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[Completed] Pokemon Soulstones [POSTGAME RELEASED]

Jos_Louis

311
Posts
3
Years
  • Age 33
  • Seen Apr 23, 2024
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Pokemon Soulstones​

About Project​
I started making Pokemon Soulstones in February 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic started. Due to the encouragement of some close family, I finally ventured down the path of making a Pokemon game that I wanted to play because I wanted to tell a story. As the project increased in scope, I became more ambitious and am now at the point where I wanted to release the game to the general public. In that regard, I've tried to include everything I always wanted in a Pokemon game, and I hope that everyone else that gets a chance to play it will enjoy it too.

In no way do I receive any profit or monetary compensation for this fan game. I have made this game under fair use laws and do not intend to breach those. If you paid money to access this game, you have been ripped off.

Tools used to make the game:
RPG Maker XP | Pokemon Essentials v17.2
GIMP
Audacity​

Content warning:
Please note that this project contains some mature themes, including coarse language and violence. Player discretion is advised.

Plot:​
You are an Agent working for the Republican Agency that has been sent back from the year 3564 CE to the 21st century. You have been issued orders to track down strong trainers known as Soul Keepers and recover their sacred pendants (the Soulstones) that hold strong legendary powers and the ability to command the loyalty of certain Mythical Pokemon. What you discover as you venture out on your mission is that you have been inserted into a much larger conflict between two ancient factions; one that is seeking to unleash an evil upon the world and the other that is desperately trying to protect the Epoch Region from its return.

Features:​
The following contains a list of the features of the game:
  • Generation 1 to 7 included;
  • Fairy type, Mega Evolution, Level Cap of 175.
  • Estimated 25 hours of content + 10 more hours in the post game;
  • Generation 3 style game world with mechanics and abilities up to Gen 7;
  • Day/Night cycle, ability to view encounters on a map, Hidden Grottos;
  • One region (the "Epoch - Present Day" Region) available in the main game with a second region ("Epoch 3564") available in the post game;
  • Not your ordinary gym battle and league challenge as this is a unique story with heavy emphasis on narrative for progression
  • Choice of starters from Gen 1 - 7 and each starter has new abilities;
  • Some Pokemon that have Epoch regional variants have also received a stat boost to make them more compelling team choices;
  • Over 200 custom-made regional variant Pokemon for a National Pokedex size of 1030 Pokemon available (NOTE: All Pokemon are available except for Legendary, Mythical, and Ultra Beasts which are not available in this release)
  • Over 65 custom-made Mega Pokemon in addition to canon megas
  • Over 125 side quests that motivate a player to explore and go beyond conventional story areas and encourage exploration and collection;

Screenshots:​
And now for what everyone has been waiting for, to determine whether this is worth playing or not.
Spoiler:


Pokemon Soulstones Discord:
As players progress through the game, please join me in the Pokemon Soulstones Discord server to answer questions, report bugs or just hang out and talk about the game!
https://discord.gg/UNnkvJb
​

Roadmap:
  • The post game has been released!

Installation Guide:
  • Like any other Pokemon fan game created using Pokemon Essentials, simply click on the download link and extract the archive.
  • Note that there is both a Part 1 and a Part 2 and both parts must be downloaded and extracted to the same folder location.
  • When this is done, run the Game.exe file.
  • If you get an error message on startup regarding fonts not being installed, simply navigate to the Pokemon Soulstones\Fonts folder, select all the fonts, right click and install them as administrator.

Download:
Download Link for Pokemon Soulstones v2.0.5:
NOTE: If you have previously played the game, you should delete your entire game folder and replace it with this one given the significant changes I've made.
Part 1
Part 2

Changelog:​
Spoiler:


Credits:​
If I have missed anyone or misquoted you in the credits, please tell me! I have absolutely zero intent to steal anyone's work and this has and always will be a pure passion project!

