Pokemon Sword & Shield GENERAL DISCUSSION Thread [Spoilers]

[Mr.Munchlax]

Even if the game does auto-save, I saw there’s still the option to manually save since there is a save option on the main menu. W can’t remember if the menu’s shown in the trailer or the direct, but if you watch Gamexplain’s video you can see it at 4:22

 

[Marzbar]

Surf would be great for Cramorant to take advantage of its ability if its stats end up leaning towards a special attacker. Sadly the same cannot be said if it ends up being a physical attacker with Waterfall and Liquidation being a thing, two-turn attacks don’t see much use in competitive bar used as a base for Z-Moves.

You just wait, I’m betting Gamefreak makes Surf and Cramorant’s ability a great competitive strategy, and then they give Cramorant base 70 special attack. It’s classic Trollfreak. Just look at poor Delcatty and it’s trademark ability.

 

[Creyk]

You just wait, I’m betting Gamefreak makes Surf and Cramorant’s ability a great competitive strategy, and then they give Cramorant base 70 special attack. It’s classic Trollfreak. Just look at poor Delcatty and it’s trademark ability.

In this case choice specs could salvage it since the ability only works if it uses those 2 attacks so you want to be spamming one of them.
Which makes it predictable but it is what it is.

 

[Marzbar]

So I was thinking (always a worry). I think it’s widely accepted that USUM were superior games to SuMo and that most people thought USUM was what SuMo should have been in the first place. And that’s not a new pattern (Black/White & Black2/White2 is another example).

So for people that have financial concerns and can’t afford SwSh, or don’t think it’s worth spending the $60 on, perhaps it would be worth your while to wait until the sequel games in 2020? You can use the time to save money for it, and you can devote time to other franchises as well. Most likely the sequel game(s) is going to be superior and probably will fix the Dexit issue as well. Don’t know why they always have to postpone move tutors until the sequel games... but again we can expect that.

 

[mysticalglacia]

So I was thinking (always a worry). I think it’s widely accepted that USUM were superior games to SuMo and that most people thought USUM was what SuMo should have been in the first place. And that’s not a new pattern (Black/White & Black2/White2 is another example).

So for people that have financial concerns and can’t afford SwSh, or don’t think it’s worth spending the $60 on, perhaps it would be worth your while to wait until the sequel games in 2020? You can use the time to save money for it, and you can devote time to other franchises as well. Most likely the sequel game(s) is going to be superior and probably will fix the Dexit issue as well. Don’t know why they always have to postpone move tutors until the sequel games... but again we can expect that.

I’m not sure about that. USUM included more fancy features, but a lot of people hated the story changes and how it was basically the same game with a couple of new things (Yellow, Crystal, Emerald, and Platinum also deserve that criticism, but don’t get it). I’ve seen a lot of people prefer SM for those reasons alone- I’m one of them- even though USUM technically is the better package in terms of content. BW and BW2 are very different games and aren’t just a tweaked version on a new cartridge- which one you prefer is based on whether you value story/characters and a fresh start over old features and more content. It’s not a given if SwSh will even get a sequel/third version, as they’ve been wildly inconsistent with followup games. If you’re really on the fence about it, I’d suggest just waiting to see if they get released in the future, but keep in mind that more content piled onto a game doesn’t automatically make it better. It’ll make the experience more worthwhile, but there are other factors that make a Pokémon game good.

 

[Marzbar]

I’m not sure about that. USUM included more fancy features, but a lot of people hated the story changes and how it was basically the same game with a couple of new things (Yellow, Crystal, Emerald, and Platinum also deserve that criticism, but don’t get it). I’ve seen a lot of people prefer SM for those reasons alone- I’m one of them- even though USUM technically is the better package in terms of content. BW and BW2 are very different games and aren’t just a tweaked version on a new cartridge- which one you prefer is based on whether you value story/characters and a fresh start over old features and more content. It’s not a given if SwSh will even get a sequel/third version, as they’ve been wildly inconsistent with followup games. If you’re really on the fence about it, I’d suggest just waiting to see if they get released in the future, but keep in mind that more content piled onto a game doesn’t automatically make it better. It’ll make the experience more worthwhile, but there are other factors that make a Pokémon game good.

The criticisms about the sequel games having the same storyline but with minor tweaks and that being a letdown don’t make much sense at all. If you haven’t purchased SwSh and wait for the sequel, the story for you wouldn’t be a letdown because it would be completely knew to you and there would be nothing to compare it to.

