idea Pokemon Stratos (New Hack with 15 Regions)

[teddywestgeass]

Introduction

Remember that feeling you had when you played G/S/C and reached the credits after beating Lance? Triumph, satisfaction... but also wondering what could be next. Then came your invitation to go to Kanto. Mind blown, a whole other region to explore after all of your travels in Johto. Looking back however, I think it's pretty safe to say that the journey there was rather uneventful and messy. Re-battling the gym leaders and seeing what became of Red and Blue was really cool, but outside of that what purpose did Kanto serve? Maybe you don't feel this way, but I do. As we get older and new games come out, our expectations for content increase and Game Freak tends to deliver (even if it means a Battle Maison here and there).

  In 2017, we have a wide selection of fan made games inspired by all of the beautiful work Game Freak has done over the years. A glaringly obvious trend among these games is that they're mainly in Gen 3 or made on RPG Maker. While I don't take up issue with this, I strive to build something based in Gen 5. As far as I'm aware, the only notable Gen 5 rom hacks are basically BW/B2W2 with increased difficulty and more pokemon available. I've enjoyed these, but I really am curious as to what other regions could look like with seasonal changes to boot.

The Concept

A few years have passed since the events of B2W2, and as such the world has changed with time. The spotlight first shines on the Orre region, which has been peaceful ever since the falling of Cipher. Mayor Trest of Phenac City contacted Gym Leader Wattson to lead a massive redesign of the region, resulting in a population increase of both humans and pokemon alike. What was once majorly a barren wasteland has benefited from environmentalists moving over from the Hoenn region and planting many trees and contributing to the ecosystem. With the help of Justy, an official Pokemon League has been established and he is its overseer.

You are a student on the verge of graduating the Phenac City Trainer School, where Justy teaches you and your classmates. Since Justy doubles as the strongest Gym Leader in Orre, you've grown up inspired to be a great trainer and have witnessed countless amazing battles. Each graduates' present is a starter pokemon, and after the final ceremony you're allowed to go out and explore all of the new areas in Orre (notably the northern region above Mt. Battle). 

Once you've gathered all 8 Gym Badges, you gain permission to attend the Pilica Conference - a tournament with all of the other trainers who completed their gym challenge. The winner is granted permission to challenge the Elite 4 and Champion. However, when you win you will notice that you are ill prepared to take them on... so you must keep training! But where to go from here?

Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova - Each of these regions will be accessible to take on the Gyms and Elite Four. Over the years, new areas have been built and the roles of familiar characters have changed. You may think you know these regions well, but this hack will give you a lot more to explore.

Fiore, Almia, Oblivia - The Pokemon Ranger regions have met with an increase of pokemon trainers, and battling has popularized here to the extent of them having Pokemon Leagues too! A lot will be added/changed to these regions to better suit a pokemon trainer's journey.

Holon, Skyridge, Aquapolis - These were all locations in the TCG, and Holon in particular has a lot of really interesting lore to look into. While these places don't really have official maps, I've created concept designs based on the cards depicting locations and residents.

Ferrum -  Pokken's story and battle stages definitely have enough of an established basis to make a region out of. The concepts shown in the game could definitely make for an interesting plot.

Decolore Islands -  While a very short arc in the BW anime, it's still enough to warrant a fun island chain to explore.

Orange Archipelago - I'm far from the first person to want to include this in a rom hack, but with all of the extra-region inclusion, it would be odd to not add in this.

Reverse/Distortion World -  For every region, there is a Reverse World counterpart. I won't get into it's purpose too much as of now.

On your journey, you will encounter many familiar faces from all sects on the pokemon universe - many friend, many foe. A big goal of mine is to keep it interesting the whole way through.

Also, I don't have Kalos or Alola planned mainly because of alternate timeline issues and the lack of sprites in B2W2 for Gen 6/7 pokemon

Features

After scouring forums, I believe I've compiled a decent collection of editing tools. Now... a ton of trial and error as I learn to use them. This project is massive, especially since my knowledge on hacking minimal. But I don't care how long it takes to make this as long as the outcome is genuinely enjoyable. Below is the list of things to expect from the game.

- Every region will be large, beautiful and interesting.

- Lots of team options, and an easy ability to change members throughout the game.

- Difficult battles

- Many big subplots all supporting one storyline

(This section will grow as time goes on and I get more ideas).


