Battle System Change Discussion Thread

[Lykouros]

Related to this thread, am I understanding the news correctly in that we no longer battle wild pokemon but merely catch them as in Pokemon GO? If so, I can’t fathom why they decided switching to that mechanic would work well on a console game, even with it being linked to GO.

 

[erickexl]

I hope some of these changes do.

Hopefully EV's will be revamped to be much simpler and IVs as well.
I don't understand why Game Freak continues to make this more of a hassle than it needs to be.

Everyone should get the chance to be able to compete in online battles and actually fair well without having to grind and breed so much. If I had all the time in the world, I still wouldn't make myself suffer by doing this. It's such a ridiculous and complex system that definitely should be improved for the sake of Casuals to transition to the Competitive much more easily and fluently.

It'd be a slap in the face to those who spent all their time doing so, but blame yourselves for allowing such a detrimental flaw to be accepted.

 

[Akashin]

Related to this thread, am I understanding the news correctly in that we no longer battle wild pokemon but merely catch them as in Pokemon GO? If so, I can’t fathom why they decided switching to that mechanic would work well on a console game, even with it being linked to GO.

It's not even a matter of what the news is saying; that change is right there in the trailer.

And regardless of personal opinion on the change, it doesn't look particularly incompatible with a console game.

 

[FrozTKnight]

I hope some of these changes do.

Hopefully EV's will be revamped to be much simpler and IVs as well.
I don't understand why Game Freak continues to make this more of a hassle than it needs to be.

Everyone should get the chance to be able to compete in online battles and actually fair well without having to grind and breed so much. If I had all the time in the world, I still wouldn't make myself suffer by doing this. It's such a ridiculous and complex system that definitely should be improved for the sake of Casuals to transition to the Competitive much more easily and fluently.

It'd be a slap in the face to those who spent all their time doing so, but blame yourselves for allowing such a detrimental flaw to be accepted.

Or you have two seperate battling modes. A mode for casual players where non of the competitive mechanics go into effect and one for competitive players with additional ranked matches.

And as a bonus competitive players will get rewards that casual players won't get.

Eg:
Win 100 battles in a row you get a "Mew"
Win 10 battles in a row you get "Bottle Caps"

 

[erickexl]

Or you have two seperate battling modes. A mode for casual players where non of the competitive mechanics go into effect and one for competitive players with additional ranked matches.

And as a bonus competitive players will get rewards that casual players won't get.

Eg:
Win 100 battles in a row you get a "Mew"
Win 10 battles in a row you get "Bottle Caps"

I think this is a great idea actually. It could be like Smash 4's two modes, For Fun and For Glory.

Thing is, how would this work? How do you set it so the game removes aspects like EVs or IVs in one mode and include them in the other?

 

[FrozTKnight]

I think this is a great idea actually. It could be like Smash 4's two modes, For Fun and For Glory.

Thing is, how would this work? How do you set it so the game removes aspects like EVs or IVs in one mode and include them in the other?

I actually made a thread suggesting this as an option but it didn't get any traction

I have seen a lot of casual players being turned of by Pokemon online play just because they don't want to put in the work required to breed Pokemon to go and actually stand a chance of winning in an online game and some don't like it because they don't get to use their main in-game team online. This would be especially true for the Switch game since most possible buyers of the game would be casual players of Pokemon and haven't had exposure to the online meta and mechanics which would be a huge turn of to them to play online.

A solution to this would introducing 2 battle modes for online play. One with every competitive aspect of Pokemon in the meta and a casual mode where those aspects are removed.

To make things easier for casual players IVs, EVs, items (probably), would be ignored in casual mode and any competitively viable Pokemon brought to this mode will have those aspects that make them useful ignored and make it a level playing field for those who are casual players.

Now the question is with the casual mode what reason would players have to play the competitive mode? The people who love to play competitive will be willing to continue to play it but what about the players that played competitive because they had no choice and the players who would never play competitive how are you supposed to get them to put in the necessary work the play the competitive format, a good solution to this would be giving the players rewards. Rare items and legendaries would be a nice reward for the players and rewards could be given in a leader board format that updates every season or month.

Ex.
Top 100 players - Prize:nuggets
Top 50 players - Prize:Master ball
Top 20 players - Special Pokemon
Top 5 players - Special Legendary
Top player - Special character costume.

Also players could be giving performance rewards with battle points like sweeping a team with one Pokemon would give you 20 BP.

Basically the casual mode ignores every competitive part of Pokémon. If you bring a competitive bred Pokémon none of it's special stats will be taken into effect in the casual mode putting everyone on a even playing field. This would also allow casual player to use their in game teams without worrying about getting owned by a Competitive player.

 

[Sceptile Leaf Blade]

I don't think multiple modes is a good idea, all it does is make things more complicated. How do you even define what "competitive parts of pokémon" are? Do pokémon lose egg moves in casual mode? EV training? Hidden Power? It'd be so confusing to casual players to suddenly see their pokémon's stats go down when they enter a competitive battle because the EVs they gathered during the story suddenly get erased.

I mean, I'm not an opponent to making the system simpler, I wouldn't mind a stat allocation system to replace the EV/base stat system, I wouldn't mind IVs to get axed entirely. But changing these things between different modes just makes things more confusing than they already are.

 

[erickexl]

I don't think multiple modes is a good idea, all it does is make things more complicated. How do you even define what "competitive parts of pokémon" are? Do pokémon lose egg moves in casual mode? EV training? Hidden Power? It'd be so confusing to casual players to suddenly see their pokémon's stats go down when they enter a competitive battle because the EVs they gathered during the story suddenly get erased.

