pokemonapex

[pokemonapex]

I have released a hotfix for this patch that fixes a game-breaking bug that was reported today. If you've already downloaded this patch, please download it again to get this fix.

In the launcher, you can use the "Force Update" option in the Settings menu.

Fixed the skull puzzle in Crystal Channel Lower being instantly reset. (Reported by necravia)

Apex Alpha Build 10.1 Now Available

The first hotfix of Build 10 is here thanks to players on the Discord server reporting a bunch of bugs!

As always, this patch is available in the launcher or as a standalone download. Read on for the changelog.

Fixes

Lore sign in Shrieking Cliffs West is now accessible from the correct direction.

Pelipper event in Howling Strait now disappears properly if defeated or caught.

Fixed incorrect Palace reference in Priest cutscene in the Altar of Mercy (reported by IceCreamSandWitch).

Fixed typo in Hercynia Woods sign. (reported by IceCreamSandWitch)

Fixed Pokéballs unusable in Hard Mode. (reported by necravia)

Fixed some instances where players could get stuck traversing hill tiles in Megiddo Plains.

Fixed missing door transfers to the Abyssal Throne and Magmatic Throne. (reported by IceCreamSandWitch)

Fixed Lumberjack Herb and Tourist Herb sharing a name and some lines. Lumberjack Herb is now called Lumberjack Leif and has unique lines. (reported by IceCreamSandWitch)

Fixed tile layering with locked doors in Ys. (reported by IceCreamSandWitch)

Fixed typos in Priest Taiyo's dialogue. (reported by IceCreamSandWitch)

Changed after-battle lines for Priest Morgan to be unique. (reported by IceCreamSandWitch)

Florist Colin now has unique after-battle dialogue. (reported by IceCreamSandWitch)

Fixed typo in Biologist David's registration dialogue. (reported by IceCreamSandWitch)

[pokemonapex]

Apex Launcher 1.8.0 Now Available

This is a minor update on the features end, but I upgraded the codebase to .NET 8.0. You should no longer need the specific version of the .NET runtime installed on your computer to run the launcher (though most people would anyway).

Additionally, I've removed the ability to automatically install fonts, as this was getting the launcher incorrectly flagged as a virus by most antivirus software. It'll still prompt you to install fonts, but all the program can do is open the fonts for you to install manually. It is what it is.

As always, you can get this version of the launcher on GitHub.

#release #launcher

[pokemonapex]

Apex Alpha Build 10.1 Now Available

The first hotfix of Build 10 is here thanks to players on the Discord server reporting a bunch of bugs!

As always, this patch is available in the launcher or as a standalone download. Read on for the changelog.

Fixes

Lore sign in Shrieking Cliffs West is now accessible from the correct direction.

Pelipper event in Howling Strait now disappears properly if defeated or caught.

Fixed incorrect Palace reference in Priest cutscene in the Altar of Mercy (reported by IceCreamSandWitch).

Fixed typo in Hercynia Woods sign. (reported by IceCreamSandWitch)

Fixed Pokéballs unusable in Hard Mode. (reported by necravia)

Fixed some instances where players could get stuck traversing hill tiles in Megiddo Plains.

Fixed missing door transfers to the Abyssal Throne and Magmatic Throne. (reported by IceCreamSandWitch)

Fixed Lumberjack Herb and Tourist Herb sharing a name and some lines. Lumberjack Herb is now called Lumberjack Leif and has unique lines. (reported by IceCreamSandWitch)

Fixed tile layering with locked doors in Ys. (reported by IceCreamSandWitch)

Fixed typos in Priest Taiyo's dialogue. (reported by IceCreamSandWitch)

Changed after-battle lines for Priest Morgan to be unique. (reported by IceCreamSandWitch)

Florist Colin now has unique after-battle dialogue. (reported by IceCreamSandWitch)

Fixed typo in Biologist David's registration dialogue. (reported by IceCreamSandWitch)

#build #patch #release

[pokemonapex]

Apex Build 10 Is Now Available!

After over three years, I have finally completed Build 10 of Apex! This is planned to be the final feature release of Apex as a Pokémon fangame before converting it into my own original IP (more on that another time).

As for this build, you can now continue the story of Apex in Chapter 5 by exploring the western half of Abbadon, including the sprawling Megiddo Plains, the touristy beachside town of Ys, the sleepy floral town of Eden, and much more! Check out the changelog below for a full list of additions and changes, comprising the largest changelog so far.

As always, you can get the game either through the launcher (recommended) or assemble the game yourself through manual downloads on the blog.

