A prehistoric game?

[Celer]

I can't resist this idea. They have made so many fossil Pokemon, they should just make a prehistoric game! So how's this for an idea?
The time travelling capabilities of the Pokemon universe, so adequately flaunted throughout the series, is used to send researchers into the past to study Pokemon evolution and human development (including some legends, maybe?).
What would you do with a set up like that?

 

[chimera]

That.
Would be freaking epic.

 

[Celer]

And imagine this!
Giovanni and a contingent of Rocketers would be financing it and would go back into the past posing as researchers as a chance to wreak havoc and become all powerful.
I think that would be a good compromise between the small-scale and grandiose plots that Pokemon seems to be struggling with.

 

[Ghetsis-Dennis]

The problem with this idea is that all Prehistoric Pokemon will be part rock, not to mention ruin the Fire-Water-Grass cycle when given rock as a secondary type.

 

[Celer]

Yeah, but they weren't made of rock before they became fossilized. It would require some changing of types. It could be fascinating. Aerodactyl would become the Dragon type it always wanted to be. And Kabutops could be Bug and Water... It would be fun.

 

[Space Opera]

It sounds nice at first, but then I think about the technicalities. If this is an idea for a game, we have to stick to current game principles, right? I can't imagine there would be running shoes, or bicycles, and I wouldn't imagine trading to and from that game would be easy (or possible). If you're talking about your character going back in time fully equipped, then I wouldn't like the idea - it seems to much of a change from the normal games, starting out with everything you need, or for everything you need to be bought along by NPCs who are also from the future. If a time-travel Pokémon game were to be made, I'd rather it be set in medieval times instead of prehistoric times.

 

[johntheChristian]

To fix the continuity problems, changing of the types and all that, you could just cut it off from the main series. Make it a side game with similar gameplay to the original, but not interconnected. That way you can have your dragon aerodactyl without throwing off the main series mechanics at all.

 

[Celer]

You could just treat the Pokemon caught in different games as different Pokemon. So Prehistoric Aerodactyl would be treated as a different Pokemon from Revived Aerodactyl and they would keep their separate identities as they were traded from game to game.
And there would still have to be a world to navigate and people to meet. There could be research camps set up around the region (Pangaea!) and with a world like that, it wouldn't be odd for a researcher half-way across the region to give you the item you need.

 

[The Knights of Wario Land]

This is a really awesome idea, and it would be a much-more interesting sidegame than the Pokemon Ranger games.

 

[Missingno. Master]

I would like time travel to be an element of future Pokemon games. Instead of reviving fossils, some researcher invents a time machine and sends you back in time so you can actually catch stuff like Omanyte, Archen, and Lileep, and maybe even some non-fossil stuff that's known to have existed since way back then, like Relicanth and Magikarp.

 

[League]

I can't resist this idea. They have made so many fossil Pokemon, they should just make a prehistoric game! So how's this for an idea?
The time travelling capabilities of the Pokemon universe, so adequately flaunted throughout the series, is used to send researchers into the past to study Pokemon evolution and human development (including some legends, maybe?).
What would you do with a set up like that?

And imagine this!
Giovanni and a contingent of Rocketers would be financing it and would go back into the past posing as researchers as a chance to wreak havoc and become all powerful.
I think that would be a good compromise between the small-scale and grandiose plots that Pokemon seems to be struggling with.

Yeah, but they weren't made of rock before they became fossilized. It would require some changing of types. It could be fascinating. Aerodactyl would become the Dragon type it always wanted to be. And Kabutops could be Bug and Water... It would be fun.

Generally, I like your original idea (the Team Rocket Time Travel Caper!), so I'll use my energy to object to objections to your original idea.

It sounds nice at first, but then I think about the technicalities. If this is an idea for a game, we have to stick to current game principles, right? I can't imagine there would be running shoes, or bicycles, and I wouldn't imagine trading to and from that game would be easy (or possible). If you're talking about your character going back in time fully equipped, then I wouldn't like the idea - it seems to much of a change from the normal games, starting out with everything you need, or for everything you need to be bought along by NPCs who are also from the future. If a time-travel Pokémon game were to be made, I'd rather it be set in medieval times instead of prehistoric times.

I think you could get running shoes at the beginning of the game; the bike would be unnecessary. Travel seems like a handy thing for Pokemon anyway. Items can be scattered around the ground as they tend to be in the current games; as for gift items, there are two obvious candidates; defeated Rocket members, and gratuitous and friendly pokemon.

