FireRed hack: Pokémon FireRed: Rocket Edition (Completed)

[colonelsalt]

I've always liked hacks and other fangames that allow you to be evil, as it grants a welcome change or pace from the usual "8 gyms, Elite Four, I wanna be the very best" routine that the main games follow religiously. I'm thoroughly enjoying this hack so far, and want to see you do the best you can to see it through! I'll give you a few pointers that you may find will make your hack an even more enjoyable experience.

I noticed that trainers all react the same way after they've been beaten regardless of whether or not I chose to steal their Pokémon. Stealing someone's Pokémon only to have them say "Zubats are weak at first, but become really reliable later." or something like that seems a little weird, don't you think? You should give everyone something different to say depending on whether or not you spare them or steal from them. For instance, if you stole from a young trainer who didn't think you were evil (like you did with the little girl at the beginning, I really liked that), they should react out of complete shock and have contempt for you afterwards, or just treat you like another trainer in a strange uniform if you leave them be. In another case, you could have a character like a police officer or one of the "heroic" characters see you in a more positive light if you choose not to steal from them, or steal from them to have them become tougher and more wary of you the next time you see them.

Then again, you may already have all of this planned for future releases, in which case, nevermind my rambling. Again, great hack so far. I really hope that you'll see this to the end.

One minor thing is the swearing in the game. While I'm not against swearing in and of itself, it feels really strange having familiar characters in a familiar Kanto region behave out of character in this fashion.

Thank you!

Yes, characters having different post-battle dialogue depending on whether you robbed them or not does make for a more dynamic experience and is something that will definitely be implemented in the second beta.

I'm afraid you'll have to stomach the mild swearing, though: Having characters that speak roughly to each other juxtaposed with a traditional Pokémon environment is part of the game's style; part of its intention of playing with, and paying homage to, players' expectations of a Pokémon game. It is meant to feel strange.

For the record, though, language will always be kept strictly PG-13, so you won't have to worry about finding any graphic profanity if that's a concern.

 

[XaXa42]

When will the next beta? Is there an official page to follow the progress of the game? PS: I live in France and I shared this project with my friends. Courage ColonelSalt does not let anything.

 

[colonelsalt]

When will the next beta? Is there an official page to follow the progress of the game? PS: I live in France and I shared this project with my friends. Courage ColonelSalt does not let anything.

Thank you so much! I hope your friends enjoyed it too.

As far as when the next beta will be out, I couldn't tell you, because I don't quite know-- it will be released as soon as it's finished. I'll make sure to have a few progress screenshots posted within a few week's time for what it's worth, though. The "official page" to follow the game's progress is more or less the one you're browsing now. Stay tuned!

 

[a8136768]

wait, so beta1 end after first mission? only 1 city?

 

[for him.]

I enjoyed the beta. When Red sent out his level 25 Charmeleon against my level 12 Eevee, I sweared like no tomorrow.

Anyways, I really enjoyed the conversation between Giovanni and Blaine. It really hinted a good plot and backstory. (I really want to find out what Prof. Oak did.)

 

[colonelsalt]

wait, so beta1 end after first mission? only 1 city?

That is correct. One city, one cave, and one 24-hour casino in which to amuse yourself ad nauseam when the mission is over.

I enjoyed the beta. When Red sent out his level 25 Charmeleon against my level 12 Eevee, I sweared like no tomorrow.

Anyways, I really enjoyed the conversation between Giovanni and Blaine. It really hinted a good plot and backstory. (I really want to find out what Prof. Oak did.)

Thank you!

I sometimes wonder if longer dialogue exchanges like that one might bore players after a while (especially if they aren't invested in the story), and I do my best to keep dialogue-heavy scripts as fluent and dynamic as possible-- I'm very happy to hear you enjoyed it. There is a lot to come story-wise, and I'm excited to get the whole thing out there.

 

[FlawlessInstinct]

This game is good. I'm walking through it on you tube. Hopefully it gets some exposure.

 

[PokemonMaster_j]

I really REALLY liked it. I can't wait for the next beta!

 

[chrunch]

I finally got a chance to play through this today, detailed feedback in the spoiler below. Sorry if it sounds too critical or nitpicky, I'm just pointing out the things I don't like seeing. Oher than that really enjoyed it, I just didn't bother going over what I liked in detail!

