Frequently Asked Questions

The following are the most frequently asked questions in the community Discord.

## General

**Question 1: How do I play Fire Ash?**

1. Download the game from the Website.
2. Unzip the file you just downloaded with an unzipper like 7zip, WinRAR, or WinZip (I recommend 7zip as it's free and easy to use). If you need a tutorial on how to unzip files, look it up on something like YouTube.
3. Open up the folder you got from unzipping and run the Game.exe file.
4. Enjoy the game! If you try opening it up in a app such as VBA, you won't be able to for obvious reasons - Fire Ash is a fan game made using RPGMaker XP and Pokémon Essentials, not a ROM hack.

**Question 2: Can I keep progress from a prior version in a newer version?**
It depends. Key: Version you are updating from -> Version you are updating to -

`* Version prior to 2.28 -> 2.28 - Yes.`

`* 2.28 -> 3.0 or later - No.`* `3.0 or later -> Version later than 3.0 - Yes, unless an update breaks save files again.`

**Question 3: How do I update my game?**

Start by downloading the latest version from the Website.

1. `If you're on pc and are updating from a version prior to 2.28 to 2.28, your progress will automatically carry over.`
`- If you're on android and are attempting the same scenario as above, read Q2 in the 2.28 and earlier FAQ.`3. `If you're on pc and are updating from a 3.0 or later to a version later than 3.0, you will need to go from to your previous game folder and copy and paste the files from the Save Files folder into the Save Files folder of the new version's game folder.`

**Question 4: Will this game be made for devices other than PC?**

Probably not. The game uses Windows directories, so it can't be played on Mac, and it can't be played on consoles such as the 3DS because the game was made using RPG Maker XP, which makes games intended to be played on pc. However, if you want to desperately play Fire Ash on android, you can play version 2.28.

**Question 5: What move set(s) does the game use?**

SwSh (Sword and Shield), with the exception of Pikachu which is LGPE. In a future update this will be changed to a hybrid between USUM (Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon) and SwSh.

**Question 6: Can I use a controller with Fire Ash?**

Absolutely, follow the instructions after clicking the link to remap controller buttons into keyboard key presses: Controller Keys to Keyboard Keys. This works for other games on a pc/mac as well.

**Question 7: Is this a rom hack, and what emulator should I use if that's the case?**

No, and you don't need an emulator for Fire Ash if you're playing on pc.

**Question 8: How do I get past the Sudowoodo on Route 36?**

Check that you have beaten Falkner and Whitney. If you think you have, CHECK AGAIN as that is the only reason why you can't get past Sudowoodo.

**Question 9: I talked to Wallace at Lake Valor, what do I do now?**

First, enter the Contest Hall at Valor Lakefront and fight May, then enter the Wallace Cup.

**Question 10: Where can I find a move relearner/maniac?**

There are 7 in total:

* `Tangelo Island (Orange Islands)`
`* Blackthorn City (Johto)

* Fallabor Town (Hoenn)

* Pastoria City (Sinnoh)

* Snowpoint City (Sinnoh)

* Dendemille Town (Kalos)`* `Paniola Town (Alola)`

**Question 11: How on earth do I get Mew? I don't see a iconic truck anywhere?**

After you beat the Indigo Plateau, talk to Oak, KO a static Fearow in the Viridian Forest then talk to a girl in the SE corner of Pallet Town.

**Question 12: Where are the Exp. Shares?**

There are 4:

1. `Indigo Plateau (Kanto)`
`- Rustboro City (Hoenn)

- Nuvema Town (Unova)

- Icirrus City (Unova)`3. `You can also get one every time you match 3 digits in the Lotto-ID in every Game Corner in the game, so make sure to complete every in-game trade for the maximum potential!`

Check the walkthrough for exact locations by using Ctrl + F.

**Question 13: Can the Decolore Islands be added to the game?**

No because Reinhartmax would not like it to be implemented.

**Question 14: Where do I get the Coin Case?**

South of the Celadon City Game Corner, there are a row of houses. If you go into the 2nd one from the left, you can talk to the guy in the top left corner to get it.

