Pokémon General Thread

A hinge broke. So it's dangerous to lift it up.

It's the corner where the update light would be as well. It's dangerous to lift up, though still playable. But I've been avoiding that until I can fix it (a lot of things have come up, including money).

One Strip! One Strip!

How good was Granbull?

The sad, REAL American dichotomy

Is there anything in particular I have to do to advance the story once I gain the ability to make Pokemon and flowers glow? I know I'm supposed to revisit the nature park but I've revisited it both during the day and at night. Do I need to get those courses to Level 3? Because getting courses to level 3 isn't something I particularly want to do. I haven't gotten the Jungle at night to level 2 yet if that's important.

yeah thats the one

getting available courses to lvl 2 is usually what advances the plot

"Have a good day. Have a good week. Have a good month. Have a good year. Have a good life." ~Civia

I started a new fangame as I await for the next release of Rejuvenation(97% done!!!!), this one being Pokemon Empire. It's....weird. I can tell it's trying to be mature but suffers from that thing a lot of fangames do in regards to consistent worldbuilding where they use real world references and terminology that doesn't work in the context of the world they're trying to build. I can forgive this in fangames to an extent(honestly I find it annoying in Reborn/Rejuv even) but it strikes me as particularly jarring and amateurish here due to maybe how much they're trying to build the setting otherwise? The game feels like it can't decide if it wants to take place in a fantasy setting or the real world. It's one thing to make pop culture nods and stuff but be subtle with it, don't have hikers whining about commies delivered with the elegance of a jackhammer. I was originally hesitant about trying it because of how cocksure the dev sounded describing the game and even made a dark souls comparison which IMO is always a red flag lol, but after reading some positive impressions from those who played I figured I should give it a shot.

So I said this game is weird, and it is. It makes a *lot* of changes, in fact it prides itself on doing so. I think it makes TOO many changes even, and overwhelms you with them at first. It feels like maybe 80% of the moves/abilities I've come across have some change attached to them. I can respect the amount of work put in to do all this, but it does make the game kind of hard to get used to even compared to other fangames. Some changes off the top of my head

• ice now resists water, but this is a good one lol.
• freeze works like a mix of paralysis and burn, except it reduces special attack by half instead of attack or speed. You'll be seeing freeze a LOT early on.
• Fairy is weak to normal for some reason. Fire no longer resists fairy and fairy's resistance to bug has been replaced by ghost
• normal is weak to psychic
• set/no bag items is mandatory
• pokemon centers cost 20 pokedollars to use. I don't like this at all
• a fair number of pokemon got type changes. Like clobbopuss is water/fighting, hoothoot flying/psychic, but then some weird ones like swoobat being flying/fairy
• new moves and abilities for many mons
• adaptability makes you weak to normal type now
• acid armor recovers health
• changed stats for some mons
• camouflage raises speed and crit ratio too in addition to type change.

Now throw this + more on top of the field system Reborn uses and you can see what I mean by overwhelming. But it's interesting at least and fresh in a way. However one thing did rub me the wrong way

I started with clobbopuss because I have yet to play SWSH and pounce on any opportunity to use gen 8 mons in fangames. Here it has pure power and water/fighting so it's kinda sick actually. But I end up going against a trainer with a Joltik that wipes me out. Instead of just giving me the usual blackout message, the devs thought it'd be hilarious to mock the player for blacking out before reaching a pokemon center with a 4th wall breaking dialogue bit(complete with an unfunny Ao T reference...this is what I mean by amateur writing) and taking away almost all the player's money. That's not the problem, especially since the dumb joke only plays once. The problem is that I have no money when I eventually reach the pokemon center(because I tried to fight the joltik dude again and lost), so I can't even heal my pokemon. I was kind of annoyed with this and it did leave me with a sour impression, but after beating the joltik person and getting some money to heal my dudes it got a bit smoother. The game does have a tendency to throw "hard" fights out of nowhere, like this "meme" NPC in a house I guess who has a level 15 bouffalant when your team are maybe level 10 max? Or a fisher with a level 20 magikarp with an illegal(?) moveset when level 20 is the badge cap. Little fights like this are fun as side bosses and stuff, but when your pokemon centers are charging fees and money is scarce putting fights like that early game with no warning is just a dick move.

That said, I'm still enjoying the game because it's interesting to play and different than most fangames, not to mention the extent of all the changes made. It does make it fresh, but I do feel like it's got some design choices that could be an issue for me later on. As for the story, it's trying to do something but we'll see if it works. Thing is Idk if the devs have the maturity and skill to pull off the themes they're trying to convey.

The dev also made a bold claim that this game has the best soundtrack you'd hear in a fangame. Welllll I can tell you that's unlikely between the tracks having varying volume, the minute long silence before the trainer themes starts up again and the OST just being a hodgepodge of music/remixes from various unrelated games. At least they fit the context for the most part, but the trainer battle theme is just really average if I'm being honest. The wild pokemon theme is an arrangement of Frostman's theme from MM 8 which had me laughing(using megaman music for a fangame should be a trope in itself lol), but it's dope though sooo I won't complain.

I'll play more to see where it goes.

EDIT: wow this game actually has the nerve to give you game overs. There's multiple reasons this is a TERRIBLE idea, but the game doesn't even give you warning this could happen. And like, the context for this particular game over doesn't even make sense! The bad guy says, "whether you defeat me or not, blah blah I'll leave but I'm interested to see your ability!" and then you fight. So why in the hell does losing mean a game over in the first place? This isn't even a life or death situation and the way the battle is framed makes it seem like winning isn't even a necessity? I don't understand the logic here. Like I'm glad I saved right before.

Edited by Vertigo_High on May 10th 2021 at 2:35:58 AM

oh my god that game over sounds terrible I hate this. "you have to win in gameplay in order to lose in the cutscene" should be illegal.

