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Kotaku: The Way to Improve Pokemon Is To Make It An Entirely Different Game!

randomspot555

Well-Known Member
Kotaku posted an article titled "10 ways to Make Pokemon Super awesome" or something like that.

In it, they suggest adding a Gym Leader element where you become a Gym Leader and...sit there and wait for challengers, and sometimes fight people? I don't know.

They also propose getting rid of EVs and IVs altogether. I guess there's too much variety in Pokemon for Kotaku, and they want every Pokemon of the same species to have the exact same stats....

Wait, this sounds pretty horrible.

It gets worse.

The writer of the article goes on to advocate for removing breeding, complaining about "scarcity" or some such and that throwing off the "trade community" rarity and "value" of Pokemon.

And then they go on to say "too much story" , even though Pokemon (and a LOT of video games) have fairly paper thin plots as it is...

Oh, and the writer wants a co-op...because Pokemon is really, really hard, guys.

what?

And then they want some super awesome reward for "Catching them all", even though that's never been a main goal of an actual Pokemon game since the beginning of time.

The only non-horrible suggestion is a customasizeable trainer sprite. But considering how small your trainer sprite is for most of the game, it'd barely be noticeable.

So discuss the following:

  1. This sounds horrible, right?
  2. Do you think this guy has ever played a Pokemon game, ever?
  3. Really, has he ever actually played a Pokemon game?
 

PsiOmega

An old soul
Kotaku posted an article titled "10 ways to Make Pokemon Super awesome" or something like that.

In it, they suggest adding a Gym Leader element where you become a Gym Leader and...sit there and wait for challengers, and sometimes fight people? I don't know.

They also propose getting rid of EVs and IVs altogether. I guess there's too much variety in Pokemon for Kotaku, and they want every Pokemon of the same species to have the exact same stats....

Wait, this sounds pretty horrible.

It gets worse.

The writer of the article goes on to advocate for removing breeding, complaining about "scarcity" or some such and that throwing off the "trade community" rarity and "value" of Pokemon.

And then they go on to say "too much story" , even though Pokemon (and a LOT of video games) have fairly paper thin plots as it is...

Oh, and the writer wants a co-op...because Pokemon is really, really hard, guys.

what?

And then they want some super awesome reward for "Catching them all", even though that's never been a main goal of an actual Pokemon game since the beginning of time.

The only non-horrible suggestion is a customasizeable trainer sprite. But considering how small your trainer sprite is for most of the game, it'd barely be noticeable.

So discuss the following:

  1. This sounds horrible, right?
  2. Do you think this guy has ever played a Pokemon game, ever?
  3. Really, has he ever actually played a Pokemon game?

Excuse my language, but WHAT THE HELL IS THIS GUY THINKING??? EVs and IVs are what help make Pokemon individual and allow for more diversity (That's what keeps it apart from games like Foto Showdown, where everything of the same species are all carbon copies). And where would Pokemon be without breeding? Value of Pokemon? What is he talking about? I could go out and catch a Bidoof, would he complain about their infinite spawns degrade their value? Most people want a thicker plot, not a thinner one! And seriously, Co-op? The damn games aren't even that hard? I can see how a reward would be reasonable for catching them all (ie: a shiny starter or something), but not some BIG, HUGE, flawless Arceus or something. And why would you sit around as a gym leader? The games a frickin' RPG!!! Has this guy ever picked up this game in his life?! Either that or he really sucks at Pokemon. I read the article: it's pretty convincing. But as you read it, keep in mind: This is Pokemon, and he's proposing that they take away the key elements that make it different from stuff like Foto Showdown, (ie: EVs, breeding, etc.) abd replace it with stereotypical RPG stuff (Like a shallow plot you almost never hear about, except when you do something important by accident).
 