**Question 15: How do I get Fire Ash to work? It never seems to work.**

You could try the following (more to be added as they're discovered):

1. `Shorten the length of the path to the game, e.g. Putting the Fire Ash folder in C:\Fire Ash instead of a long path.`
`- Run the game in Administrator mode

- Check if you are missing any files (ask in the fire-ash-questions channel of the Discord)

- Turn off Data Execution Protection (DEP, Windows only)`3. `If you're starting the game for the first time, check if you have any files in the Save Files folder (or C:\Users\Username\Saved Games\Fire Ash if you're on 2.28). If you do, then either get rid of all the files in that folder (or ask for a save file in the fire-ash-questions channel in the discord if you're on 2.28. To use it, check Q1 of the 2.28 and earlier FAQ, and when you open up that save file you don't have to use that save's progress since you can just start a new game).`

**Question 16: How do I use Fly?**

Beat Koga, go to the gatehouse at the northern end of Cycling Road and talk to the girl upstairs to get Fly. Then, teach it to one of your Pokémon and use the move by pressing the registered items button, then selecting the option with the Pokémon you taught Fly to. Or alternatively, you can select a Pokémon and then pressing Fly (which will be under the Summary option).

**Question 17: How do Hidden Abilities work in Fire Ash?**

There is a 5% chance for you encounter a wild Pokémon or get a gift Pokémon with its Hidden Ability. Beyond that, breeding with Hidden Abilities works the same as in the main series games.

**Question 18: Where is the Town Map?**

It is in the house to the right of the house where you start the game, but in order for the person inside to give it to you, you must obtain Pikachu first.

**Question 19: I get the following error: Script 'SaveData' line 34: ArguementError occurred. undefined class/module ControlConfig. How do I fix it?**

Delete the save file.

**Question 20: When I walk through grass, the game's FPS drops by a lot! What gives?**

It's because of how Pokémon Essentials runs with your AMD GPU. This will be fixed in Pokémon Essentials v20, however we will not be upgrading to it for the foreseeable future. Firstly, it took us months (from October 2021 to February 2022) to upgrade from v15 and we would like to focus on other aspects on the game that need to be improved, and secondly, it would also take a while for plugins to be updated to be compatible with v20. Thank you for your understanding.

**Question 21: How do I apply a patch?**

If the patch is a zip file, extract its contents to the game folder and replace files when asked to do so that the patch has been applied. You DON'T need to go through each folder one by one.
If it's just a folder, copy the folder into the game folder and the contents inside the folder will replace the matching files inside of the respective folder.
If it's just a file, follow the instructions in the message where the patch is downloaded from.

**Question 22: Will the walkthrough be updated and when?**

In a few days, and it'll be posted in #game-updates (Fire Ash Discord channel). This refers to the walkthrough file within the folder the game is downloaded with, not the wiki walkthrough.

**Question 23: How do I get screenshots working?**

Create a folder called Screenshots in your game folder. In future updates it'll be included with the download.

**Question 24: How do I start Galar?**

If you've triggered the postgame, talk to you Mom (to exit the postgame), then Prof. Oak.

## Version 3.2

**Question 1: I saved my game but, when I come back, the file isn't there. What should I do?**

A save bug is present in Version 3.2, scrambling the save options. For the first save, you need to select **"Current Save File"** as, for some reason it acts as the **"New Save File"** option. After this first save, the save options will work as supposed to.

## Version 3.1

**Question 1: I can't cross some bridges. What should I do?**

A specific patch must be downloaded from the discord server and its content must replace the existing files in the game folder using the method explained in ***Generic Q22***.

## Version 3.0 or Further

**Question 1: Can I play on my phone?**

You can try, but you will likely run into game-breaking issues that are not present on the pc version.

**Question 2: What happened to speed up? Has it been removed?**

No, the key is now F7 instead of F to avoid the same key doing 2 different things (in 2.28 it was the speed up key and the registered item key).

**Question 3: Why doesn't the Froakie in Lumiose City evolve into a Greninja with the Battle Bond ability?**
We changed how this works so that by talking to the guy that gave you the Shuriken in 2.28 now changes the ability of that Greninja (and only the one obtained as a Froakie in Lumiose City) to Battle Bond.

**Question 4: Why can't [Pokémon] learn [Move]?**

Currently the game uses exclusively Sword and Shield move sets, apart from Pikachu. This may/may not be reverted in a future update.

