Pokémon: The Ruby Dagger Murders

[Luke]

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Hello all. Luke here. Many of you in this section don't know who I am but I've been active in the ROM hacking section for a while. Unfortunately, that section hasn't given me what I wanted. So I'm hoping to find what I'm looking for in the wonderful Game Development section.


Hadysium is a land to the east of Hoenn. Long ago, it was much like its western counterpart - tropical, lush and full of life. But long ago, a cataclysmic earthquake ripped through the country. The entire country was reshaped. Most of the forests were destroyed and in their place deserts formed. A large mountain range appeared to the north, creating an unbearable hot environment to the south and a cold, frozen tundra to the north. Somehow, to the east a small section of the forest remained, almost as a reminder of what the country used to be.

Some saw this as a natural event. But most saw this as a mystical event caused by an unseen force.

Each continent has their own set of myths. Johto was steeped heavily in the elements. Johto focused on the sky and rebirth of lost souls. Hoenn was immersed in the sea, the skies and the earth. And Sinnoh focused on time and space.

In Hadysium, the people believed their country contained the entrances to where souls of the departed rested. And before the Great Earthquake, many strived to find these entrances and bring back both Pokémon and humans they lost. But the earthquake was seen as a sign they were upsetting the legendary Pokémon that guarded these realms. So from that point on, no one openly searched for these entrances.

That is, until the infamous Ruby Dagger Murders began.

As the murders began to increase in number, public interest grew. The police were dumbfounded. The Pokémon League attempted to put focus on tournaments and battles to give the people a break from the paranoia. Many saw the victims as random - museum curators, politicians, an entire family. But others saw a strange pattern connected to the mythology of the past.

You are a young boy/girl around the age of fourteen. Your father is enamored with these myths and considered one of the leading experts in Hadysium. And he sets out to determine there is a connection between the murders and the Legendary Three Guardians. He keeps regular contact with his family, letting them know where he is and what he is doing.

But then, he goes a week without contact. Then another. Then a month. Your mother grows worried. Your sister can't sleep. Your grandmother falls ill. Being the eldest and closest to your father, you feel it's necessary that you leave home and go find your father yourself. So you set off with one of your grandmother's three baby Pokémon and start a journey.

Along the way you'll encounter a rambunctious group of Gym Leaders who may be connected to your father's disappearance, a strange group of small time criminals who worship Lunatone & Solrock and an eccentric old man that has taken a strange interest in you.

And the further you get involved in the Ruby Dagger murders, the more famous you'll grow in the country.

This is the story of the Ruby Dagger Murders.

Features:

• A Fame Meter - The more famous you grow, the more you can access in Hadysium. This ranges from new areas, Pokémon, and items. Losing a battle or other failures will cause your rating to drop. Defeating a gym leader, solving a case or catching a Legendary Pokémon will cause it to increase. You'll need to actively watch your rating to ensure progression of the story can occur.
• More Will Be Added Later

Botanuki - Trickery Pokémon - Grass
Aracnire - Tunneling Pokémon - Fire/Bug
Ribitot - Shelled Amphibian - Water


~Will Be Added Later


Matthew - Thread Layout / Concept art for Botanuki (DO NOT CONTACT FOR YOUR OWN LAYOUT - I WILL CUT YOU)
Signomi - Heroine Art (Same message as above)
My friend Chad - Male Art


Luke - Team Leader


Got some. Will add later.

[Logiedan]

Darn,Luke. This is wonderful. The story is very thrilling,the murders kind of remind me of Death Note. e_o

[mr. ck]

One word... WOW
This was like, totally AMAZING...

I don't know but somehow this game reminded me of Prince of Persia

I can't wait to see some work done

[Raikt]

That... was seriously not what I was expecting when I opened this thread. I think I fell in love somewhere between the fact that you actually have a story and that is promises to be something strong and well thought out. Honestly, that is one of the best stories I've seen on this board in a long time.

I almost have nothing at all to say, (other than praise) except:

- What would you say the relative size of Hadysium is? From the sounds of it, I can expect something somewhere in between Kanto and Jhoto together.

- Will the gym leaders actually serve a purpose in the story? If not, they might just felt shoved in there. Unless you somehow artfully link them into the tournaments to calm the people. (I'm sure you can, based off what I've read so far.)

- The fame meter. I've heard it being done in other games. Will it be based off choices you make, battles you've won, or some other factors? Unless carefully balanced, I can see it as being a nuisance rather than a helpful feature.

All in all, great concept. Great story. I look forward to seeing this thread update.

[Manipulation]

Looks great, Lukebear. I'm in love with that CSS and am glad you've carried it over from the previous thread. Both the heroine and hero are stunningly designed and story is just beautiful. I'd love to see what type of tiles you use to compliment the story. :> Beartic is cute ok.