If you want to report bugs, discuss the game, share theories, or praise me (please do, I worked very hard on this), please visit our discord server.

That's all for now, everyone. Thank you so much for your patience and support!

Here are all the changes and additions in Build 10!

Additions

Content

The Megiddo Plains, Ys, and Eden areas are now open to explore! Continue Chapter 5 with a deluge of new content, including some surprises!

Levitate system overhaul. Pokémon that formerly had the Levitate ability now inherently levitate based on their species. See the wiki for more details.

Pokémon that normally evolve due to trading now evolve when leveled up in Assiah. Any required held items are still needed.

New fast food items that are cheaper versions of strong healing items, but lower your Pokémon's EVs randomly when consumed.

New item: Inn Coupon. Exchange these tickets at any inn for a free stay!

New trainer classes: Zangs (male and female), Priest, Pirate, Surfer, Action Kid (Beach), Tourist, Sunbather, Beach Bros, Sightseers, Salaryman, Rancher, Florist, as well as some special encounters.

Four new musical tracks, courtesy of new composer DSTY.

New Artifact is now available! Complete the Great Canal dungeon to acquire the Hydrophobic Disc to cross calm waters.

New custom move: Grim Word, a low-power special Dark move that lowers the target's Sp. Def by 1 stage.

Everyone is here! With the exception of most legendary Pokémon, every single species up through Generation V is now available in Apex!

New questline events! Hang out with your favorite NPCs.

New ghosts to battle, including three difficult challenge ghosts for extra Keystones.

Features

Artifacts now give badge boosts. War God's Hammer: Attack, All-Seeing Eye: Sp. Attack, Quantum Mirror: Speed, Geos Gauntlets: Defense, Hydrophobic Disc: Sp. Defense. For existing save files, use the associated artifact in the overworld to permanently enable the respective boost.

Added Not-So-Crazy Fesiq to Old Jul'far Ruins as a dung merchant.

Added ambience to Sagaxis Forest, Mt. Belial Upper, Shrieking Cliffs, and Acacia Lake.

Added an Ether to RevTex Textiles 1F in the generator room.

The protagonist now remarks on the flickering lights in RevTex Textiles Front Office for context.

Added an Escape Rope to RevTex Textiles B1F.

Added a healing area and some flavor to the entrance area of Acacia Temple (not available in Hard Mode).

Wild/bred Pokémon now have a 5% chance to spawn with their hidden ability.

Added in-game trades and gift events for exclusive species. Check the wiki for details.

New TM Kid quest is available after acquiring the Hydrophobic Disc.

Added visible items to Sagaxis Forest.

Luvdisc now evolves into Alomomola at lv30. The two species have been rebalanced and given updated movesets to match.

Eevee can now evolve into Glaceon in Crystal Channel Upper.

Nosepass can now evolve into Probopass in the Adamantine Palace.

Added messages when entering maps with a Pokémon with a location-based evolution in that map.

Added Lucifer's Notes #2 to Altar of Truth.

The Guru of Potential has been added to the Amon Desert. Visit him to draw out your Pokémon's latent potential.

The Experience Share can now be purchased in the Rosemary Market in Acacia Town. It's relatively expensive, so you'll have to weigh your options!

Added Eviolite to Acacia Tunnel.

A Soothe Bell is now available from a new NPC in Nysa Indoors.

Added ancient runes to text for lore purposes. This should improve clarity for puzzles that rely on ancient runes.

Larry now answers his phone.

Tweaks

Aegis Facility

Added a hint to the door to Aegis Secret Room.

Added support struts to the elevator on Aegis 1F.

Swapped locations of the Elevator Key and Max Revive in Aegis 2F Rooms for better visibility.

Vahram Temple

Added additional hints for the Vahram rune puzzle.

Braziers in the Vahram and Cliff tilesets are now fully impassable on the bottom tile for better consistency.

Acacia Town

Opened a previously unused house in Acacia Town.

The Thornwood Inn in Acacia Town begins charging for lodging after the player enters Jul'far. No more warping back to Acacia Town for free heals!

The Puzzle House is now accessible immediately upon visiting Acacia Town for the first time.

Jul'far

Added more path blocking to help keep players from getting lost.

Added a new bandit encounter with Bandit Logan.

Added some new visible items, one of which only appears during the raid.

The Camerupt Cart that goes to the Old Jul'far Ruins now cannot be used until after the player has visited the ruins, to prevent skipping the entire desert.

