Pokémon: Lost and Found

[Micklo]

A brand new Pokémon fangame to break the mould on conventions and sit somewhere in the middle of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon and Digimon World.





Welcome to the thread for my brand new project, "Pokémon: Lost and Found". This is the second proper project which I have attempted (the first being "Pokémon Anime Adventure", which I abandoned due to lack of time and ill health) but now after going away and learning some more of the ins and outs of RPG Maker XP, I'm back and ready to get going with a brand new game.

I aim, throughout the game, to break alot of the standard conventions that there are out there. Not so much now (as alot of developers start to incorprate their own original systems) but I remember when I first got into game making, there was a whole host of identical Pokémon games made from various starter kits which were all rickety and mis-shapen. I hope that "Pokémon: Lost and Found" will pull away from this idea even more, by providing a whole new experience.





Picture a world somewhere between Pokémon Mystery Dungeon and Digimon World, where Pokémon live independently, running their own towns and prospering by themself. PokéTown is one such and town, and is currently preparing for the annual celebration, which takes place on the first day of spring and marks new life. Pokémon from all over the world are coming to see the festival, including Pikablu, who decides to attend the festival with a newly met Heracross. Together, Pikablu and Heracross go to the Pokémon Festival Area, and await the Rite of Eeveelution, where all of the Young Eevees from the season evolve according to their own natures and then will go out into the world. Slowking leads the festivities, granting evolution to the worthy Eevees, one by one...but suddenly disaster strikes. The sky turns black, the music stops and everything goes quiet.

As if from no where, an unknown force descends on the Festival and attacks all of the adult Pokémon one by one. First Slowking, then the Eeveelutions, then even the observers! But what has happened to them? Have they been killed? Captured? Taken away? None of the baby Pokémon left are sure at all what has happened, but they are most certain that something has to be done. Slowpoke (the son of Slowking) takes it on himself to draw up order, and organise the panicking Pokémon. The first priority is to maintain the town - whatever it was that disrupted the Festival was of immense strength and could strike at any minute! But now the Town has been reduced to the meer backbone of civilisation; with no adult Pokémon to run any facilities, they have all shut down and gone! Therefore, Slowpoke elects Pikablu and his new best friend, an Eevee who didn't evolve, to go throughout the land, finding strong Pokémon to come back to the Town with them, help to re-establish the Town and protect it from danger. On their journey, Pikablu and Eevee will encounter countless challenges, and along the away hope that they will be able to find some clues as the location of the missing Pokémon.

The adult Pokémon may be lost, but soon enough they will be found!





Play as the brand new Pokémon Pikablu and his friend Eevee
Experience the wonders of the Pokémon world in fullscreen
Take part in a highly challenging game, where the enemies keep getting stronger as you do
The game is set to include a brand new battle system, much different from the standard Pokémon Battle System, which will add pace and excitement to every encounter
Encounters and enemy groups are completely random, so each time you come to a map it will feel fresh and new
Watch as PokéTown builds up - this system will be very similar to Digimon World, where each Pokémon you recruit will bring something new to the Town. For example, when you recruit a certain Pokémon, they will open up an item shop, or maybe enhance an existing area.
Unique berry giving script, where Cherubi will give you new berries at random each day
Quest information system, where Pokémon can be recruited in a logical order, or the player can go at their own pace
Adventure Journal and PokéTown Register to keep a track of what has happened so far
Other ammenities in the Town include a gym, bank, beauty salon, pub, aquarium...
Take a number of different paths throughout the game of varying difficulty
And much, much more...




Old Screenshots - Still here for comparison with the new GUI

Spoiler:

New Screenshots

























Like what you have seen and want to be a part of "Pokémon: Lost and Found"? Then read on...

As you may know, making a game is by no means easy, and it has taken me a good couple of weeks to put fifteen minutes of introduction together so far, so I'm asking for a little help here and there - without additional help, this game will progress much slower and will be more likely to be scrapped in the end.

The positions open are shown below. All "Pokémon: Lost and Found" staff members will get certain perks, which will be negotiated individually.

DATA INPUT STAFF
To take stats and enter them for moves and Pokémon data in the game. No previous experience required. PM me or post here.

SPRITE EXTRACTING STAFF
To take pre-existing sprites from Sprite Sheets and put them into a format for RMXP. No previous experience required. PM me or post here.

Other positions may become available as the game progresses.

