Improvements to Pokemon games

[ange]

Do you think there need to be some Pokemon games that cater to an older audience, instead of all of them targeting children?

Isn't this more of a Western idea than anything? I'm pretty sure Pokemon was always meant to be enjoyed by everyone; Game Freak just has to consider all age groups, which is why it may look like it's targeted towards a younger audience.

Having that said, I do think the newer games hold your hand a bit too much. Hand holding in games isn't fun at all, but getting stuck and lost once in awhile and having to go figure out things on your own is and I want to experience more of that in Pokemon games.

Another thing that I'd like to change is how HM moves works. Another post in this thread mentioned the idea of skills, and I could totally get behind this idea. Instead of always having to waste a move slot for a HM move, you let your Pokemon have it as a skill instead. If you still want to teach a HM move to a Pokemon normally (like Surf or Waterfall), you can of course do that too.

 

[Shiny Porygon]

^ Yes, Masuda and Takeshi Kawachimaru (planner for BW, designer for RS) have talked about IVs, EVs, Platinum's Battle Frontier, etc. as appealing to older folks.

What do you think the biggest fault of the Pokemon video game series is?
Probably the difficulty and tedium of the battle prep (uncovering map, breeding, grinding...) compared to the actual battles, which are not as hard as they could be.

Do you think that the Pokemon main series formula is due for an overhaul? If so, what parts do you think need to be changed the most?
With the above fault, I do think it is due for an overhaul. There needs to be an open world with no roadblocks - this ensures maximum team choice what with Ice-types, Dragon-types, etc. needlessly kept out of reach as it is. Keep the league as something to be pursued at the player's convenience, and make a busy gameworld full of NPCs to help, crimes to stop/get involved in, facilities to battle, careers to pursue, etc.

What kind of Pokemon game do you want to see the most, personally?
I'm fine with it being an RPG. Could do with a bigger, open world with many places to explore (just like real-world cities, forests, etc. but Pokémon-oriented), many more NPCs including shops and services, diversity in NPCs' languages and names (lots of places use the Latin alphabet outside Europe), fewer inventory restrictions, and the like.

Do you think Pokemon games are in need of a better plot?
One that isn't intrusive on the player's ability to explore, yes.

Do you think Pokemon games are in need of better gameplay? If so, what parts of the gameplay do you think need to be changed?
I'm content enough with the battle system, although worse Pokémon could do with some toys (items, status moves...). The badge quest, as I've said, could do with more choices.

Do you think there are too many Pokemon? If no, when do you think Pokemon should stop being introduced, if at all?
No and never. There are far more than 700 animals, plants, fungi, other lifeforms, objects, pop culture references, mythical creatures, possibilities to combine those, etc. For comparison, 2E and 3E Dungeons and Dragons had 9,000+ (meme not intended) creatures, usually all well-received. That figure includes 100+ Dragons (with age categories separate, so all "fully-evolved"), etc. GF have said their inspirations come from everywhere.

Do you think there need to be some Pokemon games that cater to an older audience, instead of all of them targeting children? If so, why?
See top - GF have aimed for a large audience, at least with Platinum. If mechanical complexity is not mature enough for people, then I can only suggest more choices.

 

[lugia61617]

I think it'd be an improvement if we could choose a town to start from, meaning we can challenge gyms in any order we choose with scaling teams for all trainers (but not wild pokemon). That and having an alternate endgame which ISN'T champion based. Say, becoming a regional ranger (Not Ranger-style, more like the kind you battle as NPCs) or a Contest Co-Ordinator (with all the different ranks spread across the region a la Ruby/Sapphire)

 

[Derp-Derp2]

My only issues are the short length of the main game.

lack of after E4 content

Lack of move tutors on starter games

Lack of HG /SS Poke balls. Especially now u can breed them but i cant get a moon ball on a HA pokemon

Unova link let me walk round my friends game but couldn't do anything.
What if! I could walk round and loot say the mega stones from his version that only i can see so he wouldn't loose his and cant the wild pokemon in his version that are not in mine. With a 2 player version of all areas / trainers so me and my m8 could play the whole game 2 player.

 

[Peeko]

This may be just me, but I loved HG/SS. I just wish that you could travel to all the regions in the game, including the Sevii Islands.

 

[u69413]

Antagonists:
Get rid of worthless, brain-dead grunts and make villainous teams small and consist of only important recurring members or have a solo villain.

