(Little) Things that annoy you in Pokémon

[MZ]

Recently played through BW2 again and honestly not sure if it really makes things better from a lack of moral ambiguity. Sure, neo Plasma or whatever is unquestionably not good, but they're also the most petty criminals we've ever seen until 3/4 of the way through the game. The escalation goes something like this: Harassing a herdier, hanging around Virbank/Sewers/Nimbasa until your rival makes you attack them, having a boat which your rival makes you invade, Zinzolin and a grunt actually challenge you for once instead of the other way around but given your assault on the boat that's fairly justified... and then they suddenly freeze a city. Like this just comes out of nowhere, until that point Team Plasma is an absolute joke and there's barely any motivation for you hunting them down. If someone didn't play BW first or know the convention of evil team is evil, I'd almost say that you treat Plasma unfairly given that they haven't really done anything at all outside of minor harassment (do they even show a Pokemon theft?) until they suddenly have world-ending capabilities because plot. At least Black and White shows Plasma doing bigger and bigger things, graduating from Pokemon theft to museum robbery to having a base across from a gym to being able to blackmail Clay into releasing captives to getting a legendary dragon.

 

[Magnus0]

At least the original B/W had a refreshing side story in Bianca.

Every other rival up until Bianca just wanted to be 'the best pokemon trainer in the world'. The gen 3 rivals might be an exeption but they are very lame and underutilized in the game anyway.

Bianca is different from your typical asshat rival. She doesn't even really want to be a trainer, she just wants to explore the world with her pokemon and grow as a person. Her conversations with her dad are pretty touching too. It felt like an actual attempt at a story.

I think it's pretty ironic then that Bianca is actually more menacing than Cheren as a pokemon trainer.

 

[Siggu]

At least the original B/W had a refreshing side story in Bianca.

Every other rival up until Bianca just wanted to be 'the best pokemon trainer in the world'. The gen 3 rivals might be an exeption but they are very lame and underutilized in the game anyway.

Bianca is different from your typical asshat rival. She doesn't even really want to be a trainer, she just wants to explore the world with her pokemon and grow as a person. Her conversations with her dad are pretty touching too. It felt like an actual attempt at a story.

I think it's pretty ironic then that Bianca is actually more menacing than Cheren as a pokemon trainer.

Well, Cheren also kind of twists the "I want to be the best" rival concept later into the game... though we don't really see that until BW2, when he's no longer a rival...

 

[Breezy]

 

[adman2]

I think it's pretty ironic then that Bianca is actually more menacing than Cheren as a pokemon trainer.

Yeah, I was a bit confused as to why everyone thought Bianca was so "weak", even though she had a better team than Cheren.

 

[lucariomaster2]

How on Earth would a level 100 Swampert fail to escape from a level 2 Zigzagoon?

 

[Breezy]

pokemon is all about rng

 

[Altissimo]

thats

... no

 

[jordanthejq12]

Level 100 Swampert minimum Speed (-Spe nature, 0 IV): 113
Level 2 Zizgagoon maximum Speed (+Spe nature, 31 IV, 252 EVs): 9

That's literally impossible.

 

[Kurona]

its a meme

 

[adman2]

The "not being able to run away from a weaker enemy" problem is much more apparent in Bravely Default. My level 99 solo character often died after failing to run away from random encounter ambushes. (I was grinding for money to buy Salve Maker ingredients at the time.)

 

[stage7_4]

The "not being able to run away from a weaker enemy" problem is much more apparent in Bravely Default. My level 99 solo character often died after failing to run away from random encounter ambushes. (I was grinding for money to buy Salve Maker ingredients at the time.)

To be fair, Bravely Default allows you to turn off random encounters at any time for free, so it makes some balanced sense that it would make running away more a risk. Unlike Pokemon where you have to pay money (Repels) to avoid random encounters and even then it's based on your Pokemon's level.

Also jeebus you're trying to solo Bravely Default?! I got creamed by half the end bosses if I didn't abuse Spirit Master and Performer, not to mention the Ba'al.