Added a hint if the player tries to enter the Jul'far Town Hall through the front door during the bandit raid.

Hard Mode

Items cannot be used from the bag during battles (except Pokéballs, as normal).

During the Jul'far raid, Bandit Captain Kurt now only appears on Hard Mode.

Granny does not heal the party.

Holly stops healing the party after defeating the Cloaked Elder in Acacia Temple.

Other

You can now forfeit trainer battles outside of Hard Mode by selecting Run, but beware the losing cost!

Official starters can now only be found at level 5 in the wild.

Player name entry now supports up to 10 characters.

Stick renamed to Leek to match Gen VIII+ naming.

Scratch Cards now use fixed randomness to determine the prize (if any), so they can no longer be save-scummed. A unique message has been added if the jackpot is won.

Improved visual quality of in-battle rain animation.

Reduced visual intensity of overworld snow animation.

Deerling and Sawsbuck now appear in different forms based on location. Mt. Belial area: Winter form. Verdant Path area: Spring form. Acacia Secret Hollow: Summer form.

Updated new game scene flow. Quickstart option renamed and now defaults to Sarah instead of Griffen, and some suggested character names have been changed.

Switched locations of the TMs for Rock Smash and Brick Break and adjusted TM Kid's dialogue to match. If you already have one but not the other, you will get the old drops.

Disabled entry message from Mold Breaker ability.

Small tweaks to Nascene Suburbs layout to make skateboard pathing a tad easier.

Added visual details to Jagged Cavern B1F. Side path is now blocked by breakable rocks. Added a shortcut usable with the Quantum Mirror.

Ladders in cave/temple maps have more outlining for better visibility.

Battles with Larry now use the Rival Battle music.

Balance

Levitate overhaul

In addition to those species which formerly had the Levitate ability, the following Pokémon now levitate: Beedrill, Venomoth, Magnemite line, Mew, Scizor, Celebi, Dustox, Castform, Shuppet, Glalie, Froslass, Munna line, Solosis line, Vanillite line, Escavalier, Elgyem line, Lampent, Chandelure, and Volcarona.

Ability changes as part of the Levitate overhaul

Gastly line new abilities. Base: Cursed Body, Stench. Hidden: Bad Dreams.

Koffing line new abilities. Base: Forewarn, Aftermath. Hidden: Serene Grace.

Misdreavus line new abilities: Base: Shadow Tag, Frisk. Hidden: Prankster.

Unown new ability: Base: Technician.

Hydreigon, Vibrava, Flygon now use the same ability or abilities as their pre-evolved forms.

Duskull now uses the same ability its evolved forms.

Solrock, Lunatone new abilities: Base: Sturdy. Hidden: Magic Guard.

Baltoy line new ability: Base: Magic Bounce.

Chimecho line new ability: Base: Soundproof.

Latias, Latios new ability: Base: Cloud Nine.

Bronzor line abilities shifted: Base: Light Metal, Heavy Metal. Hidden: Heatproof

Carnivine new ability: Base: Chlorophyll.

Rotom new ability: Base: Motor Drive.

Uxie, Mesprit, Azelf new ability: Base: Filter.

Cresselia new ability: Base: Serene Grace.

Tynamo line new abilities: Base: Shed Skin, Static. Hidden: Volt Absorb.

Cryogonal new ability: Ice Body.

Move changes

Increased Gyro Ball PP from 5 to 10.

Raised accuracy of Gunk Shot from 70 to 80 to match Gen VI+.

Shadow Ball power increased from 80 to 90.

Drill Peck and X-Scissor now have an increased crit chance.

Constrict power increased from 10 to 40.

Leech Life power increased from 15 to 40.

Pin Missile power increased from 14 to 25 to match Gen VI+.

Luster Purge and Mist Ball power increased to 80 and PP increased to 10.

Pokémon changes

Raised Riolu's starting happiness from 70 to 100.

Gothita line is now Psychic/Dark.

Gothita line gains Unnerve as second natural ability.

Steel type is no longer resistant to Ghost and Dark moves, as per Gen VI+.

Torkoal, Wingull, Roggenrola, and Vanillite lines gain their GenVII+ second abilities.

Ice type no longer resists Grass.

Stat changes

Stat buffs from Gens VI and VII have been added.

Sunflora base Sp. Atk and Sp. Def increased by 20 each, bringing its base stat total up to 465.

Mightyena base stats increased: +10 to Attack, Defense, and Speed, bringing its base stat total up to 450.

Farfetch'd gains 20 base stat points in HP, Defense, and Speed, and 10 in Attack, bringing its base stat total up to 447.