Spoiler:
 
Last edited:

Vizier

54
Posts
8
Years
  • Age 30
  • Seen yesterday
It's pretty good. I just beat the first story boss and his pokemon took me by surprise. I hope the difficulty doesnt spike as hard as other known fangames.
 

Jos_Louis

311
Posts
3
Years
  • Age 33
  • Seen Apr 23, 2024
I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! If you have any feedback for me as you go, please feel free to leave over here or on the Discord 😊!
 

Jos_Louis

311
Posts
3
Years
  • Age 33
  • Seen Apr 23, 2024
I uploaded a small patch and updated the link on the main post for Part 1. If anyone has previously downloaded this game, please re-download Part 1 as it contains the latest game with patched bug fixes. A re-download of Part 2 is NOT required.
 
Last edited:
SolarDawn

SolarDawn

LunarDusk
128
Posts
3
Years
  • Age 21
  • Seen today
Awesome game dude I really love it. I really enjoy the custom mega evolution and the plot and i am wondering do you know when you gonna release the more content.
 

Jos_Louis

311
Posts
3
Years
  • Age 33
  • Seen Apr 23, 2024
Hi there! Thanks for the kind words. I'm glad you're liking it! The main story (equivalent to up to your "elite 4" in conventional games) is complete. The post-game will add a few more hours of story content. I'm already in the process of adding the "post-game" content which will add a few more hours of play time, but I'm keen to see feedback on the core game before I go adding a ton more content like the Legendary side quests I had planned. I should note that a bunch of the feedback I've been receiving thus far is that my estimate of 25 hours of play time was way too low.
 

Oakenshield

64
Posts
10
Years
  • Age 32
  • Seen Apr 23, 2024
this looks great! definitely going to have to give this a go
I do have two questions
does this game have some wiki or documentation to read? I would love to see the list of changes, new pokemon etc
are the regional forms treated as different forms of existing pokemon, or new pokemon? is there a way to tell if an opponent has the standard or Epoch variant by the text before they send it out?
 

Jos_Louis

311
Posts
3
Years
  • Age 33
  • Seen Apr 23, 2024
Hi there!
1. Wiki is under development. It's very early so not been publicly shared. For now, please join the discord. I have posted some attachments there that will give you a breakdown of changes such as new regional variants, pokemon that have undergone BST changes, custom megas, starter ability changes etc.

2. Both the natural Alolan forms and my custom Epoch region forms are treated as unique pokemon rather than forms. While I could have treated them as forms, it became too burdensome trying to work with the forms since I had to make a lot of special exceptions, such as for example, allowing both forms to appear in a single area, so I just turned them into unique Pokemon to add to the Pokedex.

3. Yes! You can tell if a trainer has a custom regional variant, Alolan regional variant or regular variant because I use "Geodude", "A.Geodude" and "E.Geodude" to distinguish in game. No more throwing out a Grass Pokemon to face a Geodude while thinking it is a regular Geodude, when it is really a regional Fire/Rock variant (which is the typing of Epoch Geodude) 😀 !
 
Last edited:

Oakenshield

64
Posts
10
Years
  • Age 32
  • Seen Apr 23, 2024
Jos_Louis said:
Hi there!
1. Wiki is under development. It's very early so not been publicly shared. For now, please join the discord. I have posted some attachments there that will give you a breakdown of changes such as new regional variants, pokemon that have undergone BST changes, custom megas, starter ability changes etc.

2. Both the natural Alolan forms and my custom Epoch region forms are treated as unique pokemon rather than forms. While I could have treated them as forms, it became too burdensome trying to work with the forms since I had to make a lot of special exceptions, such as for example, allowing both forms to appear in a single area, so I just turned them into unique Pokemon to add to the Pokedex.

