Awwrite guise, let the announcemence comments!

Pokemon Purple is getting a name change. It is now Pokemon Bakelite. Also, it won't be isometric after all… too much work. lol

I've started from scratch with Bakelite since my old Pokemon movement engine was cobbled together from GML I wrote for GM7 and GM8, which resulted in it not playing too nicely with GMS… especially when trying to add missing features, like hopping over ledges.

But I've already gotten back to where I was with my old engine, plus some things that my old engine was missing: ledge hopping and ice sliding.

With that finally out of the way, I can start making progress towards implementing the good stuff. I want to have a playable demo out by no later than the end of December. I'd love to have it out before the end of November, but my military obligations make that unlikely.

Anyway, onto Kunzite and Hiddenite…

Kunzite and Hiddenite are two Pokemon games that I'll be developing alongside Bakelite. Unlike Bakelite, these won't feature any silly crossovers with other series… they'll be straight-up Pokemon games.

Inspired by my dissatisfaction with how Pokemon Black and White's story played out, Kunzite and Hiddenite will feature a Team Plasma-esque group fighting for the well-being Pokemon. But unlike Plasma, this isn't some flimsy cover-up for some lame ulterior motive… they'll actually be fighting for what they say they're fighting for, and things won't be so black and white this time around… bad pun intended. And I'm taking this more serious tone and running with it… besides this Team Something, there will be a lot of serious themes throughout Kunzite and Hiddenite. But that's not to say they're gonna be super-bleak or anything, there will still be plenty of fun and light-hearted monents throughout the games too. But essentially, these games are a re-imagining of the Pokemon universe as I see fit.

Kunzite and Hiddenite will be designed as open-world games, granting you the ability to choose what you want to do (once you get past the opening sequence of events). You can tackle the gyms and try to become the champion, you can try to complete your Pokedex, or you can just have fun raising your Pokemon and going out on adventures with them. There is no main goal or overarching story… you decide your own goals, and there will be plenty of stories for you to discover during your journey.

Kunzite and Hiddenite will take place in a much larger, re-imagined version of the Johto region. For every 1 sq. tile in the original Johto, the Johto in Kunzite and Hiddenite will have 12 sq. tiles. And there won't be large expanses of unmapped areas in between routes and cities, as there typically is in Pokemon games. Instead of being restricted to just the routes, you'll be able to cut through vast forests or hike across mountainous regions to get to different areas.

Kunzite and Hiddenite will also put a heavier emphasis on raising/taking care of Pokemon, as well as Pokemon individuality.

Anyway, to get a feel for what I'm going for here, I'll describe the opening of the game. You play as a young boy (or girl) who lives with his father, a sailor, in Cianwood City. Being a sailor, your father is away from home a lot, and today is one of those days that he's gone. You can decide to go to school, or skip and just wander about the city. In either case, you get a call from your mother who lives in New Bark Town. Apparently your father fell overboard last night and the attempts to find him have been unsuccessful thus far. Your mom has made arrangements for you to fly from Cianwood to Goldenrod via helicopter, then ride a taxi from Goldenrod to New Bark Town to live with her until further notice. During the taxi ride, it starts to rain. And by the time that you get to New Bark Town, the rain has become a heavy thunderstorm, and the area around the town has started to flood. Professor Elm notices you arrive, and decides to stop by and offer you a Pokemon. But when you and Elm head over to his lab, you find that a red-haired boy has released Elm's Pokemon. The Pokemon run off into New Bark Woods just north of the town, and you chase after them to catch what will be your starter Pokemon.