I Want a 2nd Opinion

[SleepyEels]

So like, I'm planning on making a ROM hack of Emerald (or maybe Fire Red idk) in a similar style to Radical Red/Inclement Emerald in the sense of "Harder difficulty with more balancing".

Basically, I wanna hear from someone as like a 2nd opinion on some choices for ideas of changes I have in mind. :)


(aka; I kinda just want to geek out with someone and get rlly creative lmao)

 

[NearAutomas]

What exactly are the changes that you have in mind?

 

[SleepyEels]

What exactly are the changes that you have in mind?

I have a couple of documents that I'm working on with listing changes if you wanna see them :D

 

[Prof_Oatfield]

I have a couple of documents that I'm working on with listing changes if you wanna see them :D

Well, you should probbaly share something here, otherwise there is not much to talk about in this thread. :)

 

[Daydeus]

In my opinion, you only need three things for harder/better balanced/more engaging battles: restrict bag usage, level parity, and competitive move builds.
You want to treat the battle as a puzzle and your party as the pieces by which you solve it. Using items is like cheating the puzzle, and having higher leveled Pokémon sucks the fun out. And if you're going to use Pokémon with coverage moves and TMs, why shouldn't your opponent?
I prefer soft level caps but I think most people prefer dynamically raising trainer levels instead.

I'm working on a "more challenging" rom hack too and I'm excited to make it as hard as I can and still have it be fair/beatable!

Oh yeah, and trainers should have interesting thematic teams. Give them a fun core concept to their team. Something memorable that makes the player go, "Wow, that's awesome!" Like giving an electric type trainer a bunch of volt absorb Pokémon with parabolic charge and double battle you. And then limit which ground type Pokémon are available, force them to think about how they're going to manage (without using the easy cop out of type immunity) Give some niche Pokémon heal block, or let them find a Pokémon with both parabolic charge and imprison. Give less interesting Pokémon a new purpose by making them the solution to the "puzzle" and reward the player for exploring and trying new/underused Pokémon out.

 

[SleepyEels]

In my opinion, you only need three things for harder/better balanced/more engaging battles: restrict bag usage, level parity, and competitive move builds.
You want to treat the battle as a puzzle and your party as the pieces by which you solve it. Using items is like cheating the puzzle, and having higher leveled Pokémon sucks the fun out. And if you're going to use Pokémon with coverage moves and TMs, why shouldn't your opponent?
I prefer soft level caps but I think most people prefer dynamically raising trainer levels instead.

I'm working on a "more challenging" rom hack too and I'm excited to make it as hard as I can and still have it be fair/beatable!

Oh yeah, and trainers should have interesting thematic teams. Give them a fun core concept to their team. Something memorable that makes the player go, "Wow, that's awesome!" Like giving an electric type trainer a bunch of volt absorb Pokémon with parabolic charge and double battle you. And then limit which ground type Pokémon are available, force them to think about how they're going to manage (without using the easy cop out of type immunity) Give some niche Pokémon heal block, or let them find a Pokémon with both parabolic charge and imprison. Give less interesting Pokémon a new purpose by making them the solution to the "puzzle" and reward the player for exploring and trying new/underused Pokémon out.

FUNNY YOU MENTION THE GYMS HAVING THEMES ACTUALLY KSHKSJFHSKFJH

drop ur disc

 

[SleepyEels]

Well, you should probbaly share something here, otherwise there is not much to talk about in this thread. :)

Okay so here's an example of what I'm gonna do:

Here's Venusaur :)

graphic design is my passion

 

[Daydeus]

I like those changes, though I'm not sure what need Venasaur has for zap cannon. That move is a bust in my book. I like that you pushed their evo levels higher. That Thick Fat ability works wonders, really lets Venasaur take advantage of all that bulk.

For me, I'm focusing on helping Pokémon with multiple 4x weaknesses be more viable. Things like giving Rhyperior Sap Sipper as a hidden ability, or making the ability Magma Armor give immunity to Water moves for Magcargo (though Camerupt benefits also). Where sensible, I'm changing typings too, like making Aggron Steel/Dragon or Geodude/Graveler/Golem Rock/Fighting.

 

[SleepyEels]

I like those changes, though I'm not sure what need Venasaur has for zap cannon. That move is a bust in my book. I like that you pushed their evo levels higher. That Thick Fat ability works wonders, really lets Venasaur take advantage of all that bulk.

For me, I'm focusing on helping Pokémon with multiple 4x weaknesses be more viable. Things like giving Rhyperior Sap Sipper as a hidden ability, or making the ability Magma Armor give immunity to Water moves for Magcargo (though Camerupt benefits also). Where sensible, I'm changing typings too, like making Aggron Steel/Dragon or Geodude/Graveler/Golem Rock/Fighting.

