Hoenn Region Discussion Thread

[satorio]

Now that I thinking about it again, maybe the trainer's eyes aren't a downgrade, but just a base, and during the post game we get an upgrade to that and we can
re-match gym leaders with that, and maybe use it too in the battle frontier or resort, whatever it is, it would make sense to why there are some stuff missing, i guess.

 

[Hero of Truth]

I have the exact same opinion. Kanto and jotho can have upgraded safron/celadon and goldenrod and that would fit. Meanwhile the tropical setting of hoenn makes perfect sense for the region not to have a ginormous capital, with nothing but buildings. What's there left to enjoy? There was no need for a big overhaul but oh well, here it is. But for all those fantastic 7 buildings of the oficial, including a pokecenter, pokemart and a gym, the revamp must have been really big to have mauville become such a metropolis.

On another thought, it's amazing how they did explore all the environments possible, given the tropical setting, and even threw an icy cave in there. From the shore cities of slateport and lillycove to the rustic verdanturf, passing by cities that are suposed to be normal cities like mauville and rustboro, a set of tropical rainforests before and after fortree, some relevant islands like mossdeep and dewford, a desert and volcano environment, this region has it all. If only they had at least 1 more icy location. There's no other region with such a small ice environment besides hoenn. At least the seafoam islands were big. But i think the sheer diversity has a big part on the reason why the hoenn games still are my favorite. The other huge part is the simple fact that the legendaries in RSE were the hardest to find in any other pokemon game. The mystery of how to unlock the sealed chamber and all the regis tombs created a sense of adventure that i never have experienced in any other pokemon game. Sure, finding zapdos at the powerplant nad articuno in the seafoam islands, as well as being able to go and catch the opposing legendary of jotho was really cool but the way the regis are locked is so secretive and i just loved and still love that part of the game. We could get some more mysterious ways to unlock legendaries nowadays.

I agree, Hoenn was loved for its great variety of environments and its size as a region, which really is big. Can't wait to explore it again in 3D.

 

[Bguy7]

Well i loved friend safari, get in catch and then get out. 2Ivs are granted and uf it rocks your boat you can get shinnies there with ease. Unlike the lets pray this appears and it doesnt run away while i cant trace to see if it has the anility i want nor use any freaking pokeball i want to toss at him for breeding purposes coz ill be stuck with safariballs...

I dislike the old safari, im not going to sugarcoat it, its just an rng time sink, before the actual breeding time sink even starts.

If the old safari returns im just going yo enter inside to retrieve the items that they migth have dropped on it. If unique HA are on the stake im just going to spam wt or trade a shinny for one to breed...Its like surfing in hoenn without repels...A BIG WASTE OF TIME.

Maybe its just me, since I'm a more casual player and honestly don't care about my Pokemon's IVs, Hidden Abilities, or shininess, not to mention I have only one person on my friend list. I think the Safari Zone provides a unique experience not found anywhere else. Sure, it sucks when that Dratini or Chancy you always wanted runs away, but it's all just part of the game. I want somewhere that I can go to explore and do something different, not a place to help me capture the "perfect" Pokemon.

Question though, why do you have a problem with Pokemon being caught in a Safari Ball? How's it any different from any other Pokeball (besides just the animation)?

 

[Shine]

On another thought, it's amazing how they did explore all the environments possible, given the tropical setting, and even threw an icy cave in there. From the shore cities of slateport and lillycove to the rustic verdanturf, passing by cities that are suposed to be normal cities like mauville and rustboro, a set of tropical rainforests before and after fortree, some relevant islands like mossdeep and dewford, a desert and volcano environment, this region has it all. If only they had at least 1 more icy location. There's no other region with such a small ice environment besides hoenn. At least the seafoam islands were big.

Like you said, it's a tropical region. Icy areas would be incredibly rare - in fact, given the setting of the place, Shoal Cave shouldn't even have any icy area.

Question though, why do you have a problem with Pokemon being caught in a Safari Ball? How's it any different from any other Pokeball (besides just the animation)?

People love it when the ball matches the Pokemon, to the point where some people hacked the ball, even if it makes the Pokemon illegal.

It annoys me when I see something clearly illegal like Heavy Ball Audino, Moon Ball Furfrou, or starters in Apricorn balls. But what can we do, their argument that the ball offers no advantage is valid, and it seems that GF doesn't care about it either, as patch 1.3 didn't block Pokemon with illegal balls although it blocked other kinds of illegal Pokemon.

Don't try to trade Pokemon in illegal ball in this forum though

 

[Zoruagible]

I'd much rather have the Safari Zone more like X/Y's Friend as well. The fleeing annoys me

 

[cobaltempoleon7]

While I appreciate that some people like the old style of safari zone, it takes the luck aspect of catching pokemon to a ridiculous extreme and removes almost all player input, so I wouldn't mind if it didn't return in its original form

 

[Hobnbob]

One thing I didn't really understand was the feeder things, never knew what they did so I never used them? guessing they will still be there though

 

[As1lfleece23]

I'm excited about new Mauville though, Magnezone will DEFINITELY be on my team!