You could just treat the Pokemon caught in different games as different Pokemon. So Prehistoric Aerodactyl would be treated as a different Pokemon from Revived Aerodactyl and they would keep their separate identities as they were traded from game to game.
And there would still have to be a world to navigate and people to meet. There could be research camps set up around the region (Pangaea!) and with a world like that, it wouldn't be odd for a researcher half-way across the region to give you the item you need.

That sounds like a dilution of your original idea (the Team Rocket Time Travel Caper!), and so I must object, as I said I would. I don't see how researchers could be back in time at the same time, unless all these things were originally their plans (with Team Rocket scheming to join in as well).

If anything, there could be researchers "lost in time," who preceded you and got stuck in the past (and left back nifty clues, preserved for ages). (Though I suppose that there could be camps though, if some scientists and explorers went before you--there could also be travelers to come after you to give you and items and such things--so eh.)

And don't get me started on Aerodactyl. Aerodacytl, not being a fossil, would at best lose its Rock type, not its Flying type. (And I've heard serious scientists issue doubt as to the identity of the pterodactyl as a winged reptile anyway--generally, those who study birds.)

 

[Thanatos]

I would like time travel to be an element of future Pokemon games. Instead of reviving fossils, some researcher invents a time machine and sends you back in time so you can actually catch stuff like Omanyte, Archen, and Lileep, and maybe even some non-fossil stuff that's known to have existed since way back then, like Relicanth and Magikarp.

The Magikarps would probably be really powerful to. just like the pokedex entries.We will ignore the fact that loads of pokedex entrys are false.

 

[Georgie Pie]

Actually, the first thing that popped into my head upon reading the thread title was "That would make a fun Mystery Dungeon game!" I realize that everyone seems to be really set on a human-centric story, with the Rockets and all, but it could be a lot of fun to have that be part of the MD series too!

Like, I never understood how fossil Pokemon existed in the MD games. They only exist in the main series because human researchers revived them. A part of a MD plot could be defeating Celebi as a boss Pokemon, and gaining the ability to travel to "Prehistoric Land" with an item or some such. There you could befriend fossil Pokemon, get exclusive items, and maybe have a boss battle with, say, Aerodactyl. Or a legendary like Regigigas that has that "ancient" kind of theme.

 

[Jukain]

I like this idea, although I don't understand why TR has to be the villian other than you just like them. Unfortunately, no other team was as prevalent and also wouldn't have a reason for going after the original versions of fossil pokemon. The only alternative would be for it to be another new team. I like the idea otherwise, if written correctly. It starts out innocent enough, you're just out to explore the past and capture pokemon, but somehow, you discover sinister things afoot. You are actually helping known criminals, but you realize if you face them, they have your only means to return to the present, and you could be stuck in the past forever. Regardless, you must stop them before they amass an army of super powerful pokemon.

Indeed, the whole item thing would be an issue unless the "researchers" have already set up camps where they have stores of supplies for you to take. Since you were hired by this team, every pokemon you catch gets you money. Some of the researchers will even want to test the capabilities of these pokemon, also getting you money. I say this because of course, these people won't be offering these items for free, not unless they're a key item or something. They will have set up healing devices as well, so you can use that as a PokeCenter. If you have too many pokemon to carry, it will be transported to a special location that will serve as storage. I also have this interesting idea where once the team figures out what you're up to, they will block off your reserves, and you are left with only what you have on you. I'd presume this would be an endgame scenario, since it would serve well as a "point of no return". Eventually, you will have to release all of the pokemon, including the ones you may have gathered. This would lead to the realization that you can't take what team you have with you, and once you have to destroy the time machine, you will also have to release your team back into the past. This is probably the issue that would make this implausible as a main series game.

As for what bosses you would face, I imagine at first, you would be led to certain locations where a strong pokemon awaits you, and you must capture it. Once you find out about the operation, you may gain the task of fighting the team. Instead of having a final Elite Four challenge, you storm the fortress. You return to the present in a mad scramble to free the pokemon and stop the team before it's too late. I imagine they somehow tricked you into capturing a legendary from ancient times, maybe even the original form of Genesect. You face the admins and the boss, who, like N, uses the powerful pokemon against you.

