Rejuvenation | Dev Blog [Status Thread]

[lokighost]

On ‎10‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 4:23 PM, ShadeStrider said:

Character Development would be preferable. I thought that their was gonna be no romance between the main characters. That's what your fanfiction is for.

well atm it looks like we going to be single out and have to make a new crew 

 

[Jan]

Post #2 | Player Character Updates - 10/20/2017 | 20/10/2017

 

Almost a month since my last post. Oops. Oh well, better late than never.

 

So I've been wanting to show stuff for a while now, but due to Player Character updates, it's been a trial.

I can't really show things without showing these first, so here we are. 

There's nothing really to say here because the title is pretty self explanatory, tbh. 

Old designs were really outdated and uninspired, so I decided it's time for the crew* to

have modernized gear!

 

Out of all of them, I think Axel got the most changes. His design was pretty bland and a blatant male

copy of Aria's. I think his character needed the update the most, but in the end I decided, if he's getting an

update, the rest probably should too. 

 

*Alain and Aero are not included because things have not been finalized for them yet. I'll get to them -eventually-

 

**Please note that these are not finalized and are still under a WIP status. Certain things may change before

the public release of V10. 

 

Now, I pose a question for all of you. Would you like the old designs to stay in the game as some sort of easter egg

that can be switched to? Pls answer below!

 

🎊🎊🎊🎊

 http://www.strawpoll.me/14191116 

🎊🎊🎊🎊

 

Overworld Sprites [Together]

Spoiler

 

Aevia

Spoiler

 

Aevis

Spoiler

 

Aria

Spoiler

 

Axel

Spoiler

 

[ShadeStrider]

Looks like I'll have to get used to the new Axel, then. 

 

Or if you put the old ones in as an easter egg, I'd be able to play as either. I immediately voted yes.

 

 

I honestly think the best of the new sprites is Aevia. 

 

To be fair, I can understand if someone likes the old sprites better than the new ones. It's the Same for me when playing Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes. 

Edited October 20, 2017 by ShadeStrider

[Chase]

Starting with the good, I like Aria and Axel a lot here, Jan. Axel does indeed look like his own character now and his hair doesn't look off on the over-world sprite anymore. Aria's always looked cool (I have a thing for the color red.)

 

I like Aevis' hair style here - a lot. I just wish it wasn't. a black. hair color. A blonde for a conservative color or a light green for something a bit more out there would play better to Aevis' green highlights and his sprite wouldn't get lost in dark places. It does get rid of the issue of his hat having too much detail on the sprite - but removing his hat causes a personal problem I'll cover i a bit. It seems like only Aevia and Alain (I think?) are the only ones who are allowed to have a hair color other than black. That's four of the six player sprites that share that trait. Talk about dominant and recessive.

 

Aevia's old short sleeved hoodie was neat - and I think would have been something that could have rolled over from her old sprite and still worked with leggings. While I'm thankful her hair is still pink, it's also kinda....."the same" as several other long-haired women in the game. Her side sprites look like "pink Venam" at the very least. Her battle sprite looks very good however, and I can live with a miniskirt becoming leggings due to Aevium's pretty expansive natural areas.

 

---

 

YES. DO KEEP THE LEGACY SPRITES.

 

This is more of a personal appeal than anything else.

 

Aevia and Aevis had very CLEAR inspirations (from my vantage point anyway) from Curtis and Yancy and their sprites may not have been as "original" as these new takes - but they to informed these were good sprites that brought back fond memories of other games. Perhaps Aevia was changed so much because people didn't see Yancy in her sprite and instead saw....well, Nancy, and thought of her as a carbon copy of another character in the game?

 

I will always miss Aevia's hat now, and while "tha curtis" hat looked odd in the 3rd gen sprite form, I still think a ballcap suits Aevis more than not having a hat at all. I'm someone that sees the similarities and "possible" inspirations to those sprites, where others may not though.

[Gh0stStark]

Keeping the old sprites as easter eggs could be a nice treat for those who prefer them. Regarding the new ones, the dark skinned pcs look pretty cool -  nice measure of details and sober, well matched colors. Much better than the old ones imo. The fair skinned ones however, look somewhat bland and lackluster, especially if compared to the other two, and could use some touch ups colorwise and a little more detailing. Since they aren't finished yet, that will probably change though. 

 

Thanks for the update Jan!!!!

[Chase]

1 minute ago, Gh0stStark said:

The fair skinned ones however, look somewhat bland and lackluster, especially if compared to the other two, and could use some touch ups colorwise and a little more detailing. Since they aren't finished yet, that will probably change though. 

 

Thanks for the update Jan!!!!

