Completed Pokémon Rocket Recruit

Ekat · Mar 17, 2021

Hey, I just started up the game, and I noticed that it's still called Pokémon Essentials. This might cause errors for other players, if they have a game saved under that name that isn't compatible with yours. (I just happened to be lucky, in this case.)

To fix this, you can rename your project. You go to Game/Change Title. Just be aware that you will have to transfer your previous save to the new file the game will create. (Under Whatever your pc is/users/your name if applicable/saved games/folder with the title of your game.)

Hornet · Mar 18, 2021

Ekat said:
Hey, I just started up the game, and I noticed that it's still called Pokémon Essentials. This might cause errors for other players, if they have a game saved under that name that isn't compatible with yours. (I just happened to be lucky, in this case.)

To fix this, you can rename your project. You go to Game/Change Title. Just be aware that you will have to transfer your previous save to the new file the game will create. (Under Whatever your pc is/users/your name if applicable/saved games/folder with the title of your game.)

Thanks for letting me know, I'm working on pushing out a version 1.1 hopefully by tomorrow sometime I will be sure to change the name in it!

s

Ekat · Mar 18, 2021

Beat the game! Here are my notes.

Aesthetic

There isn't much I can say about the graphics, because you primarily use default Essentials stuff. I like the mapping, though. The areas and routes were fun to explore. I also liked how you added a handful of secret areas for the player to pick up items. I think the only visual nitpick I have is the fruit plants, which have the wrong pixel density. I would look into doubling the size of the fruits, and finding a way to better integrate them into the trees/bushes. As it stands, they look more like brightly-coloured dots than fruit.

I did notice as I was playing the game that many maps didn't have audio. I can't say I'm a fan of the default RMXP battle midis, either.

The Gameplay

The gameplay was solid enough. I didn't have any trouble raising my team, and there was a good selection of items and TMs available to me. I also like that there were a few high-value items across the world, so that I could afford anything I needed in a pinch.

However, things did get a bit repetitive after obtaining the second jam. The player mostly did the same thing, which was run from point A to B while fighting a handful of trainers along the way. I find it especially disappointing, because this is a game about being a Team Rocket grunt, but you don't actually do much as one. You don't steal Pokémon, join elaborate plots, or really take part in any other sort of nefarious activity. I don't really see what the point in being a Rocket grunt was, considering it doesn't influence the gameplay in any way. Jimmy could have just as easily been working for a random business, and the boss wanted jam.

Another nitpick that I had was Pokémon lineups. Most of the trainers had the same Pokémon. (As well as no end of battle dialogue.) Seeing the same Pokémon got repetitive.

The Writing

This game needs some serious proofreading. After the 7th or so missing apostrophe in a row, I gave up on keeping track. Much of the writing in the game is rather stilted, too. This is partly because of the grammar, and partly because the characters all talk very informally.

There are also some weird plot points, too. It's strange to see the grandma be grumpy and rude, and then turn sweet on a dime for seemingly no reason. In addition, why would you include almost exclusively Kanto Pokémon, and then have Giovanni claim that he went to a new region for new Pokémon? It seems a bit counter-intuitive, although I suppose you could construe it as him not being that good of a boss in this game.

Bugs

1. Faint. Also, there's no music in the house.
2. I'm.
3. I'm.
4. Don't.
5. Can't.
6. Won't. It was at this point that I stopped keeping track of the lack of apostrophes with your contractions.
7. Outdoor metadata isn't set.
8. Priority.
9. Tiling error.
10. Tiling error.
11. Priority.
12. Visible void.
13. Pixel density on these berries is wrong. Also, wouldn't it make more sense to have a green tree with yellow/orange berries?
14. There is no healing animation when Nurse Joy takes your Pokémon.
15. Pixel density.

