Commander

COGA: Once Upon a Time... Before I begin with the article, I want to start out with an analogy. There are 10 people in the room who are asked to complete a project over the year, but it is not for a grade and doesn't effect them at all whether or not they complete it. Two people leave the room without even thinking about it. Another two read what they need to do before leaving the room without ever attempting it. Four of the remaining people try to make a bit of the project before dropping it within a month. Of the two remaining, one eventually has to drop the project due to burnout and needing to work on other things. One person makes it to the end which surprised the professor believing nobody would finish it. The professor first asked, "Why did you see this project through?" The student responded, "I wanted to accomplish something that nobody before me could." The professor still in disbelief then asks, "How were you able to accomplish such a massive task alone?" And the student replied, "Oh I didn't do it alone. I had the engineering club help me." Not only did that student pass the class, they later on got a high paying job out of it due to the impressive work of the project. It's a simple story, but this is basically what a fan-game is to a degree. Those ten people represent people with fan-game ideas, but the two who left knew it'd be too much work and not in their interest ie the people who know their limits. The two who followed after seeing what they need to do are what I'd call the incompetent people who don't believe they can do it but were interested. Just picture four out of ten video game ideas are never even spoken. The next four are people who pitch in an idea and even may release a beta, but they don't reach very far usually do to lack of motivation. The last one is the saddest who drops out because it is someone who is really committed and has gotten very far, but just stops for one of many different reasons. Look at Reborn, Rejuvenation, and Desolation. It's a scary thought, but one of them has a high chance of never being completed. Now let's talk about the single person who completed the project. There's a reason that the professor is in disbelief. He has a mindset that completing this project brings no benefit to a student at all since there's no grade assigned to it. Most fan-game makers have a net loss in terms of the game since their only income of it is donations. Even Ame was taking a net loss at a point for Reborn. The professor here also represents a fan in a sense because the student doesn't get the respect they deserve. Instead of cheering the students on and pushing them, he kind of just expects them to fail and ignores it. If he did, perhaps two or even three of those students would've successfully completed the project. I really don't think certain developers get the amount of respect they truly deserve when it comes to these projects. (You could read more on those thoughts in writing 101: the importance of feedback for more information on this). So now back to the student. What did the student do to be successful? The most important thing is that they had a mindset that they wanted to do this. This was something the student know was a lot of work, but they also knew the payoff of creating this. Having something you can call your own is a much bigger deal than you think. They also could obtain many skills in which they could refine if not master so that they could work on similar projects and make them better. They could not do it alone. In fact, you cannot make a fan-game by yourself. You have to build connections with people so the student decided to see if the engineering club wanted to help, which they did. This success lead to the student having connections and they used those connections later down the line to be very successful in life. Fan-game making and its rewards depend on what the developer wishes from it though. Sorry for that story, but I wanted people to get a good picture of what fan-game making is and why you may want to create one. Today's focus will actually be on where to start which is very, very different from person to person. For me personally, I would start with the story, but it actually goes a bit before that. Most of you probably don't even know how a fan-game is made. Not to call anyone out, but it's kind of funny when someone announces a game idea and they have no idea how to even do anything. It's kind of like asking a painter who doesn't know how to paint to make a portrait of you. So I'll go a little bit into getting experience for the game before going into my personal belief where you should start when designing your game. There's really only one good way to get experience in anything: practice. You can first learn stuff by watching tutorials, but those are to learn the concepts. For me personally, I could watch hundreds of spriting tutorials and not learn a single thing other than some new tools to work with (Yes, I actually can sprite believe it or not...I just really dislike it as it takes me forever). Art is the hardest thing to pick up on so learning about that is vital because you will be doing art as the head developer of a game. This is pretty easy to do yourself as you just need paint.net or a free art tool to start spriting. As for everything else about a game, the best place to start learning is to work under somebody. That's very, very difficult in this day and age because most people drop their projects way before they are even close to finishing. If you do get to be part of someone's project, try to learn bits and pieces of what they do that makes them successful and not successful. Some projects are full commitment while others are short term but if you wait a year learning the parts of making a fan-game, you are much better of than starting with nothing. If you can't afford to spend six months helping someone out or just learning all the basics before starting, then you shouldn't really be making a fan-game because it's going to take a couple years to see the whole thing through. Now that we have previous experience out of the way, now we get to starting and creating your own fan-game. For me personally, I start with creating the story first. Instead of trying to explain how it works, I'm going to show you how I start my storyboarding instead. I choose to challenge myself a bit so I'm using someone's answers in an interview as my restrictions. Below is the interview which I will break down little by little before combining it all together: Now the first thing I asked were favorite RPGs. I got the answers Kingdom Hearts 2.5 (I'm going to refer to II for this) and Final Fantasy X. These games have both a mix of Sci-fi and Fantasy but skew much more on the fantasy side. They are also lighthearted only slightly touching on darker themes so we're going to go for a T for teen age range will be my focus. There's not much I need out of this, but it's a good idea for resource material later on. Next we have Zeref Dragneel from Fairy Tale. I personally have seen a grand total of one episode of Fairy Tale so I needed an explanation of this character. Immortality is a little hard to play here so instead we'll use a theme of fear of death. A man who lost everything yet is afraid to die pushes him to be a sheltered hermit. We do have a fantasy theme so perhaps he did try to kill himself in the past but was reincarnated into someone else as someone who retained his memories. Something people mistake is that you can't use other characters for inspiration, but I do it all the time putting my own personal twists on them like this. I believe he'll fit better as a side character in out story. Now the two places: Hiroshima (Japan) and Earthland (Fairy Tail) are not my source of expertise so I will spend about ten minutes doing a bit of research on them...this is quite a tricky one. Earthland is kind of more medieval setting while Hiroshima is modern time. Perhaps we could have a festival reviving some old cultures of the past to help with a broken city after being nearly destroyed by a devastating attack from a monster (Hiroshima was bombed by a nuclear warhead). This could lead to an interesting conflict for a setting. The situation I gave with the little girl who was a bearded old man was a tale of role play. Perhaps this would be a good scene for our main protag to experience and I do know how he would react in such a scenario. Being quick to help the helpless, but he's quick to judge something disturbing as well. You may not see the connection yet, but I see a character who greatly fits this role. When I asked for activities, I got league and sleep. The latter would most likely be for a lazy main character who doesn't like doing much, but the league would be for competitions. This sounds like a character who is always ready for a fight, but only for a reward otherwise he cares very little about it. When I asked if this avy looks fat? That was kind of a silly joke question. It could be implemented into a little humor seen if I wanted. The last question I asked actually has a lot more meaning to it. Something I think a lot of people have a misconception is that a likeable character has to have a really good backstory or fantastic personality. Looks do matter for a character and characters such as Laura from LoH Cold Steel is a very shallow character, but she's really well liked due to her looks and that bloody giant sword. I got a mix of both so I'll implement both factors in which our main protag judges people. So here's what I got from all of that stuff: We have our protag (not a full design but I know he at least would have a grin when talking trash) coming into a town with many tall white buildings. Our player eventually crosses paths with a little girl sobbing on the streets. He then decides to offer some bread he bought at a nearby stand in which she turns and reveals that she's actually a full grown man in a dress. This startles our protag causing him to back up and bump into a tough looking guy. This pisses the guy off telling him to watch where our protag is going. Our protag then sasses the guy by mentioning he was a little busy experiencing something that would scar him for life. This pisses the guy off even more as he's about to duke it out with the protag, but his partner stops him saying to save his energy for the tournament. Our protag is interested saying he'll gladly kick this guy's ass in one. The PO'd guy then smirks saying that this is a tag team tournament and that there was no way a jackass like him could find any friends in this town. This causes the bearded man (in a dress) to walk up and say that he and the protag we'll beat them together telling the protag to come along before walking north. The two jerks begin laughing saying that they're going to get a kick out such an easy win. Meanwhile, the protag is still in disbelief at what had just happened. The tournament is actually part of a Renaissance fair which celebrates some old cultures and also where the protag can buy some unique items. The tournament itself has sort of a castle design with a big open ring for battling. During the tournament phase, we actually would learn that the bearded man actually was a young lady who supposedly died in a house fire, but she woke up the next day as a man to her disbelief (also makes a joke how old habit die hard as she wore dresses all the time). At first the protag is weirded out by this guy, but over the tournament the two ended up becoming friends before winning it. After the tournament, our protag gave all the prize money to the man since he deserved it more to the protag (also says he should consider a change in wardrobe). So there's a lot of good stuff that could be taken from this idea even if it's not used. We made a decision to use a talking protag over a silent as well as decided a bit about the setting. If this was a non-Pokemon RPG, I probably would make that bearded man a party member as it would lead to a lot of interesting scenarios (and people claiming identity fraud because...y'know girl trapped in man's body). The most important thing is that we have a starting point in the middle of the story. That way you can move both backwards and forwards expanding it rather than have a permanent starting point. I know one of my ideas started with a scene 12 chapters in the book yet it doesn't even exist anymore due to me developing it more and more. There are three things I didn't do and for a Pokemon game I'd use these three when first developing a story: 1. Avoid implementing Pokemon when first brainstorming 2. Start out with realism 3. Look into other media for inspiration In a sense, all three are saying the exact same thing. Notice how I avoided mention Pokemon at all when throwing that scene idea out. Pokemon is actually a bit of a distraction which adds noise to the base concept. You should only include Pokemon if they express emotion or are a necessity for the scene. The latter case is actually rare as it would involve concepts like animal abuse otherwise Pokemon battle could be temporarily changed with human fighting for the moment being. This helps with removing useless facts and details (I like to call noise) so that you can really focus on what you do. You could interchange Pokemon with gameplay as well. Now we get into realism. I could make a COGA just on this simple idea. Something you will need to learn and develop while writing is setting rules and laws for your world which cannot be broken. These laws are ones that do not abide by the laws of realism which is the idea that this could happen in real life. When you get more experience with writing, you will always skew towards realism with the only thing stopping your are the laws of the world. This helps set a story foundation before you get into the crazy and weird stuff. The last one is one that someone probably is using without even knowing. Inspiration doesn't come out of thin air, but a spark of ideas after an experience. One of my favorite Commanderisms is "Just because I don't like Romance novels doesn't mean I shouldn't read one." The more you open yourself up to new things, the more experiences and wider range of knowledge you gain. Now many people will argue what your first steps to making a game and even when starting a story should be. My mindset and belief is that you start with a scene early on but not at the beginning. Here's why I like it: there's no template you follow when creating it and allows a large degree of freedom when building. You'd then dive into an experience and build your world using that slice as an inspiration. For some people that might work, but for others it might not. This is just a look of how I can make something up on the fly before fleshing it out. I may actually keep this and use it for future COGA's. I hope you enjoyed this little introductory article in story as this is a section I really like talking about. I may or may not have also named the bearded man Jenkins