I forgot to mention this - but Aevis' darker greens are cool - but don't look totally familiar. He looks a completely new sprite - and perhaps that's where the "bland" comes from with him. Aevis used to have this neon green "highlight" color that at least made his old sprite have -some- pop to him. He looks rugged, like a soldier now - which to me looks a little silly when Nancy will spend several important scenes standing next to him in her high-class attire. Rugged is an "in" fashion though - I would agree Aevis needs some flash.

 

Aevia is "the flashier" of the white folks because ...well, pink hair. That one's unavoidable. I have to admit that the black leggings are cool, and I can live with the plain blue hoodie wrapped around the waist (i hope that becomes a fashion a female protagonist in a main series game tries.) What might help Aevia is making her overshirt one of two things.

 

1. A baseball tee kinda like Rosa from Black and White 2 wears. The sleeves would be a powder-blue (similar to Yancy, again), and there's either a number or graphic on the front of the shirt

 

2. A graphic t-shirt, with a more pronounced graphic. This one may be harder to sprite though.

[Jan]

I read all of your criticisms and I'll be working hard to improve on both Aevis and Aevia's look! Thank you guys~

[Commander]

I don't have much to say as I don't want to step on anyone's toes but uhh those sprites kind of look like very experienced trainers so without context, I would've guessed they were more a costume change as the story progressed. Whatever you want to do I'll be fine with so just take this with a grain of salt.

[Chrixai]

The previous designs for ver. 9 are pretty lit, but the way the designs look now makes me hyped for ver. 10. But quick question. Will the player characters also have like a moving animation like certain movements? Ex. Melia or Zetta movements? If not that's fine, just seeing them is pretty cool😄 (Axel's design ftw!)

Edited October 21, 2017 by Xukai

[Nyarth]

These look really nice. Aria and Axel’s change are my favorites.

 

I don’t know though, I kind of prefer Aevia’s old sprite for some reason. It might just be that her hair was a lighter shade of pink that I like more, but it’s not too important.

 

These really do look unique though. I’m excited to see the NB character designs and the time travel outfit change!

[ShadeStrider]

6 hours ago, Nyarth said:

These look really nice. Aria and Axel’s change are my favorites.

 

I don’t know though, I kind of prefer Aevia’s old sprite for some reason. It might just be that her hair was a lighter shade of pink that I like more, but it’s not too important.

 

These really do look unique though. I’m excited to see the NB character designs and the time travel outfit change!

I know how you feel. I do prefer Axel's old sprite over his new.

 

Was Axel a clone of Aria? Or was Aria a Clone of Axel?

 

I know that Axel is Aria, but Male, But I don't really care. I like Red and Black. And I like playing as a Male.

Edited October 21, 2017 by ShadeStrider

[Lone Wanderer Jordan]

I am digging Aevis' new look, however I do agree the "darker" tones of the colours has given him a more rustic appearance.

 

Also please don't change his hair colour to blond or a light green. It would absolutely ruin the character look wise.

[Pluto]

9 hours ago, Nyarth said:

These look really nice. Aria and Axel’s change are my favorites.

 

I don’t know though, I kind of prefer Aevia’s old sprite for some reason. It might just be that her hair was a lighter shade of pink that I like more, but it’s not too important.

 

These really do look unique though. I’m excited to see the NB character designs and the time travel outfit change!

since your name kind of came up during a google search (and i can't seem to find anyone who can answer my question) i have this annoying bug that occured in the blacksteeple prison which changed my black male sprite into maria, i'm trying to figure out how to fix it but yeah,

is pretty vague on how to change the graphic in my folder. sorry to bother you but yeah, i want this fixed before i end up progressing any further

Edited October 21, 2017 by Pluto

[Zargerth]

@Pluto

Post your save file here:

 

[Pluto]

whoops

Edited October 21, 2017 by Pluto

[lokighost]

I like them but not 100% jan 

[Terminator K]

The only dislike I have is with axel battle sprite aginst bosses as In I feel like he should have a more serious face before the battle starts but thats just me

[Gheist]

I don't know all the protagonist names but if Aevis is the default white male protagonist that I'm playing as, I like the old one better. The new back sprite is fine but the rest not very much. Maybe just let us pick which one we want at the start? It already asks you to select your appearance so we could just have multiple ones for the same race/gender.

Or I guess make it an Easter egg as long as I can do it early on without having to alter game files.

