Released Pokémon Coda

Ekat · Aug 27, 2023

Hey there! I was browsing across the forums and I came across your project. So, I thought I'd check it out.

Bugs

I took a lot of screenshots, so here's a link to the imgur album:

Things I Liked

In the intro, I liked your use of moving around text boxes to reflect the crowd speaking
Good use of camera movement/scrollinng to make things more dynamic in the intro
Loved the details in the bookshelves in the café. I like how you picked different kinds of sources. (Tabloid, interview, etc.)
I'm excited to see and hear more about berry science in this game. It's a fun angle for the professor.
I got my ass kicked at first, but the themes with the battle center are fun.
I like that there's reasons for Ray's original team not being around.

Mapping

Your maps are way too big. There is no reason for them to be as large as they are. Not only is it bad for performance, it drags the gameplay down with navigating lots of empty space. In the images linked, I have quick, reduced version of what your town could be, for example. I've also got some additional resources towards the end of this comment, which includes links to some mapping tutorials. You should also just browse around and look at people's fanmaps to see what works, doesn't work, etc.

Tilesets

Your outdoor tileset is also WAY too large. My laptop can (mostly) handle it, but you're going to cause major performance issues for other people. There are 999 tileset slots, that's one tileset per map. They don't need to be 75,000px. To avoid lag, the longest your tileset should be is 16,384. Long tilesets are also just a pain to maintain. It's also just a pain to maintain. (Changing assets, scrolling that much to find something, setting collision, etc.)

Cut out all the extra stuff you're not using. Fill in the small spaces with things you will use, instead of extending the set's length.

In addition, you need to work on figuring out a consistent style for your game. There's a mish-mash of outline types, shading, textures, etc.

Meta

I think you should revisit some of the Pokémon the trainers have. Go for more lower or mid-level mons.

ie: Even though there's a trainer with a low-level Milotic, it's still super bulky. It also kept spamming aqua ring and life dew, making it very difficult to take down despite the levels of my team.

You may also want to bump down the levels of the scripted wild battles, especially because:

It's a forced 1v3 (From a story perspective, why is that, btw?)
You're giving these mons improved EVs and held items

Overall, I think a high 20s to level 30 range would be better for them.

You should also review some of the items and TMs you're giving out to the player so early on. I was able to get a Heracross with Focus Punch, a 150 base power move with STAB at the start of the game. That's insane.

Speaking of Heracross, you may also want to review some of the earlier Pokémon choices as well. (Dratini, Tynamo, Rotom, and Zorua, for example.) I'm not saying there needs to be nothing but weaker Pokémon around. However, you shouldn't just throw out very strong mons such as these like candy, either.

Writing

I like the direction of the story so far, I'm interested to see where it goes
I like the little flashes to memories Ray has with Eli
You should have NPCs who focus on things other than the champion and battling. It'll fee more natural. Let them talk more about the world, their own experiences, etc.
If you're going to have a talking NPC, you should take full advantage of that. Let them talk back to NPCs. It doesn't have to be with everyone just once in a while is fine. But it adds more to their interactions and gives a better sense of their character.

Misc. Suggestions

When you have a character's inner thoughts coming out, it might make more sense to do brackets or italics instead.
You should store the player's nickname for Kirlia to a variable. So, if they're discussing it in the overworld, they'll call it that instead. (And maybe just set things so the name rater can't renickname it, or have a check so if that specific Kirlia is being nicknamed, the revised nickname for it will be stored.)
Headbutt trees should be visually distinct from the ones you can't headbutt
Shellos should come with its stats (nickname and gender) already defined. See - https://essentialsdocs.fandom.com/wiki/Editing_a_Pokémon

Good Practices to Keep in Mind

You'll see a screenshot for this at the end of the image list. Don't make long lines of events to trigger a cutscene. You just need one event with Size(x,y) included in the name. Not only will this save you time, it will increase the game's performance. See - https://essentialsdocs.fandom.com/wiki/Events
When you add a new tileset and map everything out, you should be running into every object possible to test your collision & priority.
Clear out all the base essentials data (maps, characters, common events, and tilesets). Just keep a separate, clean version of Essentials handy if you ever need to reference something. This keeps your actual game smaller, and makes organization easier, because you're not sifting through a bunch of stuff you don't use.

Some Resources to Help You Out

Here's a game with a subway tileset - https://www.mediafire.com/file/tl26xes8p74llrq/Chasing_Glory_Resource_Pack.7z/file
Here's a spreadsheet with a lot of Pokémon fangame-specific resources -
-You should especially check out The Artistic Corner. This is a collection of tiles, characters, etc. They're for public use! - https://mega.nz/file/UN8WhLDb#l-5Amk4XeOBuk1BHXHdIgXT_BV0TiDesTBB0ma13K8s

Overall
There's a lot more polish needed, but I see the potential in this game. Especially with the story. I know I have a lot of feedback, but you should absolutely be proud of the work that you've done so far!

