RNG - a (very) basic tutorial
Foreword
I haven't had this critiqued yet, so I don't know how helpful it is. It makes sense to *me* because, y'know, I'm familiar with the process. Yeah. >.>; And it's basically the same thing you find on Smogon, but there are a fair few more pictures to look at. :/
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Here is a (hopefully) easy guide to the world of very basic RNGing for Shiny Pokemon. This won't help you get perfect IVs or whathaveyou, but I'm hoping it will dispel the myth that RNG shinies are nigh impossible to create.
This intro was crafted by mobung,
"Many processes in the Pokemon world, such as the characteristics of wild Pokemon or Pokemon eggs received from the Daycare, are handled by a pseudo-Random Number Generator. This pRNG is influenced by the player's in-game actions, and by performing a specific series of actions for each situation, the player is able to manipulate the pRNG to produce wild or egg (in this case, just egg) Pokemon with desirable characteristics such as shininess, good IVs, and/or a beneficial nature." Thank you, mobung!
So basically that's what an RNG is. You manipulate the game using the Poketch, a pokemon's stats, and a calculator downloaded online to get the desired specifications of a pokemon you're breeding. So while you are in fact influencing the game, there is no external program that changes the fundamentals of the pokemon from one thing to another. You're just giving it a mathematical nudge in the right direction. And with that,
*Before you even begin* you need your Secret ID (obtained by catching a wild shiny pokemon, 6 - 7 chained shiny pokemon, or having someone use an AR on any of your pokemon. I cannot do this for you -- I don't have an AR), and the RNG Reporter by Smogon. I am using version 7.10 of the reporter, which does not require the IVs of a pokemon, or lots of rare candies.You will also require Poketch app #5 immediately, and Poketch apps #6 and #15 for later in the method.
---
---
To begin with, you need a few things:
1) a patch of grass with wild level 50+ pokemon;
2) 5 pokemon in your party, no more, no less;
3) a level 50 pokemon (optional);
4) super repel (again, optional);
5) your poketch application set to #5 (pictured);
6) make sure there are no pokemon in the daycare when you begin.
I prefer having a level 50 Banette on my team, as repels only repel pokemon that are a lower level than your forerunner's level. Therefore, a Super Repel + a lv. 50 pokemon will save you lots of level 49 run-ins. I prefer Banette at night because other Banette appear, and False Swipe is ineffective. During the day, a False Swiper isn't even all that necessary with Quick and Repeat balls.
(*Note:* I use the Survival Area square of grass - there are plenty of lv. 50 Fearow, Raticate, Machoke and, at night, Banette, to suit your pokeneeds.)
With 5 pokemon in your party and your main fighter at the forefront, make sure your poketch is at app. #5, use a Super Repel, and walk into the grass. Save, and turn off your game!
---
---
Open your RNG Reporter from here, and prepare the front screen of the Reporter. To do this, do the following:
1) Open the drop-down menu titled "Method". Click "DPPt Egg PID" - if you're using two regular, non-international parents, choose (Normal). I was using my Japanese Ditto and a normal Gardevoir, so I chose (International) because of the Ditto.
2) Move to the right of the screen; Put your ID & SID into the fields required, then make sure you check the box that says "Shiny Only".
3.) If desired, choose the Ability and/or Nature of the pokemon. (*Note:* the more specific you make the calculator, the more difficult it may become to make your shiny in the end. If you have patience, then go for it! I don't have the patience.)
---
---
Once you've filled in all the necessary fields, click the button "DPPt Seed Finder". Doing so will open a window with three tabs; click "Find Initial Seed by Stats" (the middle one). At this point you can turn your game back on. Take note of the hour and minute on your opening screen (pictured below) and fill it into the time slots in the tab.
(NOTE:
In order to work the RNG properly, you must know the hour and minute in your game that you click the blue Continue screen. If you're using the DSLite, the analog clock on the opening screen will give you an exact time down to the second. With the DSi I just wait until the next minute rolls around, to be safe. Really make sure you have plenty of time in your one-minute window between the opening sequence and the Continue screen, or the calculator won't be able to work its magic.)