 

[Morty05]

Maybe its just me, since I'm a more casual player and honestly don't care about my Pokemon's IVs, Hidden Abilities, or shininess, not to mention I have only one person on my friend list. I think the Safari Zone provides a unique experience not found anywhere else. Sure, it sucks when that Dratini or Chancy you always wanted runs away, but it's all just part of the game. I want somewhere that I can go to explore and do something different, not a place to help me capture the "perfect" Pokemon.

Question though, why do you have a problem with Pokemon being caught in a Safari Ball? How's it any different from any other Pokeball (besides just the animation)?

I just don't have a patience to go OVER AND OVER AGAIN with same battle... what is fun with having same battle OVER AND OVER AGAIN! I mean do you enjoy hearing and doing same battle OVER AND OVER AGAIN JUST TO FIND ONE DAMN POKEMON! I NEED DRATINI... WASTS 10000 hours... GAH FINALLY! ( has bad nature.) FUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!
I like using other balls because it is MUCH MORE EASIER: Safari is just glorfied Great ball. So why not use Ultra ball or Dusk Ball at night? What about quick ball for quick catch and Timer Ball for really hard to catch pokemon. They are MUCH MORE EASIER than just safari ball. Old Safari is NOT fun... it is just some place people went because they are Masochistic and enjoy suffering.

The place where you can actually control some element like Battle Tower and Contest IS a challenge. Place where it relies 100% on luck IS NOT a challenge it is just a LUCK! YOU DON'T USE BRAIN OR A PLAN TO "WIN" IT! IT IS ALL JUST DUMB LUCK! Kinda like winning a lotto. Just because you won 100 million dollers you can't say I have GREAT skill in lottery! It is just LUCK!

 

[Endless]

I just don't have a patience to go OVER AND OVER AGAIN with same battle... what is fun with having same battle OVER AND OVER AGAIN! I mean do you enjoy hearing and doing same battle OVER AND OVER AGAIN JUST TO FIND ONE DAMN POKEMON! I NEED DRATINI... WASTS 10000 hours... GAH FINALLY! ( has bad nature.) FUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!
I like using other balls because it is MUCH MORE EASIER: Safari is just glorfied Great ball. So why not use Ultra ball or Dusk Ball at night? What about quick ball for quick catch and Timer Ball for really hard to catch pokemon. They are MUCH MORE EASIER than just safari ball. Old Safari is NOT fun... it is just some place people went because they are Masochistic and enjoy suffering.

The place where you can actually control some element like Battle Tower and Contest IS a challenge. Place where it relies 100% on luck IS NOT a challenge it is just a LUCK! YOU DON'T USE BRAIN OR A PLAN TO "WIN" IT! IT IS ALL JUST DUMB LUCK! Kinda like winning a lotto. Just because you won 100 million dollers you can't say I have GREAT skill in lottery! It is just LUCK!

I enjoyed the old Safari Zone. The mechanics were unique and interesting. I especially like the rock mechanics with its high risk high rewards style. (Well I only use it on common hard-to-catch pokémon, the rare ones are not worth the risk).
Sure it doesn't take that much skill, but some people like luck based games. Catching something rare isn't dependent on your skill but rather your devotion. It doesn't mean that you're particularly good at the game but it can still be seen as a small accomplishment. By no means do you have to be a masochist to like the Safari Zone, I find that to be an unnecessary and unsupported generalization. You're also greatly exaggerating how hard it is to find a single Dratini. Besides the Day Care is available for breeding purposes at this point if you want specific natures and the like.

The Friend Safari really shares nothing with the Safari Zone. You don't have the "free" 30 safari balls, no step limit, no unique catching mechanics and you can use your own pokémon. The only thing they have in common is the name and I'm sure no one would have drawn any parallels if it wasn't for that.
That said I appreciate the Friend Safari as well, but for entirely different reasons. Mainly because of how convenient it was. I fail to see why the existence of one would hinder the existence of the other. If the Friend Safari is dropped I think it is for entirely different reasons than that the Safari Zone is within the game as well.

 

[Bolt the Cat]

One thing I didn't really understand was the feeder things, never knew what they did so I never used them? guessing they will still be there though

IIRC, you leave a Pokeblock there and you attract Pokemon of a certain nature.

 

[HRRlion]

I really want to explore the safari zone like I did as a kid, but the fear of running into a shiny and it fleeing/I running out of balls is too much. Why GF deided to shiny lock every legend in XY and probably ORAS but will still leave it off in places like this is mind boggling.

 

[Bolt the Cat]

I really want to explore the safari zone like I did as a kid, but the fear of running into a shiny and it fleeing/I running out of balls is too much. Why GF deided to shiny lock every legend in XY and probably ORAS but will still leave it off in places like this is mind boggling.