Tilesets, mapping, eventing, and mapping are a specialty of mine. If you want to discuss more in-depth, don't hesitate to send me a DM here or on Discord. (@ekat_erina). You should also check out Relic Castle's Discord if you're not in there already. It's very active, and great for community feedback.

Cheers!

summer_hero · Aug 28, 2023

Ekat said:
Hey there! I was browsing across the forums and I came across your project. So, I thought I'd check it out.

Bugs

I took a lot of screenshots, so here's a link to the imgur album:

Things I Liked

In the intro, I liked your use of moving around text boxes to reflect the crowd speaking

Good use of camera movement/scrollinng to make things more dynamic in the intro

Loved the details in the bookshelves in the café. I like how you picked different kinds of sources. (Tabloid, interview, etc.)

I'm excited to see and hear more about berry science in this game. It's a fun angle for the professor.

I got my ass kicked at first, but the themes with the battle center are fun.

I like that there's reasons for Ray's original team not being around.

Mapping

Your maps are way too big. There is no reason for them to be as large as they are. Not only is it bad for performance, it drags the gameplay down with navigating lots of empty space. In the images linked, I have quick, reduced version of what your town could be, for example. I've also got some additional resources towards the end of this comment, which includes links to some mapping tutorials. You should also just browse around and look at people's fanmaps to see what works, doesn't work, etc.

Tilesets

Your outdoor tileset is also WAY too large. My laptop can (mostly) handle it, but you're going to cause major performance issues for other people. There are 999 tileset slots, that's one tileset per map. They don't need to be 75,000px. To avoid lag, the longest your tileset should be is 16,384. Long tilesets are also just a pain to maintain. It's also just a pain to maintain. (Changing assets, scrolling that much to find something, setting collision, etc.)

Cut out all the extra stuff you're not using. Fill in the small spaces with things you will use, instead of extending the set's length.

In addition, you need to work on figuring out a consistent style for your game. There's a mish-mash of outline types, shading, textures, etc.

Meta

I think you should revisit some of the Pokémon the trainers have. Go for more lower or mid-level mons.

ie: Even though there's a trainer with a low-level Milotic, it's still super bulky. It also kept spamming aqua ring and life dew, making it very difficult to take down despite the levels of my team.

You may also want to bump down the levels of the scripted wild battles, especially because:

It's a forced 1v3 (From a story perspective, why is that, btw?)

You're giving these mons improved EVs and held items

Overall, I think a high 20s to level 30 range would be better for them.

You should also review some of the items and TMs you're giving out to the player so early on. I was able to get a Heracross with Focus Punch, a 150 base power move with STAB at the start of the game. That's insane.

Speaking of Heracross, you may also want to review some of the earlier Pokémon choices as well. (Dratini, Tynamo, Rotom, and Zorua, for example.) I'm not saying there needs to be nothing but weaker Pokémon around. However, you shouldn't just throw out very strong mons such as these like candy, either.

Writing

I like the direction of the story so far, I'm interested to see where it goes

I like the little flashes to memories Ray has with Eli

You should have NPCs who focus on things other than the champion and battling. It'll fee more natural. Let them talk more about the world, their own experiences, etc.

If you're going to have a talking NPC, you should take full advantage of that. Let them talk back to NPCs. It doesn't have to be with everyone just once in a while is fine. But it adds more to their interactions and gives a better sense of their character.

Misc. Suggestions

When you have a character's inner thoughts coming out, it might make more sense to do brackets or italics instead.

You should store the player's nickname for Kirlia to a variable. So, if they're discussing it in the overworld, they'll call it that instead. (And maybe just set things so the name rater can't renickname it, or have a check so if that specific Kirlia is being nicknamed, the revised nickname for it will be stored.)

Headbutt trees should be visually distinct from the ones you can't headbutt

Shellos should come with its stats (nickname and gender) already defined. See - https://essentialsdocs.fandom.com/wiki/Editing_a_Pokémon

Good Practices to Keep in Mind

You'll see a screenshot for this at the end of the image list. Don't make long lines of events to trigger a cutscene. You just need one event with Size(x,y) included in the name. Not only will this save you time, it will increase the game's performance. See - https://essentialsdocs.fandom.com/wiki/Events

When you add a new tileset and map everything out, you should be running into every object possible to test your collision & priority.

