Wow, it's been a looooong time.

[noctournalrooster]

So I apparently joined this forum... sometime in 2010? It seems that summer, right after graduating high school. I made a few posts because I enjoyed the direction the game was going, loved the original Pokemon designs, and was looking at Pokemon fangames (it seems the 2006-2012 era was huge for people starting fan games). Being that I started college a couple weeks later, I had my hands tied up so I likely forgot about this forum.

Well I recently saw some recommended videos of people playing Pokemon fan games on YouTube, and that's when I remembered this one! Yep, forgot about it for like 9 years.

Sad to see it never got finished, or even a demo. :( There was another game I was also following called Pokemon Acanthite, which... the official website for it seems to no longer exist! I remember it having a wiki-like website with a Pokedex and everything! Nothing came of that either. Or others I followed back then.

But this website was easy to find (one of the first Google results) and is exactly as I recalled. :)

Anyhow, it's so odd to see how much has changed and been added to official Pokemon games, then compare some of the ideas of this one... when I found out about this one, it was before Black and White were even released.

For example, while Light type is likely the most commonly used fan type, although we never got it, we did get Fairy which is... sorta like that? Probably the closest to it. And oddly enough, we got a starter Pokemon that is Water/Fairy in Gen 7. Albeit not a dolphin... we still don't have an official dolphin Pokemon. Which sucks because I love dolphins. Maybe Gen 8?

Meanwhile, the Kelvoyant line seems to have pre-dated very similar Pokemon to it... like a combination of Pyroar and Delphox.

We also offically got a Fire/Bug line, an Electric zebra, a Grass/Ghost jack-o-lantern 2-part line, a pure Flying type Pokemon (including counterparts that are Ground or Electric... no Ice though), an official Steel/Ghost with a sword... I guess great minds think alike? (Or someone from Game Freak was looking to random fan games for ideas :P)

And with the Spaceworld '97 Gold & Silver demo leaked, we know there was originally to be prevos for Growlithe and Vulpix! Weird coincidence.

So are we allowed to discuss other Pokemon fan games on here? Also, what's your thoughts on Gen 8 so far?

Glad to find these forums still around though, if anyone ever reads this!

[Cyndadile]

Hey Nocturnalrooster you're definitely not alone in that feeling! We have a lot of people checking in from time to time, and I think that's in part because of how much this project has been significant to us in the past, and how much discussion there has been. It's also taught us just how long and hard a project like this can be, and it's hard to say what will come out the other end.

I still love the designs of the Pokémon for Topaz - they were mostly made before my time here, but I've seen some of the artwork and spritework in progress and some of them feel like they can't be beat even by the real games! Maybe that's my nostalgia talking but i think there's truth to it.

It's definitely funny how some Pokémon ended up eerily similar to real ones, and I think that a lot of fangames probably experience the same! It's cool to see. As for Gen 8... It could be pretty cool, but I'm also a bit worried. Going to have to withhold judgement for now!

[ImmunityBow]

Heh, hi all. Yeah, it's a shame we never got a demo out, but I have a feeling that we sort of mined the project for all the fun parts about it and then the sort of backbreaking part of implementation was left? If anything that might be a success for those who were involved because when you do all the fun stuff and stop when it's not so fun anymore then that's a good use of time in my books. Anyway it's nice to keep Topaz around to look and reminisce, so thanks for stopping on by to comment.

Sword and Shield might be the first Pokemon I pick up since Ruby/Sapphire, so that's exciting.

[noctournalrooster]

Second time typing this reply- first one, I must've hit the wrong button and it all got deleted. ;-;


I still love the designs of the Pokémon for Topaz - they were mostly made before my time here, but I've seen some of the artwork and spritework in progress and some of them feel like they can't be beat even by the real games! Maybe that's my nostalgia talking but i think there's truth to it.

Agreed! I think that's why Topaz stuck out in my head more than any other fan game. The Pokemon designs hold up very well even to this day. Also, is there a link to the early artwork and spritework?


It's definitely funny how some Pokémon ended up eerily similar to real ones, and I think that a lot of fangames probably experience the same! It's cool to see.Well, I suppose there's only so much one can do with a Pokemon's design without looking completely outlandish. A Grass/Ghost jack-o-lantern was bound to officially happen eventually. Yet still no dolphin...


Heh, hi all. Yeah, it's a shame we never got a demo out, but I have a feeling that we sort of mined the project for all the fun parts about it and then the sort of backbreaking part of implementation was left? If anything that might be a success for those who were involved because when you do all the fun stuff and stop when it's not so fun anymore then that's a good use of time in my books.

