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Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl General Discussion

i suppose i feel this way because i'm so used to playing other jrpgs where like, shared exp among all included party members is pretty standard, yknow? i also get that it probably makes some pokemon games easier with it on, but pokemon games aren't typically hard to begin with, so at most i feel like having the option to turn it off creates artificial difficulty rather than actual difficulty... if that makes any sort of sense ><
 
i mean no genuine disrespect or rudeness, but i wish someone can explain the benefits of having exp share off. back in the older generations when it was more optional, i was swapping pokemon in and out to gain exp for each one of them anyway, so it might as well have been on since the beginning. i can see the logic of EVs being potentially messed up, but it's nothing EV-reducing berries can't solve (making a big assumption they're very easily obtainable in this game).

am i missing something? .-.
Adding to what @Daren said:
Exp share made Sword/Shield so easy they honestly became boring for a lot of people. Removing it would help avoid that fate for future games.
They can also mess up EV training in annoying ways.
I think it's also a matter of you not letting your player have a choice when it comes to that, you know? Like, why not give people the option to not have Exp. Share on all the time? Like... in what aspect is giving the player the option to have a certain setting on or off a bad thing?

Some people, like me, live to have Exp. Share on. Some others don't, and both sides have their reasonings and it ultimately comes down to personal playstyle preference and that's all fine and all, really. And it gets even crazier because XY and SM/USUM all had that option, so I sincerely see no reason to remove that, because it's not like they had never gave us that choice in the past.
 
but i don't understand the practical benefits of having it off besides not overleveling (which i suppose is more of an issue with poor level scaling in pokemon games making it perhaps easy to overwhelm the AI than anything to do with exp share itself). but, as i mentioned, i feel that's influenced by my own thoughts of it being that pokemon games were never really that difficult to begin with. hm.
 
i suppose i feel this way because i'm so used to playing other jrpgs where like, shared exp among all included party members is pretty standard, yknow? i also get that it probably makes some pokemon games easier with it on, but pokemon games aren't typically hard to begin with, so at most i feel like having the option to turn it off creates artificial difficulty rather than actual difficulty... if that makes any sort of sense ><
I get what you mean--in general I think grinding is a poor way to make a game harder. I think a properly designed RPG is one where you can grind if you really need to but playing in a fairly thorough fashion will put you at a good level for the content.
The problem is that Pokémon bombed the level curve in Sw/Sh if you try to do a fairly thorough game unless you're constantly swapping around, which can get irritating if you prefer to use a main party like me.
In BDSP's case I expect it to be particularly bad with the much larger number of trainers in it compared to Sw/Sh.
It's not like there aren't ways to handle it.
Have you played any Suikoden games? I think a Suikoden style levelling system would be a good solution to the problem. You wouldn't need to grind but you won't get accidentally overleveled, either. Suikoden's also a pretty easy series (though it's a lot more story heavy than Pokémon which surely helps).

but i don't understand the practical benefits of having it off besides not overleveling (which i suppose is more of an issue with poor level scaling in pokémon games making it perhaps easy to overwhelm the AI than anything to do with exp share itself). but, as i mentioned, i feel that's influenced by my own thoughts of it being that pokemon games were never really that difficult to begin with. hm.
They've always been easy, but Sw/Sh just took it too way far for me.
I replayed Platinum right after I finished Sword and Heartgold a bit later. It was not hard--I've played games like Romancing SaGa 2 and Baldur's Gate--but I at least had some interesting battles thanks to my challenge ruleset.
Said ruleset as no match for Sword's insistence on making the game a breeze, though. I at least had to use several Pokémon to defeat Cyrus; Rose just got swept effortlessly. Leon was the only decent match in the entire main game. Mustard was a decent boss in the DLC but still paled compared to previous post-game bosses, even ignoring the Battle Frontier.

It doesn't help they still won't even include difficulty settings.
 
I think the automatic Exp Share is something that Game Freak probably felt they were bringing up to standard, kind of like adding autosave, since like @colours said it’s something that most other party-based RPGs don’t even really think about; it just is that way and everyone accepts it.

The decision to make that change (and to stick with it here) was probably influenced by the everywhere-PC. Fast level growth and being able to swap between numerous team members at any time go hand-in-hand, and according to Ohmori, their internal feedback indicated that many players just left the Gen 6/7 Exp Share on, so they probably didn’t think too many people would take issue with it or that there would be any need for a toggle anymore. It seems they thought that the people who toggled it off were mainly people who just wanted to train one or a few specific Pokémon at a time, not people who were trying to affect the overall difficulty level - so to them, the everywhere-PC looked like a reasonable compromise (if you just want to train one Pokémon without leveling up the others, simply pop the rest into the PC for a bit).

