Pokemon Ultra S&M - Let's Minecraft Pikachu and Eevee Quest

Nobodyman

So here's a crazy idea I just had. What would it be like to play Pokémon, but without HP bars? As in, no way to keep track of how much HP your or the opponent's Pokémon has during battle. Obviously this would make things a lot harder and there's no way Gamefreak/Nintendo would implement something like this, but as a Nuzlocke-like challenge, what do you think of it? And has anything like this ever been attempted before? I literally just came up with this, so it's not like I've thought through or anything, but I think it has the potential to make the game really exciting.

Also, yeah, I guess this theory could be applied to a lot of RPG games, but Pokémon was the first thing I thought of.

maxterdexter

As in no indication at all (except things like the pinch berries and so)? Or keeping the hell sound of "you are about to die"

Also, without the no death clausule it would be kind of tame.

Nobodyman

@maxterdexter:

As in no indication at all (except things like the pinch berries and so)? Or keeping the hell sound of "you are about to die"

Yeah, no indication at all. I didn't consider the warning sound, but yeah, probably get rid of that as well. And yes, pinch berries would still activate.

Also, without the no death clausule it would be kind of tame.

Well, it would still be more challenging, but…yeah, I suppose that's true. Maybe keep the death clause, but remove the one-Pokémon-per-route clause to balance out the difficulty?

Robby

With no way to track health you'd basically have no choice but to swap or heal every other turn, you wouldn't be able to count on anything taking more than two hits. Or just get used to everything dying on you forever. It'd get old faaaaast.

RoboBlue

@Robby:

With no way to track health you'd basically have no choice but to swap or heal every other turn, you wouldn't be able to count on anything taking more than two hits. Or just get used to everything dying on you forever. It'd get old faaaaast.

Sounds exactly like something Gamefreak would do. :ninja:

maxterdexter

Thinking about names and alolan forms:

Sandsdrew could have used a name change with the alternate form. Checking their japanesse name (Sand and Sandpan) tell me that the consistence of having a wrong name in japanesse and english overweights the confusion of THIS alolan form having to change it's name.

The Geodude line works, but it bothers me to have Golem as the name of a living thing, but again it's a constant on all languages, and my issue is with the name "golem" baseline.

I wish that they would have gone with a more global aproach to naming the mons, one of those hindsight changes that won't be done after 20 years, like changing the goddamned base logo, or going Jojo on the anime and discarded Ash for good after kanto.

Robby

The English kind of screwed itself with the Mr. Mime name, given that they added actual genders in the following generation.

Green_vs_Red

Mr.Mime and Mr.Mime Woman.

Purple Hermit

Mister Mime and Mystery Mime

RoboBlue

@Robby:

The English kind of screwed itself with the Mr. Mime name, given that they added actual genders in the following generation.

They could've just changed it.
Victreebel and Feraligatr's names were intentionally misspelled due to character limits in gen 1 and 2, those should also be fixed.

Robby

@RoboBlue:

They could've just changed it.
Victreebel and Feraligatr's names were intentionally misspelled due to character limits in gen 1 and 2, those should also be fixed.

They're officially copyrighted and trademarked and licensed out to others as-is though. I'm not sure how much would be involved in fixing that, but probably far more effort and money than it's worth.

Now, if it were Pikachu and his name had been spelled Pikchu at some point, that'd probably be worth the effort to fix.

Green_vs_Red

Victreebel is fine Faraligatr has always bothered the hell out of me.

maxterdexter

I decided to go the hearthstone way and just netdeck a team for pokemon showdown. I always fail in the preparation steep, but I do ok in the combat stage. I went a good while in RU with a copied team.

Lord Starfish

@maxterdexter:

I wish that they would have gone with a more global aproach to naming the mons, one of those hindsight changes that won't be done after 20 years, like changing the goddamned base logo, or going Jojo on the anime and discarded Ash for good after kanto.

Well, that's only a problem outside of Japan. In Japan, they redesign the logo with pretty much every new entry. Like, this is the Japanese logo to Platinum for example…

And Sun & Moon…

The English games having the exact same Pokémon logo every time is rather boring, yeah. Especially when it's replacing more unique designs from the original games.

maxterdexter

That is the point that I was trying to make yes.

