FireRed hack: The Leola Project

[AluminiumOxide]

Best of luck with your ptoject. I will download when it will release. By the screen shots this game looks great i hope you make a very good hack.

 

[geekman]

I like a lot the maps and the titlescreen, but you should change the tiles, even if you want to use FR style. Those tiles were awesome some years ago, but now they have been used in too many hacks, and that makes them boring. Also, inserting tiles is really easy.
For the rest, I really like your hack, it has a really good looking.
P.S: Sorry for my english D:

 

[Winter Wonderland]

I don't know what to say. xD
This hack has a lot of potential!
I like the titlescreen and your story, it's freakin' awesome! :)

Best of luck, can't wait to play this. ~

Thank you, thank you.

Best of luck with your ptoject. I will download when it will release. By the screen shots this game looks great i hope you make a very good hack.

We're trying our best to make a great product.

I like a lot the maps and the titlescreen, but you should change the tiles, even if you want to use FR style. Those tiles were awesome some years ago, but now they have been used in too many hacks, and that makes them boring. Also, inserting tiles is really easy.
For the rest, I really like your hack, it has a really good looking.
P.S: Sorry for my english D:

Well, we're working on a graphical overhaul right now, and we'll be asking for opinions once the main set is complete. We intend to take the public opinion into account for our final decision.

 

[unseenjosh]

Looks awesome, take your time, make it the best it can be, like no hack ever was.

 

[Winter Wonderland]

Looks awesome, take your time, make it the best it can be, like no hack ever was.

Thanks. I don't intend to release a premature hack.

 

[GaryFreakingOak]

Jeepers. From what y'all have shown so far, I'm impressed :)

Really like the story and the fast-travel feature. I'll keep my eye on this one for sure, best of luck!

 

[Winter Wonderland]

Jeepers. From what y'all have shown so far, I'm impressed :)

Really like the story and the fast-travel feature. I'll keep my eye on this one for sure, best of luck!

Thanks!

I'm currently mapping some other routes. :3

 

[Winter Wonderland]

Announcement: I am looking for beta testers now, as I intend to release a beta in the coming weeks. The next five "qualified" people to post will be selected.

Do not think that just because you're not an avid hacker, that you are not eligible to beta test. I am looking for a variety of people.

If interested, fill this form:
Beta test form:

Spoiler:

Emulator being used:
Operating system used:
ROM hacking experience:
List of hacks played:
Promise to check every single square possible(Y/N):
Thoughts on the prologue:
What do you think of the screenies?:
What do you think is gonna happen throughout this story, taking what you know from the thread so far:

Best of luck to applicants.

 

[Lucifer-san]

Here's my application..
Emulator being used:UO GPSP Kai/Visual Boy Advance
Operating system used: Gateway NoteBook
ROM hacking experience: Not much beside basic spriting, mapping, and scripting.
List of hacks played: Pokemon Ruby Destiny Trilogy, Pokemon Flora Sky, Pokemon Azure Horizons, Pokemon Shiny Gold, Pokemon Dark Rising, Pokemon Glazed, Pokemon Light Platinum, Pokemon Liquid Crystal, Pokemon Rijon Adventure, Pokemon Shattered Dreams, Pokemon SkyLine, Pokemon Snakewood, Pokemon Ash Gray, Pokemon Dark Cry TLOG(The Legend Of Giratina), etc;
Promise to check every single square possible(Y/N): Yes
Thoughts on the prologue: The prologue reminds me of the Shin Megami Tensei: Persona games in the way that the character usually just happens to end up in the wrong place at the right time. It also seems rather mysterious and hooks the potential player into wanting to know what is really going on and what is going to happen, but I digress.
What do you think of the screenies?: I like the screenies so far as they don't reveal much of the story while allowing you a bit of preview of what's to come. From what I see in one of the screens it looks like your character may be going to some type of school but I could be wrong. Also with the OW, I think it looks rather nice for not being something custom and will probably get better with a new tile-set if done properly but, I digress.
What do you think is gonna happen throughout this story, taking what you know from the thread so far: Hmm if I had to make a guess most likely something from the past will come back and begin to interfere with what is happening in the world. Your character will then somehow get involved because he, as you said, was in the wrong place at the right time. This also means that your character is, as much as I dislike it, the chosen one who will most likely defeat whatever obstacles that he will come to face whether it be some evil force bent on mass destruction or a evil team with a goal that they feel is good for them. However you, the character, will also be able to pick want you will do along the way. Along the way your character will meet new friends and most likely enemies who's only purpose is to hinder you or maybe even some who wish to, as cliche it is to say, turn you to the dark-side. Eventually your character will reach the end of his journey and will most likely fight against what is their ultimate and true enemy and will if successful come out triumphant and realize that all those times he questioned himself along the way and people battled him was all for this moment, and then his final realization will be that everything happens for a reason even if you wish it not to.

