Attack changes and Dark/Fighting/Psychic starters

[Zeta]

Shigeki Morimoto reveals that Thunder Punch will be a physical attack, while Hyper Beam becomes a special attack — physical and special are to be set by attack, rather than by type as in previous games. He states that the battle system will be changed "dramatically".

One female staff member mentions a new Pokémon she saw on Sugimori's screen — the silhouette Sugimori reveals. She also suggests that the three starters types will be Fighting, Psychic and Dark. If this were true, it is likely that the type affinity chart will be changed in order to balance the three.

Am I the only one who really doesn't like these ideas?

 

[Doctor Oak]

I dunno. If true it'd be nice to have a shake-up. It'd make competitive battling more interesting, not to mention simply otherwise playing the game.

Some sort of, y'know, SOURCE wouldn't go amiss though.

 

[Zeta]

Well, it's up on Bulbanews.

Personally, I'm more annoyed by the starters - since I dislike Dark / Fighting / Psychic's triangle since it never made as much sense to me as Grass / Water / Fire.

 

[Kasumi]

This looks rather weird. Are you guys sure this info is completely true?

 

[Chosen of Mana]

I have doubt to the truth here. It seem too wierd to me.

 

[Cybersai]

The starter thing would be great.

Grass/Fire/Water had three games in a row, it's nice for something to change for once. I'm also hoping the "8 Gym and Elite 4" thing is changed up a bit too, since it's really stale doing the same quest for four gens. Hopefully they add a new twist to Gyms or something.

 

[Pie]

Funky. I have no problems with the new starters. *made up starters which were Ground/Fighting, Electric/Psychic, and Water/Dark - in that order*

And it wasn't quoted here, but the article also mentions an underground world - sounds really cool to me. More Ground and Rock Pokémon, maybe? We could seriously use more of them - there's about a gajillion Water types, after all...

I'm a little wary about the battle system changes, though. I guess changing what's Physical and what's Special wouldn't be TOO bad - but the way it's worded makes me wary how deep these changes could run, and just how much of an RPG Pokémon will still be when all's said and done - I guess we can only wait and see on that front, though...

 

[Zhen Lin]

I have personally confirmed all the reports in the article - the people do say that. How much you want to actually believe is true is up to you, since the game is still in development and nothing is really set in stone.

 

[Geodude]

The whole thing about what's physical and what's special makes sense, and we already have the beginnings of that with the abilities in R/S/E that activate when hit by "physical" (direct contact) attacks.

This would basically mean that Ghost attacks would now be special (since the only damaging Ghost attack worth anything is Shadow Ball, a projectile attack), and Dark attacks would be physical (Bite/Crunch/Faint Attack, makes sense), which is really the way it should have been in the first place.

Why would the "type affinity chart" be changed, as mentioned in the quote? Those three types already have pretty much the same effectiveness triangle as Fire/Water/Grass.

 

[Doctor Oak]

Funky. I have no problems with the new starters. *made up starters which were Ground/Fighting, Electric/Psychic, and Water/Dark - in that order*

And it wasn't quoted here, but the article also mentions an underground world - sounds really cool to me. More Ground and Rock Pokémon, maybe? We could seriously use more of them - there's about a gajillion Water types, after all...

I'm a little wary about the battle system changes, though. I guess changing what's Physical and what's Special wouldn't be TOO bad - but the way it's worded makes me wary how deep these changes could run, and just how much of an RPG Pokémon will still be when all's said and done - I guess we can only wait and see on that front, though...

Changing Physical and Special to be dependent on attack and not type makes a lot of sense, as it should be what the attack does that dictates whether it's physical or special, not the type. Though it will mean learning a bit more if you want to do competetive battling I guess. Could definitely make Wobbuffet more interesting to use, if it wasn't banned in comp. battling that is. Lol.

 

[Zhen Lin]

Dark is completely immune to Psychic, which is going to be very problematic...
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... unless, the rival does not choose his starter from the above three.

 

[ANinyMouse]

Think about what this is going to do to poor Alakazam... the only "special" attack he'll have left that's WORTH anything will be Psychic...

On the other hand, it's going to make some Pokemon like Kingler attractive again, since he'll have a 95 base power STAB physical attack in Crabhammer!

