I've spent the last couple months rolling ideas around in my head and finally came up with enough plot to post a topic here. I started a Pokemon city project earlier, but due to a lack of tileset diversity I had to stop. Being fairly literate in RGSS, I have decided to script all the systems myself versus using a starter kit. This has been a tough choice to make in regards to the large amount of extra work I've brought upon myself but I think it's worth it for the extra customization.
NEW MAP:
Features: (subject to change)
All new region: Elohm
A new generation of Pokemon, including some evos and prevos of old Pokemon (Qwilfish and Ariados, for example)
New attacks, abilities, and type combinations like Bug/Ice and Dark/Steel
Most, if not all, of the old battle mechanics (EVs, IVs, etc.)
Several minigames and a new fishing system
An all-new look to the menu
Online events such as downloadable legendaries, etc.
Good/Evil battle mechanic
Squad-based battle interface - your squad members can fight with and for you
Organization options for your Bag
And many more planned.
==================================================
The Region:
Elohm is an island region with two main landmasses: the northern island and the southern island; there are over a dozen smaller islands. It's full of harsh terrain like swamps and dense forests, and most of the region is covered in mountains, making ways to grow food scarce. What it lacks in edible resources, it makes up in rich ore deposits, which is why it attracts the attention of a certain Pokemon corporation...
==================================================
Backstory:
50 years prior to the game's start, the region of Elohm (specifically, the central island) was populated with nomadic tribes who, on the most part, got along in peace. They were highly skilled in battling, living side by side with their Pokemon. Once the Great Migration began, however, hundreds of settlers started pouring in looking for wealth. These newcomers, sponsored by the aforementioned corporation, drove the natives into a mountain range on the western side of the region. The natives eventually wandered to the sea, which they crossed to live on the northern islands.
From this point on, there were two groups: the natives and the settlers, known as the Blues. This name came from the natives, who called the newcomers 'blussun' which means 'blue ones' in their language. The natives' culture associates blue with demons and evil, but the settlers believed blue was a noble color, so the name stuck.
The leaders of the Blues were manipulative and greedy, even in the early days. They made laws claiming to "protect the environment" by banning terraforming, but it was really an attempt to stop people from growing their own food. Instead, food was brought in on boats and had to be paid for with "working credits", which were earned for every hour of work in the mines. The prices were outrageous, and even the children had to work long hours in the mines to afford the basic necessities. After 10 long years on the brink of starvation (not to mention the native attacks), rebellions sprung up. The most notable was that of a man who called himself the Red Assassin (his true identity was never discovered), who believed that people's lives were expendable for the sake of the remaining people. His philosophy was faulty, but something had to be done about the food problem. He and his crew started by stealing mining equipment like bulldozers and terraforming a forests. That wasn't enough for him, however, and he started killing those who got in the way, whether they were government officials or innocents. A huge fighting force joined up, out of fear or the hotbloodedness that comes with injustice. However, the rebellion was crushed, the Red Assassin killed, and his people scattered. Some refused to go back to the Blues and retreated the same way the natives went, but most of them returned ashamedly to their cities. Conditions dramatically improved after this point, but the leaders still had an iron grip over the lives of their people.
From this point on, there were three groups: the natives, the Blues and the common people, and the Reds, sometimes known as the Assassins. The Reds decided to name themselves after the Red Assassin, donning ninja-like clothes to disguise their identities as he had once did.
In the 40 years that followed, an uncomfortable peace reigned Elohm. But that is about to change. A powerful force is growing in the north that could threaten the well-being of everyone in the region...
==================================================
Plot:
You start in a small Blue fishing colony in the shadow of the aforementioned mountain range. Because of strong currents in the nearby ocean and the limited communication technology (the closest thing they have is a Pokemon Storage PC), contact with the outside world is extremely limited. The people here fish to live and live to fish in an unexciting but carefree world. Children are expected to go to school, a Blue-sponsored academy of training, the best of its kind. Occasionally a few of them are sent off to help with Blue affairs on the other side of the mountain, but other than that the people live a peaceful existance.
It's the happy and the damned; for those who are sent over never return.
A Red attack on the school shocks the village, and the schoolmaster begins sending many students through the mountains to get help in case of further attacks. You are one of them, and thus your adventure begins.
This game is played in a series of campaigns, which are long missions with various parts. For example, the first campaign is centered around busting an enemy blockade so food ships can move through.
Along the way there are many characters so I'll outline a few of the important ones here (mostly antagonists):
Grandmother
You live with your "grandmother", never knowing your parents (your mom is dead and no one knows who your father is). She's not actually a blood relation, she just adopts children who don't have homes and raises them one at a time. She is the main moral influence in the game, carrying the ideals of the uncorrupt region she first came from, and is very respected within the colony.
Thor and Venus
Thor is a half-Blue half-native hybrid resulting from an affair his father had. A combination of his father's social prowess and his mother's battling skills, Thor is the game's Renaissance Man and your rival (though through no fault of your own). His father, a top member of the Blues, is very prideful of his son despite his humble beginnings.