 

Potential Features

There are lots of features and pokemon added since Gen 5, but that's not really a focus of mine as of now. If at some point people want sprites for Gen 6/7 to be in this game and people start making them of their own volition, I'd absolutely add them in along with Fairy Typing. I imagine Terrain and Mega Evolution would be difficult to add, but if there's enough support I say let's go for it.

Discussion!

Below, I'd love people to share things they've wanted to see in a hack, or some concept in the pokemon universe they've wanted explored but hasn't been covered as much in the main series. This can include Spin Off games, Anime, Manga, and even the TCG. I want to gauge what people are most curious about in PokeLore. Also, if someone else voices a sentiment you agree with, feel free to say you feel the same or similar.

Edited April 18, 2017 by teddywestgeass

[StarsMmd]

4 hours ago, teddywestgeass said:

Introduction

Remember that feeling you had when you played G/S/C and reached the credits after beating Lance? Triumph, satisfaction... but also wondering what could be next. Then came your invitation to go to Kanto. Mind blown, a whole other region to explore after all of your travels in Johto. Looking back however, I think it's pretty safe to say that the journey there was rather uneventful and messy. Re-battling the gym leaders and seeing what became of Red and Blue was really cool, but outside of that what purpose did Kanto serve? Maybe you don't feel this way, but I do. As we get older and new games come out, our expectations for content increase and Game Freak tends to deliver (even if it means a Battle Maison here and there).

  In 2017, we have a wide selection of fan made games inspired by all of the beautiful work Game Freak has done over the years. A glaringly obvious trend among these games is that they're mainly in Gen 3 or made on RPG Maker. While I don't take up issue with this, I strive to build something based in Gen 5. As far as I'm aware, the only notable Gen 5 rom hacks are basically BW/B2W2 with increased difficulty and more pokemon available. I've enjoyed these, but I really am curious as to what other regions could look like with seasonal changes to boot.

The Concept

A few years have passed since the events of B2W2, and as such the world has changed with time. The spotlight first shines on the Orre region, which has been peaceful ever since the falling of Cipher. Mayor Trest of Phenac City contacted Gym Leader Wattson to lead a massive redesign of the region, resulting in a population increase of both humans and pokemon alike. What was once majorly a barren wasteland has benefited from environmentalists moving over from the Hoenn region and planting many trees and contributing to the ecosystem. With the help of Justy, an official Pokemon League has been established and he is its overseer.

You are a student on the verge of graduating the Phenac City Trainer School, where Justy teaches you and your classmates. Since Justy doubles as the strongest Gym Leader in Orre, you've grown up inspired to be a great trainer and have witnessed countless amazing battles. Each graduates' present is a starter pokemon, and after the final ceremony you're allowed to go out and explore all of the new areas in Orre (notably the northern region above Mt. Battle). 

Once you've gathered all 8 Gym Badges, you gain permission to attend the Pilica Conference - a tournament with all of the other trainers who completed their gym challenge. The winner is granted permission to challenge the Elite 4 and Champion. However, when you win you will notice that you are ill prepared to take them on... so you must keep training! But where to go from here?

Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova - Each of these regions will be accessible to take on the Gyms and Elite Four. Over the years, new areas have been built and the roles of familiar characters have changed. You may think you know these regions well, but this hack will give you a lot more to explore.

Fiore, Almia, Oblivia - The Pokemon Ranger regions have met with an increase of pokemon trainers, and battling has popularized here to the extent of them having Pokemon Leagues too! A lot will be added/changed to these regions to better suit a pokemon trainer's journey.

Holon, Skyridge, Aquapolis - These were all locations in the TCG, and Holon in particular has a lot of really interesting lore to look into. While these places don't really have official maps, I've created concept designs based on the cards depicting locations and residents.

Ferrum -  Pokken's story and battle stages definitely have enough of an established basis to make a region out of. The concepts shown in the game could definitely make for an interesting plot.

Decolore Islands -  While a very short arc in the BW anime, it's still enough to warrant a fun island chain to explore.

Orange Archipelago - I'm far from the first person to want to include this in a rom hack, but with all of the extra-region inclusion, it would be odd to not add in this.

Reverse/Distortion World -  For every region, there is a Reverse World counterpart. I won't get into it's purpose too much as of now.

On your journey, you will encounter many familiar faces from all sects on the pokemon universe - many friend, many foe. A big goal of mine is to keep it interesting the whole way through.

Also, I don't have Kalos or Alola planned mainly because of alternate timeline issues and the lack of sprites in B2W2 for Gen 6/7 pokemon

Features

After scouring forums, I believe I've compiled a decent collection of editing tools. Now... a ton of trial and error as I learn to use them. This project is massive, especially since my knowledge on hacking minimal. But I don't care how long it takes to make this as long as the outcome is genuinely enjoyable. Below is the list of things to expect from the game.

