Rainbow Tower

UPS patching specification

Update: While rijonAdventures still uses the UPS format, we now have a different recommended method applying it to your ROM file. For up-to-date setup instructions, please click here.

rijonAdventures will be supporting a new patching format called UPS. This format allows for a much bigger ROM size (more for working on!). It’s a new format that aims to also iron out the problems with the IPS format.

(Note: rijonAdventures’ public beta is not currently using UPS.)

Please spread the use of this format!
UPS needs a big kickstart to get working, and it takes support from a lot of hacks! If you’re hacking a game, help the format out by changing from IPS to UPS.

And if you’re hacking Diamond and Pearl or plan to in the future, the UPS format will be absolutely necessary to use!

Read on to find out about why rijonAdventures will be using UPS and what benefits it provides.

rijonAdventures will be using a new patching format called UPS, created by byuu. This format is being used as it supports creating patches and applying them to sizes much larger than 16 MB. In comparison, IPS can only handle 16 MB.

Archivist’s note: byuu’s page is now offline, I have instead linked an archived page snapped at the time of this blog post.

What does this new format mean for rijonAdventures? Do other games use this format?

rijonAdventures will become a 32 MB ROM (or at least, larger than 16 MB). The extra space that UPS allows for means that there will be more content to put in the game. This can include much larger maps, more scripts and text, etc.

The version of rijonAdventures available to beta testers is in the UPS format, too.

The Unified Mother 3 Fan Translation project is already going to utilize the UPS format. For their intents and purposes, their use for the UPS format will further their ability to translate the game (and in their case, Mother 3 is unfortunately a 32 MB ROM, which IPS simply cannot support).

Will UPS files work in VisualBoyAdvance, Lunar IPS, etc.?

No. The UPS format’s specifications are different from the IPS format’s. However, just as there are patching programs for Lunar IPS, there are programs for UPS.

VisualBoyAdvance does not yet support UPS patches. Whether support will be implemented or not hasn’t been documented.

What program do I use to patch with UPS?

There are numerous UPS patchers available today. Windows users can download Tsukuyomi from here. Mac users can download UPS here.

Combination of three related posts on the old Rijon website, now offline, and PokéCommunity forums, now deleted. Blog post archive link. UPS page archive link. PokéCommunity post archive link. The links to the UPS patcher’s are no longer available. Please see our setup page for the more modern method of patching ROM files.

Virturia

Virturia is a virtual reality chamber. The world inside is completely virtual. You’re thrown straight into this world as part of the South Rijon quest.

The first town in Virturia, and the first route of Virturia.

Originally posted on the old Rijon website, now offline. Archive link.

Azalea Town

Originally posted on the old Rijon website, now offline. Archive link.

Patching guide

The original link in this post is outdated. For the latest guide on how to patch your game, click here.

There is a patching guide now available in the site’s Support and assistance section. This is used to primarily hard-patch rijonAdventures, though similar methods can be applied to any game that needs patching.

Link

Originally posted on the old Rijon website, now offline. Archive link.

South Rijon – Panning Creek

Panning Creek is one of the areas of South Rijon.

It consists of bridges, bridges, and a long river.

There are numerous spots where you’ll find hidden items, as well. What kind of items flow down this creek?

Originally posted on the old Rijon website, now offline. Archive link.

Elite Four Marisa

A bit of background first; I’ve never actually revealed much about the Elite Four, and while the beta testing team probably know their Pokémon, they don’t know exactly who they are or what they look like.

The Rijon Elite Four has changed significantly. The members are not the same Elite Four of Rijon that was shown in Brown, so it’s probably going to be nice to introduce some of you to one of the new members. I’ll only introduce two of them publicly, so the other two and their stories are going to remain a mystery for a while…

Marisa is the grand daughter of the Elite Four’s Agatha. Agatha herself was part of Rijon’s Elite Four (after leaving Kanto). As such, she has a similar preference of Ghost Pokémon to her grandmother. Marisa carries around a mask which she occasionally wears around in public.

She is the third member of Rijon’s current Elite Four.

Originally posted on the old Rijon website, now offline. Archive link.