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Overall
Your game is a nice, quick experience, but the writing seriously brings things down. I think if you could take the game one of two ways. First, you could remove Team Rocket entirely, and make it a business of your choosing. Alternatively, you could go all-out with the Team Rocket aspect. It would be nice to see the player be more involved in the organization. Add more NPCs who actually acknowledge your Rocket status, or at least ask about the weird clothes. Get the player to do things with their co-workers, or little side events. I think either direction would really enhance the gameplay.

All this being said, I really do see some potential for this to be a fun mini-adventure fangame. Despite some of the flaws, I still had fun running around the world!

ThatWelshOne_ · Mar 19, 2021

Heyyo! I just beat the game. I had a crash right as the credits would've played, but I think I saw that you fixed this over in the RC Discord the other day.

There's not much else I can add on to what Ekat nicely summarised already other than the following:
Some minor spoilers ahead for anyone who hasn't played yet!

1. I was going to suggest adding HM items, but Surf and Strength are really solid STAB moves, so I'll leave that up to you.
2. Dragon Rage is very strong at the levels this game plays at. Might be worth looking at that in a few battles (first jam boss, for example). Unless that's what you were going for. Like the Rocket Grunt getting a taste of their own medicine or something.
3. What purpose do Brick Break and Earthquake serve as TMs if no mons can learn them?
4. Give running shoes at the start of the game instead of halfway through.
5. Ekat mentioned the BGM audio issue, but I thought I'd point this out again.

I also noticed a few other small issues:

1. The little boy in the swimming pool area has no dialogue.
2. None of the PCs in the Pokémon Centres work (might be intended).
3. The swimming pool building's sign does nothing when you interact with it.
4. The speedy boy in the first town retains his speed after you talk to him (again, might be intended).
5. I only noticed this once, but it's spelt "marmalade" not "marmalaid".

Other than that, I wanted to say very well done on making a game! I look forward to what you do with this game and others in the future.

Falcon · Mar 22, 2021

Just played through this game! Here are my thoughts:

I enjoyed the game, it was a nice little romp through this new region. The diversity in the areas was great, going from a plains route to a cave to a beach to a mountain, excellent. Due to the backtracking early on in the game, I wish we started with the running shoes. It was a bit of a pain to have to trudge all the way up there then all the way back after we get slapped by a Machamp. I understand the backtracking was necessary but that or even ledges like in the classic Route 1.
There are some grammar issues and misspells sprinkled throughout the game but those are easily fixed. Overall the dialogue was pretty decent but felt rushed and unnatural. As for the story, I understand there's some comedy to the situation with the main quest being what it is for you-know-who, but I also wish there were tiny moments sprinkled in where I could truly be a villain. Steal a Jam here, gamble for a Jam there, steal a Pokemon from this Bug Catcher. The whole being "pure of heart" just seemed off to me, I like the idea of a mission to get a Jam over just a battle, but a training villain to be pure of heart seemed off to me. I wish we delved more into Team Rocket abandoning Kanto and expanding in a number of other regions, talking about how the other groups are being successful or even being caught right off the bat.
The ending might've been rushed due to the time crunch, but I would love to see the reaction of going home and your grandma seeing you as a Team Rocket Grunt. Knowing she pushed you to join a gang. Also a minor nitpick, I wish the NPCs reacted to you differently when you were in your Rocket Uniform. Even if Team Rocket isn't well known in the region yet for causing trouble, if I saw someone wearing that get up, I'd definitely question some things.
Levels seemed to play out fine, I didn't have to grind yet there was challenge for the second Jam.

Quick Edit: I'd also like it if there was music throughout all of the game. It was a bit barren at times and it made it a bit difficult to keep playing in silence. I ended up turning music on and then never realized there was music in certain areas.

In short, fun romp for sure. I enjoyed it and hope to see you patch and improve the game for others. Don't give up, it was made in a month and a half. I look forward to seeing more games from you in the future as well :)

doof · Mar 24, 2021

Heyo, I started this game the other day, but I get stuck at the guy in the bike shop. Apparently I'm supposed to battle against him, but no battle actually occurs and I'm just softlocked and unable to progress.

