New Runs Setup - besteon/Ironmon-Tracker GitHub Wiki

Contents

Introduction to New Runs

The Ironmon Tracker offers a feature to allow you to quickly load a new game ROM to play, called "New Runs". While this looks like you are "resetting" your game, this process is actually loading up a completely different randomized game ROM. This is especially helpful if you are playing a randomized Pokémon game and want to restart your game to a different randomized ROM with different Pokémon.

To trigger a New Run, press the A + B + Start buttons all-at-once on your controller. These use the same buttons you mapped in the Bizhawk emulator under Bizhawk -> Config -> Controllers or in mGBA under the Tracker Setup screen on the left sidebar.

---
title: "How it works:"
---
flowchart LR
    g1["Pokémon Game
(Non-Randomized)"]
    g2(["`Button Combo:
**A + B + START**`"])
    g3["`**NEW** Randomized 
    Pokémon Game`"]
    g1 --> g2
    g2 --> g3
    g3 --> g2

The ROM(s) that the Tracker creates via the New Run feature can be found in your Tracker folder on your computer. There will be two ROMs in the folder: one is your current game ROM and the other is the ROM you were playing just before:

ROM Labels

  • "Auto Randomized" - The ROM with this filename is the current randomized ROM you are playing. (e.g. seed 4 if you are on attempt #4)
  • "Previous Attempt" - The ROM with this filename was the previously randomized ROM (e.g. seed 3 if you are on attempt #4)

Requirements

You will need:

  • Randomizer ZX Program - Download
  • Java 64-bit Offline - Download
    • After installing Java, restart your computer.

Choose a mode to load a New Run

To setup the New Runs feature, you'll first need to decide what mode or method that Tracker will use to load the New Run. There are two different ways use it, each requiring it's own setup. You can only have one of these two modes active at any given time, but you can always swap to using the other mode later if you want.

  • Mode #1: Generate a ROM each time (Recommended)
  • Mode #2: Use premade ROMs

The first mode "Generate a ROM each time" requires you provide the Tracker with three files in order to create the ROMs for you. The second mode "Use premade ROMs" requires that you create multiple ROMs beforehand.

ROM Creation: Bizhawk (Recommended)

With this mode you can have the Tracker generate a new randomized ROM for you each time you use the New Run button combo. This mode uses your Randomizer ZX program through the command line to generate a randomized ROM, you do not need to use the randomizer program yourself as this mode takes care of that part for you. It takes approximately 2-4 seconds to create a ROM, depending on your computer's hardware.

When used, it will overwrite the current existing generated seed (if it exists) with the new one, backing up the previous seed in the tracker folder.

Note: Do NOT press the New Run button combo if you intend to continue a run with a save file. The button combo always creates a new seed, it doesn't load your last played game. If you do this by accident, it can cause this issue.

Click on the Gear icon on the Tracker screen to access the settings navigation menu. Click the New Runs menu option to be taken to the New Runs Setup screen.

SettingsGear

image image

Setup:

  1. First select the checkbox for "Generate ROM each time". Next you'll supply each of the three required files
  2. Choose the "Randomizer JAR" file by clicking the SET button. A file prompt will appear asking you to select the .jar file used by your Randomizer program. This file can be found in your Randomizer folder usually named: PokeRandoZX.jar
  3. Choose the "Source ROM" file by clicking the SET button. A file prompt will appear asking you to select the .gba file which will be used by the Randomizer program. This is usually a vanilla, unmodified ROM or a ROM that has been patched with a QoL patch
    • Do not use an already randomized ROM, this feature does the randomizing for you
    • If you intend to use a QoL patch, then apply that patch to the vanilla ROM first and then set the resulting patched ROM as the source ROM here
    • If you end up providing an already randomized ROM here you will see "weird"/incorrect things like the rival in the first fight of the game having a level 12 Pokémon
  4. Choose the "Settings File" file by clicking the SET button. A file prompt will appear asking you to select one of the preloaded IronMon rule sets ending in .rnqs
    • Alternatively, you can make your own Randomizer Settings file and choose that, if you are wanting to use custom settings rather than the regular IronMon settings

