If development on that build had continued I wonder if Houndour & Houndoom would have still gotten a dark type buff. We know there's at least a few stragglers; Vulpix is "water", Hoothoot & Noctowl are pure flying, Punicorn is literally on fire so it probably wasnt meant to be Normal, I dunno if Ballirina was meant to be normal either.
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(Little) Things that annoy you in Pokémon
- Thread starter BriarRose
- Start date
Probably either just a gameplay mechanic that doesnt relate to lore.
Or: normal sun conditions = normal power (aka nothing changes)
Harsh sunlight = more effective power surge but at the cost of overheating heliolisk, harming it.
Dry skin is probably for harnessing energy out of thunderstorms vs the sun, a bit of a stretch I admit but not something impossible
Inspired by a recent post in another thread:
In-game trades are notoriously often quite useful, especially in the earlier gens - in Gen I, Farfetch'd, Mr. Mime, Jynx, and Lickitung could only be obtained from in-game trades (at least until Yellow made a couple of those available in the wild). Gen II continues the theme, with most of the traded species being ones that are hard to find (like Aerodactyl) or useful against whichever gym is coming up next (like the Onix in Violet City or the Machop in Goldenrod City). Also, the NPCs often ask for quite common species which can be easily caught nearby, making them fairly achievable for most players.
So I remain puzzled as to why Gen III and IV crapped the bed so badly. The trades in these games are a definite downgrade from the games that came before them.
-Slakoth for Makuhita in Rustboro City is admittedly not too bad, though it's not as if the player really needs extra options against Roxanne given the abundance of Grass and Water types in the early-game, and Slakoth is fairly uncommon so can take a while to obtain. Still, it's underwhelming given that Makuhita can be caught about ten minutes after beating Roxanne. Why not Meditite, since it comes much, much later on?
-Emerald makes this worse when the trader asks for a Ralts instead, which is even harder to find. You get a Seedot in exchange, which is also rare but catchable on the same route as Ralts - and can be made more common via record mixing. Still, Ralts for Seedot is a definite downgrade.
-Pikachu for Skitty in Fortree City is at least a fairly common Pokemon for a less common one, though still not brilliant. Pikachu can't be caught until after the player arrives in Fortree, and is more useful against Winona than Skitty is.
-Emerald makes this a Volbeat for Plusle swap instead. Both are hugely uncommon with a 1% appearance rate on their respective routes, but Volbeat is actually harder to find since the player can make use of Static outside of battle to encounter more Electric-type Pokemon.
-Bellossom for Corsola in Pacifidlog Town. Corsola is not terribly common, but Bellossom evolves with an item you can only get once (Ruby players can farm them from Solrock, but bad luck if you're playing Sapphire), so it's an incredibly uneven trade.
-Emerald turns this into Bagon for Horsea, which absolutely sucks. A powerful and rare Pokemon for one that's less powerful and less rare.
-Emerald also adds Skitty for Meowth, which is in the spirit of the older games, being a pokemon you can't otherwise encounter, so that's good.
As a final insult, all the traded mons in RSE have terrible IVs, being all 4 and 5 across the board (FRLG's are generally much higher, ranging from the mid-teens to the late twenties).
DPP somehow is even worse:
-Machop for Abra is meh. I guess it makes getting an Abra easier for those who didn't pick Chimchar?
-Buizel for Chatot is the sole semi-decent trade of the game, Buizel is super common right outside Eterna City while Chatot is useful against Gardenia and can't otherwise be caught until much later in the game.
-There's the infamous Haunter-holding-an-Everstone trade which has enraged players for more than a decade
-Finneon for Magikarp is dumb (though gets a pass for being a novelty which shows off the language feature)
All the mons in this game have IVs of 15 and 20 across the board, which isn't totally terrible.
BW and B2W2 had mostly quite excellent trades across the board, as do XY and all games after it. ORAS improved the Fortree trade by making it the much more common Spinda for Skitty rather than Pikachu, so it seems like someone in development agreed with me that it wasn't a great one.
But yeah, what gives?
In-game trades are notoriously often quite useful, especially in the earlier gens - in Gen I, Farfetch'd, Mr. Mime, Jynx, and Lickitung could only be obtained from in-game trades (at least until Yellow made a couple of those available in the wild). Gen II continues the theme, with most of the traded species being ones that are hard to find (like Aerodactyl) or useful against whichever gym is coming up next (like the Onix in Violet City or the Machop in Goldenrod City). Also, the NPCs often ask for quite common species which can be easily caught nearby, making them fairly achievable for most players.
