Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs

Notes

Unused Field Moves#

To do: Investigate this. Do they have any functions?

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ID	Icon	Register	Text
0x00			NONE
0x08			Aqua Jet
0x0D			NONE
0x0E			NONE
0x0F			NONE
0x10			NONE
0x11			NONE
0x12			NONE

Objects like the Saving Devices are destroyable with the semi-unused field move None. While the graphics are used, their effects can not be seen through normal means. It uses the sound of a Bug-type attack and uses the text for the Cut Field Move. However, the game will soft-lock and stop responding when the object is destroyed.

A new unused field move—Water Jet—exists with no known function. It may be related to the River Flow field move from Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia. Six unused and unfinished field moves with no known function can be found at the end of the list. They lack icons, but they have placeholder graphics for the register menu.

Unused Objects#

To do: There are a lot more! Investigate them and find a way to spawn these.

NULL (0x02)#

This portal-like object has no known functions. It can be found in the first test map.

NULL (0x73)#

An unfinished object that resembles a Steelhead. It can be destroyed with None 5.

NULL (0x74)#

An unfinished yellowish pillar. It can be destroyed with None 5.

NULL (0x75)#

Another unfinished object that can be destroyed with None 5.

Moving Tree (0xB3)#

Please elaborate. Having more detail is always a good thing. Specifically: Does this spawn a Torterra, or is the object simply destroyed?

The Torterra tree from Shadows of Almia. It can be destroyed with Tackle 4.

Unused Pokémon Data#

To do: Add Poké Assists, Field Moves, battle behavior and sprites from all the alternate forms that cannot be faced in battle. Check Notes.

All Pokémon names, descriptions, and cries are present in the game's files, but in the final game, only 309 of the 493 Pokémon can be captured. Interestingly, Bulbasaur's cry is listed as PV_000, while PV_001 is missing.

Some Pokémon have different alternate forms used for tutorials, quests, or overworld encounters. Since the player is usually unable to catch Pokémon in alternate forms, their battle behavior, Poké Assist or Field moves can be unused.

Flying Forms#

Pokémon with flying forms are used in the sky. These alternate forms doesn't have Poké Assists, battle sprites and animations, and only their shadows will be displayed when faced.

Includes: Pidgey, Pidgeotto, Pidgeot, Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, Skarmory, Latias, Latios, Starly, Staravia, Honchkrow, Togekiss, Shaymin.

Zubat and Crobat also have flying forms, but since they are unable to be encountered on the sky, they remain unused.

ID	Sprite	Name	Type	Field
0x19		Zubat	Poison	Cut 2
0x1B		Golbat	Poison	Cut 3

Overworld Forms#

Some Pokémon act as obstacles on the overworld and a Field Move must be used to uncover them. These forms doesn't have sprites or animations when faced in battle. They lack Poké Assists too, but will use their uncover animation and will stay in place until an attack is received.

Includes: Oddish, Vileplume, Geodude, Graveler, Sudowoodo, Sunflora, Suckle, Lotad, Budew, Bonsly. Bronzor and Carnivine also have alternate overworld forms, they don't act as obstacles but share the same battle behavior.

Tentacool, Corsola and Torterra have unused overworld forms.

Other Alternate Forms#

ID	Sprite	Name	Type	Field	Notes	Battle
0x00		Bulbasaur	Normal	Cut 1	Uses Crobat's Poké Assist and sprite.	Uses Charizard's flying sprite and doesn't move. Acts as a boss.
0xB6 to 0xB9		Raikou	Electric	None 1	For some reason, the male protagonist from Shadows of Almia is riding on Raikou. Does't have a Poké Assist.	Doesn't attack.
0xE0		Carvanha	Water	Crush 1	A leftover from the first game. It also has sprites for swimming underwater.	Uses the underwater sprite to move. It surfaces to attack, but lacks attack moves.
0x125		Cherrim	Grass	Cut 2	Unused overcast form of Cherrim. It uses Pikachu's sprite.	Acts as Pikachu. Doesn't attack.
0x128		Shellos	Water	Soak 2	Unused East form of Shellos. It uses Pikachu's sprite.	Acts as Pikachu. Doesn't attack.
0x129		Gastrodon	Water	Soak 3	Unused East form of Gastrodon. It uses Pikachu's sprite.	Acts as Pikachu. Doesn't attack.
0x14A		Lucario	Fighting	Crush 4	An empowered version of Lucario, which served as a boss in Shadows of Almia. Game crashes if the Poké Assist is used.	It moves slower than its regular counterpart.
0x169		Gliscor	Fighting	Cut 4	An empowered version of Gliscor, which served as a boss in Shadows of Almia.	Uses shock waves instead of tornadoes.

Unused Time Travel Pokémon#

The player can summon 223 different Pokémon using the Time Travel sign if they have collected their corresponding litographs. However, some Pokémon litographs cannot be found in the temple missions and interestingly, their regular counterparts cannot join the player's party in the overworld either.

