How to add a new trainer front pic

Content

Quick Summary
The Graphics
The Data
- 4. Defining the trainer pic
Usage

Quick Summary

If you’ve done this before and just need a quick lookup, here’s what files you need:

Place graphics into graphics/trainers/front_pics.
Point game to where graphic files are found: src/data/graphics/trainers.
Add trainer to include/constants/trainers.h.

We will start with a graphic that we want to use for our new trainer pic. Unlike with adding Pokémon, the trainer sprites aren’t sorted in individual folders, but rather in one folder: graphics/trainers/front_pics. Trainers sprites cannot have more than 16 colors - this includes the color that will be transparent, which is the first slot of the palette.

2. Register the sprites

Sadly, just putting the image files into the graphics folder is not enough. To use the sprites we have to register them by linking the graphic files in src/data/graphics/trainers:

 const u16 gTrainerPalette_RubySapphireBrendan[] = INCBIN_U16("graphics/trainers/palettes/brendan_rs.gbapal");

 const u32 gTrainerFrontPic_RubySapphireMay[] = INCBIN_U32("graphics/trainers/front_pics/may_rs.4bpp.smol");
 const u16 gTrainerPalette_RubySapphireMay[] = INCBIN_U16("graphics/trainers/palettes/may_rs.gbapal");
+
+const u32 gTrainerFrontPic_NewOne[] = INCBIN_U32("graphics/trainers/front_pics/new_one.4bpp.smol");
+const u16 gTrainerPalette_NewOne[] = INCBIN_U16("graphics/trainers/front_pics/new_one.gbapal");

 const u8 gTrainerBackPic_Brendan[] = INCBIN_U8("graphics/trainers/back_pics/brendan.4bpp");

3. Connecting the Pictures to the Data

The last few things we have to do is prepare the graphics for usage. In src/data/graphics/trainers.h you’ll find the gTrainerSprites struct, we need to add the trainer to this. You can just copy the last trainer type defined and edit it, but this is what it does: Connects the new trainer with the image we defined earlier.

So, finally, it needs to look like this:

 #define TRAINER_SPRITE(trainerPic, picFile, paletteFile, ...)                  \
     [trainerPic] =                                                             \
     {                                                                          \
         .frontPic = {picFile, TRAINER_PIC_SIZE, trainerPic},                   \
         .palette = {paletteFile, trainerPic},                                  \
         .mugshotCoords = {DEFAULT(0, __VA_ARGS__), DEFAULT_2(0, __VA_ARGS__)}, \
         .mugshotRotation = DEFAULT_3(0x200, __VA_ARGS__),                      \
     }

 const struct TrainerSprite gTrainerSprites[] =
 {
     TRAINER_SPRITE(TRAINER_PIC_HIKER, gTrainerFrontPic_Hiker, gTrainerPalette_Hiker),
     TRAINER_SPRITE(TRAINER_PIC_AQUA_GRUNT_M, gTrainerFrontPic_AquaGruntM, gTrainerPalette_AquaGruntM),
     ...
     TRAINER_SPRITE(TRAINER_PIC_RS_MAY, gTrainerFrontPic_RubySapphireMay, gTrainerPalette_RubySapphireMay),
+    TRAINER_SPRITE(TRAINER_PIC_NEW_ONE, gTrainerFrontPic_NewOne, gTrainerPalette_NewOne),
 };

The Data

4. Defining the trainer pic

Finally, let’s bring it all together by defining our new trainer pic in include/constants/trainers.h:

 #define TRAINER_PIC_RS_MAY                92
+#define TRAINER_PIC_NEW_ONE               93

 #define TRAINER_BACK_PIC_BRENDAN                0
 #define TRAINER_BACK_PIC_MAY                    1

Remember to count the number next to the trainer pic up by one!

Usage

You can test your trainer type by going to src/data/trainers.party and change the Pic field. The syntax should match the constant (TRAINER_PIC_NEW_ONE) with the underscore replaced by spaces. For example:

 === TRAINER_BRENDAN_PLACEHOLDER ===
 Name: BRENDAN
 Class: RS Protag
-Pic: RS Brendan
+Pic: New One
 Gender: Male
 Music: Male
 Double Battle: No

Otherwise if you use src/data/trainers.h, change the .trainerPic field instead. For example:

     [DIFFICULTY_NORMAL][TRAINER_BRENDAN_PLACEHOLDER] =
     {
         .trainerName = _("BRENDAN"),
         .trainerClass = TRAINER_CLASS_RS_PROTAG,
-        .trainerPic = TRAINER_PIC_RS_BRENDAN,
+        .trainerPic = TRAINER_PIC_NEW_ONE,
         .encounterMusic_gender = TRAINER_ENCOUNTER_MUSIC_MALE,
         .doubleBattle = FALSE,

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