 

[adman2]

To be fair, Bravely Default allows you to turn off random encounters at any time for free, so it makes some balanced sense that it would make running away more a risk. Unlike Pokemon where you have to pay money (Repels) to avoid random encounters and even then it's based on your Pokemon's level.

Also jeebus you're trying to solo Bravely Default?! I got creamed by half the end bosses if I didn't abuse Spirit Master and Performer, not to mention the Ba'al.

I recently completed the solo Ringabel Bravely Default challenge. My thread about that and other playthroughs is here:

http://www.realmsbeyond.net/forums/showthread.php?tid=9149

(I post as "Herman Gigglethorpe". Start at the bottom of page 3 if you want to see Solo Ringabel in action. You need New Game Plus for money and Norende equipment if you want to avoid massive amounts of grinding in the early game.)

The solo Simipour playthrough of White was intended to help me take a break during the Bravely Default frustration.

Cryptic mechanics are one thing that annoy me in games. Who could ever figure out what the characteristics mean without an online guide? Natures don't make much sense either. Why would you want a "Timid" Pokemon in a combat-focused game if you didn't know that it boosted Speed?

 

[Detective Barricade]

I recently completed the solo Ringabel Bravely Default challenge. My thread about that and other playthroughs is here:

http://www.realmsbeyond.net/forums/showthread.php?tid=9149

(I post as "Herman Gigglethorpe". Start at the bottom of page 3 if you want to see Solo Ringabel in action. You need New Game Plus for money and Norende equipment if you want to avoid massive amounts of grinding in the early game.)

The solo Simipour playthrough of White was intended to help me take a break during the Bravely Default frustration.

Cryptic mechanics are one thing that annoy me in games. Who could ever figure out what the characteristics mean without an online guide? Natures don't make much sense either. Why would you want a "Timid" Pokemon in a combat-focused game if you didn't know that it boosted Speed?

Why would you care unless you were mainly focused on optimizing battle performance? Keep in mind stuff like IV's, EV's, and natures were originally meant to give Pokemon more individual personality between members of the same species. Characteristics also play into this while also giving a clue to what its best stat would be. (though it's pointless once you have access to the IV judge)

 

[Pikachu315111]

Cryptic mechanics are one thing that annoy me in games. Who could ever figure out what the characteristics mean without an online guide? Natures don't make much sense either. Why would you want a "Timid" Pokemon in a combat-focused game if you didn't know that it boosted Speed?

Well on one of the stat screens they do highlight the positive stat in red and the negative stat in blue. But as said, in-game it's nothing really you need to worry about (as proven by new player who don't know are able to get through or the ever popular Nuzlockes). Competitive is when it becomes important and if you're trying to get into competitive you'll quickly learn.

Keep in mind stuff like IV's, EV's, and natures were originally meant to give Pokemon more individual personality between members of the same species.

Funny enough, IV's, EV's, and Natures more did the opposite in the sense of competitive as now everyone wants their Pokemon set up in a certain way. Now a Pokemon may have some more options, though they all usually line up.

 

[stage7_4]

Why would you care unless you were mainly focused on optimizing battle performance? Keep in mind stuff like IV's, EV's, and natures were originally meant to give Pokemon more individual personality between members of the same species. Characteristics also play into this while also giving a clue to what its best stat would be. (though it's pointless once you have access to the IV judge)

As a guy that once got a starter with 0's in both attacking stats, while middle values are fine the extremes stick out. It kept missing KO's it really should have made, and it overall felt weak to play with. It bugged me forever until I finally got the IV's checked.

But I think in a game that relies so much on a player understanding the underlying mechanics, not teaching you everything about them is really strange. Sure the internet makes it a moot point nowadays, but it still feels like the game is being annoyingly coy about its rules.

 

[Siggu]

Well on one of the stat screens they do highlight the positive stat in red and the negative stat in blue.

Don't forget that before HGSS the game didn't highlight the stats that were affected by natures.

Things like that are why I'd want to see a Wormopedia-like item (preferably locked to the post-game) so that it can tell all the important competitive details the game never tells you.