Spoiler:

So the first thing that I noticed is the dialogue formatting - which my main pet peeve with a lot of hacks. By this I mean knowing when to use /p, /n or /l in scripts. If you look at the official games, it demonstrates how to properly use them for maximum readability. Don't be lazy and use XSE's text adjuster, it makes it a lot more annoying to read when you have to constantly pause mid-sentence and press a button to continue reading. It might sound minor but I think this goes a long way in improving the presentation of your hack, and it would encourage me to read more.

The basic rules you should be following for this are: always use /p when you end a sentence, unless or can fit another sentence after it in the same textbox. Use /l only if your sentence is too long for one box. Compare the dialogue in FR to your hack if you don't get it, and pay close attention to the way gamefreak utilizes textboxes.


Next up: the maps. This isn't really a big deal since for the most part you're reusing Kanto, but in certain places it needs work. For example the second floor of the rocket base where you first start the game and get your Pokemon, it's too empty. And what are the arrow tiles doing randomly laying around on the floor? It looks like all you did was remove most of the puzzle that was there previously, but didn't change the room at all. Why? Restrict the room space some more, add some things like tables that should be there, stack a few of the boxes on top of each other. It would look a bit more normal than a massive empty room with a long line of boxes.

*Fly is probably too powerful for so early in the game. Damage should be decreased, to maybe 50 or 60.
*I would think shops would like the department store wouldn't want team rocket to be getting their supplies there. Perhaps certain merchants could require a battle first, or you'd have to get past security guards?
*Same thing should probably apply for Pokemon Centers. I think this was also a plan for Toxic Purple?
*Why can't I steal this old lady's Pokemon? :(
*The dialogue itself was great. Not personally a fan of the swearing though...
*You should decrease the level of the Pokemon on Route 7. Didn't expect to run into level 20s and get swept, although I guess it makes sense if you want to keep Kanto the same it's also not good in that you can get lucky and capture a Pokemon 10+ levels above yours.
*I noticed some small issues with scripts, like when the game first starts the player is facing downwards for a second or two. If you use a type 03 level script here to correct the player's facing, it does it before the map loads.
*Since you're already familiar with ASM, I think it would be cool if stolen Pokemon (maybe the higher-leveled/evolved more resisting ones) got a temporary debuff, like sometimes ignoring your commands for the first few battles. Another way to discourage excessive stealing, and make you stick more to one team.
*IMO more people should react negatively when a rocket grunt talks to them. Instead certain people don't seem to notice I'm in team rocket at all, like this guy. And if you're talking to certain people (say a biker), they could give you more respect instead.
*You can jump onto this girl.
*Small thing but I don't like how one mission in you're already getting missions straight from Giovanni. He's talked about like it's a huge honor to talk him but then straight up he's treating you like an admin. Would be better if the missions afterwards - until you've built up enough reputation at least, are mainly handed out by admins. I want to feel like I'm really climbing up the chain.

Most of these are just minor issues because the hack has a good base already. They are small problems individually (bar the dialogue, that one is really annoying for me) but fixing small details like these will make the hack look a lot more polished overall. best of luck, I'll definitely be playing any future releases you put out!

 

[Le pug]

The story grabbed me quickly and the way you wrote it was brilliant. It makes me wonder what could've happened behind the walls and I'm excited to try this out. Great work on the page, I'll come back with thoughts on the game! Keep it up!

 

[colonelsalt]

This game is good. I'm walking through it on you tube. Hopefully it gets some exposure.

That's awesome. If your playthrough was the one I found when I searched, then you helped me locate another bug as well: If you choose to say no when asked if you want to steal a Trainer's Pokémon, the textbox will remain on the screen until the screen refreshes. The fact that I haven't noticed this before is completely ridiculous-- it will be fixed right away.

I finally got a chance to play through this today, detailed feedback in the spoiler below. Sorry if it sounds too critical or nitpicky, I'm just pointing out the things I don't like seeing. Oher than that really enjoyed it, I just didn't bother going over what I liked in detail!