[!URL="http://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?t=192182"][!IMG]http://i988.photobucket.com/albums/af8/MickloGMF/Userbar.png[/IMG][/URL]

(Remove the excalmation marks (!) before [URL="...] and [IMG]





Kyledove - For the tileset (With edits by me)
redblueyellow - For the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Rips (With edits by me)
??? - For the Pokémon cry sound effects (not too sure who to credit here. Please tell me if you know who it is)
Wachunga - Maplink script
fukayama - Caterpillar script
Message System - Sheol (With edits by me)
Enu, Atoa, Kyluk, Mr. Bubble, and cairn - Battle System (With edits by me)
Dubealex - Menu System (With edits by me)
Kain Nobel - Enemy Growth Script

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That's all for now really, I hope that you look forward to this game. I'll try to keep updates regular (hopefully at least once every fortnight - even if I have nothing big to post I'll try and put something up).

Don't ask for a demo, I'm not planning one soon.

[SIZE="2"]For me, one of the most exciting things about a game to be released is the speculation, and there has been none of that at the moment, so to try and get people guessing (and hence posting!) I've decided to update in the form of (fake ) Magazine Scans. This will mean me posting a low quality image with lots of screenshots on, everyone speculating on them, and when I've had my fun I'll post a HQ version of the "Scan" and finally the screenshots by themselves. It's a new and inventive away of promoting my game, which, to my mind, no one has used before, so I want to give it a go and see how people react!

[/SIZE]

[Neo-Dragon]

I don't understand why you included a giant question mark in the game- it's ludicrous.
I'm glad you want to try and make a different style of game with the starter kit rather then the bog standard one.

[timcard30]

Not bad but the ow's are larger than the trees, little odd.

KEEP GOING
sry for my bad english

[Micklo]

Originally Posted by Neo-Dragon

I don't understand why you included a giant question mark in the game- it's ludicrous.

And if you're wondering about the mystery Pokémon, he will be revealed at the Nintendo Community Fangame Convention this year. Why? The suspense makes things more exciting!

Not that ludicrous! :p

I think I better go and amend the first post to make that a bit more obvious so we don;t end up with a thread full of people very confused at the giant question mark!

--------------------------------------------------------------------





Already time for an update! This one really came quite quickly because the berry system was quite easy to make. Updates probably won't be this speedy in future...but I'll try my best.

This update is mainly is to show off the feature of the Berry Farm in the game, but will also demonstrate the city evolution and expansion feature I explained above - that the more Pokémon you recruit, the more advanced the facilities become.

At the start of the game, you will find that Cherubi runs a Berry Farm at the North of PokéTown. This is quite a small attribute and hard for him to run by himself, so Cherubi will give you three healing berries (see below) now and again for free (that could be three of the same type of berry, two and one, or three different berries). Cherubi will provide three new berries for you every ten minutes, so make sure you go and claim them!



When you recruit Budew later in the game, he will start to expand the farm by planting some more berries. These will not grow until you fulfil a certain condition in the game (which I'm not revealling now!!). When they are, in a similar way to Cherubi, Budew will provide you with berries for free - in this case, two friendship berries (see below) every five minutes.



A little bit down the line when you come to recruiting Cherrim to the city, he will come and help out at the farm. While not growing any berries himself, he will be able to sell you more berries. The berries he has for sale are the same variety as the kind that Cherubi has given you. Cherrim will alter his shop stock whenever you go and get some new berries from Cherubi.



Roselia is the final edition to the Berry Farm (...for now!) who will act in a similar way to Cherrim, but instead of selling Cherubi's berries, she will sell more of Budew's. Again, this service will alter whenever you get given new variaties of berry from Budew.



In "Pokémon Lost and Found", berries fulfil two main roles: being the primary healing items and being used to win favour of wild Pokémon. In terms of healing, this Berry Farm service can be very useful as you can stock up on quite valuable healing items for free, very early on. Friendship berries are given to Wild Pokémon and may even please them enough for them to ask you if they can join your party on your quest! You never know...

Of course, there are rumours throughout PokéLand that there is one more Pokémon who could master the Berry Farm, but who this Pokémon is and how one would go about befriending them is quite unknown...


---------------------------------------------------------------------------


That's all for this update. I hope that the Berry System is understood and appreciated. I'll now get to work on working on the friendship system, after which I'll have a look into a Town database and then I will progress with mapping and the storyline.

Until next time!

[Ty 101]

I like the game, but, what about battles.

[Micklo]

Originally Posted by Ty 101

I like the game, but, what about battles.

The battle system will be revealed in a later update, and will be the first video that I show.

The next few updates will probably be:
-Friendship System
-Town Record
-Berry Forest & Battle System

-----------------------------------------------------



Time for another update already, because I really want to get some excitement generated for this game: I've put a lot of hours into it recently so there's no point storing the data solely on my hard drive and no one else knowing about it!!

This update is about the friendship system, which will enable you to add extra Pokémon who you befriend to your party. They will be stored in "Friend areas" in a similar way to PMD, and can also evolve. There will be about 20 obtainable Pokémon in each area, and with 9 areas + evolutions this probably makes somewhere in the region of ~250 playable Pokémon...that's going to be a lot of work for me 0_0.