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meismadatyou

Johto League Master
Ya know, I don't exactly disagree with some of his ideas, but others are just plain dumb.(Somehow tieing in Animal Crossing? What the heck?)
-Minor customization options to the main character are almost a MUST now.
-The whole thing about having your own gym is pretty interesting to me, but not sitting there waiting for trainers. I'm talking about, after you defeat the champion, let us have maybe a gym that you customize, and give rewards on how many Wins/Losses our trainers get in the gym. (PKMN Trainer ___ defeated __ trainers today in ___ gym. Your prize is a ___)
-Minor Rewards for filling up the Pokedex gives players all the more reason to actually fill up the Pokedex. Maybe split the Pokedex into the 5 generations. (You complete the Kanto Pokedex, you get the opportunity to go fight/capture Mew, and so on.)

I dunno, some of his ideas were terrible, but i liked a few of them.
 

TheNorthWind

Master of Puppets
SO, basically, he's saying Pokemon will only be good if you take out every competitive aspect of the game. I hate people who do that. If you don't want to play competitively, then don't! I'm sure there's enough of a casual fan base to suit your needs.
 

Ansem1013

4768-7457-8661
I do miss having a Secret Base.... (which in 3rd gen, was sorta like a gym).

I LOVE the idea of customizable avatars!

Most of the other stuff they mentioned was garbage though, a lot of it has already been done in some way too...
 
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cantab

Well-Known Member
Don't remove EVs or Natures. They're crucial on two accounts. Firstly, they let knowledgeable trainers get the best out of their Pokemon, and make "training" something that means more than just KOing as much as possible. Secondly, they radically increase the diversity of ways a given Pokemon can be used. Without them, all examples of the same species are the same statistically, reducing the strategic considerations, and Pokemon is a game of pure strategy, it doesn't rely on physical skill with the controls like most other video games do.

IVs shouldn't be gotten rid of, but the breeding mechanics could do with revamping to make it rather easier to get good IVs, with knowledge not repetitive grinding what's needed.

Removing breeding would be a backwards step. Breeding adds to the value of trading, since traders can breed up Pokemon with desirable moves and choice IVs.

Customisability would be neat. Of course, we've HAD some such features, like RSE's Secret Bases, and the DPPt Underground. You're own Gym would actually be a cool multiplayer feature. Even better if it supported getting random gym designs by WiFi, but I suspect the certainty of people using the walls to spell swearwords would nix that idea.

I don't think the author really wants less story - that would be a backwards step and make the games boring. Rather, what he's objecting to is legendary-centric storylines, and that I can sympathise with. I don't think anyone would object to the next evil team doing their work with NORMAL Pokemon like Team Rocket did, rather than chasing after the cover mascots.

Co-op's been done in Black and White! Maybe he really hasn't played the games.

A legendary as a reward for dex completion would certainly work. We've already had Pokemon that require certain version-exclusives, like Landorus and HGSS Rayquaza, someone for the complete Pokedex would be a natural extension.
 

randomspot555

Well-Known Member
-Minor customization options to the main character are almost a MUST now.

The only customization I care about is the customization of the team. You still get to decide that, ultimately. Considering that Pokemon has never been a graphics powerhouse, I could care less about sprite quality, etc...

In a Stadium type game, sure. In the main game? Meh.

-The whole thing about having your own gym is pretty interesting to me, but not sitting there waiting for trainers. I'm talking about, after you defeat the champion, let us have maybe a gym that you customize, and give rewards on how many Wins/Losses our trainers get in the gym. (PKMN Trainer ___ defeated __ trainers today in ___ gym. Your prize is a ___)

IMO, you kind of already do this. Just use your imagination, go to the Battle Tower/Frontier, and imagine those NPCs stepping to you as your challengers.

I know, but hey, half of Pokemon and goals and stuff is using your own imagination. I had a goal to collect all the Unown forms. I don't get a badge or whatever for it, but it was my goal and it was fun.

And as someone who TWICE completed the dex in Gen 4, it is so much work that it really isn't worth it. And then any "Reward" people would complain about because they're missing out on Dex Entry X or whatever and blah blah blah.

I mean at least you were a bit reasonable, and have clearly played Pokemon before. I'm not sure this guy has!
 

Gnifle

New Member
Actually, I'd like the plots to be even longer/better... I loved the DPPt plot (just restarted - again)... You'd never be able to fulfill his ambitions - never! It would almost be as bad as saying that they should remove secondary types (where would the fun be then)...