Make the bad guys reasonable, smart and competent. They don't have to be solemn and they can even be a tad goofy so long as they don't spout idiotic, unrealistic or cliched lines or do dumb stuff. Goofy =/= stupid.

The bad guys shouldn't reveal and explain their plans and make the player figure out what they are themselves.

Don't make the bad guys' identities obvious and even make them someone the players wouldn't immediately suspect such as a gym leader, a rival or a friend.

The game gets boring once the bad guys are gone so have them stick around a bit longer after collecting eight badges and defeating the E5 then take them down.

Moves:
Make moves equippable. I don't want to use HM slaves, waste slots or fly around the region to pay someone to give my Pokemon amnesia.

Gym Leaders:
Give gym leaders six Pokemon and make half their team one type and the other half types to cover disadvantages.

Make them rematchable and tougher every rematch.

Give them depth and significance in the story like in BW1.

Customization:
Players shouldn't have to choose from three designs, there should be various hair/eye colors, hairstyles, skin tones, heights and body shapes to design the PC from the start.

Rivals/Friends:
Friends shouldn't be rivals and rivals shouldn't be friends. The PC can have traveling buddies that battle them sometimes, but the PC should also have a rival that's antagonistic and not their BFF to spice up things.

Make the rival and friends deep, interesting and cool and useful and important to the plot in some way.

Make them strong and confident. I don't want rivals/ friends with low self-esteem like Calem/Serena and May.

Give them goals. Preferably goals that relate to the story such as wanting to help you defeat the villains, wanting to become a good gym leader then owning a gym at the end and wanting to research Pokemon.

 

[Soulweaver]

Haven't read the other posts yet so might contain duplicate thoughts, though maybe that's a good thing.

What do you think the biggest fault of the Pokémon video game series is?

• Too linear and formulaic. You will know the main line of progress the instant you have your hands on the newest installation because it's just the same thing once again, just with new locations and Pokémon.
• Mostly weak storylines. Gen V was a somewhat positive exception.
• Related to the above, the conflict with the regional antagonist team seems often rather detached and unreal. Particularly, few NPCs ever care about helping or trying to handle the issue(s) while you're taking your time happily skipping through the region only caring about the gyms. I don't have any good suggestions to improve it myself (and I don't need to because I'm criticizing, not developing) without removing the general idea of baddies group from the plot in the first place, though.
• Very shallow game world in some aspects. Everything anyone ever talks about in-game is Pokémon. Are they really all there is to the NPC's lives? Also the way trainers always just "are there", never doing anything but maybe spinning in place; I realize it's quite difficult to replace, but if anything, it should at least be looked into. Seeing other players moving around in-game when online would make the world a less dull place for example.
• Give the game world more optional locations. They don't necessarily need to have any specific purpose other than to spice up the map a bit; Pacifidlog Town in Hoenn and Anville Town in Unova are the best attempts at this, but just one town isn't even nearly enough.
• Constantly throwing out loved features when developing new games. Too many examples to name.

Do you think that the Pokémon main series formula is due for an overhaul? If so, what parts do you think need to be changed the most?
Yeah. Stop always using the same eight-gyms-and-elite-four-and-regional-allegedly-evil-team scheme.

What kind of Pokémon game do you want to see the most, personally?
A game that provides something unique. Colosseum and XD on the GameCube were prime examples of a truly different Pokémon RPG. While I probably couldn't access them due to no interest in getting a Nintendo non-handheld system, I do hope a new game of their kind will be released in the future.

Do you think Pokémon games are in need of a better plot?
Definitely.

Do you think Pokémon games are in need of better gameplay? If so, what parts of the gameplay do you think need to be changed?
This is a tough question. I'd want to say "yes" but touching the very core of a series' most important mechanics is risky. The changes they've made in the past (a few new types, abilities, stat "specialization" via natures, Physical/Special split) have to my knowledge been seen as useful improvements, so their track record in this aspect is rather good.

One particular idea I've been throwing around in my head sometimes is the removal of the Pokémon's single Ability in favor of a similar "trait" system where species have a set of ability-like traits and a specific instance of that Pokémon could have some or all of them (some traits potentially always present). It would particularly fix design/gameplay inconsistencies like the Magnemite line not levitating without stripping them off of other useful abilities, but it could have potential for more.