On with the system. At the start of the game the Tyrogue Brothers will volunteer to help clear some rocks in Slowpoke's Cave. This will be a long task and will only be complete once you have advanced the story a while and recruited certain Pokémon. Once cleared, these rocks will clear up a secret entrance.



Inside the cave is a large forgotten Computer. You and your partner will turn on the computer to find...a Pokémon living inside it! But it isn't a friendly Pokémon and wants to battle you straight away!



After the battle Rotom will agree to let you access his data systems, which have ample room for you to store the data of any friends you may encounter along the way. By giving Pokémon Berries in battle (which was described in the last update) they will be sent to this system, where (as shown below) you can scroll through the various areas and add Pokémon to your party, just as in PMD.



So that's it basically, the friendship system similar to PMD. This update has also revealed one of the playable Pokémon - Shroomish, who will be obtainable in Berry Forest.

Nintendo Fangame Convention

There is also the following to look forward to at the Ninteno fangame Convention

The mystery Pokémon will be revealed
The battle system will be revealed
A few more areas of the city will be revealed, and the Pokémon who are recruited to them

Until next time!

[Nyu~♥!]

This looks awesome! I think this will be the first game for PokéCommunity that I'll play!
I want to see that pokemon. I hate it being hid like that! XD

[Micklo]

Originally Posted by kitsukitty

This looks awesome! I think this will be the first game for PokéCommunity that I'll play!
I want to see that pokemon. I hate it being hid like that! XD

Thanks! Although you'll be waiting a long time to play this game!

I imported the first five or so wild Pokémon into the game the other day...but it took me an awful long time! Progress looks like it will be slow, but the finish product will sure be polished!

[Tudj]

This is looking pretty outstanding, interested in seeing more updates in the future. Good Luck.

[Micklo]

Hi everyone! I wasn't planning to update again for a while, and didn't really want to show Berry Forest off until the Fangame Convention...but I figured, why not? I really want to keep this thread and the interest alive!

So, I thought that I would show off the first area of the forest (the first area of about eleven, I am planning)...but I thought that showing screenshots is such an old fashioned way of promoting a game!

For me, one of the most exciting things about a game to be released is the speculation, and there has been none of that at the moment, so to try and get people guessing (and hence posting!) I've decided to update in the form of (fake ) Magazine Scans. This will mean me posting a low quality image with lots of screenshots on, everyone speculating on them, and when I've had my fun I'll post a HQ version of the "Scan" and finally the screenshots by themselves. It's a new and inventive away of promoting my game, which, to my mind, no one has used before, so I want to give it a go and see how people react!

So without further ado, I present to you a "scan from a magazine" detailing the first area of Berry Forest (click on the image to view a larger version).



Enjoy, and start speculating on what's been revealed!

[Soul.//Silver]

Really good PMD based game here, I was originally going to make a PMD based game....Anyway, the only thing I don't like about this game are the tiles. They really don't go well with the PMD overworlds. Try hiring a scratch tile artist who can make the PMD tiles compatible with RMXP and even make custom ones. Other than that, the story and ideas are great too.

[T3h Kaiser]

Originally Posted by Soul.//Silver

Anyway, the only thing I don't like about this game are the tiles. They really don't go well with the PMD overworlds. Try hiring a scratch tile artist who can make the PMD tiles compatible with RMXP and even make custom ones.

I'm afraid I agree. The overworlds look a bit out of place.

Everything else seems pretty interesting, and while I'm not a fan of Mystery Dungeon games this has certainly piqued my interest. I, for one, heartily approve of your little publicity campaign. The hyping of the mystery Pokemon and the magazine scans are nice little touches.

Looking forward to seeing more.

[Micklo]

I do agree with both of your valid comments, but hiring a scratch spriter is much easier than it sounds! Creating a whole new interface for a game like this would be a big job and I don't know how many spriters would be willing to do that. I'll just have to keep carrying on with what I've got, for now, until this game starts to interest a spriter, unless anyone else knows how I can go about finding a spriter?

[darthvagabond100]

looks cool i love the pokemon mysterydungeon games. cant wait to play

[Micklo]

A bit of good news and bad news today really. First off...

THE GOOD NEWS

I've still been working on the wild Pokémon encounters in the game and can reveal not one, not two but THREE new wild Pokémon in Berry Forest. Namely, they are:



Pidgeotto, Bellsprout and Paras, of which Bellsprout is a befriendable playable Pokémon.

Plus, I've been thinking about what has been said about the sprites and the tileset not working together, so I could either change the tiles or the Pokémon, and with the release of HGSS has come a whole host of new Pokémon character sprites! So I've put together a very short test comparing the two types of sprite. What does anyone think? Opinions and comments very welcome!