Spoiler:

So the first thing that I noticed is the dialogue formatting - which my main pet peeve with a lot of hacks. By this I mean knowing when to use /p, /n or /l in scripts. If you look at the official games, it demonstrates how to properly use them for maximum readability. Don't be lazy and use XSE's text adjuster, it makes it a lot more annoying to read when you have to constantly pause mid-sentence and press a button to continue reading. It might sound minor but I think this goes a long way in improving the presentation of your hack, and it would encourage me to read more.

The basic rules you should be following for this are: always use /p when you end a sentence, unless or can fit another sentence after it in the same textbox. Use /l only if your sentence is too long for one box. Compare the dialogue in FR to your hack if you don't get it, and pay close attention to the way gamefreak utilizes textboxes.


Next up: the maps. This isn't really a big deal since for the most part you're reusing Kanto, but in certain places it needs work. For example the second floor of the rocket base where you first start the game and get your Pokemon, it's too empty. And what are the arrow tiles doing randomly laying around on the floor? It looks like all you did was remove most of the puzzle that was there previously, but didn't change the room at all. Why? Restrict the room space some more, add some things like tables that should be there, stack a few of the boxes on top of each other. It would look a bit more normal than a massive empty room with a long line of boxes.

*Fly is probably too powerful for so early in the game. Damage should be decreased, to maybe 50 or 60.
*I would think shops would like the department store wouldn't want team rocket to be getting their supplies there. Perhaps certain merchants could require a battle first, or you'd have to get past security guards?
*Same thing should probably apply for Pokemon Centers. I think this was also a plan for Toxic Purple?
*Why can't I steal this old lady's Pokemon? :(
*The dialogue itself was great. Not personally a fan of the swearing though...
*You should decrease the level of the Pokemon on Route 7. Didn't expect to run into level 20s and get swept, although I guess it makes sense if you want to keep Kanto the same it's also not good in that you can get lucky and capture a Pokemon 10+ levels above yours.
*I noticed some small issues with scripts, like when the game first starts the player is facing downwards for a second or two. If you use a type 03 level script here to correct the player's facing, it does it before the map loads.
*Since you're already familiar with ASM, I think it would be cool if stolen Pokemon (maybe the higher-leveled/evolved more resisting ones) got a temporary debuff, like sometimes ignoring your commands for the first few battles. Another way to discourage excessive stealing, and make you stick more to one team.
*IMO more people should react negatively when a rocket grunt talks to them. Instead certain people don't seem to notice I'm in team rocket at all, like this guy. And if you're talking to certain people (say a biker), they could give you more respect instead.
*You can jump onto this girl.
*Small thing but I don't like how one mission in you're already getting missions straight from Giovanni. He's talked about like it's a huge honor to talk him but then straight up he's treating you like an admin. Would be better if the missions afterwards - until you've built up enough reputation at least, are mainly handed out by admins. I want to feel like I'm really climbing up the chain.

Most of these are just minor issues because the hack has a good base already. They are small problems individually (bar the dialogue, that one is really annoying for me) but fixing small details like these will make the hack look a lot more polished overall. best of luck, I'll definitely be playing any future releases you put out!

Wow, thanks a heap! I hadn't expected a full-blown beta test breakdown out of the blue.

A few of the things you pointed out are already in the works for the next beta: Without revealing too much plot-wise, events that take place some time in the next beta will introduce an infamy-system of sorts that will inspire more negative NPC-reactions and mildly punish excessive stealing. I do have plans for the second floor of the Rocket Hideout as well.

The player facing downwards for a second in the opening sequence was actually left in intentionally so players wouldn't get confused about which character they're playing as-- when I had him face up from the start, I noticed it wasn't immediately obvious. Frankly, I was on the fence for a long time about that one inconsistency, but eventually decided it best to keep it the way it is now. I might change my mind again, though. Did you come across any other issues with other scripts?

The Pokémon on Route 7 being in their 20s is my mistake, and was not meant to be there for this released version at all.

Thanks for the tips about dialogue formatting as well-- I'll have to experiment around with it to see what I like: as mentioned, I don't want dialogue-heavy scripts being any longer than they have to be, so I'll have to find some kind of happy medium there.

The story grabbed me quickly and the way you wrote it was brilliant. It makes me wonder what could've happened behind the walls and I'm excited to try this out. Great work on the page, I'll come back with thoughts on the game! Keep it up!

