Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Speculation/Discussion Thread!

[DKN117]

The double-pack copy my uncle preordered for me from eBay got either delivered to the wrong address or straight-up stolen off his front porch or something. Now we're scrambling to find a store that has any copies of Brilliant Diamond still in stock, we're putting Shining Pearl on my Christmas list, and I can say goodbye to any kind of preorder bonus or double-pack bonus...

 

[RileyXY1]

I'm thinking about not getting BDSP.

 

[Pokemon Power]

Heads up!

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1462638594028355585

Very bad autosave bug.

Yeah, I turned it off at the beginning. Just in case there was a repeat or something similar to the autosave glitch from Sword and Shield.

 

[Autobot N]

The double-pack copy my uncle preordered for me from eBay got either delivered to the wrong address or straight-up stolen off his front porch or something. Now we're scrambling to find a store that has any copies of Brilliant Diamond still in stock, we're putting Shining Pearl on my Christmas list, and I can say goodbye to any kind of preorder bonus or double-pack bonus...

Is buying it digitally not an option?

 

[Ophie]

I think I figured out the pattern of when remakes will be made and released. FRLG were created to solve the GBA not being able to connect to the original GB and GBC and pretty close to the 10th anniversary the original Red and Green in Japan and were two years early, HGSS came out to celebrate the ten5h anniversary of the original games’ release in Japan and a couple years before the 15th anniversary of the first Pokémon games being released in Japan, ORAS were released 12 years after the original games and a couple of years right before the 20th anniversary of the series, the Let’s Go games came out 20 years after Yellow and three years before the 25th anniversary of Pokémon, and BDSP released 15 years after the original games and during the 25th anniversary year of the series. So we should expect BW/BW2 remakes/reimaginings between 2023-2026.

A more prominent pattern I've seen is that, from the Game Boy Advance and onwards, remakes are released about halfway to two-thirds through the first generation introduced on that system.

I don't know if this, too, is a coincidence, or if it's Game Freak's way of adapting to how a particular game system works in preparation for the following generation. FireRed and LeafGreen are the exception though, as only one generation came out on that system.

The double-pack copy my uncle preordered for me from eBay got either delivered to the wrong address or straight-up stolen off his front porch or something. Now we're scrambling to find a store that has any copies of Brilliant Diamond still in stock, we're putting Shining Pearl on my Christmas list, and I can say goodbye to any kind of preorder bonus or double-pack bonus...

Unfortunately, porch pirates are on the rise as of late, as people buy online more often. Some of these thieves outright follow package delivery trucks, wait until they drop a package off outside, and grab it once the truck has passed a corner and no one is watching.

I'd recommend a camera pointed at the front door if you or your uncle does a lot of online purchases. It won't stop porch pirates, but as long as you don't make the camera obvious (some porch pirates will disable or destroy cameras they find), you will at least know what happened to it and you can have evidence to turn over to the authorities.

 

[Sham]

I’ve lost once in the entire game and almost getting my third badge. Most of the battles are really easy and I hard to disadvantage my own self in the Gardenia battle. Is anybody not rotating teams?

 

[Autobot N]

I’ve lost once in the entire game and almost getting my third badge. Most of the battles are really easy and I hard to disadvantage my own self in the Gardenia battle. Is anybody not rotating teams?

Things were generally pretty easy until the elite 4 (which is the case for most Pokemon games), where I intentionally did no grinding before hand with my Pokemon at about level 55. Aaron and Bertha were fine, struggled with Flint and Lucian, and Cynthia beat the tar out of me.

 

[Sham]

Things were generally pretty easy until the elite 4 (which is the case for most Pokemon games), where I intentionally did no grinding before hand with my Pokemon at about level 55. Aaron and Bertha were fine, struggled with Flint and Lucian, and Cynthia beat the tar out of me.

Okay good I’m trying to use “weaker” Pokémon hence the Pachirisu so it makes it a bit harder. Did you lose any of the Elite four or rotate?

 

[Autobot N]

Okay good I’m trying to use “weaker” Pokémon hence the Pachirisu so it makes it a bit harder. Did you lose any of the Elite four or rotate?

I didn't lose to any of the Elite 4, but I got pretty close with Flint. Cynthia though, I lost to twice before taking at least a half an hour to beat her on the 3rd try (while saving in front of her and turning the game off if I lost so I didn't gain anymore EXP). No rotating, I like to keep my team of 6 for the whole game.

 

[Teravolt]

I’ve lost once in the entire game and almost getting my third badge. Most of the battles are really easy and I hard to disadvantage my own self in the Gardenia battle. Is anybody not rotating teams?

BD was a cakewalk with Empoleon, with the exception of Cynthia, since I didn’t have a Grass-type move on my team. SP is more difficult with Torterra, as I’ve had to rematch almost all the Gym Leaders at least once. It’s not too terribly bad, though, and I know Torterra will give me Cynthia coverage when the time comes.

