Game Challenges: Sparking life in the RPGs

[Linkachu]

Aside from a few Emerald players in the UK it's pretty obvious that most activity in the RPG Pokemon games has waned, as it always does at periods like this. That and the Doc's "Pokemon Challenges" topic gave me the idea for this topic: challenges that might spark interest in the games or at least give people new gaming experiences.

What they are or how tough they are depend on you guys. It can be anything from "play through the games with all unevolved Pokemon" to "Never use a heal item throughout the entire game". It doesn't even need to be tough either, just something fun like "Build a team with an elemental base (ie. all Fire-types)" - something that others may not have thought to try before.

I'm personally planning to make my next team all Ground-types/Ground dual types. I've never actually tried to play through the games with any special plans like that before. So, I'll suggest the same to anyone else who's never attempted a team like that. Play through the games with a party like you would in teh Doc's topic. Doesn't really matter which game.

So, what other ideas can people give?

 

[Doctor Oak]

How about playing through without a single evolved Pokemon?

It's possible as there is at least one first-stage Pokemon that can learn all of the HMs and as an added bonus, you also get attacks quicker.

The only problem with it is the need for 6 Everstones (No-one wants to be pressing B every other battle to stop the Evolutions) and the fact you'd have to over-level to keep up.

Another one which I HAVE tried in the past is to build a Team based around Ash's (No other characters normally have 6 Pokemon, that said Ash currently doesn't either.)

Anyone heard of 'Drinking with Dallas'? It's a game people used to play watching Dallas, every time they take a drink in Dallas, you take one too. Could be adapted to Pokemon, every time Ash catches a new Pokemon you do so or every time Ash's evolves, you evolve yours.

I wont list Ash's current Team 'cause it'd obviously be SPOILERZZZZZ but I'll show my example off with the team he had prior to the Silver Conference:

Noctowl
Bayleef
Pikachu
Cyndaquil
Totodile
Phanpy

(Although if you were to base it on that specific time, you'd be screwed in the fact that Ash actually had 7 Pokemon with him at the time - Larvitar not actually being caught.)

 

[Linkachu]

(Although if you were to base it on that specific time, you'd be screwed in the fact that Ash actually had 7 Pokemon with him at the time - Larvitar not actually being caught.)

I never really considered Larvitar one of Ash's Pokemon. It bonded with him, but since he never officially caught the thing it was more of a tag-a-long than anything. I tend to view Haunter from the Kanto series the same way, too.

If I built an "Ash Team" I'd probably do it on LG and use his Orange Island Team:

Pikachu
Squirtle
Bulbasaur
Charizard
Snorlax
Lapras

It'd make more sense to use his Kanto team but he generally didn't carry six Pokemon around, at least not after Charmeleon evolved. Guess you could always do the classic Ash team: Pikachu, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Pidgeotto, Butterfree. But meh. I'd rather just go with his team leading up to the Kanto league and use only 5 than have Butterfree and Charmander instead of Zard. Heh... Maybe I will ^^ Play the game through with the Kanto 5, beat the Elite, then drop Pidgeotto/Pidgeot and train up Snorlax and Lapras for the Sevii Islands and second Elite 4 challenge. I'd probably pick Squirtle and Bulbasaur to trade over since they'll need to level up faster anyways just to keep up. Pikachu will do fairly holding a Light Ball, and I might evolve Pidgeotto just because. We'll see...

 

[Doctor Oak]

Technically, until the mid-Orange Islands (Or Elite 4 in the games), you'd have to have a disobedient Zard. ^^.

Not that it's actually possible to do that past the 8th badge, but that's the technically speaking aspect of it. ^^

I'd definitely go with his Battle Frontier team. Which is due a new Pokemon in a couple of eps judging by the current pattern of battle, contest, filler, evolution/capture, filler, battle, contest.

 

[baratron]

I'm doing this with The Sims at the moment - this unbelievably evil challenge called the Ethiopian Challenge. The brief version of the rules are:
1. Ethiopians are starving! No spending money on food! You cannot cook food! But you can steal cooked food from sims in other families.
2. Ethiopians do not have electricity! No electrical items in the house! Only battery-powered items like cellphones can be used. You _can_ use electrical items on community lots.
3. Ethiopians do not have running water! The house must have no plumbing. No swimming pools or garden ponds can be used. But you can use these items on community lots.

