Topic: Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee!

HEY GUYS HOW ABOUT WE TAKE OUR BELOVED FRANCHISE AND MAKE IT OPEN WORLD BECAUSE IT'S A TREND-stabbed repeatedly

I don't know if Pokémon would work with an open world - part of the series, that makes it so accesible (specially to kids) it's that the linear system allows for a natural progression in levels, unless you decide to go hardcore on grinding.
That way, both casual and hardcore players can enjoy. I don't think a kid would be happy to just accidentally stumble in a high level area and get wrecked. In Gold/ Silver, people who immediately headed to face Price and Clair faced that problem and there were a lot of complains about it.

They've had a whopping 3 IPs that have gone open world out of the dozens that they still have. Pokemon going open world wouldn't kill the genre diversity in the slightest.

I don't see how an open world would work for a core series Pokemon game. You find Pokemon in random encounters in grass or "dungeons" such as caves, and trainers looking to battle typically stick to roads leading to settlements. An open world Pokemon game would be very empty, at most thinly spread. I can't see it working.

Okay, well first of all, there's 800 Pokemon and some of the recent games have been utterly crammed with Pokemon. Some areas have over a dozen species of Pokemon in them. They can definitely spread that out without it feeling too thinly spread, no question. They can have different encounter methods, and different rosters based on the environment (remember in SM that different patches of grass in the same area can have different Pokemon now). The only thing they would have trouble with is trainers, because too many of those could easily make you overleveled.

@Reginald
Unless if Pokemon Switch looks similar with Final Fantasy XII / Xenoblade, where you can encounter with Pokemons directly, No Random Battle anymore. FF XII / Xenoblade itself already felt like Open World RPG, so don't worry about the world. I think it will not so Empty as you concern about. Beside, who don't want to see a Beautiful worlds fulfilled with beautiful environments and Pokemons swarming around the world.

@Luna_110
Oh, about encounter with strong Pokemons before the time, I think Gamefreaks can lock some areas where you are not yet to access certain world due to underlevel or story progress. Imagine Fantasy Life 3DS, just like that when you encounter with Wild Pokemons.

@essiw
In my opinion, latest Pokemons on 3DS were good enough, but it still felt too linear. I wanna see the beautiful world with Full Dynamic Camera angle like Final Fantasy XII, not Fixed Camera Angle like older Pokemon games. Random Battles all the time is kinda tedious. Instead, if I can encounter the Wild Pokemons directly, it will be more efficient. Imagine Fantasy Life 3DS, I think it's not too hard to avoid some strong Pokemons if you don't want to fight against them. Just run and ignore them. Also, the same experiences when you play Portal Knights. You can see the enemies directly, you can attack them immediately if you want and you can avoid them if you want.

I would rather have that as a spin-off game and not as a main one.

@Reginald
Oh, btw. Have you ever know about Fantasy Life 3DS or Portal Knights ?

I think you can feel how does Pokemon games in Open World style from those games. In my opinion, Pokemon games feels better in Open World style like both of them. Random Battles is kinda tedious for me, but encounter specific Pokemons by your eyes is kinda interesting.

Anyway, what is your fear if Pokemon Switch using Open World style, compared by Traditional way Pokemon games ?

I don't have a fear, I just think that an open world format would not suit Pokemon based on the way it is structured.

I really hope they don't change the formula for Pokemon too much. Without random encounters in grass or caves etc, I think it's no longer a normal Pokemon game for me. I don't mind a spinoff idea but don't lose the formula that has been loved for so long.

I think he means something along the lines of doing away with EV's altogether, so that getting competent Pokémon doesn't take as much random chance and grinding. I do find it a shame that I can't go online and expect to have a chance without spending 100+ hours on the game first.

@Nicolai Removing EVs means that two of the same Pokemon are about equal in stats. That's pretty boring...

I think you can ignore IVs easily (they matter, but aren't that important for regular online battles), and EV training doesn't take that long if you know what you're doing.

@Octane I think it takes a while, and its pretty annoying to have to remove yourself from the story and pick and choose pokemon from the wild. It's complicated and never explained well; the first few times I read tutorials and articles on EV training, I was left with a million questions. At the beginning of the game, you usually either don't know about it, have forgotten about it, or don't have the means to do it, which means the Pokemon you start off with never reach their full potential. Plus they never show you a Pokemon's EVs until Pokemon XY, but even then they make this silly and boring minigame the most efficient way to do it. The last time I started up XY, I wouldn't go anywhere until I maxed a Pokemon's EVs with the training game, because of which I lost interest before going any further.

I have a lot of gripes like these about the modern pokemon games. They keep adding features and charts and systems that are impossible to keep track of on top of your item management, breeding, movesets, happiness, abilities, natures, etc. It's overwhelming. Overpowered Legendaries that walk into your lap during story mode, whereas catching a feebas is like winning the lottery. 700+ Pokemon that require multiple games I don't own in order to "catch-em'-all. Whenever I play a Pokemon game anymore, I stay the heck away from online battles and extra content, and just play the story mode over and over.

@Nicolai EV training has gotten easier with every generation. The effect of the power items got doubled this generation. So maxing out a single stat is pretty easy. 10 vitamins, around 15 battles with a power item and your stat is maxed out, and that's without Pokerus. Repeat this for the second stat you want to max out and you're done. It's really not that difficult at all.

I'm fine with the current system. The more effort you put into your Pokemon, the better the result is. You can't expect to walk into the Olympics and compete with athletes without any sort of training at all. Same is true for Pokemon, except it's not a life-long commitment.

@Tsurii Actually IVs arrived with breeding, it also determined shinies and gender I believe. EVs always existed in a different form.

The stats as we know them now though are from Gen 3.

@BLP_Software IVs were a thing in generation 1. Gen 1 and 2 used the same (weird) system for IVs and EVs that got ditched in gen 3.

@Octane @Tsurii Thanks for the clarification. I knew that Gen 3 changed them for the, admittedly, easier to grasp things they are now, and slapped all the other stuff onto PVs you cant check.

But I don't know how they work in Gen 1 or 2 because the day I go back to the barely functioning mess of Gen 1 or, in my opinion, the messy structure and lack of variety of Gen 2, is a cold day indeed.

@BLP_Software It's was lot simpler. Four IV stats, HP was based on the combination of those four IVs. EVs gained were equal to the base stat of the opponent, so a Pikachu would grant you 90 speed EVs. You could max out every stat, and even EV train level 100 Pokemon. Special Attack and Special Defense used a single IV and EV value to remain compatible with the first generation. Since it lacked an EV limit, EV training wasn't really a thing and it only meant you had to defeat enough Pokemon till you maxed out every stat.