Ruby hack: [HotM Apr. 2011] Pokemon: Super Rising Thunder!

[panosd]

Nice job!! I will always wait for beta!

[ChaosSonic]

Holy...your back! Been a while, huh? Hope life is going extremely well for you right now, and wow those screens look amazing! Ah, stereotypical Southern accent I see with Beautifly there? Cool...

I have no problem with 'boring old you' either...take your time and Happy Holidays!

[Pink Parka Girl]

Merry Christmas, everyone!
In fact, I have a present for you. The Super Rising Thunder! Pre-Alpha release is here!

I was meaning to release a full alpha (and I did indeed do a lot of work towards this goal - just in ways you can't see) but I ran out of time before my Christmas deadline hit. ' So to whet your appetites until I get the game fully into alpha state, I thought I would release what I have so far for feedback. You have been so wonderfully patient throughout all the time it's taken me to progress on this game, and I wish to reward you for this understanding, even if it's not QUITE at the stage I wanted it to be before first release.

What's in the Pre-Alpha?

-Everything you saw in the Intro videos
-One Mini-Dungeon, one full Dungeon, and part of another (the puzzle is complete, but the battle that reveals the exit tile is blocked off)
-Previously unrevealed dialogue and the full scripts all those screenshots came from :D
-The Physical/Special split (Thanks to Chaos Rush's patch!). The Contest screen has been hacked to display information about Physical, Special, and Neutral moves, and the Hero Pichu's stats have been tweaked accordingly (he now specializes in Attack instead of Special Attack).
-Lots of Final Fantasy tunes!

Well, what about the bugs?

-Don't die past the first Mini-Dungeon (it's okay to die before then). Save often and reset if death happens. This is because when you respawn, you will end up in glitchy areas because I haven't scripted in the "game over" event yet (it will be in the proper Alpha).
-Don't use the Long Stick. This Key Item was once an Ultra Ball, and selecting "Use" from the Bag menu will freeze the game. (It has no purpose in the Pre-Alpha, anyway. It will in the Alpha, though).
-ALWAYS select Picture One during the intro. Support for selecting Picture Two has not yet been added into the game, and selecting this will result in you walking around as the Green recolor from Jersey Quest. Which could be fun, I suppose, to be the sole human among Pokemon. A human with a Pichu for a sister. XD
-A few small issues with warps. Sometimes, when you warp to another map, a dialogue box pops up for a split second, or your character may randomly take a step. I don't know why this happens, but it does. It does not break the game in any way.
-There's a small error with Pansy the Beautifly's mugshot during her introductory script. Depending on where you're standing, it either works fine or goes miscolored or even black.
-A few small bits of dialogue haven't been changed yet. The text when the effects of a Putri Berry (the game's version of a Repel) wears off reads "Off!'s effect wore off" as a relic of back when this ROM was Jersey Quest. Trying to use Key Items where you're not supposed to still causes your Dad to yell at you. Checking Berry Tags reveals nothing has been changed yet. There might also be a few small things I've missed; if you notice them, please tell me.
-The Jersey Quest hero and heroine and one of the old, poorly-sprited Jersey Quest fakemon appear during the intro, if you let it load. How embarrassing ' *ducks head in shame*

For people who have been following this thread and have read it actively, there should be very little new revealed storyline wise - the main draw will be to try out the gameplay style, however brief. For those who are totally unfamiliar with what the game entails, it is your feedback I value the most. What is your overall impression of the Pre-Alpha? I want to know the thoughts of you longtime followers too, though. :D How's the game play? Is it too easy? Too hard? Too many traps? Too few? Have any idea for future Dungeon puzzles?

The ROM is locked for fairly obvious reasons - one puzzle is already easily exploitable with savestate cheating (Though I hope you won't do that. Sucks the fun out ' ); and I don't want people going in to Advance Map to see where all the items and traps and healing spots are, and to simply cheat their way through. Cheating will severely diminish the fun

Anyway, there you have it! This is a .UPS file, so if you do not know how to patch one of these, read this: http://www.ehow.com/how_10043236_app...s-gba-rom.html , and download the UPS Patcher here: http://www.romhacking.net/utilities/519/ . You need a Ruby (AXVE) ROM.