Clear out all the base essentials data (maps, characters, common events, and tilesets). Just keep a separate, clean version of Essentials handy if you ever need to reference something. This keeps your actual game smaller, and makes organization easier, because you're not sifting through a bunch of stuff you don't use.

Some Resources to Help You Out

Here's a game with a subway tileset - https://www.mediafire.com/file/tl26xes8p74llrq/Chasing_Glory_Resource_Pack.7z/file
Here's a spreadsheet with a lot of Pokémon fangame-specific resources -
-You should especially check out The Artistic Corner. This is a collection of tiles, characters, etc. They're for public use! - https://mega.nz/file/UN8WhLDb#l-5Amk4XeOBuk1BHXHdIgXT_BV0TiDesTBB0ma13K8s

Overall
There's a lot more polish needed, but I see the potential in this game. Especially with the story. I know I have a lot of feedback, but you should absolutely be proud of the work that you've done so far!

Tilesets, mapping, eventing, and mapping are a specialty of mine. If you want to discuss more in-depth, don't hesitate to send me a DM here or on Discord. (@ekat_erina). You should also check out Relic Castle's Discord if you're not in there already. It's very active, and great for community feedback.

Cheers!

Hi! Thank you so much for playing through the game and giving such extensive advice! I'll definitely look through it and make changes.

gohstar95 · Oct 31, 2024

Hey I am stuck at the deep woods, unable to proceed left. I found the ralts near the battle with the rich boy, then I am unable to find the ralts anymore. I cant proceed, not sure it is a bug or I am missing something?
https://imgbox.com/4BfIeGGe

summer_hero · Oct 31, 2024

gohstar95 said:
Hey I am stuck at the deep woods, unable to proceed left. I found the ralts near the battle with the rich boy, then I am unable to find the ralts anymore. I cant proceed, not sure it is a bug or I am missing something?
https://imgbox.com/4BfIeGGe

Hey! I just uploaded the fixed version. Let me know if you still have issues!

Folk · Oct 31, 2024

Is the game have gym?

summer_hero · Nov 1, 2024

Folk said:
Is the game have gym?

No, there are no gyms, but there are bosses in each chapter of the story, powerful trainers through sidequests, and optional challenge battles as well! The game is structured around the main story chapters and the narrative!

gohstar95 · Nov 1, 2024

I finished the game, i quite like the story. Any ETA for the next update? Do I have to restart a save file each time there is a major update?

summer_hero · Nov 1, 2024

gohstar95 said:
I finished the game, i quite like the story. Any ETA for the next update? Do I have to restart a save file each time there is a major update?

Thank you for playing! I'm glad you enjoyed it. For the next update: most likely between January and March of 2025 I don't believe you have to restart a save file every time there's a major update, as I'm planning on keeping the old content mostly the same (maybe with some tweaks, but that shouldn't break your save files). I think your save file should carry over to each update and you just have to travel to the next area through the subway once that content is released.

safr · Nov 2, 2024

The story so far really good and the game beautiful, i got perfomance issue when i walk in the tall grass after for long periods of time usually after play for 3 hour it start to get fps drop when i walk in tall grass and i think this is bug of pokemon essentials version 20.1

Other than that as i said it's really great game. I hope someone cover this in their YouTube so more people know about this game.

Thank

summer_hero · Nov 3, 2024

safr said:
The story so far really good and the game beautiful, i got perfomance issue when i walk in the tall grass after for long periods of time usually after play for 3 hour it start to get fps drop when i walk in tall grass and i think this is bug of pokemon essentials version 20.1

Other than that as i said it's really great game. I hope someone cover this in their YouTube so more people know about this game.

Thank

Thank you so much for playing! I'm so happy you enjoyed it

dragonlord765 · Nov 13, 2024

summer_hero said:
Pokémon Coda
Chapter 2: Johtotown

What happens after becoming the Champion?

2.0 Released!

At fourteen, Elijah became the youngest trainer to achieve the title of Champion of the Prima League.

A few years later, he vanishes without a trace, leaving his friends and family to deal with the consequences. When all efforts have stopped and the world begins to move on, Ray receives a mysterious letter asking him to head into the heart of Prima City to search for the missing Champion. Join Ray on the next chapter of his journey!

Project Description

Made with Pokemon Essentials v20.1 & RMXP, Pokémon Coda is a short plot-driven game focused on narrative and world-building.

Features:

3-4 hour playtime (around 2 hours/chapter)
A speaking protagonist
8 sidequests, 2 main quests
200 Pokemon to catch up to Gen 8!
Secrets and interactions hidden in every location!
Speed up the game with Q
Adjusted trade evolution methods

Screenshots

Download Link (v.2.02):

https://www.mediafire.com/file/xque2a1mbgvu4ec/Pokemon_Coda_2.02.zip/file
(FIXES!!!!)