Once you get to the blue Continue screen, you have to click past it as quickly as possible. The more time you spend on the blue screen, apparently, the less likely the RNG will be kind to you. I've never tested the theory myself, and I don't care to. ^^;
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---
Once you've found a level 50 pokemon, whittle its HP down enough to capture it. I like Repeat Balls, myself, as I've caught oodles of Machoke etc. going through this process. (*Note:* From what I understand, if you don't use a Repel you can run from lower level battles a couple times before finding a level 50 pokemon, but it never seemed to work out well for me. The RNG Reporter always said there was an error if I took too long to catch a lv. 50 pokemon.)
---
---
Once you've caught the opponent, open the Pokemon menu and check the Stats pages for it.
1) In the corresponding fields, fill in the pokemon's Nature and Characteristic, then the level, and all the stats as shown on the screen. These are not its IVs; don't worry about any IVs.
2) When you've finished filling in the fields, click "Find". An Initial Seed will pop up - make sure it's highlighted in blue, and click "OK" at the bottom of the window. The window you just typed in will disappear, leaving you with the main screen.
---
---
1) Click the button "Generate" on the main screen. Up will pop a table with all the possible shinies the RNG Reporter can make. The lower the number beneath the "Frame" column of the graph, the easier it will be to make your shiny.
2) The highlighted portion of the graph will tell you the pokemon's pre-determined stats, such as Nature, Gender, etc. (*pictured below*)
3) Right-click the highlighted portion of the graph and select "Calculate Poketch Taps ..." from the list.
When you select "Calculate Poketch Taps ..." from the list, this little window will pop up. Now, in this example, there are far too many taps to do, so I restarted the system and tried again. Just go through all the steps the same up to this point.
My second attempt yielded much more manageable taps and flips, so I'll stick with this. (*NOTE:* Never get upset with resetting the RNG - the lower number of taps you have, the more likely you won't make a mistake, and the less frustrated you'll be in the long run. I tried to do 700 taps one day... well, it didn't work out. Let's just leave it at that. @_@)
whisperinghope mentioned this: "The Happiness Poketch should not be opened when entering buildings or flying because it screws the whole RNG process up. (Adds more frames or something?)" SO this implies that if you start with the Coin Flips, then move to the Double Taps, you have to flip away from the Happiness Checker application before you fly anywhere, or your RNG will fail. Thank you, whisperinghope!
NOTE:
My second attempt yielded a pokemon that's guaranteed to be Quiet and Female. The RNG Reporter basically assumes you're always looking for a female pokemon, therefore the stats are reported as follows: Ralts has a 50% chance of being female, and as there is an "F" under the 50% column, I am getting a girl.
Keep this in mind: If the pokemon has a 12.5% chance of being female, the letter "F" or "M" will appear below it. If the letter is "F", it will be female; if it's "M", it will be male. Had I put a Bulbasaur in the daycare instead of a Ralts, I would have a shiny, female Bulbasaur. As it is I have a shiny, female Ralts. The RNG Reporter doesn't leave it up to chance - if the stats come out differently from what's on screen, there was an issue with the calculations. I hope this makes sense.
---
---
Once you know how many Taps and Flips you need to perform, you need to know what taps and flips *are*. Taps are the Happiness Poketch (#6) application double-taps to make the pokemon jump. So essentially, you need to make your pokemon party hop the specified number of times the RNG Reporter says. In my example, I would have had to double-tap the screen 519 times. Because I restarted, I only had to make them hop 26 times.
Once finished the specified number of taps, quickly flip to app #15 - the Coin Toss. This is the flip portion the RNG Reporter refers to. Toss the coin the specified number of times (in my example, I flipped the coin 7 times), then when you've finished, fly to Solaceon town.
---
---
1) In Solaceon, go to the Daycare and give the couple the pokemon you're breeding. If you need to pull them out of the PC, that ought to be fine. Bike around until the old man makes a fuss about the pokemon magically obtaining an egg, and take it. (*Note:* Apparently if you save before taking the egg, you can soft-reset for IVs.)
2) When you take the egg, go to your favourite hatching place and ride around until the egg hatches. My favourite hatching place is Floaroma town, because it's basically a great big square, with few obstructions. After this, it's just a matter of riding around until your new pokemon hatches.
---
---
Congratulations, you're the proud owner of a brand-spankin'-new shiny baby!