G-gosh, I'm honored. Discovery was amazing, dude!!1 Big fan.

 

[Super64sigma]

Can I ask if you are planning to add in other areas that team rocket doesn't go to in game and will you be including choice in an area on which missions will be done (like going to lavender town or defending the game corner)?
Btw I like the hack so far.

 

[Crizzle]

Great idea. Great execution of that idea. Im definitely gonna play this one when its completed. Looks incredible.

 

[FunkyPharoahGaming]

The game so far is very good. When i played i honestly wasn't expecting to be blown back so easily by a level 25 charmeleon. I can't wait for the next release.

 

[Xalterro]

Managed to barely beat Red with Kadabra, Porygon, and Scyther. Now THAT was a challenge. However, I did find it a bit weird that the story events didn't change when I beat him. After all, it was perfectly possible to lose against Team Rocket members in the original game. Perhaps for future stuff like that, you could have just minor changes to the events that don't affect the story in a large way. For example, you could have had Red "white out" if we managed to beat him and get the fossils as a reward to revive later, while still having him come back right after you leave to cause problems for Team Rocket like normal. That's up to you, though.


By the way, there'll be a way to evolve trade-evolution Porkymanz, right? I don't want my work for Scyther and Porygon going to waste, now. That gambling stuff's time consuming! I'm also wondering if you'll be including the evolutions of Pokémon that formerly didn't have further evolutions, like Electivire, Magmortar, Porygon-Z, Tangrowth, Magnezone, etc, since their pre-evolutions will likely be in the game.

On another note, I hope we get to team up with Ronnie during the story. Gotta love the guy; he's a rather rare combination of upbeat, hopeful, and evil.

 

[colonelsalt]

Can I ask if you are planning to add in other areas that team rocket doesn't go to in game and will you be including choice in an area on which missions will be done (like going to lavender town or defending the game corner)?
Btw I like the hack so far.

Thank you!

1) Yes, absolutely. All of Kanto will be accessible in the game, including a few brand-new areas here and there.
2) The main story missions progress linearly, but most areas will have additional side quests (some of which have their own recurring story arcs as well) that you can take on at your leisure.

By the way, there'll be a way to evolve trade-evolution Porkymanz, right? I don't want my work for Scyther and Porygon going to waste, now. That gambling stuff's time consuming!


I'm also wondering if you'll be including the evolutions of Pokémon that formerly didn't have further evolutions, like Electivire, Magmortar, Porygon-Z, Tangrowth, Magnezone, etc, since their pre-evolutions will likely be in the game.


On another note, I hope we get to team up with Ronnie during the story. He's a rare combination of upbeat, hopeful, and evil. Gotta love the guy.

There will certainly be a way to evolve trade-evolution Pokémon-- no one's hard-earned gambling prizes should go to waste.

To answer your second question: I decided against including any newer-generation Pokémon early in development because I wanted everything to take place in the original FireRed universe. As far as new evolutions go, though... I haven't quite made up my mind yet.

 

[GiovanniViridian]

Finished Beta 1 for this, and this one has very good potential (the title screen is more than enough to make me interested too!) and I'm enjoying it.

I was about to make my thoughts for this, but @chrunch pretty much mentioned almost everything what I'm about to post (e.g. Unnecessary arrow tiles in Rocket Hideout, Overlevelled Pokemon in the grass in Route 7 etc.) but I'll mention my thoughts anyway which are not mentioned much here:

• Minor typos: In Celadon Mansion, there's a room called "colonelsalt's procrastination room". I know this is nitpicky but to me "Colonelsalt's Procrastination Room" sounds much better.
• During the dialogue with Giovanni, I think the word "ridiculous" was incorrectly spelled twice, and in the game it was "ridiculuous".
• Not a fan of swearing, glad that it's PG-13 though but try to tone it down (Personal Opinion) (And yeah, I know this part is mentioned a bit in this thread, but I'll voice my thoughts on this too)
• Another personal opinion, but I think it's best not to use phrases like "Jesus Arceus Christ" or "Giratina's hell" since it's kind of looked down upon.

