New battle structure to make Pokémon stronger

[TokoTamer]

There was no interview. It was a Q&A session with fans.

I'm also curious about the Q&A session. Is there a transcript anywhere, was it recorded or is this just word of mouth?

 

[Beck]

Maybe they're gonna remove the EV/IV system and implement a new system?

We can rule that out:

We also know from Masuda that Game Freak don't intend to cut backwards compatibility, IVs or EVs anytime soon (he said as much when he was asked about those things in a Q&A session last month).

I don't imagine them ridding of EVs or IVs, but I could see GameFreak restructuring them in some way. After all IVs are the "DNA" of a Pokemon; they give each Pokemon individuality, despite its species. I don't know how, especially concerning backwards compatibility, but it's a possibility.

 

[Araragi-hakase]

They will probably keep IV's and EV's and Natures and all of that, but I could see them adding in a new mechanic similar to Nature (or just expanding on Natures themselves) that would affect how the Pokemon is in battle rather than its stats. (Not an ability- I think that it would be similar to Nature in that it is unique to each Pokemon.) I can't see them doing away with Natures or Abilities or any of that entirely, maybe just tweaking them a bit.

 

[33Whimsicott33]

There was no interview. It was a Q&A session with fans.

I'm also curious about the Q&A session. Is there a transcript anywhere, was it recorded or is this just word of mouth?

Secondly curious; especially with the mention of "backwards compatibility", since lately the games haven't been capable of trading downwards from a higher generation. There wouldn't typically need to be a worry about an older system accommodating the newer one; as a matter of fact they could upend the table of Pokemon data structure and still allow a transfer from 5th gen to 6th gen while using a 6th gen-specified conversion to cover the differences.

 

[Silktree]

The source is post 58 in this thread. The first point pertains to Pokémon transfers being retained for the foreseeable future, and the second one refers to IVs and EVs as being a staple that makes Pokémon interesting and thus should be kept. The last point is about Ghetsis' right eye and right arm being wounded by a Pokémon. Dogasu, who was able to hear only some of the questions, confirmed that the last one was really asked. I don't see why the source would have faked the other parts, especially as they aren't surprising.

 

[Lord Clowncrete]

If it has to do with friendship, then I guess I could be an effort to make trainers and Pokemon get a closer connection in-game, and encourage people to use and train the Pokemon they get in a trade. Since friendship resets to 0 when traded, people have to actually travel with it/use it to make it stronger.

HEH, I can already see people who wants quick PokeGen'd Pokemon being annoyed with that.

In Pokegen, it is possible to modify the "friendship", so I don't see it affecting hackers by any means. If training becomes harder in gen 6, it will be the "legit" trainers who will be having problems.

Ah, you're right. Forgot about that. I use PokeGen myself so I should've known, haha.

I read on an earlier post that you won't be able to hack the games, question is why would you want to cheat? Training is part of the fun.

The definition of fun depends on the person in question. I tried that breeding and training mons "honestly" for almost an year in gen 5, only to discover how inflexible it is. You cannot change moves(like egg moves) on a mon. You cannot change evs and ivs(and hidden power) easily. You cannot change teams easily since getting the new mon can require weeks or months. And without Rnging, getting flawless mons is impossible. I definitely found hacking my mons more fun since my main focus is battling and not training. And most serious battlers(people I generally battle), hack so it is balanced out.

So, nope, I don't see hackers or simulator battlers have any problems with new mechanics.

 

[El_]

Re: So...Junichi Masuda's blog entry

At first I took that with a big grain of salt, but now that hes hyped it up again it looks like it could really amount to something. I speculated in Silktree's thread that it may be related to an EV increase in some way based on the happiness mechanic being expanded.

 

[Blazaking]

Re: So...Junichi Masuda's blog entry

Sounds pretty cool! I'm all for an easier way to make my pokemon stronger.

 

[Dr. Buni]

Re: So...Junichi Masuda's blog entry

I hope this new mechanic is something similar to the "links" in Pokémon Conquest. I loved that.

 

[Silktree]

Minor tweaks to the IV, EV or Nature system wouldn't suffice. Those elements don't have anything to do with friendship, nor are they strictly associated with "getting stronger". Changing that fact would feel forced even if it didn't interfere with compatibility; it would be better to introduce something new.

I do like the idea of incorporating some elements from Conquest, which The Outrage was first to suggest. Quoting him from a VM:

Conquest basically removes the standard levels in favour of building a link with the Pokemon. All the Pokemon have the three base stats on Attack, Defense, and Speed, while Warriors have three stats on Power, Wisdom, and Charisma. The Warlord's power influences the Pokemon's attack, Wisdom affects defense, and Charisma affects Speed. In this way, warriors with better stats can produce stronger Pokemon than a warrior with worse stats but equal link levels even when all Pokemon in this game are technically equal (no IV's). I'm hoping that if trainer customizations exist, the way you customize your trainer affects how each stat is increased/decreased OR you can identify with a specific trainer class that differentially influence the type of Pokemon you use.

I am also interested in seeing a variant of Warlord Skills, which are suprisingly applicable to the main series for the most part. The only thing that worries me is that Game Freak may not be inclined to borrow ideas from another developer. But in theory, the player could have an ability to learn skills, but much like with moves, they would only be able to focus on a few skills at a time. This could also encourage players to play together, which we already know will be one of the new features:

People around the world will be able to simultaneously experience 'Real Play'. The game uses an innovative communication system that makes it feel as if you are playing with other players around the world.