 

[RileyXY1]

A screenshot released today confirms that, for the first time in the franchise's history, there will be autosaving.

 

[Dragalge]

A screenshot released today confirms that, for the first time in the franchise's history, there will be autosaving.

That was talked about in the last page!

 

[Sceptile Leaf Blade]

So I was thinking (always a worry). I think it’s widely accepted that USUM were superior games to SuMo and that most people thought USUM was what SuMo should have been in the first place. And that’s not a new pattern (Black/White & Black2/White2 is another example).

So for people that have financial concerns and can’t afford SwSh, or don’t think it’s worth spending the $60 on, perhaps it would be worth your while to wait until the sequel games in 2020? You can use the time to save money for it, and you can devote time to other franchises as well. Most likely the sequel game(s) is going to be superior and probably will fix the Dexit issue as well. Don’t know why they always have to postpone move tutors until the sequel games... but again we can expect that.

It's what I'm doing, although I'm not remotely convinced the sequel games will fix Dexit. Best case scenario I think is that they'd be like USUM and have a larger regional dex.

 

[SurrealistSmeargle]

A thought regarding the AutoSave feature. It could be that it's not active all the time. We've learnt that Surprise Trade is set-up such that it looks for a trade partner for you in the background, while you're going about the rest of your adventure. Given that the game can't have you making a trade without saving after, as that would duplicate/destroy one of each of the pokemon respectively, it could be that the auto-save is only active when a feature like that is in use, and it has autosaved in the screenshot in order to save the fact that the Surprise Trade has been completed.

 

[Bolt the Cat]

XY didn't even get a followup game of any kind, so we can't even be sure that SwSh isn't all we get for Galar. If you're really concerned about a potential followup being better, I would wait until 9th gen and see what we get and then decide whether or not you want SwSh or its followup. Of course there's still a possibility they could release another Galar game in 9th gen, but it's unlikely to happen because they'll probably want to focus on the 9th gen region or a potential remake/Let's Go game over Galar.

It's what I'm doing, although I'm not remotely convinced the sequel games will fix Dexit. Best case scenario I think is that they'd be like USUM and have a larger regional dex.

Every followup since 4th gen has had a dex expansion, so this is pretty much expected at this point. But yeah, they seem to have no intention on fixing Dexit at this point, so it'll probably continue until at least 9th gen (if they even do fix it, they seem to view it as an inevitability that will continue until the end of the series).

 

[Sceptile Leaf Blade]

Seeing as how they're seemingly under time pressure to release yearly nowadays forcing them into Dexit I'd consider more Galar games this gen quite likely, it's a lot less work to release the same game again and just having to make some expansions as compared to building something like the entirety of Sinnoh from the ground up in 3D.

 

[JohnLynch]

Ultra Shield would be the worst screw you move GFcould do to its fans. Because you know it would have an expanded Dex, which means your effectively paying $60 for an expanded (but still incomplete) Dex.

I expect Ultra Shield will get announced next year. Because it’s GF.

 

[mysticalglacia]

The criticisms about the sequel games having the same storyline but with minor tweaks and that being a letdown don’t make much sense at all. If you haven’t purchased SwSh and wait for the sequel, the story for you wouldn’t be a letdown because it would be completely knew to you and there would be nothing to compare it to.

Releasing third versions with the exact same storyline and only little bits and pieces changed is a big letdown, in my opinion. GF has the resources to make the initial games the best they can be, and they instead choose to withhold that potential and then include it in what is essentially a cash grab remaster. All of those bonus features and new stuff advertised in third versions could easily be included in the initial games, yet they aren’t. Sure, people only playing the third versions will find the story new and fresh, but everyone else that’s already played the previous games have nothing substantial to look forward to. That’s a different breed of remaster than, say, Persona 5 Royal, which is looking to be almost a completely new game with only some of the plotlines and the general outline of P5 intact. Sequels are an infinitely better option than third versions, because you get both brand new features and content as well as a new storyline with an updated world to explore. It’s a shame it’s only been done once, as games like XY and SM would’ve been benefited so greatly by them.

 

[SurrealistSmeargle]

In the trailer it shows another window opening up, with the trade taking place though. I do not see the auto save at the top. (But that banner thing is there should be able to see it by the wavy part.)

But none of those screenshots show the trade as complete yet, and the game always saves prior to the trade occuring (or in the case of GTS-like trades, which Surprise Trade seems most like, when you 'upload' the pokemon), and immediately after the trade animation finishes. So I don't think we can rule out it being tied to trades.

