Alilatias

It's been a very long time since I've played this game. So long in fact that I ended up losing my old save due to having to do a computer reformat. Losing the two teams I've rotated since episode 1 sucks, but I'm looking forward to restarting from scratch to see how things have been changed.

The Black Fox themes were indeed different between both versions, but not in the way you describe. You might be mixing up multiple themes, because I think the specific one you describe is still present in episode 5, just the way it's used might have changed. You want to go into the Desolation -> Audio -> BGM folder and look for 'Battle - Gang'. That sounds like the one you're describing with the sirens. Episode 5 has another variant called 'Battle - Gang 2' that's probably replacing the previous, but the old theme is still present in the Episode 5 files. Luckily I still have the old E4 files purely for music reasons, so if you can't find it, then I'll go and upload it here. (On a side note... What I -really- want is the Episode 3 gym battle theme, which I ended up losing when my old computer broke down. There was a brief moment in time where it was changed, but it got switched back to its current theme. I was one of the few that liked the new version better. I'm not 100% sure if the theme was actually present in Episode 3, or it was something that only existed in Episode 3 beta testing. If it was the latter, no one probably has it anymore.)

Many special Pokemon in this game actually come with moves that they usually don't have unless you have the necessary TM or breed for them. Desolation is a lot more lenient about giving you stronger Pokemon earlier on, compared to Reborn and Rejuvenation. For example, there's a... - Ponyta with Wild Charge (normally requires a TM) and High Horsepower (normally an egg move). - Dunsparce with Rock Slide (normally requires a TM) - Eevee with Curse and Wish (normally egg moves) - Rhyhorn with Superpower (normally an egg move) and Rock Slide (normally requires a TM)

Ah, that explains it. My Gardevoir is now special. The music is so much better now too!

...Jesus. Way to tell a story, Caz. 30 minutes in and the new chapter is already blowing my mind. Also, for some reason, my Roserade picked up Phantom Force and my Gardevoir somehow picked up Mystical Fire. I don't even remember what they had before, since it was like 2 years since I last touched that save file. (I think Roserade might have had Extrasensory before?)

Yeah, most of the game's soundtrack is lifted from Final Fantasy XI. Yes, the MMO. It actually has an incredible soundtrack, but not a whole lot of people know, because MMO. It would appear that its soundtrack is actually perfect for a lighter-hearted Pokemon fangame.

Despite the game's simplistic look (especially with the overall lack of custom sprites), the game's main selling point is that it has incredible writing and a great sense of humor from that. The game's a bit on the easier side if you're used to fangames like Reborn, but it's a pretty light-hearted whimsical game that occasionally dives into some really deep personal subjects without being overbearing about it. Though one should be aware that since this is an older fangame (it's older than Rejuvenation!), only Pokemon up to generation 4 (D/P/Pt) are available, and the game mechanics themselves only go up to generation 5 (as in, fairy types don't exist, and electric types can still be paralyzed and powder moves still work on grass types, I believe). I think level up movesets only go up to generation 5 as well. Some HMs were buffed too - Cut is now a 70 BP Grass move, Rock Smash got buffed to 70 BP, and Strength is now a 100 BP Rock move.

It's only been... Another couple years, but it's finally here! Just released half an hour ago, the long awaited final update to what many consider the best written Pokemon fangame of all. https://old.reddit.com/r/legendsofthearena/comments/hfq4fj/legends_of_the_arena_the_final_update/ (It's also worth noting that in usual LotA tradition, Strength got massively buffed. It's now a rock type move.)

Several years ago, I had an idea about a very non-traditional Pokemon game, with a lot of mechanics that differ from most Pokemon fangames. It involves an island that was basically trapped in its own time bubble, and recently reappeared in the modern era (right in the middle of a busy shipping route, which initially caused a bunch of chaos). So the world's leading professors and authorities launch a massive investigation into the island, though they quickly determine that the island appears to have been more or less untouched by human hands and technology until now. This causes the world's authorities to enact a rule that for the sake of preservation (and safety of the world, because who even knows what's there), not just anyone should be allowed in, so the nearest region (Hoenn) is given the responsibility of policing all traffic to the island. However, aerial investigations reveal that the island is actually larger than Hoenn itself - and somehow appears to be mysteriously growing and shrinking, with one observer describing islets flying in the sky, the next observer reporting rocky mountains in the same coordinates, and yet another reporting a vast desert below. The few known groups that have investigated the island on foot have either disappeared, or returned completely empty-handed. Those who have reported back mention that they did not encounter any Pokemon, but there were clear signs that they were present. The main character(s) are a pair of older interns studying under a Professor, and the game would have very special rules compared to the traditional Pokemon game.

I am popping in here to mention that Legends of the Arena is currently planned to have its final chapter released by the end of the month (per their reddit/discord).

I only came in here to say, thank you two for helping on this project. With the massive scope that Desolation had, I didn't think there was any sustainable way for the project to continue with a solo dev. Especially with med school thrown into the equation. Okay, I lied, I do have one question. With the new gen Pokemon, I assume that will mean changes to Pokemon availability. That means gym leaders would be rebalanced around them as well. Also, in that sense, have you considered adding additional starters, or replacing some of the existing starters? I intend on restarting the game from the beginning as it has been quite a long time. While we patiently wait for the new episode, I think the community would like to hear about any new additions before the first gym. After all, the first gym was a pretty infamous fight as well, where most people just recommended to bring a Biabarel.

Well. I'm late, but at least I can chalk this up to one thing in 2020 that's going right. Welcome back, Caz.