Proto:Pokémon Crystal/English Localization Prototypes
This is a sub-page of Proto:Pokémon Crystal.
 | This article is a work in progress. ...Well, all the articles here are, in a way. But this one moreso, and the article may contain incomplete information and editor's notes. |
 | To do: Fully document the debug menu. |
On the 24th of April, 2020, a large amount of files related to the development of Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal were leaked. This included a large amount of ROMs from the English localization of Pokémon Crystal.
Contents
Build Information
There are many, many builds present here. In chronological, order, they are as follows.
| File Name | Build Date | Debug? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| CRYSTAL_ps3_001114 | November 14, 2000, 9:08 AM | Yes | Earliest known build. |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_001114_2 | November 14, 2000, 9:19 PM | Yes | Only file to use the _2 scheme. |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_001115 | November 15, 2000, 8:38 PM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_001116 | November 16, 2000, 8:28 PM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_001120 | November 20, 2000, 7:29 PM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_001121 | November 21, 2000, 7:54 PM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_001128 | November 28, 2000, 6:13 PM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_001129 | November 29, 2000, 9:29 PM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_001201 | December 1, 2000, 9:14 PM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_001204 | December 4, 2000, 7:39 PM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_001205 | December 5, 2000, 9:20 PM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_001206 | December 6, 2000, 9:18 PM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_001208 | December 8, 2000, 9:55 PM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_001211 | December 11, 2000, 9:31 PM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_001212d | December 12, 2000, 4:47 PM | Yes | Unknown why the Debug notation was included in the file name. |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_001213 | December 13, 2000, 9:44 PM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_001214 | December 14, 2000, 9:06 PM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_Y | December 15, 2000, 6:12 PM | Yes | Unknown what the unique file name means. |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_001215 | December 15, 2000, 9:29 PM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_BYTE | December 18, 2000, 2:57 PM | Yes | Appears to be the first build which uses the BYTE product code. |
| CRYSTAL_BXTE_ps3 | December 18, 2000, 3:03 PM | Yes | Appears to be the last build that uses the BXTE product code. |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_001218d | December 18, 2000, 9:59 PM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_001219 | December 19, 2000, 9:22 PM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_001220d | December 20, 2000, 7:41 PM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_001222d | December 22, 2000, 9:15 PM | Yes | |
| crystal_base0 | January 9, 2001, 1:42 PM | No | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_010111d | January 11, 2001, 8:52 PM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_010118r | January 18, 2001, 2:58 PM | No | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_010118d | January 18, 2001, 4:37 PM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_010125d | January 25, 2001, 8:48 AM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_010205d | February 5, 2001, 8:52 AM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_010228d | February 28, 2001, 3:15 PM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_010228ad | February 28, 2001, 3:59 PM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_010301d | March 1, 2000, 11:21 AM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_010301 | March 2, 2000, 9:37 AM | Yes | Despite the filename indicating that it was compiled on March 1st, it was compiled on the 2nd. |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_010306d | March 6, 2000, 9:18 PM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_010307d | March 7, 2000, 7:58 PM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_010307r | March 7, 2000, 8:43 PM | No | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_010308d | March 8, 2001, 7:21 PM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_010308r | March 8, 2001, 7:28 PM | No | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_010309d | March 9, 2001, 8:39 PM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_010309r | March 9, 2001, 8:44 PM | No | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_010312d | March 12, 2001, 10:55 AM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_010312r | March 12, 2001, 11:15 AM | No | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_010313d | March 13, 2001, 4:38 PM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_010313r | March 13, 2001, 4:45 PM | No | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_e3_010313d | March 13, 2001, 6:45 PM | Yes | First appearance of the "e3" file notation. |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_e3_010313r | March 13, 2001, 6:53 PM | No | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_010314d | March 14, 2001, 9:01 AM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_010314r | March 14, 2001, 9:06 AM | No | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_010315d | March 15, 2001, 7:36 PM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_010315r | March 15, 2001, 7:42 PM | No | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_e3_010315d | March 15, 2001, 7:53 PM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_e3_010315r | March 15, 2001, 7:59 PM | No | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_010319d | March 19, 2001, 6:55 PM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_010319r | March 19, 2001, 6:59 PM | No | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_010321d | March 21, 2001, 7:50 PM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_010321r | March 21, 2001, 7:58 PM | No | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_010322d | March 22, 2001, 9:04 PM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_010322r | March 22, 2001, 9:12 PM | No | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_010323d | March 23, 2001, 7:51 PM | Yes | |
| BYTE00-0 | March 23, 2001, 7:56 PM | No | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_010326d | March 26, 2001, 9:05 PM | Yes | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_010327d | March 27, 2001, 9:27 PM | Yes | |
| BYTE00-0 | March 27, 2001, 9:31 PM | No | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_010328d | March 28, 2001, 6:33 PM | Yes | |
| BYTE00-0 | March 28, 2001, 6:38 PM | No | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_e3_010328r | March 28, 2001, 6:42 PM | No | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_e3_010328ra | March 28, 2001, 8:33 PM | No | |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_e3_010403r | April 3, 2001, 7:00 PM | No | |
| CRYSTAL | April 5, 2001, 10:22 AM | No | The retail build. |
| CRYSTAL_ps3_e3_010405r | April 5, 2001, 10:22 AM | No | The retail build. |
Debug Menu
| To do: Cover in detail what all the debug options do. |
The debug room can be accessed in most of the prototypes, as noted in the above table. There must be a save file present, once there is a Debug Room option will appear on the main menu. Holding Select and Start while pressing A on the option will enter it.