Some probably also want to have the type chart balanced. I've never thought Pokémon is, in its core, a very good game for competitive play; it has been forged into a more suitable format by introducing various limitations such as the standard Sleep etc. Clauses to remove some of the randomness and highlight the player skill (I think I even saw a completely neutralized simulator somewhere where every random aspect was stripped off), but if the game is played "as is" it involves a moderate amount of luck. Thus I see a type chart revamp as just one more attempt to try to force it into being a competitive game, which I think is against its nature and thus I won't want that to happen.

Do you think there are too many Pokémon? If no, when do you think Pokemon should stop being introduced, if at all?
The more the merrier; I wouldn't have any problem with a few thousand distinct Pokémon species. But the Pokémon need to be meaningful. Baby Pokémon introduced after the generation the Pokémon was introduced are the worst thing ever; who the heck cares about Wynaut or Happiny or Mantyke? (Or Pichu and friends, though Gen II should probably be excluded for the lack of breeding in Gen I.) New evolutions to existing species should also be used sparingly and not like in Gen IV where they made up like a quarter of the newly added Pokémon.

Do you think there need to be some Pokémon games that cater to an older audience, instead of all of them targeting children? If so, why?
I could see it working. A game like that would probably give better possibilities for a more fleshed out plot line as well.

 

[Ellron]

The games have improved so much over the years, yet some old elements are left behind. Can you imagine what Ponemon Contests would be like if they were kept and advanced with each generation? Kurt might even have developed as few more wacky pokeball designs.

As for the future, I'd like to see Pokemon Contests return with moves that are utilized differently than while in combat. This could be done using this next idea, to add multiple type effects to Pokemon attacks. While some attacks may remain unchanged others, like Scald, would count as 75% Water, 25% Fire. Not only this, but have it so Pokemon resistances counted as a percentage when taking damage. For example, have it so the first Pokemon type accounts for 60% weakness/strength and it's secondary type would count for 40%.

Example: Venusaur is 60% Plant, 40% Poison. A 100% Fire attack would hit it harder than a 100% Psychic attack.

Still, immunities should remain unchanged, or at least have it so there's a very low % chance that an immunity would fail on multi-type Pokemon. For example, Gengar would have a 30% chance of being hit by Normal and Fighting attacks. Such effects would greatly impact combat in ways no previous games could compare.

As for Pokemon Contests, how moves are judged could utilize this multi-type system. For Example, a 100% Fire Type would produce larger flames using a 100% Fire Attack and thus gain a bit more points in a single category while multi-type Pokemon and moves may have a spread of lower points based on their typings.

I like this idea. Though people would probably find it rather complicated at first, it wouldn't be much more difficult that the current system once people start to get the hang of it. It would also add a bit more depth to battle strategy.

 

[Dorothy]

Others have made some of these points, but regardless:

- More save files. I always end up letting a file sit on the cart until the next gen because I don't want to lose all my Pokemon. Even one more save slot would be great.
- More customization. Gen VI was a good start, but more clothing options (for men especially), more hair options, more skintone options, and more options in general would be great.
- More to do post-game. Maybe several mini-plots, like the Looker story in XY - some of these could even be DLC.
- Keep the improvements that were made in previous games. HGSS-style Safari Zone, Join Avenue, Habitat List... all of these were great features that should have been carried over to future games, but weren't. If you have a feature that improves the experience of the game, it doesn't make sense not to retain them.

 

[Alola]

Rivals actually being formidable and having more than 3-4 party Pokemon for most of the story. Tired of seeing full teams post-game :/

 

[Bolt Strike]

- More save files. I always end up letting a file sit on the cart until the next gen because I don't want to lose all my Pokemon. Even one more save slot would be great.

Didn't Game Freak already say they're never doing this? At any rate, I would never expect them to implement multiple save files because then you can get infinite legendaries, Mega Stones, etc.

 

[Dorothy]

- More save files. I always end up letting a file sit on the cart until the next gen because I don't want to lose all my Pokemon. Even one more save slot would be great.

Didn't Game Freak already say they're never doing this? At any rate, I would never expect them to implement multiple save files because then you can get infinite legendaries, Mega Stones, etc.

Getting multiple legendaries is so commonplace now that it's no real reason not to have multiple save slots, and even Mega Stones aren't much of a concern, especially since only one Pokemon per trainer can Mega Evolve per battle.

 

[King Fissamé]

I like how XY is fast paced, and that you don't have to get a Pokemon to hold exp share because EXP Share is for all your Pokemon.

 

[SimH5]

Didn't Game Freak already say they're never doing this? At any rate, I would never expect them to implement multiple save files because then you can get infinite legendaries, Mega Stones, etc.

