ROM Hack FAQ: PokeSav

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Frequently Asked Questions for PokeSav​

v1.0

by Zinic


"What is PokeSav?"

PokeSav is a utility for editing Pokemon Diamond/Pearl save files for FlashCarts (*.dat/*.sav/*.0) or emulators.


"Where can I get PokeSav?"

There's several places that host it. Here's a couple of mirrors for it.

Official PokeSav site (Japanese, and so is the PokeSav version you can get from here.)
Latest PokeSav (Mirror provided by Flam9)
Latest PokeSav (Mirrored on RapidShare)
Pokestation.net's PokeSav section


"So I've got PokeSav, what do I do with it?"

First of all you need a save file. These can be gotten by starting up the game on your flashcart/emulator and creating a new game and then saving it. After you have a save file, you can usually find it in the folder in your FlashCarts save folder, or where ever it might place save files. In my case (I have an M3 Perfect MicroSD and a PassKey3) these save files are stored in I:\NDSSAVE\ under the filename lgc-pkmd.dat (Pokemon Diamond) or whatever the rom is called when you put it on the flashcart.

After you've found your save file, back it up. What I usually do is that I'll copy the save file to the same folder as I saved PokeSav to and rename the original lgc-pkmd.dat.backup, just in case I might mess something up. After editting, I'll then just copy the save file I've editted to my flashcart and start up the game to play with the changes.

After backing up, fire up PokeSav and let's get hacking.

First of all, you need to load up your savegame in PokeSav. Click load and browse to the location where you copied your save, select it and open it. All of your saved details should now be visible in the editor and you can now change everything as much as you desire.


"How do I get ?"

There several ways to do this. Which one you want depends on wether or not you want legit pokemon (pokemon that have unaltered stats, levels, etc.).

The first method, which is non-legit, is simply clicking the Edit button for the corrosponding party number which you want to insert the pokemon into and then filling out the information in the dialog that follows. Here's a rundown on what needs to be added for it to work:

Pokemon dropdown: Select the pokemon you want to add.
Item dropdown: Select the item you want the pokemon to have, or just leave it empty if you don't want it to have anything.
Trainer and Secret ID: Just press the "Input Own ID" button here.
Level: Input the level you want the pokemon to be.
Exp. Points: Just leave it blank, as editting the level should fill it out automatically.
Friendship: Change to whatever value you want. Ranges from 0-255 and determines how much the pokemon likes you.
Attribute: Determines the nature of your pokemon. Click Create and fill out the needed information. It dosen't really matter wether or not you choose first or second classes. Check the Shiny option if you want the pokemon to be shiny.
Name: The Name of the pokemon. You can choose the original name by clicking the Original Name button, or make up one yourself. The Change Name checkbox is there to signify if the pokemon has had it's name changed, so there's no real reason to check it. PokeSav AFAIK puts whitespace after the Pokename name if you use "Original Name" for some reason, so you should probably delete the spaces if you don't want to see "Trainer sent out MEW !" all the time.
OT: Original Trainer. States who the original trainer who caught the pokemon. Just click the Own OT Name for this.
Met at Level: The level the pokemon was met at. Input any level lower than the level you specified in the Level field.
Met in Place: Select a place in the dropdown box and it'll automatically fill it out for you. Place matters little as you aren't going for a legit pokemon.
Country: Country of origin. Determines the localization of the game from which the pokemon came. Select the one that corrosponds with the game localization you have.
Fateful Encounter: Wether or not the pokemon was caught in a fateful encounter. This is usually not needed and mostly only appears with Legendary pokemon.
Poke Ball caught with: The pokeball the pokemon was caught with.
Ability: The ability of the pokemon. If you don't know which ability the specific pokemon has, there's several sources on the net that can help you. You don't HAVE to choose one, but it's highly recommended that you do.
Hometown: The region the pokemon is from. This is the game in which the pokemon was originally caught. Select whichever you want as it dosen't really have any effect.
Battle Moves: The moves your pokemon has. First select a move a move from the dropdown box, then input the PP that move has in the field right next to it. The "PP UP's used" option is optional and dosen't matter.
Stats Edit: The stats of the pokemon. Here you can either click the "All Max" button and let it fill out the information itself, or you can input the stats as you like. Make sure to edit the Level to make it the same as the level you originally set.
Egg: This allows you to change the selected pokemon into an egg. Simply check the "Change" option and input a number from 1-255 in the dialog and the egg will hatch after taking that many steps. Any pokemon can be hatched this way, no matter which level of evolution they are. Note that if you add more than one egg this way, the game can only hatch one egg at a time, and seems to reset the counter for the second egg after the first has hatch. This is also one of two ways to get the pokemon into your pokedex. (Any pokemon hatched using this method will start at level 1 and base stats and the skills normally available to that pokemon at that level.)