[Luke]

Originally Posted by Raikt

That... was seriously not what I was expecting when I opened this thread. I think I fell in love somewhere between the fact that you actually have a story and that is promises to be something strong and well thought out. Honestly, that is one of the best stories I've seen on this board in a long time.

I almost have nothing at all to say, (other than praise) except:

- What would you say the relative size of Hadysium is? From the sounds of it, I can expect something somewhere in between Kanto and Jhoto together.

Well it's got a relatively small forest to the east, a huge expansive desert that covers 70% of the continent, small beach resort area to the south, two small islands to the south, large mountain range to the north. There are about 13 towns/cities planned at the moment. So I'd say around Hoennish in size.

- Will the gym leaders actually serve a purpose in the story? If not, they might just felt shoved in there. Unless you somehow artfully link them into the tournaments to calm the people. (I'm sure you can, based off what I've read so far.)

Well I've had this story written out for almost eight years now. I've been editing and messing with it all this time. The Gym Leaders play a key aspect in the story - if you've ever read Pokemon Special, their roles are much like that of the Gym Leaders in the Ruby/Sapphire chapters.

- The fame meter. I've heard it being done in other games. Will it be based off choices you make, battles you've won, or some other factors? Unless carefully balanced, I can see it as being a nuisance rather than a helpful feature.

Well, the "necessary" checkpoints you need to reach to progress the story will be pretty easily obtainable. Just don't black out too much and you should be fine. The really weird numbers you need to reach will be for hidden areas where you can find bonus Pokemon not found in the Hadysium Pokedex and other bonus material.

All in all, great concept. Great story. I look forward to seeing this thread update.

Thanks everyone else for your commentary.

I'm currently trying to think of a new concept for a Water-type starter at the moment. I used to have a polar bear but I've decided to replace it. Right now a frog or platypus is currently leading the pack. But if anyone has any suggestions, I'm all for them.

I also need someone who actually knows how to use RMXP proficiently. I can't use it right now because my laptop broke and I'm on my roommate's laptop. And to be honest, I don't think I'd be able to do much anyway because I suck at life (computers at least). :(

[Raikt]

Glad you have so much of it planned out. I can see this really taking off. You definitely have my support, for what that is worth.

I like the idea of a frog for a starter. Though, more of a frog like Croagunk is. Not a generic frog. Other than that, you could also try (some may be repeats, but that doesn't matter much if they look unique enough): sea turtle. porcupine fish. alligator or crocodile. stingray. eel. or perhaps even a jellyfish.

And, I can't do much in terms of scripting. I can map and write, however. If my measly talents can benefit you, I'd be happy to be of assisstance.

[Rashoumon]

Hello Luke, a friend of mine linked me to this thread and I have to say, what you have so far sounds absolutely excellent. May I have the honor of spriting for this game?
A good example of my work would have to be These fakemon.. My style is somewhat unusual and as such I'm best at spriting for unconventional fangames such as your own.
Even if I'm not accepted to the team, best of luck with the game, and I'll be watching your progress.

[Tropical Sunlight]

It's back!
As a game, not a hack.

I'll surely play this when it comes out :D

[Luke]

Originally Posted by Raikt

Glad you have so much of it planned out. I can see this really taking off. You definitely have my support, for what that is worth.

I like the idea of a frog for a starter. Though, more of a frog like Croagunk is. Not a generic frog. Other than that, you could also try (some may be repeats, but that doesn't matter much if they look unique enough): sea turtle. porcupine fish. alligator or crocodile. stingray. eel. or perhaps even a jellyfish.

And, I can't do much in terms of scripting. I can map and write, however. If my measly talents can benefit you, I'd be happy to be of assisstance.

Hey, I can use any help I can get. Join my social group (the link is in the navigation menu in the first post or the first star in my signature) so I can keep track of people helping me. And I was talking to my friend this morning and I may be going with a hybrid of an antelope/camel for my water starter. Thanks again.

Originally Posted by Rashoumon

Hello Luke, a friend of mine linked me to this thread and I have to say, what you have so far sounds absolutely excellent. May I have the honor of spriting for this game?
A good example of my work would have to be These fakemon.. My style is somewhat unusual and as such I'm best at spriting for unconventional fangames such as your own.
Even if I'm not accepted to the team, best of luck with the game, and I'll be watching your progress.

I really do like my work. Same as above: join my social group so I can keep track of people. Also, do you have any more examples of your work?

[Peeky Chew]

I aggree with everyone else, the plot is brilliant, it's incredibly unique. The gym leaders do seem like an unecessary addition, but maybe if you do want to keep them you could rename them something else which fits more?

And howcome I can play any game on the highest specs but your css background makes my pc lag xD

[brokenxnote]

wow, thats one of the most unique plots ive seen for a fake, or even real, Pokemon game as of yet haha. looking forward to further progress of this project. just from the story you gave us i cant wait to find out what actually happened to the dad haha.

slightly unrelated question, but how long after this thread was submitted was it approved? [unless being a mod means the thread will get approved faster, in which case the question would be how long does a Drawing Board thread normally take to be approved?]