Venus is Thor's girlfriend who desparately clings to his social status. Though he frequently cheats on her, she pretends it never happens. Her innocence is easy to be sympathetic toward, but her little world is concerned with status and not love.
Mach
The right hand man of the Blue leader, Mach keeps his face in the shadows and his plans hidden further still. His entire life has been a quest for power, flocking to whoever has more. He joined the Red Assassin's rebellion but crawled back to the Blues when it was over. Since then, he has risen through the ranks to become a top advisor, and has some tactics from the early days of the Blues to use...
==================================================
Other Information:
There will be a new battle option loosely reminiscent of the real-life tradition of shaking hands. Back in the Roman times, people would shake hands to make sure the other guy wasn't holding a dagger to stab him with.
Likewise, Pokemon battles experienced a similar evolution. They were contests of strength back in the old times, and the contestants, instead of fighting hand-to-hand, used Pokemon to defend themselves. The winner could then use his Pokemon to slaughter his opponent. A modern-day Pokemon battle would merely be a contest of strength and strategy and would end with payment, not death.
Now in times of war you can choose to spare your victim, knock them out to rob them, or kill them; you will gain either Evil or Good points depending on your actions, and some Pokemon can only evolve if they are evil enough, or good enough. Other trainers have the choice to kill you too, which will involve some backtracking similar to blacking out in regular games. Also, people react to you differently depending on whether you're a saint or a cold-blooded killer.
There are two Pokedexes at the start of the game: the Elite Dex, and the Common Dex (150 and 100 Pokemon in each, respectively). The Elite Dex is used by the Blues, who can only use Pokemon from the Elite Dex. The Common Dex contains the rest of the island's Pokemon, which are still allowed to be caught but because of their inferior nature cannot be used in battle.
==================================================
Team so far:
Dragoon944 - Spriter, Graphic Artist
Xaviar - Programmer, Mapper, Concepts/Planning
Help Needed:
I will need some help on this project, mostly with graphics, so if anyone can assist me it would be greatly appreciated (and fully credited):
High Priority:
Pokemon Designer/Spriter: I'm not the best at spriting so if I can get a couple of these it will speed up the entire process greatly. I have a little under 75 designs in my head and described/drawn on paper, but I'm aiming for around 90 to 110.
Interface Icon Designer: For the most part I will be designing the interfaces, I just need someone who can make decent icons. The coding for the pause menu is nearly complete, I just need to know what it will look like before adding finishing touches, or to decide I don't like the look of it.
Low Priority:
Composer: If I can't get one of these I'll just use the official music, it would be nice if I had custom music though. I have a few tunes in my head, but they would be out of place without any other new music.
Thanks for reading.
NEW MAP:
Spoiler:
Features: (subject to change)
All new region: Elohm
A new generation of Pokemon, including some evos and prevos of old Pokemon (Qwilfish and Ariados, for example)
New attacks, abilities, and type combinations like Bug/Ice and Dark/Steel
Most, if not all, of the old battle mechanics (EVs, IVs, etc.)
Several minigames and a new fishing system
An all-new look to the menu
Online events such as downloadable legendaries, etc.
Good/Evil battle mechanic
Squad-based battle interface - your squad members can fight with and for you
Organization options for your Bag
And many more planned.
==================================================
The Region:
Elohm is an island region with two main landmasses: the northern island and the southern island; there are over a dozen smaller islands. It's full of harsh terrain like swamps and dense forests, and most of the region is covered in mountains, making ways to grow food scarce. What it lacks in edible resources, it makes up in rich ore deposits, which is why it attracts the attention of a certain Pokemon corporation...
==================================================
Backstory:
50 years prior to the game's start, the region of Elohm (specifically, the central island) was populated with nomadic tribes who, on the most part, got along in peace. They were highly skilled in battling, living side by side with their Pokemon. Once the Great Migration began, however, hundreds of settlers started pouring in looking for wealth. These newcomers, sponsored by the aforementioned corporation, drove the natives into a mountain range on the western side of the region. The natives eventually wandered to the sea, which they crossed to live on the northern islands.
From this point on, there were two groups: the natives and the settlers, known as the Blues. This name came from the natives, who called the newcomers 'blussun' which means 'blue ones' in their language. The natives' culture associates blue with demons and evil, but the settlers believed blue was a noble color, so the name stuck.
The leaders of the Blues were manipulative and greedy, even in the early days. They made laws claiming to "protect the environment" by banning terraforming, but it was really an attempt to stop people from growing their own food. Instead, food was brought in on boats and had to be paid for with "working credits", which were earned for every hour of work in the mines. The prices were outrageous, and even the children had to work long hours in the mines to afford the basic necessities. After 10 long years on the brink of starvation (not to mention the native attacks), rebellions sprung up. The most notable was that of a man who called himself the Red Assassin (his true identity was never discovered), who believed that people's lives were expendable for the sake of the remaining people. His philosophy was faulty, but something had to be done about the food problem. He and his crew started by stealing mining equipment like bulldozers and terraforming a forests. That wasn't enough for him, however, and he started killing those who got in the way, whether they were government officials or innocents. A huge fighting force joined up, out of fear or the hotbloodedness that comes with injustice. However, the rebellion was crushed, the Red Assassin killed, and his people scattered. Some refused to go back to the Blues and retreated the same way the natives went, but most of them returned ashamedly to their cities. Conditions dramatically improved after this point, but the leaders still had an iron grip over the lives of their people.