THE BAD NEWS

I was always knew that this project would be big, but recently it has got VERY big, and I really can't manage it by myself. In terms of time, the next few months are going to be very busy for me and progress will be slow if this is a solo project. Moreover I am more likely to be downheartened and the project to wilt and die. Therefore, I am asking to recruit together a team for the game, without which I think the project will probably die.

Specifically, I am looking for

DATA INPUT STAFF
To take stats and enter them for moves and Pokémon data in the game. No previous experience required. PM me or post here.

SPRITE EXTRACTING STAFF
To take pre-existing sprites from Sprite Sheets and put them into a format for RMXP. No previous experience required. PM me or post here.

More jobs may appear later, I just really want to get a team together otherwise I don't know how I'm going to progress.


I hope that wasn't too morbid! Enjoy the update, and more info coming soon!

[Riceeman]

Wow, its looking so much better then I last checked! I've got to say, the HGSS Overworlds work looooads better, although they'd work even better if you used DP style tiles. Your decision though, but they definitely look better then the old overworlds.

Good luck with this game!

[SilentPsycho]

For the graphics, the one on the left looks better.

I may be able to help you with the Data Input, although I am pulling heavily on the 'no experience' part, but I'm willing to give it a go.

[Micklo]

Thanks for volunteering, SilentPsycho: I'll probably put something together and PM you this afternoon with instructions. I'll add you to the first post.

Done a lot of tweaking with the tileset these past couple of days, so I proudly present to you, Pokémon: Lost and Found, with HGSS Sprites and DPPt Tilesets!

For comparison, the old GUI is on the left and the new on the right.

-----Has changed into----->

Plus, I'm really proud of myself - I made the Slowking statue!

Please post comments, and anyone else interested in becoming a team member, just post/PM!

[Riceeman]

Much much MUCH better. Good job! I'll keep an eye on this game now!

[|Maximus|]

I completely agree. The new HGSS style is WONDERFUL! At first, I was confused about the whole "???" thing, but now I understand. I am really looking forward for this game!

[Micklo]

Hello everyone!

Just to prove I'm still here and working on the game! Progress has been slow over the past few weeks, due to a number of other things in my life, and will probably continue to be slow until about the middle of November, so accordingly progress will be exceedingly slow until then unless I can get a team together. Please post here or PM me if you wish to join the team.

I have updated the first post (http://www.pokecommunity.com/showpos...08&postcount=1) with new screenshots from the new style of graphics I have been iserting (HGSS sprites with DP tiles). I've also left the old screenshots up in a spoiler tag for comparison.

I'm now currently working on inserting more wild Pokémon into Berry Forest and looking towards the first story recruitable Pokémon.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, I've had a real blitz with work on the game today, and have the data fully sorted for the first 14 wild Pokémon in the game. I've fully inserted five wild Pokémon...and thought that I'd share some screenshots with you to show this off:



As you can see, Berry Forest is teeming with Wild Pokémon...but it won't always be! Wild Pokémon are generated on a random variable - as soon as you come onto a map this variable is set and won't change until you leave. This decides which Pokémon are available on the map. For example, if the variable is 1, you may only see three Pokémon on the field, but if the variable is 10, you may see up to 25 Pokémon on the map at one time! It makes each time you come onto a map feel fresh, different and exciting. Here are some screens to show what I mean:



When you collide with a Pokémon, you will trigger a battle with it...but that is something for a different day!

Until next time!

Enjoy!

[gsorby]

uhhhh why are there talking pokemon?

[Time Shift Dialga]

Originally Posted by gsorby

uhhhh why are there talking pokemon?

My goodness anyone would think you joined thinking this was a forum about RABBITS & STUFF

It's mystery dungeon style - that's why pokemon are talking.



On a brighter note, this looks different and VERY promising, the Tyrougue (I think that's what it is) sprite is a little ugly - their heads are too big for their bodies, fix that and there's nothing for people to criticise!


This is defineately one to look for!

-----

If you need any recolourings done (I doubt it, with THOSE tiles - the custom ones, not the HGSS ones ) please don't hesitate to ask

[Micklo]

Hi everyone!

I'm now hard at work preparing my booth for the fangame convention. Lots to do, so there won't be another update before then.

I'm planning that at the the booth, there will be:

* Revelation and character profile on ???a??? (thought I'd give you a letter and be nice! )
* Revelation of the battle system
* More detailed plot summary
* Recruiting Pidgey & The Item Shop - An explanation through pictures
* Recruiting Budew & The Berry Farm - An explanation through pictures
* Walking through Muscle Cave - A short gameplay video
* Battling in Berry Forest - A short gameplay video
* A short video trailer

Of course, that is a lot and there is not much time, so some of the content is subject to change!

Until then!

[|Maximus|]

Keep it up Micklo! This game has really caught my attention. you may need to work a little biton the outside graphics