 

[Winter Wonderland]

That is one out of five. I'll contact you once it's time for you to test.

 

[dhogan]

Hi, I would like to apply to be a beta tester.

Application:
Emulator being used: Visual Boy Advance
Operating system used: HP EliteBook
ROM hacking experience: Just a little basic mapping and scripting
List of hacks played: Ash Gray, Dark Rising, Flora Sky, Glazed, Liquid Crystal, Shiny Gold, Rijon, Brown, Snakewood, Ruby Destiny, Victory Fire, Resolute, and many others.
Promise to check every single square possible(Y/N): Yes
Thoughts on the prologue: Sounds interesting. A solid story could be told around this premise that you are just a regular person who ends up having to be the hero. It will be interesting to see this story told to the player during gameplay. The "Abysmal Crusaders" is a great name for an evil group.
What do you think of the screenies?: They look very good. Interested to see Eevee as the starter. The cover looks amazing. Intrigued by the "fight" or "pay" option.
What do you think is gonna happen throughout this story, taking what you know from the thread so far: I believe that while playing memory sequences as Mark and Leola, the player/character will learn what it means to be a hero/heroine and what it means to be selfless. Then the player will have the option to be selfless and follow in the footsteps of Mark and Leola by dying for what is right, or to live by striking some sort of deal with the reincarnated Abysmal Crusaders.

 

[Elaitenstile]

I've been noticing this hack for quite some time now. I seem to feel this hack has got the "zing" that many other budding hacks have missed. Perhaps it's because of the queer presentation, perhaps it's because of the ominous storyline... I wonder which. But this much is true, it has caught my eye. I'll be watching the Non-Standard section of the Features section for quite some time from now on. Now usually I'd comment on hacks that are complete or nearing completion, but I have to say this one sure looks nice.

I like your attitude with the hack and the plan of a quadrology. I do hope to see more of this, and I hope to get a lot of output from your idea dump. While I cannot be of assistance to you, I will continue to watch this hack closely. It's one of the times when a person feels like playing the thing, casually, you know? No pressure, nor rush. Just like playing any other game.

The hack's initial screenshots and the input in the Prologue has made me acquire a lot of questions. For starters, how often will you update the main thread with more screenshots and the like? Then, if at all you plan to change the tiles, what type of a tileset style do you aim for? Will the graphics get overhauled sooner or later? Is the game's storyline going to be more intense than normal Pokémon games with regard to wordings, happenings, violence etc.?

Aside from the above rant, keep up the good work to you and your team ;)

 

[M.L]

Well look what we have here, a wild hack appears..
I will not lie and I have to admit I do enjoy the Fire red tiiles being used! (better use those trees shading correctly or some people may eat you alive.

The hack looks great maps scripts graphics and I do say i would enjoy playing it.
You want beta testers i would be happy to apply but honestly forms they take too long I have experience though.
Well good luck with this hack I look forward to seeing it in the future!

 

[Winter Wonderland]

Hi, I would like to apply to be a beta tester.

Application:
Emulator being used: Visual Boy Advance
Operating system used: HP EliteBook
ROM hacking experience: Just a little basic mapping and scripting
List of hacks played: Ash Gray, Dark Rising, Flora Sky, Glazed, Liquid Crystal, Shiny Gold, Rijon, Brown, Snakewood, Ruby Destiny, Victory Fire, Resolute, and many others.
Promise to check every single square possible(Y/N): Yes
Thoughts on the prologue: Sounds interesting. A solid story could be told around this premise that you are just a regular person who ends up having to be the hero. It will be interesting to see this story told to the player during gameplay. The "Abysmal Crusaders" is a great name for an evil group.
What do you think of the screenies?: They look very good. Interested to see Eevee as the starter. The cover looks amazing. Intrigued by the "fight" or "pay" option.
What do you think is gonna happen throughout this story, taking what you know from the thread so far: I believe that while playing memory sequences as Mark and Leola, the player/character will learn what it means to be a hero/heroine and what it means to be selfless. Then the player will have the option to be selfless and follow in the footsteps of Mark and Leola by dying for what is right, or to live by striking some sort of deal with the reincarnated Abysmal Crusaders.

