April Fools! Oh come on, if you didn't think this was too convenient, you're too gullible. But rest assured, this is a real update. Like I previously stated, I didn't want to update the thread until I was sure of when I would be releasing Beta 2. So since this is an update, that must mean that I know when Beta 2 is coming. So here it is: There will be no official release date announced, nor will there be a beta testing period. Instead, I'm gonna launch a live beta, completely at "random" (random for you, not for me lol). I think it's more fun this way. It'll be 5 Gyms long, and is far more story oriented than Beta 1. But more on that later.
The first thing I want to put out there is that I've decided on the next RTC Event. To commemorate the launch of Beta 2 (Whenever that is) there will be a week-long event. The event is called
The Cat's Meowth. As the name suggests, the Pokemon of honor is Meowth. This Meowth comes in a Premier Ball at Level 15 holding an Amulet Coin. Like other RTC Event only Pokemon, it'll carry the "Special Event" location tag, as well as a unique movepool. It's move's are Assist, Crunch, Pay Day, and Return. The Meowth is at max happiness (255) so Return seemed like a great STAB choice. Another thing that sets this Meowth apart from others of its species is it's maxed out Speed EVs (252). This makes it a great addition to your team for your primary play through. And finally the third thing about this Meowth that makes it unique is that it's as Cool as can be. That is, it's Cool stat is maxed out (255) and he has the Ribbon to prove it. I know what you're wondering, what does that have to do with anything? Well read on.
I'm proud to announce a new feature of this hack, one that is sure to set it apart from others like it. The introduction of PokePageants. Held in Fiesta Town, PokePageants are like Pokemon Contest. You select a rank and compete against NPCs for a Ribbon. Now, since Fire Red didn't originally come with a contest-like variant, it's safe to assume that there is even more about PokePageants that I haven't revealed (such as how to boost Pageant stats, and what purpose they serve). Don't worry I will, in due time. For now, I feel like this post is getting too long so I'm gonna wrap it up with some eye candy:
Oh yeah, so there are a few things in the screenshots, that I haven't explained. 1. Thanks to the hard work of Jambo51, Dathatron, and various others, I have implemented the Gen IV Physical/Special Split. You'll notice this as a feature I originally had in the Shattered Dreams Alpha, but it was absent from the Beta. That's cause it was buggy, this new version is virtually flawless. Icons are even included to reflect what attribute a move is, like in Gen IV and forward. Another thing you'll notice is the Repel system from BW2. Again, this is courtesy of Darthatron. And while we're on the subject of Darthatron, he's again credited for the fully functioning Pokennect. In the Beta, the Pokennect was unable to be used via Register without crashing. That's no longer a problem thanks to Darthatron. The rest of the screenshots are from Stargate Cave, home of your first encounter with the nefarious Team Rocket.
Conclusion:
I know when Beta 2 is coming, you don't and won't. There are a bunch of cool little features so there's sure to be a lot to love in the next releases. The first post has been updated. There's a new RTC Event launching the week of the Beta 2. There will be 4-6 RTC Events in the next Beta. Enough to hold fans over until Beta 3. Oh! And this just came to me. I will be rereleasing the Eggcellent Togepi RTC event for Beta 2. That way everyone can get their hands on the Lucky Egg. Also, if you have anything in mind for what you'd like to get as an RTC Event, just let me know, and we'll see what happens. Happy April Fools folks, and see you in a few weeks ;)