Pokemon Engine (A proposal)

[namakemono456]

PoketEngine (RPGM Alternative)

I'm beginning to create a new "engine" for a Pokemon game using C#, and I was debating publicly releasing the engine or not so I'll leave it up to you guys.

You may wonder "what are the advantages your engine would have over RPGM, to put it simply:
It would be designed for Pokemon, this means that:

1. The scripts would all begin as .txt files, I would provide a tool to encrypt all resources so they cannot be tampered with. (Will be implemented last)
2. The elements could easily be manipulated , renamed, or you can add your own.
3. It could easily be adapted for newer changes to the Pokemon battle styles (Like how DP added Physical and Special properties to attacks)
4. Adding moves, etc would be an edited text file away.
5. Adding custom sounds, tile sets, sprites, images would be and edited text file away as well!
6. Using the XNA platform I could allow for the distortion of sprites to give a feeling of 3D effect to trees, buildings, and later possibly cliffs.
7. Multiple people working on a project could easily meld their resources into one since whole projects don't need to be altered if a script is changed in the slightest.
8. No limit to the exposed screen area, custom screen sizes are possible, custom animation effect for the over world, user specified tile display, any annoyance you might find can easily be changed (the scaling of sprites in DP annoy the heck out of me personally).
9. Custom stat growth, or more importantly more dynamic (annoys me how they do it in RPGM...)

If I get enough requests, Ill release the engine, also the more requests the more motivated I'll be. It should be mentioned though that there are a few limitations. You'll need .net Framework 3.5, which means Mac and Linux players will be left out.

News:

• I plan to release a demo up to the main menu once I implement a last few things, The tile map is going well but isn't perfect enough to be seen yet.
• I could still use help on D/P Menu object locations.
• If anyone is willing to donate wave files of the music in the game that would help a lot. You will be given credit of course. Entering data into the database files will take awhile so don't expect a lot quickly...

Screen shots:

I know it doesn't look like much but the effect is similar to LG except the gusts spawn randomly, and in the background all the data is loaded from txt files.

 

[InMooseWeTrust]

This sounds like a really good idea. People aren't showing interest NOW, but once you start making it, you'll see a lot of support emerge out of nowhere.

 

[namakemono456]

Update

Just a little update, been working on the movement, but its taking a little longer than I thought, I'm using multiple collision layers to allow for the cliffs and to let you walk under or on an unlimited number of bridges. The thing that's keeping it is stair detection and animation...hard to tell it when to add and subtract from the indexes.

Sadly progress will also be slowed because of another responsibility I have to another group of people, that's all I can say (legally) but I am working on it. If someone can make me some 48x48 sprites of people , grass, steps, and cliff face I can use that would greatly help as well... People should have all frames on one pic (like RPGM 2k3, XP, or whatever (order not important just consistancy) same with the tile map, 12 frames across.

I was thinking also that instead of mimicking 3d i might as well have 3d trees but I'm not very good at modeling (XNA uses a free modeler to make the models) so if someone can make one (doesn't have to be compllex) that would also help, just have the orgin be the base so i dont have to mess with the field too much.

 

[KaiserSteel]

Go for it! (Heh, just looking for a free PKMN game Creator for my own projects)

To appeal to a mass audience, along with the program, you should also include pseudo-maps to be able to download and edit like templates. You can also show the capabilities of your software through the maps (for example showing off the vast environment).

Just to add, I have a concept in my head for a PKMN game heavily based on Sinnoh and my own legends behind the legendary Pokemon (retconning in some Gen 1, 2 and 3 legendaries in). It would also include a 'ruin' city with remnants of buildings after an explosion (thus needing custom tiles)

Could anyone point me in the direction of any free Pokemon Game Maker softwares?

 

[Ty 101]

I really really really... want a pokemon engine.

 

[Levelized]

Well, When you're ready, you can take my request that I sent you.

 

[InMooseWeTrust]

If you need pixel art, just use the ones from spriters-resource.com. This is a huge project and spriting takes forever. For now it's better to not worry about that kind of thing.

 

[namakemono456]

Updates

I figure I should give an update, work is going awesome, just working on a few concepts in the dynamic script loading that will probably take awhile.

If you guys have extra little functions you would like on top of the basic Pokemon stuff feel free to post them here, I already made a scrolling text "movie" engine (Something I always found cool in games).

As for a few things I need help with, I need the coordinates of the on screen objects for inbattle. (Like the EXP bar, HP bar etc. The top left is 0,0. I would do this myself but I'd rather work on the coding :P Just get the projected TL corner of all the different possible objects. Use a SS (D/P) of the battle screen and count pixels. :P Thx.

 

[partyghoul2000]

would it be possible to convert it to C++?

 

[Karjam]

Maybe you can use features and other stuff (like the sprites, etc.) from Heartgold and Soulsilver.