How would you improve a Pokemon game mechanic?

[sextus the crazy]

This is soley because I'm an adult playing a kids game, but I'd like a more realistic and maybe more adult story.

I'm guessing you've never played a Shin Megami Tensei game before, because they're more or less this. Persona 3 (FES or th PSP port) & 4 are my personal favorites, but there's a ton of solid games in the series.

OT: A better story would be really nice, although I know this isn't going to happen. Other than that, I'd really like a better official online community system a la steam or PSN or something, even if it's just for pokemon. I'd make things a lot easier and more fun.

Is that what the Persona games are about? Catching and battling Munsters?

I honestly haven't enjoyed a good RPG since the RPGs on the PSOne

It's not what the games are about (as the name suggests it's more about bonds between characters and such), but you can't catch and fuse monsters/mythical deities together. Recruiting demons to your side is actually a mechanic in the main SMT games and it's more interesting than in Pokemon because of the variety of ways that you can recruit them. Also, you actually have to convince them to join you which is pretty cool.

 

[DaWaffledude]

I don't know, I'm just sick of it all coming down to a pokemon battle...

Perhaps you're playing the wrong game then...

 

[Drizzitdude]

You should be able to catch 'em all in a single game.

True that, its stupid I have to go do research over whether or not my favorite pokemon appear in one version or the other and then I have to choose between them. I am not interesting and being forced to trade with other people just to get a pokemon that appears in their universe and not mine.

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

You should be able to catch 'em all in a single game.

You can though, all you have to do is live in Japan and have bought duplicate of every system Nintendo has produced with a Pokemon game on it and every version of those games.

Personally I've always wanted the ability to set up a gym that generates challengers, with the restriction that all of your Pokemon must share a type. Also the ability to spar with Gym Leaders for XP, but that's just me being lazy.

EDIT: To quote you for the dozenth time.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

[color][HEADING=1]Get rid of hidden moves[/HEADING][/color]

Wow, is that what HM stands for? What does TM stand for then?

 

[DudeistBelieve]

I don't know, I'm just sick of it all coming down to a pokemon battle...

Perhaps you're playing the wrong game then...

I just mean everything in the universe? Every fucking thing is Pokemon? Or about Pokemon? Or Pokemon related?

Hell I just had a brilliant idea, what about a Pokemon game where you play AS THE BAD GUY. Where you gotta try to capture baby pokemon and smuggle them and what not. You start out as a lowly grunt and you want to work your way to the top of the crime syndicate.

 

[Firewok]

Why do all Pokes with crazy stats are also the ones with the crazy movepools?

Can't there be a trade-off between statistical strength and versatility?

 

[chozo_hybrid]

You should be able to catch 'em all in a single game.

True that, its stupid I have to go do research over whether or not my favorite pokemon appear in one version or the other and then I have to choose between them. I am not interesting and being forced to trade with other people just to get a pokemon that appears in their universe and not mine.

Same here, I agree. The thing I find funny is that people seem to just hand wave the notion that by making two versions of the same game, they lock out content on purpose, to make more money due to people buying each version. Most people I know buy both games and either have a second handheld or a friends they borrow to trade with themselves for stuff. Kinda defeats the "purpose" people claim they do it for.

They could just make rare Pokemon, super rare, so that way when someone has one they want to trade, it still makes it interesting due to how hard it is to find one.

[color][HEADING=1]Get rid of hidden moves[/HEADING][/color]

Wow, is that what HM stands for? What does TM stand for then?

It either stands for Technical Machine or Technical Moves, I can't remember.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

But that would defeat the purpose in trading. Which is what the whole purpose of the games was crafted to do.

Yeah this guy's got a point, Pokemon is a game about connecting with people and this basically makes that moot.

Fuck trading, a game should let you enjoy single player unhindered by online perks. The game never made it a "point" that you could or should trade 'em all, the motto is CATCH 'em all. Oh, except you can't. Ever. Because you need friends with the other 15 different Pokemon games that have done the job for you. And an internet connection/link cable.

But here is where it gets better. Some Pokemon REQUIRE trading to be caught. That and you do not REQUIRE an internet connection. Even better, if you have a 3DS and don't have an internet connection with it, how is that possible? You easily connect to just about any source and use the GTS to help you "Catch 'em All".

The concept of trading for these games has been around since it's conception, regardless of it's quality of a single player, Pokemon has ALWAYS been about interacting with other human beings using your Pokemon. The other 15? If anything, Pokemon X and Y have the largest roster of pokemon available. (WILD HYDREIGONS?!?) Getting the majority of just one game is really easy. Getting the others is relatively easy for help.

The whole idea was Pocket Monsters. Take out the game from your pocket, trade/battle with other people who have that.

No, the idea was that you buy a game and catch 'em all, not "choose what content you will lock yourself out of by buying one of the two versions we have for this generation, then buy our latest game because we just shit 100 more Pokemon and not only are we splitting those into the same two games (because lol), we're also not incorporating previous gen Pokemon either, so you gotta keep befriending people or looking for strangers who will have the exact Pokemon you're looking for if you have an internet connection by the way".