Spinda base stats increased, +30 to HP, +10 to Speed, and +20 to Defense and Special Defense, for a new total of 440.

Whismur line has 10 base stat points moved from Attack to Special Attack.

Growlithe line has 5 base stat points moved from Special Attack to Attack.

Sableye gains base stat points: 30 to HP, 20 to Defense, and 20 to Special Defense, bringing its base stat total up to 450.

Rebalanced Cacnea line's stats. Lowered Sp. Attack and Speed by 10 and increased Defense and Special Defense by 10.

Corsola stats modified. -5 Attack and Speed, +10 Defense and Special Defense, +20 Special Attack and HP. New total: 460.

Ariados stats increased. +20 to HP, Defense, and Special Defense, +10 to Attack. New total 470.

Spinarak/Ariados now learn Megahorn at level 51/60 and now learn Psycho Cut instead of Psychic.

Beedrill stats increased. +10 to HP and Attack, +20 to Special Defense, and +35 to Speed. New total 470.

Butterfree stats increased. -5 to Attack, +30 to HP and Special Defense, +10 to Special Attack and Defense. New total 470.

Beautifly stats increased. +10 to HP, +20 to Attack and Special Attack, +25 to Speed. New total 470.

Ledian stats increased. -5 to Special Attack and +75 to Attack. New total 470.

Dustox stats increased. -5 to Speed, +10 to Special Defense, +20 to Special Attack, and +30 to HP and Defense. New total 470.

Kricketune stats increased. +3 to HP, +4 to Special Defense, +30 to Attack, +29 to Defense, +35 to Speed. New total 470.

Parasect stats increased. +5 to Attack, +20 to HP, Defense, and Special Defense. New total 470.

Marowak stats increased. +5 to Speed, +20 to HP and Attack. New total 470.

Purugly stats changed. -1 to HP, +8 to Attack, +11 to Defense, -4 to Special Attack, +6 to Special Defense, -2 to Speed. New total 470.

Chimecho stats increased. +5 to Special Attack, +10 to Special Defense. New total 470.

Dunsparce stats increased. +5 to Attack, +25 to Defense and Special Defense. New total 470.

Girafarig stats increased. +10 to Special Attack, +5 to Speed. New total 470.

Tropius stats changed. +1 to HP, -8 to Attack, +17 to Defense, +8 to Special Attack, +13 to Special Defense, -1 to Speed. New total 490.

Treecko line has had its Special Attack and Attack base stats swapped to now favor physical attacks.

Relicanth stats increased. +15 to Special Defense. New total 500.

Lanturn stats changed. -8 to Attack and Defense, -2 to Speed, +9 to Special Attack and Special Defense.

Learnset changes

Electrike and Manectric now learn Thundershock at level 7.

Absol now learns Focus Energy as a starting move.

Solrock now learns Zen Headbutt instead of Psychic, and now learns Flare Blitz at level 57 and Morning Sun at level 61.

Lunatone now learns Ancientpower instead of Stone Edge, and now learns Shadow Ball at level 57 and Moonlight at level 61.

Farfetch'd now learns Drill Peck instead of Air Slash at level 49, and now learns Focus Energy at level 16.

Grimer line now learns Poison Fang, Bulldoze, Poison Jab, and Night Slash instead of Sludge, Mud Bomb, Sludge Bomb, and Fling, respectively.

Gothita line now learns Dark Pulse at levels 53/58/64 respectively, and now learns Grim Word instead of Faint Attack.

Misdreavus, Gastly, Drifloon lines now learn Grim Word instead of Payback.

Litwick line now learns Grim Word instead of Imprison.

Yamask and Spiritomb get Grim Word as an egg move.

Umbreon, Murkrow, Girafarig, Purrloin lines now learn Grim Word instead of Assurance.

Oddish line now learns Grim Word instead of Natural Gift.

Swapped Ancientpower and Power Gem in Corsola's moveset, and it now learns Hydro Pump at level 57.

Butterfree, Beautifly, and Dustox now learn Psychic at level 50.

Ledyba/Ledian now learn Bug Bite instead of Silver Wind, Mega Punch instead of Swift, and X-Scissor instead of Bug Buzz, and now learn Drain Punch at level 50/60.

Dustox now learns Poisonpowder at level 15 and Air Slash at level 55.

Bronzor and Bronzong now learn Curse instead of Imprison.

Tropius now learns Leech Seed instead of Bestow and Dragon Pulse instead of Natural Gift.

