Crystal hack: Pokémon Polished Crystal (update 3.1.1!)

[WorldsBoss]

Can I get some feedback on Dim Cave before I implement it in-game? It's a five-floor mine near the Power Plant; you have to push boulders to move mine carts out of your way. (When a boulder falls onto a button, the cart gets sent to the other end of the track.) Here's the layout, without any scattered boulders yet. I probably won't make major changes (designing the puzzle took a while), but can definitely tweak problem areas.

It's difficult to tell whether there are any problems without actually playing it, but it looks pretty good so far! The only thing I will suggest is that a couple of item balls be placed strategically to give people an incentive to actually explore the whole thing. The trouble is, with a world this large and expanded upon, most items can be found on maps already. Are there any that are under-represented but would still make sense to find here?

I'm running out of stuff to suggest even just generally haha. I can't see any more spots on the Kanto map that would make sense to have a new connecting path between them.

Some anime-exclusive areas to think about:

• The Tree of Beginning from the 8th Pokémon movie. It's located north of Pewter City and Mt. Moon, and could prove to be a decent reason to finally explore those mountains on the top edge of the map. Perhaps it could be an end-game location that is only accessible if you have Mew in your party? I do have a few ideas for a side-mission there, but I'll wait to see if you actually want the area to be there first.
• House of Imite from episode 37 of the anime. It is located between the Safari Zone and Cinnabar Island. So maybe it could be on the stretch of land near the boulders following the eruption (just south of Fuschia)? This patch of land could be stretched out, introducing a new location rather than having just a little bit more ocean.

Thoughts?

 

[Rangi]

It's difficult to tell whether there are any problems without actually playing it, but it looks pretty good so far! The only thing I will suggest is that a couple of item balls be placed strategically to give people an incentive to actually explore the whole thing. The trouble is, with a world this large and expanded upon, most items can be found on maps already. Are there any that are under-represented but would still make sense to find here?

Fair enough. It doesn't look too large or small though, or too hard to solve? Like, looking at the overall map, you can tell how to get to 5F, right? (Note that the buttons are obstacles, as well as the carts, but the tracks are not.)

There will definitely be item balls and trainers strategically placed, as well as at least one move tutor and TM, and on 5F a certain unique NPC. Fairly many of the new held items aren't available yet, and duplicates of them are often useful anyway. (HGSS had at least two Quick Claws available.)

I'm running out of stuff to suggest even just generally haha. I can't see any more spots on the Kanto map that would make sense to have a new connecting path between them.

Some anime-exclusive areas to think about:

• The Tree of Beginning from the 8th Pokémon movie. It's located north of Pewter City and Mt. Moon, and could prove to be a decent reason to finally explore those mountains on the top edge of the map. Perhaps it could be an end-game location that is only accessible if you have Mew in your party? I do have a few ideas for a side-mission there, but I'll wait to see if you actually want the area to be there first.
• House of Imite from episode 37 of the anime. It is located between the Safari Zone and Cinnabar Island. So maybe it could be on the stretch of land near the boulders following the eruption (just south of Fuschia)? This patch of land could be stretched out, introducing a new location rather than having just a little bit more ocean.

Thoughts?

I'm not actively planning to add more areas; Dim Cave and the Celadon and Shamouti Hotels still need layouts, and then I'll get scripts done for all the new maps.

The Tree of Beginning sounds interesting, but I haven't seen the movie, and without the Regis or Lucario in the game it wouldn't have much of a point. (If you have a sidequest idea that would work without them, though, please PM me.)

The House of Imite would be neat. I was already planning to add slight references to anime characters, like an Ace Trainer Liza with a few Charizards (no Charicific Valley though, wild Charizards would be out of place). Maybe it could work like RSE's Trick House (at least for one or two levels, I'm not designing eight last-minute puzzles—maybe in 4.0). Or I may just cop out and have a Lass Duplica on that route. :P

Early on I was considering adding Mount Quena north of Olivine, but Mewtwo already has Cerulean Cave and I don't have any content that would fit there. It could go in another game I have vague ideas about, set years after GSC.

 

[Rangi]

Freeline and SCMidna, thanks again for your sprites! And to MeroMero for your move animations. (How's your gen 2 sprite project going?)

Just a reminder, if anyone wants to help create more graphics, I still need animations for a few Pokémon:

(For Squirtle, adding glasses to its Crystal animation would be fine, but having it take off the glasses would be cooler.)