With these files, you are essentially asking the tracker "Please randomize this Source ROM using this Randomizer JAR and applying the settings from this Settings File then load the result into my emulator" when you press the set Button combo

Usage Notes:

  • If you use the preloaded Settings files (.rnqs) that come with the Tracker, then you must use a matching Randomizer ZX version or higher (.jar file)
    • The preloaded Settings files were created with version 4.5.1 of the Randomizer ZX program. So use 4.5.1 or higher, such as 4.6.0
  • If you notice old save data from a previous game keeps appearing, you can clear it out by pressing the following button combo on the opening screen before starting a game: SELECT + UP + B
  • If you get randomization errors when trying to use this quick-load mode, refer to our FAQs to see if your error is listed with a solution.

ROM Creation: mGBA

The Ironmon Tracker's New Runs feature that allows you to easily load a new game ROM to play, without having to go through any menus or do it manually. To use the New Runs feature, you'll need to provide it with all of the required files it needs. The Tracker will use these files to load up a new game ROM each time you activate a New Run by pressing the button combination (A + B + START by default).

Regardless of which New Run mode you choose, you'll be putting the required files in the quickload folder found inside your main Tracker folder

You will need to provide the Tracker with three files in order for it to create a randomized ROM for you. Place each file in the quickload folder found inside your main Tracker folder.

image

Setup:

  1. First, change the New Runs setting on the tracker to "Generate a ROM each time". Do this by typing OPTION "31" in the command box, or if 31 is no longer correct, use the correct option number surrounded by quotes

    image

  2. Copy & paste the JAR file (typically named "PokeRandoZX.jar") from the Randomizer folder into the quickload folder
  3. Copy & paste the GBA ROM file you want to use for creating a randomized game, and place it into the quickload folder
    • Note: Do not use an already randomized game ROM
  4. Copy & paste an RNQS settings file into the quickload folder
    • This file is the Randomizer settings/options that determine how you want your game to be randomized
    • You can either use one of the preloaded IronMon settings files found in the Tracker folder: /ironmon_tracker/RandomizerSettings
    • Or you can make your own settings file using the Randomizer program, loading the settings you want, then clicking Save Settings

Premade ROM Batch: Bizhawk

Click on the Gear icon on the Tracker screen to access the settings navigation menu. Click the New Runs menu option to be taken to the New Runs Setup screen.

Setup:

  1. If you haven't already, first create a batch of randomized ROMs using the Randomizer program's batch feature in its Settings menu
  2. Ensure that the ROMs are numbered in sequential order, such as EmeraldKaizo1.gba, EmeraldKaizo2.gba, etc.
  3. Select the checkbox for "Use premade ROMs" by clicking on the box.
  4. Set the "ROMs Folder" on the New Runs Setup screen of the Tracker.
    • Select the folder that contains the ROMs you created in step 1 by selecting any of the ROMs in that folder
  5. Finally, make sure the ROM you currently have loaded in the emulator is a ROM in this folder. If you're unsure, simply close your current ROM through Bizhawk, then open a ROM from this folder.

Premade ROM Batch: mGBA

You will need to provide the Tracker with all of the randomized game ROM files that you made.

image

Setup:

  1. First, change the New Runs setting on the tracker to "Use premade ROMs". Do this by typing OPTION "30" in the command box, or if 30 is no longer correct, use the correct option number surrounded by quotes

    image

  2. If you haven't already, create a batch of randomized ROMs using the Randomizer program.
  3. Ensure that the ROMs are numbered in sequential order, such as FireRed1.gba, FireRed2.gba, etc
  4. Place all of the ROMs into the quickload folder, found in your main Tracker folder
  5. Finally, load up the first ROM (smallest number) from among them into your emulator