Well there are already ways to abuse that, mutliple save files will just make it easier. It's still a very small cost compared to let players replay the game without having to delete their save files. And GF can always go back on their word.

 

[Gard81]

What I would like is for the IV judge to be somewhere close to the Day Care, so I don't have to Fly every time I hatch an egg.

 

[MrMeowPuss]

I'd like to see the PWT included in each game, it would really extended the past game content which XY is lacking. I'd love to have a battle frontier of sorts for post game. Have buildings in certain towns that are not accessible until post E4 and instead of the original format, have them as more challenging battles with a level restriction.

Having difficultly levels would be great too but only if they're unlocked from the start. Only making them unlockable post game and having one save file made me reluctant to lose my 100+ hour save file.

 

[Joshawott]

Before the current gaming generation, I was mostly a Pokémon gamer that didn't venture into many other franchises but since I have had a chance to expand to many other games (both in terms of developer, genre and platform), my respect in Game Freak as a video game developer has actually decreased. One of the biggest problems I have with them is that instead of constantly thinking of how to improve the franchise, they simply strip things away and reintroduce them later (such as Move Tutors and Gym Leader rematches). For example, I imagine that the next Generation VI games will use features like StreetPass a lot better than XY, despite XY being fully capable of doing what the future games might.

In regards to the formula of the games, I honestly think the "Collect 8 Gym Badges, Challenge the Elite 4" thing is perfectly fine where it is. What I do think we need more of though, is in-depth narratives. I honestly don't think a "mature story" (in the sense most people mean) will do the franchise any favours. However, Black and White are my favourite Pokémon games of all time as a direct result of the depth given to Team Plasma and especially N - I felt that in that regard, XY were failures (AZ felt like nothing more than a watered down N).

One thing that I would like to see tried though, is a less linear region. For example, maybe giving the player the option of two different possible starting towns and the ability to travel the region in any order they choose, with the level of wild Pokémon and trainer's Pokémon being determined by say, how many Gym Badges you have? Then, only have story-related sections locked by level and location, to stop the player from beating the villain team before they have a single badge.

I would also like to see the main game made harder or at the very least, give us a Challenge Mode from the beginning (unlike Black 2, which only lets us access it after the main game, which is pointless). Also, I'd quite like to see the Elite 4 and possibly even Gym Leaders specialise in strategies as opposed to type (An Elite 4 specialising in Sun, Hail, Sandstorm, Rain and Trick Room makes too much sense to not exist yet). I also think that the final Gym Leader has no excuse for not having a full team of six.

Also, can the next game have just as many clothing options for the guys as there is for girls please?

 

[Norzan]

I wish the story in future pokemon games are as interesting as the first two Mystery Dungeon games, now those were some entertaining and interesting plots, so far the plot of the main series have been mediocre at best. Also instead of using the single type gyms they should have gyms based around themes or strategies, so it stops being "get a pokemon with a type advantage against a certain gym and sweep with it".

 

[Almonds]

Rivals actually being formidable and having more than 3-4 party Pokemon for most of the story. Tired of seeing full teams post-game :/

Rival battles that I want:

Battle 1 - 1 (starter)
Battle 2 - 2
Battle 3 - 3
Battle 4 - 4
Battle 5 - 5
Final battle (main story) - 6

It would be wonderful to see them change their team. Only Blue and maybe Barry did that... Adding teammates one by one as you progress the story seems better - and shows that the rival is also travelling just like you. More relatable

 

[Alola]

Rivals actually being formidable and having more than 3-4 party Pokemon for most of the story. Tired of seeing full teams post-game :/

Rival battles:

Battle 1 - 1 (starter)
Battle 2 - 2
Battle 3 - 3
Battle 4 - 4
Battle 5 - 5
Final battle (main story) - 6

It would be wonderful to see them change their team. Only Blue and maybe Barry did that..

...Are you referring to Calem/Serena? Because if you are, you're severely wrong my friend.

The first (Tower of Mastery), second (Coumarine City), and third battle (Route 14) with them features them only having 3 Pokemon.

The fourth battle features them with 4, but all the tag battles near that have them only utilize 4, while you should have a full party at that point...

The 5th (and final one of the main story) has them with only 5.

So, 4/5 battles they have 3-4 Pokemon, that equals most of the story.


Anyways, I agree about them using different Pokemon. They really should have utilized their second starter and the fossil.