Pokégear

This page describes the **Pokégear** in general. The individual functions are described on their own pages.

## The Pokégear

The Pokégear is a device the player may be given during their journey. It has a number of different features, and by default comes with these:

* Map (shows the current region's map)
* Phone
* Jukebox

It mimics the functionality of the Pokégear from the Gen 2 games. There are similar devices in the newer games, such as the PokéNav and Pokétch.

To give the player the Pokégear, use the following script:

```
$player.has_pokegear = true

```

Once gained, an option called "Pokégear" will appear in the Pause menu.

## The Pokégear screen

The Pokégear screen is nothing more than a list with graphics that change depending on the currently selected option in that list. Everything related to the Pokégear itself (but not its applications) is in the script section **UI\_Pokegear**.

The graphics of the Pokégear depend on the gender of the player.

The functions available in the Pokégear are defined with code like the following:

```
MenuHandlers.add(:pokegear_menu, :jukebox, {
  "name"      => _INTL("Jukebox"),
  "icon_name" => "jukebox",
  "order"     => 30,
    pbFadeOutIn {
      scene = PokemonJukebox_Scene.new
      screen = PokemonJukeboxScreen.new(scene)
      screen.pbStartScreen
    }
    next false
  }
})

```

This code is standalone, and additional instances can go in other script sections to help keep track of what you have added. You should also include icons for the new features in the folder "Graphics/Pictures/Pokegear" alongside the others.

The Pokégear screen is one of the simplest screens in Essentials. There is little more than a background image and a list of functions each displayed as a button. Along with the Trainer card, it is a good place to start learning how to script in Essentials.

## Tips

* Why not add some functions? A Pokégear is really a smartphone, so why shouldn't it be able to do everything they can do? Here are some possible apps:
	+ Email/Texts - Let the player check various messages (similar to mail items).
	+ Notepad - Allow the player to jot down messages for themselves.
	+ Pokémon storage check - Show the Pokémon currently in the player's PC (but don't let them withdraw/deposit/move anything).
	+ Day Care check - See how the player's Pokémon are doing in the Day Care, and whether there is an egg waiting for them.
	+ Condition checker - Displays a Pokémon's condition (e.g. happiness, contest stats, etc.).
	+ Mini-games - There are the classics like Snake, but you could also have a Game Corner app that lets you play games for coins without being in the building.
	+ Vs Seeker - Find trainers that want a rematch.
	+ Poké Radar chain information - Show the current chain (if there is one), previous longest chains, etc.
	+ Fame Checker - Displays information about the important NPCs the player has met.
	+ Achievements - Use statistics to decide when achievements have been earned (e.g. walked 10,000 steps) and display them here. The Gen 5 and 6 games called these "medals".
	+ See what the PokéNav and Pokétch can do!
* Show the time/date/location in the Pokégear, and maybe also some other things (e.g. "last caught" information, etc.).
* If you have multiple regions in your game, you could list each region's map separately.
* Don't let the player have access to everything at once. Why not have some unlockable features? The phone is one example of this, as it isn't available until the player has at least one contact.
* The Pokégear doesn't even need to be called that. Renaming it is as simple as editing the name shown in the Pause menu, because that is the only place in the scripts where this device is named.