B&W Research Thread

TheMaskedNitpicker

Triple Threat
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TheMaskedNitpicker:

Presumably, so-called "patching" was possible with the Ruby and Sapphire Game Paks because the game program was writable, albeit through more complicated processes. Probably, the DS games couldn't be updated in the same way because the game program is read only in the Game Cards; thus the only way to "update" them is to release new versions of the Game Card in stores, which is normally not obvious to users.
So the question then becomes, why is the game program no longer writable in the current generation? I'm guessing because random-WiFi matches use one of the two games as the "server" for these matches, rather than actual servers running them? They're worried about hacking?

If that's the case, it would also explain why disconnects don't count as a loss for the disconnecter and a win for the opponent. Of course, Nintendo/GameFreak's extreme incompetence concerning online functionality could also explain that.
 
TheMaskedNitpicker:

I don't know why. The read-only status of the game program is likely a characteristic of all DS Game Cards, not just Pokemon Game Cards, by different publishers and developers, not just Nintendo. It is analogous to CD-ROMs and game and film DVDs which are also read-only.
 
Calisto:

The Speed doubling is an effect of the Unburden ability, not a stat stage change, confusion, or the effect of a move, so it can't be passed to a new Pokemon with Baton Pass.
 
Well, did some magic bounce testing (which I would think magic coat still mimics, but I'll have to fish up a magic coat user for testing for these additions)

First off, magic bounce did not reflect curse used by a ghost type. Secondly, it DID reflect confuse ray. This isn't really different from 4th gen's magic coat reflect list though.

...however, magic bounce ALSO reflected Simple Beam and Heal Pulse.

I think this requires more testing... I'll try to get to it later tonight. With both magic coat and magic bounce.
 

TheMaskedNitpicker

Triple Threat
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Well, did some magic bounce testing (which I would think magic coat still mimics, but I'll have to fish up a magic coat user for testing for these additions)

First off, magic bounce did not reflect curse used by a ghost type. Secondly, it DID reflect confuse ray. This isn't really different from 4th gen's magic coat reflect list though.

...however, magic bounce ALSO reflected Simple Beam and Heal Pulse.

I think this requires more testing... I'll try to get to it later tonight. With both magic coat and magic bounce.
It says right in the move code which moves are reflected by Magic Coat. Here's the list. If you still want to test, go ahead. Just let us know if you find anything on this list that's not reflected by Magic Coat/Magic Bounce, or anything not on the list that is.
 
Thanks for the fast reply poccil! I have one more question and then I'll be on my way =) In previous gens you couldn't Baton Pass abilities obtained with Skill Swap. Is this still the case with Entrainment and does it affect both beneficial (Wonder Guard, Huge Power) and hindering abilities (Truant, Slow Start)?
 
if nobody is doing it ATM, I can test Illusion + Befriend/Simple Beam, though I don't have a worry seed/Gastro Acid user. I may have a friend that has skill swap (will test on a lvl 1 Zorua)

[I saw this was untested on the OP, and is a pretty simple one to test]
 
Dark Pulse:

Entrainment, Simple Beam, Gastro Acid, and Worry Seed all work as normal against a Pokemon whose Illusion Ability is active. For all four moves, the Illusion effect stops when the Pokemon loses the Illusion Ability or when its ability stops working (with Gastro Acid).
 

TheMaskedNitpicker

Triple Threat
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Turns out that Feint will remove the effects of Wide Guard and Quick Guard if and only if the user of Feint is targeting a Pokemon on the other side of the field, aka an opponent. More info here.

The same does not apply to Protect, and presumably not to Detect either (though I have yet to test Detect specifically). An Pokemon's Protect effect can be broken by an ally's Feint.
 
Something kinda interesting my sister discovered by accident: with the new handling of items changing hands in trainer battles, a Flung item will return after the battle. Not sure about wild battles though.

That was a scare when it happened though, she wasn't really paying full attention to the game and had her Linoone Fling its Lucky Egg. But Linoone had it again after the battle.
 
TheMaskedNitpicker:

I could confirm what you have shown with Protect and Detect. Accordingly, my description for Feint now reads:

Ignores effect of Protect and Detect by opponent. Ignores effect of Wide Guard and Quick Guard on opponent's side if opponent is an opposing Pokemon of the user. If this attack is successful, attacks by non-users this round are not prevented by the opponent's Protect or Detect effect, and, if opponent is an opposing Pokemon of the user, they are not prevented by the Wide Guard or Quick Guard effect on the opponent's side. Priority level 2.
 

