Hello!
Thanks for making this, first of all. Something like a definitive way to play GB-era Pokemon is definitely a godsend! I thought I'd found this in another mod (Crystal Clear), but unfortunately, that one has three problems that Perfect Crystal doesn't - it's open world (which means it sacrifices the story aspect and immersion), it's restricted by what's legal and tradeable to non-hacked versions (to be fair though I'm not sure if you have it here too), and worst of all - you don't have to work for anything in that game, everything is given to you on a silver platter, pretty much. That's why I really like how you made the starter pokemon 1% encounters and only in select locations, that really makes catching them meaningful and rewarding! That's only one example of course, I'm sure there are more.
That said, there are some features that this mod could still use to make it the true definitive experience, most of which CC seems to already have in some shape or form. But I'd soooo prefer to see them here instead!
- A move reminder. CC has one that doesn't even require anything from you in return - but Generation II already had Tinymushrooms and Big Mushrooms, which could be used as a fee for him in this game, just like it was in FR/LG. Why this is needed probably requires no explanation. Right now you have to manipulate encounter levels for legendaries just so they can have the good moves (like Aeroblast/Sacred Fire for example). With a move reminder you wouldn't have to worry about this at all. Not to mention moves like Golbat's level 1 Screech were already a thing in generation 2.
- A tutor for moves from Gen 1 (since I assume simply increasing the number of TMs is just not possible). CC introduced this in one of the latest updates and I'll be damned but once again - you don't even have to pay anything for those moves -there's just a guy who offers to teach them for no fee at all. That's really no fun! I'm of course referring to all those moves that were available as TMs in Gen 1. While that gen's TM roster contained some really ridiculous ones, many were much more useful than most of Gen 2's. I'm of course talking about stuff like Rock Slide, Take Down, Double-Edge, Selfdestruct, Explosion, Tri Attack, Bubblebeam, Mega Punch/Kick etc etc. These moves really make things so much more fun! There's also Softboiled for Mew for example.
Now if you were to introduce these, you'd have two options for approaching this:
- Keep them only to Gen 1 Pokemon and their evolutions, so as to make things trade-legal just like they are in CC (that's if you're concerned with legality in the first place)
- Use FR/LG as a template and extend their availability to Gen 2 Pokemon that can learn them there. This would make the Gen 2 Pokemon trade illegal and bona fide "hacked", but it would still be retroactively canon in a way I suppose - also why wouldn't say, a Lanturn be able to use Bubblebeam? I also think most pokemon were able to learn Double-Edge as a TM in Gen 1. Would really open up a lot of possibilities if say, the Gen 2 starters could have this move.
As for the fee - maybe they could be somehow incorporated into the Battle Tower as prizes? Crystal doesn't really have a point system for winning battles and I don't know how tough it would be to implement one - but that of course is just an option. Coins from the Game Corner could also be a viable alternative, as that would make these moves feel a bit harder to obtain than if they were just for plain cash.
- It'd be nice to be able to have a way to obtain an indefinite number of consumables, which there was a finite number of in this game. This means all Ethers/Elixers, Max Revives and - an extreme case - Sacred Ash and Berserk Gene. Of course I'm not saying these should be easily obtainable as they are in CC - getting them should be a rewarding challenge in and of itself. All I'm saying is that it should be possible. Oh, and there's no way to get Brightpowder in Gen 2 outside of trading Pokemon from Gen 1 (and the point of the game is to not have to trade, right? :P)
- I must say I kinda liked the "tradeback guy" mechanic from CC. Of course you went for evolutionary stones instead, which is not a canon solution, but it's probably not a big deal. It leaves a bit of a bitter taste though, since items such as the Dragon Scale aren't really that useful anymore (well, according to Bulbapedia it actually increases Dragon-type move damage while the Dragon Fang doesn't - which is also a bug, not sure if you've fixed it already).
I think these are all the things that if Perfect Crystal had, it would truly be Percect! SuperEgz, if you reading this, could you say what you think about these suggestions? Thanks again for this great hack!