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[Discussion] What about fangames annoys you most? [Aspiring developers look here!]

What is the worst thing(s) about Pokemon fangames?


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Hall Of Famer

Born as Hall of Famer
709
Posts
15
Years
Well I'm not talking about fan game in here, it's about some game developers. What annoys me most is that someone requests a lot of resources from a certain fan game without giving any offers in return. They think they deserve anything without sharing their own things, which is more than disgusting. Even if you really don't have anything good to share, it makes us feel better if you at least show us that you're willing to. In a word, don't regard yourself as an emperor in mid-century. Wanna have something in your game? Fine, but please show us what you can do in return.
 

~Frozen Darkness~

It's watching you...
503
Posts
15
Years
I'm fine with fan games, but when I see these things, it makes me want to puke:

1. No name/Bad Name It's not hard to think of names! But I think that people should use other names besides Colours and gems.

2. I hate to see this:

Anonymous Person - Creator, Beta Tester/Idea Maker/Storyline developer

That makes me sick. This means that the creator is LAZY and doesn't want to do any work. I HATE this. For those that do this, good luck getting volunteers.

3. Over usage of Starter Kit: It's okay to get a little of a jump start from the starter kit, but if you just make maps and do nothing else, the game is gonna be crap. For those that are doing this, get some creativity and make the game FUN.

4. No one knows how to script:

With the exception of Wichu, poccil, etc. I don't see anyone else who scripts. I mean, I don't script right now, but I'm learning to script.
 
Last edited:
26
Posts
15
Years
I haven't been on this forum long, so I can just talk about the Pokemon fan games I've seen everywhere, not specifically the ones that get posted here.

The two things that annoy me the most are when games are announced with great fanfare in the "really, really alpha, 0.01" stage and never get close to being finished, and when the developers don't share their code even though they're building it off of things other people let them use for free. In my opinion, developers should wait until they're past the very beginning stage of programming before they advertise the game to everyone, and should share their work with others, except for original art that makes the game unique.

I'm OK with fake Pokemon as long as they're mixed in with the originals. I wouldn't be as interested in a game with only fakes.
 

Darkholme

Keeper of the Pointy
21
Posts
15
Years
Well, Here are my thoughts on the issue.

If you aren't going to finish the game, or you dont really have a 'game' other than just copying the exact same crap, you shouldnt really bother.

Original Pokemon are fine, assuming theyre well implemented, and not replacing any of the originals.

short version
> Finish the damned thing.
> Don't try to just get everyone else to make a game *for* you. You're not paying them for it so it doesn't work that way.
> Spellchecker if you can't spell.
> Get some decent graphics.
> Original plot.
> Original game design.
> New features/concepts.
> Well planned and executed project.

Go look up project management. Read a few documents. Plan the project in advance. Divy up the work. Figure out what needs to be done. Have A Plan.

If you don't have a plan, you better be damn good.

If I see a project with work breakdown sheets, gantt charts, and uml diagrams, I'd go with that one, cause they apparently know what they're doing. (It is kindof overkill in a fan game, but its a hyperbole)

If you're not going to make the game original, or at leat good. go make a rom hack.

Thats not saying rom hacks are bad.

If someone made a decent Gold/Silver remake (that was finished) for GBA or DS, I would pay 40$ for a hard copy, as would I imagine, many other people.
 

@World

Sparking Wild Bolt
97
Posts
15
Years
Here is a good advice for critism: try for yourself. If you think it's easy try it, but there are hrrible games (oh when I remember reading Rquaza in a game: a wild Rquaza apeared).
 

Awan

Graphic Designer
30
Posts
16
Years
What annoy me most is when there is NO screenshot -_- what's the point of just telling ppl the story and doesnt have any screenshot(not neccesaryly be in-game screenshot) to make ppl support their games.
 

DrCoolSanta

Erode away...
406
Posts
19
Years
I have to say that many people have the "Jack of all trades, Master of none" syndrome, you can't stop them if they want to try it out. Not that I support them but it is a point to consider.

Otherwise thinking, how much appreciation is there for a fangame, that also made in some free mediocre RPG engine. Can you even make money from your creativity. Do you think you could show this work to someone in the game industry and then not be ridiculed? It's a fangame, yes it is, but of it, how much have you actually done? You already get the engine, and then above that you get the starter kids, and you rip off all the graphics, the sounds, and everything. Nobody here goes into the details of game making. I ask some graphic artist for a tileset, they hand me over the FR/LG tileset! Why doesn't somebody actually create the art, PC is one place with so many artists who would love to help you out. Sound, I can still say that ripped ones are ok, but you've got a better platform, you needn't use the midis so why. Why not something i'd love to hear? Thats what I hate about fangames. They don't create games, they just put it all together in a different manner.