I do think people should have the option if they want it since it seems like it would be trivial to implement, but I can see how GF came to the conclusions that they did. (I personally have only ever had problems with SwSh’s level curve when factoring in the DLC’s Exp Charm; the new Exp Share system on its own has been mostly fine for me so I don’t really have a dog in this race.) That being said, we talk about “bringing things up to standard,” and I think that just once again stresses the absence of native difficulty levels. I think there’s something to be said for the idea that the challenge should emerge organically from the game rather than from turning off a systemic mechanic, but the thing is, people only resort to doing that in the first place because Pokémon still, after all these years and despite the examples set by so many of their contemporaries, refuses to provide players with proper difficulty settings that can be adjusted to suit their level of play.
 
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with regards to difficulty i think fans have more or less solved the issue for Game Freak as far as implementation is concerned. rather than a menu option where the choices are "Easy/Normal/Hard" where the biggest differences is maybe in level curve, i think perhaps a more creative option is to officially implement what challenge fans have been doing all along: handicapping themselves for a more difficult and fun experience. making certain nuzlockes "official" (i guess under a different name) would be interesting, + maybe challenge the whole game with one pokemon only (are those called solo runs? idk) would be interesting to watch, too.

of course, that's all wishful thinking but i do hope one day rather than difficulty options, we have choices of challenge options instead. while people CAN do challenges as is, it'd be nice to have that as an official option just to see Game Freak's take on it.
 
I’m with @Esserise in that the difficulty needs to come organically rather than toggling on and off an item. The problem is that TPC refuse to give the games more difficulty and deliberately force things like the Exp. Charm on us. Sure, it’s only available through the DLC, but I can sadly see it coming back as a mandatory thing for BDSP because they’re afraid their target audience won’t like a challenge, when in reality it could become too easy for them to like playing it. Kids don’t like it when others look down on them just because they’re kids, and the current philosophy of the Pokémon games kind of unintentionally does that.

I just wish they’d realize that not all of their games have to be quick and easy experiences for the children to enjoy them.
 
Personally, it's not really a matter of difficulty for me; I just enjoy leveling up each of my team members in battles. Having to physically use them in challenges and so forth not only helps level them up but also gives me an opportunity to form an emotional connection with my team. Ofc you can do this even with the Exp. All, but it does make things a bit more cumbersome when trying to ensure that certain team members aren't over-leveled.
 
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I think they're trying too hard to impose the DS's soundchip limitations on themselves against the spirit of this being an updated remake on less limited hardware with many other (unwanted) modernizations made.
I would've loved to hear my favorite Sinnoh tunes adapted to more capable hardware, one of the main draws of LGPE is the remixed Kanto themes. But instead we've got 90s PC quality music paired with modern 3D graphics.

It's so paradoxical the way they make a lot of tacky and weird decisions out of obsession to be accurate to the originals, but then make weird changes that make no sense anyway.
They sloppily tack on the original Poketch as an overlay instead of adapting it's features for a single screen game because they want to preserve the nostalgia. But then they completely mutilate secret bases and the underground which was one of the things I remember best about Sinnoh.
They go out of their way to make the music sound tinny for nostalgia (why not just include a DS Sounds key item?). But force me to use a wild Pokemon who doesn't know me and doesn't give a toss about a tree blocking my way to use HMs, instead of one I've caught and trained to help me on my Pokemon journey.
They bring back single use TMs for nostalgia, but add autosave.
They give us controversial chibi graphics (which I don't mind) for nostalgia. But force Exp All, in a remake of a game which had it's content tuned around single Pokemon leveling, on us.
 
but i don't understand the practical benefits of having it off besides not overleveling (which i suppose is more of an issue with poor level scaling in pokemon games making it perhaps easy to overwhelm the AI than anything to do with exp share itself). but, as i mentioned, i feel that's influenced by my own thoughts of it being that pokemon games were never really that difficult to begin with. hm.
I personally prefer EXP share on myself, but the issue here is that gamefreak isn't giving an option to those who don't want it? All they had to do was make it a feature that could be turned on and off, and we would all win. This is simply another case of gamefreak's disconnect with the hardcore fanbase. Ala Battle Frontier. You know, I sort of wished Pokemon didn't explode into popularity since Go, because it seems gamefreak have become so focused on the casual fanbase that they seemingly push us to the side. I get it, Pokemon is for all, but they obviously did make a better effort back in the DS era, and something like this wouldn't have flown back then.

Regarding the game, I can't help but to feel disappointed. I think the art style has grown on me, and I do like following Pokemon and the few additions they have made. But why is character customisation so limited? There's only 4 outfits for the female character. And surely one of those could have been the platinum outfit? Why is the soundtrack so midi like? It should be orchestrated. Where are the more notable platinum features? I can't help but to see this game as a huge missed opportunity. Oh well. I'll buy it used down the line purely for nostalgia sake.
 
Regarding the game, I can't help but to feel disappointed. I think the art style has grown on me, and I do like following Pokemon and the few additions they have made. But why is character customisation so limited? There's only 4 outfits for the female character. And surely one of those could have been the platinum outfit? Why is the soundtrack so midi like? It should be orchestrated. Where are the more notable platinum features? I can't help but to see this game as a huge missed opportunity. Oh well. I'll buy it used down the line purely for nostalgia sake.

