Update #54 - Shifting Gears!

It's been several months since I alluded to some things I've been working on behind the scenes, and after several delays and road bumps both with real life problems and technical issues, I'm finally semi-ready to officially announce a project I'm working on. A Moemon Visual Novel with some RPG elements!

I have a background in writing and since I'm a huge fan of VNs, Pokemon, and RPGs in general, it's something I've been wanting to do for a long time, as a fun passion project. In fact, I actually started this entire hobby several years ago with a goal like this in mind.

I have no prior "technical" experience with any of this, so a little over a year and a half ago I began exploring different programs to find one that I can work with, as well as laying out outlines and storyboard. I have very little "free" time, so this took a bit longer than expected, but now I feel confident in an overall direction to take this project, and with the recent advancements in AI, most of the coding isn't even something I personally need to do. In fact, ChatGPT is great for writing up simple code for exactly what I want it to do.

There's still some details I'm not sure about, such as catching mechanics. While throwing balls and capturing Moemon in devices seems like the bread and butter of the franchise, I'm not sure if it's fitting for the setting and direction I want to take things, so I'm unsure how to play that out effectively. As I'm drawing inspiration from different sources, one of them is the HeartGold / SoulSilver idea that in ancient times, people didn't use capturing devices, but walked side-by-side with their partners, much like Ash and his Pikachu, which proved to be the best way to bond with them.

I'm also drawing inspiration from several different sources. The original Pokemon Adventures manga, which is much more adult-oriented than the show has presented itself. The mainline games themselves and some of the stories they contain. The Pokemon Masters EX game also contains some elements I'd like to draw from, which, if you haven't played, I'd highly recommend. As well as some anime sources, like Sekirei.

But what does that mean for us?!

It means going forward, we'll not be sticking to any particular route or overall plan in terms of release. Up until now, we've generally stuck to a general theme such as releasing Gen 1 Moemon, then Gen 2, Gen 3, and just recently having finished Gen 4 with the culmination of the Sinnoh League and Elite Four. There's been occasional themed months such as Summer or Halloween or Christmas, etc.

Instead, as I focus more on this project, I'll be needing assets. Lots of assets. TONS of assets. I mean, thousands. I'll need to be making lots and lots of scenes and taking tons of screenshots and poses and other stuff. And since I want to eventually release a working Beta for this project, I naturally should start from the beginning.

So, I'll be working on several key Moemon and Trainers that are crucial to the story and need to produce working versions of. Many of these would be reworked Gen 1, 2 or 3 Moemon, but also some that never got released, and of course, several different Trainers, Gym Leaders and villainous Team members as well.

At the moment, I can't specify which Moemon I plan to do this month, since it's all a bit chaotic right now. However, I can say I have been aching to give a much needed upgrade to the Charizard family, especially since we've long had several Charizard accessories added to KK, such as Charizard's wings and tail. In fact, in terms of assets like that, I'm going to see if there's a way I can personally convert several of the Studio-Only Pokemon conversions over to the Creator mods, because many of those parts can be broken apart and used independently, in theory.

Regardless, there won't be any less content. I'll continue to release several Moemon a week!

Finally, although I don't have a preview of upcoming sprites, many of you are not involved with the actual discord or have even seen the sprite sheet, so I'll link those below so you can see an idea of what is available for us to work with. Many of these individual sprites are technically outdated, since the spritesheet only gets updated periodically, and new sprites are being posted nearly every day in individual sprite workshop channels, but it gives a decent idea going forward.

Gen 1-3: https://i.imgur.com/KQkooHS.png

Gen 4-6: https://i.imgur.com/sSxW3V5.png

Gen 7-9: https://i.imgur.com/TYt7BjF.png

Forms: https://i.imgur.com/NpqMm8k.png

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

I want to thank you all again for your continual support and hope you continue to enjoy Moemon, whether it's with Koikatsu or the original romhack community. I hope you'll continue to stick around and I can't wait to get a working beta into your hands as soon as possible.

That's all for now!