May your holidays be merry and bright, and I hope you enjoy my gift to you! :D

If you have already downloaded the file, please redownload it. I found a small bug in play-through where the Spearow were giving out huge amounts of EXP, and tweaked this back down to normal levels.

[SuperLaluigi]

Awsome Hack! i cant wait for the second beta anyways what is your team called i was planning to join your team the aplacation form information i will post that in your team form.

[destinedjagold]

wow. I can't believe what I'm seeing! o.o
an alpha! :D wheee~

Thanks for the christmas gift~
I'll be playing this for a while. :D

[Ash493]

Wow, this is awesome!
I actually did not believe we could see anything of this hack and now we have this!
Awesome Parka!

[Tcoppy]

Thank you Parka for all your hard work!
I was just looking for a hack to try out too..then you finally released a ''pre-alpha'' xD

[Sylvie18]

I was just looking for a new game to play in between my coursework and stumbled upon this,X3 i like its concept and the pokemon's interpretations of the world :D i think i shall be keeping a close eye on this thread, nice work

[GXS]

Thanks so much for this! I've been waiting months to finally see a playable version of this game and you've delivered! I wish you the best on continueing this!!!!

[Tropical Sunlight]

Originally Posted by chrunch

After I patch the game and get past the title screen, this happens:

whichever option I select, the game goes back to the bootscreen and repeats the process. :/

The same thing happens to me. Did you bypass input checksum as well?

EDIT: Download another ROM, it worked for me.

[pancakeonmyhead]

OH MY GAWD YOU'RE BACK!
CAN I JUST DIE OF HAPPINESS?
I'LL BE TRYING THIS OUT AS SOON AS I GET A SPARE SECOND~

[U_Flame]

Yay! I love the dark story and amazing gamplay! Although I'm having a problem with not being able to lose after the mini dungeon. I just reached Freya but I'm out of PP for Super Thunder and no PP restoring items, also no other attacking moves and I already saved! I think I'm screwed, might have to start a new game to be prepared.

I find the gameplay in perfect balance, but do you think you can make the Slowpoke Trap wear off after a while? I hit it too early and it's slow going through the entire dungeon without running.

[The Corrupt Plague]

I got around to playing the demo and it was just as great as I expected if not better. You managed to follow the Mystery Dungeon formula almost perfectly! Anyways, I really enjoyed it!

[MsAllyJacqui]

I'm going have to play the demo as soon as I can, This hack looks fantastic. The idea of merging Mystery Dungeon to ruby/firered has been done numerous times before, but they way that you've pulled it off makes it stand out really well.

[♪Twiggy♪]

I'm going to play this pre-alpha, as I am very interested in it. However, when trying to patch, the patcher keeps giving me "Input checksum not valid". I think the problem lies with the ROM I'm attempting to patch, right?

If so, I wonder what version of the Ruby ROM I need... I think there are lots of versions floating around. Seems like every one of them have a bit of difference...

[blackmage856]

One of the most unique hacks I've ever played.

Im a bit gutted that I couldn't find out what to do with the Pachirisu in the first mini-dungeon ...and it was a one time only area

[fadeawayrequiem]

Wow, I love this! As a huge fan of PMD, this game has just the vibe I was looking for. The dead Momo sprite was tragic though. T.T I understand wanting to make the game a little darker, but was all that blood necessary?

The only thing I'd have to say though, is make the healing traps more common - without any PP restoring items that early in the game, when a trap gets rid of the PP for SuperRisingThunder and all you have left as an attack is 3 PP for Quick Attack, it can get very frustrating.

[AwsomeMew]

Hope you get that more good rom™

[chrunch]

Originally Posted by ♪Twiggy♪

I'm going to play this pre-alpha, as I am very interested in it. However, when trying to patch, the patcher keeps giving me "Input checksum not valid". I think the problem lies with the ROM I'm attempting to patch, right?

