Silver hack: Pokémon Dark Energy (ex Dark Future) [Beta 3.1 Released]

[miksy91]

What happens if you mix up traditional Pokemon gaming with the RPG style of Final Fantasies, Chrono Trigger and all that? The answer is right in front of you...



Pokémon Dark Energy (ex- Dark Future)

Hack of: Pokemon Silver (U)
Creator: Miksy91



Storyline

You're a 19-year-old university boy from the Southern Edge of The Capital. The Capital is the biggest city in the world we live in, Suden.

The game starts with one of your professors asking you to come to see him to the university.
Along with Eevee and classmate "Oscar", you're sent out on an epic adventure throughout the world in search of things called Elemental Orbs. Not much is known about these Orbs but one thing is for certain, they had something to do with The Crisis, one thousand years ago.

And the further you progress, the more you'll start discovering about the Elemental Orbs, The Crisis and disappearance of dark energy in the past. What does all this mean? Find out by starting to play already today!


Features

-Explore a whole new world with everything made from scratch: maps, texts, scripts etc.
-Unique storyline, doesn't include trying to become a pokemon champion, that's for sure!
-Elements of other RPG games; sidequests, character development and more
-An organization, Team Darkness, who seems to have the same plan to unlock these secrets... or are they up to something else?
-Minigames such as "Magical Book" and "Magikarp man" (and there are more than that!)
-Lots of boss fights and each one having an actual purpose
-Plenty of small ASM hacks


Things you should know before starting to play

To put things simply, do not rely on help from external sources like Bulbapedia when playing this. Lots of things have changed from what they were in the original version. After all, this is a rom hack (and you can even think of it as a completely new game).

-Traded Pokemon do always obey & badges aren't required to use HMs (both done because no badges are ever received in the game).
-For balancing, the stats of original RBY & GSC starter Pokemon (Bulbasaur --> Blastoise & Chikorita --> Feraligator) have been decreased by 5%.
-The Pokemon that were originally traded to evolve, evolve now by leveling up instead (Poliwhirl and Slowpoke can also be made to evolve by Water Stone into Poliwrath and Slowking).
-Eevee and its upper forms have had quite a lot of changes. What? That's something what will be revealed in the game.
-Magikarp evolves by Water Stone (and may also learn some new abilities).
-Some Pokemon cannot be released (because they have their own purposes related to the plot of the game)
-Some of the gym leaders in this hack can teach your Pokemon special moves their ones know
-Following Pokemon have their movesets edited:

Raichu, Nidoqueen, Nidoking, Clefable, Ninetails, Wigglytuff, Vileplume, Arcanine, Poliwrath, Victreebel, Exeggcutor, Starmie, Bellossom, Politoed, Sunflora, Scizor

Notice how all of them expect for Scizor are evolved forms of Pokemon that are made to evolve with stones. This is because I wanted to make it so people can freely evolve their Pokemon (when they've gotten to Lv30) when they get the needed stones as now the upper forms also learn all the moves their previous forms did. Scizor then again is in the list so that it will learn all Scyther's and Scizor's attacks. Notice that the upper forms of the Pokemon that evolve by stones, don't learn the attacks that their lower forms learn before level 30 (that's why the level limit).


Changes between Betas 3.0 and 3.1

-The levels of the pokemon that trainers use have been decreased
-New battle sprites for Goon and Guardian have been added
-Mom's script has been completely redone, and she can now also save your money
-Bicycle has been replaced with Running Shoes (which leads to bugs for those who still have their Bicycle from Beta 3.0)
-"The Key delivery" -quest between Greenwood Town and Milky Village has been altered to make it more obvious how to progress further in game
-Pokemon can now be encountered by Headbutting trees as well
-Bulbasaur's moveset has been changed back to normal (Learns Vine Whip at lv10 & Sleep Powder at lv15)
-Player mentions the Sweater shouldn't be returned right away after receiving it
-You've more money to start with than before & Prices of Town Map and Signet have been decreased
-Goons have a new overworld sprite
-Gentlemen wear black suits instead of white (during battle)
-Sun Stone can be bought in the market in Argent Warehouse
-Several bug fixes:
--When Bulbasaur evolves, its gender won't change like it might have in the earlier version
--The things that gym trainers say, after their leader has been defeated, have been changed for the ones that required it
--If TM Sandstorm wasn't picked in Deep Cavern before a certain happening, it could have been seen in the rocks
--One cutscene was buggy if the player was riding a bike during it
--Text bug with Ancient Power has been fixed
--A minor bug with Theresa's script has been fixed

Pictures








Things you will miss if you never play this...





FAQ

Spoiler:

Where is Prof. Oak ?

Spoiler:

In the top floor of the university.

You said you implemented Running Shoes in the game. Why can't I run by holding down B button then ?

Spoiler:

Running Shoes can be received by escorting the little girl, next to the university, back home.

Is the encountered Squirtle meant to be shiny ?

Spoiler:

;)

How am I able to get past North Star ?

Spoiler:

You need to defeat the gym leader of Little Stone and you'll be rewarded with a Woolly Hat, which protects against cold.