Deerling and Sawsbuck can now learn Zen Headbutt by Move Tutor.

Venusaur can now learn Earth Power by Move Tutor.

Durant now learns Screech instead of Metal Sound.

Difficulty/Game Balance

Lolita Fayte's Ralts initial level lowered from 18 to 15.

Lolita Esmerelda's party initial levels lowered from 15 to 13. Added an additional rematch.

Elder Gerald's party levels lowered from 16 to 15.

Snow Angel May's party levels increased by 5.

Slight rebalance to encounter levels in RevTex. Max level reduced by 1 on 1F and Front Office and min level raised by 1 on B1F.

Lowered max encounter levels in Acacia Lake and Acacia town by 1.

Slightly raised Beldum's capture rate (making it easier to catch).

Reduced price of Pokeballs and Great Balls to 1000 and 2000, respectively.

Scratch Card price increased to 1000.

Fixes

Fixed Aegis warehouse minecart puzzle unintentionally completing while the minecarts are still moving. Minecarts must now stop on the correct positions to count.

Fixed Lolita Amelie using the wrong battle sprite.

Fixed an issue where, during the egg event on Shrieking Cliffs East, if the player catches the Braviary instead of defeating it, the whole event starts over. (Reported by Yasik)

Fixed Vahram 5F North button still considering the rock in the hall to the south of it to be blocking.

Fixed missing collisions on Vahram lava rocks.

Fixed a stray masking tile in the Bandit Hideout.

Rival name in Unknown Dungeon is now loaded dynamically from variable and not from static strings, which could cause inconsistency.

Fixed note 28 being inaccessible in XENO Corp. Server Room. (Reported by mflamel101)

Fixed a bug in Essentials where if the player was facing a water tile, but that tile wasn't otherwise passable, the game would let the player begin surfing on their current tile instead.

Fixed broken Love emote animation (finally!).

Fixed impassable stair railing tile in RevTex B1F blocking wall sign.

RevTex facility now properly sets cave flags on entry.

Fixed a typo in Note #18.

Fixed a movement bug with Mori in Murmur Tower 3F when playing as Sarah.

Fixed mismatched wall tiles in Nysa Indoors.

Fixed tile layering issue with wall/desk phones in the Indoor tileset.

Fixed inconsistent glowstick radius when changing maps (finally!).

Fixed incorrect BGM volume level in Aegis 2F Bathrooms.

Fixed some missing tree top tiles on Mt. Belial Upper.

Removed text referring to "someone's PC" when receiving Pokémon through events.

Fixed a script crash when attempting to fight the Frozen Prince.

Fixed incorrect barrel tiles in Puzzle House Challenge 2.

Fixed Snarl incorrectly flagged as a physical move.

Tweaked dialog with Sayaka on Mt. Belial Upper to better match lore.

Fixed legendary encounter events not using the same generated Pokémon for the battle and the post-battle distribution, which could result in minor discrepancies.

Fixed legendaries missing their summoning sigil where the ball icon should be in the summary screen.

#pokemon #gaming #build #release #pokemon apex

[pokemonapex]

I Changed My Mind... Sorta

So awhile back I announced that Apex was being shelved so that I could remake it into Project Goetia. That hasn't changed! ...At least not entirely.

Looking back on the work I had done at that point, I realized that a large portion of the work on Build 10 was actually already done! Since then a lot of things have changed, and I've decided to make the push to get Build 10 out to the players before shelving the project as originally discussed.

What does this mean? Build 10 is real and it is coming Soon™️. A ton of work has already been done, including some done very recently.

When is it coming? It's hard to provide an accurate estimate. Unfortunately I suffer from a full time job and even full-er time ADHD, both of which severely limit the amount of time and mental energy I have to work on projects, and the latter of which keeps me constantly rotating between projects in a cycle I like to call The Carousel of Dopamine. That being said, I hope to have Build 10 out by the end of 2024 as a highly conservative estimate, and by June as a fairly liberal estimate.

How can I help? Continue spreading the word about Apex and please join the Discord to send me lots of hugs and warm fuzzies (and maybe take a look at some of my other projects while you're there). It may sound cheesy, but the best counter to The Carousel of Dopamine is vocal support and validation.

What content is coming in Build 10? Now to the fun stuff! I've done a TON of work on new maps, much-needed gameplay features, and new content. Here's a brief overview of the additions and changes:

Multiple new areas! Nearly the entire overworld of Abbadon will be accessible, including the vast Megiddo Plains, the quaint historic village of Eden, the touristy seaside town of Ys, a new dungeon called The Great Canal, as well as some new connecting areas. Build 10 will bring the map total to over 210. It's really big!

