From my first impressions of this alpha build, I find its user experience to be much better than using Notepad++ to edit Pokémon data. A problem I found from poking around was when I loaded in pokemon_forms.txt. For my project’s needs, I want the Pokémon data packs to be separate from the core pokemon.txt, because it makes things easier to organize and easier to track down issues the debug log catches. This screenshot is a backup of my project’s PBS files, which have been placed in the pbs files folder that comes with the app:
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When I loaded in pokemon_forms.txt, I got this error message:
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And this is the arrangement of my PBS data for pokemon.txt and pokemon_forms.txt for Mega Venusaur,:
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I assume that this error happens because the app expects a Pokémon in this txt file to have a type. The Pokémon in this situation is Mega Venusaur, whose type is already set in its base form in pokemon.txt, as Grass/Poison. So, the problem is that the app can’t recognize when a PBS text file is using data that already exists in a separate text file. While it’s fine to have all Pokémon data contained within one singular pokemon.txt file, the issue with this is that it can cause problems if a resource pack gets an update, and users update their projects. It can cause long-term headaches to have to use one singular pokemon.txt file for all Pokémon. If the issue is too complex to fix, then that’s understandable as I imagine it’s not easy to have the app be able to recognize when a pokemon_forms.txt file is linked to data that exists in pokemon.txt. Let alone Gen 9 PBS data packs or custom PBS data packs that contain brand-new Pokémon. And I can simply fix the error I encountered by simply giving Mega Venusaur a type. The reason I am pointing out this problem is that I am thinking of people whose project needs mean they need to edit Pokémon in bulk and don’t want to have to manually add to a typing on another Pokémon form, so they can be efficient with time.
I hope for the best in this app’s alpha state, because if further developed, this app will be a great tool for developers, who find editing Base Stats and much more difficult when using a code editor such as Notepad++. The only thing I think an app like this should have the functionality of loading in and chaining together multiple PBS text files, but not condensing them all into one singular PBS text file. So, developers who want to use V21.1’s ability to use dedicated PBS files that link to pokemon.txt, abilities.txt, and moves.txt are still able to update resource packs without causing issues to a project’s stability. I am also aware that this problem I encountered can be fixed by manually going through every Mega Pokémon form whose type does not change and adding in the typing listing. But I think it could be a nice addition in an update or new version of this app. So people can easily edit Pokemon data, without going through extra steps to get the editor to work.