In the early builds, the debug room is the same as the debug ROM's of Pokémon Gold and Silver. However, the developers added more features as time went on. The November 14th build has 12 debug options, while the March 28th build has 19.
| November 14th | March 28th |
|---|---|
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Text
| To do: In what build was the translation completed? |
The November 14th build has almost no translation work done. Most of the text was copied from Gold and Silver, and almost all of the text unique to Crystal is gibberish. The translation was gradually worked on over time, with each build having more translated dialogue.
| November 14th | Nov 16th |
|---|---|
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| November 14th | December 1st |
|---|---|
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Title Screen
In the earliest builds, the Pokémon logo was originally blue. In the December 8th build it was changed to the final yellow color. Instead of TM the title screen contained an ®, which was switched alongside the color change.
| November 14th | December 8th |
|---|---|
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Only for Gameboy Color
The "Only for Gameboy Color" screen pops up whenever the game tries to boot into Gameboy mode. This can be caused by a number of glitches, or by setting the game to run in Gameboy/Super Gameboy mode. (Many emulators allow you to toggle this.) The screen remained untranslated up until the December 1st build, where the text was translated. However, the text is improperly laid out and overflows. This remained until the December 5th build, where the text was repositioned and the English Pokémon logo was added as well.
| November 14th | December 1st | December 5th |
|---|---|---|
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SHOP/MART and PC/POKé
The two November 14th builds still have the PokéMart and Pokémon Center signs displayed as "SHOP" and "PC" as it is in the Japanese version. This was quickly changed to "MART" and "POKé" in the November 15th build.
| November 14th | November 15th |
|---|---|
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 |
Jynx
Jynx retained its Japanese sprite up until the November 29th build, where its color palette was altered. This inadvertently caused a glitch in the November 29th build, where Jynx's animation would glitch out. This glitch was fixed by the December 1st build.
| November 14th | November 29th |
|---|---|
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 |
Mobile System GB
The Mobile Adapter GB was an adapter for the Game Boy Color which hooked up to a cellphone. This adapter gave players access to the Mobile System GB in Japanese Pokémon Crystal. It seems that the idea of bringing the Mobile System GB to the English version of Crystal was considered, but it ultimately was scrapped. As such, many of the features related to this add-on saw changes during the localization of Crystal.
Almost every function related to the Mobile System GB appears inaccessible at first glance. Though it is indeed impossible to connect to the Mobile System GB, it is possible to see more of the features by causing the game to think that you have previously connected to it. Using a Hex editor and changing the values at addresses $E800 and $9000 will accomplish this. There are several values these can be set to, but $E800 to 81 and $9000 to 7E are one option. The effect can be seen immediately, as a Mobile System GB splash screen will be visible upon starting the game.
Mobile Menu
The Mobile menu was the main hub where players could set up functions related to the Mobile Adapter GB. This feature is not normally accessible in any of the localization builds, but the menu can be accessed by editing the value of $CF74 to 04. This causes every option in the main menu to load up the Mobile menu. Also, if the save file has been modified to enable mobile features, it will appear on the main menu once the player has obtained the Pokédex.
The initial setup for the Card Folder was translated and actually appears to have been one of the first pieces of text translated, as it is even translated in the November 14th build. However, the player will not get very far after setting up the passcode for your Card Folder. A major text overflow occurs in the menu for the Card Folder, filling most of the RAM with garbage data. This causes the game to either crash or reset. There is no proven way to overcome this problem and properly view the Card Folder menu, though it appears that older emulators may ignore this problem.