Standard Pokemon features such as Daycare/Breeding and a one-stop-shop Move Tutor!

Everyone Is Here! All non-legendaries (except Unown, which I doubt anyone will be losing sleep over) up through Gen V will be obtainable in the game, either through normal wild spawns or through in-game gifts or trades.

New Levitate system! Holy cow, I created this three years ago. Oopsies! Anyway, this will be coming in Build 10!

Tons of new trainer classes, including the Zangs, a violent street gang, as well as Pirates, Priests, Florists, Salarymen, Ranchers, and a variety of beachgoers!

Brand new music from new composer DSTY! My friend Dust has whipped up some KILLER new tracks for overworld and battle themes. You're going to love them!

HUGE amount of balance changes (all buffs). Tons of underpowered Pokemon will now be more viable.

Lots of side content, including questline events with returning characters such as Sayaka, Siegfried, and Larry.

If you'd like to learn more, see development tidbits, and get the most up-to-date news, make sure to join the Discord server! That's all for now, everyone! Hope to see you all soon in Build 10.

#psa

[pokemonapex]

The Future of Apex

Hey everyone, Sarah here. I know it's been a long time, but I just wanted to take a minute to address my plans for Apex going forward.

So first, the bad news. I will no longer be continuing development on Pokemon Apex. Before you ask, no, this has nothing to do with the Big N. The main reasons are I'm not really interested in making fangames anymore, and I'm pretty sick of working in the RPG Maker engine, which has really been holding me back. I really want to take my game development career seriously, and the only way I'm going to be able to do that is to develop commercial games of my own original IPs.

Now, the good news. Apex is not dead! I am currently in the process of remaking Apex from scratch in the Unity engine as an original IP codenamed Project Goetia. The same story, world, and characters you already love will still be there, but I'll be able to do so so much more. Trust me, once you get your hands on a build of the new project, you'll agree it was the right choice.

Here are some very much in-development shots of my current prototype:

I don't have a site for the project currently, but you're welcome to follow along with development on the Discord server!

For now, this version of the game isn't going anywhere, but it will go down in the future once Project Goetia is ready to release.

Finally, I want to thank everyone who's played the game up to this point, given feedback, told your friends, made Let's Plays, etc. I think you're really going to enjoy what's in store for the future!

Sarah | Baphomet Media

#psa

[pokemonapex]

Baphomet Media 2021 Wrap Up

Hello everyone! We're nearing the end of another year (already???) and I'd like to take a moment to talk about the state of the brand and my projects. This year I put a ton of work into a number of projects. First, I opened a Minecraft server and wrote and tweaked many Spigot plugins for the game. Unfortunately, the interest just wasn't there so the server ended up closing again. Secondly, I wrote an entire novel in two months! I'm still in disbelief that I was able to finish a book for once. In case you missed it, this is Owl of the Pale Moon. The book is fully self-edited and will hopefully be published in the coming months.

Unfortunately, 2021 was not a great year for game development for me. I got a ton of work done on Apex Build 10 earlier this year, but unfortunately my day job ordered me to return to in-office work three days a week, which drastically affects my time, energy, and mental health. Because of this, this will be my tentative project schedule going forward:

Winter 2021-2022: Apex Build 10 (May extend into Spring 2022, please be patient); Owl of the Pale Moon seeking publication

Spring 2022 onward: Project Goetia (see below)

Ah yes, I am looking to start a new project. However, instead of adding an additional responsibility to my workload, Project Goetia will replace Apex. Project Goetia is the working title of a remake of Apex as an original IP with its own monster battling system and mechanics but with the same story and characters you've come to love. I've already got a lot planned for this game, and I'm hoping this will be the big one. Please visit the Discord for more information. Sadly, this means that Build 10 will likely be the final build of Apex as a fangame. While I'm sad to technically leave this project unfinished, this was a decision a long time coming. Game development is my primary passion and I want to do everything I can to do this professionally and full-time, and that just isn't feasible for a fangame. Besides, not being shackled to an over 15-year-old engine and a poorly documented codebase means that I will have complete control over the game from the ground up to my own specifications, resulting in a much better product for everyone.

This also means that I am shelving Operation Trick-or-Treat for now. I thought I would have time to work on it this year, but my change in work schedule put a damper on that. Maybe someday I'll be able to come back and add more levels and fulfill the original design goals, but for now I'm going to leave it as a fun little minigame.

