Remakes not using the 3rd Version additions to the game at all. This complaint is most common for BDSP, but even in ORAS they ignored the improvements to gym leaders and random trainers from E in favor of directly cloning RS. The hard work of coming up with better teams is already done, why not make use of it?
Interestingly ORAS random trainers don't even fully clone RS. While it excludes the Emerald trainers and definitely favors RS as their baseline, if you start comparing the routes you'll see lots of little differences
Route 102, for example
Calvin: Level 5 Zigzagoon -> Level 4 Zigzagoon
Rick: 2 Level 4 Wurmple -> 1 Level 4 Wurmple
Allen: Level 5 Poochyena & Level 3 Taillow -> Level 4 Poochyena & Level 2 Taillow
Tiana: 2 Level 4 Zigzagoon -> 1 Level 5 Zigzagoon
No one ever really talks about this, probably since no one actually cares about less obvious changes like this.
ORAS actually also
added a number of trainers, specifically to the underwater areas or New Mauville and I believe overhauled the Sea Mauville/Abandoned Ship. Roster updates also become much more overt in the end game since the National Dex is given to you before the 8th Gym.
The rematch teams also got changed up pretty considerably. Before they only unlocked, I believe, after beating Norman and then just updated as you beat them?
Calvin
Rematch 1: Level 27 Linoone
Rematch 2/3: Level 28/31 Swellow, Level 30/33 Linoone
Rematch 4: Level 34 Swellow, Level 32 Vigoroth, Level 36 Linoone
But now the teams start updating based on 1st, 3rd, 5th and Post-Game
Rematch 1: Level 12 Zigzagoon
Rematch 2: Level 13 Taillow, Level 15 Zigzagoon
Rematch 3: Level 25 Swellow, Level 27 Linoone
Rematch 4: Level 47 Swellow, Level 47 Linoone, Level 47 Lickilicky
The post game rematches in particular are pretty interesting when you start looking around. Some of them basically become mini-gym leaders.
Honestly it makes them not wanting to tweak the leaders more weird. They tweaked the levels and movesets, but Flannery swapped one of her Slugma for Numel so like....I mean at that point why not do that more? You've abandoned "Just use RS"for "use RS as a
baseline" a hundred times over throughout the game...could do some hot swaps or add an extra to them, surely. Just for flavor.
And the leader rematches, why not add those on? Especially in the post game which is a big love letter to Emerald.
Anyway, since I'm here....it also goes for wild encounter tables. Continuing to use Route 102
On Land:
Poochyena: 15% with Level 3-4 -> 20%, Level 2-3
Zigzagoon: 30% with Level 3-4 -> 30%, Level 2-3
Wurmple: 30% with Level 3-4 -> 30% Level 2-3
Lotad/Seedot: 20% with Level 3-4 -> 15% Level 2-3
Ralts: 4% with Level 4 -> 4% with Level 3
Surskit: 1% with Level 3 -> 1% with Level 3 (unchanged)
(observation: the lower wild levels correspond with the lower trainer levels; the back half of the game trends towards higher levels on both)
Surfing:
Marill: 99%, Level 5-35 -> 50%, Level 15
Surskit: 1%, Level 20-30 -> 15%, Level 20
Azumarill: N/A -> 31%, Level 20/25
Masquerain: N/A -> 4%, Level 25
Fishing
Old Rod:
Goldeen: 30%, 5-10 -> 35%, 5
Magikarp: 70%, 5-10 -> 65%, 10/15
Good Rod:
Goldeen: 20%, 10-30 -> 35%, 25
Magikarp: 60%, 10-30 -> 60%, 25
Corphish: 10%, 10-30 -> 5%, 25
Super Rod:
Corphish: 100%, 20-45 -> 100%, 30/35/40
And of course ORAS added the special hidden encounters (including Surskit in the grass), horde encounters and the hidden national dex encounters.
This post is "BDSP you are so disappointing in so many ways" disguised as ORAS Apologism