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There is also a physical USB cheat/hack/mod[0] that you can plug into your Switch that lets you automatically farm eggs, move you about automatically to hatch e

There is also a physical USB cheat/hack/mod[0] that you can plug into your Switch that lets you automatically farm eggs, move you about automatically to hatch eggs, and then release entire boxes of Pokemon you don't need[1]. It's like factory farming Pokemon! There's support for other games and even other game console controllers too, it's an interesting device. For Pokemon I think it's more interesting than simply memory hacking your save file and altering the Effort Values of the Pokemon, which is the simple way to go about this, though a bit boring and as I understand it very widespread if you battle online. [0] - https://collectiveminds-ca.myshopify.com/collections/nintendo-switch/products/switch-up-game-enhancer-v2-0 https://collectiveminds-ca.myshopify.com/collections/nintend... [1] - https://www.switch-up.ca/pokemon-sword-and-shield-mode https://www.switch-up.ca/pokemon-sword-and-shield-mode

lewdev 3y ago
Interesting; the modern Game Genie
- ethbr0 3y ago
  The wrinkle about "modern Game Genie" is that when the original debuted, there were no microtransactions. Now, hastening grind runs directly counter to most(?) game revenue models. Interesting times!
  - lapetitejort 3y ago
    The Nintendo Help Line could be argued to be a microtransaction. However, callers talked to knowledgeable players who had the game in front of them, with maps, boss strategies, etc, available.
    - lcnPylGDnU4H9OF 3y ago
      Even if I'm convinced it's a microtransaction I'm not convinced that it was a significant portion of game revenue.
    - msla 3y ago
      Don't forget Nintendo Power magazine, with all of the "helpful" (read: all-but-required sometimes) walkthroughs and tips!
    - Natsu 3y ago
      You could also send them a letter for free. The local rental place didn't have the manual for Wizardry and it's not exactly clear what many of the spells in the game do, since they have names like halito, mahalito, dios, badios, etc. Nintendo sent me a letter explaining what this all did back in the day.
brirec 3y ago
This is basically an open source version of that, which uses Bluetooth rather than USB
- DizzyDoo 3y ago
  I... guess, if you're only looking at the outcome (boxes of caught Pokemon) it is similar? But the linked post describes a Raspberry Pi + Capture Card + OpenCV solution that is scanning the screen to detect when Shiny Pokemon are found, which is much more involved. The $30 'Switch Up' device I linked to seems to operate only on emulating button inputs. Like, you can record and playback a macro.
- delecti 3y ago
  I would argue that this is actually closer to an open source version of asking an older sibling for help. Or maybe, depending on how you view it, like tricking your younger sibling into doing the boring part for you.
pxmpxm 3y ago
Probably a stupid question, but to what end?
- DizzyDoo 3y ago
  There's lots of reasons people 'cheat' in games. In this case it might be: • You enjoy playing Pokemon but you don't want to or cannot find the time to grind out the few hours of leveling up you need to progress, or to find your specific favourite handful of Pokemon, so you use a device like this to save yourself some time. • You want to succeed in the competitive space (yes, competitive Pokemon is a thing[0] and is ongoing right now in fact[1]) and you don't want to grind for Pokemon with specific Effort Values, which are the randomly generated numbers that effect how strong your Pokemon attacks are. So you use a device like this, though probably altering a save file would be just as easy and not detectable by Game Freak/The Pokemon Company. • You don't really care about Pokemon, but you know you can sell Pokemon on eBay[2], so you automate it with a device like this. [0] - https://www.pokemon.com/us/play-pokemon/pokemon-events/pokemon-tournaments/ https://www.pokemon.com/us/play-pokemon/pokemon-events/pokem... [1] - https://worlds.pokemon.com/en-us/ https://worlds.pokemon.com/en-us/ [2] - https://www.ebay.ca/itm/225598189077 https://www.ebay.ca/itm/225598189077
  - spicebox 3y ago
    > You don't really care about Pokemon, but you know you can sell Pokemon on eBay[2], so you automate it with a device like this. People who are selling Pokémon on eBay are probably just hacking them in rather than going through the trouble of using a device like this to obtain them “legitimately”
  - moehm 3y ago
    > You want to succeed in the competitive space (yes, competitive Pokemon is a thing[0] [...] and you don't want to grind for Pokemon with specific Effort Values [...] I just want to point out, if you're like me and sometimes enjoy competitive Pokemon without grinding, cheating, playing the story or even owning a device, you can play online a simulator, from which every possible, grindable setting is just a click away. [0] It's pretty popular, with it's own Elo, tournaments, online community etc. It's pretty fun, I can recommend it. [0] https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/ https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/