"Never regret anything that made you smile." :)


Sword and Shield might be the first Pokemon I pick up since Ruby/Sapphire, so that's exciting.Sames! Although I did get Pearl back in 2007 I think. I didn't play it long at all- ended up giving it to a family member, who did play it to completion and liked it.

Video games as a whole don't do much for me lately. =\ Maybe it's just my depression or whatnot speaking, but even genres and franchises I enjoy... I just don't like the new games. I got Super Mario Maker 2 today (didn't play the first one). I normally enjoy Mario games, but I don't know about this one so far.

Plus, games are so expensive. This is why I stick to fan games, because, by law, they have to be free! xD

Speaking of, I've been playing the Pokemon fan game I saw on YouTube (it claims to be finished, not just a demo). I don't like the Pokemon designs in it at all, although I do enjoy other aspects of it.

[Cyndadile]

Wow IB I didn't realize you were so far behind! :P

I'm not sure about anything earlier, but we can set the wayback machine to 2008: https://web.archive.org/web/20080403234123/http://www.pokemontopaz.net/sprites/

A lot hasn't changed, but some have changed quite a bit! (Firrel is incredibly grateful!) Maybe more has changed and the links just updated.

Also a pretty good policy on fun stuff. I've been trying to de-stress and do more fun things. Been playing video games again which I have gone periods where I haven't. Feels like I constantly have to re-learn what I enjoy doing because it's always changing!

[Quinn]

Peek a boo. I had a gut feeling to check in...
And man, I am excited, sad, but also relieved I am not the only one.
It'd be great to do a call back @ everyone.

I was trying to show some of my animation work for Topaz earlier today, back when I was...well, also much younger.
It is sad that so many of our tools we tried to use are since gone...but I also know both Unity and unreal have been gaining the support for this.
I have since made a small mobile game. It's only a clone, but it was solo developed and not public.

https://youtu.be/N6Cy20fyghg

Though it'd be fun, maybe as my next project once I finish anot animated commercial I am working on for a client, to try to dig up these assets, and develop up at least something.
....hype thoughts. If I did, it'd be a while.

But looking back, most all our designs did so well in the test of time, especially seeing both the future and past scrapped ideas.


I am excited to see

[Cyndadile]

Hey Quinn good to see you again! It's been a very long time! Glad to see you're still working on some fun projects!

[BladeVap]

I've been a bit harsh on Topaz (as have a large majority of OI users). But I'm still a fan of the Pokemon themselves. Just not the Light type anymore, other than Illumbra.

Nocturnal, I think you might like Pokemon Azurite if you're interested in developing fangames? I normally would not advertise it here, but Topaz is most definitely not coming out without serious innovation and work put into it, so...

Also, Acanthite closed down when they realized how much work it would take to fix their demo. It's really too bad, since I made every cry in the demo. Ah well.

[Black Temple Gaurdian]

I'd like to chime in (a couple months late) that there's very little actually stopping a demo.
Just... the most boring part (map scripting) :P

(I mean, currently you can wander around all the way up to the first gym fighting wild pokemon (and maybe the gym leader, I don't remember). Have been able to for must be at least a year now. I just stopped at that point because I kept getting caught up playing triple triad. The my laptop died, depression happened (the two weren't related), etc. )

[Cranky Guy]

Man, it's been a while! While we never got a demo out, I really appreciate y'all for sparking my interest in game development. It was a lot of fun.

[Black Temple Gaurdian]

Man, it's been a while! While we never got a demo out, I really appreciate y'all for sparking my interest in game development. It was a lot of fun.

If you're any good with map scripting (in RPGMaker that is), it can still be done. I'd have to either refind the dropbox or salvage my local copy off my old harddrive, but I wasn't kidding about the whole "walk to the first gym and challenge him" thing.

[Cranky Guy]

If you're any good with map scripting (in RPGMaker that is), it can still be done. I'd have to either refind the dropbox or salvage my local copy off my old harddrive, but I wasn't kidding about the whole "walk to the first gym and challenge him" thing.
If you plunk that stuff into Dropbox or Google Drive, I could take a look. I don't promise anything though.

[Black Temple Gaurdian]

I probably shouldn't post stuff from the staff subforum, but... eh.

So, if you'd like access to the dropbox folder, post your email (or email your email to jirachi.topaz@gmail.com if you're shy) and I'll add you.

Email is probably your best bet, since this isn't that thread :P

EDIT: And here's what we had two years ago:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/qipd10thfbilv60/Pokemon%20Topaz.exe?dl=0