Lastly, I want to remind everyone that if you would like to support my projects, you can do so over on Patreon for as little as $2. Your support is immensely helpful and gets me one step closer to doing this full-time.

That should be it. Thank you for reading, and I hope you all have a wonderful end of the year.

Sarah Hawthorne

[pokemonapex]

Apex Launcher v1.7.2 Now Available

This hotfix updates all the links in the launcher for new rebranding, so it should fix web views and image links not working.

Get it on GitHub here.

#release #launcher release

[pokemonapex]

Apex Launcher v1.7.1 Now Available

This release fixes many bugs that users have reported. Thank you to everyone who reported issues!

Get it on GitHub

#release #launcher

[pokemonapex]

Rise Above - New Levitate Mechanics

Have you ever felt like the Levitate ability was kinda everywhere? Don’t you wish those Pokémon could get another ability without giving up that sweet sweet Ground immunity? Well now you can!

Starting in the upcoming Apex Build 10, the Levitate ability is gone! But don’t worry, levitation is now an inherent part of certain Pokémon species. All Pokémon that previously had Levitate as an ability (plus a few that should have had it to begin with but didn’t) now levitate inherently and have new abilities.

As we can see here, Baltoy is now an inherent levitator, as indicated by the arrow on its summary page, and has gained a new ability: Magic Bounce.

So how does this work? Isn’t this a little overpowered? Fear not, because levitation comes with a few downsides. For starters, levitation is bypassed by projectile- or melee-based Ground-type moves. This includes the following moves:

Drill Run

Bone Club

Mud Bomb

Mud Shot

Bonemerang

Bone Rush

Sand Attack

Additionally, levitation is disabled while a levitating Pokémon is Asleep, Paralyzed, Frozen, or under other effects that normally disable levitation, such as Gravity, Mold Breaker, Smack Down, etc.

This is how it will look during battle:

Don’t worry, this does not affect Flying types, as they are still categorically immune to Ground-type moves.

I hope this will be a fun changeup to existing strategies, and will hopefully make a little more sense for some Pokémon. As always, this feature is subject to change, so make sure to give your feedback on the forums. I hope you all will have fun discovering the new changes!

#devtalk #preview #gaming #pokemon

[pokemonapex]

Apex Launcher v1.7.0 Now Available!

Version 1.7.0 of the launcher is now here! The main feature with this release is automatic font installation. Game fonts can now be installed automatically using the launcher (though admin permissions are required). A few bugs have also been fixed. As always, please open up an issue on github if you find any in the launcher. Thanks~!

Download it here

#psa #release #launcher release

[pokemonapex]

Build 10 Development Starts Today

Today begins the development cycle for Apex Build 10. With this build, I hope to bring the story completion to about 60-70%. Additionally, here are some details about what I have planned for this build:

The Megiddo Plains become available! This is a large overworld map, similar in scale to the Amon Desert, but more vertically oriented. I’m hoping to break this map down into smaller sections so that I can reduce performance strain. This will also mean that two new towns become available: The seaside resort town of Ys and the quiet traditional village of Eden. What secrets might they hold?

Proper daycare support! Yes, that means breeding. I’m also hoping to add many quality of life upgrades to this beloved mechanic, such as a Daycare App that will allow you to remotely operate the Daycare center and more.

Implementation for trade-based evolutions! I had this planned for a long time, and now I want to introduce it. I can’t say too much right now, so keep an eye out for this.

Complete revamp of the Levitate system. I’m hoping to remove Levitate as an ability, replacing it with inherent levitation for species that normally would have the ability. Look for more details on this coming soon.

Lore dumps! That’s about all I can say about that right now.

And of course, more of the same great story that you all are already hooked on. If you want to follow more cutting-edge tidbits about Apex development, consider joining the IAMVISHNU Media Discord Server!

#psa #update #devlog

[pokemonapex]

Apex Build 9.3 Now Available

Hello everyone! Today's patch is just a small hotfix for some early-game breaking bugs that were introduced in 9.2. Hoping to start development on Build 10 around January. Make sure to check out the forums and hang out on the Discord~!

Read on for changelog.

Fixes

Fixed a tile in Jagged Cavern that was blocking the cutscene during the Prologue.

Fixed school doors not allowing players to enter school on Day 3.

#build #patch #release

[pokemonapex]

Apex Build 9.2 Now Available

Hello everyone! We've got a patch here that's loaded with bug fixes, tweaks, and balance improvements. Nothing too exciting, but should make the game a lot smoother and more fun.