**Question 5: I left a Pokémon Centre and I got stuck on its roof. How do I get unstuck?**

If you already obtained HM Fly, teach it to one of your pokémon and use it. If you didn't, make sure to save your game before entering Pokémon Centres and, when that happens, restart the game.

## Joiplay FAQ (Version 2.28 or Prior)

**Question 1: How do I use Autosave file?**

First, you go to where your save files are stored, which is at:

`For PC: C:\Users\Username\Saved Games\Fire Ash. Remember to replace the word "Username" with your name, or with what you're called on your pc. The one which the game uses is "Game.rxdata". An autosave will instead be called "Game_autosave.rxdata". To use the autosave, first move the file called "Game.rxdata" to another location in your pc, then rename "Game_autosave.rxdata" to "Game.rxdata". When you load up your game, it'll be where the game last autosaved.`

`For Android: The folder where everything for for Fire Ash is stored. After that, the steps for using the autosave is the same as for android as for pc.`

**Question 2: Can I play on a mobile device?**

If it's an android, then yes. Follow these steps:

`# If you don't have the Mega app or a way to extract files, then download the Mega app and/or Z Archiver first.`

`- Download the latest version from the Website.

- Unzip/extract the file you just downloaded. Make sure to store it in your phone's INTERNAL storage, otherwise there may be some issues.

- Download Joiplay and its RPGMaker plugin.

- Open up Joiplay and press the "+" button in the bottom right corner of your screen.

- For the name, type Fire Ash and for the version, type the version you downloaded, for example 2.28.

- For the executable file, look for a file called Game.exe in the folder you extracted from the zip file. Select it.

- For the icon, use whatever you want or leave it empty. Press "Add".

- You will get an option whether or not you want to extract an RGSS Archive. Press "Yes", since this is a set up you'll need if you want to fix the Gary battles for yourself.

- A new icon will show up in the main menu. If you press it, Fire Ash will be loaded up if you followed the steps correctly.`2. `Enjoy playing Fire Ash!`

However, if you have a low-end phone, then Joiplay might not work for you; we will not be able to do anything for you because this would become a third-party issue.

*Note when updating the game: your save file is stored in the the folder where the game data is stored. You can still use it when a new update drops; just move your save file to the new version's folder.*

**Question 3: I lost a gym battle and my Pokémon are gone. How do I fix this?**

This has been mostly fixed as of 2.25, however there still may be some battles aren't fixed so please remember to save the game frequently. However if you're on a pre-2.25 version, to avoid this in the first place, you should save before doing fights that restrict the amount of Pokémon you can use, e.g. Gym Battles and league battles. If you see that you have missing Pokémon after a battle, IMMEDIATELY PRESS F12 to avoid this error.

**Question 4: Why can't I use my bike, Fly, or other things?**

Because you're most likely on a version that is older than 2.28. If you are, update your game first. Next, check if Pikachu is following you. If it is, faint/white out against a wild Pokémon and then Pikachu shouldn't follow you anymore, allowing you to use the bike.

**Question 5: I beat Flint in Sunnyshore City but the guy standing in front of the gym hasn't gone away. How do I fix this?**

You're on an older version of the game, but to avoid screwing up the game further, do the following before updating to 2.28: Go to the mansion on Route 222 (West of Sunnyshore City) and clear it out.

**Question 6: I've noticed that wild Pokémon sometimes don't make a move. Is this normal?**

Yes. It is completely intentional and normal to happen.

**Question 7: I updated to the latest version with my Pokémon lost from the restricted battle error, why haven't my Pokémon returned?**

The error won't fix itself when you update your game. Your Pokémon are still gone so you're still going to get the same error.

**Question 8: I updated my game, and Ash's sprite looks weird! Is this a bug?**

This happens because outfits were changed at some point, and the game was updated from a really old version. You'll need to wait until you get to Hoenn and get a new outfit to fix it. If you're already in Alola, go to your room and change your outfit via the dresser. Also, if Pikachu is following you, put your team in the PC and replace with one weak Pokémon, then lose in a wild battle. Pikachu will be gone.

**Question 9: Will I be able to play the Galar update on my phone?**

You can try, but you will likely run into game-breaking issues that are not present on the pc version.