- Every region will be large, beautiful and interesting.

- Lots of team options, and an easy ability to change members throughout the game.

- Difficult battles

- Many big subplots all supporting one storyline

(This section will grow as time goes on and I get more ideas).


 

Potential Features

There are lots of features and pokemon added since Gen 5, but that's not really a focus of mine as of now. If at some point people want sprites for Gen 6/7 to be in this game and people start making them of their own volition, I'd absolutely add them in along with Fairy Typing. I imagine Terrain and Mega Evolution would be difficult to add, but if there's enough support I say let's go for it.

Hey dude. It's been a while

I really like your idea and it would be really cool but there's no way you can fit all of that into one NDS ROM. Plus it would take years of work. If you really are that determined I was thinking maybe you could spread the hack over multiple ROMS. So like you could have one or two regions per ROM? It would definitely be easier to use RPG maker with pokemon essentials for something on this scale but maybe with some careful planning you could make it happen. It would definitely be cool to see orre in a gen 5 ROM!

[suloku]

What's the maximum size for a ds rom? I mean in the technical aspect, since bloating the rom to get the space wouldn't be an issue for emulators/flashcarts if the DS is technically capable of it.

There's plenty of nes/gb hacks that increase the rom size to get extra storage, the limit would be that of the real hardware.

Good luck on the project, I'm not really into playing romhacks (too many non hack on the pending list), but this project looks like something I would play.

[teddywestgeass]

4 hours ago, StarsMmd said:

Hey dude. It's been a while

I really like your idea and it would be really cool but there's no way you can fit all of that into one NDS ROM. Plus it would take years of work. If you really are that determined I was thinking maybe you could spread the hack over multiple ROMS. So like you could have one or two regions per ROM? It would definitely be easier to use RPG maker with pokemon essentials for something on this scale but maybe with some careful planning you could make it happen. It would definitely be cool to see orre in a gen 5 ROM!

Hey dude! I'm absolutely down for years of work if it means making one of the most quality, extensive rom hacks available.I opt out of using RPG Maker because it doesn't quite feel right. Don't get me wrong, I've played wonderful fan pokemon games on RPG Maker but the battle scenes and window awkwardness in particular bother me. Plus roms can be played on android as well and I like the idea of making it more accessible.

The space issue was one of the first things that crossed my mind. Piggybacking off of Suloku, what IS the size limit and how do I measure the size of the changes I make? And is there unused features/code I could remove from the rom to make space? Also, how much can patching increase the room available?

(Also I'm uploading a LP of XG soon =))

Edited April 9, 2017 by teddywestgeass

[HakuEdoTensei]

Hey! Erm... On this hack, you might want to think about Post Game. I get the storyline is going to be MASSIVE, but the thing is, after the game, you should think about adding things like Contest or Pokémon Refresh etc. If you kept on restarting the game OVER and OVER and OVER it would get really boring after a while. Maybe it could be decision affected? That would give a unique twist. Say for example:

Character (Lets say Prof.Oak)

Villans (Team Flare)

Oak: Will you take down Team Flare?

Yes would lead to a sub plot, whearas if you chose No, it would affect the reigon or something. Like the UB quest.

And maybe Character Customization? I know it would have no point as you cannot play online, but seeing the sprite change would be nice.

These may be big features, but these are my thoughts

[teddywestgeass]

5 hours ago, KittyCats said:

Hey! Erm... On this hack, you might want to think about Post Game. I get the storyline is going to be MASSIVE, but the thing is, after the game, you should think about adding things like Contest or Pokémon Refresh etc. If you kept on restarting the game OVER and OVER and OVER it would get really boring after a while. Maybe it could be decision affected? That would give a unique twist. Say for example:

Character (Lets say Prof.Oak)

Villans (Team Flare)

Oak: Will you take down Team Flare?

Yes would lead to a sub plot, whearas if you chose No, it would affect the reigon or something. Like the UB quest.

And maybe Character Customization? I know it would have no point as you cannot play online, but seeing the sprite change would be nice.

These may be big features, but these are my thoughts

Adding back the contest from gen 3 would be ideal, but I'm not sure if it's even possible to port minigames or things like that. If it were, I'd absolutely be adding to Pokeathlon alongside it.