Hope you're able to fix this soon! (And if you need my help just let me know! I'd be willing to take a crack at it!

Hornet · Mar 26, 2021

Version 1.1 added - Small bugfix update

Fixed credits
Fixed music working
Changed the name to "Pokemon Rocket Recruit" so it won't override any other games you have named "Pokemon Essentials"
Fixed soft-lock issues early in the game

I would like to thank everyone for the feedback so far! I plan to take bits and pieces of what everyone said and hopefully make this game a lot better after the jam is over!

luxdiablo · Mar 29, 2021

Hey Hornet! I know I kinda gave you my thoughts on stream, but I still wanted to give you a little review of the game overall.
'

I think the gameplay was solid overall. Nothing really stood out to me, admittedly. There was nothing really 'unique' about the game, as it used standard Pokemon battles but didn't really go outside of that threshold. I think the game would've been a lot better with puzzles, minigames, etc. Overall, the game was effectively just a giant fetch quest, which isn't bad per se, but there is definitely room for improvement there.

There wasn't much of a story, to be fair. It was a standard 'Join Team Rocket' type game, which you tend to see a lot in the fangame community. One thing that stood out to me was the fact that the characters weren't particularly convincing. When writing dialogue for a grandma, for example, you'd expect stuff like "Listen here sonny, you'd better get yourself a job this instant!", but the dialogue was more on the lines of "Famsquad get yo ass a job" which isn't really the best course of action. I know you mentioned wanting to redo the dialogue, which is definitely a good call.

I think you know about the inconsistencies between the OW sprite, trainer sprite, and back sprite, so I won't comment on that too much. Other than that, most of your graphics were just base Essentials stuff, so there's not much to say. I liked the little oranges on the trees, it added a LOT of environment to the setting. The maps were also really neat, I especially liked the Route 1 map. I think some improvements could be done to other maps like the surfing one, it felt pretty much the same throughout with little variation (but I know that's hard for oceanic routes). Everything else was pretty good. I think there were a few maps that didn't have a proper metadata set, so the battle scenes felt a bit inconsistent. I'd recommend ensuring that every map has its proper metadata set.

Overall, the game was honestly not bad at all, it just didn't stand out to me that much. There wasn't too much to set it apart from other games, but it didnt' do anything too bad either. Definitely an enjoyable playthrough, looking forward to seeing more from you!

TechSkylander1518 · Apr 1, 2021

Finished the game! I thought it was a pretty solid first Jam entry!

I think the mapping is where this game really shines! You do a great job of putting all these little decorations throughout maps and making them feel natural! I also liked when you toyed around with having more unique displays for overworld items, like the stone for the nugget and the colored TMs!

I like Team Rocket written like this, just goofy villains plotting minor schemes like Doofenschmirz, haha.

I like how there were times when you'd give a normal event a little more animation- Tim Tim in the first town, the healing tree shaking the screen, the guy cannonballing- stuff like that makes the maps feel more alive and fun to explore!

Your project file isn't compressed! That means it'll take up a bit more file space, and it also means the project file is left open, so players can totally poke around in your game! Here's a little tutorial on how to fix that! (I did literally the exact same thing last year for my entry, so no judgement here lol)

The title music felt a little loud to me.

I really would've appreciated the running shoes earlier. Three towns, two routes, and a cave is brutal to be made to walk through. I'm not sure if that was because you were having trouble setting it up to have different running sprites depending on whether or not Jimmy had the outfit, or if it was because you didn't have a run sprite for default Jimmy? If it's the latter, I know most people much prefer "walking sprite at running speed" to no running at all, and if it's the former, it's real easy to set up! You'd just make the Rocket Running sprite boy_run_1, and the regular running sprite boy_run!

I saw in the game files you had a bunch of events to get the rocket recruiter set up- personally, I'd suggest just using pbNoticePlayer, so you don't have to get that all set up. (although I suppose it might throw off the guy walking off to have it all one event)

The event when Jimmy goes to sleep goes by really fast, felt like the screen just blinked black.

