Pokemon Quartz is a hack of Pokemon Ruby for the Gameboy Advanced. I won't mince words: it's a bad hack. But it is not the WORST hack of pokemon out there. And yet (Behind possibly Shiny Gold), it remains to be the most well known hack of a pokemon game in existance. WHY? Well, a few reasons. One was that the game is actually a completed hack, another is that it was pirated and is still sold on EBay today. But what REALLY allowed it to be well known was a certain LP of the game from Zorak of SomethingAwful.
Now, the game's notority is a good enough reason to get it TASd at least one time. But what are the differances between Ruby (or as the current run is, Sapphire) and Quartz? Here are the main ones:
~ While the region design is the same, the actual area maps are different.
~ Pokemon have had ability, type, evolution method, and movepool adjustments to go along with looking entirely different. Occasionally they have edited stats as well, but this is rare.
~ The pokemon owned by trainers and gym leaders are different, and the Gym Leaders WILL stack the deck against you (The second gym has STABd Shadow Balls, and gym 3 has Earthquake!)
Now, there are a couple of high notes in this hack.
1: The starters have been edited so that either the Fire or the Water starter can EASILY carry you through the first two gyms, the Water getting a move almost as powerful as Return early on to! Why two gyms though? Well...
2: The Dewford Cave hack has been edited so that it has TWO notable pokemon: Makuhita (Now part electric named Energiz, with a side ability Static... not a good choice.), and more importantly, Machop (Called Kango). And Kango can evolve two times without trading in this hack. (Level 40 for the second evolution.)
3: Many necisary fights in this hack involve electric types (The evil team raises them), and some have Static. You WILL need to be in a lot more fights in this due to the region design, so perhaps you will occasionally need to go to the center, and that means this is nice.
Now, there are many things I know about this run. Let me name them all off...
1: First gym leader has a Bug/Ground type and a Bug/Rock type. The Water type is better here, due to having Water Gun at this point. Due to the design, you will need a slave for between here and Gym2 for Cut.
2: Second gym leader is accessable after getting Kango, but as he has a Ghost/Rock and a pure Ghost (With Grasswhistle, be careful!), you need to watch yourself. It IS possible to paralise yourself off the Energiz in the cave, and you have the Quick Claw at that point, but still... if you decide to do the gym with your starter, the Fire starter evolves into a Fire/Dark and has Bite, and will get it by the leader.
3: The THIRD gym leader comes after a bit of required fighting (A bit more of it than in RS.), and has that Bug/Ground mentioned earlier (Has Iron Tail, Earthqake, and IIRC moonlight), as well as a Sandshrew replacement and a Sandslash replacement. They all have EQ, and Sandslash replacement has Fissure, but he also is unable to hit flying types (Incase that is useful) and seems to be part Dark. Strength WILL be needed, and there are a variaty of needed fights on the way to the new Verdanturf.
4: The stretch to the fourth gym involves a route with a lot of Ghost types, and the evil team (Who as mentioned before, raises Electric types) is there to. I belive a center will be necisary simply to get Rock Tomb back before the fourth gym leader.
5: The fourth gym leader has a team of Ice Types, the first looking like a bird but being Ice/Normal (Karate Chop fodder), the second being Water/Ice and having Surf, and the last being an Ice/Dragon with Dragon Claw and Speed Boost... with Milotic's stats. And they all have Blizzard.
6: Fifth gym leader is a rage inducer: He trains Poison types. First is an edited Muk (Same type), second is Tentacruel (Who is the same type, and has Surf), and the third is a Fire/Poison Weezing edit WITH Levitate and Heat Wave. And they all also have Toxic and Sludge Bomb.
7: The path to the sixth gym is fairly long, with many required fights. Kango should easily be Kinboxo at this point (A level 28 Evolution), and be nearing Punchzo (Level 40, but there are a lot more fights at this point and a lot more time spent with Kango). There is an area which replaces the Weather Institute in this time, which has "healing springs" (Think the bed in RSE), so use that while you're there. And you get a free pokemon, and though it learns no HMs, it will help for gym7.
8: 6th gym leader is a joke: Her pokemon are all early 30s (Which is what the 5th gym was), and it trains Grass types. Arquidea is part poison, and Weedaglu (Her highest at 35) has a STAB Hydro Cannon, so watch those, but otherwise sweep her.
9: Between gyms 6 and 7, there are some enemy encounters, which can be defeated. Nothing much, but you want to watch out, the 7th gym leader is a doozy (Not like Gym5, but still bad).
10: Gym leader 7 is a forced double battle (Like RS), and she trains Dragons. The first is that speed boosting Ice/Dragon from gym4, and the second is a Dragon with an unknown side typing (I believe it is Bug though, so Rock Tomb should work).
11: The usual plot has to be done between Gym7 and 8, but this time you have to go through a swamplands. NOTE that going to Pacifidlog gains you access to a few things: One is a johto starter at level 5 (yawn) and one is a SACRED ASH (which could be useful). I advise against going there though. Kinboxo should have been a Punchzo at this point, if not earlier... you will have to fight the Groudon replacement, and if you didn't get the Master Ball, KOing it may be hard.
12: 8th gym leader trains Dark Types. The only slight problem is that Agoir is part Flying, but it should be easy victory.
13: Victory Road has a similar ammount of trainers. There is an optional fight against the Kyogre replacement, and the dungeon is somewhat twisty, so you should scout ahead beforehand.
14: E4 one has an army of Rocks and Steels. Easy.
15: E4 two trains Psychics. I belive his first is Psychic/Normal, so use Cross Chop (or whatever) at that point, but Facade/ Earthquake the rest and if you still have Rock Tomb, use it on Dreamo.
16: E4 three trains Flying types... Ryucantor and (I THINK) Scentbird are part Normal, and Cottoster is part Ice, so fighting attacks are good there, but otherwise go wild with Facade/Rock Tomb.
17: E4 Four appears to be Steel. Go insane with EQ or Cross Chop/Brick Break here.
18: E4 Five seems to be a variaty. Rescuedog is to be fighting attacked, Freech is the Ice/Dragon you fought twice before, (Rock tomb/Fighting attack), Iguagon is Dragon/Something (I think Poison), so Facade (or EQ I guess), Copycatte is Ditto down to the dot (Fighting attack) except with Trace, Wrestmilk is part Normal (WATCH OUT THOUGH, IT HAS 130 BASE ATTACK AND PURE POWER), and Drahago seems to be part Bug (It's the second pokemon in Gym 7).
Well, that was a lot.
So, is anyone up to the task? I MIGHT start working on this in the future if no one else does.
