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- Seen Apr 16, 2020
Though it still makes me feel as if there is so much untapped potential that can and should come out of Pokemon rom hacking. I've watched as the capabilities of hacking have evolved and, similarly, how the hacks have. Yet, the more time that passes, the more I wonder "Why aren't there more non-Pokemon hacks" or "Why aren't there more gym-less or team-less hacks out there?" I can completely understand an up and comer thinking learning that they can make their own game and then immediately jumping for the GF formula, but I find it staggering how few hacks actually try to be either of those (and, that I know of, no complete ones exist).
As much as I understand you, even though I've restarted work on hacks countless time, not even once did I actually start to make something different. Yes, there were times I had plans for a game taking place in the past, with no centers, evil teams or gyms, but I eventually always go back to the original Gamefreak formula. This is probably because I've always had trouble with storylines, so I prefer to have a basic storyline that I'd advance as I progress on the hack. The most "different" I want to get this time is that I'm not planning on including a proper evil team. I love thinking of new small features and side-quests for the game, planning the sequence in which you visit towns and earn badges, assigning different pokémon to different areas, and hiding legendaries. I prefer this much more than thinking of a complex, dark story for example, that wouldn't allow much freedom and then implementing it. Plus, I've seen people with great unique ideas, but in the end it gets so complex, that it either becomes too hard to implement, or the story becomes too much for a Pokémon hack.
Another thing is, I've noticed a lot of the fans seem to enjoy "mainstream" hacks a lot, even though there aren't any different hacks that are complete, people still seem to like earning gym badges, and there are some who actually enjoy spending hours on a hack after finishing the main story just to catch all Pokémon available. It might be because people look for hacks to keep them occupied until the newer games are out, or they don't own a DS/3DS, so in my opinion most fans would prefer a "common" pokémon adventure rather than something different.
I know I'm probably not trying to do something different because I might not be that good at it, and I enjoy creating a hack with the elements of normal pokémon game, so as long as there are still people who play hacks like these and enjoy them, I have no plans on doing something very different, at least for now.