It is too easy for you, and so n00bs end up getting a platform to show their n00bieness. And then ofcourse n00bs have nothing better to do than to just leave a project after a week.

Stop ranting about it, n00bs can't do anything better, and neither can you people consider yourself superior to them, since its not a prestige if you can make a game in RPG Maker.
 

Hall Of Famer

Born as Hall of Famer
709
Posts
15
Years
I have to say that many people have the "Jack of all trades, Master of none" syndrome, you can't stop them if they want to try it out. Not that I support them but it is a point to consider.

Otherwise thinking, how much appreciation is there for a fangame, that also made in some free mediocre RPG engine. Can you even make money from your creativity. Do you think you could show this work to someone in the game industry and then not be ridiculed? It's a fangame, yes it is, but of it, how much have you actually done? You already get the engine, and then above that you get the starter kids, and you rip off all the graphics, the sounds, and everything. Nobody here goes into the details of game making. I ask some graphic artist for a tileset, they hand me over the FR/LG tileset! Why doesn't somebody actually create the art, PC is one place with so many artists who would love to help you out. Sound, I can still say that ripped ones are ok, but you've got a better platform, you needn't use the midis so why. Why not something i'd love to hear? Thats what I hate about fangames. They don't create games, they just put it all together in a different manner.

It is too easy for you, and so n00bs end up getting a platform to show their n00bieness. And then ofcourse n00bs have nothing better to do than to just leave a project after a week.

Stop ranting about it, n00bs can't do anything better, and neither can you people consider yourself superior to them, since its not a prestige if you can make a game in RPG Maker.

I have to agree with most of your words. I requested a few(yes, just a few...) tropical climate tiles in rmxp.org before and someone directed me to pokemon essentials. Come on, it could be a lot better if they didn't even make such a reply to my help thread at all!

But honestly, will you be making a fan game if you're good at everything(mapping, spriting, storyline/graphic designing, scripting and more)? Nope, you will start a business and participate in game industry instead, or even better, to create a language like C++, Java and Ruby. The reason why people make fan games is that they're not professional, and they simply enjoy the process of programing or else. They have other things to deal with in real life, and fan game is not a way for them to kill their spare time. Sure the quality of those fan games can be improved considerably if everyone gets paid for their work(yeah, motivation matters). However, can we still call them fan games? Are they still fan games? I wonder.
 

Alucia

Random tile/map artist
508
Posts
16
Years
  • Age 33
  • Seen Mar 10, 2024
id have to say that the lack of new content gets on my nerves all of these fan games are essentialy just like hacks they look and play pretty much the same as the actual games

such as me im making (as far as i know) the first or one of the first flash based pokemon games ever made iv created a new battle system and more realistic game play and areas kyledove has created unique graphics unique gameplay and characteristics the captain has created the largest and most realistic maps that i have ever sceen and based them on the anime
other than these i see very few fan games that really catch my eye and stand out there are others but i cant remember them :D
 

DrCoolSanta

Erode away...
406
Posts
19
Years
I have to agree with most of your words. I requested a few(yes, just a few...) tropical climate tiles in rmxp.org before and someone directed me to pokemon essentials. Come on, it could be a lot better if they didn't even make such a reply to my help thread at all!

But honestly, will you be making a fan game if you're good at everything(mapping, spriting, storyline/graphic designing, scripting and more)? Nope, you will start a business and participate in game industry instead, or even better, to create a language like C++, Java and Ruby. The reason why people make fan games is that they're not professional, and they simply enjoy the process of programing or else. They have other things to deal with in real life, and fan game is not a way for them to kill their spare time. Sure the quality of those fan games can be improved considerably if everyone gets paid for their work(yeah, motivation matters). However, can we still call them fan games? Are they still fan games? I wonder.
Again, I can relate to you and so can I find reason for your argument. But if you already can program in Ruby since RMXP is almost Ruby, why not actually go on? I have seen a lot of the people here recommending newbies to learn c++ and then come back to game making. I can say that making a simple game engine is not going to be difficult in c++. Even so, many industrial games use a commercial engine, I don't mind if you do it as well. But I will appreciate more if there is less of ripped graphics and more of new artwork. If each game has different art here, then it will be called good to its full meaning. I know I can make a fangame in c++ and not call it a waste of time or talent. I've seen PC versions of Gold and fangames of Mario on Gamedev. If you already don't know, gamedev is one place where all the professional game makers unite. Personally, I would love to do so, I have started projects before, and I have myself worked on them only for periods of months with gaps in between. I could say that I had a reason, I always lacked some sort of knowledge that I needed to move on. I can call myself an expert again, but not until I actually create one game, I probably will and show it here to actually show what I always thought each game lacked here.
Ofcourse, you can't sell off a fangame due to copyright reasons, but my point there was that it isn't even otherwise worthy enough to be sold XP.