 

[1234567]

Hm, I like the prospect of an attack being special or physical being based on each individual attack rather then type. Though I don't like the new triangle. I'm all for dark pokemon, but..eh....I rather fire types. Now if they were to do something like Dark/Fire, Water/Psychic, and Grass/Fighting or something like that, that'd be a pretty cool. XD

 

[GrnMarvl14]

Changing the way special and physical work - HORRIBLY problematic. And annoying as hell. But I just hate having to relearn things. Don't change the rules in the middle of the game. It just annoys people (me am people).

Changing the starter types - I'm on the fence. It could go both ways. Depends on a number of different things.

Large underground world - I love it. And I was actually wondering, based on the general size of the new land if we might see some sort of underground feature, although I didn't think it would be anything special.

 

[Archaic]

I think that changing how the attacks work will make for a much, much more interesting metagame. A number of previously "useless" Pokémon will start to get a lot more loving, I'd warrent.

 

[Ben Kingsley Shuckle]

"One female staff member mentions a new Pokémon she saw on Sugimori's screen — the silhouette Sugimori reveals. She also suggests that the three starters types will be Fighting, Psychic and Dark. If this were true, it is likely that the type affinity chart will be changed in order to balance the three."

sug·gest (sg-jst, s-jst)
tr.v. sug·gest·ed, sug·gest·ing, sug·gests
1. To offer for consideration or action; propose: suggest things for children to do; suggested that we take a walk.
2. To bring or call to mind by logic or association; evoke: a cloud that suggests a mushroom; a ringlike symbol suggesting unity.
3. To make evident indirectly; intimate or imply: a silence that suggested disapproval.
4. To serve as or provide a motive for; prompt or demand: Such a crime suggests apt punishment.

In what context would the word "suggest" mean in that sentence? She could just be SUGGESTING the starters will be Dark/Fighting/Psychic in her opinion, which means it may or may not happen. I think that is what it means.

EDIT: Also, Melon over at SPP (who speaks Japanese I believe) says he can't find the girl that talks about the starters in the GameFreak building can someone describe her?

 

[Doctor Oak]

In this context, "suggest" means "here are the facts but we're trying to be a little discreet about them to make you think about it, discuss it and build the hype so we're not going to blatantly say they are sold facts :O".

Of course, it's possible that we're simply going to see Dark/Fire, Fighting/Water and Psychic/Grass or whatever so it doesn't necessarily matter (And would more or less remove worry about dark's inneffectiveness against Psychic... or at least soften the blow without having to mess around with the type charts).

Funny how when certain information comes about everyone jumps up and down exclaiming "Pre/Evolution!" despite there being next-to-no actual information shown and then when something a bit more solid actually comes about it's obviously lies and slanda.

God bless the Pokemon community. They gorram need it >_>....

 

[bell02+]

I think its really intresting on how everything is worded. It sounds a lot like a Perap situation... where we only are getting part, the shocking part, of the data.

Dark, Physic, and Fighting all sound very weird... but... what if they are part water, fire, and grass!? What if even more the mixes are oddly patterned:
Dark, Plant? (swamp monster?)
Physic, Fire? (pyro kenisis?)
Fight, Water? (dancer maybe?)
//(EDIT: Oak beat me, but still I think this would make an interesting turn around)

That would be very intresting. It would reverse the advantage currents upon situations and be extremely cool!

Also... I think the changing of Physical and Special, makes sense, but it sounded like there was more to be said about the changes of Physical and Special attacks in general.

 

[Trainer-c]

Wow, Hyperbeam a Special Attack? and the Elemental Punches become Physical? Slacking and Alakazam will so need to trade TM's. I wonder if this means that Pokémon attack types will be divided into two classes (E.g., Fire Special and Fire Physical attacks)

If this change in the battle system turns out to be true, the battling aspect in Diamond and Pearl could be the most exciting part of the games.

 

[Zeta]

Dark is completely immune to Psychic, which is going to be very problematic...

Not really, seeing as how none of the starters usually learn anything but Normal attacks till Level 10, which makes the first rival fight rely entirely on Normal-type attacks, which would make that useless. Past that encounter, you should catch enough Pokemon to deal with your rival.