Finally, the pokemon themselves. I would also be inclined to replace the "Rock" type since they're no longer fossils, and have it be replaced with something else where it applies. I wonder about including pokemon that simply look prehistoric, such as Tyranitar and Sceptile. I'd put in Yanmega and Scolipede just because it makes sense to me. (They're both based on ancient insects) I'm not sure if there's enough pokemon already in all of that to have a decent dex. If there isn't, I suppose some new ones would have to be made. Maybe even a starter set just for this. Bonus points for pokemon that are a more primitive version of pokemon that exist in our time. The situation would make catching them all only seem like a 100% completion sort of thing. There would be little point to it since you can't keep what you catch. In order to facilitate the battlers, there would have to be a way to save before the point of no return occurs, and no more pokemon can be caught past the point of no return. This way, you can still train and battle to your leisure, although we would have the issue that such games could only have PvP with themselves, and no other game in the series could interact with it because of the time issue. The only appeal would be to battle with ancient pokemon, and it would have to have a meta separate from the main game's meta.

This is how I think this could work, although I honestly believe it to be better as a fanfic than an actual game, but what do I know?

 

[winstein]

This is a very bright idea! Seeing the fossil Pokémon in a different way is something I would like to see. As some had previously mentioned, their Rock-type will be generally gone, so I can see some type changes for the prehistoric Pokémon like Cradily being a Grass/Water. Some I think will retain their types, particularly Omastar and Kabutops since their shells are rocky. It's also nice to see some primitive versions of current Pokémon. We do have some now, like Mamoswine, Tangrowth and Yanmega. Crocodilians are known to rarely change in their evolution, so Krookodile and Feraligatr are probably going to be the same.

In terms of technology though, if it takes place in prehistoric times, I can see it being harder to apply because technology wasn't as good as now, but if technology from the future is brought to the past, then I can see the barrier being a non-issue.

A lot of potential in this idea of Pokémon taking place in ancient, prehistoric times. I like it.

Thanks for reading.

 

[H-con]

Why Team Rocket? Why an evil team? Why use something as uncreative as that to spin a moral tale about it? It makes no sense to me at least, why even bother spending resources on traveling back in time to steal pokémon when they can do it in the present?

In addition, making a game prehistoric does limit the pokémon available. Pokémon like Mamoswine might be old, but not even mammoths lived for millions of years ago, at least on the scale we're talking. Creating a bunch of new, prehistoric pokémon is a waste of effort, the resources could instead have been used on developing a proper plot in the present. But then again, they would have no excuse for not putting a Mew in it...

Besides, I don't think the timescale you refer to is best when trying to explore pokémon myths. Many myths are based on quite recent events, at least in a historic view. I don't believe spinning a story around exactly how the universe was created or the continents and the sea came into being is a very good idea.


Considering how a lot of the myths revolving specific legendary pokémon are relatively present, it would be far better to not stick with one specific time, but rather jump around a bit. This way, not only one specific legend can be investigated, giving the game more depth. You could involve Ecruteak (Brass Tower fire, creation of the beasts), creation of the Regis, the war mentioned in the Musketeer legend, explore deeper the tale of the two heroes in Unova (amongst other things) and perhaps even Mewtwo's creation and the creation of the Unown to name some. Doing it this way doesn't give you a real reason to hinder pokémon selection, as I doubt it has changed over the course of 2000-3000 years. 20-60 million years is a bit more.

The obvious problem with doing this way is how to spin the tales together, and I can't really see a way at the moment to do this elegantly. Another problem is how each separate plot might be a bit thin, you might not get enough to piece together a credible sub-plot. However, something like this gives you an unprecedented ability to explore pokémon mythology, especially the tales that aren't so deeply explored, not that too many are that anyways.

A game without gyms and evil teams would be excellent, and break a way too old formula of repetition, but I don't think a prehistoric game is the way to go, yet the concept of time travel isn't bad.

 

[Composer]

I would rather see a Pokemon game set in a paralel universe,not past. Still it's a very good idea,and I can see all those Chatots flying beside Aerodactyls.

 

[SolgaleoGX]

I've actually thought about this before, or of something similar. A region that has pretty much remained frozen in time in which many ancient Pokemon still exist and many have been brought back to life to expand the wildlife, or more closely recreate it to what it once was millenia ago.

Thing is, the idea sound a tad Jurassic Park-ish to me..

 

[Proxima Centauri B]

The idea of a Pokemon game set in an ancient region with all ancient/extinct Pokemon is very fascinating. Id probably play it, but at the same time, it dosent really make sense.