 

[janejane6178]

Sinnoh is like the opposite of Galar.
Yes, the cities of Sinnoh have more simple old fashion design. I will give Galar that.
But there are so many places to explore in Sinnoh. Hidden caves, side roads... Its not just a linear narrow path.
Ive played Sinnoh 10000 times for the past 15 years and I NEVER knew there was an Iron factory near the flower village until yesterday!!!! I was shocked hehe

Love these games

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

Sinnoh is like the opposite of Galar.
Yes, the cities of Sinnoh have more simple old fashion design. I will give Galar that.
But there are so many places to explore in Sinnoh. Hidden caves, side roads... Its not just a linear narrow path.
Ive played Sinnoh 10000 times for the past 15 years and I NEVER knew there was an Iron factory near the flower village until yesterday!!!! I was shocked hehe

Love these games

I sort of forget that place. I only remember it vaguely because in Pt, that’s where you find Magmar.

 

[pokeplayer9994]

I had an interesting experience with my delivery. Basically, I ordered Pearl and it got slightly delayed. (Meant to be delivered last Friday and got delayed to the recent Monday.) It did arrive and I almost didn't notice it.

I saw what looked like, from my perspective, a piece of cardboard on the ground in front of my door. I picked it up and it was the package. It was literally two pieces of cardboard glued together.

On the one hand, it would likely stop any would-be thieves as it would just look like a piece of trash to most people in the end. On the other, if someone thought it was a piece of trash, they might've thrown it away without noticing. I'm not too sure how to feel in the end.

As for my playthrough at this point, I'm having too much fun in the new Grand Underground before the second gym. As a result, I nearly have everyone I wanted on my team. Only one left and it's being a pain to get.

 

[Ophie]

I had an interesting experience with my delivery. Basically, I ordered Pearl and it got slightly delayed. (Meant to be delivered last Friday and got delayed to the recent Monday.) It did arrive and I almost didn't notice it.

I saw what looked like, from my perspective, a piece of cardboard on the ground in front of my door. I picked it up and it was the package. It was literally two pieces of cardboard glued together.

On the one hand, it would likely stop any would-be thieves as it would just look like a piece of trash to most people in the end. On the other, if someone thought it was a piece of trash, they might've thrown it away without noticing. I'm not too sure how to feel in the end.

Honestly, that wouldn't stop a sophisticated porch pirate. They will follow package delivery vehicles and grab the package as soon as the delivery person leaves the area as long as no one's looking. They'll see it being delivered as a package in the form of a small, flat item, which they can determine is an electronic or computer item and thus something valuable relative to its size.

More likely, your game was packaged as it was because it's an easier, less expensive option than a normal box.

 

[Sαpphire]

I really have to admit...

As someone who was profoundly disappointed by Sword and Shield, and who felt that LGPE just didn't really have enough post-game content or species I liked, I'm having an amazing time with Brilliant Diamond. Once I got used to the frankly terrible art style of the over-world, it was just off to the races. I haven't enjoyed a new Pokemon game quite this much since Moon.

I can get every single one of the Pokémon I love most, there's a Battle Tower which I'm hoping will be an actual challenge, and the Grand Underground is a fantastic upgrade. I don't expect it to happen, but a Battle Frontier DLC would make this pretty much the game I've wanted for years.

It's gotten me very, very excited to see Legends: Arceus soon, too - I can't believe it's less than two months away already.

 

[Mr.Munchlax]

So far the only thing I’m upset about with these games is that you can’t nickname traded pokémon one time like you could in SWSH. I got a Magnemite through a trade yesterday and took it to the name rater to test it out but it wouldn’t give me the option.

While this isn’t something that ruins my experience with the game, it bothers me because I have a Hariyama from Pokémon Go that I plan on adding to my team once we get Home connectivity. I wanted to nickname it but now I can’t do that

 

[Orphalesion]

Unfortunately, porch pirates are on the rise as of late, as people buy online more often. Some of these thieves outright follow package delivery trucks, wait until they drop a package off outside, and grab it once the truck has passed a corner and no one is watching.

I'd recommend a camera pointed at the front door if you or your uncle does a lot of online purchases. It won't stop porch pirates, but as long as you don't make the camera obvious (some porch pirates will disable or destroy cameras they find), you will at least know what happened to it and you can have evidence to turn over to the authorities.

Around here delivery services don't just leave packages on porches, so i never had this problem, but I've heard quite a lot of it from friends in the US and I always wonder...

Is there no possibility in the US to have the package delivered to a postal package pick-up station. We have these around here; they are rooms or small buildings with lockers.
When your package arrives there you get an Email with a barcode. Then you go to the pick-up station and unlock the door with your ATM card then you go to a digital scanner and scan the barcode from the email, then you have to sign on a touch screen and the locker with your package opens. I prefer that to any other option.