I guess I'll be the one voice in the crowd saying that I really, really do not like fan-games that are based off of Reborn. I do enjoy Reborn because it sets out to be 3 different things which all actually clash quite well with its intention, but it's one of those one and done type deals and not something that should be made out of a series like it is. I'd actually even argue Rejuvenation could have been better than Reborn if it didn't take the dark and serious mindset and went with a more lighthearted if not silly adventure. I just want to state that before going deeper. By saying you want to make a Reborn styled game, you are basically saying you want to make a cheap, knock off version of Reborn. Don't believe me? I'd assume you are going to be using sections of their script, if not the whole thing, many of their custom made tilesets, and certainly thinking about using their field effect system since it makes the game very difficult. It's very, very difficult to make a unique experience when your base game uses the same assets as somebody else. You can't really justify using story to say your game will be unique as story is the least important thing when it comes to a game (I've played games with horrible stories I enjoyed). I'm not saying that using assets from other creator can't create a good game, but game making is an experience where you can't lean on people (outside your team) to make it work or do it well. You will have to do all these things you think you can borrow and use from other creators yourself otherwise you limit your game if not cripple it. Once you learn how to do everything, then you can learn to do more. Reborn certainly didn't get where it was today in a single day or even in a single year.

So I managed to get through quite a bit yesterday and here's kind of a summary of what happened: The Kings face was taken so our four heroes ventured out to try and find it. When they did, we got a crap ton of gold which was used to well...buy really good weapons and armor. We then check in on Yamcha who...gets OHKO'd by some Goblins before venturing out to find and escort this guy: (Oh wait I don't have a pic of the prince but Yamcha fits too perfectly for this role) So we then venture out and find Prince Eminem but not before being attacked by a Griffin in which he did nothing: (This guy...this guy is marrying the princess?) Anyways we get back to the Castle which a big fight happens so we go get some fruit, but while we're away Princess Timmie's face gets captured so Yamcha sets off to rescue it. Then we head off and see Yamcha do 0 damage to the boss before getting OHKO'd by him. We then defeat General Timmie and save this kingdom, but not before getting a threat from Mr. Clean. Highlights: -Commander learned Explosion and using only the strongest of spells (thank heavens I invested into his MP) -Zelda learned "Begone Thot" to OHKO enemies...sometimes -Zelda has the highest Magic attack, but no magic spells -Segata and Zelda had a quarrel, but Lucina's song ended it quickly (she ended quite a few of them) -Segata was sick of Commander's cowardly ways (using him as a meat shield) -Lucina became a Macho Man of Peace -Segata became a Titan Slayer -Commander and Zelda were about to have a quarrel, but Segata randomly showed up and said "You must play Sega Saturn" ending the quarrel immediately -Zelda learned about Commander's obsession of cute things (she doesn't know he thinks Zelda is super cute and adorable) -Segata is a horrible gift giver (I don't even know what he got was even called...it looked like earmuffs) -Segata and Zelda training DDR style -Zelda also can swallow an MP candy whole (much to Segata's surprise). -Timmie cuddling Yamcha Ah but our story is not over yet. While our heroes ventured forward, the Dark Lord Clean didn't stand for it and captured three of them before sealing away all of Commander's powers (just when the team was coming together). Now Commander ventures through the desert disguised as a thief Commander but not before bumping into a familiar face: (Just like the real one she lost a very important item and very dangerous as well) So now we're on a quest to venture forth through a desert, but we are not alone. We recently recruited a Chef in training known as Tanith. Being a retired general, she doesn't take Commander's crap about it being hard to walk on sand saying it's good for him and to get over it. And for those who don't know, Tanith is one of my favorite Fire Emblem Path of Radiance units which a Chef actually isn't too poor of a choice as she wanted Oscar to help her learn how to cook (I was originally going to do Oscar, but I already have a calm force of the group). I'll post her pic as well as the future characters in the next post (I may hand make the later ones from not famous RPGs). As for my thoughts of this game: There's some tediousness in it, but I really enjoy the concept of how chaotic battles can get where you have little control of them. It really makes battles more interesting and I would love to see a sequel game mixing it up in the future as it's a surprisingly fun and entertaining game if you don't take it too seriously.

