Pokemon Aether Version

[satyrcynic]

Pokemon Aether Version (Update 1)

UPDATE 6/17/2010: Further Story details added, more to come!

DEVELOPMENT PROGRESS
Programming Engine: 10% complete
Writing Story: 90% complete
Designing World Map: 20% complete
Building Movedex: 30% complete
Building Pokedex: 0% complete
Designing Maps: 0% complete
Designing Custom Art: 0% complete
Playtesting And Refinement: 0% complete

[S-HIGHLIGHT]OVERALL COMPLETION: 18%​

[/S-HIGHLIGHT]

"image removed"​

Pokemon and people have lived in harmony since the events fifty years ago ended. Back in those days, the stories say that a special trainer was chosen by a legendary Pokemon to fight against a cruel man called Giovanni. Legendary Pokemon sometimes choose a very special trainer, one with a pure heart, when the world enters a time of great need. Now, Giovanni is dead. Team Rocket has been disbanded for decades, despite the endless rumors that they're still underground. Among the few remaining representatives of the once famous Pokemon theft ring is a man named Salvadore, a man driven to madness by his quest to do Giovannis will. Before he died, the master of Team Rocket left cryptic notes to his elites, rambling strangely about Pokemon clones and far away islands. They thought him mad. Salvadore knew there must be something more to this, and he will stop at nothing to complete Giovannis plan: capture all of the worlds pokemon. To do so, he intends to tame the power of the most powerful Pokemon ever made.

Aether was born on a small island off the south coast of Aeran. Like his family, he had always been a Pokemon farmer, never a trainer; although he had longed dreamed of becoming one. One day, while exploring the untamed forest behind his small town, a strange Pokemon appeared to him, followed him home and refused to go away. He decided to show this Pokemon to the local Pokemon professor; Professor Alder in Eton City. When Professor Alder saw what Aether had caught, he knew it was something profound, but couldn't begin to fathom just what it might represent. On a hunch that the Oak family might have the answers, he sent Aether on a quest to reach the far away Pallet Town, where the legends of Red and Blue still live. On his way, Aether would take the Aerean Gym Challenge, becoming a Pokemon Master, and his world would never be the same. What Aether did not know was that he was about to become a part of a story that had been recurring for fifty years, and that he had been chosen as a Trainer, by the most legendary Pokemon of all.

Disclaimer: This is a "suggestion" thread. While I have started development of the game in question, it's not a showcase, and I do not have screenshots.


CONCEPT

Whereas many Pokemon fan games are looking forward, attempting to break the mold with daring new concepts and ever shinier graphics, Pokemon Aether is instead looking back in time, to the glory days of the G/S/C era. In fact, on a ground level, Aether will be a precision imitation of Pokemon Crystal. I am using exclusively G/S/C/ graphics resources and intentionally developing the game in a 256 color 160-x144 environment. Pokedex information and battle math will be functionally identical to Crystal. The objective is to provide an experience that inspires nostalgia for the G/S/C era without retreading the same ground, par say. So how will Aether avoid being simply a remake?

STORY (non-spoiler version)

You begin as a young boy (or girl) living in a small town on an island. One morning, when you wake up, your mom asks you for some help. The familys tamed Lapras, which always gives you rides to the nearby port city of Eton, had become ill. Your mom sends you to the forest to search for a Berry, which will make it feel better. She sprays you with some Repel to keep away the wild Pokemon, saying she hopes it's strong enough and wishes you luck. While wondering through the maze-like forest, you stumble upon a cave, and when you come out of the other side, you're in a deep undergrowth. All of a sudden, a wild Pokemon appears and starts following you around. Darting about playfully, the Pokemon guides you to a Berry tree. When you pluck the Berry, it suddenly darts back towards your house. Following the mysterious Pokemon, you arrive at home, where your mom is worried about how long you've been gone. She takes the Berry and is thanking you when she sees the mysterious Pokemon. Surprised, she advises you to bring the Pokemon over to Eton City and show it to Professor Alder. When professor Alder sees the Pokemon you have with you, he decides that you should make the long, cross-continent journey to reach Pallet Town and show this extraordinary Pokemon to Professor Oak. Along the way, he suggests, why not try this Pokemon's hand at the Gym Challenge? After all, to make it all the way to Pallet Town, you're going to need all of the help you can get.

Now for the spoilers.

Spoiler:

Pokemon Aether takes place in the future of the Pokemon world. The date is about fifty years after the days of Red. The Professor Oak you will ultimately meet is the son of the Oak from the original games. Your hometown is an island which borders a previously undiscovered region; Aeran, which lies across the ocean to the South of Hoenn (more location information below). The island on which your town was built had previously only been known as "Faraway Island". The Pokemon that finds you when you venture into the forest is Mew.

Starter Details

Spoiler:

There is no choice of three starters in this game. Every player receives a level 5 Mew as their starting Pokemon. This Mew follows you around, much like Pikachu in Yellow, except that Mew does not always remain one step behind you, but darts around, interacting with the world and visually emoting, adding a constant level of amusement to the in-field gameplay. Although this Mew never evolves, it can become very powerful as it grows and can learn any TM, HM, or Move Tutor move in the game, making it an extremely versatile fighter, while its slow growth curve prevents it from being overpowered.

The Game World

Spoiler:

Aeran is an island continent South of Hoenn, with Faraway Island being off it's Southern coast. Visit Serebii's Pokearth page for an illustration. Eton City is on the South coast of Aeran, and the North coast comes near Dewford Town. Other towns and locations within Aeran are under development. Aeran does not have its own native generation of Pokemon, but contains a mixture of pokemon from the Johto, Kanto and Hoenn regions. During the game, players will travel all across Aeran, through a small selection of Hoenn locations, unlock access to the entirety of Johto, and eventually reach Pallet Town, being the only accessible section of Kanto.

