When you can do HTML5 games on your own >:) Yesterday I realized that since my new PT engine doesn't use the built in GM collision engine, I could probably port it to javascript myself without spending hundreds of dollars. 24 hours of off and on working later and I have this: http://gameplague.com/test/collision.php It has basic collisions, walking, running and depth. I'm thinking I could eventually export maps from game maker, if I ever decided to port PT itself. Obviously this alone isn't too impressive, but its a lot better than I thought I could do in that short amount of time.

Considering how quickly that went together; I think I could make an entire Pokemon engine in javascript/php with relative ease. The overworld engine is probably the hardest part, the battle screen and menus are just basic website design stuff hooked into a PHP engine with AJAX. Client side storage = hacking, so this could finally solve the biggest security worries I had with PT.

Of course I need to finish up the engine and create some large rooms to see if it gets too laggy, but even then if I just wait a year or two browsers will be faster. As a bonus, if its not too laggy then I should be able to get it working on any modern browser. Including those on game consoles, cell phones, etc.

But that's not what has the most interested in this idea, the biggest possbility is if I toss the pokemon name and turn this whole thing into a giant pile of profit. The main game alone could earn me advertising + a "dlc" store. If facebook has taught me anything, its that people will spend a ridiculous amount of money on worthless junk if its in a game they like. I could sell character customization stuff, basic items, access to regions, etc. It would be harder to advertise without the name pokemon to catch peoples eye, but if the game is pokemon quality then word of mouth would be good enough.

But even more interesting, I could create a "monster collecting/battling game maker" which would essentially allow people to make their own games using my engine. Lots of people have decompiled PT and tried to make crappy games from it but just imagine if all they had to do was upload sprites, choose stats/moves/etc and then map out the game. Anybody could make a Pokemon style game with little or no programming knowledge and unlike with PT, half the source code would be server side so no theft. I could even let them customize basic pieces of the engine like the types.

I feel like this idea is almost kickstarter worthy =p