Note: If you have any questions, feedback, or any other comments please DM me either on this forum or on Discord! (@summer_hero).

Documentation for this game here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WU1IyWStt1OJH68IbGW2GkG6tmojPC5qsbnauZJthL4/edit?usp=sharing

Fixed crash with item PC

Fixed crash with selling items

Fixed indoor and outdoor priorities and clipping

Rebalanced encounters, battles, and trainers

Fixed door clipping

Fixed progression issues

fixed tiling errors

World

Prima City is a booming, diverse metropolis, built off the hard work of immigrants from around the world. It hosts four main districts: Johtotown, Mauna, Rivermouth, and Altos Parks, and many suburbs surround the city. You start in Midbreeze, an often ignored suburb that has gained notoriety for being the home of Champion Eli.

Next, head to Johtotown, a district founded by many hailing from Johto and neighboring regions. As tourists flock to see its sights, locals try to hold onto their culture and traditions. Recently, a mysterious “Team Pepper” has popped up in the area, stirring up some trouble…

The Prima League is one of the city's most interesting institutions. Trainers embarking on their Gym Challenge are welcome to use eight badges from any region to enter the Prima League Finals. It is the most-watched TV event in the city!

Characters

Ray: Reserved, calm, and witty, this nineteen-year-old retired trainer is enjoying his summer break as he helps his mom open up a new cafe. He's an adept battler with an ace team of Pokemon, now retired from battling and instead helping out around town.

Eli: The reigning Champion of the Prima League has always been known for his decisive and forceful battling style. Not only is he an excellent trainer, he has also become a media darling for his dashing good looks and charming personality. (His current whereabouts are unknown. The Prima League has declined our requests for an interview.)

Veda: The younger sister of Ray, ready to head out on her own Gym Challenge. Hotheaded and brave, she is ready to take on any trainer that comes her way.

Professor Acai: The local Professor of Midbreeze and one of the foremost experts in Berry science, they have been sending trainers on their journeys for years. Though they do need some money for their research or their berries will die.

Alsie: Another trainer heading out on his journey, Alsie has yet to hit it big. But he swears that one day, he too will be the Champion of the Prima League!

Hajime: An “upstart” according to the elders. An “inspiration” according to Team Pepper. He just wants a good battle and may have some more information about Eli than he lets on.

Credits

Pokemon Essentials v20.1

"Pokémon Essentials" was created by:
Flameguru
Poccil (Peter O.)
Maruno

With contributions from:
AvatarMonkeyKirby
Marin
Boushy
MiDas Mike
Brother1440
Near Fantastica
FL.
PinkMan
Genzai Kawakami
Popper
Golisopod User
Rataime
help-14
Savordez
IceGod64
SoundSpawn
Jacob O. Wobbrock
the__end
KitsuneKouta
Venom12
Lisa Anthony
Wachunga
Luka S.J.
and everyone else who helped out

"mkxp-z" by:
Roza
Based on "mkxp" by Ancurio et al.

"RPG Maker XP" by:
Enterbrain

Pokémon is owned by:
The Pokémon Company
Nintendo
Affiliated with Game Freak

This is a non-profit fan-made game.
No copyright infringements intended.
Please support the official games!

Scenario/eventing by me!

Original art done w/Procreate by me

Animations

Thundaga - Emotes

StCooler, DarryBD99, WolfPP, ardicoozer, riddlemeree.- Gen 8 Move Animation Project (https://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?t=446303)

Plugins

V20.1 Hotfixes - Maruno

Improved AI - KRLW890

Generation 8 Pack Scripts - Golisopod User, Luka S. J.

Luka’s Scripting Utilities - Luka S. J.

Speed Up 2.0 - Marin, Phantombass

Modern Quest System - ThatWelshOne_,mej71,derFischae,Marin

Location Signposts, PurpleZaffre, LostSoulsDev / carmaniac, Golisopod User, ENLS, spaceemotion, TechSkylander1518

BW Summary Screen, Party Screen, Boxes, Mart Screen, Key Items - DeepBluePacificWaves

Map Zoom - Golisopod User, Marin, Luka SJ, TechSkylander1518

Carmaniac’s Speech Bubble - NonoNever, Carmaniac

Following Pokemon EX - Golisopod User, Help-14, zingzags, Rayd12smitty, Venom12, mej71, PurpleZaffre, Akizakura16, Thundaga, Armin (Fairies Resource Pack), Maruno

