Pokemon RBYS source code?

[Doctor Unne]

I wonder if anyone has done some figuring out of the source code for Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow/Stadium and made their findings widely available via the internet? Even today, I still encounter discrepancy as to the chances for special effects of some moves--particularly Bone Club, Bubblebeam, Acid, Sludge, Hyper Fang, Aurora Beam. "The pros" and their legions of followers say one thing, but I (and Pokemon Stadium's informational blurbs) disagree, and I'd like to just look at the very code to settle it once and for all. Also, I'm trying to make a simulator, and I want to make sure I want to get ALL my stuff right. Does anyone happen to know where I could find some analysis and explanation of the games' source codes? If I can't find anything, I'll get a rom and try to figure stuff out myself, but I'll save a whole lot of time if someone has already done this work.

[Jorpho]

Well, let's get your terminology straight, for starters.  A game's "source code" typically refers to human-readable instructions written in a language like C++ or Java or whatever that are compiled into what is generally referred to as a "binary", which is what ends up on cartridges.  There is no way to get the original source code of a program from the binary.  There have been very few cases in history when the source code of a commercially-released game on a cartridge has become available. 

You can "disassemble" the binary to put it in the form of "assembly" language, which can then be analyzed, but it tends to be very difficult.  Also useful is a "debugger", which can be used to follow the execution of the code in the binary while the game is running.

So, no, no one has done an analysis of the Pokemon RBY source code, because the public does not have access to the source code and it is vastly unlikely that it ever will.

But I think it is quite probable that someone has analyzed the Pokemon binary in-depth and possibly has more information.  You may find http://datacrystal.romhacking.net/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Red_and_Blue useful for starters.

[Sawakita]

IIMarckus has a WIP Disassembly of Red, which, in my opinion, is the biggest resource on R/B routines and stuff.
Too bad for you, "moves" haven't been recked yet.

Nevertheless on Skeetendo there's a pretty well done doc that should be reliable.

[Doctor Unne]

Ha I guess it's still obvious that I've only known anything about programming for a couple months now.
Thanks for the links to both of you, even if it doesn't have the data I'm looking for, I'll at least know some of where not in the to look in the ROMs.
Move data might not be too hard to find in hex code, given what is already commonly known about gameshark codes. But I have heard that the pokemon games are programmed in a rather haphazard fashion, so perhaps this is not the case.
January 04, 2011, 11:04:15 PM - (Auto Merged - Double Posts are not allowed before 7 days.)

Nevertheless on Skeetendo there's a pretty well done doc that should be reliable.

Totally awesome =] =]

[IIMarckus]

Historically, the source for Pokémon reverse‐engineering has been Azure Heights. They're long dead, but the website is still up, and the information is still correct for the old games. (Example.)

[Videogamer555]

Yeah, that would have to be an inside job (some guy at Nintendo intentionally undermining his employer). However that is NOT unheard of. I've heard about movies in the EDITING ROOM version being released on torrents before. So yes it can happen.