[fireheart4560]

looking forward to V10. Hope development goes smoothly

[shinymissingno]

I think they all look pretty cool, myself. Personally though, I prefer Aevia (assuming I've got the right name; the girl with the pink hair and white hat) as she currently is over the proposed revisions. Dunno why. I think in my eyes she has a unique look to her as compared to a lot of other characters - maybe it's all the pink and white, and her general style? Just this kind of girly impression I get off the current design that really appeals to me over all the other sprites, that I feel stands out from the crowd. I'm all for updated sprites if you want it, but I'd really heavily prefer Aevia to stay as she is (or at least get the option to change back to her without editing the files), if me bringing up my two cents is okay.

 

Beyond that, I hope everything is going smoothly, and look forward to seeing what the next update may bring~!

[Edea]

The new sprites look fantastic. The only "problem" I see is with Aevia's look. It seems an older Aevia instead of an improved sprite, almost like another person.

Don't get me wrong, she looks perfect and I like her look. I just feel that she's too different from her initial sprite. It's like she's phisically grown and got more experienced and serious. I don't know if I made myself clear, I hope I did. (Where did her hat go? It was awesome, I wish I had one for my own...)

I like what you did with Axel and Aria, they're just perfect.

I see that no one commented about the overworld sprites... but that's to be expected. They're spot-on.

 

I hope that the dev. goes smoothly. Can't wait to restart the game! Again.

Best of luck, Jan.

 

 

Edit: Also, I'm excited to see the new mugshots that I immagine you'll be making.

Edited October 30, 2017 by Edea

[Dreamy]

Hmm I like both the old and the new Aevia. I think its good to have her more unique (the over-the-shoulder battle sprite was very frlg female) but I will kind of miss the hat. I can't check right now in V9 as I'm using the black clothes version (which I hope still exists in some form) but I remember in V8 the ribbon on the white hat would form a smiley face when using a PC in V8, and that was kind of funny.

[Alex]

Post #3 | An Introspective into Balancing - 10/31/2017 | 31/10/2017

 

So what's happening to Random Trainers?

Often looked over as the Gym Leaders and Evil Teams take the spotlight, the random trainers of the world need some love too! As mentioned earlier in the thread, there has been a hard level cap implemented - if you've forgotten, that means your Pokémon can't go past the cap with normal levelling. This allows random trainers to be refined and balanced much more easily. This is why I have appointed myself the task of editing every trainer in the region! Tedious? Yes! Foolish? Probably! Worth it? I sure hope so! What does this actually mean, though? Well, it's better to show through example...

 

Subject: Rocker Max of Route 4

Meet Max. He's a Rocker found on Route 4, and we'll be using him to showcase what I've actually been doing! We'll be looking at his team on Casual, Normal, and Intense. First off, let's go over his team in Version 9: 

 

Rocker Max: Version 9

 Items: None

Magneton Lvl 39, no item, random ability, Screech, Flash Cannon, Electro Ball, Metal Sound (default)

Magneton Lvl 38, no item, random ability, Flash Cannon, Electro Ball, Metal Sound, Mirror Shot (default)

 

That's not too interesting, isn't it? They're using default movesets and it's just the same Pokémon twice!.The more uninteresting part as that he would simply change in levels for Casual and Intense. No new Pokémon, items, moves, or anything! Talk about lame. But that's where I come in, and I spice his team up a bit! Firstly, though, let's check the Casual variant:

 

Rocker Max: Version 10 - Casual

 Items: None

Magnemite Lvl 36, no item, random ability, Screech, Flash Cannon, Electro Ball, Metal Sound (default)

Magneton Lvl 34, no item, random ability, Flash Cannon, Electro Ball, Metal Sound, Mirror Shot (default)

 

First of all, I will mention that the levels have been modified to take into account differences in the gym badge caps (they've all been lowered by 5, except Venam's). Secondly, this still isn't that interesting, right? But there has been a Pokémon change: one of the Magneton is now a Magnemite! Tending to Casual players is important too! But onto Normal...

 

Rocker Max: Version 10 - Normal

 Items: Lemonade

Magneton Lvl 36, no item, random ability, Flash Cannon, Electro Ball, Metal Sound, Mirror Shot (default)

Loudred Lvl 38, no item, random ability, Rest, Uproar, Stomp, Bite

Chimecho Lvl 36, no item, Levitate, Uproar, Extrasensory, Heal Bell, Take Down (default)

 

Ohoho, three Pokémon on a single trainer's team? That used to be a rarity, but in general, there will be a slightly higher amount, since giving too much exp won't be a problem anymore! Let's also take note of the differences here: Three Pokémon of different types and uses, one has a custom moveset, and the trainer is holding a Lemonade! While this won't be too common on Normal, more random trainers like Max here will want to heal their hurt Pokémon too! Now, everyone has been waiting for this, so here is Intense:

 