Advanced Items Field Moves, Bergium, TechSkylander1518, Moyo, Marin

Bag Screen w/Interactable Party - DiegoWT

Overworld Shadows - Golisopod User, Wolf PP, Marin

Mid Battle Dialogue - Golisopod User, Luka SJ, Grogro

Battlebacks

Carchagui

Pokemon Gen 8 Resoruces:

Golisopod User

Battler Sprites:

Gen 1-5 Pokemon Sprites - veekun

Gen 6 Pokemon Sprites - All Contributors To Smogon X/Y Sprite Project

Gen 7 Pokemon Sprites - All Contributors To Smogon Sun/Moon Sprite Project

Gen 8 Pokemon Sprites - All Contributors To Smogon Sword/Shield Sprite Project

Overworld Sprites

Gen 6+ Berry Tree Overworlds - Anarlaurendil

Gen 6 Pokemon Overworlds - princess-pheonix, LunarDusk, Wolfang62, TintjeMadelintje101, piphybuilder88

Gen 7 Pokemon Overworlds - Larry Turbo, princess-pheonix

Gen 8 Pokemon Overworlds - SageDeoxys, Wolfang62, LarryTurbo, tammyclaydon

Gen 1-5 Pokemon Overworlds - MissingLukey, help-14, Kymoyonian, cSc-A7X, 2and2makes5, Pokegirl4ever, Fernandojl, Silver-Skies, TyranitarDark, Getsuei-H, Kid1513, Milomilotic11, Kyt666, kdiamo11, Chocosrawlooid, Syledude, Gallanty, Gizamimi-Pichu, 2and2makes5, Zyon17,LarryTurbo, spritesstealer, LarryTurbo

Icon Sprites

Gen 1-6 Pokemon Icon Sprites - Alaguesia

Gen 7 Pokemon Icon Sprites - Marin, MapleBranchWing, Contributors to the DS Styled Gen 7+ Repository

Gen 8 Icon Sprites - Larry Turbo, Leparagon

Cry Credits:

Gen 1-6 Pokemon Cries - Rhyden

Gen 7 Pokemon Cries - Marin, Rhyden

Gen 8 Pokemon Cries - Zeak6464

Script Credits:

Golisopod User, Luka S.J.

Compilation of Resources:

Golisopod User, UberDunsparce

Miscellaenous

Mr. Gela - Name Window Script

BW Text Entry - X-Terra

BW Sign Windowskins - DeepBluePacificWaves

Gen V Battle UI - Taiga

Music

ENLS Pre-Looped Music Library

Floofy Panther’s Trainer Intros

https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/search/crowd cheering/?manual_search=1&order=None

https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/subway-ambience-9266/

Gym Badge Graphics

VictorV111

Spriters Resource - Pixel3r

Reddit - u/JcFerggy

Character Sprites:

Taiga - Gen 6, 7, 8 overworlds

Mr. Gela - Gen 4 and 5 Trainer Sprites

Purple Zaffre - Gen 4 Overworlds

Kyle Dove - Battle Sprites Gen 6, 7, 8

DiegoWT - Gen 5 Sprites in Gen 4 style

Coffee Cup - Trainer Customization (https://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?p=10030416)

Tilesets:

Lolalime

Magiscarf

Pkmn-alexandrite

Chaotic Cherry Cake

Akizakura

Ghostatservice

KingTapir

JesusCarrasco

MegaMew47

PrincessPhoenix

UltimoSpriter

Rayquazadot

LostSoulsDev

WesleyFG

SailorVicious

Shawn Frost

NSora-96

PeekyChew

Kyle-Dove

Claisprojects.com

Minorthreat0987

The-Red-Ex

TyranitarDark

DarkDragonn

rafa-cac

Phyromatical

Alucus

Newtiteuf

moca

Item icons

Purple Aladdin

TechSkylander1518

Title Screen

CoolText.com

Art done by me! (summer_hero)

how do u hatch an egg

summer_hero · Nov 15, 2024

dragonlord765 said:
how do u hatch an egg

It would be the same as a regular Pokemon game! If you run around enough it should hatch.

Released Pokémon Coda

Credits

Ekat

That One Guy's GF

summer_hero

Novice

gohstar95

Novice

summer_hero

Novice

Folk

Novice

summer_hero

Novice

gohstar95

Novice

summer_hero

Novice

safr

Elite Trainer

summer_hero

Novice

dragonlord765

Rookie

Credits

Credits

summer_hero

Novice

Released Pokémon Coda

Credits​

That One Guy's GF

Novice

Novice

Novice

Novice

Novice

Novice

Novice

Elite Trainer

Novice

Rookie

Credits​

Credits​

Novice

Credits

Credits

Credits