So I remain puzzled as to why Gen III and IV crapped the bed so badly. The trades in these games are a definite downgrade from the games that came before them.
-Slakoth for Makuhita in Rustboro City is admittedly not too bad, though it's not as if the player really needs extra options against Roxanne given the abundance of Grass and Water types in the early-game, and Slakoth is fairly uncommon so can take a while to obtain. Still, it's underwhelming given that Makuhita can be caught about ten minutes after beating Roxanne. Why not Meditite, since it comes much, much later on?
-Emerald makes this worse when the trader asks for a Ralts instead, which is even harder to find. You get a Seedot in exchange, which is also rare but catchable on the same route as Ralts - and can be made more common via record mixing. Still, Ralts for Seedot is a definite downgrade.
-Pikachu for Skitty in Fortree City is at least a fairly common Pokemon for a less common one, though still not brilliant. Pikachu can't be caught until after the player arrives in Fortree, and is more useful against Winona than Skitty is.
-Emerald makes this a Volbeat for Plusle swap instead. Both are hugely uncommon with a 1% appearance rate on their respective routes, but Volbeat is actually harder to find since the player can make use of Static outside of battle to encounter more Electric-type Pokemon.
-Bellossom for Corsola in Pacifidlog Town. Corsola is not terribly common, but Bellossom evolves with an item you can only get once (Ruby players can farm them from Solrock, but bad luck if you're playing Sapphire), so it's an incredibly uneven trade.
-Emerald turns this into Bagon for Horsea, which absolutely sucks. A powerful and rare Pokemon for one that's less powerful and less rare.
-Emerald also adds Skitty for Meowth, which is in the spirit of the older games, being a pokemon you can't otherwise encounter, so that's good.
As a final insult, all the traded mons in RSE have terrible IVs, being all 4 and 5 across the board (FRLG's are generally much higher, ranging from the mid-teens to the late twenties).
DPP somehow is even worse:
-Machop for Abra is meh. I guess it makes getting an Abra easier for those who didn't pick Chimchar?
-Buizel for Chatot is the sole semi-decent trade of the game, Buizel is super common right outside Eterna City while Chatot is useful against Gardenia and can't otherwise be caught until much later in the game.
-There's the infamous Haunter-holding-an-Everstone trade which has enraged players for more than a decade
-Finneon for Magikarp is dumb (though gets a pass for being a novelty which shows off the language feature)
All the mons in this game have IVs of 15 and 20 across the board, which isn't totally terrible.
BW and B2W2 had mostly quite excellent trades across the board, as do XY and all games after it. ORAS improved the Fortree trade by making it the much more common Spinda for Skitty rather than Pikachu, so it seems like someone in development agreed with me that it wasn't a great one.
But yeah, what gives?
To be more specific, of the four Pokemon that were Trade-exclusive in Red and Green(and thus our Red and Blue)
-Lickitung(in the Safari Zone) and Jynx(in Seafoam Islands) could be found in the wild in the Japanese Blue version. Farfetch'd was still Trade-only
-Yellow also had Lickitung(this time in Cerulean Cave), and added in wild Farfetch'd(On routes 12 and 13). Jynx cannot be obtained in Yellow at all, since the trade for on was removed.
-This makes Mr. Mime the only Pokemon that is impossible to obtained natively in Gen I that is forced to always have a Nickname(Not including glitches that can generate almost any Pokemon). In non-Japanese versions, this is also true for Jynx. We couldn't get non-nicknamed Mr. Mime until Gen II(and also Jynx outside of Japan).
I hate how GF got away with version exclusives and locked events for over 20 years
It's not "Gotta Catch em all" (I'm aware post Gen 3 dropped that slogan) when a good 30% have to be traded
Event mons almost always are shiny locked too
Why not just...have all mons (bar DLC) on 1 cart now?
It's not "Gotta Catch em all" (I'm aware post Gen 3 dropped that slogan) when a good 30% have to be traded
Event mons almost always are shiny locked too
Why not just...have all mons (bar DLC) on 1 cart now?
Because SOCIALIZATION!
At least in Sword and Shield there's a very limited amount of Pokémon you can only get by trading. It's not perfect, but it's an improvement.
This is why I hope that, assuming it lives up to the hype, Legends Arceus does super well, on par with the average mainline entry. This might be the only chance we'll ever get to finally gut this antiquated, anti-consumer trash
At least we have ROM hacks now. If I was a kid in the 90s trying to catch them all in Red/Blue, and I found out that I was locked out of that goal without someone to trade with or multiple systems, I'd be pissed. Now, I just shrug and use an emulator/hack to get the experience I'm missing out on.