Mii's I created: So I decided to make a little thread about this crazy little game called Miitopia. While the game does keep the same storyline, the fact that all miis can be randomized a bit does make this storyline quite entertaining. I am accepting Miis to add into the game if you either have a QR code or give me a pic or request I can make them and put them somewhere in the game. Otherwise, just watch as the chaos unfolds. Our story so far... It was a quiet day for a strange gray haired man: Things did not last so peacefully as the evil Dark Lord Mr. Clean scrubbed all the faces off of the nearby locals, or filth as he called them. Commander got on his big boy pants and gave chase to Dark Lord on a quest to rescue the many faces he had taken. He even took poor little Squidward's face. He was not alone as on his quest he met the might warrior Segata clad in his silver armor and it was bromance at first sight. The two continue on their journey when they come across a strange "male" idol with a lot of swag known as Lucina who countless of fans wish for his hand in marriage. The three teamed up and journeyed on they came across a young energetic girl named Zelda. She claimed to be a commoner who had healing powers. Together, these four were able to recover all the townsfolk's faces and cease the storm of chaos. Dark Lord Clean did try to stop the four heroes, but the Great Sage Amethyst dabbed in to save the day. The four now head on seek an audience with Burger King and his daughter Princess Timmie, but not before having snacktime with Batman. (I'll get a picture of her eventually but here's her QR code) Other various highlights: -Zelda's cuteness overload (it's so adorable when she hops around on the screen) -Segata's and Lucina's hardcore workout session -The Joker being married to Magilou -The King's questionable choice in soldiers (Goomba, Cthulhu, Samwell Tarly, etc) -Commander being forced into saving the world (even though he doesn't want to) -Segata and Commander bromance moments (they are level 7 already in their relationship) Summary of the party members: Commander (Mage): Either hits really hard or does terrible damage before using Segata for cover (Just like the real me) Segata (Warrior): Unfazed Warrior he goes last before hitting like a truck...or Commander coax him into attacking earlier Lucina (Male Performer): She may as well be Michael Jackson because she dodges everything before knocking the enemy down with her lyrics (she can't get rid of her polka dot fever though) [Toon] Zelda (Priest): Either she heals or she trips while attack the enemy. It's hilarious and adorable at the same time. Here's a quick pic of the team (I'll get better ones in later updates now that I know how to get them off my 2ds): I really like this game just due to its wacky nature, but these posts won't be too long or fancy as I'll just point out things I found funny throughout it.

That's a very hard question to answer because we are comparing apples to oranges to pears. My advice is to pick one to start and if it feels to easy or too hard, you can move your save file from the Reborn/Reborn Hardcore save folder and continue the journey in the other game. Hardcore requires a lot more strategy, but both modes can be completed with quite a variety of Pokemon. You'll know by the first gym leader which mode you want to play. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ As for updates: things are going to go really, really slow until November. I'll describe it as taking 6 courses but feels like 8 due to a bloody online group project (that's a story for another day) in which nobody really wants to do anything unless I basically order them around. I don't have time to deal with that, but I have to which sucks. The altered path layout has been nearly done for a while minus the bonus room (which worse comes to worse I could either cut or swap a couple out as H4 units). I finished 50% of the Altered Path Champ room in E15 so I will probably take a day in October to wrap that all up. I also decided I'm going to opt out of an E17 release for Hardcore. The level of content of the mod is a huge undertaking which I am far from being innovated with as I do have one big side project that I'd like to get done and implemented as well as clean up the current content a bit. That was the original plan and design for E17 which I will be continuing to finish first. Once that is completed, Gen VII implementation will come next. That's a year long project for a single individual to get done. That's part of the reason I'm doing the Rejuv run and COGA's to pass the time with content instead of having absolutely nothing for a year. Is there a way to reduce the long wait time ahead? Absolutely. There's four things I could easily pass off to other people to work on and get done: CoM and Alt Path fight polishing, Dialogue editing, HCHQ rematch trainers, and Party member overworld sprites. If you are interested in helping, please PM or DM me. I'll go into what each of these are: CoM and Alt Path polishing: Basically, you take the leader fights and polish them up a bit to either perform better or be a bit more difficult. They have to resemble their story counterparts in a sense so if you expect to throw a team together, even if it is super difficult, I may reject it for not feeling like a leader's battle style. There are some other criteria (mostly no legendaries though), but once you do enough of these you'd get the hang of it. I'm looking for 2-3 people here since that's a lot of battles to cover. Dialogue Editing: Basically just look at my text and feel free to change them to either feel less stiff or just straight up only fix my typos and grammar error. There's only about 70 or so of these events which won't take very long to do. I'd really only need one person to check over this stuff and make changes. Getting two more than likely would lead to a big mess. I wouldn't really ask for this if the event count is probably going to double with my next little project. HCHQ Trainers: Something I've been debating on doing is adding in rebattable trainers in the HCHQ (3 per episode segment) and possibly other areas during the Agate Point of no Return. It's very low on priorities and probably will never get done if someone else doesn't create them. This is stuff just made for more convenient grinding as Hardcore has a slightly different level curve and cap system than Reborn's. As long as they are willing to make the PBS data and the event data, I'm willing to take as many people here as you want....except past uhhh whatever 5 x 19 is. 95! 96 people would be way too many people (and would be hell crediting the Readme with). Party Member Sprites: One thing about the overworld trainers is the lack of sprites for activities like surfing, biking, and technically running. I am terrible at art and still pretty bad at spriting, but if I can create them, I'm pretty sure someone else could too. This is on my post E19 content to get done and finish but if anyone is willing to work on them, that's less work for me. Only one I currently have done is Titania. I really don't have a limit on this either so if you want to give a whirl on trying to do overworld sprites, I'd be more than happy to accept the help. Do I expect or need anybody to get this mod completed? No. I'm just saying that this update is going to take a year and this is stuff people can help me do while you're waiting. And remember, the more you help me, the higher the chances I actually do a Rejuv Hardcore. All of this stuff has to get done before I even begin touching that game. Just remember that while you're waiting bored for updates and releases of anything.

Huh that's a new glitch. I may actually want to tell Marcello about that one as he will get a kick out of it. Good luck getting through Devon Corp. Oh as a fun fact, the party member fights are not meant to be hard...yet...but I wanted to mix it up by obtaining them through a battle.

I'm not really sure what part you are frustrated or upset about. This is going to be Reborn vs Hardcore talk because quite frankly, people don't understand that they are two different systems designed for two different battle formats. I'll start with Reborn's level cap system: Reborn has something that is called a soft level cap. This means that there isn't a force stopping you from leveling up, but there are incentives not to like disobedience. I've seen people ignore this and get frustrated trying to solo the game with 1 level 90 or so Pokemon but can't really. Ame also makes the level cap 3-5 levels higher than what the player's mons should be at that given point so if you're frustrated at the cap, then you actually aren't using a full team. I say this as someone who fights opponents 5-7 levels below the cap with only a team of 6 I built very early on. Reborn overall is not a very hard game in RPG standards so consider it a wake up call you have to try for victory. Now somebody mentioned that a mod did something with the level cap. That'd be me with Hardcore (a "harder" version of Reborn). Since I designed fights around a level cap, I turned it into a hard limit in which Exp could not go above a certain level until a gym leader was defeated. In doing this, I could give players more experience by giving opponents evolved or more Pokemon as well as a lucky egg and exp share. Pokemon here are all roughly going to be around the same level when fighting bosses vs Reborn's where teams will usually be very different levels. We do things differently and for different reasons (my mod is harder version of Reborn so I need to include stuff to compensate for the extra difficulty). If you are going to complain about it saying it should be removed, you should honestly remove yourself from the game. I'm not particularly fond of the disobedience system (mostly because it is a pain in the ass to grind new Pokemon with), but Pokemon is not an easy to work with system as keeping the level pacing is really hard to do without overshooting or undershooting. It's never going to be perfect but Ame did add new features like trading, speedup, and Grand Hall trainers to make grinding more bearable.

