SPOILERS! Pokemon Sword and Shield Datamine Thread

Also I contacted AbsolBlogsPokemon about the scenario, and linked him to some of the file paste dumps. He’s a pokemon fan who’s really good with coding and scripting, so he could probably help us solve this mystery.

and yes, this is eating away at my sanity and I am overly obsessing over this. Send help.
Just to be sure, you are aware that lots of people looked into this when CT came out and ultimately concluded that the Victini encounter was likely leftover code?


This is not to discourage you from looking into the code yourself, but if it's driving you mad then you should prepare yourself for the possibility that the company that switched to just giving out mythicals because they were afraid it was too complicated and is famously bad at scrubbing data may have just not scrubbed the unused mythical encounter!

At this point it seems like if a means of encountering Victini is discovered, it will be less likely due to a successful deobsucation of code but rather the discovery of a glitch that manages to load the encounter. Maybe the communities that find all of those glitches used in speed-running would be able to find such a glitch. :)
 
I'd be surprised if they were able to "glitch" the encounter into being, but somehow not find any event or coding before had pointing to where it would spawn or be given out.
 
If it's specifically marked as an in-game encounter, and not a gift, then even if they added in a NPC to give it to you at that point it's an entirely different event to code in.

At this point I just believe it was an idea they entertained and then, for one reason or another, scrapped it and won't be "adding" it back in.
 
Not sure where else to ask this: Has someone made an availability guide for SwSh? I'm thinking of something like what we usually see at the start of the In-Game Tier Lists*, that says what mons are available as you reach each new route. I know there's Bulbapedia, but trying to say something like "which Fairy-types are available before Gym 4" is rough in this game.

If not, I will, but breaking down the Wild Area by weather/raid/badge required looks to be a nightmare and I'd rather not repeat someone else's work.

*See the start of this thread for an example of what I'm looking for.
 

Pikachu315111

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Not sure where else to ask this: Has someone made an availability guide for SwSh? I'm thinking of something like what we usually see at the start of the In-Game Tier Lists*, that says what mons are available as you reach each new route. I know there's Bulbapedia, but trying to say something like "which Fairy-types are available before Gym 4" is rough in this game.
There's IGN's guide that goes Route by Route.
 
“The changing of the guard” – Giving young staff more chance, opportunities and responsibilities.

Iwao says that one of the most important themes during the development of Sword and Shield was the generational shift among staff. He gave higher positions to the younger staff members who had the ability and motivation to take on the responsibility, which gave them opportunities to grow and learn.
I wonder if that had any impact on the game's story, since the theme of passing the torch is all over Sword and Shield.
 
I wonder if that had any impact on the game's story, since the theme of passing the torch is all over Sword and Shield.
That was one where i actually went "oh that explains the big message of SWSH" so I think it was definitely related. Either from Omori himself (since he was the one bringing up the original conceit and deciding who goes where) or occured naturally after development started in earnest to reflect the changing of the guard.
 

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That was one where i actually went "oh that explains the big message of SWSH" so I think it was definitely related. Either from Omori himself (since he was the one bringing up the original conceit and deciding who goes where) or occured naturally after development started in earnest to reflect the changing of the guard.
Tad harsh.
 
Tad harsh.
How is this harsh?
Omori specifically set up the team so that the younger less experienced staff would take the reins as a whole. It's thematically relevant to SWSH, and he lead the team throughout; if the story was decided before expanding then it's likely it was on his mind just as much as if it occured naturally through later development or by decision from teh rest of the team.

If that really is the case, then Rose as a villain makes sense; he tried to solve the problems of the distant future by himself instead of entrusting the future to future generations, probably due to his own self righteousness.
That's the literal text of the game, with a dash of "insane billionaire willing to ruin the planet instead of investing in literally any other concept"
 
How is this harsh?
Omori specifically set up the team so that the younger less experienced staff would take the reins as a whole. It's thematically relevant to SWSH, and he lead the team throughout; if the story was decided before expanding then it's likely it was on his mind just as much as if it occured naturally through later development or by decision from teh rest of the team.
I think hes refering to the typo you made, conceit instead of concept
 
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Coronis

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I am not saying Omori was conceited, he came up with the conceit (an idea, elaborate metaphor or, indeed, concept) of using the game to be a whole thing of knowing when to passing the torch and so on.
Uh yeah I was just making a little joke about the double meaning of conceit, wasn’t trying to cause a big fuss
 