TheMaskedNitpicker

Triple Threat
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I've discovered something that may or may not be pertinent. When a Pokemon with Reflect is hit with Brick Break, the barrier breaks before the damage is done, so the damage isn't reduced. However, when a Pokemon with a Substitute and Reflect is hit with Brick Break, the Substitute is damaged, then the barrier breaks. What I want to know is: does Reflect reduce Brick Break's damage if the target has a Substitute up?
 
I have a question, if you have Technician and use Acrobatics without an item (so base power is doubled) would it also get the Technician boost?
 
cbleach:

No. Effects that determine what a single move's power is are applied before other effects that modify that attack's power. For example, Acrobatics reads:

"Power is doubled if user isn't holding an item."

The doubled power is an effect of Acrobatics, so it's applied before anything else that can change its power. The same applies for other moves that also include "Power is doubled if..." in the description, such as Retaliate, Earthquake, Facade, Brine, and so on.
 
Something kinda interesting my sister discovered by accident: with the new handling of items changing hands in trainer battles, a Flung item will return after the battle. Not sure about wild battles though.

That was a scare when it happened though, she wasn't really paying full attention to the game and had her Linoone Fling its Lucky Egg. But Linoone had it again after the battle.
When facing a real life trainer (not an in-game trainer) you will always receive your item back. In any in-game instances your item will be gone forever and you must get a new one. I hope this helped.
 
See poccil, I kinda thought that too, but it says in Acrobatics 'power is doubled' whereas Technician says 'moves with a base power of 60 or lower' are increased. I'm sure a +2 BP with Scizor did ~20% to Skarm but Acrobatics did ~40%. I know it's wrong to cite a rom and this was pokemon online, so I was hoping the research thread guys could test it?
 
cbleach:

I refer to the descriptions in my own attack list and Ability list, not the in-game descriptions or the descriptions given in Pokémon Online.

My descriptions for the moves mentioned above are:

Acrobatics - "Power is doubled if opponent isn't holding an item."
Earthquake - "Power is doubled if opponent is using Dig."
Retaliate - "Power is doubled if an active Pokémon on the user's side fainted on
the previous round"
Facade - "Power is doubled if user is poisoned, burned, or paralyzed."
Brine - "Power is doubled if opponent's HP is less than or equal to half of total HP."

For all five moves, mentioned above, their power is not boosted by Technician if their conditions cause them to be doubled. My description for Technician reads, in part:

"If an attack by bearer has a power of 60 or less ... that attack's power is multiplied by 1.5"

Moreover, you refer to "base power" and "power". Both terms mean the same thing -- power. In fact, my descriptions avoid using the term "base power".
 

TheMaskedNitpicker

Triple Threat
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Tested Nature Power, Secret Power, and Camouflage in an IR battle.

Nature Power uses Earthquake, just like in a Wi-Fi battle.
Secret Power has a chance to lower accuracy by one stage, just like in a Wi-Fi battle.
Camouflage makes the user the Ground type. Even if the user has two types, one of which is Ground, Camouflage makes the user a pure Ground type. Camouflage fails if the user is already the Ground type.

If memory serves, Soak doesn't fail even if the user is already a pure Water type. Can someone confirm this?
 
See, I believe the differentiation between "base power" and "power" may be important in deciding the actual final strength of the attack...looking back my description actually says "damage" is doubled for Acrobatics

Point is, I'm unsure and that's why I was asking here. Because I thought it would be tested not theorymon'd...
 
TheMaskedNitpicker:

I already did a test of that today. Soak fails only if the opponent is an Arceus.

cbleach:

To dispel your concerns about testing, I did test Acrobatics and Technician before I wrote my answer. With Acrobatics and Technician, the attack's power remained 110, not 165, while the attacker wasn't holding an item.
 

TheMaskedNitpicker

Triple Threat
is a Researcher Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
Another test:

Not surprisingly, Water Absorb absorbs/nullifies Soak. I assume that Storm Drain pulls Soak, but I don't have a Storm Drain Pokemon handy to test it.
 

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