https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Fake_Pokémon Now in return I must ask you and prove that these mons would not fit the definition of Fakemon as you must prove that these are official Pokemon. And since I know you are so headstrong and the next thing you'll say is "They don't say anything about Pokemon forms therefore I'm right" I will highlight that this is a very outdated article made around the early hacking days, but there is something to prove I know what I'm saying (which I have no idea why I'm even bothering at this point). You see that fake Shaymin Sky Form. That is no different than all that stuff above. As for a statement from a valid person, I've been studying elements of writing and criticism for an 8 year time span (though I'm currently on hiatus due to schooling...not writing related) as well as been part of the fan-game community for I think 9 years now. While I am not a developer myself, I have spent enough time learning the bells and whistles that I am more than capable of making a fan-game or a hack, but do not wish to. I have the account on Pokecommunity to prove it (even though I was very quiet back in the day). The only way you can go higher up is a statement from an official associate from Pokemon and you really do not want that because all of those fan-games hosted on the site would be asked to be removed. I could continue, but I myself and probably a number of other people are tired see me argue about Fakemon when we all know what the concept is. I do apologize to the original OP as a post I intended as a joke as well as my ability to not shut up may have driven this topic from a fun little thread to a pointless argument ruining the fun. If they so wish it, I will happily delete any or all of my posts. Also someone should make a Normal/Poison Zangoose concept due to all the trash and stuff it eats to survive

I'm just going to respond to this whole bloody mess that was started just because someone responded with an ignorant statement and end it once and for all. First off, nobody here was claiming the delta concept was fan created, however, I would not quite use the TCG as the source of Suzerain's Deltas as unless he stated it was inspired from that, it's not the origin. The original concept came around during the Orange Island Anime series (which also was where the first official double battle happened). That's the physical changes show on these mons and their types rather than just a type change like the TCG shows. Not very important because we were never talking about where the concept originated from and nobody is claiming it. Now we get into what a Fakemon is and why it is very, very rude to say that something is not a Fakemon. Fakemon is in simple terms a Pokemon created and designed by a fan and is in no way part or claimed to be part of any officially affiliated Pokemon content. Reborn's Pulses are Fakemon. If it'd have a unique sprite and cannot be considered an exact replica of an official species data wise (ie stats, typing, abilities), it's a fakemon. The term is sometimes viewed in negative context due to how a majority of creators lack the skills to either make an enjoyable game with them, but most of the time they're straight up poorly sprited and very unbalanced. Fakemon is how we label fan created mons and saying one of these isn't is no different than saying that a person didn't create them. If anyone would still like to disown my statement claiming, you are free to keep your mouth shut. These are Fakemon which is not an opinion but a fact. Now let the people create the monsters of their dreams with little worry of such pity arguments.

Maybe I'll do one of that in November but it's quite a touchy and deep subject. But that's getting a wee bit off topic. It wouldn't be too hard adding these things in as a mod, but it isn't my thing so you'd have to find somebody else. Of course many of these ideas only stay as ideas.

How I do stat inflation is hard to explain but I determine the damage level beforehand trying to not go over the 500 BST cap I set. Sometimes I even lower the offensive stat it isn't using so that I have more BST to play with. I would've probably gotten away with it if I didn't mention it as it's not made to make mons OP, but balance the team out more (ie keep the feeling of the early game leaders). Adrienn is the only leader I gave a lot of stat inflation to because Xe needed it that badly with the doubled edged field.

Fakemon talk:

Pokemon anime having a good story and plot: After the whole finals thing, I wouldn't really talk all that much about X&Y being good because it's a can of worms waiting to be open and it has its own faults. I will say though that Sun & Moon from the few episodes I've seen is surprisingly really good and better than X&Y. We're not talking about that though. It's too late at night to be reading but from the looks of your team, you'll be fine getting through all of Reborn with only a couple leaders possibly posing a challenge but not much stopping you from one or two attempts. I only know this due to knowing HC from the inside out and that it'd be pretty easy to beat with a team selection like that. I'd say if you want a greater challenge stick with using only those six but if you want to show off a little variety, allow yourself to catch a few more Pokemon to swap out (Phantump really is your only weak link on the team).