Pikachu315111

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Some of my takeaways:

Omori named the games after the team thought of giving Pokemon swords and shields to fight the gigantic Pokemon.
So was this a thing they were thinking on doing or just a visual image and nothing beyond that? Because, thinking about it, able to give your Pokemon a boost in a Raid probably would have helped with some of the more tedious things like an non-Dynamax Pokemon only able to take off one bar from a barrier shield or just has to take Max Moves to the face if no one set up a Light Screen or Reflect. I can imagine it now, as you complete Raids you get these Sword and Shield items (or you can buy them for Watts of dug up en masse by the Digging Bros) that work like the Rotom Powers during Raids. You can only apply one item per turn (or maybe one sword and one shield per turn), and depending on the ones you picked they have different effects.

Swords will have on that can destroy two bars with one super effective attack, auto activate a secondary effect, attack before the Dynamax opponent, able to pierce through the barrier to do normal damage, reset Attack/Special Attack/Speed/Accuracy decreases, increase Attack/Special Attack/Speed/Accuracy, etc..

Shields will reduce damage done by the next Max Move, negate the effect of the next Max Move, if you use a Protect variant move that turn will completely block Max Moves, reset Defense/Special Defense/Evasion decreases, increase Defense/Special Defense/Evasion, Heal some HP, Cure a status ailment, endure one attack that would have knocked out your Pokemon, if your Pokemon does get knocked out comes back out instantly (though still increases the strength of the storm), etc..

The development team was very particular about the graphics for the new game, especially when factoring in that it was able to be connected to a big screen. The team wanted the title to be enjoyable in both docked and portable modes. Omori reflected on the project saying that he placed heavy emphasis on how the game would fit into players’ lifestyle, and how the team could incorporate the strengths of the new console. He also mentioned how they thoroughly considered the planning and design of the game. The original Pokemon games were made by a very small team and their approach to improving the quality of different aspects was to make something, break it, then make it up again. Improvements in technology made it impossible for the same approach to be used this time, as development teams became much larger. Omori knew that if he approached the new game like the older generations, it would cause mass confusion. To prevent any confusion or misunderstandings, Omori assembled a small core team at the very start of the development that conceived the design for the title. This allowed the team to put in everything that they planned into the game.
Okay, I know I'm quoting an entire paragraph, but what?

"Very particular about the graphics/factoring in that it was able to be connected to a big screen" - Do I really need to post the low quality graphics of the Wild Area here?
"The team wanted the title to be enjoyable in both docked and portable modes." - What's that even supposed to mean? I'm wracking my head about it, like, did they think that it wouldn't increase the size of the screen but rather just increase the how much we saw? No, the image would scale up to the TV's dimension. Is this connected to the graphics? In so how? Like, if this was the concern they certainly dropped the ball as the graphics don't look good neither portable nor big screen! And let's not even mention the battle animations or how characters move around... or the lack of voice acting which makes a few scenes awkward.
"he placed heavy emphasis on how the game would fit into players’ lifestyle" - ... Just like how the older games fit into player lifestyles? Just like how other games fit into people's lifestyles? Sweet Arceus, you really are Masuda's successor aren't you; you don't have ANY idea what you're talking about either.
"and how the team could incorporate the strengths of the new console" - They failed on all fronts.
"original Pokemon games were made by a very small team and their approach to improving the quality of different aspects was to make something, break it, then make it up again" - Alright, that sounds reasonable enough.
"Improvements in technology made it impossible for the same approach to be used this time, as development teams became much larger." - ... So is this like a "too many chefs" issue? Except would the majority of people just be programmers and developers, not directors which there should only be a few of? If you have too many directors, get rid of some or assign them to a team to focus on particular parts of the game so you won't have to worry about it. How does improved tech prevent you from testing things (which I'm assuming if what he meant by breaking things and making them again)? Are you NOT testing? This all doesn't sound like an issue with the technology of team size, this sounds like an issue that the game director doesn't know how to manage a large team, Omori.
"To prevent any confusion or misunderstandings, Omori assembled a small core team at the very start of the development that conceived the design for the title" - ... Isn't that the standard practice? You have a design and concept team who plans out everything you want to be in the game, also having a few developers to give in their input for possibility and time needed, and then you go into development. Was that a new concept to you Omori? IT SHOULDN'T BE!