However, a customizable avatar sounds brill... :3
 

Jinvaani

Well-Known Member
I agree with all of his suggestions other than the 'day care' one, which im 50-50 on. Won't happen but it's nice to imagine.
 
The only thing I agree with is character customization. Everything thing else is retarded.
I also would like a running record of my Pokemon battles: wins and losses.
 

Gnifle

New Member
All these suggestions might be good - but it should be in a way other game than Pokémon... I don't see why one would ruin this big Pokemon universe and "restart" making these games
 

Gelatino95

Not a tool
I would write out a drawn-out, detailed response to each point, but I really don't have the time nor motivation and I honestly have better things to do with my time. I'll just leave it at this.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
 

Moneyy

INACTIVE
And then they want some super awesome reward for "Catching them all"

This isn't a bad idea. The reward shouldn't be "super awesome," but there should be some kind of reward for catching every Pokemon in the game.

This sounds horrible, right?

For the most part, yes.

Do you think this guy has ever played a Pokemon game, ever?

Probably not, or he is just an idiot.
 

rosierjay

Lillipup Trainer
sounds to me that they just want to create a whole new game, if that's the case i say go for it. it would be cool to change the sprite, but i don't think it's necessary. and having legendaries and other non-breedable pokemon enough? i like the ability to breed and see if i can get a better stat one than the one i had before etc. oh well
 

Cometstarlight

What do I do now?
Kotaku posted an article titled "10 ways to Make Pokemon Super awesome" or something like that.

In it, they suggest adding a Gym Leader element where you become a Gym Leader and...sit there and wait for challengers, and sometimes fight people? I don't know.

They also propose getting rid of EVs and IVs altogether. I guess there's too much variety in Pokemon for Kotaku, and they want every Pokemon of the same species to have the exact same stats....

Wait, this sounds pretty horrible.

It gets worse.

The writer of the article goes on to advocate for removing breeding, complaining about "scarcity" or some such and that throwing off the "trade community" rarity and "value" of Pokemon.

And then they go on to say "too much story" , even though Pokemon (and a LOT of video games) have fairly paper thin plots as it is...

Oh, and the writer wants a co-op...because Pokemon is really, really hard, guys.

what?

And then they want some super awesome reward for "Catching them all", even though that's never been a main goal of an actual Pokemon game since the beginning of time.

The only non-horrible suggestion is a customasizeable trainer sprite. But considering how small your trainer sprite is for most of the game, it'd barely be noticeable.

So discuss the following:

  1. This sounds horrible, right?
  2. Do you think this guy has ever played a Pokemon game, ever?
  3. Really, has he ever actually played a Pokemon game?

Wow, seriously, just...wow. This guy has probably never played a pokemon game in his entire life. Either that or sucked so bad he couldn't even get to the point in the game where you get a pokemon.

I do agree with customizable characters, if only a little. I don't want my character looking like a tramp with booty shorts if you truely want my opinion.

Less plot....wow. The plot has been almost the same throughout all the games, exception of colosseum and XD. The plot is about as thick a couple of sheets of paper, not to be rude, I love pokemon. I wish there was more plot if anything.

Now don't get me wrong, IV and EV stuff can be irritating sometimes, but they add the competitiveness.

This guy who wrote the article needs to go play a pokemon game....and not go freak out in a corner when the screen that says, Welcome to the World of Pokemon! shows up.
 

Yata

The Prophet
Wow. That just seems really ignorant. How complex pokémon is, erl that's a huge part of why I like it. You have to think about every little thing in battle, making it simpler would eliminate all of the strategy.
 