I would say that a normal person can't do everything of that sort and still stay in his sense, one can't program, draw, create sound effects, write. Thats why I urge people to actually take help from others to make their games superior. Thats why I say that there is no use for having such a large community to show off your talent but not make use of it. Games have a long list of credits, why so? Of course because so many people work towards on. Everytime a new generation comes everybody here changes to those tilesets. Everytime soeody creates a new tile set, everybody here uses them. Why be copycats? It's not something impossible I talk about, it would be my faliure if I create a game and not show mine or somebody elses creativity.

Another thing I hate is the typical Pokemon game story, believe me even the official pokemon games don't seem nice with their typical repititive unoriginal story. Fangames are something the fans wanted to see in those game but they couldn't, its a showcase of your thoughts and not somebody elses. Basically I would rather play Red and Blue than to play a fangame with similar storyline.
 
490
Posts
15
Years
  • Age 34
  • Seen Sep 27, 2021
Whats annoys me most about fangames is when they rush a demo. Then next thing you know everyone is messaging the creator telling them like a million errors lol.
 

Ozzlander

Programmer Ozzy
17
Posts
14
Years
  • Age 35
  • USA
  • Seen Jul 28, 2009
The most annoying thing are game that are never finished, i have 2 games im working on and i plan on finishing both tho i could use some help, but seriously finishing a game isnt all that hard ive done games solo before its just time consuming that way
 

Heart's Soul

Hey, look, I was gone.
2,535
Posts
16
Years
  • Age 28
  • Seen Aug 20, 2020
I just voted for over 10 things. They are things that I hate, mainly spelling errors.
 

thelaytonmobile

Beginning Reading Your Message
173
Posts
14
Years
Spelling errors annoy me too. I see many games, that in the screens or videos (I haven't actually downloaded any yet, lol) that have spelling mistakes. Surely it can't be too much effort to check your spelling. And you'd think they'd choose places with good spelling to screenshot.

Something I forgot to put in the poll is the Fakemon. Often they just look like blobs, and are poorly designed. Not that I'd be much better, but it's a real turn off.

Both of these things are little things, but they annoy me a lot. It just shows that the details matter. I know people are eager to publicise their game and get help, but surely they could wait till the game is a little bit finished before making a thread?

Oh, that was a little longer than I intended it to be... oops:D.
 

<~F.M.P~>

I got you whistling Blue Box!
577
Posts
17
Years
In all honesty the only 2 things I don't like is when the games creator(who's supposed to be team leader may I remind you) looks for every position known to a game developer(and then some) and does nothing else more than think of names, and the story. In my opinion at least learn how to sprite yourself and learn just a bit of scripting if possible...It really helps in the long run.

I'm also not a big fan of discontinued games, alot of great games with strong potential have gone down the drain for one reason or another.
 

SytheXP

Net Labs/UG Founder
387
Posts
16
Years
Things that bug me most are promises not kept, to few updates and they don't get finished. And I agree with what Wichu said on the first page about people wanting a team to make a game for them. Im currently soloing a project have 3 total towns done 2 routes a cave 1 working gym and a fighting dojo remake. Also misspelling shouldnt even be in a demo. There are playtest buttons for a reason and you can test your stuff before you let others play it. The point of a demo IMO is to get someone interested in the game not to be like oh we have this and this but you can't do that in the demo get the full release and wait a while.
 

thepsynergist

A Gym Leader, Kyushu Region
793
Posts
15
Years
For me, its probably the lack of mp3's for music, the fact that a game never gets finished, and the severe lack of eventing knowledge. I can't tell you how many times I got stuck behind a wall, because someone didn't space the movement properly. It also seems boring when someone doesn't have a storyline in a game, not just the "I want to be the best, get badges and get all the Pokemanz!". I have a deep respect for a programmer that at least attempts a storyline. It made me sad about Pokemon Acanthite discontinuing. There's my rant...
 

Freak A

Back !!!
296
Posts
15
Years
  • Seen Jul 18, 2013
yeah i agree with the story line thing they have the same old evil organization and pokemon professor wants you to catch pokemon for you
 

Q-Bone

Musician and Pixel Artist
243
Posts
15
Years
Misspellings really get to me. In some games (and ROM Hacks in this case) you can't even understand and/or read the text. It seriously annoys me.
 
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