Iwao says that one of the most important themes during the development of Sword and Shield was the generational shift among staff. He gave higher positions to the younger staff members who had the ability and motivation to take on the responsibility, which gave them opportunities to grow and learn.

When asked how the younger staff performed, Iwao felt the lack of knowledge and experience sometimes showed through the project. Young staff got stuck on numerous occasions and received lots of advice from the more experienced staff members. They struggled, but eventually made it through with the help of more experienced staff.
And there you have it, the smoking gun.

Yes, sure, you need to give the younger staff a chance to make a game otherwise how would they learn the actual responsibility and workload they need to do. But, here's the thing:

YOU HAVE THEM FIRST WORK ON SMALLER, SIDE TITLES!

You don't throw them in the deep end of the pool! Pokemon has become a VERY big project, or it at least should be. All the people in the high positions should have at least a few games they were in charge of an aspect of under their belt. They should have already been experienced with the responsibility of making a game. Pokemon is a franchise with plenty of opportunity for side games. If you wanted something on the same wavelength as the main games make another Colosseum! Or if not that do something similar to Colosseum where it's a smaller setting but uses the same mechanics as the main series games but it's also more free from the expectations of a main series title so that the team can experiment and show their chops.

But no, let's just put them all in the hot seats and, oops! Turns out they couldn't handle it and needed help from the veteran staff, no doubt negatively impacting the game spending time and resources to gets things back to a very basic baseline. "They struggled, but eventually made it through" should NOT be how you describe how the team making a big title made the game, it makes it sound like instead of making the game the best it can be you got it to a point where it was "approvable".


As the director leading the project, there were several factors Omori paid attention to. One of them was for Omori to delegate to individuals tasks that they excelled at. For instance, through communicating with staff, Omori gave clothing design to those who liked fashion, sporty clothes to staff interested in sport, café lovers would design those spots to ensure a café-like feeling, and so on. Omori wanted every individual to be able to bring out their strengths.
So what happened to the person who liked writing stories and why were they barred from writing one for SwSh?

And normally while I would probably encourage this design... with what I heard I'm feeling in a nitpicky mood! So, you have tasks that people "liked". But, there's the thing, there's a difference between "liking" and being "professional". Sure, when you're thinking up the clothing & setting you can have people with an interest in certain fashions or locations to give some input and suggestions, but overall the person who should be in charge of implementing them in the game should be the designer what was hired to do that job. Meanwhile, while I'm sure the graphics team & animator would have loved to be more involved in the clothing design, they kind of needed to work on making the Pokemon look like they're in the middle of a battle and the Wild Area had textures not found on a PS2 game.

Omori adds that he wants to continue being in part of new projects in the future. He shares that he wants to start new projects not by designing, but from making prototypes of the game instead. He aims for games to be made by not only by planners, but also by designers and programmers.

Also


Omori wants to create Pokemon games that gamers desire, and give the feeling that Pokemon exists and lives with us.
So when you're gonna start?

Team members try not to rely on experience, and enjoy tackling the new challenge given to them.


Iwao emphasized that no matter the work, if you do it long enough it will eventually become tedious.
Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Quit. And let someone who actually cares and know what the f*** their doing in charge, cause that person probably wouldn't find the job getting tedious if it's not in a constant state of chaos!

With Game Freak however, there are always new opportunities and positions, and being able to join in gear projects means it never gets repetitive and never gets boring.
Yes, for GEAR PROJECTS, for SMALLER project. NOT for what's supposed to be a big title like the core series!

With the vast amount of experience spanning over 20 years, a unique system that allows youths to experience failure and success and a company continuing to change generations, Pokemon will continue to evolve.
Yes, evolve into a giant mess.

Also I though you didn't rely on experience? Sweet Arceus on a sundae, even their final encouraging message is a mess!

Onto other comments.

If that really is the case, then Rose as a villain makes sense; he tried to solve the problems of the distant future by himself instead of entrusting the future to future generations, probably due to his own self righteousness.
If that's the case I can see why Rose was so worried if the Pokemon future generation was being compared to the younger staff team that made the game...

Also, nice to now know that the game's message wasn't a "subtle" message about climate change but more about how the younger GF staff wanted to knock down the older staff members; truly their hearts are in the right place.