Other than these minor stuff, like I mentioned before, this is really great and the major part where you can steal Pokemon from kids and old people is the best aspect and I really love it. I also like how the plot follows the original plot which we all knew and loved. Some of the dialogue is great too, and I chuckled at the part where I'm asked not to mention about the secret hideout. The running shoes inside buildings are excellent along with the Fairy typing/Physical Special split etc. and overall, like one user mentioned, the idea of a completely different gameplay where it isn't just getting all 8 badges and beating the Pokemon League is very well done implemented for this game. I'm also considering trying to replay it just to beat Red's team which would take hours or be lucky in the Coin Slots just to win a Dratini.

Just a few more questions:

• Later in the game, is it possible to get Pokeballs easily to catch Pokemon, or will this game completely encourage the idea of stealing Pokemon? (I know that there will be a point where there will be discouragement of excessive stealing though, but I wonder if there will be usage of Pokeballs for the later part)
• Will there be a good grinding spot to level up my Pokemon much easier in later betas (such as at least some patches of grass like we all knew in the originals)?
• Are all Pokemon be catchable and obtainable? (Gens 1 - 3)

Good luck for the next beta, this is really well done!

 

[colonelsalt]

Finished Beta 1 for this, and this one has very good potential (the title screen is more than enough to make me interested too!) and I'm enjoying it.

I was about to make my thoughts for this, but @chrunch pretty much mentioned almost everything what I'm about to post (e.g. Unnecessary arrow tiles in Rocket Hideout, Overlevelled Pokemon in the grass in Route 7 etc.) but I'll mention my thoughts anyway which are not mentioned much here:

• Minor typos: In Celadon Mansion, there's a room called "colonelsalt's procrastination room". I know this is nitpicky but to me "Colonelsalt's Procrastination Room" sounds much better.
• During the dialogue with Giovanni, I think the word "ridiculous" was incorrectly spelled twice, and in the game it was "ridiculuous".
• Not a fan of swearing, glad that it's PG-13 though but try to tone it down (Personal Opinion) (And yeah, I know this part is mentioned a bit in this thread, but I'll voice my thoughts on this too)
• Another personal opinion, but I think it's best not to use phrases like "Jesus Arceus Christ" or "Giratina's hell" since it's kind of looked down upon.

Other than these minor stuff, like I mentioned before, this is really great and the major part where you can steal Pokemon from kids and old people is the best aspect and I really love it. I also like how the plot follows the original plot which we all knew and loved. Some of the dialogue is great too, and I chuckled at the part where I'm asked not to mention about the secret hideout. The running shoes inside buildings are excellent along with the Fairy typing/Physical Special split etc. and overall, like one user mentioned, the idea of a completely different gameplay where it isn't just getting all 8 badges and beating the Pokemon League is very well done implemented for this game. I'm also considering trying to replay it just to beat Red's team which would take hours or be lucky in the Coin Slots just to win a Dratini.

Just a few more questions:

• Later in the game, is it possible to get Pokeballs easily to catch Pokemon, or will this game completely encourage the idea of stealing Pokemon? (I know that there will be a point where there will be discouragement of excessive stealing though, but I wonder if there will be usage of Pokeballs for the later part)
• Will there be a good grinding spot to level up my Pokemon much easier in later betas (such as at least some patches of grass like we all knew in the originals)?
• Are all Pokemon be catchable and obtainable? (Gens 1 - 3)

Good luck for the next beta, this is really well done!

Thanks for the feedback! To answer your questions: There will be no limitations on your ability to buy Poké Balls, and you are free to use them as you like. You may have noticed that beating Trainers doesn't give you a lot of prize money, though... You will have to use Poké Balls at some point in the game, however

Grinding spots I haven't frankly given much thought to; I might include a few here or there, but you certainly shouldn't be needing them just to make your way through the story. Defeating all Trainers will keep your Pokémon at a level where the game remains challenging but still very doable.

All Pokémon from Generation I will be obtainable through some means or other, with a few notable Gen. II and III Pokémon.