Chapter 20: My Mind May Falter, But This Spirit Shall Never Be Broken One thing you will learn about me over time is that I don't abandon projects due to low motivation though I did abandon that one Reborn challenge run because it was a grind fest. Anyways, let's finish this so that I can be done with Rejuv until October...that is way too fitting considering the next gym leader. (I have A LOT to say about Snuggles) I'm going to skip the gym overview as it's a tad boring but this set of images is about to get messier than Amethyst's sleep schedule. (This...is a terrible gym design. What'd happen if a Poke ball slips off your belt) (Yeah, yeah forced gym battle to end a version. Been doing that for the past 18 years) (That...is an opinionated topic for another day.) (Thank you Venam for being the voice of reason for once) (And you remind me why I don't like you anymore) You know when there's some golden character development moments where someone can realize maybe they aren't so great of a person and want change? Well that just flew right over Venam's head right about now. She's been inconsiderate this whole time of everyone and doesn't sit down and think that maybe this is how people feel around her. But oh it gets worse later. (Two and a half. I'm only here because the plot literally demanded it...which is very plot convenient) (I really wish this guy could come up with a more original line than a fancy way of saying "Get out of my house") (I imagine him now covering his ears when Venam is about to yell at him again) (Pretty sure Venam is the insane one here.) (That is a big ass lie) So this is where the run gets messy as I have pics of various parts of the various attempts so I will try to explain when the pics are missing or give an idea of the final attempt for the mon showing: (I need to play that game one of these days) (That lead is at the cap...lovely) (Well so far so good) (And I lost) >>>Nobody can beat batman Yes, that Bewear literally OHKO'd my entire team. I wasn't running a super powerful team, but it would've carried me probably all the way up until Kiki. This bear has Hammer Arm, Earthquake, and Rock slide on top of being 3 levels above the cap. Can I honestly just say that this Bewear was made way too strong and I would've dinged Jan so hard for this level spike. I needed to grind a new team up so I choose some interesting mons: Shadow Quagsire replaced Loewe since Loewe wasn't going to be able to do much still not being a final stager. Albedo, Walter, and Pancha stayed on the team though. So let's meet one of the new members of the group: (I am a mature and professional LPer) I actually did name her that, but I knew I could do better so let's meet the two new members of the team: (Give it a moment and you'll realize how clever that name is) And after many attempts against Snuggles, I discovered a hidden secret. It turns out he is literally Batman and Batman is protected both by plot armor and large abs. However, I decided to hire an expert on dealing with Batman: (Nobody is serious with this clown around) (So this is my team after leveling them all up. That Quagsire name is just way too fitting...and I'd be surprised if anyone even knew the character she's referencing) Also since I like showcasing odd Pokemon I kept Just a SEC as a last resort in case things get out of hand: (We're going to be seeing this a lot) (Alright time for Uny to do her thing) So one strat I tried using against Snuggles is to have Quag yawn and then attack with Water Pulse or Flame Burst. For some reason this thing kept getting critical hits on me causing my plan to backfire hard. (Seriously, Quag is so underrated in-game) I lost that battle so I'm going to jump into something kind of cool: (You think this is going to end horribly) (But the Joker finally beat Batman) Joker is just barely able to live an EQ and is able to 2KO Bewear. (Oh it's this annoy thing. Lovely) (And now it's gone) (This is one of my only two Chatot pics) (I almost always have SEC or Walter finish it off due to bloody Chatter) (And somehow this is my only Porygon2 pics) (Also can I say that this convo is kind of stupid...it invalidates everything you just did) Porygon2 was very annoying due to Tri Attack with the Silk Scar and the field boost. I think it either had Analytic or Download both of which are not really nice to deal with on a tanky unit. I can understand why people talk a lot about this, but personally it's not that scary in regular mode. (And you are about to see the magic of Uny) (She may have died but her sacrifice will not go in vain) (Or maybe I just switched. I haven't seen this fight in a couple months) Basically I had Walter usually take care of Chatot, SEC would usually be a snipe killer, Joker took down Bewear, Albedo took down Heliolisk and then was either fodder or damaged P2 heavily, and Pancha and Unfortunat just were there to tank kill. And as a FYI, I did do a test run where SEC swept Marianette, but where's the fun in that. As for this overall fight, I'm going to be blunt and say that it is really, really bad. Is it really hard? Probably for a third gym leader but difficulty does not determine how good a battle is, it's merely a factor. I remember facing her pre field team which I honestly really liked as that Slaking was a fun little challenge to take on to your personal preference. I'll have to talk about each individual mon here to explain. Heliolisk is a fantastic mon for a normal mon as it has a lot of power backing it up, but it's a horrible lead. Never felt threatened by that thing at all especially since it's a good mon to make her waste Potions. A good lead is one who is a bit more well rounded such as P2. While you would normally Taunt a P2, this level it can be a threatening offensive force with that field. P2 I think works, but I would've actually liked to see a Porygon used (Corey only had 2 fully evolved mons btw) as it could still be good around this time. I have no idea what was going on with that Pyroar is it felt like Jan purposely crippled it to basically be worthless. Cinncino has no reason to be here. It's basically a ripoff of Noel when with the low level of a game you get so much freedom. Chatot was annoying to deal with, but that's just Chatot's nature and me getting confused haxed hard (I lost walter against it once due to Walter hitting himself 3 times in a row). That's not the biggest point I want to make: There's no team comp here. While not every Reborn battle is hard, Ame is a master of making a team comp centered around using the field gimmicks making the teams interesting to study. Corey had an Acid Armor Grimer which I really liked and why I used Swalot as a stronger substitute. Marianette's team is a bunch of HO mons plus a P2 that skews towards offensive. The movesets are also typical HO ones so I knew what to expect, but I certainly wasn't expecting an endgame Beware moveset this early. I went on a rant somewhere why HO isn't the best for difficulty designing so you can look at that if you're really interested. Seriously, HO is useful for some types like fire, but don't rely on it. Now what would I have done with Marianette's team? First of all, I would've considered making her the dark type trainer and given her Pangoro and Zoroark as those two are very suited to her. But if we don't go that route, I would've probably done a more cutesy design team. Porygon (to reflect her brains)/Lopunny (maybe Diggersby if that's too weak)/Lickilicky/Bewear plus two others who could not be related to the role. Girafarig would be for the field effect and Unfezant or Noctowl. If anyone says that'd be too easy, she's the freaking third gym leader. She doesn't need to have a near perfect mono team and frankly many of Jan's choices are what I would use for a lategame team. Early gym leaders are honestly some of the most fun leaders to design for as they demand less for difficulty. (I had to switch my team up...) (As long as it isn't a kiss from Indy nor Venam, I'll take it) (....Uhhh...what?) For some goddamn reason, Marianette is not only a gym leader, but the same typing leader as Melia would be. I'm almost positive this is in the past, but even if it wasn't, it makes no sense that you'd get a badge from here. It's like receiving the balance badge from Hoenn and expecting it to count for the Indigo League. The Keta thing I would allow as obtaining a badge before someone dies would mean you still keep that badge, but this is just nonsense. The most nonsense Reborn pulls off is the Noel fight, but leaders have the power to accept or deny a victory when battling a trainer. It's still a structured system. This just basically says a lot about Rejuv's plot and is settup for bad writing. The worst part is that nobody even explains why this is even allowed (though we'll see more of these asspulls later) (It's certainly anything but NORMAL....I'll see myself out the door...after this chapter) (Venam, I'll excuse you because you're kind of dense...but shouldn't leaders know who other gym leaders are) (Pretty sure Indy enjoyed seeing me suffer) (So I get a z-stone, right?) (I thought you said five...you screwed me over, dammit Marianette) (Wait...there's lights?) (As they say, once you go black, you never switch back...I think) (Why am I face-to-face with the crazy one?) (And the daddy issues continue) (Cliche lines oh how I missed you) (I wonder if it's really hot wearing that outfit...he's probably sweating like a pig) (Correction, Marianette didn't state that) (....You know....murdering people is like the lamest way to show off as a villain) (You're new to this villain thing, aren't you? Corpses are merely wasted or finished entertainment. One of these four probably would've been of good use). I really don't get Indy. He's all for the prophecy however, he's face to face with what seems to be some odd aura one and simply disposes of it without giving second thoughts. This doesn't give him depth but pretty much turns him into a guy who either likes seeing people suffer or is so up in the religious stuff believes in sacrificing those who are not fit. Neither of those are interesting at all