Pikachu315111
Ranting & Raving!
I think we're getting sidetracked with this definition of God discussion. How about we believe what we want to believe, cause does it really matter?
Anyway, so spent a few days casually looking through reactions, discussions, theories, and plenty of memes about Scarlet & Violet. Most I believe we either discussed on here in one form or another, but there is one thing which I think we could squeeze some discussion out of: Past & Future Theme Inspirations.
With one of the focus of the games being "Past" and "Future" (mainly the the Professors & Legendaries), that brings to question what other features & mechanics in the game may draw inspiration from these themes. Some quick ones that come to mind:
Super Mechanic: You know, your Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, & Dynamax equivalent. We've yet to see it or any hint on what it might be (and I'm going to assume there is one). So, I think it's a good place to start, how would the theme of "Past & Future" be implemented into a Super Mechanic? One thing to keep in mind is that whatever it is there would likely be two versions of it: a general one that any Pokemon can use (like elemental Z-Moves & Dyanamax) and one designed for specific Pokemon (like signature Z-Moves and Gigantamax); also, If Gigantamax is any hint, the specific Super Mechanic would come with a form change.
For the general one, well I can think of a few things (yes, this discussion topic does bring a bit of speculation discussion; I'm hoping it doesn't get too out of hand that it causes this thread to be closed sooner rather than later).
Regional Variants: This one I feel is fairly more easier to imagine incorporating a "Past & Future" theme. Basically some Pokemon will be given forms based on the idea what were they like some point in the past, and others will be given forms based on speculation what that species could evolve into becoming in the future. Now, from that alone you're probably wondering how those would count as Regional Variants, and I'll admit I'm just shoving these forms under the Regional Variant tag for simplicity sake. Obviously these Pokemon wouldn't be roaming around the region due to being from the past/future, or at least naturally. From UItra Wormholes to Space-Time Distortions, Pokemon has given itself plenty of explanations why a past/future Pokemon has suddenly appeared (or at the very least let them make a new excuse to better fit the story). It's this Youtube video that got me into thinking about this very topic with me expanding upon it:
Time Travel: While Pokemon is no stranger to time travel, it's always been kept to a minimum. Like the only "major" instances I can think of is the Celebi Event in HGSS and the multiplayer side story in Pokemon Ranger: Guardian Signs. Otherwise Pokemon has kept from doing a game where a good portion of the game takes place or involves travelling to the past/future in order to protect the past, save the present,defeat Lavos and bring on a good future. Well, I guess now is good as any time! Of course with Time Travel that could take shape in many different forms depending on (1.) how far away from the present time they would want to go and (2.) would they only want the present & different time or include many different eras. And that's not going into how would they travel to the past/future (riding the Legendaries in bike form?) or what story reason would they need to. Also, when it comes to making the future, do you make it just an "advance" version of modern times, a utopia, a post apocalyptic wasteland, or a mixture of these like something you'd see in the cyberpunk genre; what kind of future is depicted would obviously alter the story of the game as either being a strange land to explore or something that needs to be changed.
Battle Facility: Finally, could maybe the post game Battle Facility have this theme somehow included into it (and in more ways then just the Super Mechanic & Regional Variants)? Like, could we have another White Treehollow/Black Tower scenario? Maybe get some Time Travelling involved where you need to advance through it through different eras (and different battling rules & characters) in order to both create positive change and make a name/legend for yourself?
Anyway, so spent a few days casually looking through reactions, discussions, theories, and plenty of memes about Scarlet & Violet. Most I believe we either discussed on here in one form or another, but there is one thing which I think we could squeeze some discussion out of: Past & Future Theme Inspirations.
With one of the focus of the games being "Past" and "Future" (mainly the the Professors & Legendaries), that brings to question what other features & mechanics in the game may draw inspiration from these themes. Some quick ones that come to mind:
Super Mechanic: You know, your Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, & Dynamax equivalent. We've yet to see it or any hint on what it might be (and I'm going to assume there is one). So, I think it's a good place to start, how would the theme of "Past & Future" be implemented into a Super Mechanic? One thing to keep in mind is that whatever it is there would likely be two versions of it: a general one that any Pokemon can use (like elemental Z-Moves & Dyanamax) and one designed for specific Pokemon (like signature Z-Moves and Gigantamax); also, If Gigantamax is any hint, the specific Super Mechanic would come with a form change.