Ah, so Zap Cannon will now just be like a special Double-Edge (Inspired by Pokemon Vintage White), and Pokemon who get it will be able to actually use the move more effectively now. A couple of other moves are gonna work like that now.

Also, all starters are gonna have a BST of 550, and all of them will evolve at the same levels (just makes it even imo)

And a lot of Pokemon are getting type changes. Not everyone though, since that feels almost impossible in a way.


The main goal of the hack is to make everyone at least some level of viable throughout a good chunk of the game.

(Yes I want to see people with Raticates and Dustox (even if they aren't giga-buffed) in the HOF okay)

 

[Meister_anon~Master_o f_None]

Okay so here's an example of what I'm gonna do:

Here's Venusaur :)

changes are ok, but thick fat is an odd choice, yes its beneficial for the mon,
but I like my changes to make sense for the mon as well.

If you want to give him heat resistance you could just make a new ability that would do that, something like it being a tropical plant.

or maybe something like "evergreen" it can bloom all year round, so it has a bit of resistance to heat and cold.

and I agree zap cannon is an odd choice, but then again cleffa can also learn zap cannon, so who's to say
unless its just a normal type thing to be that versatile. (probably is idk)

If you want to replace the move, or add another I'd suggest coil,
it doesn't have a snake like form, but if you think of it as wrapping its
leaf appendages around itself the idea could work.

 

[Lautrec]

I like it. Venusaur should be bulkier but slower imo, so those stats fit it well. Thick Fat might make it a bit too bulky tho, there's a reason that it's Mega Evo is the one that gets that ability. Effect Spore is a nice swap out for Overgrow though, I've got a modified FR rom where Bulbasaur gets that, along with Charmander getting Intimidate and Squirtle getting Shell Armour

 

[SleepyEels]

changes are ok, but thick fat is an odd choice, yes its beneficial for the mon,
but I like my changes to make sense for the mon as well.

If you want to give him heat resistance you could just make a new ability that would do that, something like it being a tropical plant.

or maybe something like "evergreen" it can bloom all year round, so it has a bit of resistance to heat and cold.

and I agree zap cannon is an odd choice, but then again cleffa can also learn zap cannon, so who's to say
unless its just a normal type thing to be that versatile. (probably is idk)

If you want to replace the move, or add another I'd suggest coil,
it doesn't have a snake like form, but if you think of it as wrapping its
leaf appendages around itself the idea could work.

i dropped ZC dw

And tbh like, I kept Thick Fat on base Venusaur on the chance that someone wants to use a different mega.

and i think imma keep coil for snake-like pokemon/pokemon with long bodies, since those are the ones who primarily get it in main games.

 

[SleepyEels]

I like it. Venusaur should be bulkier but slower imo, so those stats fit it well. Thick Fat might make it a bit too bulky tho, there's a reason that it's Mega Evo is the one that gets that ability. Effect Spore is a nice swap out for Overgrow though, I've got a modified FR rom where Bulbasaur gets that, along with Charmander getting Intimidate and Squirtle getting Shell Armour

yeah dunno why venusaur is base 80 speed, feels weird to me lmao

and i did the other 2 kanto starters too :)

(i technically have all starters done but that doesnt fit my point lol)

 

[Meister_anon~Master_o f_None]

i dropped ZC dw

And tbh like, I kept Thick Fat on base Venusaur on the chance that someone wants to use a different mega.

and i think imma keep coil for snake-like pokemon/pokemon with long bodies, since those are the ones who primarily get it in main games.

ok looked it up I literally didn't know they gave mega venuaur thick fat, never mind then, still a weird choice to me, but if they did it its obviously fine.

 

[Meister_anon~Master_o f_None]

my only guess on the speed thing is, possibly a balance thing to to make the rival more difficult.

if you pick blastoise venusaur would be faster, since otherwise their defensive stats are about even,
and they didn't have natures and evs back then.

but that's just a guess. and with all the items and other factors we have in current gen,
it probably doesn't even matter anymore if that was the reason.

 

[SleepyEels]

my only guess on the speed thing is, possibly a balance thing to to make the rival more difficult.

if you pick blastoise venusaur would be faster, since otherwise their defensive stats are about even,
and they didn't have natures and evs back then.

but that's just a guess. and with all the items and other factors we have in current gen,
it probably doesn't even matter anymore if that was the reason.

yea i made blastoise a lot tankier since i wanted to differentiate the kanto starters in how their stats are distributed