Tad harsh.
You'll love this post then.

That's the literal text of the game, with a dash of "insane billionaire willing to ruin the planet instead of investing in literally any other concept"
For anyone interested in a nearly hour long video, here's one I found exploring the story problems of Sword & Shield and at the end coming up with a pretty good way to make the story elements that are their actually work with a little reworking.
 
To be clear I think that dash of insane billionaire is a good part of the story. Rose's plan being insane and stupid is very realistic and stealing the torch he has by force is a net good.

The problems are more "they should have had Leon explicitly mention plans in the post game" and "pace your story better" but we've gone down that road a bunch.
 

Pikachu315111

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To be clear I think that dash of insane billionaire is a good part of the story. Rose's plan being insane and stupid is very realistic and stealing the torch he has by force is a net good.
Except they didn't really show it, at least not until the end and even then it's more presented as if he did the wrong thing "for the greater good". In the video I posted above by ItsYourPalJacob some of the slight changes he makes is by showing Rose's descent into insanity. Basically, at some point "research" is done and they learn that the Wishing Stars are a finite resource and everyone is concerned at first. However, later research mid-early in the game reveals that it won't be until a 1000 years which that'll happen, and so everyone just shakes it off... except Rose. And following added scenes will depict Rose slowly going "mad" by starting acting extreme in wanting to resolve the energy crisis 1000 years in the future now then letting the future generation handle it. The implication is that it's not about Rose not trusting the future generation, but him not wanting to leave anything to chance, he's a control freak and he sees a problem which he thinks he can solve now even though the problem is so out of the way even he won't see the benefits or even know if his drastic actions even resolved the issue (or would have since in a thousand years its very likely a new and more renewable energy source will be discovered and retire the use of Wishing Stars); it almost makes him into a Howard Hughes like character. And it also explains why he doesn't wait until after the Pokemon League is over, it's not about resolving the energy crisis asap, him releasing Eternatus is him shouting to everyone in the region to take him and the future problem seriously (I guess a bit of that was in the game, but since Rose just makes a sudden shift to villain it's hard to see that subtext).
 
Except they didn't really show it, at least not until the end and even then it's more presented as if he did the wrong thing "for the greater good". In the video I posted above by ItsYourPalJacob some of the slight changes he makes is by showing Rose's descent into insanity. Basically, at some point "research" is done and they learn that the Wishing Stars are a finite resource and everyone is concerned at first. However, later research mid-early in the game reveals that it won't be until a 1000 years which that'll happen, and so everyone just shakes it off... except Rose. And following added scenes will depict Rose slowly going "mad" by starting acting extreme in wanting to resolve the energy crisis 1000 years in the future now then letting the future generation handle it. The implication is that it's not about Rose not trusting the future generation, but him not wanting to leave anything to chance, he's a control freak and he sees a problem which he thinks he can solve now even though the problem is so out of the way even he won't see the benefits or even know if his drastic actions even resolved the issue (or would have since in a thousand years its very likely a new and more renewable energy source will be discovered and retire the use of Wishing Stars); it almost makes him into a Howard Hughes like character. And it also explains why he doesn't wait until after the Pokemon League is over, it's not about resolving the energy crisis asap, him releasing Eternatus is him shouting to everyone in the region to take him and the future problem seriously (I guess a bit of that was in the game, but since Rose just makes a sudden shift to villain it's hard to see that subtext).
I'm just saying if Elon Musk had access to an energy dragon he'd be all in on doing a darkest day it's fine and cool.

I just needed better pacing and emphasizing "hey its kind of fucked up that he basically controls all the industry in the region??" a little more.
 

Pikachu315111

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I'm just saying if Elon Musk had access to an energy dragon he'd be all in on doing a darkest day it's fine and cool.

I just needed better pacing and emphasizing "hey its kind of fucked up that he basically controls all the industry in the region??" a little more.
Elon isn't insane he's an @$$hole, major difference. Rose was driven to insanity to release Eternatus out of paranoia if he didn't Galar was doomed; Elon Musk would release Eternatus because he knows it'll annoy people and make his company richer (which is something I don't think Rose was actually concerned about).

Those with how you describe it I guess Rose is more like Lex Luthor (from the Superman Animated series (1996)).
 

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