And that's it. You've now created your own pokemon. All you need to do now is hit the ok button and you'll now have the pokemon you just made in your party. Note that anything option not mentioned is not required to creating a pokemon, so I have decided to not explain them for now.

Another option, for getting legit (and possibly non-legit) pokemon is to load in a premade pokemon. First of all you will need a .pkm file with the pokemon you want. These can be gotten by asking someone to save one for you from their own game, or by going here and selecting the pokemon you want, and then download it.

After you have acquired the .pkm file for the pokemon you want, all you have to do is click on the Load button under the Party Pokemon option and then selecting the .pkm file with the pokemon you want. After that, save, and you should now have that pokemon in your party.

The only problem with adding pokemon with the above two methods is that they will not be added to your pokedex. One way to make sure they are added is either by changing the selected pokemon into an egg and then hatching it, or by using the trick listed below.

Another way to get perfectly legit pokemon, at least stat wise, is by clicking on the Edit button under Events (Should be in the lower left corner of the editor) and then selecting the pokemon you want under the Mining Museum Pokemon option and then clicking ok. After this is done, all you have to do is head to Orebreugh town and head into the Mining Museum. In there, there'll be a guy that looks like a doctor. Talk to him, and he'll give you a level 20 version of the pokemon you selected in the dropdown. The only thing not legit about this method is the location you've acquired the pokemon, but this can be changed in the editor just like when you created your own pokemon.

PLEASE DO NOT USE THESE POKEMON ONLINE FOR NEITHER BATTLING NOR TRADE. It's considered just plain rude to do this, and Nintendo kills a kitten everytime an illegal pokemon enters the online world.

"HELP! I've tried adding a pokemon I got from that site to my party, but it gives me some strange error message!"

A common problem. Generally, the editor is being a bit bitchy about the location you add the pokemon. If there's already a pokemon in the slot you're loading the pokemon to, it'll give an error. if it dosen't work with an empty slot either, try adding it to the Storage instead, as this seems to work for most people.
MAKE SURE YOU ARE ADDING THE POKEMON TO AN EMPTY SLOT.


"HELP! I tried to add the , but it dosen't work!"

Another common problem. You have to add the special items in a specific way, otherwise they won't work. The way to properly add the items and activate the event is as follows.

Open up the editor, then click the "Edit" button under events in the lower left corner. On this dialog, click the "Mystery Gift Edit" button. At this dialog, go to the "Gift" section and check the "Enable Gift" checkbox and then select the item you need. The items needed for the events are as follows:

Azure Flute - ARCEUS event.
Oak's Letter - SHAYMIN event.
Member Card - Darkrai event.

After you have enabled the item this way, there shuold be a delivery man in green standing in all of the pokemarts, who will then give you the item you selected.

Note you can only add one item at a time this way, but it's a failsafe way to getting the events going. As for completing the events, there's several other guides for this on Gamefaqs.com or similair places. This also works for acquiring the Manaphy Egg. You also MUST have the national Dex for all of these events, except for the Manaphy Egg.


"How do I get the manaphy Egg?"

Same as above, only select Manaphy Egg as the item instead of the others.


Disclaimer
I am not the developer of PokeSav, nor am I the translator of the english version. Any saves made with this editor should NOT be used online as it is considered cheating to use tools such as this. Any pokemon created or loaded with this tool are considered illegal due to copyright infringement and just plain rude if you decide to use them online in either battles or trading. I myself have used this tool, but only for things such as enabling the event-specific pokemon because I do not like the fact that I am forced to go to a Pokemon specific event just to acquire some rare item or pokemon.


Credits
GSD, for translating PokeSav to english.
Flam9, for providing one of the mirrors to the PokeSav and for creating the the .pkm library.
blizzak, for figuring out how to add the event items and activating the events the easy way.
Xenophobe, for helping me spot a couple of things I missed when I originally made the FAQ.
Serebii.net, for providing alot of useful information about all the games.

That about covers the most typical questions. If anyone has anymore question regarding the PokeSav editor, ask them in THIS thread and not any of the others. I'll try to update this FAQ as frequently as possible, but I can't be everywhere on the forums.