Pokemon Sword & Shield GENERAL DISCUSSION Thread [Spoilers]

[Bolt the Cat]

Mobile games are considered cash grabs because they're intentionally designed to be shallow experiences that encourage players to repeatedly spend money on microtransactions. While you can technically play the game for free, they intentionally make the game tedious and grindy if you play for free to get you to buy the microtransactions. And they also don't technically have to design games this way, but this is the type of game they have to design to get the average mobile player to spend money on it. Mobile gamers tend to be less interested in gaming and see it as a part of a general entertainment package along with music, movies, internet, social media, apps, etc. for them to pass the time while they're out and about. And because they're not super interested in any of this, they don't really want to pay for it. So basically the mobile market is full of tons of casuals that want games to be free, and game developers see this as an opportunity to provide bare minimum effort and manipulate players into paying more than they probably would've intended to. It's just not a business model designed with fair value in mind, it's blatantly designed to be a cynical, money sucking system. I can't exactly fault Game Freak for being pessimistic about the Switch's success at the time, Nintendo's prospects were looking pretty grim until the Switch turned things around, but mobile games aren't the reason for that, their consoles have been failing because they've been unable to provide similar experiences to Microsoft and Sony. So yeah, Game Freak is definitely living in a bubble. They seem to have little idea of why people like console games and what people want out of them, they're just looking at the handheld side of things that they're used to instead of looking at both markets which is what the Switch is meant to appeal to.

 

[PreschoolerFromNowhere]

Well, i personally didn't hate a mobile games and i don't hate gacha game too

Pokemon Masters look fun to play and since it come out before Sword and Shield, it will surely something i can do while waiting for another game and maybe i can play them together too! my phone ran out battery? Sword and Shield time! Switch ran out battery? Pokemon Masters time! something like that! since it have different system, it could be a different feel to play and i'll sure try to enjoy both old and new things.

Also not sure why some people fight each other while the one side on Sword and Shield and another side on Masters, i mean you're Pokemon fans are you? try to get along, okay? i remember the same happens for Sun and Moon players vs Go players.

I mean if any of those games can keep the popularity of the franchise around, any of those games are always, even some players who want to play Masters might not play main game before and maybe didn't plan to play, that's okay, you still one of Pokemon fans, no matter which game you enjoy.

But speaking out Masters, they said player will pair with other characters but didn't say if this game is a gacha or not, i don't think it will not have a gacha in the game since it's the best way to earn money from mobile game, even a game that you would never might never expected to have one like Doctor Mario World have a gacha for characters too so i expected one in this game too... oh no, my money... if i have to roll over and over for Red SSR, what could happens to all money in my bank... just kidding! since the game come out in Summer 2019, it surely have more information soon!

I have an idea which they maybe do, Masters probably have some collaboration when Sword and Shield come out later, like adding Sword-kun and Shield-chan in? i didn't expected to see all Galar characters in the game so soon but they will surely come in to the game one day and i'm sure of it(and maybe they will put Ash in there at some point!)

Be sure to enjoy any games as you can, as long it's a Pokemon, i'm sure you'll be fine.

 

[Orphalesion]

Words

Sorry, but what is "a gatcha" supposed to be?

 

[Dragalge]

Sorry, but what is "a gatcha" supposed to be?

You know them little machines where you insert a quarter and get a random prize thingy in return? That’s gacha!

 

[Deleted member 384931]

Well, i personally didn't hate a mobile games and i don't hate gacha game too

Pokemon Masters look fun to play and since it come out before Sword and Shield, it will surely something i can do while waiting for another game and maybe i can play them together too! my phone ran out battery? Sword and Shield time! Switch ran out battery? Pokemon Masters time! something like that! since it have different system, it could be a different feel to play and i'll sure try to enjoy both old and new things.

Also not sure why some people fight each other while the one side on Sword and Shield and another side on Masters, i mean you're Pokemon fans are you? try to get along, okay? i remember the same happens for Sun and Moon players vs Go players.

I mean if any of those games can keep the popularity of the franchise around, any of those games are always, even some players who want to play Masters might not play main game before and maybe didn't plan to play, that's okay, you still one of Pokemon fans, no matter which game you enjoy.

