Luck manipulation

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Bulbapedia also has an article about Luck manipulation.

In software and most computer games, a pseudorandom number generator is used to handle events which rely on some form of luck. This applies to (as of now) all of the Pokémon games and is used to generate a value which can determine whether for example if the player encounters a shiny Pokémon at an approximated chance of 1 in 8192.

As its name suggests, the pseudorandom number generator is not truly random in the sense that the game or software will depend on a relatively small set of initial values known as the 'state'. For this reason, several players have manipulated the Pseudorandom number generator to give him or her a shiny Pokémon.

How Pseudorandom number generators are used in the Pokémon games

Two pseudorandom number generators exist in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl.

1. The first pseudorandom number generator manages the encryption of Pokémon data in the save file (also known as the hidden ID number), the generation of the Personality Value, the Individual Values of a wild Pokémon, the species of wild Pokémon when encountered in a particular area and for determining the lottery number.

Before the pseudorandom number generator is used the game will use generate a 'random' number based on the product of the values of eight bytes (known as the random seed or 'seed state' ]]). The seed is the product of eight bytes and can range from any value between 1 and 4294967295. This number is usually generated after the player chooses 'Continue' on the title screen or will depend on the values of previous in-game variables. To determine a 'random' number the game will then use the algorithm (0x41C64E6D * Seed) + 0x6073, where 0x41C64E6D is the product of eight in-game variables between 1 and 1103515245 and where 0x6073 is the product of two in-game variables between 1 and 24691.

1. The second pseudorandom number generator creates a value ensuring that the Manaphy Egg obtained from Pokémon Ranger does not contain a shiny Manaphy. It also determines the species of a Pokémon swarm, the species of Pokémon found in the telescopes within the Great Marsh, the Pokémon found in the Trophy Garden and ensures that the Pokémon obtained from Mystery Gift cards are not shiny.

The second pseudorandom number generator also depends on a random seed but instead the game will use the algorithm 0x6C078965 * Seed) + 0x1, where 0x6C078965 is the product of eight bytes ranging between 1 and 1812433253 and 0x1 is 1 or 0.

A glitch in the pseudorandom number generator process of Pokémon Emerald and Pokémon Platinum

A glitch in Pokémon Emerald and Pokémon Platinum has meant that a random seed will no longer change after the player selects Continue, therefore this has made catching shiny in-game event Pokémon more predictable because if a player does not encounter a shiny Pokémon the first time he or she can use an item for example, to change the seed and information about the next encountered Pokémon.

Abuse of the pseudorandom number generator to hatch shiny Pokémon on Pokémon Platinum

A few players have taken advantage of the fact that a new seed will not be generated in Pokémon Platinum when the player selects 'Continue' on the title screen, after finding the value of a seed through the use of either a game-altering device or knowledge of a previous value used by the game a player can use the Coin Toss application for a specific amount of times so that the next egg that the player obtains will contain a shiny Pokémon.

Requirements:

1. The player will need the Happiness Application for his or her Pokétch (the sixth application).
2. The player will need the Coin Toss Application for his or her Poketch (the fifteenth application).
3. Parents to produce the Pokémon Egg should either be ready in party or in the box.
4. Five Pokémon should be in the party.
5. A clock to be synchronised with the DS clock.
6. The player needs to be on a patch of grass and should save the game.
7. A Pokémon with Sweet Scent.
8. Any type of Pokéball, preferably the player should have a few of them incase he or her fails to catch the Pokémon.
9. Knowledge of a SID (Seed Identification) which will allow the player to obtain a Shiny Pokémon (through calculation the player can use the SID of a shiny Pokémon which he or she already knows.

Method:

1. Select the fifth Pokétch application (a summary of the player's party and their current hitpoints) and reset the game.
2. Note the time in hours and minutes after selecting Continue.
3. Use Sweet Scent and catch the Pokémon that appears.
4. Through the use of an equation, estimate the Individual Values of that Pokémon by taking into account its stats, its nature and its Effort Values (those should all be zero if first captured)
5. Perform a relevant amount of coin flips based on information about the date, the time in hours and minutes, the Pokémon's nature, the Pokémon's ID and the Pokémon's SID.
6. Deposit the parents into the Day-Care center.
7. The Egg which hatches should be shiny.

Rumours of increasing the initial catch rate of Pokéballs

Main article: Glitch Myths

There have been rumours that if the player holds the B button before throwing a Pokéball it will apparantly increase the chances of catching that Pokémon; however those rumours have been proven to be false.

External Links

[1] - A player manipulates the Pseudorandom number generator so that he or she can hatch a shiny Cyndaquil.

[2] - A calculator to help players find the SID of a Pokémon, and the relevent amount of coin tosses required.