Really hoping Rejuv releases soon, Desolation's next episode isn't until a while, and as much as I have issues with Rejuv I know it's good and generally better than most fangames out there.

"when you stare too long into the abyss, Xehanort takes advantage of the distraction to break into your house and steal all your shit."

Stuff like that is why I generally just stick to Drayano style hacks and similar stuff. Like there's this group working on a hack of HGSS that adds Hoenn and the Sevii Islands that seems like it will be quite interesting when its done.

Blog - Tumblr

Any good Original Flavor fangames?

A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they will never sit in.

Reborn and Desolation are the two I'll go to bat for. Rejuvenation is also fine, but the only way the plot is enjoyable is if you go in to see what dumb idiocy they'll pull out of their ass this time.

Insurgence is also mostly fine, although not outstanding either.

"when you stare too long into the abyss, Xehanort takes advantage of the distraction to break into your house and steal all your shit."

I think Rejuv's plot/cast has gotten somewhat better in later versions(though it's still messy with way too many characters and ongoing plot threads), Ren especially. Man he was insufferable in early episodes but he's improved IMO. Though other characters like Karen are still terrible and Melia still eats up too much of the plot. I've seen some accuse her of being a Mary Sue even, though I wouldn't go that far.

Also the Dr. Isha reveal felt like something out of a bad soap opera.

However there's one reveal I don't like, with Melia/erin/those unown dimension siblings all being related. That was dumb IMO.

Xenoverse is the closest I've played that tries to mimic the actual tone of the games, but it's closer to the Manga honestly and still takes liberties somewhat. But it's not nearly as edgy as Reborn's derivatives and shows a good deal of resistant for the most part while still being interesting. Also the artwork is superb.

Edited by Vertigo_High on May 10th 2021 at 10:59:31 AM

melia and the others being related kinda made sense in so far as we were told before that that indriad did have four siblings so I kinda expected something like that to happen, but that's as far as i'll give it credit.

I agree rejuv has gotten better over time and is enjoyable, but the story is the epitome of too much stuff. It's a single game and it has already reached kingdom hearts complexity/stupidity after like 8-9 games.

You could probably just split all of rejuv into one game about melia confronting her asshole dad, Ren fighting team Xen, Aelita fighting the dumb alien-conspiracy theory people and the main character fighting Crescent and that would not only be fine, it would still leave a lot of stuff in that game out.

Edited by Yumil on May 11th 2021 at 9:17:41 PM

"when you stare too long into the abyss, Xehanort takes advantage of the distraction to break into your house and steal all your shit."

Yeah that was mentioned last time I asked. I just wasn't sure if that was all, specifically when the game says to go back to specific courses. I'll probably work on getting the Jungle to level two later on then. So far Day stages are easier to level up than Night ones but it's still early game so...

How did my Torkoal get Outslowed!?

The Crystal Caverns A bird's gotta sing.

Update on Empire: Okay the first gym leader in this game actually opens with a weakness policy mon and has lapras as her ace. I think that's kinda much but whatever. The fight isn't THAT bad honestly, but it's annoying how often I was getting crit on during the fight. It took 3 attempts but once I dealt with Lapras it got easier.

I think the wild battle music changes for each new chapter I guess? This new forest area uses a 16 bit(?) arrangement of Sounds of Night Wind from UNIB. LOL I'll give them credit for that, though sadly the arrangement the game uses doesn't sound quite as good, but I'll give credit for picking such a tune. Oh the trainer music appears to use UNIB music too lololol. Linne's theme. I see you game.

I got a Furret who got a big revamp in this game. She's now a White Mage of sorts with a new ability that leaves a "care package" when she switches out which recovers HP of whoever replaces her at the end of the turn. Neat ability and she gets a new move on evolution which basically gives HP regeneration for 5 turns, which is cool. I kind of like what they did with Furret honestly.

Edited by Vertigo_High on May 11th 2021 at 9:39:14 AM

Incineroar got an unlicensed figure that's well made. Unlicensed figures are quite common in Southeast Asia and Chinese markets, and while having quirks, are generally in good quality. And honestly more often than not the only ways you could get figures of characters who would never see them (like say, WereGarurumon).

Death is a companion. We should cherish Death as we cherish Life.

Okay, so I’m replaying Heart Gold, and got Totodile as my start for once. I plan on trading over a Houndour I bred in Platinum, and I plan on getting my old standbys of Mareep and Swinub. Does anyone have any recommendations for the other two?

Oh God! Natural light!

Bellsprout. Victreebell can do some funky stuff, especially if you go through the trouble of adding Sunlight into your team.

Other than that, there's always Nidoran.

Zubat because Crobat is good and can fly you.

Yeah, I think I was to go with Crobat.

As for Victreebel...I dunno, I kind of wanted a Psychic type. How’s Exeggutor?

Oh God! Natural light!

Some interesting news. Target has suspended all sales of the Pokemon TCG until further notice due to the recent scalping issue.

Edited by Karxrida on May 13th 2021 at 12:08:11 PM

If a tree falls in the forest and nobody remembers it, who else will you have ice cream with?

Exeggutor is nice. Interesting moveset, tanky. Awfully slow, though, so you'll be spending a lot of potions on him from all the hits he'll have to take.

> Zubat because Crobat is good and can fly you.

that Crobat loses Golbat's cool looking mouth is always a downside to me

New theme music also a box

It gets a goddamn cookiecutter shark mouth. That is great.

I still don't dig how its wing membranes are darker than its body, swapping its colors. Crobat with the colors of its previous forms would be nice.

Real question,can Golbat close it's mouth?

New theme music also a box

Apparently it can, as seen in this image. This cursed image.