[Rashoumon]

I can't seem to find how to join your group, but I subscribed to it. I'm guessing it's invitation only?

Yeah, here:


These were for Pokemon Dark, a fangame which never really got off the ground.

[Luke]

Just a quick progress report:

I am getting something of a team together. Still don't have someone who can use RMXP though. So if you have a lot of free time and are very familiar with game development, hit me up.

If you want to see my progress story wise, Pokedex-wise or any other details (Spoiler Warning though), check out my social group.

[AceDragonite]

the story is fantastic and i was amazingly relieved to see that this game had fakemon, (real pokes are for nintendo's games). But why are the starters names in Japanese?

[Luke]

Just beta names for the time being. They'll get "Americanized" names when I can think of some.

[Valora17]

I love the story I can't wait to see what happens in the actual game once it's fully developed. Also, if you need any help with RMXP I can provide some... though I mostly work with the PBS files myself and try to steer clear of the Scripts unless I have someone else helping me as well. If you need any help there, I'd be happy to give me assistance

If not, I still can't wait to see where this goes

[habit12]

i can help u in ur game just write mi back if i can

[Delusions of Originality]

Now this looks like an excellent game, Luke. I wholeheartedly agree with those who have said that this story is impressive and engaging, and it manages to be all that without seeming like it's too far-fetched or overambitious for the team to reliably achieve. I really want to see this game succeed, and it would be awesome if I could be a part of that. I'm a little wary about actually "joining the team", though, as I don't know that my current obligations and perpetual distraction by shiny things would allow me to contribute on a comfortably regular basis; I would like to help at least a little bit, though, even if it is infrequently. I noticed that you seem to have most of your fakemon planned out, but very few of them have concept artwork. Pokémon concept art is something I enjoy doing and am not rubbish at (like RMXP scripting, heh), and so I'd be more than happy to draw at least a few for you if you'd like. You can see examples of my work at the website linked to in my signature; it's where I keep all of my own fakes. If you're interested, just PM me and give me a few suggestions--if there's anything that needs a design/concept sooner rather than later, for example, maybe I can help move things along.

Best of luck with your excellent project.

[Luke]

My friend Delusions here is currently drawing an awesome Fakemon of mine. However, many of you may not know that my favorite Pokemon is Jynx. And that I suffer from a great deal of outrage she didn't get an evolution last generation while her counterparts did. So one of my main goals the last 4 years is to come up with a solid Jynx evolution concept. But I failed. But the other day, my friend Matt (one of his favorite Pokemon is Jynx too) came up with one on Paint that I loved. And this was it:

Spoiler:

And it went from there. Then today, my friend Chad (he's not a fan of Jynx but is awesome regardless) popped up with a more "polished" sketch of Matt's awesome concept:

Spoiler:

#??? Benevolunt (Beta Name)
Queen of Hearts Pokémon
5'02" / 103.4 lb
Snow Angel (Beta Name - Boosts Special Attack by 1.5x in Hail) / Forewarn
Smoochum - Lv. 30 -> Jynx - Level Up Holding Frozen Veil (Beta Name) -> Benevolunt
HP- 75 / Atk- 70 / Def- 50 / SAtk- 130 / SDef- 105 / Speed- 110 [Stat Total: 540]

-- Pound
-- Lick
-- Lovely Kiss
-- Powder Snow
-- Hyper Voice
-- Heart Swap
05 Lick
08 Lovely Kiss
11 Powder Snow
15 Double Slap
18 Ice Punch
21 Mean Look
25 Fake Tears
28 Wake-Up Slap
33 Avalanche
39 Body Slam
44 Wring Out
49 Perish Song
55 Blizzard
59 Psychic


We're making progress on other fronts as well. Hopefully you'll see some real screenshots soon. :)

[Kalsard]

Looks like a great hack. Though the old man who has a strange interest in the hero/heroine is kind of creepy. =\
Hopefully he will appear a lot in the story because he sparked my interest more than anything else. =X
"This is the story of the Ruby Dagger Murders."
Hmm, sounds familiar.
Good luck.

[brokenxnote]

Originally Posted by Kalsard

Looks like a great hack. Though the old man who has a strange interest in the hero/heroine is kind of creepy. =\
Hopefully he will appear a lot in the story because he sparked my interest more than anything else. =X
"This is the story of the Ruby Dagger Murders."
Hmm, sounds familiar.
Good luck.

This isn't the hack section btw. This isn't a hack, its a game.

[Kalsard]

Ugh you're right. Made with RMXP. Sorry for the mistake. =\

[Barrage]

Hmm... The story seems a tad dark, but very interesting nonetheless. The character design seems very unique. The girl character looks very awesome. I can't wait to see how this game will turn out~

[aSeRo141414]

This gonna be a good game!