–- Update From New Post Merge ---

But my most wanted thing (impossible at this mon list size) is that pokemon parents of different species leave some visual cues on the offsprings, something like this album: https://imgur.com/gallery/L3Bkg (maybe not as through)

Like let's say that you are breeding the ultimate bug pokemon. Heracross + Heracross or H + Ditto would leave you with a normal heracross, but make the father a beedril, and get a heracross maybe with stripped shell and a sharp horn, any of the buterfly mons and put that pattern on the shell, or the wings, and so forth.

Sure, right now it would be a nightmare (even if it's not ALL permutations, but all permutations with viable parents, so it is not 900!, but it would be around 160 variations for the mon with the most possible (a water1-field) taking only final stages traits or a physical trait for family (like taking only eevee's fur style and colors, instead of the whole family), but maybe start with the fairy egg group or bug or flying and work it over generations, specially if it's only a visual thing.

Bugs

Seems like a lot of work (from concept drawings to programming) for something so inconsequential as well as for something that a sizable number of players don't do and not something that Game Freak can really hype the game on like the Alolan forms and the mega stones.

Robby

@maxterdexter:

But my most wanted thing (impossible at this mon list size) is that pokemon parents of different species leave some visual cues on the offsprings, something like this album: https://imgur.com/gallery/L3Bkg (maybe not as through)

Monster Rancher did exactly that. MR2 had maybe 30 unique species, but over 400 monsters. Parents would pass on body shape, color, or unique facial traits, sometimes moves. Sadly, MR2 had the largest roster and none of the games that followed got anywhere near that variety.

maxterdexter

Yah, something like this, going over the water 2 egg group, I think is the smallest one:

Let's say putting some color on the fins of everyone, like a changeable customizable texture there, if going by full magic budget also the fin shapes, Octillery and Malamar being the hardest ones to addapt.

maxterdexter

https://www.twitch.tv/pokemon

A championship is going on, while the abundance of intimidate/terrains/weather is somewhat boring, I'm having fun watching it.

I like how Levitate/flyers sometimes have a dissavantage against terrain sets as they don't get the benefits.

Purple Hermit

Joke about how nobody knows the rules to the TCG

maxterdexter

I'm kind of fascinated by the status Z Moves again.

https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Z-Move#Z-Power_effects_of_status_moves

For most of them is just tacking a 1 or 2 stage boost, a 3 stage boost (z-splash) or a full Ancient Power boost.

The "Calls a Z-Move" group have an interesting synergy with Prankster, as they get the priority boost, but fail against Dark-types, wasting the Z-move.

Then there are a bunch of "remove lowered stats", mostly the commonly used moves (Substitute, Swords dance, quiver dance..)

Then the full heals, for either the user (Z Belly drum!) or to the switch in (in case of suicide stat moves)

And finally the "I dare to kill me" moves, like destiny bond, work as Follow me or Rage Powder.

I think that the trend went more for "let's make sure to get a kill" rather than do a one time "status+boost" or "boost+heal" or something more gimicky. The strongest ones require you to have useless or dubious moves wasting space (conversion, splash) and are a one use only.

I wonder how they are going to go forward with Z moves, they brought the Wow factor of mega evolutions for all mons, with a fraction of the effort and terryfing meta defining consequences, personally, at the very least giving a physical animation and a special animation, and some more consistency to the power of the status Z to make it more intuitive the kind of boosts that you get from them.

I'll continue to check any successful uses of status Z moves around.

maxterdexter

I like that Primarina and Incineroar are VGC competitive right now.

maxterdexter

A few trailers of GoEevee and GoPikachu are out.

! Arcanine is rideable!
Your rival is a wet noodle!
Female Eevee get new tail pattern!

While I still care very little about this set of games, they paint a very interesting picture for the next generation.

KageKageKing

You look like crap, Green.

KaizokuJinbei

https://mynintendonews.com/2018/07/13/pokemon-the-movie-mewtwo-strikes-back-evolution-will-premiere-in-2019/

next Pokemon Movie is Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution

Robby

Well, rideable mons and your whole team running behind you I can get behind.

If only they weren't dumbing down the whole thing and it was just a straight remake I'd be down with it.