But speaking out Masters, they said player will pair with other characters but didn't say if this game is a gacha or not, i don't think it will not have a gacha in the game since it's the best way to earn money from mobile game, even a game that you would never might never expected to have one like Doctor Mario World have a gacha for characters too so i expected one in this game too... oh no, my money... if i have to roll over and over for Red SSR, what could happens to all money in my bank... just kidding! since the game come out in Summer 2019, it surely have more information soon!

I have an idea which they maybe do, Masters probably have some collaboration when Sword and Shield come out later, like adding Sword-kun and Shield-chan in? i didn't expected to see all Galar characters in the game so soon but they will surely come in to the game one day and i'm sure of it(and maybe they will put Ash in there at some point!)

Be sure to enjoy any games as you can, as long it's a Pokemon, i'm sure you'll be fine.

Was Serena in that trailer?

 

[Orphalesion]

You know them little machines where you insert a quarter and get a random prize thingy in return? That’s gacha!

I don't claim to fully understand what the user I quoted is trying to say, but they seem to be using "gacha game" in relation to mobile games and specifically Pokemon masters. So gacha seems to have some additional meaning in whatever language they speak.

 

[PreschoolerFromNowhere]

I don't claim to fully understand what the user I quoted is trying to say, but they seem to be using "gacha game" in relation to mobile games and specifically Pokemon masters. So gacha seems to have some additional meaning in whatever language they speak.

Sorry...but i'm not sure what should i say to make it easy to understand but almost every mobile game use gacha system to earn money, so i expected Masters to have a gacha in the game too, maybe you earn trainer to pair with in Masters from gacha but until more information, i cannot say for sure

But it's not the first gacha Pokemon game after all, Pokemon duel have gacha system since the game was release, this video may help you understand how gacha work in most of mobile game, just take this guy, trying to get rare pokemon in this game as an example.

And if you didn't know much about the gacha in mobile game, you see, the money you use to open a gacha to get things in any game can earn in the game but slowly, you can pay real money to get more and fast so you can open more gacha, that's how it work, i used to read some news about some japanese guy paid real money for gacha more than 1million and that's just a single person, can you just see how easy for devs to earn money now? I don't think they will let this opportunity to go away, an opportunity to earn money from fans, trying to get Red in to their team with 5% rate or something like that...

Did i mention a gacha rate in most of the game, a very rare one have like ... 1% to get or some even 0.50% ... even so, some player happens to got a very rare in their first try but some even they paid real money and do a lot of time may not even got it, just trust in your luck, that's most of my gacha game players friends always said.

 

[Pokemon Fan]

In short, a gacha is any system in a game that uses chance-based methods to obtain things. Usually your chances will increase if you pay money, since the free method will inherently be limited in terms of how often you can do it.

Of importance is that its not chance-based that you obtain anything at all, you'll always get something for your attempt. However, by making certain items, characters, etc. much rarer than the others, odds are what you eventually get a lot of the time is something you already have rather than the rare thing you really want to complete your collection.

 

[Divine Retribution]

Predatory P2W microtransactions are still predatory P2W microtransactions, regardless of what cute name you give them. They're still anti-consumer and they still fundamentally undermine the integrity of the games they're present in. I'm glad that the west is waking up to the fact that lootboxes are an absolute plague, and I'm hoping that's a revelation that makes its way to the east as well.

 

[Orphalesion]

Sorry...but i'm not sure what should i say to make it easy to understand but almost every mobile game use gacha system to earn money, so i expected Masters to have a gacha in the game too, maybe you earn trainer to pair with in Masters from gacha but until more information, i cannot say for sure

But it's not the first gacha Pokemon game after all, Pokemon duel have gacha system since the game was release, this video may help you understand how gacha work in most of mobile game, just take this guy, trying to get rare pokemon in this game as an example.

And if you didn't know much about the gacha in mobile game, you see, the money you use to open a gacha to get things in any game can earn in the game but slowly, you can pay real money to get more and fast so you can open more gacha, that's how it work, i used to read some news about some japanese guy paid real money for gacha more than 1million and that's just a single person, can you just see how easy for devs to earn money now? I don't think they will let this opportunity to go away, an opportunity to earn money from fans, trying to get Red in to their team with 5% rate or something like that...

