@IceEarthGuard wouldn’t that just be PTCGO but you have an avatar that moves between the various opponents’ locations and could talk to NPCs for random bits of information and occasional promo cards?
Honestly, the orginal GBC game didn’t offer much beyond the card game itself, just occasionally tracking down NPCs for promos, which you needed a guide for as some would only function in certain times/ways which could be missed entirely.
@IceEarthGuard yes, objectively way way way ‘less accessible’, only about 30 million Switches have been sold, whilst there are billions of smartphones, tablets and computers capable of running PTCGO, so you’re talking about making it available to only 0.04% of humanity as a Switch exclusive.
And no way are they going to reduce the cost of boosters by $1 by removing the code cards and then charge people the price of a booster to add each new set to the game, especially if they follow the route of the orginal games which charged an average of $15 a set. In reality it would cost the price of a Switch if you don’t have one and then either $1,110+ to unlock all existing sets (excluding theme decks and promos) or $410 at your unrealistic $5 rate (assuming you started with four sets in that $60).
It makes no sense financially, why would Nintendo lose out on $30 from each of the thousands of booster boxes which they send out internationally every expansion, in exchange for a couple million people (because not every Switch owner would play this) spending $5-15 every three months?
@IceEarthGuard it’s not less money though, because you’re not only buying the game, but you’d also spending several hundred dollars on a Switch.
That’s what you said you wanted, for the existing game to shut down. That would cost people way more than just using their existing and multipurpose phone, tablet and/or PC to access a free game.
And all that just to add about 40 outdated legacy sets to the growing 30+ roster currently on PTCGO.
As for different games types for different sets, how would you judge which goes where? The first handful of sets were just terrible: with only a handful of decent trainers; the matches slow and drawn out due to the lack of draw power or energy acceleration; there’s cards like Super Energy Removal that are broken even by today’s standards; and you only do serious damage if you have a type advantage.
Also there’s the question of how you get cards and/or card expansions in the Switch game? I can’t imagine it’d be a one-off $60 per account for a lifetime of cards, the two GBC games only offered 3/4 sets for that amount and the only reason PTCGO is microtransaction free is because the physical game subsidises it.
Honestly, I can’t see your idea being of much benefit to the existing playerbase as it only makes things less accessible for the sake of some limited nostalgia.
@Majora101 Well you've gotta remember the majority of cards retain that WotC design, whilst the design you're display below that is limited to EXs, GXs and rare Full Art variant cards.
Also they had to limit the card types somewhat and have done that since the WotC Base Set when there were only five Ice Pokemon. In modern times Ice is one of the TCG's five sub-types (along with Ghost, Rock, Ground and Flying), being weak to Metal types instead of Grass Types.
@DeltaPeng EXs and Mega EXs were phased out and replaced by GXs and Tag Team GXs. Yet all four (EX/MEX/GX/TTGX) can be stopped by Pokemon and Trainers that prevent them from dealing damage or using their hostile attack effects, the Fairy type is especially good at this as they have a bunch of Item cards that make the attaching Fairy immune.
@Kinoen So let me get this right, you haven't read the article and you haven't played the game in forever, but you know exactly what's wrong with it?
Firstly it does have online functionality, every booster, theme deck and gift set comes with code cards for their free digital TCG service for PC, smart phones and tablets, which offers several modes of play and allows you to trade and acquire cards and theme decks going all the way back to when they took the game off WotC.
Secondly, how is it convoluted, you have one active Pokemon, upwards of eight benched Pokemon, you put energy cards on them to power their attacks (like PP but in reverse), you play Trainer cards which do a number of different things and you keep KOing your opponent's creatures till you've collected all your prizes... doesn't sound any more complicated than any other TCG/CCG and far simpler to games like Yu-Gi-Oh! where you have at least nine different ways to summon monsters.
How is it similar to the Pokemon video games? You don't capture, train or breed Pokemon, you don't go collection gym badges (outside of organised events), you don't take photos or grow berries or enter beauty contests... I mean that would go with your second point that you can do more in the games, but also there's a lot of Pokemon in the games that have never been as viable as their TCG counterparts and its fun to make teams of your favourites that might never have worked in another format. Also there the strategy involved in deck creation, which is always nice... oh and the competitive scene hasn't been destroyed by hackers as it has with the video games, seriously, you either hack your team or you don't bother showing up to a VG tournament.
Not to mention Pokemon's card game is kinda similar to the Pokemon games (I say as I haven't played a card game in eons outside of a very tiny amount of Magic and Hearthstone) and since you can do more in the game, why would anyone choose the card game (outside of just being a collector)?
@IceEarthGuard so what you're saying is, you want them to get rid of the currently FREE Pokemon TCG Online service (to decrease the cost of physical boosters by $1) and replace it with a Switch exclusive version that people would probably have to pay $60 for... but which includes the WotC cards that would be a pain for The Pokemon Company to secure and would be unplayable in the modern meta anyway?
I'm struggling to think of a worst idea... are you sure you're not a managing director at EA?
Comments 8
Re: Talking Point: The Pokémon Trading Card Game Is In Desperate Need of An Evolution
@IceEarthGuard wouldn’t that just be PTCGO but you have an avatar that moves between the various opponents’ locations and could talk to NPCs for random bits of information and occasional promo cards?
Honestly, the orginal GBC game didn’t offer much beyond the card game itself, just occasionally tracking down NPCs for promos, which you needed a guide for as some would only function in certain times/ways which could be missed entirely.
