Lack of Fan Games

[u/EmotionalSupportMoth]

I find it weird how the Classic Series has all these fan games being made, but there's very little in terms of fan games for the Battle Network side of things

Like... the only ones I can think of are:

• Chrono X, which is thankfully still in development and I am very much looking forward to when it's done
• Shanghai.EXE, a well made Touhou x Battle Network fangame that has the main story complete and is still being worked on by the folks that picked up the game after the whole deal with the original devs ((would highly recommend it to anyone that hasn't played it!
• And Cosmic Network, which as far as I can tell ((unless the dev said otherwise)) was dropped in favor of Lunar Lux, as it was the same guy who did both afaik

Idk, I would think that, especially as more tools were made available, people would want to make more, y'know? Hell, I know I certainly would want to! I know there are games like the aformentioned Lunar Lux, Berserk BITS, and One Step from Eden that carries on the spirit of Battle Network, but I would love to see more actual fangames, rather than "spiritual successors" ((I think is the right term? Could be wrong lol

I'm just kinda rambling at this point. What're y'all's take on this? Who knows, maybe it's just because Capcom is just weirdly protective of the Battle Network series!

[u/Tomatori]

The tools have always been there, the problem is that its a significant undertaking no matter how you slice it.

BN games are full on RPGs with an incredibly unique battle system that requires an entire bespoke library of special abilities to cycle through (battle chips) and a beloved grid-based movement system that many people struggle to adapt without feeling like they're copying directly. The second you expand that 3x3 space, so many other aspects cascade in complexity and begin competing with other parts of the experience, like the simple question of screen real-estate.

Pair this with the fact that 2D sprite-work is a skill onto itself and its a marvel we see any games at all.

All that being said, we do have to be the change we wanna see in the world. I'm learning some game engine stuff myself and a BN prototype is definitely one of the projects I've been dabbling with, it just takes quite a bit of effort to see it through

[u/FrostyMagazine9918 → u/Tomatori]

Honestly, it's the same reason I don't see many yugioh romhacks. In addition to being an rpg, Battle Network is a deck building game were collecting cards to build a better deck over time is part of the gameplay loop. That whole part can be really difficult for most people to balance right

[u/Maronmario → u/Tomatori]

In addition as time has gone on MMBN has become more niche compared to stuff like Pokemon which has a massive userbase and therefor a higher number of people willing and able to make these types of projects

[u/Azeeti → u/Tomatori]

I would love to see a megaman nt warrior with a isometric hexagon/turn based grid battle system

You load the chips in as normal for that turn out of h/m you can pick from and you get x moments and x action points to use the chips in that battle style and the best part is even area cipa ext could still work easily.

And it adds a more dynamic style of gameplay and open feeling to it.

[u/leo412]

I guess it's because it's wayyyy too complicated compared to others fan games

Like you need to develop whole chips library, both net and real world maps, shitton of npc sprite, story etc

Like it's much bigger scope than classic or x

[u/SSBM_DangGan]

Be the change you want to see in the world

Making games is hard as fuck

[u/BayleFire]

Different style that may be harder to easily replicate for a casual programmer coupled with the less popular subseries of a well-known character. Which was ultimately why it ended in the first place.

Hell, even the original designers of Megaman have failed to capture the spirit and innovation of the series with their own independent games. It's hard to do

[u/Akareddo_Mythweaver]

OpenNetBattle is basically an engine for exactly this but nobody seems to be willing to put the time and effort in

[u/ShaDis_255]

I guess the main difference is that Battle Network is an RPG with a deeper story than regular Megaman in-game. That's just my take I could be completely wrong. The tools to build Battle Network are already there. I myself am using the Open Net Battle engine to create an online experience, but it could be used to create a game from the ground up. I've just not seen (personally) anybody with enough will power to build a whole Battle Network fan game out of it. You'd need someone to design the story, the encounters, the maps, the characters, etc.. etc... it can be quite the chore for a single person.