One thing to fix: they're the Abyssal Crusaders, not Abysmal. :P And the Abyssal Crusaders don't play too great a role in the story, as they are from the past. If there was to be an evil group, which, you can't really call them a group, they're just thugs. Nameless criminals who do crime for the sake of their own monetary profit. I tried to abstain from doing such a predictable plot with Team X going after Legendary Y.

However, yes. I will accept your application. That makes two out of five that I'm seeking.

I've been noticing this hack for quite some time now. I seem to feel this hack has got the "zing" that many other budding hacks have missed. Perhaps it's because of the queer presentation, perhaps it's because of the ominous storyline... I wonder which. But this much is true, it has caught my eye. I'll be watching the Non-Standard section of the Features section for quite some time from now on. Now usually I'd comment on hacks that are complete or nearing completion, but I have to say this one sure looks nice.

I like your attitude with the hack and the plan of a quadrology. I do hope to see more of this, and I hope to get a lot of output from your idea dump. While I cannot be of assistance to you, I will continue to watch this hack closely. It's one of the times when a person feels like playing the thing, casually, you know? No pressure, nor rush. Just like playing any other game.

The hack's initial screenshots and the input in the Prologue has made me acquire a lot of questions. For starters, how often will you update the main thread with more screenshots and the like? Then, if at all you plan to change the tiles, what type of a tileset style do you aim for? Will the graphics get overhauled sooner or later? Is the game's storyline going to be more intense than normal Pokémon games with regard to wordings, happenings, violence etc.?

Aside from the above rant, keep up the good work to you and your team ;)

I appreciate your in-depth comment. They're the kind that I read and make me feel motivated to do more. Thank you for your compliments, and I'm glad to have you as a supporter. That is assistance enough, I can assure you. I love how you said playing it casually, as that's actually the team thread name "Play Me Casually." I'm not sure if you intended it to be a pun, but considering my first impression of you so far is that you're in-depth and do your research, I can imagine it was a pun. I'll answer your questions below, along with other things.

Well look what we have here, a wild hack appears..
I will not lie and I have to admit I do enjoy the Fire red tiiles being used! (better use those trees shading correctly or some people may eat you alive.

The hack looks great maps scripts graphics and I do say i would enjoy playing it.
You want beta testers i would be happy to apply but honestly forms they take too long I have experience though.
Well good luck with this hack I look forward to seeing it in the future!

Thank you, I appreciate your compliments.

However, to be a beta tester, I do require the form to be filled. Reason being is that I'm looking for a variety of people. People who read what I wrote and think differently about it, people who have no experience hacking, so it's a whole new world to them. People who, maybe, this'll be the first hack they've actually played, or people that have played every released hack known to PokeCommunity and beyond. For that reason, for the reason of diversity, I require the form to be filled. I know you understand.


Now, to answer some questions, provide information, and ask some questions myself.

Questions

First to bat is Hoenn's questions:

How often will I update the thread?
I intend to update the thread as often as there is progress. Typically, the way we've been doing things is map about three to four areas, script them, test them, then update. However, if ASM were to be implemented, or a new titlescreen, like I believe last week, that'd be released on its own post, rather than with a gameplay-related post.

Will I update the graphics? If so, what style? Will it happen sooner or later?
The answer to this is a bit tricky. While I do not mind using the original FRLG tiles, I also would not say no to updating them. I'm torn between minor additions, to a complete overhaul. However, to put it simply, I am thorough. I will not implement a graphical overhaul UNLESS everything has been sorted out first. So, in order to graphically overhaul The Leola Project as is, a completely new outdoor tileset(tileset 0) would need to be implemented, along with a separate tileset for the individual cities. All to match in style, which I prefer to not look too much like I'm trying to turn a GBA to a DS. We are, in fact, currently looking at and constructing a tileset, but it is a ways away from being completed, so I wouldn't worry too much about it right now, as it's not nearly close to being finished, nor is it really a priority. However, I will take submissions; if you find a tile that you feel looks very nice, you can VM me and we'll discuss it. It may make it in, even. Now, on the same subject, OW's and Trainer Sprites are a bit up in the air. While I would like to implement new OW's to give the game the fresh look I desire, I simply don't have the ability to sprite them myself and would be MORE than thrilled to welcome to Play Me Casually a spriter or two that can make those things a reality for us. However, should none show up for us, I don't reckon we'd mind sticking to the originals. That's all for graphics right now.

better use those trees shading correctly or some people may eat you alive.