Re: Talking Point: The Pokémon Trading Card Game Is In Desperate Need of An Evolution
@IceEarthGuard that would honestly be a way better idea, add it to Switch and try to add even more older sets to PTCGO
Re: Talking Point: The Pokémon Trading Card Game Is In Desperate Need of An Evolution
@IceEarthGuard yes, objectively way way way ‘less accessible’, only about 30 million Switches have been sold, whilst there are billions of smartphones, tablets and computers capable of running PTCGO, so you’re talking about making it available to only 0.04% of humanity as a Switch exclusive.
And no way are they going to reduce the cost of boosters by $1 by removing the code cards and then charge people the price of a booster to add each new set to the game, especially if they follow the route of the orginal games which charged an average of $15 a set. In reality it would cost the price of a Switch if you don’t have one and then either $1,110+ to unlock all existing sets (excluding theme decks and promos) or $410 at your unrealistic $5 rate (assuming you started with four sets in that $60).
It makes no sense financially, why would Nintendo lose out on $30 from each of the thousands of booster boxes which they send out internationally every expansion, in exchange for a couple million people (because not every Switch owner would play this) spending $5-15 every three months?
Re: Talking Point: The Pokémon Trading Card Game Is In Desperate Need of An Evolution
@IceEarthGuard it’s not less money though, because you’re not only buying the game, but you’d also spending several hundred dollars on a Switch.
That’s what you said you wanted, for the existing game to shut down. That would cost people way more than just using their existing and multipurpose phone, tablet and/or PC to access a free game.
And all that just to add about 40 outdated legacy sets to the growing 30+ roster currently on PTCGO.
As for different games types for different sets, how would you judge which goes where? The first handful of sets were just terrible: with only a handful of decent trainers; the matches slow and drawn out due to the lack of draw power or energy acceleration; there’s cards like Super Energy Removal that are broken even by today’s standards; and you only do serious damage if you have a type advantage.
Also there’s the question of how you get cards and/or card expansions in the Switch game? I can’t imagine it’d be a one-off $60 per account for a lifetime of cards, the two GBC games only offered 3/4 sets for that amount and the only reason PTCGO is microtransaction free is because the physical game subsidises it.
Honestly, I can’t see your idea being of much benefit to the existing playerbase as it only makes things less accessible for the sake of some limited nostalgia.
Re: Talking Point: The Pokémon Trading Card Game Is In Desperate Need of An Evolution
@Majora101 Well you've gotta remember the majority of cards retain that WotC design, whilst the design you're display below that is limited to EXs, GXs and rare Full Art variant cards.
Also they had to limit the card types somewhat and have done that since the WotC Base Set when there were only five Ice Pokemon. In modern times Ice is one of the TCG's five sub-types (along with Ghost, Rock, Ground and Flying), being weak to Metal types instead of Grass Types.
Re: Talking Point: The Pokémon Trading Card Game Is In Desperate Need of An Evolution
@DeltaPeng EXs and Mega EXs were phased out and replaced by GXs and Tag Team GXs. Yet all four (EX/MEX/GX/TTGX) can be stopped by Pokemon and Trainers that prevent them from dealing damage or using their hostile attack effects, the Fairy type is especially good at this as they have a bunch of Item cards that make the attaching Fairy immune.
Re: Talking Point: The Pokémon Trading Card Game Is In Desperate Need of An Evolution
@Kinoen So let me get this right, you haven't read the article and you haven't played the game in forever, but you know exactly what's wrong with it?
Firstly it does have online functionality, every booster, theme deck and gift set comes with code cards for their free digital TCG service for PC, smart phones and tablets, which offers several modes of play and allows you to trade and acquire cards and theme decks going all the way back to when they took the game off WotC.
Secondly, how is it convoluted, you have one active Pokemon, upwards of eight benched Pokemon, you put energy cards on them to power their attacks (like PP but in reverse), you play Trainer cards which do a number of different things and you keep KOing your opponent's creatures till you've collected all your prizes... doesn't sound any more complicated than any other TCG/CCG and far simpler to games like Yu-Gi-Oh! where you have at least nine different ways to summon monsters.
How is it similar to the Pokemon video games? You don't capture, train or breed Pokemon, you don't go collection gym badges (outside of organised events), you don't take photos or grow berries or enter beauty contests... I mean that would go with your second point that you can do more in the games, but also there's a lot of Pokemon in the games that have never been as viable as their TCG counterparts and its fun to make teams of your favourites that might never have worked in another format. Also there the strategy involved in deck creation, which is always nice... oh and the competitive scene hasn't been destroyed by hackers as it has with the video games, seriously, you either hack your team or you don't bother showing up to a VG tournament.
Not to mention Pokemon's card game is kinda similar to the Pokemon games (I say as I haven't played a card game in eons outside of a very tiny amount of Magic and Hearthstone) and since you can do more in the game, why would anyone choose the card game (outside of just being a collector)?
Re: Talking Point: The Pokémon Trading Card Game Is In Desperate Need of An Evolution
@IceEarthGuard so what you're saying is, you want them to get rid of the currently FREE Pokemon TCG Online service (to decrease the cost of physical boosters by $1) and replace it with a Switch exclusive version that people would probably have to pay $60 for... but which includes the WotC cards that would be a pain for The Pokemon Company to secure and would be unplayable in the modern meta anyway?
I'm struggling to think of a worst idea... are you sure you're not a managing director at EA?