Rocker Max: Version 10 - Intense

 Items: Lemonade

Magneton Lvl 37, no item, Magnet Pull, Flash Cannon, Volt Switch, Metal Sound, Tri Attack

Exploud Lvl 38, no item, Soundproof, Crunch, Stomp, Overheat, Fake Tears

Chimecho Lvl 36, no item, Levitate, Psychic, Recover, Shadow Ball, Wrap

Chatot Lvl 37, no item, Keen Eye, Chatter, Nasty Plot, Boomburst, Roost

 

Each Pokémon now has their own defined moveset, and the Loudred has evolved. But it also looks like there's a newcomer to the team, and it's no stranger to most: Chatter Chatot! On Intense, you are expected to be a good player who knows a lot about Pokémon, and how to use them well. Thus, it should be no surprise that this is the difficulty that should expect you to be using Pokémon as well as you can as much as you can. Trainers are often neglected, but I think that these kinds of changes will make changing the difficulty somewhat more interesting. Thank you for your help Max, and thank you, the reader, for sticking with me.

 

DISCLAIMER: This is simply what I currently have down for this trainer, and may not be indicative of the final result of said trainer or any trainers in the game, but will be a general indicator of my plans. This ain't easy, yo.

 

Anything else?

Welllll.... there is one more thing. This hasn't been said yet, but it was decided a bit ago: The jackpot starters shall be removed. No longer will players spend up to a week with their finger on F12, hoping to get the elusive starter. That was not the intention to how the game was played at all, and the fact that I would offer to help players get one so they could get to actual content, is, well... It wasn't the best idea in hindsight, let's put it that way. Anyway, that's it from me! Hope this was somewhat enjoyable.

 

- Alex

[Nyarth]

Oh good, this trainer rebalancing will make the random battles a lot more interesting. Hopefully, it’ll mean I’ll stop devoting all my energy to avoiding trainers as much as I can with this. Good update—

 

>>no more jackpot starters

 

>>no more jackpot starters

 

>>no more jackpot starters

 

[Commander]

9 hours ago, Alex said:

 

Rocker Max: Version 10 - Intense

 Items: Lemonade

Magneton Lvl 37, no item, Magnet Pull, Flash Cannon, Volt Switch, Metal Sound, Tri Attack

Exploud Lvl 38, no item, Soundproof, Crunch, Stomp, Overheat, Fake Tears

Chimecho Lvl 36, no item, Levitate, Psychic, Recover, Shadow Ball, Wrap

Chatot Lvl 37, no item, Keen Eye, Chatter, Nasty Plot, Boomburst, Roost

 

Each Pokémon now has their own defined moveset, and the Loudred has evolved. But it also looks like there's a newcomer to the team, and it's no stranger to most: Chatter Chatot! On Intense, you are expected to be a good player who knows a lot about Pokémon, and how to use them well. Thus, it should be no surprise that this is the difficulty that should expect you to be using Pokémon as well as you can as much as you can. Trainers are often neglected, but I think that these kinds of changes will make changing the difficulty somewhat more interesting. Thank you for your help Max, and thank you, the reader, for sticking with me.

Oi I already see a repeat of Onyx Trainer School of Hell incident all over again. What happened there was that trainers were so inflated and so strong that getting past one trainer took about 5 minutes instead of 1 minute to the point it was just plain annoying. I didn't have the level cap thing at the time either so I was fighting levels while testing it while dealing with Jolteon, Swellow, and that bloody Quagsire all 2-3 levels above the cap. Obviously that wasn't my doing but fixing it was "fun" and I really, really nerfed them hard and they still caused a lot of issues. This is a level above that.

 

The issue here won't be apparent in the short run, but will be very, very apparent in the long run. The point of random trainers is that you can go through a chain of them at a time without needing to heal. Even in HC you could easily accomplish this despite the opponents having stronger than normal Pokemon. That is due to having a lot of leeway in the trainer difficulty sticking to default moves. Sometimes they're really good, but sometimes they're pure awful. Right now I see near cap difficulty for these trainers in Intense. It's not about them having perfect movesets, but having an item and their best stab more or less is their cap. So yeah...you'll see what'll happen when you get to the late game unless you want to play with inflation.

 

Giving them movesets is absolutely fine but early game it's better to throw various weaker moves like Hypnosis (or Yawn) Shock Wave Dream Eater on Chimecho for variety. There already is a degrade in natural difficulty when Pokemon get to higher levels (the famous the hardest part is the start of the game situation) so it's better to hold back then making them really good. Dealing with the late game is a pain in the ass no matter what you do though.

 

As for dropping the radmonized starter machine, I get removing the jackpot mons but...why remove the thing entirely as I really liked that concept.