Hello and welcome to this thread, which will eventually be a Let's Play. I figured I'd post this before I begin playing, since it requires some preparations. And those preparations include asking you for help. So if you're only here to read about my misadventures in Alola, you may go back and wait until tomorrow.
You might have read the title and wondered what "Alter Ego style" means. Put simply, it's a challenge of sorts, but since you can't really lose it, I decided not to call it a challenge. "Style" seems more appropriate. It is challenging, though.
The "Alter Ego" bit is what makes this play style so interesting. Explained in short, you play like this:
Dilligent readers may already have spotted the problem here: "But Codraroll, there are no Gyms in Alola! And no Elite Four, for that matter!" Exactly, and that's why I'm here before I have even received my copy of the game.
I need some help figuring out when to switch teams. Ideally, it should be after "milestone battles", as those are the most natural "break moments" in the story.
Looking over XY's Gyms, it seems every Gym uses Pokémon 4-6 levels higher than the previous one. The biggest exception are the first and second Gyms, where Viola's strongest Pokémon is level 12, but Grant's weakest is level 25 (this is why I have a switch point after the rival Multi battle on Route 7). Ideally, I'd like a similar level difference between switches in Sun and Moon too. Switch too often, things become too easy (or worse, one team will continuously outperform the other). Switch too rarely, and your new team will take too long to catch up.
Intuitively, it makes sense to switch after each Trial. Since I'm going to start playing tomorrow, I think I'll at least need to figure out the first two switch points before then. The first point should be when the opponent Pokémon are around level 10-12, no later than 15. The next somewhere around 17-22. And so on. Not sure if the pacing should increase or decrease as the play goes on.
Also, I'm going to abide by a couple of extra rules not listed above:
Suggestions and criticism are welcome!
You might have read the title and wondered what "Alter Ego style" means. Put simply, it's a challenge of sorts, but since you can't really lose it, I decided not to call it a challenge. "Style" seems more appropriate. It is challenging, though.
The "Alter Ego" bit is what makes this play style so interesting. Explained in short, you play like this:
- Normal play until the first Gym.
- When you feel ready to challenge the first Gym, catch a handful of wild Pokémon. Send them straight to Box 2 in your PC without giving them any Experience.
- After beating the first Gym, head to the Pokémon Center, deposit your entire team in Box 1. Withdraw your team of freshly caught Pokémon from Box 2. Use them until you've beaten Gym 2. You're also free to catch more Pokémon, but they will belong to your Box 2 team.
- After beating Gym 2, deposit your team back in Box 2, and withdraw the team from Box 1. Stick with them until Gym 3. Again, you may catch more Pokémon, but they may only be used on your Box 1 team.
- Keep switching teams this way until you reach the Pokémon League. Feel free to mix and match Pokémon from both teams when challenging the Elite Four, at this point you'll be so underlevelled that you'll need all the help you can get.
- "Switch points" can be adjusted according to the pacing of the game. This is particularly important in XY, where strict adherence to the rules would be problematic already after the second Gym.
- If at all possible in the game, you should also swap clothes after every switch of the team. You're changing your identity, after all.
Dilligent readers may already have spotted the problem here: "But Codraroll, there are no Gyms in Alola! And no Elite Four, for that matter!" Exactly, and that's why I'm here before I have even received my copy of the game.
I need some help figuring out when to switch teams. Ideally, it should be after "milestone battles", as those are the most natural "break moments" in the story.
Looking over XY's Gyms, it seems every Gym uses Pokémon 4-6 levels higher than the previous one. The biggest exception are the first and second Gyms, where Viola's strongest Pokémon is level 12, but Grant's weakest is level 25 (this is why I have a switch point after the rival Multi battle on Route 7). Ideally, I'd like a similar level difference between switches in Sun and Moon too. Switch too often, things become too easy (or worse, one team will continuously outperform the other). Switch too rarely, and your new team will take too long to catch up.
Intuitively, it makes sense to switch after each Trial. Since I'm going to start playing tomorrow, I think I'll at least need to figure out the first two switch points before then. The first point should be when the opponent Pokémon are around level 10-12, no later than 15. The next somewhere around 17-22. And so on. Not sure if the pacing should increase or decrease as the play goes on.
Also, I'm going to abide by a couple of extra rules not listed above:
- All Pokémon get a nickname. This is meant to have a personal touch, after all.
- I prefer playing without legendaries. Not sure if this extends to Ultra Beasts, but from what I understand they come so late game that my team is usually "settled" at that point anyway.
- I prefer to use Pokémon that evolve, and generally steer away from those who don't. Including Legendaries, this rules out 30 of the 51 Gen VII evolution families. Evolving twice is even better (this would rule out 16 of the remaining 21 families, including the two starter families I don't pick). The playthrough WILL be past-gen-heavy, is what I'm saying. But exceptions may happen.
- Blacking out won't lose me the challenge. Hence why it isn't a challenge. But it will add to a Loss Counter, which I have to include for every update of the Let's Play. I consider myself a seasoned Pokémon player, but still lost 20-odd times when playing Pokémon X this way.
- No use of healing items in battle. My Pokémon have four moves, using the Bag in-battle is like giving them dozens more.
- Battle Style Set.
- Mostly everything else is fair use, including Pokémon Refresh, TMs, Mega Evolutions (oh well, that's post-game, but had it not been I would have used them), hold items, etc. Even the Exp. Share, in a pinch. The reason I invented Alter Ego style was because I wanted to use all the tools and features of the game, without it becoming so easy.
- Not sure where I stand on trading.
Suggestions and criticism are welcome!