BDSP Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl General Discussion

[Oriden]

Aren't Celebi and Deoxys covered by Virtual Crystal and ORAS? Know they not Gen 8, but they are still permanently available.

No, because I'm talking about what is actually available in BDSP, not available via transfer.

Plus they're not readily available because ORAS and the 3DS aren't widely being sold anymore.

 

[EmCeeChupi the Undying]

The only glitch that I have experienced sofar, is not being able to pick up 1 item from certain sides, same as you. Also not being able to cut one tree from the side.

I got that glitch that allows you to get Claw Fossil before Nat dex

Edit: Game Freak if you are reading this please don't patch that out

 

[Baka_Marimo]

So, in short, I can just disable automatic updates on my Switch Lite, turn OFF the internet, maybe even turn ON Airplane Mode, and then there's NOTHING Nintendo can do to mess with my console and my downloaded games.

Thank you @PkmnTrainerV and @Pollmaster for your explanations!

I know I'm late to this discussion, but you don't really need to do any of that because everything discussed here is purely hypothetical. There's no realistic scenario where Nintendo would revoke your BDSP license anytime soon. However it is true that you don't actually own the game if you bought it digitally. Like someone else explained, you're only given a license to play it. This license and the game you've downloaded are two seperate things. If the license is gone it doesn't matter that the game is still downloaded to your Switch because the console is designed to check for a valid license every time you start the game. Sometimes when you're booting up a game you'll briefly see a textbox where it says "Checking whether the software can be played". I'm not familiar with how the Nintendo Switch ecosystem works but I suspect that is the exact check I'm talking about.

Having been an avid PlayStation gamer for many years now I personally am very aware of this issue. Recently it has been found that PS3 owners will lose access to ALL their digital games once the console's PSN servers are shut down. The PS3 has a battery powered internal clock that is used to check whether you're holding a valid license to play a digital game. If the battery has run out the console needs a PSN connection to confirm the current date and time (Even if you replace the battery this check needs to be done at least once to re-sync the clock). If the servers are gone the check cannot be completed and the PS3 will refuse to start the game, essentially screwing you out of all the digital games you've bought for the console. I don't know if old Nintendo hardware is affected by this but given how outrageous it is I have become very sensitive to this issue and will always buy a physical version of a game, if available. It might be less convenient having to wait for a game to ship and switch out discs/cartridges but I'll rest assured knowing that the game I paid for can't be taken away from me. If you're interested in learning more about this specific issue, here's a video explaining it in-depth. It is an important thing to be at least aware of when buying games digitally.

Spoiler

 

[Boss1708]

I know I'm late to this discussion, but you don't really need to do any of that because everything discussed here is purely hypothetical. There's no realistic scenario where Nintendo would revoke your BDSP license anytime soon. However it is true that you don't actually own the game if you bought it digitally. Like someone else explained, you're only given a license to play it. This license and the game you've downloaded are two seperate things. If the license is gone it doesn't matter that the game is still downloaded to your Switch because the console is designed to check for a valid license every time you start the game. Sometimes when you're booting up a game you'll briefly see a textbox where it says "Checking whether the software can be played". I'm not familiar with how the Nintendo Switch ecosystem works but I suspect that is the exact check I'm talking about.

Having been an avid PlayStation gamer for many years now I personally am very aware of this issue. Recently it has been found that PS3 owners will lose access to ALL their digital games once the console's PSN servers are shut down. The PS3 has a battery powered internal clock that is used to check whether you're holding a valid license to play a digital game. If the battery has run out the console needs a PSN connection to confirm the current date and time (Even if you replace the battery this check needs to be done at least once to re-sync the clock). If the servers are gone the check cannot be completed and the PS3 will refuse to start the game, essentially screwing you out of all the digital games you've bought for the console. I don't know if old Nintendo hardware is affected by this but given how outrageous it is I have become very sensitive to this issue and will always buy a physical version of a game, if available. It might be less convenient having to wait for a game to ship and switch out discs/cartridges but I'll rest assured knowing that the game I paid for can't be taken away from me. If you're interested in learning more about this specific issue, here's a video explaining it in-depth. It is an important thing to be at least aware of when buying games digitally.

Spoiler

Hello, and thank you very much for your detailed answer. What you said about the PS3 is mind-blowing and it really sucks. Now I'm really confused.

But let me ask once again: you say the console performs a "license check" and if Nintendo has cancelled the license, I cannot play the game anymore. But couldn't this be avoided by simply turning OFF the internet of the console, like I suggested earlier?

My point is, don't they revoke the license via internet? And doesn't the console also need internet in order to "detect" that the valid license is gone? So if we "cut" their internet access to our consoles, there's nothing they can do about it to stop us from playing the game?

 

[EmCeeChupi the Undying]

I got that glitch that allows you to get Claw Fossil before Nat dex

Edit: Game Freak if you are reading this please don't patch that out

Of course, now that I say that they probably will patch that out.
But not yet, I like having 5 level 1 Anorith

 

[Oriden]

Hello, and thank you very much for your detailed answer. What you said about the PS3 is mind-blowing and it really sucks. Now I'm really confused.

But let me ask once again: you say the console performs a "license check" and if Nintendo has cancelled the license, I cannot play the game anymore. But couldn't this be avoided by simply turning OFF the internet of the console, like I suggested earlier?