I hope this was useful, and helps get rid of the idea that RNG obtained shinies are something worth trading something significant for. :B
I haven't had this critiqued yet, so I don't know how helpful it is. It makes sense to *me* because, y'know, I'm familiar with the process. Yeah. >.>; And it's basically the same thing you find on Smogon, but there are a fair few more pictures to look at. :/
-------
Here is a (hopefully) easy guide to the world of very basic RNGing for Shiny Pokemon. This won't help you get perfect IVs or whathaveyou, but I'm hoping it will dispel the myth that RNG shinies are nigh impossible to create.
This intro was crafted by mobung,
"Many processes in the Pokemon world, such as the characteristics of wild Pokemon or Pokemon eggs received from the Daycare, are handled by a pseudo-Random Number Generator. This pRNG is influenced by the player's in-game actions, and by performing a specific series of actions for each situation, the player is able to manipulate the pRNG to produce wild or egg (in this case, just egg) Pokemon with desirable characteristics such as shininess, good IVs, and/or a beneficial nature." Thank you, mobung!
So basically that's what an RNG is. You manipulate the game using the Poketch, a pokemon's stats, and a calculator downloaded online to get the desired specifications of a pokemon you're breeding. So while you are in fact influencing the game, there is no external program that changes the fundamentals of the pokemon from one thing to another. You're just giving it a mathematical nudge in the right direction. And with that,
*Before you even begin* you need your Secret ID (obtained by catching a wild shiny pokemon, 6 - 7 chained shiny pokemon, or having someone use an AR on any of your pokemon. I cannot do this for you -- I don't have an AR), and the RNG Reporter by Smogon. I am using version 7.10 of the reporter, which does not require the IVs of a pokemon, or lots of rare candies.You will also require Poketch app #5 immediately, and Poketch apps #6 and #15 for later in the method.
---
---
To begin with, you need a few things:
1) a patch of grass with wild level 50+ pokemon;
2) 5 pokemon in your party, no more, no less;
3) a level 50 pokemon (optional);
4) super repel (again, optional);
5) your poketch application set to #5 (pictured);
6) make sure there are no pokemon in the daycare when you begin.
I prefer having a level 50 Banette on my team, as repels only repel pokemon that are a lower level than your forerunner's level. Therefore, a Super Repel + a lv. 50 pokemon will save you lots of level 49 run-ins. I prefer Banette at night because other Banette appear, and False Swipe is ineffective. During the day, a False Swiper isn't even all that necessary with Quick and Repeat balls.
(*Note:* I use the Survival Area square of grass - there are plenty of lv. 50 Fearow, Raticate, Machoke and, at night, Banette, to suit your pokeneeds.)
With 5 pokemon in your party and your main fighter at the forefront, make sure your poketch is at app. #5, use a Super Repel, and walk into the grass. Save, and turn off your game!
---
---
Open your RNG Reporter from here, and prepare the front screen of the Reporter. To do this, do the following:
1) Open the drop-down menu titled "Method". Click "DPPt Egg PID" - if you're using two regular, non-international parents, choose (Normal). I was using my Japanese Ditto and a normal Gardevoir, so I chose (International) because of the Ditto.
2) Move to the right of the screen; Put your ID & SID into the fields required, then make sure you check the box that says "Shiny Only".
3.) If desired, choose the Ability and/or Nature of the pokemon. (*Note:* the more specific you make the calculator, the more difficult it may become to make your shiny in the end. If you have patience, then go for it! I don't have the patience.)
---
---
Once you've filled in all the necessary fields, click the button "DPPt Seed Finder". Doing so will open a window with three tabs; click "Find Initial Seed by Stats" (the middle one). At this point you can turn your game back on. Take note of the hour and minute on your opening screen (pictured below) and fill it into the time slots in the tab.
(NOTE:
In order to work the RNG properly, you must know the hour and minute in your game that you click the blue Continue screen. If you're using the DSLite, the analog clock on the opening screen will give you an exact time down to the second. With the DSi I just wait until the next minute rolls around, to be safe. Really make sure you have plenty of time in your one-minute window between the opening sequence and the Continue screen, or the calculator won't be able to work its magic.)