lewdev 3y ago

Interesting; the modern Game Genie

ethbr0 3y ago
The wrinkle about "modern Game Genie" is that when the original debuted, there were no microtransactions. Now, hastening grind runs directly counter to most(?) game revenue models. Interesting times!
- lapetitejort 3y ago
  The Nintendo Help Line could be argued to be a microtransaction. However, callers talked to knowledgeable players who had the game in front of them, with maps, boss strategies, etc, available.
  - lcnPylGDnU4H9OF 3y ago
    Even if I'm convinced it's a microtransaction I'm not convinced that it was a significant portion of game revenue.
  - msla 3y ago
    Don't forget Nintendo Power magazine, with all of the "helpful" (read: all-but-required sometimes) walkthroughs and tips!
  - Natsu 3y ago
    You could also send them a letter for free. The local rental place didn't have the manual for Wizardry and it's not exactly clear what many of the spells in the game do, since they have names like halito, mahalito, dios, badios, etc. Nintendo sent me a letter explaining what this all did back in the day.

brirec 3y ago

This is basically an open source version of that, which uses Bluetooth rather than USB

DizzyDoo 3y ago
I... guess, if you're only looking at the outcome (boxes of caught Pokemon) it is similar? But the linked post describes a Raspberry Pi + Capture Card + OpenCV solution that is scanning the screen to detect when Shiny Pokemon are found, which is much more involved. The $30 'Switch Up' device I linked to seems to operate only on emulating button inputs. Like, you can record and playback a macro.
delecti 3y ago
I would argue that this is actually closer to an open source version of asking an older sibling for help. Or maybe, depending on how you view it, like tricking your younger sibling into doing the boring part for you.

pxmpxm 3y ago

Probably a stupid question, but to what end?

DizzyDoo 3y ago
There's lots of reasons people 'cheat' in games. In this case it might be: • You enjoy playing Pokemon but you don't want to or cannot find the time to grind out the few hours of leveling up you need to progress, or to find your specific favourite handful of Pokemon, so you use a device like this to save yourself some time. • You want to succeed in the competitive space (yes, competitive Pokemon is a thing[0] and is ongoing right now in fact[1]) and you don't want to grind for Pokemon with specific Effort Values, which are the randomly generated numbers that effect how strong your Pokemon attacks are. So you use a device like this, though probably altering a save file would be just as easy and not detectable by Game Freak/The Pokemon Company. • You don't really care about Pokemon, but you know you can sell Pokemon on eBay[2], so you automate it with a device like this. [0] - https://www.pokemon.com/us/play-pokemon/pokemon-events/pokemon-tournaments/ https://www.pokemon.com/us/play-pokemon/pokemon-events/pokem... [1] - https://worlds.pokemon.com/en-us/ https://worlds.pokemon.com/en-us/ [2] - https://www.ebay.ca/itm/225598189077 https://www.ebay.ca/itm/225598189077
- spicebox 3y ago
  > You don't really care about Pokemon, but you know you can sell Pokemon on eBay[2], so you automate it with a device like this. People who are selling Pokémon on eBay are probably just hacking them in rather than going through the trouble of using a device like this to obtain them “legitimately”
- moehm 3y ago
  > You want to succeed in the competitive space (yes, competitive Pokemon is a thing[0] [...] and you don't want to grind for Pokemon with specific Effort Values [...] I just want to point out, if you're like me and sometimes enjoy competitive Pokemon without grinding, cheating, playing the story or even owning a device, you can play online a simulator, from which every possible, grindable setting is just a click away. [0] It's pretty popular, with it's own Elo, tournaments, online community etc. It's pretty fun, I can recommend it. [0] https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/ https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/