The translated setup tutorial.
What happens when attempting to open the Card Folder.
The only other portion of the Mobile menu to be translated was the Mobile Profile, which was mostly translated in the December 1st build, with the exception of the address portion which was never translated. Some of the text overflows and causes a minor visual snafu.
| November 14th | December 1st |
|---|---|
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Mobile Stadium
The Mobile Stadium was a feature which allowed users to transfer battle data to Pokémon Stadium 2 on the Nintendo 64, so they could watch replays of their battles with other players in 3D. Like the Mobile menu, this feature is not accessible in any of the localization builds, but the menu can be accessed by editing the value of $CF74 to 05. This causes every option in the main menu to load up the Mobile Stadium. It also can be enabled by editing the save file, first by setting the addresses mentioned above, then editing $E000 to any value that is not 00. The initial text appears to have been one of the first pieces of text translated, as it is even translated in the November 14th build. Otherwise, the menu remains completely untranslated, with the strange exception of the second YES/NO box, which was translated in the March 1st build.
The Mobile Stadium is also humorously misspelled as "Mobile Studium" in the main menu.
Battle Tower
In the Japanese version of Crystal, the Battle Tower was tied to the Mobile System GB, allowing players to battle each other. With the removal of all Mobile System GB features in all other releases of Crystal, the Battle Tower was reworked to be a single player experience.
Mobile System GB Battle Tower
In early builds, the Battle Tower is typically inaccessible, simply stating the message "The BATTLE TOWER's doors are closed..." However, by editing the save file, the battle tower can be entered. The attendant's lines are fully translated, and she explains the original version of the Battle Tower to the player. Sadly, the game will crash upon attempting to enter a match.
International Battle Tower
In the February 5th build, the Battle Tower began its transformation into the Battle Tower seen in all versions of Crystal outside of Japan. It is in a very rough state in this build. Almost all dialogue is nonexistent, except for the attendant who has most of her lines translated. In some emulators, upon entering the tower the player will immediately be presented with the "We've been waiting for you" dialogue, resuming a match that was never started. Your character will start walking to the elevator, but they will be stopped two or three more times with the "We've been waiting for you" text (depending on which door you entered.) Trying to end the session by losing or ending it after a victory will not allow escape either, as the "We've been waiting for you" script will immediately start again.
Once in the battle room, the player will face off against a number of trainers. All of these trainers have been given their own proper names, and they are all named after members of the Pokémon Crystal staff! Some of these names were kept in the final version, but most were changed. All of the trainers have a selection of Pokémon with massively inflated stat totals, far beyond what's normally possible. As such, most of them are extremely strong regardless of their displayed level, and will often take out level 100 Pokémon with max DVs and Stat EXP in one hit. It is possible to defeat some of these Pokémon, but most will just show an infinitely draining HP bar upon being damaged. By modifying the game to end battles automatically, it is possible to finish the streak, but as mentioned before, the player will be drawn into a second gauntlet. This one is never ending, trapping the player in battle purgatory.
In the February 28th build, the Battle Tower is much more stable. However, the instant "We've been waiting for you" text and the infinite battle purgatory mentioned above still occur. By the March 1st build, this appears to have been fixed.
Pokémon Center Second Floor
The second floor of the Pokémon Center gives the player access to trading, battles, and the Time Capsule feature. The Mobile System GB gave players the option to trade and battle online, but as these options were removed from all other versions, adjustments needed to be made. In many of the prototypes, the features are still present, but the player will not be able to access them normally.
Even after most Mobile System GB features were removed, the extra doors behind the attendants stayed until the January 25th build.
| November 14th | Jan 25th |
|---|---|
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Trade Machine
If the player has obtained the Pokédex and has enabled the Mobile System GB, the attendant will give the options of trading via link cable or trading via mobile phone. If the first option is chosen in the untranslated menu, she will let you enter the Mobile Trade room. Entering the right door behind the first attendant leads to the Mobile Trade Center. If the Card Folder has been set up in the Mobile menu (See above), you'll be taken to an untranslated menu where you can choose to trade online with anyone or with people in your Card Folder. The entries past 22 are corrupted and slow the game down to a crawl, but the menu can just be backed out of. If the Card Folder has not been set or the player switches the second option on the untranslated menu, a screen is brought up where a phone number can be entered. But as the Mobile System GB has been shut down since 2002, it will result in an error message.
The room for mobile trades and battles.
The corrupted Card Folder.
The phone number input screen.
