>>45637527Free roam games still ought to offer some basic goal and the universality of that goal should not depend upon imaginary people who like raising Pokemon for the joy of increasing numbers. A league challenge is a pretty compelling quest that you should replace with something better. I have a lot of ideas about this but this is your project.
I don't like your story idea very much; your story should be told mostly through battles and the graphics, but I think the general idea that a Pokemon game should be more about Pokemon and adventure is really solid.
My advice to you is hack Fire Red to be more free-roam and remove limitations rather than adding new features. Don't make work for yourself that you don't know how to accomplish, especially when it sounds like you just want a less restrictive Pokemon game. Remember that you are hacking and not making a game of your own, unless you really feel like making new graphical assets (this is very hard and time consuming). So what I'm saying is give yourself an achievable goal that meaningfully addresses one of your bullet points. In general I think Pokemon is tonally really secure as it is and all it needs is adjustments to make gameplay
1. less tedious and/or repetitive
2. more challenging (better AI)
3. more meaningful (non-generic, non-static characters whose teams change so that story is mostly that which the player actually does -- battle)
4. non-linear but not open. Players like restrictions if they direct attention to something pleasant; also, the feeling of moving along a path is very satisfying -- consider the pre-desert canyon on Hoenn Route 111. Players also like that Pokemon level up but there is a case to be made for level-constant pokemon that use experience only to learn new moves. Non-linear relevantly means allowing players to proceed towards a clear and meaningful goal in a variety of ways, satisfying points 1, 2, and 3.
Good luck