Where do I get the First-Aid Kit ?

Spoiler:

Keep playing till you reach Highland Town. You can get it from Dr. Frank after defeating the gym leader of that town.

Why did you make Isaac's pokemon so powerful ?

Spoiler:

You're not supposed to beat him at that time, only win the access to Milky Village.

What to do with De-Stones ?

Spoiler:

You'll hear when you find the first Page and return it to the magical book.

After reaching Milky Village, I got stuck. What to do?

Spoiler:

Go talking to the guard at the gate of Greenwood Town or to his wife in a house in Milky Village.

What's the code you should enter to that PC in Argent Warehouse ?

Spoiler:

That will be accessable in Beta 4.

What should I do after I've gotten HM03 (Surf) ?

Spoiler:

You may find neat things by exploring the areas you've already been to. To continue with the normal gameplay, you should first go training to Western Lake from Argent Warehouse and then fly back to The Capital and leave surfing towards Brightbulb City.

Where can I get the HMs ?

Spoiler:

HM01 - Eventually by playing
HM02 - Milky Village
HM03 - Eventually by playing
HM05 - Brightbulb City
Rest are currently unobtainable.

Can I find Elemental Orbs in the current beta ?

Spoiler:

Let's just say, maybe.

Support banners


Credits:
Mateo - Creating the support banner
Poketto-Monsuta - Battle sprites of Ashlyn and Goon
Cheestendo - Battle sprite of Cactus / Player


People required mentioning:

Poketto - Creating the battle sprites for Goon and Guardian and giving ideas
Koolboyman - Running Shoes ASM routine

Special thanks:

Ben - Player's OW
Cheestendo - Player's back and front sprites
Lin - JohtoMap
score_under - PKSV
Tauwasser - Scripting Compendium
Skeetendo Inc - Supporting and helping me to do all that I wanted to


Download Beta 3.1 here or play it online in Vizzed Proboards.
Length: Around 35% of gameplay of the final version (or "5 gyms")

[classiccartoonsftw]

More than 16 gyms? Cool! Are some of them going to use more than one type?

Lots of other boss fights? Are you gonna fight Rocket Executives, wild Pokemon bosses, and other cool stuff like that? I'm definitely looking forward to this!

[GliscorOwnz]

I Agree With ClassicCartoonsFtw.
16 Gyms ? Very Unique.
But The Storyline Is Okay ..

EDIT: Thanks Miksy91 .

[miksy91]

Originally Posted by classiccartoonsftw

More than 16 gyms? Cool! Are some of them going to use more than one type?

Lots of other boss fights? Are you gonna fight Rocket Executives, wild Pokemon bosses, and other cool stuff like that? I'm definitely looking forward to this!

Now that I think about it, I'm not sure if there actually are more than 16 gyms in the final version - it will depend on how many towns/cities there will be in the eastern side of Suden.
You won't gain badges in the game though so it doesn't really matter how many of them there will be in the final version.

By playing through the following beta 2, you'll realize there will be other boss fights too

Originally Posted by GliscorOwnz

When I Try To Click " New Game " It Takes Me Back To The Title Screen, HELP ?

You must have used some other rom file than Silver (U) 1.0.
There should be an option to go either to "Start" or "Options".

[Sama1990]

I've been following this on Youtube as HarlenSama, and I just wanted to say that I support this as much as I support all other Miksy hacks. Although, I think I'm going to wait until the final version comes out to play, no matter how long it takes, I just don't want there to be any more spoilers for me other than what's on this thread and on your videos until I can complete the game.

But, I am very excited for this and I don't care how long it takes, I support you 100 percent Miksy.

[Yuuiii]

Aww yeahh, good ole G/S/C hacks.

It's really nice to see how your hacking skills have improved since Crystal World. I'll go ahead and try this right now :D

[Ash493]

Originally Posted by GliscorOwnz

16 Gyms ? Very Unique.

Um... not quite =D 16 gym is not unique at all :D
Though more than 16 on the other hand is unique more than enough

[miksy91]

Too bad this hack doesn't seem to interest most people around here...
Perhaps it will change once I get the beta 2 out.

Anyway, I've finished putting in almost everything I want for the next beta.
Only things I've to do now is to fix a couple of things and play it through to check there are no bugs etc.

Now, it looks like that I'll get the release up until 27th November (because I don't have time to hack on week).

[Redeyelugia]

I played it and it was pretty good. There's nothing to do yet in the first beta, but it'll get around. Don't worry Miksy, people will love your hack. If they don't, I'll keep on rooting for you. It's very interesting because there are good battles, you can get good items, there are a few good hidden items, and it's pretty cool. It's awesome how the second one is coming so fast. So yeah.

[Fire Red]

I played the first beta, it's pretty good. Can't wait for the next one!

[Criisss]

Wow, long time since I saw a hack of GSC.
I'll try the beta...

[amvz]

hey miksy,its me. If you need help with graphic works,i can help. By this time,im making crystal/silver sprite recolors using b/w palettes,and removing grainy style. And i'm glad if you are interested.

[NinjaBoy1]

Ill be sure to play this. great job!