There are other rules on top of that, but the basic point is to find as many loopholes as you can. For example, sims get a free meal at school or work. Hanging around at a community lot means you can steal food off NPC sims. And drinks are not food! So you can spend money on drinks, and even completely fill up on drinks if you can be bothered. (It takes forever, it's usually easier to steal food). I would never, ever, have thought to play the game anywhere near this evilly, but my Ethiopian family are very happy and have an enormous, luxurious house - because they're not spending money on food or electricity, their bills are insanely low and they have enough money for all kinds of expensive things. Which are allowed, as long as they don't use electricity .

Sadly, I feel that Pokemon challenges would be a lot less flexible, because it's harder to find loopholes in a game with definite goals. Also the games are quite a lot less flexible than the anime world allows, and I can't see how it would be possible to get all the way through without evolving your pkmn, because they'd suffer too much with stats. Let alone Ash and his amazing "Thunder never misses, despite it being only 70% accuracy for anyone else" Pikachu. Bah.

Have I had this rant before? I can't remember, and I'm too tired & lazy to search. *mumble*

 

[rinokwedjnfalwa]

I played through emerald with an all fire team but it was hard considering I had five pokemon that refused to listen below is the team after I finished making it

Charmander Lv 9
Charizard Lv 92
Typhlosion Lv 87
Blaziken Lv 97
Groudon Lv 94
Ho-oh Lv 98

 

[Linkachu]

Why would you have two Charmanders (assuming that your L. 92 Charizard started as one) on the same team when you could've had any other Fire-type instead? o.O

Sadly, I feel that Pokemon challenges would be a lot less flexible, because it's harder to find loopholes in a game with definite goals. Also the games are quite a lot less flexible than the anime world allows, and I can't see how it would be possible to get all the way through without evolving your pkmn, because they'd suffer too much with stats. Let alone Ash and his amazing "Thunder never misses, despite it being only 70% accuracy for anyone else" Pikachu. Bah

Actually, quite a few people have gotten through the game without evolving. It may have been tough, but they managed somehow. Probably with lots of headaches and level-uping ^^;

I'd like to think that you could shape a team around one element and get through the game alright if you used enough dual-type variety, but since I've never done it before myself I'm not sure how easy it'd actually be. You're right otherwise. There really isn't a lot you can do differently in Pokemon aside from trying to make the game harder, and that itself can become tedious. Who really wants to make a team focused on leveling up more?

For what its worth, I still have yet to put any of my ideas from this topic into motion. So much for sparking my own interests :X

 

[rinokwedjnfalwa]

Why would you have two Charmanders (assuming that your L. 92 Charizard started as one) on the same team when you could've had any other Fire-type instead?

My Lv 9 charmander is a shiny and the charizard is'nt

 

[DarkLugia]

I dunno....the gameplay isn't different at all you battle pokemon in the same postion, you get 8 badges and you beat the pokemon leage then you have nothing to do...maybe they should be like gold version when you go to the the other region...But they should make it lie you start off in the hoen region and then got to jotoh region then the kanto region...If you start out with the same element party like fire, water and etc. You would be weak and defencless agianst the type your party is weak agianst you would lose horribily....and you won't beable to win the game...The only ones with different game play is pokemon dash and other games that aren't on the gameboy sp or advance system...

 

[Linkachu]

If you start out with the same element party like fire, water and etc. You would be weak and defencless agianst the type your party is weak agianst you would lose horribily....and you won't beable to win the game...

You must not watch the Anime much, eh?

Seriously, though, I disagree. If you use dual-types you can usually have one or two Pokemon that are protected against their most common weaknesses (ie. Swampert verses Electric-types, or Ludicolo verses Grass and Electric-types). You could also load your Pokemon up with attacks to counter their weaknesses. Maybe it wouldn't cover you completely, but it'd give you a fighting chance. The games really aren't that difficult either, and when all else fails - level up.