Outside of events, I don't think shiny locking was ever really a thing until 5th gen, and we haven't had a traditional Safari Zone since.

 

[HRRlion]

Outside of events, I don't think shiny locking was ever really a thing until 5th gen, and we haven't had a traditional Safari Zone since.

That's what I'm saying, they probably will leave off the shiny lock in the safari zone but keep it on for all the legends, not just the covers. I'll wait and see once the games come out but knowing GF it's more likely they'll do this than anything else, seeing as even in BW/BW2 the pokemon the professor shows you in the intro can be shiny.

 

[.Aerodactyl.]

I'm excited and kind of hoping for both kinds of safari zones. Personally, I like them both for different reasons. I'd say your standard safari zone is more fun. I like the challenge (even if its frustrating) the step counts, it always feels like a treat seeing those rare pokemon you don't see anywhere else. frustrating, but also different. Breaks up the pace a little from how you usually catch pokemon. I love that you can't have safari zone pokeballs anywhere else. Sucks loosing shinies though, but I've also never seen a shiny in the safari zone.

I do love friend safari though! I love the increased shiny rate, love how you get friends to do it and how each zone is type specific so you don't have to be crazy hunting. What I really love though is being able to get hidden ability pokemon and using any pokeballs. I know it's trivial, and serves no purpose, but I love varying my pokeballs. I like seeing the different ones when I scroll through stats or heal. I don't necessarily "match" them but I love collecting pokeballs. It helps me make me feel like my pokemon are more unique. I loved the breeding changes because of that.

Friend safari also feels like a post game thing. I'm hoping that we get the friend safari in the battle resort area, or whatever it is, and it has all different pokemon than X/Y had. More catchable hidden ability pokemon, plus I'd love to get the starters with their hidden abilities.

Speaking of hidden abilities, does anyone else think almost every wild pokemon in hoenn will be catchable with its hidden ability? According to the official site, as we upgrade are pokedex thing that allows us to scope out pokemon, it can even find hidden ability pokemon. Wouldn't that mean anything we find in the wild is able to have its hidden ability?

 

[Excitable Boy]

Speaking of hidden abilities, does anyone else think almost every wild pokemon in hoenn will be catchable with its hidden ability? According to the official site, as we upgrade are pokedex thing that allows us to scope out pokemon, it can even find hidden ability pokemon. Wouldn't that mean anything we find in the wild is able to have its hidden ability?

They've mentioned that the DexNav works while in the grass and while Surfing, but we don't if it works in extra-thick grass, caves, or while fishing.

 

[Lorde]

While I appreciate that some people like the old style of safari zone, it takes the luck aspect of catching pokemon to a ridiculous extreme and removes almost all player input, so I wouldn't mind if it didn't return in its original form

I found the Hoenn Safari Zone to be underwhelming in terms of Pokemon variety in R/S, and I'll probably end up transferring the Safari Zone-exclusive Pokemon from other games anyway in OR/AS, so it doesn't matter to me.

 

[Khaelis]

I wasn't very keen on the Safari Zone myself either. It felt underwhelming until you got the bonus area after reaching post-game and even then it wasn't much of an improvement.

 

[Morty05]

I enjoyed the old Safari Zone. The mechanics were unique and interesting. I especially like the rock mechanics with its high risk high rewards style. (Well I only use it on common hard-to-catch pokémon, the rare ones are not worth the risk).
Sure it doesn't take that much skill, but some people like luck based games. Catching something rare isn't dependent on your skill but rather your devotion. It doesn't mean that you're particularly good at the game but it can still be seen as a small accomplishment. By no means do you have to be a masochist to like the Safari Zone, I find that to be an unnecessary and unsupported generalization. You're also greatly exaggerating how hard it is to find a single Dratini. Besides the Day Care is available for breeding purposes at this point if you want specific natures and the like.

The Friend Safari really shares nothing with the Safari Zone. You don't have the "free" 30 safari balls, no step limit, no unique catching mechanics and you can use your own pokémon. The only thing they have in common is the name and I'm sure no one would have drawn any parallels if it wasn't for that.
That said I appreciate the Friend Safari as well, but for entirely different reasons. Mainly because of how convenient it was. I fail to see why the existence of one would hinder the existence of the other. If the Friend Safari is dropped I think it is for entirely different reasons than that the Safari Zone is within the game as well.

I REALLY loathed old safari zone... they held nothing but nightmare for me... GF had finally made it easier for "rookie" players who don't care about IVs and made HA really easy to be caught and I don't get the appeal for old safari... it is just more annoying and frustrating version of normal pokemon catching... and if it wasn't hard enough they made it so that Pokemon can FLEE!
It is no skill.. it is like turning Pokemon "GAME" into a Pokemon "WORK" And I though whole point of playing game was to play... you know "game" not "work!"

 

[Wulava]

If I'm not mistaken, on one of the trailers that feature the Safari Zone, when Brendan sneaked on the Pikachu, he battled it with a Torchic.