Topic: Pokemon games that don't penalize you for not playing for a while?

I used to really enjoy the Pokemon games, but eventually they started to have frustrating features that punished you if you went away from the game for more than a few days. Like in one version, you would pick berries and then re-plant them, but if you didn't harvest them quickly enough, they would die and go to seed and grow from the start again, and eventually they would be gone entirely. And in Black/White's version-unique areas, characters leave the area if you don't play for a while.

I often go months without playing a game, either because I'm busy with real life or really into another game, so these sorts of systems don't work well for my playing style. Are there any DS Pokemon games without this sort of "feature?"

Pretty sure the features you mentioned are the only "puneshing" ones in the series. Is it really that frustrating?

Just wanted to point out that the Black and White special areas' population isn't based on how frequently you play the game. It is based on people you pass while the game is active and the Pokegear (or whatever it is called) is active. I played White almost religiously for months and only ever had one person appear in my special area. And to be honest, the Black and White special areas don't really do anything as far as I can remember. They are just there. You can play the game and never really use those areas without missing out on much of anything.

@Ecto-1 It's called the C-Gear. And yes, you wont miss out on to much if you ignore the areas.

Black city and White forest are useless in my opinion. It's more effective in overly crowded places, such as I Japan with loads of players.

Oh please. Just try going away from an Animal Crossing game for a couple weeks. Then you're really screwed.

we're not talking about Animal Crossing, though, we're talking about Pokemon.

Actually, Black City/White Forest's residents do leave if you ignore them enough.
But they only require you to talk to them if you play the game that day, if you simply leave the game unattended for years, when you go back to it they will still be there.

And, both places start with about 10 characters living there, but since you can't visit them until you beat the game, most of them will leave before you can even meet them!

Except that poogeymanz doesn't punish you at all for not playing. Past berries dying. So, not much to talk about.

Actually it does punish you in black and white and not just trainers leave. In black version you also lose store clerks who sell heart scales and evolution items so you can't purchuse them anymore. In white version the pokemon that are in the grass disappear as well so if you didn't catch them while white forest was full you just missed out big time.

OoO So how long do you have to not play to not be able to buy heart scales? o.O Cause I lost my BAlck and just found it.

I wish someone would appear in my special area.

OoO So how long do you have to not play to not be able to buy heart scales? o.O Cause I lost my BAlck and just found it.

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As long as you play it the day before a season change and the day of a new season you should be okay. In other words to keep the benefits of black city and white forest you must play the first and last days of each month if you've beat the main story and played every single day before getting the national dex.

Pokemon games never punish you for not playing for long periods of time. I think you're being nit picky to call those things you listed "punishments". I jump into black without months of playing just fine.

When I had white version I had lots of pokemon (like bagon and happiny) in white forest that you can't get in black without transfering or trading. I stopped playing white to work on Dream Drop Distance and now I don't have any grassy areas (execpt for a really tiny patch that has nothing but lotad). It is in a way a punishment because pokemon games up until black and white never took away store clerks with rare items and potential good pokemon to add to your pokedex. On the other rather then thinking of it as being punished for not playing, you could consider it as only losing a few nice benifits instead. Or, you could consider having full forests and cities a reward rather the empty areas a punishment.

I think punishments for not playing games for a long time is just a stupid idea in general, even if it's trying to be realistic. It ruins the experience at times and it makes you think " Man I haven't played Animal Crossing in weeks, but I'm just so tired of it" so it's more of a chore than having fun. Not to mention the guilt of having a town cluttered with weeds and missing residents.