Flash-Based Pokemon RPG

As a "hobby" I do all sorts of projects in my spare time generally focused on whatever is my current interest at the time. So before I go any further I'm not gonna sit here and make open promises and what not, but I'll also point out that I never give up on a project...I just have a habit of putting it aside and not do anything on it until my interests are back on it.

The Technical Side of Things
Unlike alot of these games I've seen here and there, mine is written in Flash/Actionscript/XML, and probably partial PHP later on. I'm doing this partly because I like a challenge and partly because I'm most comfortable working in this language.

The only thing with doing it like this is that I am designing all the engines from scratch, and at the moment I'm still jumping between a couple of working formats trying to find the best one (while trying to make it as clean and smooth to run as possible). So I have a handful of things functional though the full thing is still in pieces and parts etc

The overworld engine loads maps saved in XML and the player can interact with the scenery to a certain extent (the original engine I had developed had jumping ledges and reading signs and walking into houses etc working).
I've also have a partial battle system in the works too.
I also have a fairly good map maker (also done in flash) I've been using to build all the maps I've done do far, though it's still needs more work as I still have a fair bit of manual tweaking on the maps after building them.

Story Plot/Ideas Etc
As to where I want to go with this (or at least would like to), for one initially the whole point was so I could make an online RPG and to build my knowledge of Socket Servers in PHP.
For now, my first aim is to basically build the entire Kanto region (based on FR/LG) so it can run on my engine (meaning Maps/Pokemon/Story Line), and since that's a fairly big task, it's not likely I'd have it done overnight either =p
Other thoughts and ideas I've had, is for one, doing the Johto region (and connecting it to Kanto etc) and then eventually working my way up to have all regions done so they are also all connected together in one form or another.
And with the online idea, having unlockable events and battles etc much in the form of your typicall MMRPG.

My brother, being a fairly heavy MMRPG player suggested doing a project like this in the form of updates/patches, where initially only a certain portion is accessable but gradually more becomes avaliable, which I think is a good idea and the way I'm trying to construct my game is so that making new content for it is very easy and would basically be like patching it.

Anyways for now here's a couple of screenshots I have posted on my project page (which needs to be updated). Please be aware that the demos on my project page, although they do work, haven't been debugged to work in web browsers properly and I just can't be bothered right now to focus on a demo since I'm still working on a finalised engine at the moment.

I'm keen to get any ideas or suggestions people have that I could look into particularly once I have the full engine working and can starting looking at story/plot ideas and stuff.

This looks fantastic! I think releasing the game in patches would be stellar.

While I'm at it I'll post up all the screenshots I took of the previous version I had done since it's got screenies of some effects that I haven't yet re-implemented into the new engine.

Originally I had started using R/S sprites, but I chose to ditch them in favour for FR/LG sprites due to a handful of reasons, mostly because I figured it would make more sense to start from Kanto and work my way up in chronological order.

The original version (which only had the overworld map worked on) had interacting with objects with dialogue (signs, objects in your room etc) and the ability to enter houses (though only if I had done the maps for them). While technically this and the other things the original version could do is there in my newer FR/LG version, I just haven't yet checked them and debugged them to work with it.

I'm trying to do everything at once (and jump between different things to avoid getting too bored with something), so like a couple of days I try working on the overworld map, then some others on the battle system, and then there's the massive amounts of data I have to write up too (pokemon data/moves etc), luckily I have 70% of that part already done from other projects I had done, mostly it's just the leveling up moveset I gotta do (all pokemon currently have default moves I would assume they would have if you caught them at level 1).

Anyways, I had better stop blabbing there and add these screenies...

a flash based pokemon game? well, you got my attention. :P

Oh man, I've wanted to do this for a long time, but I'm not all that good with Actionscript yet. Really nice to see somebody else more experienced getting into it! :)
May I recommend, if you make an offline version, that you package it as an Adobe Air application? You could have your own icon and everything... Plus the general performance would be better than if it were played in a browser.