 

[Mr.Munchlax]

Around here delivery services don't just leave packages on porches, so i never had this problem, but I've heard quite a lot of it from friends in the US and I always wonder...

Is there no possibility in the US to have the package delivered to a postal package pick-up station. We have these around here; they are rooms or small buildings with lockers.
When your package arrives there you get an Email with a barcode. Then you go to the pick-up station and unlock the door with your ATM card then you go to a digital scanner and scan the barcode from the email, then you have to sign on a touch screen and the locker with your package opens. I prefer that to any other option.

I saw a commercial the other day that Amazon is starting a service to leave packages in people’s garages, but I think that may do more harm than good

 

[Ophie]

Around here delivery services don't just leave packages on porches, so i never had this problem, but I've heard quite a lot of it from friends in the US and I always wonder...

Is there no possibility in the US to have the package delivered to a postal package pick-up station. We have these around here; they are rooms or small buildings with lockers.
When your package arrives there you get an Email with a barcode. Then you go to the pick-up station and unlock the door with your ATM card then you go to a digital scanner and scan the barcode from the email, then you have to sign on a touch screen and the locker with your package opens. I prefer that to any other option.

We do, but they cost extra, and they aren't necessarily nearby nor easily accessible, so for a lot of people, it isn't really an option. For instance, there is a university here where the nearest pick-up location is about four miles (7 km) away from the edge of campus in a location public transportation doesn't reach, which makes it impractical to anyone who doesn't have a car, and you might as well buy some of these items from stores closer. There are more people than there used to who choose to pay for them to avoid those thieves; said thieves have reacted by outright mugging the delivery people and looting the packages.

This also doesn't solve the fact that the majority of package thieves actually work for the delivery services themselves. Any time the package isn't monitored is a time it could potentially be stolen. For instance, here in southern California, there is a United States Postal Service distribution center in Bell, California, in which packages sometimes disappear. The tracking will have no further steps after reaching the distribution center, and your package will not arrive. Most likely, someone there is pulling strings to take packages without the recipient having any power to report it or stop it. Delivery insurance can compensate you for the cost, but you won't get the items you requested.

I saw a commercial the other day that Amazon is starting a service to leave packages in people’s garages, but I think that may do more harm than good

Indeed, that system is rife for the delivery people to take things from your garage. And it's already happened many times. The delivery person is supposed to take pictures and videos of the packages, but the fact remains that a stranger has access to your garage and can open it at any time.

Amazon's trying all sorts of ideas but not really thinking through how practical they are. They are trying to pioneer drone delivery services, but the drones themselves are completely exposed. They've been struck down with bullets, arrows, rocks, sticks, sports balls, and curious birds. They've been nicknamed "Animal Crossing Balloons" due to the means in which you can take whatever they're carrying: pop the drone and retrieve the goods.

 

[Orphalesion]

We do, but they cost extra, and they aren't necessarily nearby nor easily accessible, so for a lot of people, it isn't really an option. For instance, there is a university here where the nearest pick-up location is about four miles (7 km) away from the edge of campus in a location public transportation doesn't reach, which makes it impractical to anyone who doesn't have a car, and you might as well buy some of these items from stores closer. There are more people than there used to who choose to pay for them to avoid those thieves; said thieves have reacted by outright mugging the delivery people and looting the packages.

This also doesn't solve the fact that the majority of package thieves actually work for the delivery services themselves. Any time the package isn't monitored is a time it could potentially be stolen. For instance, here in southern California, there is a United States Postal Service distribution center in Bell, California, in which packages sometimes disappear. The tracking will have no further steps after reaching the distribution center, and your package will not arrive. Most likely, someone there is pulling strings to take packages without the recipient having any power to report it or stop it. Delivery insurance can compensate you for the cost, but you won't get the items you requested.


Indeed, that system is rife for the delivery people to take things from your garage. And it's already happened many times. The delivery person is supposed to take pictures and videos of the packages, but the fact remains that a stranger has access to your garage and can open it at any time.

Amazon's trying all sorts of ideas but not really thinking through how practical they are. They are trying to pioneer drone delivery services, but the drones themselves are completely exposed. They've been struck down with bullets, arrows, rocks, sticks, sports balls, and curious birds. They've been nicknamed "Animal Crossing Balloons" due to the means in which you can take whatever they're carrying: pop the drone and retrieve the goods.

Ah okay, I understand.

Around here they do not cost extra, and, at least in cities they are plentiful. Mine is just 10 minutes from my home. They do however only keep your package for a limited number of days (and due to the pandemic and people doing holiday shopping online my pick-up station reduced the number of days they hold a package from 7 to 3, so one of my orders was actually sent back because I didn't pick it up on time)
I haven't really heard anything about packages "disappearing" here either tbh, though I'm sure it happens, and it's still common knowledge that you, for example, shouldn't mail money. I'm also pretty sure drone delivery is still illegal here.