Survey: Welcome To A World Of Pokemon... again...

[HeavyMecha]

So, in the discord for PokeCommunity, myself and a few other members have been having small debates about Pokemon hacks, and frankly, I feel nothing is new and original... while on the other end, they feel that the things they do are "new" and "original".


Now, don't get me wrong, the ideas are originals, the layouts are original, the spritework, not always original, but acceptable nonetheless. However, no matter what hack you look at, nothing is original anymore.

Take for example (my favorite hack of all time) Pokemon Clover, unique idea, great spritework, and so on and so forth. However, the story hasn't changed. You're still a stupid kid, with a stupid parent, going on some absurd quest (especially between 10-15 years old), fighting with other kids (and many adults), singlehandedly taking down a mob or "team" of idiotic bad guys (and girls), defeating a rival who is, for the most part... a douchebag, and defeating gyms and leagues to become a Pokemon Master or to save the world.


Now, don't get me wrong, many other hacks follow this same trend... the same ol' story that we have done again and again and again and again and god knows how many more times we'll keep doing this.

And hey, that's all fine and dandy, at least the majority of these hacks are fun to play. But honestly, what is "original" about them? Sure, you implemented all 800+ pokemon... not original, just more for me to catch in order to truely be a Pokemon Master. Oh, you added Running Shoes... gee, just a faster way for me to get from my hometown to the league. Oh, you added in the Battle Frontier... hmm, wasn't that in Emerald?


I'm just saying, all of these hacks are amazing, and sure... they are pretty much the same original games, but with a new appearance.. but they're not original nor are they new.


What would be original is a Pokemon game where I don't have to face some team of rejected trainers that couldn't beat the Elite 4, where I didn't have to save the world from some Pokemon or bad guy/girl, where I had a parent or even PARENTS that were like "hey, let's go on an adventure together", where I didn't have to walk into the PokeCenter and Nurse Joy say "we hope to see you again" like some sadist, why not... like, I don't know, say something better like "best of luck out there!". Where I wasn't 10 to 15 years old, trusted to somehow be intelligent enough to save the world. Like, why isn't the Elite leagues saving the world... they clearly have the manpower and know-how.

How's this for an idea... a game where I'm not 10yrs old, a game where I don't have some other kid badgering me and being an obnoxious jerk all the time, a game where I don't have to save the world, a game where I don't have to take down some reject mafia.

Why can't I pursue being a Pokemon Breeder, a contestant in beauty and style contests, a professional gambler, a farmer, a doctor, a police officer, a gym leader, or even be the new professor?


How about the rest of you... would you like to finally see a game that isn't the same idea recreated with a different coat of paint?

As I said, these hacks are not bad, hell... I love a lot of them, but I just feel like I've been spending my time on repeat.

Leave my hometown, face my rival, face gym leaders, take down Team Who-Cares, go to some League, and save the world... and yet, I'm not even an adult. I get the whole pursuing your dreams, but honestly... not even a teenager and I have to save the world... like gee... nobody else qualified for the job?


So yeah, my question is... would you guys like to someday see a hack that doesn't follow the same story base and finally does something completely outside the box? Cause all I'm seeing is the original Pokemon story, just with extra features.



(Once again, none of these hacks are bad, and many of them, I highly recommend [like seriously, play Pokemon Gaia, it's amazing]... but for the love of god, can I please not save the world for the 100th+ time?)

 

[Christos]

Why can't I pursue being a Pokemon Breeder, a contestant in beauty and style contests, a professional gambler, a farmer, a doctor, a police officer, a gym leader, or even be the new professor?

Because that would be boring. Sure, it'd work as a side-quest or a mini-game; participating in contests, breeding, solving crimes and maintaining your own gym, but the story would have to progress and be interesting. In all your above suggestions, I'd be more inclined to keep playing if there was eventually a 'bad guy' you had to stop, even if it's just a Murkrow ruining your Oran Berry farm or a Tauros stealing one of your Miltank every full moon.

I think hacks that are unique and outside the box would be great, but the general idea will always be similar; there's someone/something evil you have to stop. I remember Pokémon Identity was very heavy on story and there were no Gyms; that was unique and people loved it, but the plot still involved an evil group of scientists.

I'm more interested in seeing smaller, but still unique, changes or new features to hacks. For example, creative puzzles or magical flutes that let you do things. The fact that you're the Professor's research aide in Pokémon Gaia is a nice change, but the whole concept would be boring if there were no bad guys.

While I think we could definitely do without Gyms, I actually enjoy them and I don't find the concept boring or repetitive. To me, it's more about hackers making their own versions of the 8 Gym, League and Bad Guy Pokémon game, but attempting to make it more interesting with small changes, unique characters and features, and an engaging story.

 

[Anthroyd]

The reason why people hack Pokemon games is because they enjoyed the original experience so much and want to place their own personal footprint on the games, whether that be creating your own storyline, your own characters, revamping some old textures, or adding your own personal touch of music.

Changing the formula of the original games would be nonsense. People hack Pokemon to create the Pokemon game that they've envisioned would be really fun and cool. People don't hack Pokemon to make an entirely different game, such as a beauty pageant or a surgeon simulator. If someone did want to create something totally unique like this, they would NOT hack a game that originally has absolutely nothing to do with what they're focusing on. You'd have to be a nutjob to come up with something like that.

