Chao Talk

[Mike Arcade]

http://chao.hippotank.com/

So recently I found this site that's kept rather up to date regarding how to raise those lovable squishy...floating ball head things known with affection as The Chao. Yes those lovable pets that you can raise in Sonic Adventure 1, 2, it's remakes, and in some regards with Sonic Advance 1 and 2! Considering they were a big part of some fans game play as some of said to have spent more time raising Chao then anything else in the Adventure Series I gotta ask what are your experiences regarding these strange creatures that popped up around during the new, redesigned era of Sonic?

This topic is for those who want to recollect memories raising these things, what they might be currently doing with them, asking questions regarding what they exactly are, and what's up with their connection to Chaos? For discussions and speculations regarding Chao this is the place to be! 

[ByTor, Prince of Ro’den]

Oh yessss..... oi; not a lot of fond memories about the little abominations. I got a gold one once; I sent it to my Dreamcast's VMU to train it. It was kind of like a Tamigochi or Gigapet; the battery that ran the VMU didn't last long, so I wasn't able to do much with it. Mostly wot I did was I liked to play ping-pong with them by letting Tails bat them around the garden with his tail whip and watch them throw a fit.

[TheRedStranger]

34 minutes ago, Prince By-Tor said:

Oh yessss..... oi; not a lot of fond memories about the little abominations. I got a gold one once; I sent it to my Dreamcast's VMU to train it. It was kind of like a Tamigochi or Gigapet; the battery that ran the VMU didn't last long, so I wasn't able to do much with it. Mostly wot I did was I liked to play ping-pong with them by letting Tails bat them around the garden with his tail whip and watch them throw a fit.

Totally in character for Tails... XP

I just can't imagine him building an elaborate, rue-goldenbergian pet-shaver gun.

[Mike Arcade]

1 hour ago, TheRedStranger said:

Totally in character for Tails... XP

I just can't imagine him building an elaborate, rue-goldenbergian pet-shaver gun.

I'd say that he was being a sadist but then again I ended up wiping out a few Chao in my day as a kid, maybe that's why Chaos was so angry.

At least for the Dreamcast Originals I did that, for the Gamecube Ports though I did make some good legit attempts at beating all the Chao Races although Chao Karate from SA2B was a favorite of mine more so then the races. I remember getting pretty far with my Chao in SADX before the memory card that had my Chao Data got stolen as those were the only emblems I had left to get to 100% the game. SA2B on the other hand I remember doing well yet not going as far as I did in SADX, I think I only stopped once my favored Chao reincarnated the first time and had all it's overall stats reset almost to square one.

Although I did learn about the Chaos Chao back when the Brady Games guide for SA2B and Sonic Advance came out I never had the chance (patience) to raise one, then again the amount of time you have to put into it is pretty crazy as you're Chao has to be in it's 3rd Reincarnation to do so, I suppose the time put into it is the price you have to pay to give your virtual pet immorality I suppose.

If there's one piece of advice I have for anyone whose playing the Chao Garden in the Adventure Games right now on here I'll say this, don't go overboard and hatch one too many Chao in the gardens as it can get hectic FAST. Honestly I don't know how nor want to know how you'd raise more then 2 or 3 Chao at a time really, I mean logically the best goal would be to raise a Chao up till it's 3rd Incarnation and get a Chaos Chao ASAP but that's just me.

[Ishapar]

I will be honest...

 

I NEVER LIKED THE CHAOS!!!

[Mike Arcade]

https://chao-island.com/

I'm bringing this topic back! The Chao website got a new site since then and now has some awesome downloads and mods you can use, beat it to cheap out the game (because whose got the hours to raise the perfect Chao for Emblems XP), to just expanding the fun you get from the PC ports!

https://chao-island.com/viewer

The 3D Chao Viewer (which you can download for easy use on anything) really got me thinking about these little Chimera Creatures again, because now you can see how they change and grow depending how you raise them. Or at least get the kind of Chao you want to raise (or mod in). Seriously, the different forms of the Hero Chao look weird, kinda like those odd looking Nightopians from Nights (probably intentional). But that brings me to a question that fits this topic. It's been so long since we've had a new Chao Garden, I just gotta ask.