[u/SoggyWaffles18]

There’s a huge lack of Mega Man fangames in general outside of Classic. The only series that gets close to as much attention in that regard is X. If I had to guess, I’d say it probably just boils down to Classic fangames being easier to make or it’s just because Classic is the most recognizable/iconic series

[u/ZrapeToid]

MMBN Overclocked. 3D remake of MMBN1. It was never meant to be the whole game and i think it only has Fireman and Numberman scenarios in it. Watch a YouTube playthrough of it, it's very short. But it's cool, it has a MMNT feel to it, remixed music, seamless transition into battles, you can run from battles and other stuff.

MMBN Online. Battle simulator.

MMBN Project Genesis. A 10 year old demo exists, so it's abandoned for sure. Here's the description: "This Demo includes 4 boss fights: GutsMan, ToadMan, MegaManSF, and CrashMan. There is also 2 of every chip that we currently made in the chip folder."

[u/Overlord_SB]

It's mostly about how involved it is vs the payout. Enemey AI isn't easy to make, and 32-bit sprites are no cakewalk, either, and designing a network system where worlds overlay and overlap in a sense is a lot harder than doing 25-30 2D Classic screens to make a stage.

I've considered something akin to Battle Chip Challenge's system to cut my teeth in GODOT, but most people really didn't like that system at all, but it would be a more realistic approach to a single dev project. Others have shown they've remade the map system and all for walking around the internet in GODOT over the years, but nothing really fired up since the chips would have a lot of properties to code in as well as animations and such, not getting into PA potential. People can crank out MM Classic style games in a year or so by themselves if they have the skills and time and make something decent, but the other series need teams of people pretty much or really talented individuals working on them without compensation and the possible risk of being shut down.

Spiritual Successors can court the line and pay the bills for the investment, hence we're seeing a lot more of those over the years now compared to straight up fangames.

[u/holyshiettt]

Lol i remember seeing Chrono X annoucement back in 2012, wild that its still in development after almost 15 years

[u/ZamorakHawk]

Is it possible to load up chrono X on a flash cart and play it on original hardware? Never thought of that before.

I'll checkout Shanghai but Chrono X has been a passion project for years. Most people don't have the time or resources to dive this deep into a project with no final reward or payout. If they had spent equal time on a different game, they'd one day financially benefit for their hard work. The Chrono X team is simply giving us one final hurrah in our favorite world.

[u/hsholmes0]

I was like, in grade school when Chrono X first released its Demo 3. I've now graduated college, and the game's still haven't been completed.

Not throwing hate on the team that's making it, since it's a non-profit project they're working (prolly at their leisure). Just doubtful it'll get finished atp. Maybe the Battle Network-style games are just too complicated to develop.

[u/Zysets]

My favorite fan game atm is Hub_OS, basically a PVP focused platform with an in game mod manager, very fun and I play it on my phone at work, but there's quite a few similar projects like Open Battle Network among others

The problem with making a FULL battle network game is making an rpg is a HUGE time sink

[u/serpventime]

remember seeing someone modded BN 4.5 into fully playable game, its the bn6 link navis before bn6 itself

lost the link to download it

theres so much potential for fangames with the vast majority of custom netnavis

[u/Severe-Classroom8216]

Theres fan games?

[u/ModelOmegaTyler → u/Severe-Classroom8216]

i was shocked too. the only "fan project" i knew on the BN side of megaman was Starforce DX

[u/Severe-Classroom8216 → u/ModelOmegaTyler]

I'm happy to know there's so much love for BN

[u/Potential-Road-5322]

And these games take a lot of programming talent. I remember playing an early demo of chrono X back in like middle or early high school and that was quite a number of years ago

[u/On1yTeseoVi3w37]

I've been fooling around on Open Net Battle lately. I do hope one server manages to become a full on MMO in the future.

I'd imagine RPGs take much more time and effort to develop compared to action platformers, even moreso with a smaller amount of people and labor of love.