Jazz14456_Plebeian

Expect Epic: CB
1. Okay, not a bad idea. Its been well speculated though, not anything original.
2. WHAT? Thats a reason why pokemon is so thrivenent. (Making up words is fun!). And a great thing about pokemon is that you can play it as fully as you want, and make your own goals. Also, the "casual" player isn't someone who would care about competitive battling, let alone know about it.
3. Why is a fully-3D model considered a good thing? Just because your not using that art style doesn't mean that the graphics become stickmen and notebook doodles. Honestly, whats wrong with the new pokemon? You didn't even support why adding new pokemon is a bad idea.
4. In the trading community, which he is ignorantly referring to only the vanilla section, pokemon's values are not diminished by trading. They are just as valuable, just not as difficult to acquire.
5. No. For one, what would you do? You get to sit in a room while battle after battle comes? That sounds reaaaallll exciting. And why would you customize your house? Pokemon is about adventure; you don't spend a significant time in the starting town for a reason.
6. The entire storyline of a pokemon game could be recorded on a few sheets of paper. And you want less? A cool thing about BW is that it had more storyline, and a more interesting one too.
7. Ever heard of ball capsules? .....
8. This would be pretty cool, but it COULD NOT be required to complete the game, and it would be boring to play a level more then once. Why would you use preset pokemon?
9. No..... See 2.
10. This would make the two games less different, which isn't a good thing. And for the first bit, see #6.



Have you ever even played a pokemon game at all?
 

Erymry

Only Slightly Normal
I agree that trainer customisation would be nice, but it's not needed desperately. A real reward for completing the Pokedex would be nice too (but even then, I probably wouldn't bother). Everything else they suggested are horrible, horrible ideas that are truly horrible.

I was never really motivated to finish LeafGreen (never played the originals) because of the lack of story. Compare that too Platinum, Black and Emerald, which I restart and replay regularly. Sure, they don't have really deep stories, but at least there's something. I also dislike having Legendaries just sitting there with no backstory or point to them. I love how recent legends all have their own little backstory; it makes the world feel much more real.

As for removing competitive aspects, yeah, right. Imagine the backlash if Nintendo even tried that. XD Though I don't bother with getting good IVs, I always try for ok natures and EV train. It's not even as hard as the author and many of the comments on the article says. It gets dull if all you're doing is playing Pokemon, sure, but I always EV train while doing something else. Getting rid of these aspects would almost ruin the strategy or the game.

randomspot555 said:
I know, but hey, half of Pokemon and goals and stuff is using your own imagination. I had a goal to collect all the Unown forms. I don't get a badge or whatever for it, but it was my goal and it was fun.

Glad to know I'm not the only person that does that. XD
 
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SilentOmen

Shadow of Prophecy
Just my thoughts and opinions on the points made.

1. "Customization" with a sprite has already grown to some degree. You can presently select how others view you. Also, the purpose of predesigned sprites is so that the Anime group have some level of a connection with the game and anime. It's why Ash's outfit always reflects the male hero in the pokemon generation shifts. Customization is upgrading, but I think it will appear more and more on multiplayer levels.

2. EV's and IVs aren't entirely bad, but I understand to a level. It is more tedious to work up than it really needed to be and does make the transition from casual to competetive more intimidating. I don't think it should be outright discarded, but it could go through a SLIGHTLY more friendly remake to encourage people to work more into it.

3. Sometimes I feel the same way. There are so many. However, the fact there is USUALLY a means to pass over from one Generation to another (Pal Park) makes the additions a little easier to digest.

4. Breeding doesn't discourage trading value at all. In fact, the recent upgrades have encourage international trading. The ratio of getting a shiny is increased when you breed internationally acquired pokemon.

5. This could be an interesting idea if you want to do this. However, I thought one of the arguments is to cut the story, not make it more diverse and complicated?

6. I think people forget to realize you have the choice not to read the text and there is a fancy option to make text pass by fast so you can speed through quicker. Should some of the NPCs talk less... sure but where's the fun in that?

7. Obviously someone hasn't notice Gen IV introducing ball capsules. This may be something coming up. Customizing pokeballs could be cool.

8. I believe there is a co-op option in the Battle Subway at present. I may be wrong (I spam singles for battle points). At any rate, competetive play and trading are means to co-operate.

9. I kind of agree here. It would be nice to have some little reward for it. Something like an exclusive TM or hold item. Something small to consider I suppose. But then, Gen V has already opened a final battle against Masuda (?) for your hard work. It looks like they are already considering these options.

10. Rival development / multiple rivals in the game play would be pretty cool. But again, what happened to less dynamic storyline?
 
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