[Deliciousfruit233]

Wow, a Pokemon Silver hack? Interesting. I'll have to check this hack out when I get home.

[miksy91]

Thanks for the comments although I haven't gotten much feedback on the hack itself.
Anyway, I've beta tested the hack through and will fix a couple of bugs next.
After that, I'm going to test it again and if it works fine, I'll think about releasing beta 2 this weekend

[Deliciousfruit233]

I have one complaint. Judging by the town map, don't you think that this region is a little too linear? It's just a gigantic loop around the map.

[miksy91]

Originally Posted by Deliciousfruit233

I have one complaint. Judging by the town map, don't you think that this region is a little too linear? It's just a gigantic loop around the map.

I guess you're right, I'll see what I can do to the right part of it (because left has been already been done and I won't change it anymore).
Anyway...

Beta 2 has been released !!!

Yes, I've finally finished and beta-tested Beta 2 of Dark Future and the hack should work properly. There are some minor bugs in which palette changes oddly (due to Morning, Day and Night palettes) but I didn't run into any bigger problems than that.

Anyway, Beta 2 is approximately twice the length of Beta 1, perhaps even more. Besides, there will be new major events and gym leaders to be fought.

Download Beta 2 in the first post and comment how it is when you've tested it !

Update

Not many of you noticed it yet but Beta 2 was released today.
However, I just "received" a surprise add-on to beta 2 and that's why, I'm taking the patch out for the time being. New beta 2 (Beta 2.1 ?) will likely be released tomorrow

[miksy91]

Beta 2.1 is finally here !
Downloadlink can be found in the first post.

Play it and reply what you think about it !

[Alignment]

Congratulations on the new beta! Hopefully we'll find it entertaining

[3436]

Great job. Congratulation on the beta. Hope to see more

[ExMaikel]

really fun gameplay and quite different from the regular hackz.
I'm kinda stuck before the Ice cave. I can't seem to get pass it and always
faint in it due to the cold. Any help here ?

Also, some little bugs I noticed :
- you cannot approach your mother from the side-ways.
- Sometimes the ability to talk with npc's is locked and can be retreived only when I'm the leaving the builduing I'm currently in and then re-enter.

[miksy91]

Originally Posted by ExMaikel

really fun gameplay and quite different from the regular hackz.
I'm kinda stuck before the Ice cave. I can't seem to get pass it and always
faint in it due to the cold. Any help here ?.

The people in Little Stone say that you need protection against cold to pass it. Woolly Hat can be received in Little Stone and I'm going to write in the spoiler what to do to get it.

Spoiler:

You're supposed to get Itemfinder from "Treasure Hunter" and find the "Key" for the locked gym (he tells you that the key is missing and might still be in the town). After getting the Itemfinder, go outside and use Itemfinder next to the mart and it will respond for a hidden item (which is the Key to the gym).
Now, find the Key and go to beat the gym leader of Little Stone - she will give you Woolly Hat.

Originally Posted by ExMaikel

Also, some little bugs I noticed :
- you cannot approach your mother from the side-ways.
- Sometimes the ability to talk with npc's is locked and can be retreived only when I'm the leaving the builduing I'm currently in and then re-enter.

I don't think the upper one is a problem :\
About the other bug, I haven't noticed this happening and it shouldn't either. Are you sure you patched the ips-file to a clean Pokemon Silver (U) rom?

Otherwise, glad you like the hack

[hinkage]

I played this for a bit, it's not too bad.

The storyline is kind of boring, though. I skipped most of it. Oak never stops talking.

The towns/cities are oddly shaped, every time I went south/north or east/west it felt like I had just gone onto a Route.


Also, I got the level 9 Bulbasaur pretty easy:

...But it turned out to not help me vs the Gym at all, which seems overpowered to say the least.

And there was a guy who hopped on the huge mart, but I don't know what he was trying to do >_>


Then there's this guy:

THEN WHY ARE YOU WALKING AROUND DOING NOTHING

[MedicineMan]

I like it! I personally like the storyline. I'll be watching for the next beta.

[miksy91]

Originally Posted by hinkage

I played this for a bit, it's not too bad.

The storyline is kind of boring, though. I skipped most of it. Oak never stops talking.

The towns/cities are oddly shaped, every time I went south/north or east/west it felt like I had just gone onto a Route.


And there was a guy who hopped on the huge mart, but I don't know what he was trying to do

I don't understand where you're trying to get by all the other complaining but I can at least answer the questions above.

The storyline is more like what RPG games would have - this game isn't about pokemon as much as any other game (and I won't plan to make it a normal pokemon game either).
Anyway, the storyline may seem boring at first but it should get more exciting later. About Oak though...if you don't care to read it, do not but you'll miss the entire point about what you're supposed to do if you don't...

About towns and cities; why's that ? what's making them think you're going onto a route ? I don't get it - Gamefreak could have created maps similar to ones of my own.

I know that it looks weird that a person is trying to hop on the mart but that thing is related to the gameplay later on.

Anyway, good to hear that you still liked it

Originally Posted by MedicineMan

I like it! I personally like the storyline. I'll be watching for the next beta.

Thanks !