Your ellipses go really slowly, which means more time spent doing nothing while I wait for dots to pass by- a bit annoying, but not too disruptive.

"The sign reads as following" was a little weird considering I went to read a sign lol.

The naming system of the routes is confusing- we start at Route 1, go to Cave Entrance Route and Cave Exit Route, and then to North Route, East Route, and West Route. I'd personally suggest just naming the first three routes "South Route", and we can pretend it's like one big route.

The only place to buy Poke Balls is in the first town, which is pretty rough if the player actually wants to catch any Pokemon. I don't think the player's meant to catch any Pokemon other than what they're given, though, so I'd personally just remove the Poke Balls from the vendor.

There's also nowhere to buy repels, which means players have to take wild encounters as they come.

It seemed weird that Giovanni called the region an island- it felt like a normal landmass like any other region.

I do have to echo what others have said about how it feels odd that nobody comments on Jimmy's uniform, and there's not much to do as a Rocket Grunt. I like the angle of just minor little super villainy, but for the most part, it does feel like just a normal fetch quest that any trainer would do.

Mahogany Town is actually already taken! Not a big deal, but causes a bit of confusion lol.

There's no way to heal in Mahogany Town after the fight against Kyle. The trek back's not too bad, but it's a little awkward having to go through a whole route to heal after a boss.

The pictures of the jam displayed are super tiny. I'd suggest displaying bigger ones or just removing the part where Giovanni shows Jimmy what they look like, it's not like he identifies them based on sight, anyways.

The barriers to the homes on top of the mountain were a little odd- I'd suggest just making the NPCs in the houses behave differently if the player hasn't talked to the Jam Guru yet.

Opening up the trainer card as Jimmy displays Red's sprite, even after getting the Rocket uniform

Most of the buildings in cities have no music. I think you did that because you didn't want the music to restart when the player enters a building? But you don't actually have to worry about that! If two maps have the same Auto BGM, when the player moves from one to the other, the music just keeps going! If there's no music set for a map, though, you'll run into some other issues- namely, saving and loading in that map will have no music, and if the theme changes while the player's on the map, it won't change back. (For example, in the pool, the Surf theme doesn't stop after I leave the water)

The lose text will say you went to a Pokemon Center, even if you go back to the tree

Jimmy's backsprite is also Red until you get the rocket uniform

Priority error

Statues are clipping through here. Honestly, I'd just remove them entirely, and bring the rest of the counter up a tile.

Cut Master doesn't seem to have a walk cycle

Most of the battles didn't use the right battleback and defaulted to just the indoor map- you need to set the metadata to get the right battlebacks there!

The sign in front of the pool and the boy swimming in it don't do anything when interacting with them.

The PCs and maps in the PMCs don't do anything. That might've been intentional, but if it was, I'd suggest just removing them entirely, so players aren't confused.

The Poke Balls don't flash yellow when healing at the PMC.

There's no SFX entering the Dojo.

Bit of void poking through here

This plant doesn't have direction fix on, so depending on where you interact with it, it'll change shape. Also, it doesn't do anything when you interact with it.

I noticed a lot of these are missing apostrophes- were you dealing with that problem where they'd display as [] instead of '? That's because the fonts don't have an option for apostrophes written as ‘’, so sometimes copy+pasting from somewhere else will lead to issues like that, but you can just type in the text box and it'll work fine!