ID	Sprite	Name	Type	Field	Notes
0x219		Scyther	Bug	Cut 1	It can crash in the overworld and in battle if the Poké Assist is used.
0x221		Articuno	Ice	None 1	Game crashes if the sprite is shown in the overworld or in battle.
0x222		Zapdos	Electric	None 1	Game crashes if the sprite is shown in the overworld or in battle.
0x223		Moltres	Fire	None 1	Working without any problem.
0x250		Scizor	Steel	Cut 1	It can crash in the overworld and in battle if the Poké Assist is used.
0x263		Raikou	Electric	None 1	Working without any problem.
0x264		Entei	Fire	None 1	Working without any problem.
0x265		Suicune	Water	None 1	Working without any problem.
0x26A		Lugia	Psychic	None 1	Game crashes if the sprite is shown in the overworld or in battle.
0x26B		Ho-oh	Fire	None 1	Game crashes if the sprite is shown in the overworld or in battle.
0x26C		Celebi	Grass	None 1	Working without any problem.
0x29C		Latias	Psychic	None 1	Working without any problem.
0x29D		Latios	Psychic	None 1	Working without any problem.
0x2A0		Torterra	Grass	Tackle 1	Game crashes if the sprite is shown in the overworld.
0x2E2		Rhyperior	Rock	Tackle 1	It can crash in the overworld and in battle if the Poké Assist is used.
0x2EA		Yanmega	Bug	Cut 1	Working without any problem.
0x2EF		Mamoswine	Ground	Tackle 1	It can crash in the overworld and in battle if the Poké Assist is used.
0x2F7		Regigigas	Normal	Tackle 1	It can crash in the overworld and in battle if the Poké Assist is used.

Unused Placeholder Pokémon#

There are 62 placeholder Pokémon IDs in the game. Most of them use Pikachu's sprite and have the name Bulbasaur. They often use the same Poké Assists, like Tackle and Blizzard.

From 0x189 to 0x192: Placeholder data for regular Pokémon encounters.

From 0x1C6 to 0x1F3: Placeholder data for boss and special Pokémon (like tutorials and signs).

From 0x1FA to 0x2FF: Placeholder data for Time Travel Pokémon. Most of them use Delibird's Sprite.

Unused Maps#

Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs has four test maps present at 00 to 02 0x16D. The first three maps use the Dolce Island tune and the same minimap below. For some reason, these first two maps have a script that spawns Kricketot, Haunter, and Teddiursa and teleports the player to the southern beach of Dolce Island after the script ends. The fourth map is a clone of the Ranger Base map used in some cutscenes. All of the maps share the same "TEST_000_00" HUD.

If Nema is taken to the unused maps and the player attempts to talk to her to teleport back to Rand's House, the game will crash.

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Map 0x0#

The first one is an early forest map with red trees and rivers. The Pokémon spawned here are Slowking, Jolteon, Venusaur, Charizard, Blastoise, Feraligatr, Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, Camerupt, Dialga, Marill, and Ukulele Pichu. An interesting thing to note is an unused object is only present in this map. If the player tries to enter the house, they are teleported to Map 0x1.

Map 0x1#

The second map uses the same model but spawns different objects and Pokémon: Gastly, Aipom, Sharpedo (on land!), an ice rock, a psychic wall, and a girl.

Map 0x2#

The last one is a beach-themed map that contains a lot fewer objects—only a girl, two ice rocks, and cobwebs-and no Pokémon. If the player goes to the north path, they will be teleported to Map 0x0. Talking to the girl will display the "You feel a strange power..." textbox 15 times.

Map 0x16D#

To do: Is this different to the one used in a flashback?

An alternate version of the Ranger Union. There is an unused top part that isn't seen.

Inaccessible Areas#

Lapras Beach has three maps—one with the stairs to Nema's house blocked by rocks and two without the rocks. The right section of the first map, which is blocked by rocks, is modeled out completely. In the final game, the player can only get a small view of Igglybuff, while Kingler isn't present here for some reason.

Unused Text#

Test Map

Appears in the unused test maps.

? ? ?
Dummy 

Found in the text file for the Pokémon list. Their IDs are 000 and 494.

[W:00]A hole opened in the ground![D:]

Text related to the Field Move "Tunnel" from Shadows of Almia.

@-S

This text is displayed if the string buffer is empty.

This gimmick is under developement.
Message Test
message test
Retuen test1
Retuen test2
End 
[C:2]RED
[C:3]BLUE
[C:4]GREEN
[C:1][S:10]SLOW SPEED
[D]NORMAL SPEED 
[W:00]System Message[D:]
Question test
What's ?[Q] 
IconTest[O:00]test
TEST[O:01]Test
return 
ETCname

Some development- and debug-related text still remains in the files.

Wi-Fi User Data Transfer

Transfer the Wi-Fi User Data
from another Nintendo DS to this one.

Nintendo WFC Configuration Transfer

Transfer the Nintendo WFC configuration
from another Nintendo DS to this one.

Two early Wi-Fi-related texts are present in the Korean translation (kor.bmg).

Unused Music#

The title theme from Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia is still present in the game's files under the name STRM_TITLE, albeit streamed than using the game's newer soundfont in comparison. It was probably used for testing.

The final boss theme from Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia is also present in the game's files under the name SEQ_BGM_EVE_BOSS_03.

A fanfare from the first Pokémon Ranger game.

Another fanfare, this time for receiving a mission.

This track is unused. Its purpose is unknown, but it might have been related to a minigame.

Unused Sounds#

To do: Check for unused sounds from Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia that might still be in the game's files.

Three unused beeping sounds are present in many banks.

Anti-Piracy#

This game utilizes the DS Protect anti-piracy library to ensure that it is not being run off a flashcart or emulator. If any of the DS Protect checks fail, the game hangs on a black screen upon selecting any option on the title screen.

Regional Differences#

Credits#

ダグア　マクシミリアン

Dagois Maximilien

Maximilien Dagois

ほんたいの
Ｗｉ－Ｆｉユーザーじょうほうが
きえたかのうせいが　あります。

Ｗｉ－Ｆｉコネクション
せっていで
せつぞくさきの　せっていを
ごかくにんください。

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