From this point on, there were three groups: the natives, the Blues and the common people, and the Reds, sometimes known as the Assassins. The Reds decided to name themselves after the Red Assassin, donning ninja-like clothes to disguise their identities as he had once did.
In the 40 years that followed, an uncomfortable peace reigned Elohm. But that is about to change. A powerful force is growing in the north that could threaten the well-being of everyone in the region...
==================================================
Plot:
You start in a small Blue fishing colony in the shadow of the aforementioned mountain range. Because of strong currents in the nearby ocean and the limited communication technology (the closest thing they have is a Pokemon Storage PC), contact with the outside world is extremely limited. The people here fish to live and live to fish in an unexciting but carefree world. Children are expected to go to school, a Blue-sponsored academy of training, the best of its kind. Occasionally a few of them are sent off to help with Blue affairs on the other side of the mountain, but other than that the people live a peaceful existance.
It's the happy and the damned; for those who are sent over never return.
A Red attack on the school shocks the village, and the schoolmaster begins sending many students through the mountains to get help in case of further attacks. You are one of them, and thus your adventure begins.
This game is played in a series of campaigns, which are long missions with various parts. For example, the first campaign is centered around busting an enemy blockade so food ships can move through.
Along the way there are many characters so I'll outline a few of the important ones here (mostly antagonists):
Grandmother
You live with your "grandmother", never knowing your parents (your mom is dead and no one knows who your father is). She's not actually a blood relation, she just adopts children who don't have homes and raises them one at a time. She is the main moral influence in the game, carrying the ideals of the uncorrupt region she first came from, and is very respected within the colony.
Thor and Venus
Thor is a half-Blue half-native hybrid resulting from an affair his father had. A combination of his father's social prowess and his mother's battling skills, Thor is the game's Renaissance Man and your rival (though through no fault of your own). His father, a top member of the Blues, is very prideful of his son despite his humble beginnings.
Venus is Thor's girlfriend who desparately clings to his social status. Though he frequently cheats on her, she pretends it never happens. Her innocence is easy to be sympathetic toward, but her little world is concerned with status and not love.
Mach
The right hand man of the Blue leader, Mach keeps his face in the shadows and his plans hidden further still. His entire life has been a quest for power, flocking to whoever has more. He joined the Red Assassin's rebellion but crawled back to the Blues when it was over. Since then, he has risen through the ranks to become a top advisor, and has some tactics from the early days of the Blues to use...
==================================================
Other Information:
There will be a new battle option loosely reminiscent of the real-life tradition of shaking hands. Back in the Roman times, people would shake hands to make sure the other guy wasn't holding a dagger to stab him with.
Likewise, Pokemon battles experienced a similar evolution. They were contests of strength back in the old times, and the contestants, instead of fighting hand-to-hand, used Pokemon to defend themselves. The winner could then use his Pokemon to slaughter his opponent. A modern-day Pokemon battle would merely be a contest of strength and strategy and would end with payment, not death.
Now in times of war you can choose to spare your victim, knock them out to rob them, or kill them; you will gain either Evil or Good points depending on your actions, and some Pokemon can only evolve if they are evil enough, or good enough. Other trainers have the choice to kill you too, which will involve some backtracking similar to blacking out in regular games. Also, people react to you differently depending on whether you're a saint or a cold-blooded killer.
There are two Pokedexes at the start of the game: the Elite Dex, and the Common Dex (150 and 100 Pokemon in each, respectively). The Elite Dex is used by the Blues, who can only use Pokemon from the Elite Dex. The Common Dex contains the rest of the island's Pokemon, which are still allowed to be caught but because of their inferior nature cannot be used in battle.
==================================================
Team so far:
Dragoon944 - Spriter, Graphic Artist
Xaviar - Programmer, Mapper, Concepts/Planning
Help Needed:
I will need some help on this project, mostly with graphics, so if anyone can assist me it would be greatly appreciated (and fully credited):
High Priority:
Pokemon Designer/Spriter: I'm not the best at spriting so if I can get a couple of these it will speed up the entire process greatly. I have a little under 75 designs in my head and described/drawn on paper, but I'm aiming for around 90 to 110.
Interface Icon Designer: For the most part I will be designing the interfaces, I just need someone who can make decent icons. The coding for the pause menu is nearly complete, I just need to know what it will look like before adding finishing touches, or to decide I don't like the look of it.
Low Priority:
Composer: If I can't get one of these I'll just use the official music, it would be nice if I had custom music though. I have a few tunes in my head, but they would be out of place without any other new music.
Thanks for reading.
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