 

[Worldie]

While agreeable, consider that expecially in last gens, if you notably exclude USUM, the in-game stats of the pokemon are... less important due to the storyline.

What probably was originally conceived as "giving pokemon a bit of distinction in same specie" is basically just a flavour in storylines that really tend to be super simple, usually just beatable by purely being overleveled due to exp-share, and which really often only boil down to knowing type matchups.

You have to consider that the more the game ages, the more it has distinguished between a very easy, light storyline aimed at kids, and a math heavy postgame aimed at adults / competitive player.
For the average 10 year old playing through Sun or Moon, it's quite fine that he can look at "oh this pokemon likes food! This one is timid!" with near no implication on what's he doing as long as he understands he should use a Fire type vs the Grass Totem.

I do not personally think a "in game encyclopedia" is necessary right now. It would possibly overload newish players with informations they really do not need at all.
It's not a case that IV checking is gated in post game.

 

[Siggu]

I do not personally think a "in game encyclopedia" is necessary right now. It would possibly overload newish players with informations they really do not need at all.

That's why I was saying of keeping it locked in the post-game, as an item so that newish players could ignore it if necessary.

The game should tell you things like how each move and ability works (for instance, something like "Scald has a 30% chance to burn the target" or somewhat infamously "Water Bubble makes Water-type moves deal twice the damage" or "Light That Burns The Sky ignores the target's ability"), special traits of each type (things like "Grass-type Pokemon are unaffected by moves that use powders") and a few basic mechanics (such as how much a stat is boosted in each stage).

I'm not thinking of things like damage or stat calculation, or even things like Egg Moves (which I'd add, but I think Game Freak would rather have us discover them). Just the most basic of things - preferably those in which discovering how they work require some probability calculation.

 

[Pikachu315111]

That's why I was saying of keeping it locked in the post-game, as an item so that newish players could ignore it if necessary.

The game should tell you things like how each move and ability works (for instance, something like "Scald has a 30% chance to burn the target" or somewhat infamously "Water Bubble makes Water-type moves deal twice the damage" or "Light That Burns The Sky ignores the target's ability"), special traits of each type (things like "Grass-type Pokemon are unaffected by moves that use powders") and a few basic mechanics (such as how much a stat is boosted in each stage).

I'm not thinking of things like damage or stat calculation, or even things like Egg Moves (which I'd add, but I think Game Freak would rather have us discover them). Just the most basic of things - preferably those in which discovering how they work require some probability calculation.

There's actually multiple levels of information here, some which I think should be explained early on while others saved post game. Let's break it down:

Natures & IVs: This is a coin flip. On one side they rarely effect the main game that much. But on the other side there are times where a negative Nature or low IVs can make the Pokemon you're using feel a bit wrong (it's always being outsped, it's just barely misses the KO, its taking hits poorly, etc.). Honestly, I don't see the harm of having it explained somewhere in the main game. Probably the ideal location would be the Daycare, which I think in future games they should increase the size of say a community center and having rooms you can enter to learn about Natures, IVs, and other breeding tricks. Sort of like a second Trainer School except everything you need to know for Breeding (you'd even be given handy items like the Everstone, Destiny Knot, and maybe have the Incense seller there too). Could also even shove the Hyper Training guy there, just have everything you need for Breeding in one place.

Moves, Ability, & Item Descriptions: I still stand by that there should be two description boxes. One is for flavor, explaining what the Move/Ability/Item looks like or what it's doing. The second goes into more exact details. There's no reason to keep this information secret, I want to know what the move does though wouldn't mind some flavor text.

Type Mechanics: I think this could be told at the Trainer School. In general the Trainer School could be used to give you a quick run down on the Pokemon basics (I'm surprised there hasn't been one game where it starts with your character attending a Trainer School, the Professor Lab being set up in there. Closest we've had was B2W2 where the Trainer School was in your hometown and was also the Gym and in Gen VII where it was a required story segment).

 

[Detective Barricade]

That's why I was saying of keeping it locked in the post-game, as an item so that newish players could ignore it if necessary.