Or as Masuda put it:

An innovative communication system that will make you feel connected with players from around the world as you play the game.

It remains to be seen just how the Real Play feature will work. Will there be normal communication with players from across the world or will ghost data be involved? Either way, if we do get to play with other people in some way (not just for standard battles and trades), then it be very nice if different players had different skills as it would make tag battles quite beneficial. Not only that, but perhaps the new bonding feature could also be enhanced through Real Play; players could gain something by training their Pokémon together.

 

[Mitchman]

Maybe its some sort of extension, like the Miiverse, where you can chat within a moderated enviroment? And the battle system gaining such a huge update like that, I just don't know. Something tells me they'll keep what they have, considering how the battles are the same, but add some sort of new stat. Or just come out with the IV's and EV's with a new simplified method to train Pokemon to perfection.

 

[Quetsol Melt]

Maybe its some sort of extension, like the Miiverse, where you can chat within a moderated enviroment? And the battle system gaining such a huge update like that, I just don't know. Something tells me they'll keep what they have, considering how the battles are the same, but add some sort of new stat. Or just come out with the IV's and EV's with a new simplified method to train Pokemon to perfection.

I was thinking the same thing also.

 

[MetalKing1417]

Me personally? I hope that it isn't some simple add on to the freindship stat so that certain events are altered in accordance to it (like a higher critical hit ratio or more umph out of all your stats just because you boosted one), because in my oppinion that is taking away from gameplay rather than adding to it. Also, I hope that traded and transfered pokemon, even those that are at level 100 can benefit from the new system (and lets face it , who hasn't felt some sort of bond with their first shiny or pokemon they brought up to level 100).

 

[Vyrron]

Masuda pretty much confirmed there will be some changes in the battle system in his new blog:

A new battle mechanism that allows your Pokémon to become even more powerful
when the bonds you share grow stronger.

Conquest basically removes the standard levels in favour of building a link with the Pokemon. All the Pokemon have the three base stats on Attack, Defense, and Speed, while Warriors have three stats on Power, Wisdom, and Charisma. The Warlord's power influences the Pokemon's attack, Wisdom affects defense, and Charisma affects Speed. In this way, warriors with better stats can produce stronger Pokemon than a warrior with worse stats but equal link levels even when all Pokemon in this game are technically equal (no IV's). I'm hoping that if trainer customizations exist, the way you customize your trainer affects how each stat is increased/decreased OR you can identify with a specific trainer class that differentially influence the type of Pokemon you use.

I would love something like that to happen. Even though I don't see them changing the battle system that much, I hope they incorporate certain elements into the current system.

No matter what they do, a change in the battle mechanics would be very welcome, especially since Generation V did absolutely nothing on that department, unlike all other Generations.

 

[El_]

The only thing I'm wary of is if GameFreak were actually willing of doing a new feature of that scope, though at least it would show that they really do want things to "evolve" as they put it on the 3DS. I can easily see how that concept would fit into trainer customization if we have that this Gen, but I wonder if they did take that route how would EVs/IVs be handled under it if there were a stat overhaul of that magnitude.


I'd definitely be for it for my own reasons however, as I always felt like something akin to Conquest is the next logical step after all the N/Team Plasma plot business. Overall, I at least hope they are willing to incorporate some ideas into it as I enjoyed the Conquest approach which felt like there was a deeper connection overall with the warlords & their Pokemon than in the regular main series.

 

[Proxima Centauri B]

I wonder what this battle mechanic will be as it seems we are getting some changes. I can see it being something related to happiness, I wonder if happiness will work like it's own stat or something like that or have a hand in increasing other stats in battle. We'll see.

As for Free Play, I hope to be able to connect with other players while playing the game, but not just for chatting, perhaps doing something with them in game or even challenging them to battles when you meet their character or something or being able to trade with them. There would be no need to go to the Pokemon Center and it would be awesome.

 

[33Whimsicott33]

HIDDEN POWER of masuda

Junichi Masuda mentions it in his blog, among other features. It seems to be something that could take center stage in showcasing X and Y. Something visible.

Here I'm thinking, "is the change/addition/removal of a hidden mechanic necessarily something befitting a feature that gets announced like this?"

Barring the possibility of pulling out EVs/IVs into public attention and pulling some twist to how they work, I think this will probably something completely new that plays a significant role for the wide set of audiences playing the game.

 

[Mitchman]

I wonder what this battle mechanic will be as it seems we are getting some changes. I can see it being something related to happiness, I wonder if happiness will work like it's own stat or something like that or have a hand in increasing other stats in battle. We'll see.

As for Free Play, I hope to be able to connect with other players while playing the game, but not just for chatting, perhaps doing something with them in game or even challenging them to battles when you meet their character or something or being able to trade with them. There would be no need to go to the Pokemon Center and it would be awesome.

Free play hopefully uses the rank system of random matchups on a wider scale, and gives us an overall rank system. Meaning, perhaps someone is numbero uno on the rank board, and defeating them would get you from rank 2, to rank 1. Only issue would be hacked Pokemon, but something tells me they're gonna bunker down on that, and likely patch the games to detect such Pokemon.

 

[Frenzy Plant]

If it means anything at all, it may just be a re-introduction of the stat bonuses Gym Badges used to provide, but based on the Pokémon's happiness stat.

 

[Master Cyrus]

A cute factor is added to all pokemon. This makes the games like the anime where evolution is frowned upon and not very effective moves are king.