3. Yes! You can tell if a trainer has a custom regional variant, Alolan regional variant or regular variant because I use "Geodude", "A.Geodude" and "E.Geodude" to distinguish in game. No more throwing out a Grass Pokemon to face a Geodude while thinking it is a regular Geodude, when it is really a regional Fire/Rock variant (which is the typing of Epoch Geodude) 😀 !
Click to expand...

this last one makes me all the more hyped. I've seen plenty of games that failed to see why this is so important

one final question
it this game designed to be like the original pokemon games? is it geared towards difficulty like Reborn? what is your design philosophy?
just want to play it with the correct mindset, as there are plenty of different designs for fan games
 

Jos_Louis

311
Posts
3
Years
  • Age 33
  • Seen Apr 23, 2024
@Oakenshield: I've tried to make this harder than your ordinary Pokemon game, but not exceptionally difficult like Reborn. Some people may have found Reborn to be easy, but I found you needed to have multiple teams to advance, as their field effects could be very punitive. Most experienced Pokemon players should be able to progress through my game without too much difficulty because at the end of the day, the key limitation in most games built using the Pokemon Essentials development kit boils down to the AI. While I have given bosses the use of very optimized Pokemon teams (as far as boosting items, max IVs/EVs, and favourable abilities, and held items), the player can also achieve that with relative ease that it's not an insurmountable challenge.

My design philosophy really comes down to getting rid of friction-causing elements in traditional Pokemon games. In that regard, I try to eliminate elements that make it too grindy for people, or reducing parts of traditional Pokemon games that are left too much up to chance (e.g. shiny hunting, IVs and catch rates leave too much up to chance and a player has limited ability to control that). In that regard, I've tried to bump up those rates or accessibility to optimized IVs, without the chore of breeding or shiny hunting or wasting 30 balls on a single Pokemon. With respect to grindiness, players have access to certain service NPCs (e.g. Blissey Experience Trainers) in various towns that will help you catch up, so even if you find a Pokemon you want to use in the 6th or 7th city, you can get them caught up to the rest of your team's level in a matter of a few minutes. Having said that, level caps are built in to make sure players don't trivialize content, but instead encourage them to really level along with the story. Even if you are a bit underleveled, an experienced Pokemon player (which I imagine is the majority of the audience on PokeCommunity and Relic Castle where this is posted), should be able to progress without hitting a wall. The emphasis on this game is the story more than anything else, so NPC dialogue can also reveal important tidbits about the story and world or even has some Easter Eggs!

@SolarDawn: I don't have an estimated date for when the game will launch with the post-game, because my focus is on fixing bugs found in the core game and making sure that it is well balanced. The game is complete so if you're hesitating on jumping in because of a lack of post-game, I don't think that should necessarily be a deterrent, because the core game is complete and all that remains to be done is optional or side content in the Epoch Region (Region #1) and the post-game which will add a small Region #2 with a few more hours of story.
 
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Oakenshield

64
Posts
10
Years
  • Age 32
  • Seen Apr 23, 2024
reading your design philosophy is like reading my own list of grievances with the pokemon games
so there is no way I'm going to not play this game now
can't wait to see it in action, though I'll probably wait a bit for some extra bug fixes, just in case
 

Jos_Louis

311
Posts
3
Years
  • Age 33
  • Seen Apr 23, 2024
No worries! I'm glad to hear that it's not just me that has some of these common grievances with the Pokémon games.

Whenever you decide to download, I encourage folks to join the discord server for the latest developments in the game!
 

Jos_Louis

311
Posts
3
Years
  • Age 33
  • Seen Apr 23, 2024
My very conservative estimate of the beta is about 25 hours if you blast through most of the content... however, you could definitely go longer if you don't skip past quests or trainers and the like. There's a fair bit to do so I think you should be kept busy for a good long while.
 
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Jos_Louis

311
Posts
3
Years
  • Age 33
  • Seen Apr 23, 2024
Bumping post as there has been a new patch 1.0.2 released that caches animation which greatly reduces in-battle animation lag. The battle experience should now be far more pleasant!