which is why he's just been so dull. I'll be making a couple COGA's on characters. (I just said that. Stop stealing my draining my thunder with that Heliolisk) (Forced dialogue to give an explanation...another sign a writer is new at this) (Is floating in mid-air) (I liked the previous alter one better) (There are so many things I could gripe about this single line of dialogue but...) (Can I just jump off this field now?) This line of text is really, really controversial. Marianette did notice so many things and puzzled it all together. She even figured this out so...why is he saying she's oblivious right now. The best part is that this was revamped and rewritten for this version so there's no excuse for a mistake like this. It just doesn't clash well with the previous sentence. (Pretty sure the above is supposed to be were especially with this sentence following it) (And now let me monologue about my past before I die...) (It was long ago when I was much more handsome than my current handsome self) (Why you gotta cut in on my backstory? At least mine makes sense) (Hope is for the hopeful) (It's a dream that never dies) (I see it in your eyes) I may have skipped a line because I've got angels on my side I didn't have enough screencaps. (And that is why Reborn put a restraining order on me) (If only I had more stories to stall him with) (If would've made the episode if the maids were yelling "Get on with it" after Maria's flashback) (He probably should've picked a less resembly namey like Melia) (This guy has the reward for talking so long he screwed himself by a little girl) (I...just...this feels a bit unfitting as he's acting...out of character? Do these things even have characters?) (I want that on a shirt now with Indy's face) (Venam sure is quiet. I like it) (Would've been funnier if she swore) (And I'm confused now...again) (Indy, if we weren't on opposite sides, I'd think we'd get along pretty nicely, but I always side with the ladies) (I'm just going to assume it's not something I want to see) (I'd say he's more of a nutjob than horrible. Given his meds and he'll be fine) (Oh good the call of destiny trope came here as well) (I am free. I had my citizenship since the day I was born) (So I can finally actually progress the plot now. Yay!) (All I got was yelling from a crazy old man...I wonder if that's what people think of me) (Oh heck no. Please tell me we aren't going there) So the player either time traveled and had amnesia or had an ancestor who...just some chosen BS. I don't mind prophecies if they aren't the center of the plot (I used one of "my son will be your undoing" for a character setup) but don't base a game around it. It requires a lot of skill to pull off well. Chosen ones are a bit different as you need to make sure that the character still earned their powers and skills and it's not a god-given right or surefire victory. That'd be a great COGA topic, but not one I'd do anytime soon. (Suddenly you realize Fan-games and fan-fictions aren't all that different) (Says the girl who can't even remember her own name) (I wanted to be the purple soul) (I stopped making sense of this game's logic a long time ago...girl flying is normal to me now) (Another plot point which won't be explained in so long that we're forget all about it) You know one thing that bothers me about Reborn. It likes to build up stuff during each episode and doesn't answer them for over half the game. Skies 2nd chapter does that as well, but it's more about the villains than the party member they tie to as the Party member's storyline is over or was revived not too long before the finale. In Reborn, it's about a side character who sometimes just randomly pops back up to continue that plotline. I don't agree with that style of writing keeping all the suspense until the end because it adds up and can clog up an ending so much you forget most of it. Xenosaga III did that and oh boy was that ending easy to go over your head. Point is tie up as much as you can or it'll lead to an even bigger mess. Like this beautiful thing I still don't understand at all. (Marianette now reminds me of Mary from Ib...please tell me that wasn't the inspiration because that'd be both cool and horrifying) (Welcome to my world that's painted with sadness!) (Here I am waiting silently for you, father) I pretty much covered my thoughts on this, but we aren't even close to being done with the episode yet... Here's a look at the team after the fight: (Walter was not having a good day) (Teenagers...always bitchin' 'bout something) (At least I got a badge out of it) (Wait...I didn't know you two were dating. I guess that's one way to get Melia off your mind) (I should probably feel sorry for Venam, but I really don't) (I understand the idea here, but the actual scene is...kind of so bad it's good) (At least you didn't go on a date with two lolis, a one night stand with a strange man, and whatever you call a day with Nim. Whatever you experienced was tame). (As a great man once said, "Y'all are stupid") Being real serious, I would've let these three die in that mansion if I had the option to skip this segment entirely by doing it. You wouldn't even be that far behind in levels when reaching Goldenwood City) (Eh, you were the one who insisted on going in and egging Indy on) (Lenny, you should make new friends. Even I'd be a better friend than these two) (You'd think she would've learned this already after Amethyst Cave) (Try more tolerable) (I would be as well, but the plot armor stops me) (As another famous person would say, "I'm about to unleash my rage!") (I really don't understand what Jan was trying to show here) (I feel like I had one too many back there) (ARE YOU SERIOUS!) (I...feel...a...rant...forthcoming) I'm sorry but...really? Nothing gets me more frustrated than seeing a character who should be experience and change just straight up do the exact opposite. This entire segment is her entire fault. It's not even wanting to go into the house that was the problem. She went into the house, ignored the warning in which Indy literally told her many times that they were suffering the consequences of there decision which nearly killed them and it did not impact Venam at all. Even in future segments it doesn't make the impact it should. Maybe she's trying to uphold a tough act, but the game doesn't even give us a good demonstration she's doing that. She's just that ignorant and self-centered. I just cannot like a character who goes to that extreme. And the worst part is that this would have been easy to tie all up in a single knot. She wanted to go to that mansion to prove to herself that she was strong enough to protect anyone else from getting hurt and to stop people close to her from dying. Much of the story would have been the same, but this would have been the point she'd have an emotional breakdown realizing she's all alone due to her stupidity. And yes, Melia's death would easily be a spark for her to do such an extreme and irresponsible thing. That's called tying a story together. Rant bloody over. (The fact she can remain so calm and composed amazes me0 (And that doesn't bother you, why?) (Something between the past and a pocket dimension) (I don't really need to know this) (I know, I have eyes...even if I don't use them all the time) (Just like your character development) (Something about...plot forcing me here...it's been too long) (Probably not. I don't like shiny lights. Oh, I remember now. There's a fence in the way). (At least his character changed a bit) (I should've asked one of the gym trainers thinking back...or Gym Guy. You have tubes and tubes of poison). (That...was resolved way too quickly) (Uhhh....is that what comes after two? I thought 4 came after 2) (Hooray for convenient quick travel) Fun fact: creating fast travel in a game probably wouldn't too difficult as it only requires inputting map coordinates in the scripts and a menu. Also I kind of summarized my thoughts earlier and the rest kind of is just dull and not worth mentioning. (As a great hero who may or may not be in love with his sister would say "Digusting!") (The fact that there still is ground and steel amazes me) (Oh hell no. Don't you dare bring this up right now) Pretty sure she says something about the other side not being blocked off now. (You have no right to complain after everything you put me through) (The opposite place where Melia went) (There are only two times that is relevant: Lost and Nuzlockes) (These heretics have nothing on Indy) (Oh...I legit forgot about that thing existing...I should've pitched this fashion disaster) (Sanaki of Bengion...wait wrong game) (You must have a weak metabolism. I, on the other hand, am surrounded by idiots I hate and you don't see me exerting my insides) (Character awareness 101...eh, wait we're almost done!) (To think that we could have avoided all of this with a jump button) And were's done so there's only one thing left to do: So instead of a Recap anymore, I'm just going to sum up my thoughts of the segment: The first half of this segment really wasn't too bad from story and gameplay perspective. I think it was a huge mistake removing Rorim B's uniqueness with his bug team to make him a strict Mirror B clone. The original battle was fun and I did have a little trouble, but I liked it. It was also great subtle foreshadowing. Also, we got a Shadow Bonsly earlier. The second half I enjoyed the search and find style of the mansion, but story wise I just didn't think it was that good. I'm also not a fan of the battle as I do like to see a small theme with a leader (doesn't have to do with personality) other than HO strats since that's been the last 3 leader strats. I think that's the next leader...Jan get some new strats already. Biggest gripe had to be the missed Venam character development. She could be such a good character, but Jan is just holding himself back trying to degrade characters from people to a tool to explain stuff or move the plot. Hmm...perhaps I should make a Commander quote (even though I'm sure somebody said this before me): "A character is as real as you make them out to be."