a feint cry in the distance- "faint"
If I catch you like this again there will be concequences!- comma after again, consequences
Its not a good idea to keep playing- It's
Come here young man- comma after here
Im sick of you being a lazy turd- I'm
Im going to start giving you- I'm
Im also expecting you to- I'm
Dont give me that look- Don't
You cant sit in your room all day everyday- can't, everyday should be two words (as one word it's an adjective that means "common")
I wont allow that kind of behavior- won't
Why dont you head into Quill Town and look for a job there. - don't, should end in ?
I dont want to see you back here- don't
Its been a good while since my pokemon- "It's", Pokémon
on your way into Quill town- town should be capitalized
Oh hello Jimmy!- Oh, hello, Jimmy!
Im surprised to see you- I'm
Boy do I have some- comma after Boy
Would you like to restore the health of your pokemon?- Pokémon
The tree has magically healed all of your pokemon!- Pokémon
Im so fast!- I'm
Now you wont get any sun- won't
Ughhh I think im gonna be sick- Comma after Ughhh, I'm
dont eat week old- don't
Im more of a coffee guy- I'm
my team of elite pokemon! - Pokémon
Aint no way Im letting you pass! - Ain't, I'm
Go on then...- comma after on
Gentleman Rob's losing text is just "Hmmm", with no punctuation
Hows my dear Raticate doing?- How's
Ill have to - I'll
Im so tired after eatting that apple- I'm, eating
Im not hungry- I'm
when I have more Voltorb though!- comma after Voltorb
Oh you saw the opening- comma after Oh
you have to beat me in a pokemon battle!- Pokémon
Ill do you a favor and heal your pokemon back up- I'll, Pokémon
I am sleeping come back later- comma after sleeping
Yeah you- comma after yeah
Boy do I ever have- comma after Boy
Whats a Team Rocket?- What's
You dont know?- don't
Sure I guess- comma after Sure
Team Rockets goals are to- Team Rocket's
all of the strongest pokemon, and items from every region!- Pokémon, remove the comma
Pretty cool right?- comma after cool
Thats sounds awesome!- "That"
We are an evil organization sought after stealing pokemon- Pokémon, "sought after" doesn't really make sense in this context- I'd personally change it to "out to"
and some even cooler pokemon!-Pokémon
Im down!- I'm
Man you are one tough- comma after Man
We can also pay you I guess?- comma after you
I dont know man...- don't, comma after know
Alright you know what- comma after Alright
Here take this letter- comma after Here
Man what a weirdo, Im getting pretty tired I should get home soon- Honestly, I think this line should be discarded since the player's already on their way home, but if you want to keep it- comma after Man, I'm, comma after tired
A Letter from a Team Rocket member- Letter shouldn't be capitalized
a good nights sleep- night's
So how did your day go yesterday?- comma after So
See I told you that it was- comma after See
Im so proud of you- I'm
Oh I know!- comma after Oh
You better get going then so you are not late for your first day!- comma after going and then
Im so proud of you for getting a job!- I'm
Hey you over there!- comma after Hey
Ahhh yes you have arrived!- comma after yes
So you have come to learn the cut technique? - comma after So
First thing you will need is this HM- missing punctuation
you can teach the cut technique to your pokemon!- Pokémon
After years of mastering the technique I no longer need a pokemon to use it- comma after technique, Pokémon
well have fun with the technique!- comma after well
Here this might help you out!- comma after Here
I should see what happening at the arcade- what's
Oh man fortnite- comma after man, Fornite should be capitalized
Oh hey you showed up!- comma after hey
Its been so long- It's
Im not sure why anyone wouldn't- I'm, wouldn't
find and press a buttom- button
Oh how I love- comma after Oh
Its just some old gum/old Potion bottles/Chinese takeout- It's
Theres nothing under- There's
Lets hit a few- Let's
Okay im gonna- Okay, I'm
Oh man this isn't good- comma after man
Here take this and dont tell anyone, okay?- Here, take this, and don't tell anyone, okay?
Giovanni sir!- comma after Giovanni
Ill let you guys- I'll
to be done young man- comma after done
As the leader of Team Rocket, It is- "It" shouldn't be capitalized
and more pokemon- Pokémon
to setup our HQ- set up should be two words ("setup" is a noun)
The rent is cheap and the living space- comma after cheap
dont know your way- don't
Ahh I get it now!- comma after Ahh
That was a good one new grunt- comma after one
apart of Team Rocket - a part ("apart" means "separate")
extra pokemon- Pokémon
These of course are not just any pokemon...- These, of course, are not just any Pokémon...
finest of pokemon- Pokémon
a staple pokemon- Pokémon
Here are your pokemon!- Pokémon
cause those are- 'cause those are
Its so boring- It's
My pokemon are scientifically better- Pokémon
what happend?- happened
Bug types rule!- Bug-types
an excellent source of vitamin C- Vitamin should be capitalized
Why dont you come inside- don't
In this region there are a total- comma after region
in making Orange Marmelade Jam- Marmalade
Thats why we cannot- That's
Oh wow you drank- comma after wow
Its okay, I can recover- It's
Im gonna go back- I'm
Why hello there young one- Why, hello there, young one
my Orange Marmelade Jam! - Marmalade
Im not just gonna- I'm
We can have a pokemon battle!- Pokémon
heres the deal- here's
If you can beat me then Ill give you- comma after me, I'll
Ready or not here I come!- comma after not
Orange Marmelaid Jam- Marmalade
Ill have to start- I'll
Amazing work grunt!- comma after work
Im surprised at how - I'm
You are not done yet though- comma after yet
truely impressed with your performance- truly
Oh you dont like swimming that much?- Oh, you don't like
Thats okay! It doesnt mean you cant - That's, doesn't, can't
Here take this- Here, take this
Im floating away help!- I'm, comma after away
Im gonna tag you!- I'm
Ahh I see- comma after Ahh
You are after my BlueBerry Jam- Blueberry
So you are a strong trainer- Comma after so
"A Jar of Blueberry Jam, made from freshly picked blueberrys. It has a pleasantly sweet taste" - blueberries, no punctuation at the end
Hows it going grunt?- How's it going, grunt?
This truely is remarkable- truly
What a prestine- pristine
Whats that?- What's
Here take this- Here, take this
Im expecting- I'm
This hill aint- ain't
Im falling!!- I'm
Im surprised you made- I'm
I dont want any strangers- don't
How you ask?- How, you ask?
in order to reviece my special- receive
Awww man was this ever- comma after man
Im so stuffed I cant even- I'm, can't
Im in a bit of - I'm
Theres nothing- There's
Oh I see it was empty- Oh, I see, it was empty
C'mon, C'mon, C'mon- only the first one should be capitalized
Its gotta be- It's
I just know that its- it's
You dont see anything in- don't
Theres some sort of a- There's
Theres nothing but- There's
Oh whats this??- Oh, what's this??
collecting strawberrys- strawberries
these perfectly sweet strawberrys- strawberries
Im sorry but I had- I'm sorry, but I had
made with freshly harvested strawberrys- strawberries
Completeing this mission- Completing