 

[Dragalge]

Releasing third versions with the exact same storyline and only little bits and pieces changed is a big letdown, in my opinion. GF has the resources to make the initial games the best they can be, and they instead choose to withhold that potential and then include it in what is essentially a cash grab remaster. All of those bonus features and new stuff advertised in third versions could easily be included in the initial games, yet they aren’t. Sure, people only playing the third versions will find the story new and fresh, but everyone else that’s already played the previous games have nothing substantial to look forward to. That’s a different breed of remaster than, say, Persona 5 Royal, which is looking to be almost a completely new game with only some of the plotlines and the general outline of P5 intact. Sequels are an infinitely better option than third versions, because you get both brand new features and content as well as a new storyline with an updated world to explore. It’s a shame it’s only been done once, as games like XY and SM would’ve been benefited so greatly by them.

Perhaps not sequels but with the whole Ultra Wormhole stuff they pushed, I think an alternate universe with mostly different characters would have been neat to see. Regardless, USUM introduced Buznut-I mean Blacephalon and that was good enough for me!

Actually with them including new Pokemon in a third version, that did potentially open the doors to get the Original Dragon in a potential BW remake. So it’s actually not too bad!

 

[WhiteBlair]

Bah, I see that this has no preview and is not being released until Dec 20th.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/160438205...90bbc2c9ddc0d926#immersive-view_1567955373115

Perfect information, as the site states it has 448 pages. In USUM version, it was 720.

USUM also listed all variations and ME versions of Pokémon too, so they managed to fit all 807(-then) Pokémon into 720 pages. And, if Gigantamax forms are taken into consideration, we may have around 550 available Pokémon in Galar, which is what I originally thought.

That means either Galar indeed has a very short amount of regional Pokémon, or almost 50% of Dex is wiped off.

 

[Marzbar]

The autosave feature, if it indeed works like what people have implied, will completely ruin Masuda Method breeding and the associated magikarp trick. I use that technique to breed my shiny Pokémon

People also mentioned soft resetting issues for legendary battles, event Pokémon, mystery gift etc, but at least you can hard save directly before those. Maybe the autosave feature only works when entering a new location or something. But I have dire fears for Pokémon breeders like myself out there

Not that this would surprise me because apparently GF hates people breeding perfect Pokémon (they’ve been quoted on this). Which is ridiculous because they gave us the mechanics and the tools in the first place. If you don’t want such devotion to perfect competitive Pokémon, GF, then get rid of natures and IV’s and EV’s altogether. Would make it much simpler for everyone.

 

[SurrealistSmeargle]

The autosave feature, if it indeed works like what people have implied, will completely ruin Masuda Method breeding and the associated magikarp trick. I use that technique to breed my shiny Pokémon

People also mentioned soft resetting issues for legendary battles, event Pokémon, mystery gift etc, but at least you can hard save directly before those. Maybe the autosave feature only works when entering a new location or something. But I have dire fears for Pokémon breeders like myself out there

Not that this would surprise me because apparently GF hates people breeding perfect Pokémon (they’ve been quoted on this). Which is ridiculous because they gave us the mechanics and the tools in the first place. If you don’t want such devotion to perfect competitive Pokémon, GF, then get rid of natures and IV’s and EV’s altogether. Would make it much simpler for everyone.

I think it's less that they hate people doing it, and moreso that they don't want people to have to do it as part of playing the core game. They don't want people to have to be chucking out boxes and boxes of eggs for an in-game team to use in a battle facility, for instance, but obviously they expect and appreciate that they've set things up for it to be necessary to do that for things like competitive tournaments. But even then, this is why they've added in things like the bottle caps and the Ability Capsule, so there's less of an onus on having to breed perfection, as you can correct it later on. We'd just need something similar for access to egg moves, and hidden abilities, if they truly do want to move away from having to breed a competitive team from scratch.

Also, even if it is always active and poorly timed, which doesn't seem particularly likely to me, it wouldn't ruin the Masuda Method, it just means you have to release all the eggs you hatch rather than just soft-resetting after you get through a batch and there's no shiny. The Magikarp trick was almost certainly not going to stay in place once they developed a new game anyway, just as other breeding patterns and exploits have changed between Gens. It may make breeding mildly more inconvenient, but in no way ruin it.

 

[WishIhadaManafi5]

Eh. I'm no fan of them chucking it. I don't breed competitively, but I do breed for shinies.