GetsugaZoro

Man the Gen 1 pandering since Gen 6 and specially because of Pokemon Go is getting really annoying, so another Mewtwo movie…Gen 8 is going to yet again pander to Gen 1 fans, that's 3 gens in a row.

maxterdexter

I'm guessing they are still kind of afraid after gen5 total reboot.

My interpretation is that they expect anyone who wants an "all new all different" pokemon will just jump ship to Yokai watch, so they just go and try to push their advantage, their 20 years head start and nostalgia googles.

Robby

@maxterdexter:

I'm guessing they are still kind of afraid after gen5 total reboot.

Was there backlash to that? That was the most refreshing mon game in a long time and is a step I wish they'd take more often.

Or at the very least, have a majority be new things. With the advent of Aloan forms we can have both. 100 or sonew things, and 50-100 old things but with new designs and typings.

GetsugaZoro

Since when was the Gen5 "reboot" an issue? some people didn't like the designs like with every gen, but that is about it, the games themselves were some of the most well received games to this day.

maxterdexter

For me it was great, but the fact that they didn't follow up with it, even with B&W2, tells me that it wasn't as well recieved.

GetsugaZoro

@maxterdexter:

For me it was great, but the fact that they didn't follow up with it, even with B&W2, tells me that it wasn't as well recieved.

Follow up on what? they even made a sequel instead of a remake that gen, I'm not following your argument.

They just went for nostalgia and Pokemon Go happened, that is the reason they keep going back to Gen 1 nothing to do with Gen 5.

Robby

@maxterdexter:

For me it was great, but the fact that they didn't follow up with it, even with B&W2, tells me that it wasn't as well recieved.

Well… yeah. By BW2 the new things were old. Of course they pushed some old mons back in after that to inflate the numbers. THat's what they ALWAYS do for mid gen updates, add in more of the old stuff, rather than any more new things.

RoboBlue

@Robby:

Was there backlash to that? That was the most refreshing mon game in a long time and is a step I wish they'd take more often.

Or at the very least, have a majority be new things. With the advent of Aloan forms we can have both. 100 or sonew things, and 50-100 old things but with new designs and typings.

There was a fairly significant backlash.

Gen 5 was promoted as the Pokemon game for a slightly older, more mature audience, and about 3/4 of the story focused on a very interesting moral dilemma inherent to the Pokemon world. After that, Team Plasma devolved into the typical evil team who wants to conquer the world, leaving the moral dilemma completely unresolved.

A lot of people felt that the greater focus on plot led to a lack of polish and poor design choices throughout the game, but in retrospect I'm pretty sure those issues were unrelated.

.access timeco.

If one thing from Let's Go is carrying to the regular games, I hope it's this.

Envy

@GetsugaZoro:

Man the Gen 1 pandering since Gen 6 and specially because of Pokemon Go is getting really annoying, so another Mewtwo movie…Gen 8 is going to yet again pander to Gen 1 fans, that's 3 gens in a row.

GF/TPC really ought to be able to realize that you can only go so far with nostalgia. Like, even back in Diamond/Gen IV I was still riding the Gen I nostalgia train and ecstatic when Gen I Pokemon did show up in my game. But now it has really lost that magic. Now with Pokemon GO and Pokemon LGP/E I am just straight up annoyed and, in fact, LGP/E being only Generation I Pokemon is one of the largest turn offs about it (Alongside the wild Pokemon battle system, the forced gyroscope/motion control when catching, and the absurdly high price).

I agree with Robby that Gen V was so refreshing. Before playing Black I always clung to the same Pokemon that I knew helped me through the games. When Black/White came along and only new Pokemon were available pre-post game it felt so fresh. I actually had to look around and experiment with the new Pokemon present. And sure, not all Gen V Pokemon were a gem (as is the case with all generations, INCLUDING Gen I, lets be honest) but I found a ton of Pokemon from Gen V that I adore and are actually among my top favorites now.

And at least in Gen V, old Pokemon were available post-game, you got the National Dex, etc. Even in Gen VII, you no longer get a National Dex, and in LGP/E no Pokemon aside from the original 151 and one unrevealed new one will be present at all. That kind of crap just really ruins it all for me.