If so, I wonder what version of the Ruby ROM I need... I think there are lots of versions floating around. Seems like every one of them have a bit of difference...

Yes, you do need a different ROM. It happened to me too, until I tried a different ROM.

Anyways, I really enjoyed the game, but I found it really annoying that I kept running out of PP for Super Rising Thunder in dungeons, I had to restart from my savestate about 3 times because I kept dying with no PP. Other than that though, it was a fun pre-alpha, and I liked how there's actually a puzzle in one of the dungeons. :D Good luck!

[TheGameBringer42]

Have finally gotten over to the puzzle in the dungeon and now im stuck its frustrating because so far this has been a interesting playthrough for me. Heh all in all the game so far has been amazing, now all I have to do is figure out that puzzle or is it even necessary so you can pass the dungeon and reach Freya?

[Nerketur]

After reading over the new replies, I've gotta say this is AWESOME! =D I'm going to play the pre-alpha soon... though part of me doesn't want to because of Momo. D= I'll get over that fear, however, because I've just gotta try the game out =D I'm reminded of you almost every day, PPG. So I've decided... I'm playing this tomorrow =D (Or later today, to be exact =P)

[Jay the penguin]

This hack is going to be really good when its done! I like it alot, and cant wait till its finished

[dragon456]

Oh, men, this game looks epic!
Best PMD remake ever!!!
OMG GOTTA TRY THIIIISSS!!!!

[pancakeonmyhead]

FINALLY GOT IT TO PATCH, I'M PLAYING IT NOW!
Will report back, most likely with praise!


I AM A BLUE LOL WUT.
Yeah, I forgot about the Image two bug.
I'll be restarting then..

It'd be more helpful if there were more up tiles.
Also, I'VE BEEN STUCK IN TANGLE THICKET FOR THE PAST HOUR.
I'M NOT SURE WHAT I'M EVEN MEANT TO BE DOING ANYMORE.

[Pink Parka Girl]

Apologies for the delayed response (sinusitus is not fun!), but I really appreciate all the feedback received so far By knowing what's wrong, I can then make it right!

To those having trouble with patching: There are several different versions of Pokemon Ruby (AXVE) out there in the ROM world, and I believe the specific variation you need for the game to patch properly is the oldest release (can't remember its specific number, but I'll research that when I'm not typing from an iPhone). If the ROM you have doesn't work, try another

To those having trouble with low health/running out of PP: There are healing berries, including Leppa Berries, scattered around the dungeons, but I can always add more ( that way, bad luck with traps is not the end of the world, as Long as you're dilligent in searching dungeons thoroughly (always talk to dead ends! Rocks and bushes like to hide stuff, too ). This is why I am not a good judge of the game's difficulty - I know where everything is. I can find all the items, hit the Uplift traps, and avoid the bad ones (mostly). '

To those bothered by blood: It's supposed to be shocking because we don't expect it of Pokemon. The player is jolted out of a comfort zone, and the message comes across loud and clear: nothing - and indeed, no one - is sacred. NPCS, villains, and allies alike could all potentially feel the touch of death. This world is full of brutality, past and present - but also hope.

While I would be lying if I were to say there will be no more deaths in the game where blood is shed, it will only be used when important to the mood I hope to evoke in the player and the characters themselves. Ludicrous gibs it won't be.

To those with puzzle trouble: It's my policy not to give out answers (and I ask that others respect this within this thread itself - if you want to reveal answers, do it elsewhere XD ). However, a good hint is to always investigate things, even if they just seem like part of the dungeon's landscape. For example, "talk to" the pond in Tangle Thicket, and see if you can work out the rest of the puzzle

As of right now, the true alpha will contain:
More items, especially Leppa Berries
Proper respawning when you die ( the issue is there aren't enough flight positions in the game for every place you can die. I found a workaround, though, that well soon see )
Bug fixing (no more getting stuck in Golden Trail's puzzle room and stepping on mushrooms!)
More dungeons and more plot

Thanks so much to everyone! The feedback of both the positive and negative variety are what keep me going