Once you get to the blue Continue screen, you have to click past it as quickly as possible. The more time you spend on the blue screen, apparently, the less likely the RNG will be kind to you. I've never tested the theory myself, and I don't care to. ^^;
---
---
Once you've found a level 50 pokemon, whittle its HP down enough to capture it. I like Repeat Balls, myself, as I've caught oodles of Machoke etc. going through this process. (*Note:* From what I understand, if you don't use a Repel you can run from lower level battles a couple times before finding a level 50 pokemon, but it never seemed to work out well for me. The RNG Reporter always said there was an error if I took too long to catch a lv. 50 pokemon.)
---
---
Once you've caught the opponent, open the Pokemon menu and check the Stats pages for it.
1) In the corresponding fields, fill in the pokemon's Nature and Characteristic, then the level, and all the stats as shown on the screen. These are not its IVs; don't worry about any IVs.
2) When you've finished filling in the fields, click "Find". An Initial Seed will pop up - make sure it's highlighted in blue, and click "OK" at the bottom of the window. The window you just typed in will disappear, leaving you with the main screen.
---
---
1) Click the button "Generate" on the main screen. Up will pop a table with all the possible shinies the RNG Reporter can make. The lower the number beneath the "Frame" column of the graph, the easier it will be to make your shiny.
2) The highlighted portion of the graph will tell you the pokemon's pre-determined stats, such as Nature, Gender, etc. (*pictured below*)
3) Right-click the highlighted portion of the graph and select "Calculate Poketch Taps ..." from the list.
When you select "Calculate Poketch Taps ..." from the list, this little window will pop up. Now, in this example, there are far too many taps to do, so I restarted the system and tried again. Just go through all the steps the same up to this point.
My second attempt yielded much more manageable taps and flips, so I'll stick with this. (*NOTE:* Never get upset with resetting the RNG - the lower number of taps you have, the more likely you won't make a mistake, and the less frustrated you'll be in the long run. I tried to do 700 taps one day... well, it didn't work out. Let's just leave it at that. @_@)
whisperinghope mentioned this: "The Happiness Poketch should not be opened when entering buildings or flying because it screws the whole RNG process up. (Adds more frames or something?)" SO this implies that if you start with the Coin Flips, then move to the Double Taps, you have to flip away from the Happiness Checker application before you fly anywhere, or your RNG will fail. Thank you, whisperinghope!
NOTE:
My second attempt yielded a pokemon that's guaranteed to be Quiet and Female. The RNG Reporter basically assumes you're always looking for a female pokemon, therefore the stats are reported as follows: Ralts has a 50% chance of being female, and as there is an "F" under the 50% column, I am getting a girl.
Keep this in mind: If the pokemon has a 12.5% chance of being female, the letter "F" or "M" will appear below it. If the letter is "F", it will be female; if it's "M", it will be male. Had I put a Bulbasaur in the daycare instead of a Ralts, I would have a shiny, female Bulbasaur. As it is I have a shiny, female Ralts. The RNG Reporter doesn't leave it up to chance - if the stats come out differently from what's on screen, there was an issue with the calculations. I hope this makes sense.
---
---
Once you know how many Taps and Flips you need to perform, you need to know what taps and flips *are*. Taps are the Happiness Poketch (#6) application double-taps to make the pokemon jump. So essentially, you need to make your pokemon party hop the specified number of times the RNG Reporter says. In my example, I would have had to double-tap the screen 519 times. Because I restarted, I only had to make them hop 26 times.
Once finished the specified number of taps, quickly flip to app #15 - the Coin Toss. This is the flip portion the RNG Reporter refers to. Toss the coin the specified number of times (in my example, I flipped the coin 7 times), then when you've finished, fly to Solaceon town.
---
---
1) In Solaceon, go to the Daycare and give the couple the pokemon you're breeding. If you need to pull them out of the PC, that ought to be fine. Bike around until the old man makes a fuss about the pokemon magically obtaining an egg, and take it. (*Note:* Apparently if you save before taking the egg, you can soft-reset for IVs.)
2) When you take the egg, go to your favourite hatching place and ride around until the egg hatches. My favourite hatching place is Floaroma town, because it's basically a great big square, with few obstructions. After this, it's just a matter of riding around until your new pokemon hatches.
---
---
Congratulations, you're the proud owner of a brand-spankin'-new shiny baby!
I hope this was useful, and helps get rid of the idea that RNG obtained shinies are something worth trading something significant for. :B