I'd like to take the time and thank both sides for taking their time and writing constructive criticism. I may not agree with everyone, but I really do take all of you into consideration. So let me give you my response:
But then, surely the point of a game is to play the game? These features you're showing off look fine and pretty and all, but they add nothing to the actual game. I'd understand if they were mini-games or a fancy new message system, but that's not what you're doing. If these features you're showing us didn't exist, the game would be just as good.
Personally I don't agree with your point said here. I think that systems have a lot of influence over what the Game Play feels like. Also I'd like to state that they do add to the game, as they allow the user to customize the way they'd like to play my interpretation of Pokemon. I prefer customization...a lot, and I really do believe that it does elevate the personal feel for a game. Also from personal experience, I beat the official Pokemon games quite quickly, then run out of things to do, get bored of them and don't play them again. This is not what I wish to happen with Blue Chrome. You may consider the little things I put in as pointless, but they are here to allow the player to be distracted from the game itself. With the ability to download Apps, I'll also be able to release the game, and just host the apps online, and everyone will be able to download those without downloading the whole game again. Just the way I see things so far.
If you're going to have the game itself only take up half the screen (an utterly stupid idea in its own right)
It may be just me, but you're contradicting yourself here. The old dual screen system (which no one had objections to), is exactly that - half the screen for game play, half for interface. Technically I've enlarged the screen since this one is actually 600 x 400 while the standard DS one is 512 x 384. I've tried using larger screen sizes than the current one, but it just looks weird and wrong (not to mention the enormous lag problem). Frankly, I was the one disappointed seeing that most of Blue Chrome's systems became less and less unique. There is no point now in having a DS system when even the least experienced game maker, can just randomly download a starter kit and have it themselves. Some of the features I implemented into Blue Chrome, were beginning to be copied, and in my opinion, Blue Chrome's charm was fading. So I needed something new that would stand out once more, and show that the competition is up - because that's what a lot is about: competition.
It's frankly disappointing. Not only are you suffering Duke Nukem Forever Syndrome, you're not even trying to improve the game - you're making doodle apps. I'll bet you haven't even applied it to the trainer card to let players sign it, which is the only possible game-related point it could have. I definitely think you've forgotten you're making a Pokémon game here.
I'm sorry I'm not able to satisfy everyone, but I want Blue Chrome to be a step from other fan games, and a step in my dev progress. I too feel that I have been crossing the lines with the things I put inside, but is it really that bad? Is it really so bad to have more than less? It might be pointless to you, but it makes me glad to know that people won't get bored of my game as soon as they beat that Elite 4. On another note, previously you mentioned earlier that you aren't against having mini games, but are against my doodle apps - well...the doodle apps are a replacement for the minigames. Unfortunately I don't have any ideas for any minigames but I had plenty of doodle apps to spare, so I did that.
Yeah, Maruno is right!
For me is better to release a full game the most fast possible, even with unfinished sprites! After going to improve it (like Raptor Ex). Try to think like your fans that need to wait tons of year to see the full game (if it come out)!
That, on the other hand, would imply rushing the game, which would significantly decrease the game's quality. Then you wouldn't be happy with the game either...
I think the new screen resolution is really great. I don't mind it taking up space.
I would play the game itself in the same size anyway, so what's the problem with extra space around it for HUD-stuff?
The extra space around the screen isn't going to be wasted. Like you implied, it will be for the HUD to display other things such as the Hygiene system, time, weather and whatever else I put in there.
I'd like to apologize in advance to the mods for clutting the thread with off topic stuff, so I'd like to end it now. If you want to say anything else, or give any other feedback, feel free to PM/VM whenever you want (that goes for replying to this post now). I don't want to be a reason for a thread to drift off topic, or get locked due to irrelevance.