"I've always wanted to create a game where the player is a contestant in a beauty contest and has to fight his way up to be the very best like no one ever was at being beautiful... I'll hack Pokemon!"

 

[machomuu]

Changing the formula of the original games would be nonsense. People hack Pokemon to create the Pokemon game that they've envisioned would be really fun and cool. People don't hack Pokemon to make an entirely different game, such as a beauty pageant or a surgeon simulator. If someone did want to create something totally unique like this, they would NOT hack a game that originally has absolutely nothing to do with what they're focusing on. You'd have to be a nutjob to come up with something like that.

Um...why?

People modifying games to be completely different from the original experience has been happening for literal decades. Hell, that's the main reason the term "Total Conversion" came into the gaming community.

And for the third generation of Pokemon, it makes a lot of sense to create a game based on whatever concept you want, Pokemon or otherwise. The amount of documentation and resources about these games that's accumulated over the last 10 years is absolutely staggering, to the point that I'd say this generation is probably the most actively supported long-running game engine that gaming's ever seen.

Because that's what it is: a game engine ripe for the customizing. Even though it doesn't have the ease of use of something like Game Maker or RPG Maker, what you are capable of with these games seems nigh on limitless the more people dive deeper and deeper, and that the community is so active means developments will just keep coming. To think a game from so long ago that isn't even officially supported anymore would be so actively upkept is a wonder in itself, so why not take advantage of that?

I mean, I have nothing against people making standard Pokemon hacks, but I think that anyone would see making something that isn't standard with an engine this malleable as strange is strange in itself.

 

[Crizzle]

If you've your own unique idea, go ahead and pursue it. Best thing about rom hacking/fan game creation is that you're your own boss and can pursue your vision. That's what pretty much everyone here does. Not many people will make a hack based on someone else's wishes/desires(at least not for free).

I understand the OP's frustration that most hacks follow GameFreak's formula and that can get a little stale. But there are some hacks that try to break from this formula a bit while still staying in the Pokemon world. But even then there will always be some kind of evil team or opponent and some kind battle related goal to achieve, along with a relatively young protagonist. After all, it is Pokemon.
Sure you can try to make a game based on Pokemon contests or being a gym leader but like Christos said, it would probably be boring. It would be hard to make such a game worth playing without imitating GameFreak's formula in some way. Because that's just the nature of Pokemon games. Pokemon hackers and developers want to make their own Pokemon game.
But if you want to find a another gaming experience, you could just play a non-Pokemon game.

 

[Gandhi Savage]

This is a topic that could hit people the wrong way. Like if it were me and I had put hours upon hours of work into something just to have people tell me my story isn't original it'd kinda sting. I feel Pokémon games that follow the average formula of eight gyms, a team of villains and becoming the champion will always have the widest possible audience. You can attract all Pokémon fans by the virtue of it being more Game Freak like Pokémon games to play. If you do anything to radically change up the system it automatically puts your title in more of a niche market. I've seen people pining for a game where you're a Team Rocket grunt and work your way up the ranks for example and this idea seems super cool right? But at the same time I think being an uber powerful grunt who tears through things that not even admins/the boss could would be just as outlandish as the thought of a ten year old kid being really gifted as a trainer and crashing their way through the story. You seem kinda dismissive of the Pokémon formula which has been so successful and was what, presumably, inspired these creators to make their game in the first place.

Sure I also have wanted a game with a wildly different formula in the past but at the same time I enjoy hacks with the regular GF-esque formula too. I like to see the different goals and aims of the teams you're trying to take down, the personalities of your supporting cast and the feel of the world around you.

I might be in the minority (I haven't had a chance to read the other posts in the thread yet), but I think the hacking community is filled with a plethora of creative ideas and projects that are both in progress and already finished!​

 

[FL]

I agree with HeavyMecha and machomuu. My game was no GYM, cosplay team or E4 for this reason.

I generally trace parallel with other games. I believe that if every Final Fantasy game has four/eight leaders/creatures protecting four crystals, the game experience quality will drop.

Because that would be boring. Sure, it'd work as a side-quest or a mini-game; participating in contests, breeding, solving crimes and maintaining your own gym, but the story would have to progress and be interesting. In all your above suggestions, I'd be more inclined to keep playing if there was eventually a 'bad guy' you had to stop, even if it's just a Murkrow ruining your Oran Berry farm or a Tauros stealing one of your Miltank every full moon.

Harvest Moon says hi.

 

[Christos]

Harvest Moon says hi.

Never found the series appealing, I enjoy games more when there's a story and specifically in Pokémon games I'd prefer it if there was a purpose to training your Pokémon and becoming stronger. That's just my opinion, though.

 

[Mafi0s0]

Yaaah I feel the same, quite a lot of hacks get boring pretty quick because they're so similar to earlier games or other hacks. Pokemon Cyan would have to be my favourite since it gives you a choice based storyline and for once the ability to do something else than just being a kid on some un-realistic quest, such as joining team rocket (admit it, everyone has wished to join the guys in black at some point). I also wish more hackers would take the time to make cool new fakemon, as most hacks with fakemon either make them real bad or they just are not right (same thing as what has happened after 4th generation of the actual games). Miss playing exciting and daring new games.