My thought process as of now is to have tons of story arcs that all connect but don't need to happen in any particular order. Like, once you complete a certain amount of the game, the region you fly to next is completely up to you. There are some that will have to be explored at certain points, but I'd make it free exploration for the most part. (Think Kingdom Hearts, particularly Chain of Memories). The obvious issue with this is good level pacing, since I don't want a post-Ecruteak situation (both decisions are challenging at first but once you go the other way everything is under-leveled). 

Character Customization isn't really a huge interest of mine. I think the closest thing I'd consider to that is having an array of starting characters to choose from, and have you start from a different region depending on who you pick, changing the story in the process and giving the game greater replay value. But given that there's already space issues I wouldn't do that unless it was feasible.

As for post game... you're able to re-battle the elite four and conference tournament of every region, and the conference in particular is randomized after the first story one so you'll always have different outcomes. ALSO, the conferences will have double battle versions where you can compete alongside other main characters. Plus, there's so much to explore in the game. NPCs, The same places you've been but in different seasons, etc. I'll definitely be adding to this list as I work on the game and come up with ideas.

Edited April 9, 2017 by teddywestgeass

[HakuEdoTensei]

On 9/4/2017 at 4:24 PM, teddywestgeass said:

Adding back the contest from gen 3 would be ideal, but I'm not sure if it's even possible to port minigames or things like that. If it were, I'd absolutely be adding to Pokeathlon alongside it.

My thought process as of now is to have tons of story arcs that all connect but don't need to happen in any particular order. Like, once you complete a certain amount of the game, the region you fly to next is completely up to you. There are some that will have to be explored at certain points, but I'd make it free exploration for the most part. (Think Kingdom Hearts, particularly Chain of Memories). The obvious issue with this is good level pacing, since I don't want a post-Ecruteak situation (both decisions are challenging at first but once you go the other way everything is under-leveled). 

Character Customization isn't really a huge interest of mine. I think the closest thing I'd consider to that is having an array of starting characters to choose from, and have you start from a different region depending on who you pick, changing the story in the process and giving the game greater replay value. But given that there's already space issues I wouldn't do that unless it was feasible.

As for post game... you're able to re-battle the elite four and conference tournament of every region, and the conference in particular is randomized after the first story one so you'll always have different outcomes. ALSO, the conferences will have double battle versions where you can compete alongside other main characters. Plus, there's so much to explore in the game. NPCs, The same places you've been but in different seasons, etc. I'll definitely be adding to this list as I work on the game and come up with ideas.

What about a plot with the choice to go with the villain team? Like if you wanted to be a criminal for once?

[teddywestgeass]

24 minutes ago, KittyCats said:

What about a plot with the choice to go with the villain team? Like if you wanted to be a criminal for once?

That's been done by other hacks. I like the concept but it's not really something I wanna do with this game.

[ams81000]

you need to make a part after beating the game that allows you to go to a portal with arceus and go back in time and witness the creation of pokemon afterwards you are able to go bcak to that portal and go through and play a mini game depending on what youre score is you might encounter a legendary and if you do extremely well you can fight a lv 100 arceus

 

[DarkonKirimoto]

I like this! Sounds cool

[Aashin]

i would like to help u in completing this project. this looks sooooo awesome that i cant wait to play. and the size is a big factor. if u are deciding to make it gba it would be impossible to put all regions in it or u would have to split it up into 2-3 roms. rgxp could do it.

 

[Hhh762391]

This would be SO cool. It would be legendary. Please make it happen!p

As a recomendation, i’d say it would be cool if the game was difficult, and had more than 1 rival (i’d also say it would be awesome to introduce anime characters (like tobias for example) and other game characters (like red or lance for example) along the game.

I really like the idea of a championship before the elite 4 and i would recomend it in wvery region, it’s way more exiting.

Also, i think the levels might become a problem, like after 2-3 regions you might have your pokemon at level 100, so in order of fixing that factor i got the following idea. Parallel stories. I mean, you are a different main character every 2-3 regions and can switch between them (somewhat like ocarina of time but instead of changing time you change space and person). It’d be nice if at the end of the game all the champions of the different regions (you in different main characters) met in a champions championship where you have to pick one of your main characters and fight the others. Just an idea, don’t know if you’ll like it.

Anyway, im really looking forward to this so i trully hope yo can make it. Me and millions of people would enjoy it so much.

 

[theSLAYER]

Let's see.
Last reply by OP to this thread: 2017
OP last visited the site in general: 2018

I'm gonna assume this project is dead. If OP wants to put work into it and revive this project, PM me, and I'll unlock the thread :3