My point is, don't they revoke the license via internet? And doesn't the console also need internet in order to "detect" that the valid license is gone? So if we "cut" their internet access to our consoles, there's nothing they can do about it to stop us from playing the game?

The answer would be no because the license is on a timer and your system doesn't need the internet to keep track of time, it uses an internal battery. And if the battery dies or something happens to your system, the default is to terminate your license until you can connect to the company's server to verify it again.

Actually I'm going to revise this. If your console cannot perform the license check, then it is going to assume that you do not have a license. This is initiated by your system, not by the internet contacting your system, so disconnecting it from the internet will not prevent it from doing the check or from deciding that you do not have a valid license. I think that better answers your question.

Just my understanding from what was posted and said in the video.

 

[Boss1708]

The answer would be no because the license is on a timer and your system doesn't need the internet to keep track of time, it uses an internal battery. And if the battery dies or something happens to your system, the default is to terminate your license until you can connect to the company's server to verify it again.

Actually I'm going to revise this. If your console cannot perform the license check, then it is going to assume that you do not have a license. This is initiated by your system, not by the internet contacting your system, so disconnecting it from the internet will not prevent it from doing the check or from deciding that you do not have a valid license.

Just my understanding from what was posted and said in the video.

Well... If that's true, we are all screwed

 

[EmCeeChupi the Undying]

Well... If that's true, we are all screwed

......why?

 

[Oriden]

Well... If that's true, we are all screwed

Deleted my post to doublecheck my info.

So yeah, the license thing is an issue on the Playstation devices apparently due to the achievement system. It's designed that way to prevent achievement abuse.

On the Nintendo Switch, it seems we're better off because even if you get banned, you can still play your downloaded games offline. You just can't play online, update your games, or download new games. Although if any of your downloaded games is coded so that it has to check online for updates or whatever or else it won't run, you would probably be screwed out of playing that specific game. For the most part, though, seems we're good on the Switch.

Also probably worth noting that this only counts for your primary console. Nintendo has some sort of primary/non-primary console setup where you can login on a secondary console to play your games, but that secondary console requires constant internet access to play. So if you were banned, probably couldn't do that either.

 

[Boss1708]

On the Nintendo Switch, it seems we're better off because even if you get banned, you can still play your downloaded games offline.

Thank God. This is exactly what I was hoping for, as I don't play online anyway. Offline is all I care about. Thank you so much!!!

You just can't play online, update your games, or download new games.

That's fine, the Switch Pokemon games will have already received their latest updates years before that happens! Fair.

Although if any of your downloaded games is coded so that it has to check online for updates or whatever or else it won't run, you would probably be screwed out of playing that specific game.

Do you know if LGPE, SwSh and BDSP are coded that way?

 

[FelipePR]

Well... If that's true, we are all screwed

As long as there is no access to the servers, this is likely Hackable. that is, it must be possible to remove the license checker or validate a license. We just need good people interested in doing it. Anyway, it's for these reasons that emulators exist.

 

[Oriden]

Do you know if LGPE, SwSh and BDSP are coded that way? I only play Pokemon games so that's all I care about...

I honestly don't know. I couldn't find any information on any license checks or anything of that sort for the Switch.

Pokemon doesn't seem like the type of series that would do that, though, so I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[Boss1708]

I honestly don't know. I couldn't find any information on any license checks or anything of that sort for the Switch.

Pokemon doesn't seem like the type of series that would do that, though, so I wouldn't worry about it.

Ok thank you very much!!! And I think you're right: Pokemon is partially aimed at kids, and I don't think Nintendo would do this license checking to kids.

 

[Oriden]

Ok thank you very much!!! And I think you're right: Pokemon is partially aimed at children, and I don't think Nintendo would do this to kids.

It's more that Pokemon is mainly playable offline with minimal online content, and historically anything that required online in any capacity just became unusable once the servers for it went down. The series has also just been building up from the same code all these years, it has more in common with older games than anything more recent. Its foundation is designed to run without internet, so it'd be kind of weird if they implemented anything that would make it so it wouldn't work at all without it.

Keeping in mind that I don't have any in-depth knowledge of this, I'm just gleaming what information I can. But as far as I know, the only Switch games that should become unplayable without internet access are games that are mainly played online anyway. The Switch can check if the games you're playing are valid or pirated (even if you play them offline, apparently, it'll just wait until you're online again to tattle on you) and that can result in Nintendo suspending or banning your account, but that just cuts you off from the internet.

 

[EmCeeChupi the Undying]

I never use the online union room (or any online feature in BDSP or LGPE) because nobody wants to battle.
I can feel safe

 

[There Is No Arceus]

i got the game at launch and i still haven't even looked at the online fetures. the only online features i care about (the gts and wonder trade) aren't available yet anyway

 

[EmCeeChupi the Undying]

Can't wait to get access to my favorite trading systems ever.
Why did they take thee GTS out of SwSh

 

[EmCeeChupi the Undying]

I beat the E4 yesterday
Spammed Earthquake against Garchomp and healed at the right times with one affection dodge against a Dragon Claw that I knew would almost kill if it had crit, but still, I got lucky and won.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

 

[Rockapheller]

^"Game footage is not final"

Excuse me, what? Footage is from literally an already released game.