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Moving Forward - Plans and an Open Discussion on the Direction of the Game

  • Ratty524
  • 06/07/2016 10:29 PM
  • 15111 views
So the public demo was finally released for this game after years of stalling, and currently the game seems to be met with mixed reception, which was partially expected given the shaky nature of which I handled things for the entirety of the event and for this game.

The question I have, and the one I'd like to bring up for discussion, is where to go from here?


  • To start off, the notes regarding spelling/grammatical errors/bugs and some poor design/mechanical choices are definitely going to be addressed. Speaking of which...



  • Many people have complained about the 2nd gyms' gimmick. Being that I am the same developer of Tina of the Stars, I should probably know by now that trying to make input-based minigames in a program centered around tile-based movement is always going to create poor results.

    I have two ideas to alleviate it in mind:
    1) The one that'll take less work: Slow down the cursor and not require as many dots to click in one session. I believe I tried this at one point during the creation of the minigame and I interpreted it as being too easy, but then again, being the developer, I also figured that the current state of the game was "just right." I'm the worst judge for this.

    2) Rework the gym's gimmick from the ground up. If so... What could I go with for a gym centered around yoga/fitness?



  • Originally, I didn't plan for any "flavor text" (such as reading books, looking at TVs, etc.) because out of personal feelings of them being unnecessary and assuming players wouldn't care. Judging from the few LPs I've seen of this game, I was definitely proven wrong.

    So, I at least plan on having some generic descriptions scattered about, but what about some extra flavor content?

    One idea circulating in my mind is to have TVs cycle through select "television series" that would provide some brief entertainment to players and open up the world a bit more, including:
    - "Wild Pokemon": A mock nature/documentary show that centers on wild Pokemon living in their natural habitat. Could also be something to give players hints on where to find Pokemon they haven't seen yet.

    - "Drama Core": A show with a set cast of characters that recreates/pokes fun of RMN's many instances of forum drama with the flavor of the Pokemon World.

    - "Ahremin Insider": Interviews with several key characters in the game, from gym leaders to the region's professor.

    Just to name a few. This could be something I could let you guys pitch in, as well? It would help sell this as a "community project" after all.



  • The Afropup line is currently the most controversial submission/design near the level of Jynx, but right now I'm honestly debating on what I could possibly do to satisfy the party that finds offense in the design, or even change it at all.



  • Lastly, I'd like some feedback as to what I should do with the goofy tone of the game. I've heard some who don't mind it, yet others who find it nearing the point of being juvenile (which is something I actually want to avoid) and un-Pokemonlike. My aim with this tone partially came out of the desire to play a Pokemon game that didn't take itself too seriously and allowed for some color/whimsy in the dialogue, in addition to referencing the atmosphere of RMN and catering to an older demographic than what Pokemon is traditionally aimed towards.

    While I admit there are many things I could tone down, I would like the community's opinion on how to handle this.




I welcome the opinions of both those who haven't played and those who have. Thoughts?

Currently, I'm addressing some of the bugs/spelling mistakes pointed out to me, doing some mapping for dungeons, and making a few more Pokemon battlers to complex the dex.

Posts

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halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
I actually would like the community to pitch in the flavor text. Not only would it be another layer of RMN-ness for the game, but it'd give unique descriptions to objects that typically get the copy/paste treatment in the canon games. I always give up looking at objects in Pokemon because I know it's always the same.

As for the game's tone, well, I think I made my opinion abundantly clear. For redundancy's sake, it's fine for the game not to take itself seriously, but the ways in which it does that shouldn't be so lewd. If I were playing a game and an NPC started hitting on my character, I'd be weirded the f@#$ out.
LOL at shiny afropup! I personally think the center afropup of Liberty's afropups looks nice. I second the pink for his shiny too since it's so fabulous~<3

(I think the hitting on by NPCs is great though D: I understand if the rest of it is too far :/)

I like the idea of having the community help with flavor text though! You could give us some images with our objects and let us go at it~
I don't know why knocking the swimmers tumbling was too much for some people. It was hilarious. It'd be great if you go past that route again (with normal travel options) and hear from the people who were hit.

"Did you see that asshole in the boat? He almost killed me! Grrrr, I am still pissed about it. Let's battle so I can blow off some steam."

Also, did more mock-ups.



I changed the cape to white because I kept getting 'Stayin' Alive' in my head and well, John Travolta in that white get-up... yeah.

Personally purple/pink, blue/pink and blue/purple are my faves. Dat cottencandy hair, yo~ Chopper would love~<3

(also, heads up that there's an issue with the last evolution in that the outlines are the same colour as the darkest skin used. This caused a lot of problems with recolouring as you can see. >.<; )
I really don't care, I actually like violen-- I mean I liked it. But since "we" already had complaints about the skin colour of a puppy...
I was okay with the sailor. It was this weird moment of ".. wait, is a drunk guy going to get me over there?"