Did i mention a gacha rate in most of the game, a very rare one have like ... 1% to get or some even 0.50% ... even so, some player happens to got a very rare in their first try but some even they paid real money and do a lot of time may not even got it, just trust in your luck, that's most of my gacha game players friends always said.

Thank you, for taking the time to explain. And don't worry I'm familiar with the system. Just gacha isn't a word in the English language and I never had the chance to properly study Japanese, so I didn't know you meant this specific system. Maybe to avoid confusion try to look up what a concept is called in English, to avoid confusion. I did try to look up "gacha" but all it got me was the physical gacha machines and some franchise called "gacha life"

Pretty sure it's called a booster pack/box in English. I'd also call it a loot box, even if it isn't exactly a loot box with keys. Chance based rewards.

 

[Mag Prime]

You're absolutely allowed to joke lol. I said if you're trying to get gamefreak to listen to you, that's not the way to do it, especially comparing them to a villain.

Dude, it's a joke. If Masuda sees a Thanos comment and takes offense to that he should just grow a thicker skin. I know the joke has been over-done at this point and it's no longer funny to most people here, but it was definitely funny the first time somebody made it.

You can genuinely want the cut pokemon to be added to the game AND make funny jokes about the situation at the same time. The two are not mutually exclusive. If I remember correctly there was a comment with a lot of likes under the treehouse video which said something along the lines of "When we asked for a new Pokemon Snap that's not what we meant". As you can see, I found it funny enough to put on my avatar picture here. That comment is both funny and politely conveys the message that that person doesn't like pokemon missing from the games.

 

[crystalphoenix88]

Thank you, for taking the time to explain. And don't worry I'm familiar with the system. Just gacha isn't a word in the English language and I never had the chance to properly study Japanese, so I didn't know you meant this specific system. Maybe to avoid confusion try to look up what a concept is called in English, to avoid confusion. I did try to look up "gacha" but all it got me was the physical gacha machines and some franchise called "gacha life"

Pretty sure it's called a booster pack/box in English. I'd also call it a loot box, even if it isn't exactly a loot box with keys. Chance based rewards.

What an excessively patronizing post. This is akin to saying "Instead of 'anime,' please use 'Japanese cartoon' from now on."

The first link when you Google "gacha" (that isn't a YouTube video) is the Wikipedia page, which explains: Gacha games are video games that adapt and virtualize the gacha (capsule-toy vending machine) mechanic. In the monetization of video games it is similar to loot box, in inducing players to spend money. Most of these games are free-to-play mobile games. In gacha games, players spend virtual currency, which can be from a machine; however real money is usually eventually spent to obtain the virtual currency and opportunities to use it.

It's perfectly fine that you weren't familiar with the term, we all learn something new everyday - but it's hardly some obscure Japanese dialect only native speakers would know. It's just like "anime," "chibi," "kawaii," and other Japanese words/slang that have carried over into casual English usage (particularly among video game fans).

 

[shoz999]

Was Serena in that trailer?

If Serena does appear, I wonder if she'll have her Ace starter Pokemon or her Ace Mega Evolution, Absol?

 

[1rkhachatryan]

Dude, it's a joke. If Masuda sees a Thanos comment and takes offense to that he should just grow a thicker skin. I know the joke has been over-done at this point and it's no longer funny to most people here, but it was definitely funny the first time somebody made it.

You can genuinely want the cut pokemon to be added to the game AND make funny jokes about the situation at the same time. The two are not mutually exclusive. If I remember correctly there was a comment with a lot of likes under the treehouse video which said something along the lines of "When we asked for a new Pokemon Snap that's not what we meant". As you can see, I found it funny enough to put on my avatar picture here. That comment is both funny and politely conveys the message that that person doesn't like pokemon missing from the games.