 

[frobalt]

you also forgot the pokemon you can only get through attending an event or the pokemon that only evolve when traded.

Good point!

Effectively, my suggestion for improving the Pokémon games is make it so that you can complete it by yourself if you want to.

With how many Pokémon there are in the game now, this would prove quite time consuming.

I can't help but wonder how many things Pokémon gets away with that other game franchises would be called out on.

 

[FPLOON]

Well... Time to echo a few things already said in this thread... (I think...):

-More than one save file.. (Two, maybe?)
-The ability to truly "catch them all" in the same game... without outside assistance via separate game... (Too many, you say? Well, we still have that SD card slot, right?)
-Choosing to play either turn-based or real-time... (Maybe allow me to shout out my Pokemon's own moves/actions? You know, like how it is in the anime?)
-Pokemon-to-Pokemon relationships... (Why can't my Pokemon fall in love naturally with each other like in the anime sometimes?)
-The option of becoming a Pokemon Gym Leader/Champion... (Don't forget the post-game Gym battle against an up-in-coming Pokemon trainer and roll credits!)
-More side-quest... (Better not make them either "unintentional" and/or TOO meta...)
-A storyline akin to Black/White... (Seriously, that opening before the Title Screen really got me in the mood to play the game...)

Yep... Add in something for the Wii U akin to Pokemon Stadium alongside those above suggestions and this could convert bring in more potential Pokemon players/fans...

 

[Terminate421]

No, the idea was that you buy a game and catch 'em all, not "choose what content you will lock yourself out of by buying one of the two versions we have for this generation, then buy our latest game because we just shit 100 more Pokemon and not only are we splitting those into the same two games (because lol), we're also not incorporating previous gen Pokemon either, so you gotta keep befriending people or looking for strangers who will have the exact Pokemon you're looking for if you have an internet connection by the way".

http://www.gamefreak.co.jp/blog/dir_english/

Because from what I can tell Junichi is talking about people being together. In other words, interacting with others. In other words, meeting/trading/battling.

They don't offer pokemon from previous generations sometimes because that would nullify the need for previous games to exist in the first place. How on earth will I get a Samurott in my copy of X?! Oh wait, I can easily just:
A. Trade online/In-person (Find a friend who has a spare Oshawott or something)
B. Transfer it from the previous games (Only if I have it)

Do you have a fucking grudge against people or something? The idea is catch 'em all. But honestly it isn't that big a deal to have to trade someone your Haunter to get that Gengar (Usually they'll just give it back if that's the agreement for the trade) If it were as simple as "Walking into this patch of grass until you've caught them all in this area." That'd be boring as shit. (Also REALLY hard to balance considering some pokemon are just OP in single player.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

No, the idea was that you buy a game and catch 'em all, not "choose what content you will lock yourself out of by buying one of the two versions we have for this generation, then buy our latest game because we just shit 100 more Pokemon and not only are we splitting those into the same two games (because lol), we're also not incorporating previous gen Pokemon either, so you gotta keep befriending people or looking for strangers who will have the exact Pokemon you're looking for if you have an internet connection by the way".

http://www.gamefreak.co.jp/blog/dir_english/

Because from what I can tell Junichi is talking about people being together. In other words, interacting with others. In other words, meeting/trading/battling.

They don't offer pokemon from previous generations sometimes because that would nullify the need for previous games to exist in the first place. How on earth will I get a Samurott in my copy of X?! Oh wait, I can easily just:
A. Trade online/In-person (Find a friend who has a spare Oshawott or something)
B. Transfer it from the previous games (Only if I have it)

Do you have a fucking grudge against people or something? The idea is catch 'em all. But honestly it isn't that big a deal to have to trade someone your Haunter to get that Gengar (Usually they'll just give it back if that's the agreement for the trade) If it were as simple as "Walking into this patch of grass until you've caught them all in this area." That'd be boring as shit. (Also REALLY hard to balance considering some pokemon are just OP in single player.

No grudge with people, I like games to be able to stand their single player ground and Pokemon has rotundly failed to do that. If you take a quick look through this thread you'll see a lot of us feel the same way. That doesn't make us serial killers, just gamers who don't like or can't do multiplayer because reasons, not everybody has the cookie dough to keep up buying all three versions of each generation every four years. Look, I did "catch them all" back when there were only 150 of these fuckers. It was a long, arduous process akin to a bank transaction that felt wholly divorced from the game. I'm sure it's cheaper and quicker these days with an internet connection, but to me it would still feel like a chore. I'd rather be in the wild exploring the big outdoors and fighting the damn things rather than waiting for some guy to do the job for me.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Excluding turing the battle from turn based to real time like the cartoon (sure I want it but I can see this would be a long and difficult process to make due to rendering many Pokemon movements, attacks and let not forget the sizes of them too), I would like the order of the gyms to tackle to be in random order.