Gym Leader Lachlan – “Karpman”

Nicknamed “Karpman” in comparison to “Cartman” from South Park. His name is actually a pun of Magikarp. In rijonAdventures, a first name is revealed, but he’ll still be known by the name Karpman throughout most of the game. Everyone knows him by that nickname.

Lachlan is the first gym leader you encounter in Rijon. His gym is located in Merson City. You’ll find him to be a bit of a challenge depending on how well you’ve trained, and since his team consists of two water Pokémon, you might want to catch a Bellsprout if you picked Charmander as your starting Pokémon. Funny that, the Pokémon he uses in battle are very similar to the ones he used in Pokémon Brown…

Relations. And she knows Karpman’s real name!

Karpman’s not always in the gym. He trains on a beach sometimes and isn’t against a rematch with you. Even still, he’s not going to battle you with his so-called main team.

Hmm… I wonder what his main team even is…?

Originally posted on the old Rijon website, now offline. Archive link.

Gym Leader Scott

The third gym leader has only really appeared in the latest rijonAdventures beta, and his backstory isn’t really all that large. Scott is an eleven year old Pokémon trainer. Actually, no, he’s a Gym Leader of Jaeru City. And, despite his age, he’s more than just a Gym Leader.

Scott is an electrician, and works at all sorts of places. Though he’s seen with his retired father who tries to constantly tries to advise him how to work, he doesn’t need it. He’s that smart. And because he’s often doing small electrical jobs, you may not actually be able to get to his Gym (in the final version, of course).

Oh, and, as his trade is electric work, his favorite kinds of Pokémon are also of the electric-type.

Originally posted on the old Rijon website, now offline. Archive link. The original screenshot (assuming it was a screenshot, it may have been artwork) in this blog post has been lost. It has been recreated based on the surviving text.

What is the Rijon region?

To those new to the Rijon Trilogy, you probably don’t know what the region of Rijon is.

Rijon first appears in Pokémon Brown. It consists of numerous cities. First, you probably should know where you start—Seashore City. Seashore is one of the cities in the southwest area of Rijon, known for many mountains and caves. Many cities and forests the west to the east areas of Rijon. The eastern area is particularly known for Castro Valley, which is a harbor town. The southern area of Rijon consists of the sea and nothing more.

Geographically in the Rijon Trilogy canon, Rijon is located south of Johto; there is a small island in Johto which connects to the region. West of Rijon is the Naljo region, which is featured in Pokémon Prism. And new to rijonAdventures is South Rijon, which is south of the Rijon region, accessible from Merson City.

There are a lot of things in Rijon that I’ll detail in later entries. Stay tuned!

Originally posted on the old Rijon website, now offline. Archive link.

Pokémon Mart stock

A trainer always goes from every town to get items. However, what if you backtrack to a town and their items are not really what you’re looking for? Actually, it happens all the time.

**Is this mart really all that useful? In rijonAdventures, the answer is yes.**

So, what’s funny is, that I thought of this idea before I saw it actually happening in Diamond and Pearl (honest!) but I never actually went into implementing it. That is, the marts are expanding their stock for every Gym you beat!

That’s basically it. As you get a badge, you’re valued more as a Trainer, so of course, you’re going to have access to more items.

But wait, is that another guy at the counter there? Now, this is an idea I borrowed from Diamond and Pearl.

Basically, most towns will also sell local specialities (mostly mail). There’s also one town that sells an imported good from a town somewhere in Hoenn…

Originally posted on the old Rijon website, now offline. Archive link. The original screenshots in this blog post have been lost. They have been recreated based on the surviving text.

RainbowDevs development blog

UPS patching specification

What does this new format mean for rijonAdventures? Do other games use this format?

Will UPS files work in VisualBoyAdvance, Lunar IPS, etc.?

What program do I use to patch with UPS?

Virturia

Azalea Town

Patching guide

South Rijon – Panning Creek

Elite Four Marisa

Gym Leader Lachlan – “Karpman”

Gym Leader Scott

What is the Rijon region?

Pokémon Mart stock

Recent Posts

Archives

World of Rijon

Anniversary Games

Other Games