Lol, no. I haven't even touched the shading as I fully intend to replace the tree anyway. If someone wants to complain about it, their words will fall on deaf ears and their text on blind eyes.

Is the game's storyline going to be more intense than normal Pokémon games with regard to wordings, happenings, violence etc.?
Yes. Yes, it is. There'll be kidnappings, deaths, conspiracy and betrayal riddled throughout the game. By no means is the game rated M, filled to the brim with profanity, or generally dark and emo. However, when you do play this game, I ask that you play it with the mindset that the goal is not to catch all the Pokémon available and just be a master trainer. I ask you to recognize that the purpose of this game is to tell a story--a story that, in my opinion, is beautifully crafted--using a different means of delivery instead of a book or movie. This story will have pain and joy, comedy and drama. This story will have conspiracy, death, rivalry, and betrayal; but, it will also have happiness, friendships, new bonds, and general goodness.

Information

The Prologue
I must insist that people keep in mind that the prologue is the prologue to the entire series. All four installments. Each individual installment to the series--Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Spring--will contain a main plot that surrounds the prologue in some way or form. The trainers, Mark and Leola, are people from way back in the past. Do not be surprised if you don't even hear about them in the beta. I mean, I have FOUR entire ROMs to work with, be patient. Harry Potter didn't even find out he was a wizard until the 50th page of the book.

The Fast Travel
So I wanted to take a moment to tell you how fast travel will work in this game. It will not be included in the beta, but will be in the final version of the first installment. The way it will work is as follows: there'll be a truck in major cities, such as Sinclaire City, Talren, and Fordekkin. The way this'll work is that you talk to the man by the truck, and he will offer you a taxi service. You can choose from a list of locations, and the price to be paid will reflect that. However, keep in mind that you cannot drive a truck through a cave. So, travel from Talren to Sinclaire City will be impossible via the taxi. Trucks cannot drive over water. So, travel from Fordekkin to anywhere past the water route will also be impossible. This taxi service will replace FLY's ability to let you travel anywhere you've visited before. "Dang it, Winter. Why would you do that?!" you might be asking, "You little punk, now I'll actually have to walk places!" you might say! But, that's the exact reason why. So travel will be mandatory in the game. You will have to surf. You will have to traverse the land. That is a simple fact of life.

Gender roles
I'm mentioning this now, before it becomes a problem when the beta to Summer is released: YOU CAN ONLY PLAY AS A BOY.
Why? It fits with the story. It is how it was written. "But, Winter. I'm a girl. You have to let me play as a girl. Don't be so sexist!" No. I don't. In this story, the protagonist is a boy. However, be happy to know that in the Winter installment, you will play as a girl. Any posts complaining about how sexist the gender selection is will be ignored.

Question for you

I do have drafts written for the other installments, so I was wondering if you lot would like the plots of Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Spring. It wouldn't reveal much, but it would give you a gist of what to look forward to.

 

[mikethepokemaster]

You have really planed this out and from what i read of the story it going to be a story base Pokemon games with the story given more focus. I hope this make sense.

 

[Lucifer-san]

Sure you can post a gist of the storylines that way we know a bit of what to look forward to and gives a better insight into the overall games.

 

[Winter Wonderland]

Sure you can post a gist of the storylines that way we know a bit of what to look forward to and gives a better insight into the overall games.

Glad to have your opinion. I'll look into doing it if more people are for it.

 

[GaryFreakingOak]

I agree! I'd be interested in hearing the storylines.

 

[M.L]

Sorry but i would like to ask another question..
So if your replacing the tree tile I would guess you are replacing the tiles all together and using completely custom tiles(not as in all made by you)

Well that's good :)
Hope its done well otherwise you would have to remap your maps entirely..

And yes I do enjoy reading story lines but please don't give away the entire plot otherwise it will ruin the game for me xD
You ever need help with tiles or animations I am your man xD

 

[Winter Wonderland]

I agree! I'd be interested in hearing the storylines.

Noted. I will consider it.

Sorry but i would like to ask another question..
So if your replacing the tree tile I would guess you are replacing the tiles all together and using completely custom tiles(not as in all made by you)

Well that's good :)
Hope its done well otherwise you would have to remap your maps entirely..

And yes I do enjoy reading story lines but please don't give away the entire plot otherwise it will ruin the game for me xD
You ever need help with tiles or animations I am your man xD

Well, by replacing the tree tile, I meant having a secondary tree to replace what is currently the FRLG shaded tree. However, I do want to redo the entire tileset. I may call upon you for your services, should my current arrangements not work out. Thank you dearly.