Features

Spoiler:

Mew as the starting Pokemon.
A large and varied game world.
A whole new series of Gym Leaders and a new Elite Four.
A full storyline involving Giovanni and Mewtwo.
Special Pokemon previously only seen in the Anime (including Crystal Onix).
Redesigned Johto region showing its progression during the last 50 years.
A mixture of classic graphics and mechanics with fresh new adventures.

Creation Team

Currently, I am the only person directly involved in the design of this game. I don't need the usual resources, because this game is being designed in Game Maker 7, as opposed to RMXP. I could still use some help doing some of the repetitive labor such as Pokedexing, and some more fun things in the near future, such as map design. While it is certain that I will be putting out a more direct casting call soon, feel free to comment or PM me about getting involved.

[S-HIGHLIGHT]FINAL WORDS: Please provide feedback, suggestions, and creative criticism! That is why I am revealing this project here, even before it's earnestly underway. I would very much like to hear as much both positive and negative feedback as possible.[/S-HIGHLIGHT]

 

[Sero]

I dont like the idea of a legendary as a starter. If this takes place 50 years after Red, Giovanni would be from 90-100+ years old or even dead. And I dont think many people that old have enough strength to cause a lot of trouble.

 

[satyrcynic]

The debate about legendary-as-starter is a valid one, and one that I talked over with a lot of Pokemon fans before deciding on the Mew storyline. Although Mew is legendary, it isn't statistically overpowered, and since players didn't mind being forced into playing with Pikachu in Yellow (in fact they payed for another game just to do so), I have a feeling it will be successful, despite having some detractors. One thing I'm being cautious about in development is making sure that the Mew feels like a valid story element and not a gimmick. Rest assured that if you're concerned about a lack of challenge for Mew, you're in for a surprise when I launch the demo.

As for the Giovanni plothole, trust me, it's not one. I said Giovanni (and Mewtwo) were "in the storyline", and they are. Explaining how would involve a full description of the plot, which I'm not yet going to release.

Giovanni is a non-issue, but you are correct; some people will not like the Mew feature. Others will love it. It's a risk, but certainly one I'm taking intentionally, in order to hopefully make a uniquely engaging game.

Sero, do you have any advice for what mechanics or features might improve the experience, or detract from whatever you find negative about Mew?

 

[BlitŻ1]

Haha, I totally named my Rom Hack that, which I released :P I'm not going to be a douche and tell you to change it, because I like creativity. I have a fun time making this game! :D

 

[lx_theo]

I'm also anti-legendary. Mew has a mythical quality to it, that makes it seem just... well wrong, to make it a starter. It is honestly a big enough of a problem for me that if its still around should you manage to release it, I probably won't play the game. No offense, I just have a problem with the idea.

And another just a little thing I noticed. The original Prof. Oak's son would be much too old. Assuming the son became the father of Blue at age 20 (youngest reasonable), he would be 30 at the time of Red and Blue. 50 years later makes him 80.

 

[satyrcynic]

Blitz: Really? I googled all my naming possibilities and Aether turned up nothing! Darn it! Well, it's in development now so I guess we shall just have to share. Thanks for being cool about it and link me to your game, I'd love to see.

lx_theo: More anti-Mew sentiment. I'm a little surprised at the negativity of the initial reactions to that concept. For me, and many Pokemon fans I've been talking to about this, it sort of fills our hearts with Pokejoy at the thought of traveling with a Mew, and the interesting efforts involved in balancing a game around this. Obviously, I'm not going to be particularly deterred by the lack of enthusiasm here so far. Using Mew is still in my opinion a lot less disrespectful to the series than Fakemon are. I sincerely hope that people will give this concept a chance and see if they like it before deciding it's a bad idea. Everything's worth trying once.

As for the Oak family tree? Let's just say I'm far more concerned about the reception of Mew as the starter. I've been working to remove any possibility for inconsistencies between my story and the existing Pokemon saga (already notoriously inconsistent), and I haven't left any such gaping plotholes. I'm currently providing wait and see answers to all plot questions, until I have reached a further stage in development and want to release the games entire story.

 

[anugrah6]

i think idea of legendary pokemon as starter is okay

 

[Sero]

You said that there would be a full storyline about Giovanni not just in the storyline. I like the idea about G/S/C mainly because I loved playing them. Mew as a starter, well Mew isnt very powerful so the game can still be fun but I think that having a rare pokemon instead of a legendary is a much better idea. Change the plot to make it more exciting. Your plot is basically find a pokemon in the forest and fight the Gym leaders and elite four.

 

[Mana1]

I agree that having Mew as a starter is a bit overpowered, as it's stat total is better than a Charizard, but it does work for your story.

Also if this takes place south of Hoenn how does Johto tie into it? You mentioned you could travel there.

 

[satyrcynic]

anugrah6; thank you for supporting Mew!

Sero; instead of addressing your further story concerns at the moment, I'm going to ask you to read this thread again in about two or three hours. Within the afternoon, the full story will be in the post.

Swiftsign: Thanks for the input; I'm definitely having to increase the average difficulty of the battles to compensate for Mew. I'll let everyone here be the judge of just how much the story is worth it when that story is posted. The Gym Challenge and Elite Four battles will take place within the region of Aeran. After defeating the Elite Four, players will unlock a ship to Johto,