I don't even think you can see all 150 (sans Mew) in gen 1 without trading. No trainer in the game has a Golem
I mean, it's gen 1. Obtaining all 151, plus a few extra, is possible one way or another.
Ok so
I have Pokemon Sword. I recently got the entirety of the Crown Tundra pokedex. That’s cool, good for me! But then i think, hey what if i got the Isle of Armor dex too?! So I mosey on over to Bulbapedia to check the number of pokemon. It’s 196, ok, thats fine.
But guess what the last pokemon is? You’re thinking, Urshifu right? It’s the mascot! Calyrex and Eternatus (and to an extent, the hero dogs) are vital legendary pokemon to the stories of Homeland Galar and the Crown Tundra. So Urshifu should be last right? WRONG. Of all things...it’s fucking ZARUDE.
To say i was extremely frustrated would be an understatement for sure.
Why? WHY?! Why is a mythical pokemon, which people who signed up to recieve couldnt get anyway through a shitty email redeem failure, a requirement to complete the Isle if Armor Pokedex?! They didn’t allow Keldeo to be in the dex even though it was actually obtainable! Why does this have to be a thing?! WHY?!
I have Pokemon Sword. I recently got the entirety of the Crown Tundra pokedex. That’s cool, good for me! But then i think, hey what if i got the Isle of Armor dex too?! So I mosey on over to Bulbapedia to check the number of pokemon. It’s 196, ok, thats fine.
But guess what the last pokemon is? You’re thinking, Urshifu right? It’s the mascot! Calyrex and Eternatus (and to an extent, the hero dogs) are vital legendary pokemon to the stories of Homeland Galar and the Crown Tundra. So Urshifu should be last right? WRONG. Of all things...it’s fucking ZARUDE.
To say i was extremely frustrated would be an understatement for sure.
Why? WHY?! Why is a mythical pokemon, which people who signed up to recieve couldnt get anyway through a shitty email redeem failure, a requirement to complete the Isle if Armor Pokedex?! They didn’t allow Keldeo to be in the dex even though it was actually obtainable! Why does this have to be a thing?! WHY?!
It isn't required to complete the dex anymore than Magearna & Marshadow are required for the Alola Dex. Mythics are always "bonus"Ok so
I have Pokemon Sword. I recently got the entirety of the Crown Tundra pokedex. That’s cool, good for me! But then i think, hey what if i got the Isle of Armor dex too?! So I mosey on over to Bulbapedia to check the number of pokemon. It’s 196, ok, thats fine.
But guess what the last pokemon is? You’re thinking, Urshifu right? It’s the mascot! Calyrex and Eternatus (and to an extent, the hero dogs) are vital legendary pokemon to the stories of Homeland Galar and the Crown Tundra. So Urshifu should be last right? WRONG. Of all things...it’s fucking ZARUDE.
To say i was extremely frustrated would be an understatement for sure.
Why? WHY?! Why is a mythical pokemon, which people who signed up to recieve couldnt get anyway through a shitty email redeem failure, a requirement to complete the Isle if Armor Pokedex?! They didn’t allow Keldeo to be in the dex even though it was actually obtainable! Why does this have to be a thing?! WHY?!
also mythics tend to be the end of their respective dexes anyway.
Ok so
I have Pokemon Sword. I recently got the entirety of the Crown Tundra pokedex. That’s cool, good for me! But then i think, hey what if i got the Isle of Armor dex too?! So I mosey on over to Bulbapedia to check the number of pokemon. It’s 196, ok, thats fine.
But guess what the last pokemon is? You’re thinking, Urshifu right? It’s the mascot! Calyrex and Eternatus (and to an extent, the hero dogs) are vital legendary pokemon to the stories of Homeland Galar and the Crown Tundra. So Urshifu should be last right? WRONG. Of all things...it’s fucking ZARUDE.
To say i was extremely frustrated would be an understatement for sure.
Why? WHY?! Why is a mythical pokemon, which people who signed up to recieve couldnt get anyway through a shitty email redeem failure, a requirement to complete the Isle if Armor Pokedex?! They didn’t allow Keldeo to be in the dex even though it was actually obtainable! Why does this have to be a thing?! WHY?!
It's actually not required to officially "complete" the Isle of Armor Dex in-game. You can just catch all of the first 210 Pokemon listed in IoA's Dex and you'll still get the diploma for completing the IoA Dex. I know from firsthand experience.
Oh...
Uh...
well now i just feel stupid, haha. all that ranting over something that wasnt even correct. smh...