I'm looking forward to seeing how this goes.

Also, just throwing this out there... if you want to finish the battle system quickly, you could use Shoddy Battle's battle engine. I don't know where exactly in the source code the whole engine is but it could really speed things up.
I found an AIR app that can convert java code to Actionscript 3, though you still have to put the sprites in and everything...
http://thunderheadxpler.blogspot.com/2007/11/java-to-as3-on-air.html

Superkid11 said:

Oh man, I've wanted to do this for a long time, but I'm not all that good with Actionscript yet. Really nice to see somebody else more experienced getting into it! :)
May I recommend, if you make an offline version, that you package it as an Adobe Air application? You could have your own icon and everything...

I'm looking forward to seeing how this goes.

Click to expand...

To be honest I just read your post and said HUH????

Being a big fan of Macromedia (the company) I kinda haven't even glanced at what Adobe has done to the software since Flash 8. So if you start talking Adobe, it's all gibberish to me lol

It'll be more than likely a flash version will work best as a standalone thing because the browsers generally slow it down a bit too.

Low Lines said:

To be honest I just read your post and said HUH????

Being a big fan of Macromedia (the company) I kinda haven't even glanced at what Adobe has done to the software since Flash 8. So if you start talking Adobe, it's all gibberish to me lol

It'll be more than likely a flash version will work best as a standalone thing because the browsers generally slow it down a bit too.

Click to expand...

Oh, ok. In that case never mind that last part of my post, since you're using Actionscript 2 instead of 3.

Adobe has improved the software though... yeah, they kind of messed up with Cs3 but Cs4 is tight. Actionscript 3 is also pretty good, there seems to be generally less text involved and it runs faster. It's not like the Macromedia people aren't working on it anymore, they're just part of Adobe now.
What Adobe Air is is a program runtime environment. It lets you make desktop programs with Flash and pretty much any web language. You don't need the newer versions to get it, as the AIR SDK is free(though a little difficult to set up, at least for me). It makes this .air installer package that works with the application installer. AIR is cross-platform so any program made for it works on any machine with Air on it. ... y'know, like Java.

Still, can't wait to see how this turns out. :)

I've uploaded a couple of videos of the Map Engine and the Battle System in action. They aren't too great at the moment, but yeah. I've also fixed all the demos on my website (bad linking was the problem), so they should all work as well.

Am still working on the engine, which I wanna perfect (or near it) before moving any further with this.

Since I still can't post URL links yet...You can find links to the videos on my website which you can find a link to in my signature =p

Wow, this looks beautiful! I really like the idea of a flash-based Pokémon RPG, although I'm not quite sure what can be in store if one is made. The current screenshots and media definitely looks professional and very appealing.

The battle and map systems seem really smooth; great job! I can see that they need work, though. Most obviously, the maps look really strange without the grass background, and the battle system needs more coding to differentiate moves and type matchups. But it's a great start!

I really think this is a great idea! The battle system looks great, and all the other things (ex. menu, computer) Look very real! I am suprised how good this is looking. Great job, Low Lines.

How playable is it right now?

Not really playable no as it's still pretty much in pieces at the moment. I've still got to make a third system to handle the menus. But the battle system demo randomly picks two pokemon out of the first 151 when it starts, so you can play a little with that I guess, except if a player uses an attack not implemented properly yet it'll stop working (the battle system uses an event based script, so it doesn't do the next thing until the previous event is finished which is where the bugs come in)

The reason why the backgrounds are like that is one because obviously I haven't done them yet and two because the different colors indicate that this is a different map.

The demos use the old map loading format. The new format which I am putting into my new engine specifies which layer the object is placed on, and also will no longer check each object to get hit boundaries, since the Map Generator now also has a hit layer which will store colored objects (ie blue water, red for doors).