SwamPHert · Sep 2, 2021

Why I Can't Take A Look On The Screenshots??

16Gabs · Sep 2, 2021

SwamPHert said:
Why I Can't Take A Look On The Screenshots??

You have to click on the "spoiler" tag beneath "Game screenshots"

Whenever you click in them it reveals the thing it's hiding, it's not necessarily spoilers.

Devinator · Sep 19, 2021

Is anyone working on the game now?

GodsAmongKings · Oct 10, 2022

How do I play the game? I downloaded it but it's not as easy to start as some of the others. It asks what program I want to run this under.

TechSkylander1518 · Oct 11, 2022

GodsAmongKings said:
How do I play the game? I downloaded it but it's not as easy to start as some of the others. It asks what program I want to run this under.

It's a Pokemon Essentials game, same as any other. Make sure you're running Game.exe and not Game.rxproj.

Completed Pokémon Rocket Recruit

Ekat

That One Guy's GF

Hornet

Novice

Ekat

That One Guy's GF

ThatWelshOne_

Champion

Falcon

Local Robot

doof

banished doof

Hornet

Novice

luxdiablo

Berserk Inferno

TechSkylander1518

Wiki Dweeb

SwamPHert

Rookie

16Gabs

Trainer

Devinator

Novice

GodsAmongKings

Rookie

TechSkylander1518

Wiki Dweeb