I mean, I'm not an opponent to making the system simpler, I wouldn't mind a stat allocation system to replace the EV/base stat system, I wouldn't mind IVs to get axed entirely. But changing these things between different modes just makes things more confusing than they already are.

Gotta agree with you here. I honestly think EV Training is fine, but it should be much easier than it is now.

I personally think IV's should be removed at least. Hidden Power should either be customizable or random each time you teach it to a Pokemon.

Nature's are also another problem that should really be removed as well.

 

[KyogreThunder]

Gotta agree with you here. I honestly think EV Training is fine, but it should be much easier than it is now.

I personally think IV's should be removed at least. Hidden Power should either be customizable or random each time you teach it to a Pokemon.

Nature's are also another problem that should really be removed as well.

Um, what's exactly wrong with the Natures again?

 

[erickexl]

Um, what's exactly wrong with the Natures again?

Let's say you're looking for an extremely rare pokemon, right? You're searching for several minutes, maybe 10-20, and you finally find that pokemon you wanted. Let's say this pokemon is Ralts. You finally got one, you want it to become a powerful Gardevoir for future battles. Problem is, it has a Lonely Nature. That nature increases Gardevoir's attack stat, but it doesn't have great stats to use Physical Moves. The nature also decreases it's defense, making it susceptible to more physical damage with ti's already low HP and Defense Stats. Then you have to throw it away for the sake of a better and more powerful Ralts without such a handicap.

The major problem is spending so much time for a specific pokemon with a specific nature that is all incredibly randomized. And if that pokemon is rare, it's even more tedious when it has a nature that handicaps the pokemon you've been frantically searching for.

 

[KyogreThunder]

Let's say you're looking for an extremely rare pokemon, right? You're searching for several minutes, maybe 10-20, and you finally find that pokemon you wanted. Let's say this pokemon is Ralts. You finally got one, you want it to become a powerful Gardevoir for future battles. Problem is, it has a Lonely Nature. That nature increases Gardevoir's attack stat, but it doesn't have great stats to use Physical Moves. The nature also decreases it's defense, making it susceptible to more physical damage with ti's already low HP and Defense Stats. Then you have to throw it away for the sake of a better and more powerful Ralts without such a handicap.

The major problem is spending so much time for a specific pokemon with a specific nature that is all incredibly randomized. And if that pokemon is rare, it's even more tedious when it has a nature that handicaps the pokemon you've been frantically searching for.

True, but you don't actually need to have Pokemon of specific Natures in the main storyline (and if Day-Care isn't locked until post-game, then getting a Pokemon with the beneficial Nature is even easier, especially if Ditto, Everstone and Flame Body are available early on).

 

[Mega Altaria]

Natures are confirmed in LGPE as indicated by the beneficial stat in red and the hindering stat in blue. It is getting more likely that LGPE will retain the battle system that has been used in the traditional Pokémon games.

 

[Creyk]

We know double battles are included in the games. But what abotu triple battles? The big problem with the 3DS was that after a time it was hard for the system to handle haaving 6 pokemon out on the screen like that. But that should be no problem for the switch anymore. In fact, it would not be bad at all if 6VS6 battles finally became a thing. Just a chaotic rise of epic proportions.

 

[erickexl]

We know double battles are included in the games. But what abotu triple battles? The big problem with the 3DS was that after a time it was hard for the system to handle haaving 6 pokemon out on the screen like that. But that should be no problem for the switch anymore. In fact, it would not be bad at all if 6VS6 battles finally became a thing. Just a chaotic rise of epic proportions.

6v6 is going to be an utter mess. Doubles are perfectly fine. SOS Battles should definitely make a return but I doubt it.



Idk if this is the right thread for me to say this but, I really feel that battles need to be more fun In-Game. They seem incredibly boring and simple each time. Their is rarely ever another trainer that isn't a gym leader who is capable of challenging you.

I wanted to point out why there aren't trainers who use TMs and then give you them as a reward for beating them? Or why aren't their other trainers just as strong and intelligent as you barring your Rival, the gym leaders and elite four?

I've just realized how Trainer Battles are no different than Wild Battle Grinding.

 

[Creyk]

6v6 is going to be an utter mess. Doubles are perfectly fine. SOS Battles should definitely make a return but I doubt it.



Idk if this is the right thread for me to say this but, I really feel that battles need to be more fun In-Game. They seem incredibly boring and simple each time. Their is rarely ever another trainer that isn't a gym leader who is capable of challenging you.

I wanted to point out why there aren't trainers who use TMs and then give you them as a reward for beating them? Or why aren't their other trainers just as strong and intelligent as you barring your Rival, the gym leaders and elite four?

I've just realized how Trainer Battles are no different than Wild Battle Grinding.

Well if trainer battles were never hard before, they won't be now in the age of "aw kids don't have intelligence we have to dumb down the game completely so they can play it too"

 

[Azhdarcho]

What if they introduced “renting” Pokémon for competitive battles? You could browse a list of Pokémon that had been built properly and build a team for casual online matches. You gotta put them back at the end of your session. And the list rotates and isn’t comprehensive; it’s just a group of, say, thirty popular Pokémon with popular builds. Enough for someone to get a taste of high level play and team building. Maybe as a reward for winning enough matches, you get to buy one of the Pokémon with BP or something.