Of course, we all know that LGP/E will be super successful (but it's really just because they're Pokemon games, nothing else), and the Gen I pander fest will continue on.

Noqanky

Lol they're not reacting to backlash lmao

They're reacting to the stupid amounts of money and attention they still get from anything Gen 1. They're a company, they have to follow the money.

Envy

So there's this newly released (yesterday with everything else? I don't know) advertisement in JP and everyone's clamoring about how it shows Jesse and James, but actually there's something much more interesting in it: It shows footage of a player character fighting Zapdos with Pikachu (and later an encounter with Moltres, too). Could this mean that legendary Pokemon encounters allow actual combat and aren't just the GO system? If so why in the world not just make the whole game like that (at least optionally)?

andre

@Envy:

So there's this newly released (yesterday with everything else? I don't know) advertisement in JP and everyone's clamoring about how it shows Jesse and James, but actually there's something much more interesting in it: It shows footage of a player character fighting Zapdos with Pikachu (and later an encounter with Moltres, too). Could this mean that legendary Pokemon encounters allow actual combat and aren't just the GO system? If so why in the world not just make the whole game like that (at least optionally)?

Not sure why anyone is surprised about Jesse and James when they were in Yellow, but everything I've seen continues to completely deflate the hype I had for this pre-reveal. I've caught Zapdos so many times that the idea of capturing it again, but this time… wait, there's nothing different about catching it now, the legendary encounters just actually require actually battling. 2019 can't come fast enough.

Halfmetal-lich

The more I see about this game, the more it looks like it'll be quite good for what it is.

RoboBlue

@andre:

Not sure why anyone is surprised about Jesse and James when they were in Yellow, but everything I've seen continues to completely deflate the hype I had for this pre-reveal. I've caught Zapdos so many times that the idea of capturing it again, but this time… wait, there's nothing different about catching it now, the legendary encounters just actually require actually battling. 2019 can't come fast enough.

Is it just me, or do some of those kids have a weird CGI effect?

Green_vs_Red

@KageKageKing:

You look like crap, Green.

Isn't Green looking like shit normal?:whistling:

MetaMario

"Green" isn't who we're thinking of, it's a new character.
https://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/new-information-revealed-for-upcoming-pokemon-games

MrBits

I can understand most changes being made to the game, even the ones I don't agree with, but replacing the rival just confuses me. They're clearly trying to target nostalgia, so why would they replace one of the most iconic characters in the series?

Eh, not like I was interested anyway. I just want to know what the new pokemon is.

Satsuki

So . . . . are these the official new main games in the series? Or are they re-do's like Soul Silver and Heart Gold?

MrBits

@Satsuki:

So . . . . are these the official new main games in the series? Or are they re-do's like Soul Silver and Heart Gold?

Don't they already consider remakes "main games?"

MetaMario

@Satsuki:

So . . . . are these the official new main games in the series? Or are they re-do's like Soul Silver and Heart Gold?

It essentially is a Yellow remake, but TPC is targeting new players coming off Pokemon Go, so you get the brighter colors, younger looks, more generalized mechanics. They confirmed a "regular" game will be released in 2019, I believe the start of gen 8.

Envy

@MrBits:

I can understand most changes being made to the game, even the ones I don't agree with, but replacing the rival just confuses me. They're clearly trying to target nostalgia, so why would they replace one of the most iconic characters in the series?

Eh, not like I was interested anyway. I just want to know what the new pokemon is.

Well they replaced the protagonists, too. They clearly aren't Red and Leaf. I think LGP/E are supposed to be 'alternate universe' versions of Yellow, where there are different protagonists and rival.

RoboBlue

@MrBits:

I can understand most changes being made to the game, even the ones I don't agree with, but replacing the rival just confuses me. They're clearly trying to target nostalgia, so why would they replace one of the most iconic characters in the series?

Eh, not like I was interested anyway. I just want to know what the new pokemon is.

I'd go even further: he's the most iconic character in the game.
Red's just another silent JRPG protagonist, Oak is interesting but we never learn anything about him and Giovanni never really rises above being a stereotype.

Purple Hermit

Everyone's lasting memory isn't Red or Oak

It's their childhood rival, DICKS.