Obligatory Plot Discussion Thread

[Blahsadfeguie]

A forum about a game-in-development without a main plot discussion thread is like a kitchen sink without a faucet - it just becomes a hangar for abused dishes. So, let's get this ball rolling shall we?

We all know that the only "plot" in mainstream Pokemon games that Game Freak seems capable of conjuring (or copy-pasting) is a generic badge collection quest where the protagonist hasn't even hit puberty yet and some incompetent villainous squad meddles with arbitrary things in the background.

Thankfully, we have more creativity than that in our little fingernails. If you've read the site summary/advertising blurb, Halo already has a region/basic plot in mind. It's a little ambiguous however. That's where we come in. Hopefully through this thread (and maybe later some more specific side-threads) we can sketch out the entire game's blueprints so that we have something to work off of.

So feel free to post your ideas about the plot itself in here. And Halo, if you would please, post a summary of everything you have determined so far as a kick start.

[Halofire]

Alright, here's what I have down so far in a general format. Anyone may post with their own ideas, as we are developing the plot.

I'm trying not to give too many spoilers here, but I have things down in a more detailed format as well. However, I would be happy to consider any revisions and ideas.

First off, the region is an island chain located far away from the ones in canon Pokemon games, so there's plenty of room for original ideas that don't quite match those in the games Game Freak and Nintendo made.

The structure of the island chain is rather important to the plot I have so far. It consists of four small islands in the center, and three larger islands that are thinly separated from each other and form almost a ring around the four smaller islands. Floating above the sea is another island.

Every region has its fair share of legendaries. Most have two or three main ones. Right now I'm only working with one.

Being veritably disconnected from the rest of the world, this region is more spiritually connected with Pokemon. Less developed in urbanization and technology. "Gyms" are subject to change; in this region they are more of a right of passage, because the people look to those who can effectively befriend and command Pokemon.

But every region has its fair share of problems. Dark rumors circulate around about the "Syndicate"... nobody knows who they are or what exactly they're doing, or if they even exist. But rumors are enough to scare a populice.

And when Pokemon worshiped on the middle islands disappear, tales are told once more about artifacts of ancient power, and the Pokemon to rule all. Dark forces are at work here.

Travel through the Cynturi region in search of the hidden artifacts, but always remember that things are more than they seem, and you might find more than you expected waiting for you.

[Blahsadfeguie]

Alrighty, now that Halo's ideas are out on the table, let's start with the beginning: the protagonist and his/her immediate motive to train Pokemon.

The following is my suggestion:

Like the mainland tradition of 10-year-olds becoming eligible for their starter and journey, I imagine a similar tradition in Cynturi. When a young boy or girl turns 13 (10 is a little young), they must take the "gym" challenge to prove themselves worthy of adulthood. Forming strong being-to-being bonds is vital in this lifestyle, and so the youngster is given their first Pokemon by their island/town's elder (who for the sake of emotional development is the protagonist's father/grandfather).

Of course, the protagonist's rival being roughly the same age, he gets the same opportunity. (bonus points if the rival is also related to the protagonist, i.e. brother, cousin, etc) Naturally, he sees this as a competition rather than a spiritual journey, and so he antagonizes you every step of the way.

Instead of gym leaders, you must travel to each town and challenge its respective elder. Your own town's elder will be the last one that you face, and he will only battle when you have brought him enough badges (or perhaps gemstones or something to keep the theme). The region contains more towns than the required number of badges, to allow some leeway for post-game content or just extra challenges.

Now here's the twist: you don't have to BEAT every elder to obtain the badges. You just have to do well enough in-battle, and the elder will judge your performance and bond with your team. Each one has different criteria - one may judge you poorly for being too aggressive *coughSPAMcough*, for example - and sometimes you can win the battle but fail to obtain the badge because the elder didn't think you were ready to move on.

That, of course, is only the motive to get the protagonist started in the first place. The plot, as some of us already know, goes much deeper...

Anyway, none of this is automatically canon; it's just me putting a bunch of my thoughts on paper (or rather, computer data). Let me know if you like it, hate it, or want to suggest a change or two.

[Halofire]

I like these ideas, I've noticed that in the Pokemon games your ever-single mother is always rather eager to kick you out of the house with no proper education so you can face potentially deadly creatures while walking through unavoidable tall grass. Whether you just hopped out of the back of a moving van ready to leave your house and rarely come back after the first time you enter it, or have lived there your whole life and decide to get up one day and go on a journey, there never seems to be a bigger motive than that the underaged kids want to go out and make Pokemon fight against each other.

I approve of pretty much everything here, mainly because they fill the blank spaces where I was too lazy to specify things in my much more specific and detailed plot, because I was very vague around the beginning or at certain points continuing through. The whole thing with the elders actually sounds awesome, like a sort of strange mix between contests and battles, and much more about how you treat and use your Pokemon, a facet of the game ignored thus far. In fact, the general development of Pokemon seems to be overlooked in favor of the bland battling, and I enjoy any opportunity to make them much more like companions than little monsters you use to protect you while you run around and beat people up.

Anyways, this all seems to fit very well with what we have so far, and as far as I'm noticing, it's starting a whole slew of original ideas in things not concerning the plot, and those are definitely adding to the whole idea of Gen 6.

[kirjava]

Maybe the main character and rival can be brother and sister and each is trying to prove they are the best one, even though their aunt (for the girl)/uncle (for the boy) says that both are equally god at communicating with Pokemon and they shouldn't compete (which they will immediately do anyway). If they were twins then maybe some time in the story the main character feels that their twin is in trouble and has to find them by walking/flying around the world to find them by feeling where the link is strongest- "The feeling is coming from the north-east", go north east, "The feeling is coming from the south", go south, find a cave or building which wasn't there before or they couldn't get to before, "The feeling is coming from within this strange cave/creepy old house"