~ Official Pokémon News Discussion Thread ~ [POST POKEMON NEWS HERE]

[Bguy7]

They don't have to. They could still make it fairly story heavy, you just wouldn't have a lot of elements that would be sequential. For instance, you could still have evil team events in a certain area, it just wouldn't matter whether or not you do that first or last.

And there's one of my issues with Breath of the Wild. It has story, sure, but that story has no sequence of events, which ruins the impact of the story. If you can't build upon previous story elements, suddenly your options for the story grow a whole lot less appealing. For example, one of the major changes made in Sun and Moon to have a better story was to give a character, Lillie, actual major character development. That really can't happen if you can meet said character in any of ten different places in any order you want.

As I said, GameFreak does these things to ensure every child in the family has their own cartridge, upping the sales.

You said that they stopped people from using an exploit. As a video game company, it is their prerogative to fix exploits.

 

[Sceptile Leaf Blade]

It's a bit naïve to suggest an open world has to contradict sequential story elements. You can have characters spawn in locations already accessible previously with story progression. Heck, pokémon has done that in the past, like Team Rocket only appears in Goldenrod City after the player obtains seven badges in the Johto games.

 

[Bguy7]

It's a bit naïve to suggest an open world has to contradict sequential story elements. You can have characters spawn in locations already accessible previously with story progression. Heck, pokémon has done that in the past, like Team Rocket only appears in Goldenrod City after the player obtains seven badges in the Johto games.

Maybe I am naive. My only experience with the open-world genre is Breath of the Wild, and it tells all of its story with either out of sequence flashbacks or four small sections of story which can be done in any order, and are therefore unconnected to each other.

But let's say they do something like what you suggest. They have make story elements appear sequentially, but allow the player to go anywhere they want in any order. The player could travel the world in the exact opposite way of what the story suggests, and not do the first major story event until they've already traveled the world, forcing them to travel through the world a second time, this time to do the story events. This would just be bad game design.

I'm not a game designed though, so once again, I very well could be naive. That's just the way I see thing now, and would much rather have a pseudo-open Pokémon game instead of a full one.

 

[Excitable Boy]

But let's say they do something like what you suggest. They have make story elements appear sequentially, but allow the player to go anywhere they want in any order. The player could travel the world in the exact opposite way of what the story suggests, and not do the first major story event until they've already traveled the world, forcing them to travel through the world a second time, this time to do the story events. This would just be bad game design.

it would be, but you're also assuming that the game would force someone to do the story events

which it presumably wouldn't, because open-world

 

[EverChanger]

But let's say they do something like what you suggest. They have make story elements appear sequentially, but allow the player to go anywhere they want in any order. The player could travel the world in the exact opposite way of what the story suggests, and not do the first major story event until they've already traveled the world, forcing them to travel through the world a second time, this time to do the story events. This would just be bad game design.

This is actually exactly how Xenoblade Chronicles X structures its narrative progression. The game has around 12 story chapters and five interconnected "continents" in the world. The game introduces fast-travel almost immediately, which is something Pokémon could very easily do. The story chapters must be completed sequentially. For the first three chapters, the player is restricted to one continent, but is then freed to explore any bit of the world they choose (well, about 90% of it; new means of navigation are introduced around chapters 6 and 9). The story events occur at specific locations within the game world, but fast travel makes it very easy to just start and finish a given story event when the player wishes to do so.

 

[Bguy7]

it would be, but you're also assuming that the game would force someone to do the story events

which it presumably wouldn't, because open-world

Open world or not, story is still an integral part of the game.

This is actually exactly how Xenoblade Chronicles X structures its narrative progression. The game has around 12 story chapters and five interconnected "continents" in the world. The game introduces fast-travel almost immediately, which is something Pokémon could very easily do. The story chapters must be completed sequentially. For the first three chapters, the player is restricted to one continent, but is then freed to explore any bit of the world they choose (well, about 90% of it; new means of navigation are introduced around chapters 6 and 9). The story events occur at specific locations within the game world, but fast travel makes it very easy to just start and finish a given story event when the player wishes to do so.

I suppose that wouldn't be too bad, depending on how they handled it.

 

[Excitable Boy]

Open world or not, story is still an integral part of the game.

it could be, possibly

you're talking about a hypothetical game that doesn't actually exist.