Do we know for certain that there are only four outfits, or is it possible that more will be unlocked as we progress through the game?
 
Do we know for certain that there are only four outfits, or is it possible that more will be unlocked as we progress through the game?
I hope so! I also hope the comments about the music isn't true, and that the release copy will have a much better OST.
 
Ok so... I am starting to get a lot of... mixed feelings... for these remakes.

I don't mind the Exp. All. It's not a problem for me.

I don't mind one-use TMs if there are easy ways to get many of them (but at the same time I think it is a weird decision to ditch infinite TMs. Like, why? Unless it is something they intend for all future games also).

What I don't like, is that the Pokétch has reverted to 1 button only, when Platinum had fixed that. This is just stupid.

And what's even more stupid, is the decision to restrict Amity Square to cute Pokemon only. I just can't believe they kept this restriction!

I was really hyped for BDSP, and I guess I still am, but my hype has definitely decreased after the most recent news.
 
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I hope so! I also hope the comments about the music isn't true, and that the release copy will have a much better OST.

A review I just watched seemed to imply that there are more outfits. Maybe the four outfits seen in the footage were the only ones the player had purchased so far.

It seems like they're going for a MIDI-like style for the battle themes, while the town and route themes have a more organic-sounding orchestral style.

Ok so... I am starting to get a lot of... mixed feelings... for these remakes.

I don't mind the Exp. All. It's not a problem for me.

I don't mind one-use TMs if there are easy ways to get many of them (but at the same time I think it is a weird decision to ditch infinite TMs. Like, why? Unless it is a something they intend for all future games also).

What I don't like, is that the Pokétch has reverted to 1 button only, when Platinum had fixed that. This is just stupid.

And what's even more stupid, is the decision to restrict Amity Square to cute Pokemon only. In a game that already has all the models programmed as following Pokemon in the overworld. I just can't believe they did this!

I was really hyped for BDSP, and I guess I still am, but my hype has definitely decreased after the most recent news.

I'm really disappointed about Amity Square. If all Pokemon had been allowed, it would have been like Pokemon Camp but better. Perhaps having six Wailord following you would cause frame-rate drops? I should have smelled a Rattata when the trailer showed only cute Pokemon, but I thought that was just a homage to the original games.

I'm also not keen on TMs being single-use, but it's not a huge deal as long as you can easily get more of them.

It's a shame the Poketch doesn't have two buttons but on the plus side, I'm really glad that you can choose whether to have it on the screen or not. I was worried it might be there all the time like Sword and Shield's Y-Comm.

None of these things deterred me from pre-ordering Brilliant Diamond last night. I'm still very excited!
 
But why is character customisation so limited? There's only 4 outfits for the female character. And surely one of those could have been the platinum outfit?
We know there are a few more outfits than the ones we’ve seen listed in the shop menu (here’s evidence), but at the same time, I probably wouldn’t expect more than we saw in Let’s Go because it’s obviously just a small feature that they came up with to replace the Game Corner. Very likely it was not a huge development priority.
 
I'm kind of sad that amity square is restricted again, and if all Pokemon have following models, then why do it? Breakable TMs are annoying, but it's easy to get around if they're more plentiful like people are saying. I wonder how you access the Pokétch though, like what button you use? The Exp share being permanent is odd, they really should at least give the option to turn it off, but as I am planning to do a Nuzlocke for my first play through, I am okay with it.
 
Kids don’t like it when others look down on them just because they’re kids, and the current philosophy of the Pokémon games kind of unintentionally does that.

This is true, but at the same time, I don’t think all kids necessarily go into a Pokémon game looking to be challenged. Like, I think a kid could play a more difficult game for the challenge and also play Pokémon for the fun adventure with cool/cute monsters, and enjoy both for those different reasons. Other kids might not have any interest in challenging games at all - not because they aren’t capable, but just because their preference is for a more fun/easygoing experience. Maybe some kids care more about things like the collection aspect.

They sloppily tack on the original Poketch as an overlay instead of adapting it's features for a single screen game because they want to preserve the nostalgia.

idk I thought the solution to the Pokétch was basically fine, although the one-button setup is dumb. (Though I’m still holding out hope you can cycle through the apps in either direction using ZL/ZR.) I’m not really sure how else they could have gone about implementing it.

I wonder how you access the Pokétch though, like what button you use?

Press Y
 
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I am aware that there are people who don't like that you can't turn off the EXP. Share. Here's an idea: You don't HAVE to win every fight. I'm sure there will be trainers that you can skip. I don't really care as much. Also, I think Game Freak is doing this because they want kids to be able to have. Not everyone plays games for the challenge.
 
idk I thought the solution to the Pokétch was basically fine, although the one-button setup is dumb. (Though I’m still holding out hope you can cycle through the apps in either direction using ZL/ZR.) I’m not really sure how else they could have gone about implementing it.
Most things could fit in a menu like the Pokegear and Pokenav on the GBC/A. Step counter could be a small overlay enabled by such menu and dowsing could be assigned a button which pings the overworld in a similar fashion to underground dowsing.
 
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