Basic rules of Gen 3 RNG
How to advance the RNG and tips to make everything more stable
Methods
- Stationary: Method 1
- Wild: Method H-1
Note: You might encounter Vblank issues with wild Pokémon, resulting in Method H-2 or H-4, but this is a rare occurrence.
Intro
Ruby and Sapphire may not have as many tips as FRLG or Emerald due to their reliance on the Live Battery method. However, there are still some valuable insights we can provide.
Trainer Card Flip
In Gen 3, performing a Trainer Card Flip resets the noise-related delays, allowing you to focus on the default delay. It's a crucial step you should do almost reflexively. Simply access your Trainer Card and press A. To keep it simple, do this between 10k-5k advances before your target advance. This can save you a lot of trouble.
Minimizing Noise
Building on the previous tip, a way to minimize vblank and noise issues is to open your Trainer Card when starting your RNG, perform a flip, close it, and advance to your target advance. This might sound simple, but it's an effective strategy to shield yourself from unexpected surprises.
Speeding Up RNG Advances
Compared to Emerald, Fire Red, or Leaf Green, Ruby and Sapphire lack many options for speeding up RNG advances. However, like any Gen 3 game, being in a battle accelerates the RNG advancement by a factor of two. This is particularly useful for wild Pokémon RNG.
Painting RNG
Even though it's not very useful for Live Battery, the Painting method does work in Ruby / Sapphire. Since it's a more advanced technique, it will be covered in a separate guide.