For the general one, well I can think of a few things (yes, this discussion topic does bring a bit of speculation discussion; I'm hoping it doesn't get too out of hand that it causes this thread to be closed sooner rather than later).
One idea that popped into my head parallels another Super Mechanic I didn't mention: Legends: Arceus Strong/Agile Styles. WAIT! Before you say anything, I know, and I agree, the Styles do not work outside Legends: Arceus due to how stats are handled in that game. Rather, I'm thinking of another turn-based RPG that uses a duel battle system: Bravely Default. In that game series there's the "Brave and Default" mechanic. "Brave" lets you perform multiple actions in a single turn but the character then cannot act for the number of turns equal to the number of bonus actions done (basically, the character used moves they would have done in the FUTURE in a single turn). "Default" has the character skip their turn, in addition to them entering a defensive stance to take less damage that turn, next turn they've gained a BP which now allows them to use the "Brave" mechanic but without having to recharge next turn for the number of extra BP they have (so in other words, the character stores up PAST moves so that they can attack multiple times later on without needing to recharge afterwards). Now obviously such a system can be really broken for Pokemon, so some tweaking would need to be done so that it doesn't come down to the player with the fastest Pokemon OHKOing their opponent.
For the specific one, starting out maybe some Pokemon will have a special move they can only perform while doing a "Brave" or after having entered a "Default" stance. On top of that, either choosing that special move or doing some other additional requirement could transform the Pokemon into a Super Form that's either what the species could become in the Future or is summoning forth a Past power from its ancestors. Not sure what additional traits that Super Form will come with, I'd like it to do what Mega Evolution did with it gaining stat boosts and possibly changing Type & Ability, BUT Gigantamax was pretty successful with only increasing HP and giving the special GMax Move.
For the specific one, starting out maybe some Pokemon will have a special move they can only perform while doing a "Brave" or after having entered a "Default" stance. On top of that, either choosing that special move or doing some other additional requirement could transform the Pokemon into a Super Form that's either what the species could become in the Future or is summoning forth a Past power from its ancestors. Not sure what additional traits that Super Form will come with, I'd like it to do what Mega Evolution did with it gaining stat boosts and possibly changing Type & Ability, BUT Gigantamax was pretty successful with only increasing HP and giving the special GMax Move.
Regional Variants: This one I feel is fairly more easier to imagine incorporating a "Past & Future" theme. Basically some Pokemon will be given forms based on the idea what were they like some point in the past, and others will be given forms based on speculation what that species could evolve into becoming in the future. Now, from that alone you're probably wondering how those would count as Regional Variants, and I'll admit I'm just shoving these forms under the Regional Variant tag for simplicity sake. Obviously these Pokemon wouldn't be roaming around the region due to being from the past/future, or at least naturally. From UItra Wormholes to Space-Time Distortions, Pokemon has given itself plenty of explanations why a past/future Pokemon has suddenly appeared (or at the very least let them make a new excuse to better fit the story). It's this Youtube video that got me into thinking about this very topic with me expanding upon it:
Time Travel: While Pokemon is no stranger to time travel, it's always been kept to a minimum. Like the only "major" instances I can think of is the Celebi Event in HGSS and the multiplayer side story in Pokemon Ranger: Guardian Signs. Otherwise Pokemon has kept from doing a game where a good portion of the game takes place or involves travelling to the past/future in order to protect the past, save the present,
Battle Facility: Finally, could maybe the post game Battle Facility have this theme somehow included into it (and in more ways then just the Super Mechanic & Regional Variants)? Like, could we have another White Treehollow/Black Tower scenario? Maybe get some Time Travelling involved where you need to advance through it through different eras (and different battling rules & characters) in order to both create positive change and make a name/legend for yourself?