As always, you can find the patch on the blog or just let the Launcher apply it for you.

Read on for changelog.

Additions

Added a temporary move relearner to Nysa Overlook and Unknown Side Room.

Tweaks

Medic Ollie now sells Super Potions instead of Potions and Repel instead of Ether.

Added invisible items and more decorations to Jagged Cavern.

Lowered level of Spelunker Amber's Cryogonal to 35.

The lever that opens a shortcut on Mt. Belial Upper is now accessible before gaining the Quantum Mirror.

Dante's Pokemon in the Unknown Dungeon sequence no longer carry held items.

Increase levels of Golbat encounters in Aegis Foundation Tunnels.

Allowed using the Skateboard in Azure Path.

Balance

Lombre gets Mega Drain instead of Water Sport at level 19, matching Lotad.

Added Fake Out and Rain Dance to Ludicolo's starting moves.

Natu and Xatu now learn Confusion at level 15.

Switched Mud Bomb and Ancient Power in Baltoy and Claydol's movesets (25 <-> 28)

Buffed Mud Bomb's accuracy from 85 to 95.

Increased Mega Drain power from 40 to 50.

Increased Giga Drain, Drain Punch, and Horn Leech power from 75 to 80.

Skarmory base Attack increased from 80 to 95.

Skarmory's moveset buffed. Now learns Metal Claw at level 20 instead of Feint, Feint has been moved to level 31 instead of Metal Sound, learns Wing Attack instead of Air Cutter at level 23, and it now learns Iron Head at level 55.

Skarmory can now learn Hone Claws by TM.

Yanma and Yanmega now learn Dragon Breath instead of Pursuit, and now learn Dragon Pulse at level 60.

Increased all of Delcatty's base stats. Base stat total: 380->450.

Mawile's base stats increased (+20 Attack, +10 everything else except special attack)

Increased Pikachu and Raichu's base stats to match Gen VI+ levels.

Pikachu family can now learn Work Up via TM.

Fixes

Fixed a crash when talking to the Guru of Happiness. (Reported by redtokyo95)

Fixed warning for Sayaka's questline at Vahram Temple showing for players for whom the questline was locked out.

Fixed a typo in Matthias's speech after returning with the Ancient Map. (Reported by efnikolas)

Fixed custom route for Survivalist Rupert to prevent a situation where players could get stuck.

Fixed Geos Gauntlets' menu icon missing the sigil background from other artifacts.

Fixed a missing blocker on the northern path of Vahram 6F and two switches pointing to the same blocker.

Fixed low encounter levels for Beheeyem in Vahram Secret Chamber.

Fixed missing text coloring in Archaeologist Henry's after-battle text.

Fixed invisible tiles beside cactuses causing incorrect collisions in Amon Desert.

Fixed incorrect subject on Mrs. Davies's sign in Nascene High.

Fixed audio level inconsistencies in Fullmoon Beanery and Alexander's Curios.

Fixed school doors not blocking entry after Dante appears.

Fixed Puzzle Master's incorrect description of the reward from Challenge 1.

Fixed a number of missing rock climb events on climbable walls. (Reported by zylaji)

Jukebox app no longer overrides battle music. (Reported by vlekje513)

#build #patch #release

[pokemonapex]

Operation Trick-or-Treat is now Available in Early Access!

I’m excited to announce that my new Halloween-themed game, Operation Trick-or-Treat is now available in Early Access!

Explore the suburbs and beyond to collect candy and find hidden coins! Use the special powers of various classic Halloween costumes to bypass obstacles and enemies in this love letter to classic flash games.

The game is currently in Early Access, meaning it is not yet complete, and new levels, features, costumes, themes, music, etc. will be added to the full game as we go along. You can purchase at any time and get all future updates for free. The game is currently available for Windows, but may run on Unix systems via WINE.

You can download a free demo and purchase the game now on Itch.io

Patreon backers get a complimentary copy of the game. If you are not a backer already, you can join here for as little as $2.

[pokemonapex]

Apex Launcher v1.6.1 Now Available

This release is to fix some issues with the last release, including some NullReferenceExceptions, particularly when downloading patches.

Go download it here!

#psa #release #launcher release

[pokemonapex]

Submit your Let’s Plays of Apex!

Have you streamed or recorded a Let's Play of Apex? Submit it to the Let's Play Directory over on the forum! I want to see all your playthroughs and impressions. If you know someone who has recorded a Let's Play, encourage them to submit their videos there!

#psa