 

[vulpix6tails]

hey, I feel inspired to give you some concept story ideas....hopefully you like them overall the game will probably be great with or with out
rocket pokemon that have purposes...why do they always have drowzee, zubat, koffing and ratatta.... I think it be cool to have some missions to have drowzee use hypnosis , or dream eater on people (like the people in the lavender tower to do your bidding, or have zubat torture people for information, koffing , using smokescreen to flee police etc etc. maybe the rockets give you these pokemon for that purpose.
my best thing I have thought of was making ratatta a really special pokemon... force people to fall in love with ratatta instead of people doing whatever they can to get rid of him. throughout the journey , make a special itam for him , have his ability change to something good , have ratatta learn all the crazy moves via level up like ice beam , etc etc , have him do sneaking missions to get stuff rockets need, give him character with some funny spots. Pikachu vs ratatta lol , but also I have a reason to make ratatta powerful, rockets have been using mice on mew dna as testing subjects (ratatta and mewtwo are the same color ) and rockets give there failed expierments to grunts...but this ratatta is a wait for it...drum roll a SPECIAL ratatta . mayve give ratatta a move ...the only move that can damage legendary pokemon!!!! idk give love to the pokemon they always use I guess...I really enjoy seeing the pokemon doing things besides battleing....evil things hahah
all though minor , if people grind and beat red or blue, or people they should not beat, just have red use a max revive and attack the player instead... and ko him.
I feel there should be woman bothering the rocket guy ....a pregnant one or one with a kid.... and the player pretty much had a one night stand with her at the celadon motel ...and she constantly looks for you or calls the police on you, demands child support....maybe you say your not the father and you end up on the muarry show LOL. I think since this rocket is an adult...he should have some woman problems.... maybe the father and mother have a double battle with you to make you be the dad.
a nice idea for the bill thing, is if he says no to the deal, you can hold his family for ransome in fuscia city...I know his family lives between the gym and poke center...and force bill to be your slave....and maybe he gives red ss tickets save bills family IDK.....
anyways that's my two cents , thanks for making this hack, I am huge fan on the toxic purple rom hack as well and I hope you finish the hack. well im blasting off lol

 

[colonelsalt]

hey, I feel inspired to give you some concept story ideas....hopefully you like them overall the game will probably be great with or with out
rocket pokemon that have purposes...why do they always have drowzee, zubat, koffing and ratatta.... I think it be cool to have some missions to have drowzee use hypnosis , or dream eater on people (like the people in the lavender tower to do your bidding, or have zubat torture people for information, koffing , using smokescreen to flee police etc etc. maybe the rockets give you these pokemon for that purpose.
my best thing I have thought of was making ratatta a really special pokemon... force people to fall in love with ratatta instead of people doing whatever they can to get rid of him. throughout the journey , make a special itam for him , have his ability change to something good , have ratatta learn all the crazy moves via level up like ice beam , etc etc , have him do sneaking missions to get stuff rockets need, give him character with some funny spots. Pikachu vs ratatta lol , but also I have a reason to make ratatta powerful, rockets have been using mice on mew dna as testing subjects (ratatta and mewtwo are the same color ) and rockets give there failed expierments to grunts...but this ratatta is a wait for it...drum roll a SPECIAL ratatta . mayve give ratatta a move ...the only move that can damage legendary pokemon!!!! idk give love to the pokemon they always use I guess...I really enjoy seeing the pokemon doing things besides battleing....evil things hahah
all though minor , if people grind and beat red or blue, or people they should not beat, just have red use a max revive and attack the player instead... and ko him.
I feel there should be woman bothering the rocket guy ....a pregnant one or one with a kid.... and the player pretty much had a one night stand with her at the celadon motel ...and she constantly looks for you or calls the police on you, demands child support....maybe you say your not the father and you end up on the muarry show LOL. I think since this rocket is an adult...he should have some woman problems.... maybe the father and mother have a double battle with you to make you be the dad.
a nice idea for the bill thing, is if he says no to the deal, you can hold his family for ransome in fuscia city...I know his family lives between the gym and poke center...and force bill to be your slave....and maybe he gives red ss tickets save bills family IDK.....
anyways that's my two cents , thanks for making this hack, I am huge fan on the toxic purple rom hack as well and I hope you finish the hack. well im blasting off lol

Haha thanks for the feedback. The part about the pregnant girl made me lol, but I regrettably won't be taking things quite that far in the game. Having a held item power-up for Rattata isn't a half bad idea, though: I might consider it.

The concept of having Pokémon use moves outside battle and have it influence characters and story elements is something I think is really cool too, and you can definitely expect to see some of that in the next beta.