I love the deep purple mockups.
I'm kinda leaning towards the blueish hair, but both soft pink and blue are great. The only problem I see is that while they look amazing on the final evolution, they are a little too close in color and seem a bit murky in the first two stages. The middle one of the lower row in comparison has better colors for those two, but then the final evolution seems murky. It may however indeed also be due to the lack of outlines .. soo .. hmm. Just first impressions here.

Regardless of whether it's been appropriate or not, I love all those colorful mock-ups the lil pup has gotten already : )
I'd love to see them used. I find them more original than the first drafts (the shiny one anyway)
Seiromem
I would have more makerscore If I did things.
6375
nofropup is my personal favorite.
Blobofgoo
Legs are a burden. Return to snek.
2751
Remember that afropup still needs to retain the look of a grass type somewhat. He doesnt really have any indication other than color so be careful (as soon as his hair color is changed to a non grass type color its sort of lost).

Purple blue is my favorite out of the ones Libby has made by the way.
I think it's okay for the shiny one since you will see them .. very rarely. And will have seen the standard one.

That said, I agree the standard one should be identified as grass-pokemon. I think some of the earlier wooden editions with a lighter brown would work well.
Ratty524
The 524 is for 524 Stone Crabs
12986
... Don't worry I'm totally keeping that scene with the sailor. :P

I personally like the two recolors on the bottom right. The outline issue is due to the original palette being super-dark to the point where there wasn't much of a point in diversifying that color range. It's something I can easily fix, though.
Hmmm pink foliage reminds me of cherry blossoms! I like the middle-bottom one :^D
Kloe
I lost my arms in a tragic chibi accident
2236
I like the purple-pink ones that Libby just did :D
Maybe we could have afropup come in all sorts of colors? That could be a lot of work but it'd be fun trying to find the color afropup you want! (Including nofropup because it is beyond adorable/hilarious XD)

I also like the bottom right afropup, but I think his hair should retain some greenness.
InfectionFiles
the world ends in whatever my makerscore currently is
4622
It'd be cool if Afropup came in different colors like Deerling. Whether it be seasons or somehow if this could be done you could play different types of music/song to find certain colors.
Ah, that's a good idea, IF! That definitely fits the flavor of the pokemon and would be fun to me~
Ratty524
The 524 is for 524 Stone Crabs
12986
Eh... I want to get this project done sooner than later. While I like the idea, I think it'll lower the already large scope of this project to forgo that feature.
author=Ratty524
... Don't worry I'm totally keeping that scene with the sailor. :P

I personally like the two recolors on the bottom right. The outline issue is due to the original palette being super-dark to the point where there wasn't much of a point in diversifying that color range. It's something I can easily fix, though.


Yes it stays!!! =D
author=Gourd_Clae
Maybe we could have afropup come in all sorts of colors? That could be a lot of work but it'd be fun trying to find the color afropup you want! (Including nofropup because it is beyond adorable/hilarious XD)

I also like the bottom right afropup, but I think his hair should retain some greenness.

Why-so? I think a cherry-blossom Afropup would be cute~

author=Ratty524
Eh... I want to get this project done sooner than later. While I like the idea, I think it'll lower the already large scope of this project to forgo that feature.


Yeah, while it's a nice idea, having to put it into the game can make for a lot more work, so it's best just to do a recolour of some kind instead. You have to think about realistic goals when it comes to finishing and while it is cool, it's not necessary.
:P Cherry blossom afropup does sound cute I just have a preference for the green hair is all~

It also seems like the cherry blossom aspect is a bit of a cluttering of the pokemon's theme, but I could easily see it being just fine!

Why not have the minigame in the gym give a reward based on performance? Easy to pass and get a Potion, do really well and get maybe an early evolutionary stone or something?

I like the shiny colour and the purple/pink ones for Afropup.

I like the idea of you just saying, "I need 20 documentaries now." and choosing the best of what we come up with.
InfectionFiles
the world ends in whatever my makerscore currently is
4622
I was also thinking that "dyed" or seasonal Afropups could be a triple triad reward and you can work/play towards a certain color you like. I know this is all just Afropup stuff and that shouldn't be a huge focus. just throwing ideas out there for it. Because beyond the controversy called to it I think all these re colors are cool and would fit into the pokemon theme for the crazy diffrrent pokemon like evee or Deerling. But I understand the extra work it would require and you probably dont want to exactly put more attention to it.

I do like the green haired one but the pink one is good too. He's all about that peace love and understanding and DISCO!
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