So I'm going to first start with relationship points: I think Ame bit off more than she can chew trying to implement this system so late in development. We only know what it does internally as it never shows up externally or impacts the game. This is added with the fact most players who have played pre E16 probably aren't going to restart their files. Persona has a relationship system, but the game is centered around it and is a big focus. I could name a few others but I don't really see anything that works like Reborn...oh Tales of Symphonia. I could see it working, but Reborn's is like 4 times as big as that game's. I hate leading this off on a pessimistic note, but Reborn's protag is the weakest thing about the game. It's not even that they are silent, but more of the fact they aren't the star of the game. That sound really weird that the player character isn't the main protagonist, but that is due to how Reborn is structured. 90% of the game you aren't in control. Let's start with the beginning of the game: You are save from a train crash by Ame in which she tells you to go to the Grand Hall. Once you reach there, you get pulled along for like 10 minutes worth of cutscenes then are back in control. This is one of the few instances where someone isn't pulling you for a ride and then we get to Mosswater. From that point we're ordered by Florinia and then kind of get pushed around or go with the flow. We went to Coral Ward because the Police wouldn't let us by. This issue gets worse and worse as the game goes on. The problem is that the PC has no voice so we have to assume they are us even if we disagree with their decisions or choices. Now we get into the whole prophecy stuff. The player dying or disappearing is one theory, but we don't know what the player character is or even if this prophecies are true or haven't happened already. I'd be more inclined to believe the protag would or could die if they talked as another character could replace or take over on their adventure. It'd be really weird for Ame to design a league heavy game that includes a post game if the player dies during or before the champion fight. Of course, they could be...Reborn (no pun...fuck that's probably going to happen). I really hate prophecies as it's just lazy forecasting in my opinion. It was a good analysis regardless and I guess we should go for Ame next. Her in-game character ain't all that exciting though compared to the real one.