The game should tell you things like how each move and ability works (for instance, something like "Scald has a 30% chance to burn the target" or somewhat infamously "Water Bubble makes Water-type moves deal twice the damage" or "Light That Burns The Sky ignores the target's ability"), special traits of each type (things like "Grass-type Pokemon are unaffected by moves that use powders") and a few basic mechanics (such as how much a stat is boosted in each stage).

I'm not thinking of things like damage or stat calculation, or even things like Egg Moves (which I'd add, but I think Game Freak would rather have us discover them). Just the most basic of things - preferably those in which discovering how they work require some probability calculation.

To be fair, all three legendary Z-moves carry over their base moves' ability ignoring effects.

Though I do agree with Pikachu315111 in that the Trainer School could be expanded to explain some of these things. Maybe have a part that can only be accessed post-game for "advanced classes" which go over some things in greater detail. (and perhaps an "intermediate course" for type mechanics, like Grass being immune to powder, Ghost being immune to trapping, etc.)

 

[Worldie]

The one thing I really feel is lacking and should be in game *somewhere* is learnsets, expecially Egg moves.

Egg and tutor learnsets really are a lot on the lines of "you better datamine this cause good luck else" right now.

 

[Caramel Prisoner]

That's why I was saying of keeping it locked in the post-game, as an item so that newish players could ignore it if necessary.

The game should tell you things like how each move and ability works (for instance, something like "Scald has a 30% chance to burn the target" or somewhat infamously "Water Bubble makes Water-type moves deal twice the damage" or "Light That Burns The Sky ignores the target's ability"), special traits of each type (things like "Grass-type Pokemon are unaffected by moves that use powders") and a few basic mechanics (such as how much a stat is boosted in each stage).

I'm not thinking of things like damage or stat calculation, or even things like Egg Moves (which I'd add, but I think Game Freak would rather have us discover them). Just the most basic of things - preferably those in which discovering how they work require some probability calculation.

This so much. Games not giving me information is one of my pet peeves. It's not just Pokemon that does this either. Breath of the Wild won't tell you what cooking ingredients do besides "gives cold protection when cooked", but won't tell me the potency of an ingredient or how much time it adds. Potions in Fantasy Life restore "a little bit of health" instead of 50 HP. Bravely Default's damage system is so complicated that the best way to figure out how much damage a move will do is just trying it out. The list could go on forever.

While I like your idea of putting this stuff postgame, there's also an alternate solution - simply give me a toggle in the options menu somewhere like the Fire Emblem series does. That way, players who want exact information and stats will get them, and casuals and beginners who don't want to feel overwhelmed right at the start won't be bothered by it.

 

[Master of Salt]

I didn’t play gen 7, so I don’t know how it works there, but in the earlier gens, gym leaders often aren’t part of the stories at all, leading to them being quite forgettable if not helped by a good battle. Who remembers Candice? Wulfric? Winnona? That’s one of the reasons I like gen 5, since a lot of the gym leaders had relevance outside of one battle, making them a lot more memorable

 

[Sondero]

I didn’t play gen 7, so I don’t know how it works there, but in the earlier gens, gym leaders often aren’t part of the stories at all, leading to them being quite forgettable if not helped by a good battle. Who remembers Candice? Wulfric? Winnona? That’s one of the reasons I like gen 5, since a lot of the gym leaders had relevance outside of one battle, making them a lot more memorable

The trial captains and Kahunas aren't very involved with the story regarding the Ultra Beasts or such. But I'd still say they're memorable due to how diverse their trials are. They're also given much more characterization past just standing in a room waiting for you to challenge them. You also bump into them quite a lot before and after you challenge their trials, for example you're introduced to the second island Kahuna, Olivia, once you arrive on the second island where she welcomes you and jokingly mocks Professor Kukui for not wearing a shirt beneath his coat. You also bump into her in Diglett's Tunnel where she talks to Aether Foundation employees about a problem of how Team Skull grunts messed with Diglett in the area or something.