Edit: I got the overworld sprites done:

Edit 2: Freeline, thanks for Caitlin's sprite!

 

[WorldsBoss]

(If you have a sidequest idea that would work without them, though, please PM me.)

Done.

Also, if this could be somehow added to the game somewhere then I think it would be really awesome :)

 

[Rangi]

Done.

Also, if this could be somehow added to the game somewhere then I think it would be really awesome :)

The B/W trainer battle music? It's already in 3.0 for the Battle Tower matches.

 

[WorldsBoss]

The B/W trainer battle music? It's already in 3.0 for the Battle Tower matches.

Oops - my bad. Came across the remix and thought it sounded so good that I'd post it here. Sounds like you were way ahead of me haha.

 

[Rangi]

Celadon City and Shamouti Island each have a hotel. Yes, you can explore some of the rooms and facilities.

Spoiler:

 

[Rangi]

The puzzle for Dim Cave, involving boulders and mine carts, is finished.

 

[Pokemoncutie]

I don't usually post, but I wanted to tell you that I'm really enjoying your rom hack.

Keep up the good work :)

 

[Banksia]

Keep it up, Rangi. Cant wait to play!

 

[Rangi]

Here's some of the tileset and color variation for caves and forests:

 

[JasonPK]

Wow, it all looks so awesome. @__@ Seriously can't wait to play 3.0.

 

[therealzef]

really liking the look of the green cave

 

[Freeline]

Hey, sorry, I was planning to have some stuff done sooner, but I've been finding it hard to be motivated lately. Well, here's a Caitlin.

The new cave and tilesets are looking really good, by the way.

 

[Kingfisher99]

The simple gameboy color palette always looked nice in GSC in my opinion. The choice of colors you made for the caves is even better.

 

[santiagoo]

I made an account specially for follow this great hack!!
Thanks for your work, congratulations!!
From Buenos Aires!! Waiting for 3.0!!

 

[TheHeroofHarmony91]

I decided to build the ROM as-is using github, and I found a couple bugs, though I dunno if they exist in the 2.2.0 version that is stable.

1. When a Gym Leader throws out their last Pokemon, the music stops and there is a small delay when you attack the Pokemon but music returns when you defeat the Gym Leader.

2. Every time I try to use HM03, it just boots me out of the Bag. None of the other TMs/HMs do this, just HM03. And it kind of sucks, since I just Morty and need to teach Surf to my Poliwhirl to progress. It acts like the Cancel command in the Bag, and when I chose Cancel, it gave me the option to Use or Cancel and upon selecting Use, it attempted to teach me Aqua Tail.

 

[Rangi]

I decided to build the ROM as-is using github, and I found a couple bugs, though I dunno if they exist in the 2.2.0 version that is stable.

1. When a Gym Leader throws out their last Pokemon, the music stops and there is a small delay when you attack the Pokemon but music returns when you defeat the Gym Leader.

2. Every time I try to use HM03, it just boots me out of the Bag. None of the other TMs/HMs do this, just HM03. And it kind of sucks, since I just Morty and need to teach Surf to my Poliwhirl to progress. It acts like the Cancel command in the Bag, and when I chose Cancel, it gave me the option to Use or Cancel and upon selecting Use, it attempted to teach me Aqua Tail.

I've fixed the music bug, but cannot reproduce the HM03 bug.

3.0 will not work with save files from 2.2.0, and since the in-progress code is not meant to be playable yet, every new change may break save files. Try restarting and see if Surf works? You can cheat by editing the source code; put "givetmhm HM_SURF" in a map script.

 

[TheHeroofHarmony91]

I've fixed the music bug, but cannot reproduce the HM03 bug.

3.0 will not work with save files from 2.2.0, and since the in-progress code is not meant to be playable yet, every new change may break save files. Try restarting and see if Surf works? You can cheat by editing the source code; put "givetmhm HM_SURF" in a map script.

Hmm, must be on my end then. I went and made it so Poliwhirl learns Surf at Lv 38. If you want, I can send you the ROM and save file so you can see this for yourself.

EDIT: Okay it seems to be working normally now. After I got HM04, it selects HM03 normally again and no problems after that.

 

[SailorDonuts]

Rangi can you add more fossil pokémon?? Id love to see rampardos on this!!