I did have the wild random battles working (in grass) but since I've been changing a lot of stuff in the battle system, I haven't relinked it up to the Main part.

The battle system, only has attacks that hit and stat changing attacks implemented, which clearly has some bugs at the moment anyways.

But um yeah, glad people like the looks of it =p

[edit]

I think I finally came up with a way that keeps the Map Engine running at a constant speed...If anyone's played with the demo engine, you'll notice it is updating constantly when you move the map around (with the Arrow Keys). What I've done now is change that so it only does the update when the map has moved 128px in any direction, still very buggy and is gonna take a bit of time to implement into the full engine (sighs), but there is next to no slow down (when updating the maps) what so ever so I'm happy =]

[edit 2]

Meh still needs more work =p The larger maps obviously generate a larger array of objects causing the *very slight* pause each time it updates, its sorta like a 1-2 frame skip (or rather pause) on a gba emulator and I hate it -_- It'll prolly stand out more when the backgrounds get added, I mean a way to avoid the extra slow down is to build background maps as a complete image and load them like that, but then the maps will take longer to load (and to make in an editor) if loaded over a bandwidth so it's sort of a choice between which is better (since they both would have a downside).

[edit 3]

Ohs and I've just been wondering...Do people have any suggestions as to what format save data should be saved to? Just off my head I was thinking PHP, and maybe cookies (so in the case that the cookie gets lost you could download the last saved PHP version). I don't want a format that's easily hackable outside of my game though -_- So definitely no text document or anything unless I encrypt it or something...

If you don't feel like reading all my blabbering, I've posted another video on my Project Page and put up a screenshot too...

Otherwise...

The Map Engine is working a lot better, though still has a couple of annoying bugs which I need to sit down and work out.

To prevent getting too frustrated over it, I have been adding stuff to the engine. Dialog Windows are now fully supported (they were to begin with I just didn't bother fixing them up until now).

I've been focusing on completing the Pallet Town map (while adding new stuff to the engine), and aside from a few missing grass tiles, and the odd NPC, it's basically complete. All signs have text and the map graphics are all there (except for the mentioned above).

But what I am most proud of is my first NPC character.

I think I'll call him the "Patch Officer". What's he's job? He stands at the exits of maps and stops you from going any further (oh and secretly he's actually a really big scaredy cat). Basically in future if there is an area not yet available, he'll block the pathway until the patch/update occurs.

What's really significant about him is that he demonstrates several sprite functions I figured were going to be hard to do. They being, detecting the player from a distance, dialogue and path plotting. They did take a bit to get right (especially the path plotting) but basically I can write up events with relative ease, and with a few adjustments here and there the engine will do the rest (YAY).

I think I'll avoid debugging the map loader part for a little bit, and try and get some kind of Start Up going...finish off the Pallet Town map (and do the indoor maps as well), and see how hard it'll be to start scripting the story/events.

Note: This prolly doesn't seem like a big deal to most, as while looking at several of the projects on here, mine so far does not go beyond any of them (save a smoother playback in some areas), but this is all done in Flash, from scratch and without the use of any kits or anything, so yeah =p
I'm totally enjoying the challenge of a Flash Engine though. And I got ideas in my head just waiting to be used...Like, an Pokemon Uploader (which world work in similar fashion to D/P Pal Park), where you fill out the information on a pokemon on your real game and then upload it to your game. Be handy for tournaments and stuff I think. And making a GTS in similar fashion (but with more options than the official one) would be cool too.

[edit]

Doing the menus is easier than I thought, and I came up with a simple sequencing script to simplify all the coding. A basic title screen is in place and the Main Menu has been added too, and you can go through the entire Introduction with Prof. Oak, save for inputting custom names. Have also been doing a little more work on NPCs and implementing a storyline/event flag checker, though until I gotta set up the trainer data properly first.

Ohs and I've decided to give this project a proper name...and better logo =p

From now on my project is called "Pokemon Flash Version".