

Guides are in Hide tags as well as general info, such as the Bug Catching Contest abuse.Furthermore, I have edited some of the information in these posts as some of them were written to quickly get the point across or were missing a few tidbits of information. I have still given credit to the authors for the information. However, if you notice that there is info here that you are responsible for and have not been given information please contact me and I will give credit.

Finally, Wild Eep's post on Pokewalker PID geenration and Wichus on PokeWalker RNG general info have been removed. For Wichu's post I already have a general info section in place, but I still gave him credit. Wild Eep's post I felt would confuse the reader too much so now PokeWalker PIDs are just slightly mentioned, but Eep is still given credit.
 
Can you highlight in the OP what exactly was added in a different color so I don't have to redo the entire HTML to figure it out?
 

Nexus

Forever the Recusant
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
Can you highlight in the OP what exactly was added in a different color so I don't have to redo the entire HTML to figure it out?
sorry misread your post well I highlighted it in Blue and its noted in these lines:

Recent changes:

-RadioSeed guide is not posted in the paragraph on the subject in the RadioSeed section, but as a separate guide in Hide Tags. Not as link to a post. The final sentence in the paragraph preceding this has been changed.

-Romsstar's post with a guide on using the Roamer Method is no longer a link to a post, but a guide in hide tags.The final sentence in the paragraph preceding this has been changed.

-Bug Catching Contest abuse information by Zari is no longer a link to a post, but a hidden post with the information. The final sentence in the paragraph preceding this has been changed.

- Removed Wichu's post in the PokeWalker Manipulation section now it's just my general list of PokeWalker because info with credit to Wichu. The final sentence in the paragraph preceding this has been changed.

-Mingot's post on using the Researcher option to determine PokeWalker Pokemon natures is now in Hide tags on the article after Wild Eep's guide. The small bit on this has been slightly changed.

-Wild Eep's post on PokeWalker PID generation in the PokeWalker section has been removed. The paragraph preceding this has been changed

 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top