Let say they had added eight villages near the eight gyms which is the home of the player. Just to be clear that first gym battle will be level according to your village starting area (and the rest leveled up to your progress). No this isn't just changing the Gym route, once you beat the first gym leader you are allow to take on the next nearest gym you like. I was going to say any next gyms (again the level will be adjust to the player) but I can see this being broken like you next gym battle is at the other side of the region or maybe there will be random event that make you travel to another town than the nearest one like the usual block cave entrance to tne nearest gym.

It is because of this, the path to the next gym will also be adjusted depending which villaged you where from which is pretty much the route start off with fewer npc to battle and are low level and the cave/ forest are easy to navigate but later on it will be higher level and abit complex.

This way everyone will have a different experience at the game like someone say that their first gym battle was an ice type while another say that ice gym was their fifth gym battle.

 

[Comic Sans]

No, the idea was that you buy a game and catch 'em all, not "choose what content you will lock yourself out of by buying one of the two versions we have for this generation, then buy our latest game because we just shit 100 more Pokemon and not only are we splitting those into the same two games (because lol), we're also not incorporating previous gen Pokemon either, so you gotta keep befriending people or looking for strangers who will have the exact Pokemon you're looking for if you have an internet connection by the way".

http://www.gamefreak.co.jp/blog/dir_english/

Because from what I can tell Junichi is talking about people being together. In other words, interacting with others. In other words, meeting/trading/battling.

They don't offer pokemon from previous generations sometimes because that would nullify the need for previous games to exist in the first place. How on earth will I get a Samurott in my copy of X?! Oh wait, I can easily just:
A. Trade online/In-person (Find a friend who has a spare Oshawott or something)
B. Transfer it from the previous games (Only if I have it)

Do you have a fucking grudge against people or something? The idea is catch 'em all. But honestly it isn't that big a deal to have to trade someone your Haunter to get that Gengar (Usually they'll just give it back if that's the agreement for the trade) If it were as simple as "Walking into this patch of grass until you've caught them all in this area." That'd be boring as shit. (Also REALLY hard to balance considering some pokemon are just OP in single player.

No grudge with people, I like games to be able to stand their single player ground and Pokemon has rotundly failed to do that. If you take a quick look through this thread you'll see a lot of us feel the same way. That doesn't make us serial killers, just gamers who don't like or can't do multiplayer because reasons, not everybody has the cookie dough to keep up buying all three versions of each generation every four years. Look, I did "catch them all" back when there were only 150 of these fuckers. It was a long, arduous process akin to a bank transaction that felt wholly divorced from the game. I'm sure it's cheaper and quicker these days with an internet connection, but to me it would still feel like a chore. I'd rather be in the wild exploring the big outdoors and fighting the damn things rather than waiting for some guy to do the job for me.

Pokemon is intended to be a social game. It has been since it came out. The idea has always been to connect with other people to battle and to fill in the holes in your collection. It makes Pokemon unique compared to other game series. While it would be nice for event Pokemon to be more readily available, beyond those I don't mind how the current system functions. With the advent of online connectivity, being able to get exclusive Pokemon is hardly a chore. There are people with literally dozens, if not hundreds of Pokemon they are willing to give away practically for free. I don't see how not having them all means the game doesn't stand on it's single player. Catching them all hasn't been the idea behind the series for some time now. Nintendo has been making changes to allow more active online battle communities, and that's where the meat of the game is. You don't need to catch them all unless you are doing it just to be a completionist. The games offer more than enough choices to allow fully different teams on multiple playthroughs. Especially X and Y, which have a HUGE selection of Pokemon from all generations available in the wild. I personally love the social aspects of the game and hope they don't change them.

 

[Drops a Sweet Katana]

Multiple save files so I can have a main playthrough but still be able to have challenge playthroughs.

Not really a mechanic, but I would go about rebalancing the stats of the newer pokemon. Looking through the stats of previous powerful gen 1 pokemon and the current powerhouses, it's clear that there's been some power creep.

 

[Aerosteam]

[color][HEADING=1]Get rid of hidden moves[/HEADING][/color]

Wow, is that what HM stands for? What does TM stand for then?

Well the physical item, the disc, is called a hidden machine and the actual moves it learns is a hidden move. You called go wrong either way.

TM stands for technical machine, also the physical item, but the move it learns is not really called a technical move, it's just a move.

 

[spartandude]

Make Event Pokemon available via DLC: I don't want to buy a cheat device. The problem is, there isn't any other way for me to get a Darkrai, Deoxys, Keldeo...there are a lot of event exclusive Legendary Pokemon that just don't seem to be in circulation anymore and I can't guarantee that I can make it to future events. Genosect and Melottea annoyed me by being present on Pokemon Black & White but it didn't seem like they were put into circulation as downloads until Black 2 and White 2 released. I'm also kind of paranoid that you will need to have a subscription to the Pokebank to get future event Pokemon...thanks Mew for trigger that little bit of anxiety!

I didnt really agree with your other points that much, although i wouldnt oppose them, but this... ALL OF MY YES!