Commander's Opinionated Gaming Articles Pokemon Games - The Cycle of Repetition Ah yes, something not very well known about me is that I'm not a big fan of Pokemon despite being part of a Pokemon Community and making a mod of a Pokemon fan-game. The best ways I can describe my feelings is by bringing up another RPG series called the Hyperdimension Neptunia series. The game is an absolute brilliant concept of taking the whole idea of the console war and turning the consoles into girls to create a very satirical adventure. That was the original idea, but it did dive a bit too much into fanservice. Seriously, the creators acknowledged the existence of R4 and pirated games. They did change the gameplay and the humor for the first three games, but after that they kind of just kept reusing the same graphics, characters, and enemies and the series really hasn't gone that far (mostly spinoff games currently). It's sad how a really cool idea and premise went down the drain so quickly and even with their new game it's more of the exact same thing. Other than losing some man points, I did bring this exact franchise up for good reason. It's still very popular, but it just is not going anywhere but mediocre. Pokemon isn't anywhere close to that levels of stale or doing the same thing as they do add some unique stuff and features. I wish they catered to the RPG fanbase more, but I understand their decisions. What I want to talk about is fan-games and hacks. They are so varied with epic gym leader battles to stop team evil from using the awesome legends. Hacks I'm willing to forgive because it is a very archaic system in which you had a limited amount of space and resources to make a game. But even then, Life of Guardians and Prism were able to do some pretty cool little things. But fan-games have an easy script system with a wide variety of uses and freedom as well the ability to change and edit graphics and tilesets in minutes. With that much potential, why have so few people really tapped into it? I think I can explain, but I'll start with the official Pokemon games. Every lasts 3 years except for Gens III, IV, and V which all lasted for 4 years each. So what exactly happens in each Gen that makes each transition so important and special. While new mons and the new region may feel like the what defies a gen, it's much more to that. It's the innovations that are brought with it that really defy the Gen. Gen II brought two new types to balance out Psychic types, Roaming Legends, Time Travel, a bit of Japanese lore, animated Pokemon sprites, the battle tower, and even the concept of a Leader refusing to give a badge. Gen III brought a full colored game, the double battle mechanic, the VS transition, a large postgame area for a greater challenge (battle frontier), wireless trading, and the contest system. I could go on and on as GF is absolutely amazing mechanics wise with what they do and it's some of the best. It's their concept of story that tires me out as even with Gen VII it's still centered around leaders being roadblocks for the plot. They are getting their slowly but surely though. I wanted to bring this up so that I can talk about Zeta and Omnicron and how that game was praised so much by its features. Back in the olden times of Reborn's forums, it was argued to be a superior game than Reborn by them, but Reborn fans thought Reborn was better than this causing a war. Now that I look back, I actually think Zeta and Omnicron was better than Reborn, but Reborn was more innovated and a fresher experience which is why I preferred it. Zeta and Omnicron did a lot of little nifty things including a mystery gift feature, but a vast majority of it was minor alterations to the game or basically ideas taken from the main game series such as a much more advanced secret base. It had a lot of nifty stuff, but Reborn was a game which parted from the big open kiddie world concept and started the player in a big, grim city with a lot of mature themes. It also took up the torch of the original hard, but fair Pokemon fan-game pushing for players to change their battle style. It really was the black sheep since it promised a grand adventure and one that'll kick your ass. Now we hop back to the modern era of Reborn. Reborn has vastly improved itself to the point it is so much better than the original design, however, it does not stick out or shine as much as it used to. This has to do with fan-games or fan-game ideas such as Rejuvenation and Desolation who pretty much copied many concepts and used many resources from the Reborn game which earned them the coin term Reborn-styled game. I'll need to get further in Desolation before I fully judge it, but they still use the Gen V concept where the section of the game heavily involves the gym leader before a gym battle for the badge along with a grimdark style making the games predictable and somewhat stale. And not to mention every game I mentioned still uses the gym badge system. Heck, they even use what I call the outdated disobedience system to promote difficulty. That's a topic for another day. So copying another game is not exactly a good thing. So you may want to create a game with a whole new batch of Pokemon for players to go on a new adventure in a new region. I cannot really recommend this approach as it really just is not innovated and more risky than it's worth. Creating new Pokemon can give a fresh experience, but Game Freak does that and they do it damn well with their iron hand on the subject. They have really well made 3d models and are ready to throw something crazy and new at you. Most people who go this route slack off in all the other areas such as story, mapping, and gameplay as the feel new Pokemon more than make up for these things. Spoiler: they don't so creating your own mons for a fan-game does add a new layer of work and commitment which could lead to an amazing turnout or a really bad one. This fangame you wish to create has some huge restrictions. You can't just copy the format or ideas from one fan-game nor can you create a fresh adventure with new Pokemon due to the amount of work. So where can you get ideas for a unique Pokemon game? It doesn't seem like anything Pokemon related will help you. That's your answer. Look for source material that isn't Pokemon. You've just expanded your small selection of ten games into thousands. The ones I'd recommend looking at first are Legend of Dragoon, Valkyria Chronicles, and Super Mario RPG Legend of the Seven Stars. Those are games you could play for an hour and get a grasp of a lot of things they do and their own innovations to the genre. The games I'm using as source material for my one example are: Atelier Rorona, Legend of Heroes: Zero no Kiseki, and Pokemon Colosseum. First let's look at an example of a stereotypical Pokemon fan-game (I'm using Reborn styled here): "Welcome to the region of Vengena! This region made up of four islands is known to many as a place where the best of the best trainers come to show off their skills and claim the title of world champion. Some of you may think this will be a breeze with all those powerful Pokemon you trained, but there's a catch! You will be stripped of all your belongings bar the bare necessities and start off with a single Pokemon of your choice. Best of luck to you because you're going to need it!" Features: -An 18 gym badge adventure with all leaders using 6 Pokemon -All Pokemon available to capture and collect -A Dark, more mature storyline -Many uni...okay now I'm just making stuff up I just don't feel motivated to even think of labeling features for a game like that because all I can think of is stuff that shouldn't really be there. If that's what you list looks like, please just stop and reevaluate your overall game. Anyways here's what I'd write for a fan-game I'd design: "War? Peace? What difference does it make when you live in a hellhole like this? Probably shouldn't be saying it to a rookie like you, but it was too late the moment you hopped aboard this ship. Tell me kid, what's your region like? I hear that many are quiet and peaceful with a few scoundrels causin' trouble. Riven ain't like those places. You foreigners talk highly of our tech development and advancements, but few talk about the local life. Half of 'em are good and healthy, but the other half, like myself, have next to nothing. Seen some good men turn into monsters. Gotta do what you can to survive. Oi! Looks like we're pulling up to shore. Gotta get back to work. Be careful now. Wouldn't want a pretty face like yours to poof." Pokemon CO2 is a fan-game based on aspects from Pokemon Colosseum, including it's name honoring the series. With this project I wanted to focus less on the aspect of being the strongest and giving a sense and feel of survival. You can't really do such a thing with the original Pokemon design given how generous it is so I revamped the system with a focus of trainers creating their own items to be used in battle using materials. This changes up players thinking as they can't spam items in a battle, but it also makes players think about what Pokemon they want to catch as some do hold very valuable and rare materials. Creating items isn't the only thing to do as players can go shopping for materials, not battle items, but there is a special black market that sells Snag Balls. Snag Balls are to be used with a Snag Machine to capture Shadow Pokemon like in the Colosseum. Where do you find these Pokemon? Criminals around the region managed to get their hands on some so you could help the cops chase down a wanted criminal or perhaps find some goons of a tyrant. What is a tyrant? Tyrants are to be considered rulers of a city. These individuals rose up in power due to the fall of the poor structured league system in place. They run the place however they wish. Some have won the citizens over through kind deeds while others rule with an iron fist and fear. Each of these tyrants is unique and it's up to you to decide which ones are friend or foe. Features: -Random Trainers use a variety of both Double and Single battle playstyles -Defeating trainers nets no cash -New Items have been added to serve as ingredinents -Items can be synthesized at shops -Scarcity of Pokemon (only 300 possible species are obtainable) -Shadow Pokemon make a return -A new, unique adventure driving away from a league system -Enemies are much more challenging and now use team composition and strategies -Engage in the unique land of Riven, full of varied locations from a junkyard to a university The reason why the latter looks so much more fleshed out probably was because it was something I was looking into making before scrapping. It is a way I can break down since I did take ideas from certain games and put my own twist on it. Item synthesis was taken straight from Atelier Rorona as when I played that game, I noticed how main character was really weak, but she had the ability to create items to be used in battle and how centered around synthesis the game was. This would take a bit of reworking but limiting the amount of items the player could use and hold would work well as the inventory would be easier to use and players would think about what items to create, take, and use. Items aren't needed to win battles so the system wouldn't overshadow or ruin players who didn't wish to learn or use it. While this idea sounds complicated, it really would not be hard to make and we actually see an early concept of it in Reborn. I mention Zero No Kiseki which is one of the not localized Legend of Heroes Trails games. The only thing you have to know about that game is that it is centered around detectives in a police force. This series has their side quests set out as paper missions in which there are various kinds but there are two kinds I want to talk about: monster quests and people quests. Monster quests were a simple go out and kill a monster for money. I thought it would be interesting to have the players go out and search for wanted criminals in which they can earn quite a bit of prize money (there would be other ways to earn money). People quests usually ask various stuff from gathering materials to escorts to finding the real culprit. Most of these have a story to tell so it goes along well. There's a lot you could do with people in a game such as not apprehending a criminal after hearing his tale could net a much better prize near the end of the game. Pokemon Colosseum was still the backbone of this game idea. I wanted to give a much bigger and grander adventure than that, but still keep the concepts of a limited amount of options and the sense that you can't waste materials. Kind of delivering where Reborn really didn't. And increase in double battles would also happen because honestly, I don't think doubles is all that used in games despite being a very different playstyle. Tyrants are also a nod to Cipher Admins serving the role of leaders of either a city or facility. And yes, they used strats like Colosseum did. And yes, I do have a couple team layouts for a couple characters even including the first Tyrant. I didn't bring this idea up to see whether or not it'd be a good fan-game, but I brought up to show that looking into other games came bring something fresh, if not innovated, into the Pokemon fan-game work. For Hardcore, I brought up how to create the level limiter, switching character perspectives, and a gauntlet challenge all of which were easy to create. Easy does not mean quick by the way. It got me thinking as to why people aren't willing to do these little easy to implement things that would really add to the story. You could argue skill level, but most of the stuff I know and do could be learned in a day. You could also say it's the amount of work, but I'm sure a developer could spare five minutes. Creativity could be another, but if you aren't a creative person, why the hell would you be making a fan game? It grinds down to one thing: people are afraid of change. Making a game far from the norm is scary. It's not a safe or certain solution as you'll never know if a playerbase will like it compared to the stuff they already know in love. It could fail such as my party system in Reborn Hardcore. I've made stuff that fans of the mod didn't enjoy and I accept and understand that. It's just not a mentality for the fans but for the person creating the game as well. You could love something and want to design something just like that only including alterations of your preference. It's a mindset that you have to do something this way. Let me explain how true this is: The gym leader format is a horrible system for a plot and it's so much easier to work without them. Look at Pokemon XD. The Pyrite Town segment the player went to Nett, left town and got an email, and rushed back to save Nett from the hostage situation. The player is then warned about Phenac City's crisis in which they are immediately able to rush off and investiage...I think. I don't remember the plot exactly. Basically the gym leader format would be go to Nett and then have to leave, get a call about the crisis, save Nett from the crisis, but instead of telling you about the info he has, he challenges you to a gym battle because he doesn't trust you'll be strong enough despite saving his butt. That makes about as much sense as not being able to give a man, starved on the streets, half a loaf of bread simply because your friend doesn't think you know where they're at then challenges you to a battle to prove he's right. So why are people still using the badge system? Because it is ingrained into people's heads that Pokemon isn't Pokemon without badges despite some of the best games in the series not using them. Even GF is starting to push away from the original layout with the official games. I've been talking on and on about the poor use of repeated and reused elements, but even in writing repetition can be a good thing as it is a tool to get something to the readers. In games, it is giving them something they are familiar with. There's one thing and one thing people who play Pokemon usually expect from a Pokemon game: the battle system. The basic turn based concept and freedom to choose your team are a staple to any Pokemon game even if some like Super Pokemon Eevee Edition stray from it which is also a good thing. This is what we usually call the game engine which the gameplay is created from. With Essentials, the basic engine is already pre-built which is about everything you need from Pokemon to create a fan-game. This is a hard subject to explain because there's always a group of people who get upset with a franchise making changes with each game. They need to in order to keep a series from going stale as well as improve a working system. Just think about Gen I in modern times...which is horrifying. The same could be said about fan-games. While it is easier to follow in someone else's shoes, it is often much more enjoyable both for a developer and player to design something that you can really call your own style. Those are the kinds of games I'm interested in over the overused badge system one, but I'll go more into it in the next COGA.

Okay maybe I should explain my thinking on the team comp. She isn't the easiest leader, but she is one with the odds stacked against her. The playstyle Ame intended to use as a defensive singles ones for Ciel on a field that was designed for offensive play (hence why Ame dropped the Skarmory after the beta). This combined with the faulty AI stacked with the sheer number of good flying mons with x4 weaknesses (Ciel has 2 mons who die in a single Ice attack, One to rock, and Archeops becomes useless after being hit), it adds to the player having a huge advantage in why Hardcore's felt underwhelming. She's not hard because of the team design, but her difficulty lies in where the player's levels are at which it isn't hard to sag behind due to the low exp yields in the main story and the huge level spike in ace levels (I kept her Altaria at level 78 when in reality it should be 81 in HC to match the Reborn battle). Though that Altaria brought me a lot of pain with that sing combo as that can get nasty really fast, but that's usually my only issue when fighting her (never fought that Archeops though)

The only thing I really had that was good against Ciel was a Lanturn but I don't understand how you could get that far and struggle on what is considered the easiest leader overall. Looking at what the user above said, if you are going to charge into battles with tactics like that you shouldn't play Reborn. Reborn is meant to be a hard game and will never have an easy mode. A harder mode on the other hand...