Battle Machine
Like the Trade Machine, the attendant will allow the player to pick from either link battles or mobile battles once the Pokédex is obtained and the Mobile System GB is activated. Going through the right door behind the second attendant leads to the Mobile Battle Machine. If the player has not edited their save file to enable Mobile System GB, the machine simply states "There is less than 1 min. left today! No time left for linking today." If it has been activated, the player will be prompted to pick 3 Pokémon. When going to confirm the choices, the game seems to have trouble displaying their names, as a large amount of question marks are displayed before the player is allowed to proceed. This is most likely because the first 6 bytes (5 bytes allowed for nicknames in the Japanese version + terminator) of the names of the chosen Pokémon are copied across to another reserved WRAM location, but instead runs into an unterminated name it tries to print. Unlike Gen 1 and 'Gold and Silver', character 0x00 is treated as a control character that always prints a question mark. Like the Trade Machine, it always results in an error screen.
Odd Egg
| To do: When were the shiny odds changed? |
The Odd Egg is an often overlooked feature that had quite the change when Crystal was localized.
Egg Ticket
In Japan, the Odd Egg was obtained by speaking to the Day Care Man and receiving an Egg Ticket. This ticket could be taken to the Trade Corner in the PCC and exchanged for the Odd Egg after connecting to the Trade Corner. The Egg Ticket event is fully translated, and it can be obtained from the Day Care Man by editing the save file. It can also be obtained with the debug menu. Using the option "Item Get!", the Egg Ticket is item number 129. Once Start is pressed, the player can find the Egg Ticket in their PC. The Odd Egg is impossible to actually obtain without external scripts, due to the need to connect to the Mobile System GB.
Obtaining from the Day Care Man
In the February 5th build, the Odd Egg was changed to be directly available from the Day Care man. The dialogue for this event was not added yet, and the egg itself is extra odd. When added to the party, it will corrupt the names of some of the party members. One of the party members may be given an extremely long name that softlocks the game when it is sent out in battle. The egg does still hatch as normal. By the February 28th build, the event was fully finished and no longer buggy.
Sir, are you ok?
The name corruption on the status screen.
The name corruption in battle.
PCC
The Pokémon Communication Center in Goldenrod City is the hub for many features related to the Mobile Adapter GB in the Japanese version. It stuck around for a while in the localization builds, but was eventually phased out. In the December 11th build, the outside of the PCC was changed to a normal Pokémon Center. The interior remained until the January 11th build, where it was changed to the typical Pokémon Center interior as well.
In the earliest build, November 14th, only the Pokémon Center receptionist has translated dialogue. Translations were gradually added until all dialogue was completed in the November 20th build. Even normally inaccessible characters and features have fully translated dialogue. Modifying the save data can be used to gain access to some of these features.
| November 14th | November 20th |
|---|---|
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Trade Corner
The Trade Corner was basically a precursor to the GTS, allowing you to deposit one of your Pokémon and set which Pokémon you want traded in return. The attendant's dialogue is fully translated, and everything is functional up to the point where the menu for selecting the Pokémon you want to trade for, at which point the game freezes on a white screen.
| November 14th | November 20th |
|---|---|
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Pokémon News Machine
The behemoth in the right section is the Pokémon News Machine, which would allow the player to see the achievements of other players. If the save file has not been edited, it will just give a message that states "It's a POKéMON NEWS MACHINE! It's not in operation yet..." If it has been edited, the News Machine will allow the player to view news, check old news, or learn about the News Machine. Of course, none of these options actually accomplish anything of note.
Administration Office
Without editing the save file, an old man will block the door in the upper left corner of the PCC. By walking through walls or modifying the save file, the player can enter it. Once inside, the player can chat with the three NPCs. You can also check out the computers, which have information about the features of the Mobile System. The selection options are not translated, but all other dialogue is.
| November 14th | November 20th |
|---|---|
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GS Ball
The event where the Trade Corner attendant gifts you the GS Ball was added in the December 22nd build and removed in the January 25th build, it can be triggered by attempting to exit the PCC. The GS Ball event was completely translated and is fully functional in these builds. This feature was implemented into all languages of the Virtual Console release of Pokémon Crystal.
SRAM Glitch
The PCC has a glitch in the Japanese version of Crystal, where if there is no save data present in SRAM, the script at bank 5:A800 is not properly set to 00. This can result in a variety of issues when attempting to enter the PCC, most commonly resulting in a game crash. This glitch is present up until the December 22nd build, where it was patched, likely when the localization team was implementing the GS Ball event noted above.