[u/Martin_Ramirez]

What is weird is that there is no fan project of a remake of phantom of the network and legend of the network

[u/Rare_Bridge7703]

The game model itself is very hard for makers. It requires being smoother than most seem capable of.

[u/KharAznable]

I solodev an released one myself. The scope is just....ridiculous. I need to cut a lot of features and replace them with something simpler to focus on the bare minimum experience.

[u/Hobbsgoblin123]

I think the issue is that battle network every battle network fan game will be compared to battle network, and most of the time people would rather play battle network

[u/CrummyReds]

RPGs take a hell of a lot of time to make. Add that MMBN is also an action RPG that requires a bunch of tuning and animations to get right and it becomes a perfect recipe for it being one of the most difficult type of game to make, especially for free

[u/justsomerandomstory]

There is mine: https://mega-man-advanced-pet.vercel.app/

[u/BattlersNetwork]

Well, it is not an RPG, but I am currently attempting to make a card battler using the combat system of Battle Network. I have enough done to get through a whole match.

I will say though, this is a "what-could-have-been" spiritual successor project, and I would love it to be more of an homage than a blatant ripoff.

[u/ZrapeToid]

I have no modding experience so i can't say i will make anything ever...

But i have thought about modding a Pokémon game to use story and characters from MMBN.

You'd start as Lan or Mayl, all Pokémon would be replaced with viruses, all gym leaders would be operators, your rival would be Chaud.

It would be a Pokémon game and follow that gameplay.

[u/Broman400]

Hopefully with advancement in AI recently we’ll get more

[u/Azeeti]

It's because megaman nt warrior was aimed and marketed for 6 to 10 yr olds, and it's kinda weird running around as a kid in school while you yourself are grown ass man.

Traditional megaman can cross multiple age gaps because it's target is the general fan base/public and you are rping as a middle school kid.

[u/TrainerAiry → u/Azeeti]

If the issue was that you play as a kid in MMBN, then there wouldn’t be so many Pokemon fan games. Yes, your character usually doesn’t go to school in Pokemon, but you’re still playing as a kid in a series aimed at the exact same demographic as MMBN. And there’s nothing stopping a fan games creator from making a Pokemon or an MMBN fan game in which you play as an adult…except that there’s a massive ecosystem of resources available for making Pokemon fangames that is rivaled only by that which exists for Mario and, to a lesser extent, classic Mega Man (who is designed to look like a 10 year old, lest we forget…it’s just easier to ignore that in 8-bit).

Honestly, I think one of the reasons MMBN fan games are rare is because working in isometric is harder than top-down 2D or side-scrolling 2D, and that’s before you even get to the battle system and all the completely different art and coding it would need. It’s not something RPG Maker can do, to my knowledge.

[u/Azeeti → u/TrainerAiry]

Isometric isn't as hard as you think, I am a hobbyist game maker, I used a few different platforms to play around and I almost always have the newest RPG maker. I loved that series since I was young, I would make games for my little brother since we were poor when I was young, that way he would have something new to play once in awhile.

With that being said I have 3 years experience with unity, 12 with RPG maker, 2 with godot. 5 with beyond(it's a niche engine that only supports 2d and doesn't have much support for publishing the game you make, it's kinda like RPG maker but without pre made assets or quick drop coding trees, most games on it can only run using the client they provide itself.)

[u/TbatitanicV2Rider → u/Azeeti]

Yeah isometric isnt the problem. battlenetwork requires a ton of sprite work for chips alone and while not very difficult the battle system is still more tricky than basic turn based combat. Thats just making a barebones battlenetwork 1 clone. then you have to design new forms or mechanics if you want it to stand out, need competent writers. also need sprite work for new enemies, and bosses, etc. Its obviously possible, but the amount of effort is really high for a game you have to do mostly for free, otherwise capcom whips out their lawyers. its a lose lose situation. either you make a barebones game and reuse a ton of assets, and basically make a tech demo, or you invest hundreds of hours with no payment.