Uh...
well now i just feel stupid, haha. all that ranting over something that wasnt even correct. smh...
Trade Evolutions.
My biggest problem with them isthat it requires friends that you need someone who you trust won't keep your pokemon and will trade you.
In order, here are alternate ways.
Politoed - Level up in rain while holding King's Rock
Alakazam - Level 36
Machamp - Level 24
Golem - Level up, but ideally level up in a cave.
Alolan Golem - Thunder Stone
Slowking - Level Up with King's Rock
Gengar - Dusk Stone
Steelix/Seadraw/Other "trade with item" pokemon - Level up while holding said item.
Gigalith - Level up, but ideally level up in a cave.
Conkeldurr - Level 24
Accelegor/Escavalier - Be in the same party as/fight a battle with the other.
Trevenant - Dusk Stone
Pumpkaboo - Leaf Stone
My biggest problem with them is
In order, here are alternate ways.
Politoed - Level up in rain while holding King's Rock
Alakazam - Level 36
Machamp - Level 24
Golem - Level up, but ideally level up in a cave.
Alolan Golem - Thunder Stone
Slowking - Level Up with King's Rock
Gengar - Dusk Stone
Steelix/Seadraw/Other "trade with item" pokemon - Level up while holding said item.
Gigalith - Level up, but ideally level up in a cave.
Conkeldurr - Level 24
Accelegor/Escavalier - Be in the same party as/fight a battle with the other.
Trevenant - Dusk Stone
Pumpkaboo - Leaf Stone
uhhhhh that's a bit unbalanced my g
I think keeping the Pokemon was an intended part of the experience. In every official depiction of trading I've seen (including things like NPC trades or the text that shows up when trading Pokemon) the implication is that the traded Pokemon stay with their new owners, and aren't just swapped back and forth for the sole reason of evolution or Pokedex completion. The idea is that you're supposed to negotiate with the person you're trading with, and trade evolutions add another dimension to that. Just as someone with Ruby might trade a Solrock to someone with Sapphire in exchange for a Lunatone, you might negotiate to trade a Haunter for a Machoke. Alternatively, you could potentially use a trade evolution (or a version exclusive) to sweeten the deal if you're trying to negotiate for a Pokemon you reeaallly want.
How well that intention works in practice is another matter.
Don't forget version exclusive trade evolutions, the ultimate in "you can't use this Pokemon without friends".
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Or just play Sword and Shield where you got a billion trade evolutions already un their final forms ready to be caught :)
Sword and Shield might have their array of things done wrong... but that is one thing they did really well.
IIRC, one of the dogs, one of Urshifu's forms, one of the new regis, and one of the horses are the only Pokémon that can only be obtained by trading. And with the introduction of Mints and Transferable Egg Moves, you can get them battle-ready. It's not perfect, but it's a drastic improvement.
Yes and no. The other dog can only be obtained by either having a copy of the other game, or by trading.
However, the other Urshifu, Regi, and horse can be obtained by using the same game copy and completing their DLC on a different account. So as long as you only play Sword, it is possible to get both Regis, Horses, and Urshifu.
(UrSHIFU = Master Shifu from Kung Fu Panda?)
Yeah I used this to my advantage last year; i just sped through (...for certain definitions of sped, i suppose) the game and then used home (which, handily, can be used across accounts!) to shift them around. Also nice for getting the other wolf for trading purposes.
Shifu is chinese for "Master"
so its basically "Master Bear" or "Bear Master"
You know what I really want this route trainer to have on his team? What's that? Did you say the exact same pokemon you can encounter in the tall grass three steps away, except two levels higher? Yes, that's correct! 
Seriously, the roster is so big these days, how is this still a design decision they are making. It's so crushingly boring.
Seriously, the roster is so big these days, how is this still a design decision they are making. It's so crushingly boring.
This has always been a kind of weird gripe of mine but I've always kind of wished that there was a way to hatch eggs en masse, like entire box fulls to make shiny hunting a bit easier.
This, and having trainers that only have the weakest 'mons you can find in an area. I can understand that for the first few areas because nobody likes to get steamrolled before they even have three pokemon but by the time you make it to victory road and the trainers all seem to be using Golbat and Graveler? Let them at least use the final evolutions of local 'mons if you have to stick to themYou know what I really want this route trainer to have on his team? What's that? Did you say the exact same pokemon you can encounter in the tall grass three steps away, except two levels higher? Yes, that's correct!
Seriously, the roster is so big these days, how is this still a design decision they are making. It's so crushingly boring.