I've updated the link on the main post for Part 1. If anyone has previously downloaded this game, please re-download Part 1 as it contains the latest game with patched bug fixes. A re-download of Part 2 is NOT required.
 
Tenshi333

Tenshi333

I love Fairy Tail and Fairy types
13
Posts
4
Years
Heyo, Angie here!

This game looks really polished and well done! Kudos to you and your team for making such a beautiful breath-taking game, really! I'm happy to hear that your family is supportive of your interests/jobs/hobbies! That's really relieving because it shows that you really do care, and when someone like you makes a game, it's bound to turn out to be incredible!

The thing I look forward the most is the regional variants! I love both when new 'mons are added or old ones are "redone" and those less than ideals are reworked and made viable! I can't wait to see all the changes in the game, since I know for a fact that it's awesome just from the post and screenshots. After posting this I'll probably enter Discord, so see you soon! :D

Quick question: Are the galar + IoS and tCT are gonna be added? It's just that one of my favorites are in those games (G.Ponyta) so I just wanna know if it will be available in the near(?) future.

Cyao, Angie out!
 

Jos_Louis

311
Posts
3
Years
  • Age 33
  • Seen Apr 23, 2024
Hey - thank you very much and I'd love to hear what you think when you join the Discord. This game was a solo dev effort so my team is I, me and myself lol!

As for adding Galarian mons, unfortunately, there aren't any immediate plans to add them because it was really tough to accommodate all 945 Pokemon as it was into my game. As it stands right now, it was tough to make sure that all mons got a fair shake at appearing in my game and the game is quite long already. You probably only see some mons once or twice in the entire game in trainer battles.

I kind of see GameFreak's perspective now as to not having ALL Pokemon in their games anymore because it makes the Pokedex very unwieldy. The other reason is that the resources for Gen 8 are not as plentiful as far as sprites, full TMs and movesets, and the abilities aren't fully coded in by the community. As I leaned on public resources to add in Gen 6 and 7, it makes adding Gen 8 very difficult for that reason. The last reason is that adding new Pokemon also would require a user to start a new save file since it breaks compatibility with previous save files, which I'm hesitant to do now that the game is public.

That said, I still hope you enjoy it and would love to get your feedback when you're further along in your playthrough.
 
Tenshi333

Tenshi333

I love Fairy Tail and Fairy types
13
Posts
4
Years
Jos_Louis said:
Hey - thank you very much and I'd love to hear what you think when you join the Discord. This game was a solo dev effort so my team is I, me and myself lol!

As for adding Galarian mons, unfortunately, there aren't any immediate plans to add them because it was really tough to accommodate all 945 Pokemon as it was into my game. As it stands right now, it was tough to make sure that all mons got a fair shake at appearing in my game and the game is quite long already. You probably only see some mons once or twice in the entire game in trainer battles.

I kind of see GameFreak's perspective now as to not having ALL Pokemon in their games anymore because it makes the Pokedex very unwieldy. The other reason is that the resources for Gen 8 are not as plentiful as far as sprites, full TMs and movesets, and the abilities aren't fully coded in by the community. As I leaned on public resources to add in Gen 6 and 7, it makes adding Gen 8 very difficult for that reason. The last reason is that adding new Pokemon also would require a user to start a new save file since it breaks compatibility with previous save files, which I'm hesitant to do now that the game is public.

That said, I still hope you enjoy it and would love to get your feedback when you're further along in your playthrough.
Click to expand...

Heyo, Angie here!

Ah, I see then! I musts say I'm impressed by the fact you did all of this by yourself, really! I also totally understand your reasoning behind no gen8. It's OK, we have the variants anyway, lol.
I'm already liking the graphics and all, so I'll keep in touch via discord!

Cyao, Angie out!
 
looneyman1

looneyman1

The Psycho Pokemon
1,492
Posts
10
Years
  • Age 37
  • Seen yesterday
for some reason there is no sound. I knw my volume isnt at zero so I'm confused
 
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