How would you bring back the Chao and Chao Garden? What changes and improvements would you bring?

 

[WarTraveller]

1. Make the stat boosts more accessible. An FAQ in the map would be neat, explaining how Fruit, Animals and Chaos Cores affect the Chao and what can happen to them. Animal looks can be toggled on or off for visual preference, Chaos Cores come with downsides to reflect their artificial nature.
2. Make a form of Chaos Core like stat boosts that aren't as damaging but aren't as effective or fast to compensate. Therefore anyone breeding a Chaos Chao will always be tempted by the Cores and it becomes another challenge.
3. The used character in the Garden has an affect on stat boosts instead of just morality. Sonic affects speed, Tails flying, Knuckles strength, and so on. Morality is still there, but its more easily controlled with certain items and rare Corrupted Cores.
4. Animal Crossing style decorations for the Garden. Make the garden your OWN.
5. More minigames outside of fighting or racing. What about puzzles, or flying?

[TheRedStranger]

One thing I would do is make it more relevant to the main game. I would make specific unlockables contingent to progress in the chao garden. A special prologue epilogue and ending for completionists would also be interesting. Perhaps something that gives more backstory for Sonic Adventure in detail and bridges Sonic Adventure Two and One. 

[Mike Arcade]

I agree with both your points @TheRedStranger & @WarTraveller.

Frankly, leveling Chao takes a bit too long at times, and I would prefer if you got more from the stat gains from Animals and Chaos Drives. With there already being several Sonic Mobile games, it's crazy to see that SEGA hasn't made a Chao Garden Mobile game.

That's how they should first bring it back, then follow it up with the Chao Garden returning in a new game (preferably an SA3).

I'd keep the system much like how it was done in SA2B, but of course with several tweaks as mentioned above. I'd say have Intelligence as a visible stat this time around, that way in Races and Karate there are chances that they can take shortcuts or use special moves. I'd introduce a Chao Quiz game where they win if they pass a memory game of sorts. Maybe even include  Team Chao Racing, that way it would encourage to raise multiple chao.

Another would be to introduce an Personality System, similar to some Dragon Quest games where it would effect the percentage of stat gains, where some chao gain more in certain stats than others. Another factor is working with other Chao in Team Games, and how they react to the player.

Another would be to overhall the animal system, where in under certain evolutions, they could look similar to an animal they gained traits from on a more permanent basis. So like Hero and Dark Chao, Animal Chao have visual cues to an animal they were given the most of. However, they gain further stat percentage advantages depending on what dominant animal they have an affinity to. Chao are basically Chimeras anyway, so play off on that. But I do think you should have a Chaos Drive or item that resets that affinity to 0 so people  can still have Normal Neutral, Hero, and Dark Chao.

Other factor I'd like to see is an Element System, an expansion of Attribute Type Chao. You'd have swim for water, fly for wind, run for ground, power for fire, and metal for intelligence. It would work much like the animal system above, but feature a major percentage gain for that Attribute. Of course that would also come with visual cues, but getting an Element Chao would be harder as the pick up for it should be quite rare. Normal Chao gain a major percentage gain for stamina to compensate.

With all that above, Chao would look much more varied than ever before, and you could have character allusions with different types of chao. Like a Chao that looks like Blaze if it were a Neutral Fire Chao. Not to mention how different Chaos Chao could look, like a Dark Ground Chaos Type could look like Dark Gaia for example. 

Finally, have special Chao you can earn or get as DLC for much like the Tails Chao. Not only could you have an actual Sonic Chao, but also ones based on other SEGA games! Seriously, the possibilities are endless. Chao could literally print them money if they buckled down and just get it going. At least, that's how I'd do it.