Oh lord, do you read the posts you quote?? I said if you want to get Gamefreak's attention as in you want Masuda to see and hear your criticism, calling him Thanos and a villain isn't the way to do it. You wanna to joke with friends or on reddit, go ahead and have a ball, just don't be posting Thanos memes all over his page as that's not only rude but kind of defeats the whole purpose of protesting.

 

[Ultra Beast Lover]

I wonder what the replacements for strength and rock smash are, the item finder is probably just an app on the phone

 

[dss_live]

What an excessively patronizing post. This is akin to saying "Instead of 'anime,' please use 'Japanese cartoon' from now on."

The first link when you Google "gacha" (that isn't a YouTube video) is the Wikipedia page, which explains: Gacha games are video games that adapt and virtualize the gacha (capsule-toy vending machine) mechanic. In the monetization of video games it is similar to loot box, in inducing players to spend money. Most of these games are free-to-play mobile games. In gacha games, players spend virtual currency, which can be from a machine; however real money is usually eventually spent to obtain the virtual currency and opportunities to use it.

It's perfectly fine that you weren't familiar with the term, we all learn something new everyday - but it's hardly some obscure Japanese dialect only native speakers would know. It's just like "anime," "chibi," "kawaii," and other Japanese words/slang that have carried over into casual English usage (particularly among video game fans).

It's not patronizing to ask someone to use more widely known terms in an effort to make it easier to understand to everyone, which is alwaysq important on discussion forums. I mean the person still has the right not to do so, but there is nothing wrong with asking it regardless. And "Gacha" is definately not as common of a term as anime, chibi or kawaii. Their reply was perfectly polite.

 

[Dragalge]

The Thanos Masuda snap joke is objectively dumb because it was implied that it wasn’t Masuda’s decision to begin with.

I wonder what the replacements for strength and rock smash are, the item finder is probably just an app on the phone

the phone gets a built-in boxing glove for rock smash that’s how

 

[Ultra Beast Lover]

The Thanos Masuda snap joke is objectively dumb because it was implied that it wasn’t Masuda’s decision to begin with.



the phone gets a built-in boxing glove for rock smash that’s how

Maybe the phone makes our power over nine thousand?

 

[Mag Prime]

Oh lord, do you read the posts you quote?? I said if you want to get Gamefreak's attention as in you want Masuda to see and hear your criticism, calling him Thanos and a villain isn't the way to do it. You wanna to joke with friends or on reddit, go ahead and have a ball, just don't be posting Thanos memes all over his page as that's not only rude but kind of defeats the whole purpose of protesting.

Yes, I've read your post.

1. Joking about this is not rude. If Masuda or GF perceive it as such that's on them.
2. I would argue that making a funny post that captures your opinion is actually the best way to get GF's attention. The treehouse video was posted by Nintendo and viewed ~1.5M times with 80% dislikes. That is likely to grab somebody's attention. Then what will that person do? Scroll down to the comment section to see why's everyone disliking the video. Which comments are they gonna see at the very top? The ones with the most likes. Which comments get the most likes? The ones which 1) express a popular opinion, 2) are polite, 3) are funny.

 

[crystalphoenix88]

It's not patronizing to ask someone to use more widely known terms in an effort to make it easier to understand to everyone, which is always important on discussion forums. I mean the person still has the right not to do so, but there is nothing wrong with asking it regardless. And "Gacha" is definately not as common of a term as anime, chibi or kawaii. Their reply was perfectly polite.

I hear you with the first part, but strongly disagree with your last two sentences. If you follow the entire exchange to which I was responding, I would consider than an incredibly rude way of interacting with someone who clearly isn't a native English speaker, which started with changing that person's quote to "Words" and proceeding to misspell the term in question. It reeks of "Me no speak-o Spanish-o, amigo."

In my experience, "gacha" is dropped quite often by gamers/streamers/YouTubers/etc. Even Urban Dictionary has it covered: Gacha (or Gachapon) is a monetisation technique used in many successful Japanese free-to-play games. Originally a term used for Japanese Toy machines, this is used to describe games that pull a selection of data, people, heroes, etc. from a large pool at random.

Again, I'm not saying it's unacceptable to not know that word, it's just frustrating to see such needless rudeness when engaging with/trying to understand fellow fans.