 

[Team Volt Grunt]

They could make it more like Skyrim. Skyrim has a specific story line within it's main quests that must be completed in a specific order, but it has so many side quests that can be done in any order or at any point during or after the main quests. It doesn't matter how long it takes you to complete the main quests or how much you do in between them. You aren't ever really locked out of specific areas just because you haven't made it far enough in the story and there's so much to do and see that you're never bored, even when returning to the same places multiple times.

The problem is, I don't see Gamefreak ever putting that much effort into side quests and minor story lines, as well as such a large map. They are too afraid gamers won't feel inclined to finish and just go back to their phone games. I wouldn't be surprised if they start lessening the linearity of the games in the future, but we won't likely see anything near open world until new blood takes over gamefreak.

 

[Kein]

There is an interesting podcast with the guys who interviewed Masuda and Ohmori, which adds a lot more context. Main things to note:

1. They think that open world, in the sense that open world as gamers usually take it to mean, is unlikely. A currently unreleased part of the interview has Masuda say that BoTW is not a model they're aspiring to.

2. Even with all the talk about development of generations, the interviewers think that Kanto remakes/sequels are very likely for the Switch's debut. Masuda gave them shifty eyes when they asked about the Lillie foreshadowing at the end of SM.

3. The game seems to be in pre-production still, so the interviewers aren't optimistic about a 2018 release date.

 

[Satoshi & Touko]

If Kanto remakes or sequels is what the debut thing for the Switch are, then I might be waiting even longer to get a Switch. XD

 

[Kein]

They wouldn't be remakes, seeing as that would disregard SM aging Red and Blue, and sending Lillie to Kanto. Sequels could be very different than the original games and tailored for the Switch.

 

[Darthlord7]

Actually, I would play through Kanto again only with Lillie being the protagonist there and because I don't see GF ever doing that I would have to postpone bying a Switch any time soon if it was another Kanto remake with Red and Blue.

 

[Pokegirl Fan~]

Actually, I would play through Kanto again only with Lillie being the protagonist there and because I don't see GF ever doing that I would have to postpone bying a Switch any time soon if it was another Kanto remake with Red and Blue.

Same here; I don't want another remake of the most generic game plot. Give me Lillie, not boring old Red

 

[Akkipeddi]

Well technically a Lillie in Kanto game would be like a sequel to GSC, except set way further into the future. It can't be a sequel to RBY, since GSC was actually the direct sequel to RBY. But either way, I can't see Lillie actually being a playable character since we can't name her, and there has to be an equally important male protagonist. So I think if we get a game with Lillie in Kanto, she'll probably be an important NPC, like a champion or someone who helps you along the way.

 

[Thure]

Please... can't they give Kanto a rest? x.x

 

[Team Volt Grunt]

I think a game set in Kanto (including Johto and the Sevii Islands), taking place after the events of Sun and Moon, could be a very good game. I don't see that being the first game on the Switch, though. I see that being a plan for the 25th anniversary. I think it more likely our first Switch game will be set in a new location with new characters.

 

[Auraninja]

So guys...

Who's your favorite hiker?

 

[Bguy7]

So guys...

Who's your favorite hiker?

Do you know what the context and/or purpose of this is?

Random ramblings: that photo with all seven at the end really emphasizes how different the Alola Hiker is from all the others. The first six generations has them practically being the same person, just with graphical and detail touch-ups, but the seventh is an entirely different person. Very random and strange.

 

[Auraninja]

Do you know what the context and/or purpose of this is?

Random ramblings: that photo with all seven at the end really emphasizes how different the Alola Hiker is from all the others. The first six generations has them practically being the same person, just with graphical and detail touch-ups, but the seventh is an entirely different person. Very random and strange.

If the twitter translator didn't fail me, then I think you are supposed to vote for your favorite one.

It's not especially noteworthy, but it is interesting to see the different hikers.

I think my favorite is the 4th gen. The 6th gen looks like a creepy stalker with those eyes, lol!

 

[Bguy7]

If the twitter translator didn't fail me, then I think you are supposed to vote for your favorite one.

It's not especially noteworthy, but it is interesting to see the different hikers.

I think my favorite is the 4th gen. The 6th gen looks like a creepy stalker with those eyes, lol!

Very strange. Wonder what brought that on. Well, design-wise, I like the Gen IV one, but I don't think you can beat the Gen VII one, just due to the absurdity that was Kiawe's trial.