Error codes (Generations I and II)

Error prevention and placeholders in the Pokémon games:

?????????? | ????? | ! | Abnormal Pokémon | Bad Egg | Enigma Berry (Generation III) | Error! | Error codes (Generations I and II) | Error traps for damaged save data | Error traps to prevent impossible progress | Event data debugging messages | Instant victory effect (Generation II) | Mystery Zone | N/A | Pokégear instruction booklet trap | Rhydon trap | Special (location) | This Game Pak is designed only for use on the Game Boy Color. | This Pokémon cannot be traded.

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This article is a summary page for different variations of a glitches, etc. when talked about as a whole.

An error code on the Nintendo Wii.

Within the Pokémon games, error codes instead of error messages are sometimes used to refer to a particular problem, especially, after the launch of the Global Trading System in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. Error codes are often more convenient than error messages and can take up less memory for documenting more errors than if the developers used text to inform the player of an error.

For error codes in the Global Trading System (or any other Wi-Fi service by Nintendo), the game developers ask players to refer to their local website based on the region his or her Game Pak was built for.

Error codes also exist in Generation I, however the purpose of these error codes are unknown, which in theory makes them beta elements.

In Generation I

The purposes of these error codes were never documented by Nintendo, thus it is difficult to rationalise these error codes as they can appear in multiple ways through various glitches such as different variations of the Ditto Trick.

'Legitimate' error codes appear to range from 1 to 99 however, other error codes do exist such as the 0 error and errors which use other symbols in the byte which manages what symbols should be displayed in game such as a "B6 error". Error codes in this generation however, often appear within glitchy text, so what may actually seem like an 'error code' may not be.

These in theory, are often considered to be beta elements because there is no evidence to support whether the game 'deliberately' makes these error messages appear, or whether they appear by coincidence from the effects of the glitches themselves.

In Generation IV

Error codes are used in the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service for areas such as the Global Terminal or when the player attempts to connect to Mystery Gift. If a connection fails, the game will give the player a five digit number (or sometimes a six digit number in non-Pokémon games) and suggests to the player that he or she can refer to the official Nintendo website for a detailed explanation of the error.

Printer errors

Within the Generation I and II Pokémon games (and any other GameBoy game which is compatible for use with the GameBoy printer), a total of four legitimate printer errors are used for when the player attempts to print visual data within the game (e.g. a Pokédex entry) but the printer cannot perform the task.

Below is information about the four possible error codes, regarding what causes them and how these errors can be ammended (as sourced by Nintendo [1])

Error number	Identifier	Cause	Solution
01	00	The batteries are empty.	Insert new, working batteries into the hardware.
02	01	The universal game link cable is not, or incorrectly connected to the printer.	The player should re-connect the link cable correctly.
03	02	There is a paper jam.	Carefully remove the Paper Jam (see the GameBoy printer manual for more information) [2]
04	03	The ambient printer temperature is too high or low for the printer to operate.	Attempt printing again at an appropriate room temperature.

It is notable that the game can crash if it attempts to manage a 'printer error' with an identifier greater than 03, although this should never happen within normal gameplay.

External links

1. [3] - Nintendo.com's page for diagnosing error codes for games on the Nintendo DS, Nintendo DS Lite, Nintendo DSi, or Wii.