Unpopular opinions

antemortem

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Well, I only use the ones that I can find in the wild, and since they are very uncommon, I usually don't find them. But I do see what you mean.
A dead Pokémon is a dead Pokémon. I understand implementing a few caveats to alleviate some pressure, but Nuzlockes are meant to be hard mode. Max Revives truly defeat the purpose. I used to think I could get away with using regular Revives and not being allowed to heal the mons in battle past that as a sort of Redemption, but even that is cheating to an unacceptable degree.
 
At the same time... it's your game, do whatever you want. I play casual mode on Fire Emblem all the time; I don't care, it's fun. If you wanna do a nuzlocke variation where you can use max revives, you go for it - probably not what one would call a nuzlocke but there's no problem and there's no reason it would be a problem.
 
At the same time... it's your game, do whatever you want. I play casual mode on Fire Emblem all the time; I don't care, it's fun. If you wanna do a nuzlocke variation where you can use max revives, you go for it - probably not what one would call a nuzlocke but there's no problem and there's no reason it would be a problem.
Sure. You can play however you want; playing with Max Revives just isn't playing a Nuzlocke.
 
Not gonna check through the whole thread to see if its been said but:

Competitive Pokemon is an absolute joke, Gamefreak puts too little effort to balancing the game for competitive and actually creating viable Pokemon is retardly complex, when a fan community has to gather to balance the game through a long drawn out process of tiering that takes literally months to result in certain balance changes occurring just to make the game even remotely competitive, Gamefreak will probably power creep the crap out of the next gen with the new Giratina shadowfuck form or whatever OP meme shit they come up with to fuel the rest of the franchise anyway. Not only that but they hide so much data that whole communities form simply to try figure out what statistic gamefreak fucked with this time around that they didn't tell anyone about.

If competitive Pokemon is the only competitive video game you have ever tried I implore to you to try looking into fighting games or MOBAs or certain FPSs to see what a game that has a competitive scene that actually works looks like.
 
Not gonna check through the whole thread to see if its been said but:

Competitive Pokemon is an absolute joke, Gamefreak puts too little effort to balancing the game for competitive and actually creating viable Pokemon is retardly complex, when a fan community has to gather to balance the game through a long drawn out process of tiering that takes literally months to result in certain balance changes occurring just to make the game even remotely competitive, Gamefreak will probably power creep the crap out of the next gen with the new Giratina shadowfuck form or whatever OP meme shit they come up with to fuel the rest of the franchise anyway. Not only that but they hide so much data that whole communities form simply to try figure out what statistic gamefreak fucked with this time around that they didn't tell anyone about.

If competitive Pokemon is the only competitive video game you have ever tried I implore to you to try looking into fighting games or MOBAs or certain FPSs to see what a game that has a competitive scene that actually works looks like.
This is not unpopular.

That being said, Game Freak's competitive focus is in Doubles, not Singles. Just look at Doubles OU's banlist and you'll notice how tiny the banlist is compared to Singles (excluding Pokemon that were not meant to be balanced to begin with). It's a good indicator on how much less unbalanced it is.

That's why they've released so many Glass Cannons for several generations already - what are they going to do in Doubles outside of perhaps getting one kill, not counting Protect prediction? (This is really important. In Singles, outside of priority, there is not much that can defeat a glass cannon with good priority like Deoxys or Pheromosa before taking high damage from it. In Doubles, you use Protect in the intended target, then you KO the glass cannon with the other Pokemon. And that's the most straightforward way.)
 
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To me it's the absurd amount of RNG that distances Pokémon from being a decent competitive game. Sure, I don't think there's a game that doesn't have RNG, but Pokémon takes it to such entirely new levels it's not even funny.
Objetions to the idea of a game with random elements being competitive are rooted in the idea that an individual match is how you determine skill, but that's not true for games with random elements

think about poker, poker has a completely legitimatly and vibrant competitive scene and yet poker is perhaps one of the most random games out there, on any given hand is completly possible that the worst player at your local poker night beats out one of the world's all-stars but that's not how you play poker, the results of a single hand in poker won't be enough to advance in a tournament or even win the table in your local poker group, you have to look at a much larger sample; in local games playing a dozen hands is pretty common, in tournaments players may well play thousands of hands

you see, over several games all randomness evens out, you're just as likely to get that 10% freeze chance as your opponet if you play enough times, and skill at the game means you know what skills to develop and how to capitalize on them so in the end the players with the most skill clearly shine through

now in poker that is because it's a game of expected value, players can't be sure of the absolute value of any move but the best players find all the tiny ways to up their win percentage and that is also true on pokemon

the question is simply how to highlight this in our tournaments; the first thing we have to do is move away from single elimination, instead tounaments should be Round Robin style with each player playing against every other player in the tournament with the player with the highest win percentage declared victor


(Hey kids, I plagiarized this from some professional source somewhere, can you tell from where?)
 
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To me it's the absurd amount of RNG that distances Pokémon from being a decent competitive game. Sure, I don't think there's a game that doesn't have RNG, but Pokémon takes it to such entirely new levels it's not even funny.
I think that the rng can actually make the game require more strategy. I mean, if something unexpected happens, you will need to be able to think of ways to give yourself the advantage. It can also give the losing player a chance to catch back up. Although I do agree that there are some things that go too far, for the most part, rng makes things more fun.
Rng OUTSIDE of battles, however, is a completely different matter.
 
Usually luck-based mechanics are best implemented when small losses are acceptable and the focus is on victory overall or managing losses. Like the aforementioned poker, you are expected to lose individual hands, but the goal to to walk out with a net profit.

Competitive pokemon however, is not a place you can accept small losses. VGC is four on four, so one small luck hax can cost you a match. Likewise, the singles battle tower is 3 on 3, where losing just one pokemon puts you at a severe disadvantage with little time for recovery. In both set-ups, losses are not acceptable (single elimination rounds all the time), so luck mechanics are more frustrating than innovative.

In formats that allow more pokemon, luck becomes more manageable. I used to love Triples in the Battle Maison both because I could use a full party of pokemon, but also because with 6 pokemon bad luck has less chance of snowballing into a loss. I could even turn the tables with Rock Slide flinch hax to exploit luck to my benefit without as much risk if the gamble didn't pay off.

The downside of Maison Triples is the matches do take a long time, and the Pokemon battle U.I. is pretty slow by modern RPG standards (compare with Persona 5 for a "fast" turn based RPG).

Yokai Watch could be a proof of concept of what Pokemon could be if it had a better relationship with luck mechanics, as that battle system is less on individual performance and more overall team management. It's not the perfect example (recruiting Yokai is SUPER random, both to your benefit and detriment. Also some luck mechanics can be ignored for no loss, like using Kruncha to eliminate loafing), but could give ideas on how to improve luck mechanics.
 
stage7_4 As you said, Yo-kai Watch's RNG mechanics combine luck with pre-battle preparation quite nicely. Yo-kai Watch 3's battle system is an excellent example of integrating a bit of skill into the mix, something which Pokémon has refused to implement even in recent games.

If Pokémon introduced a Rank System of E-D-C-B-A-S and restricted A and S-Rank Pokémon to two each per official team, how would official formats (various in-game battle facilities, Battle Spot, and VGC) handle this? Just because a Pokémon has higher stats doesn't make it more viable. I have a feeling that Smogon formats would ignore this limit

Also, why hasn't Pokémon included equipment that add or subtract stat boosts (such as something that provides +50 Attack at the cost of -25 Defense or Speed) instead of the multiplicative held items we have now?
 
Well, let's not entirely sing Yokai Watch's praises, as it's not a perfect system either just a different one. The luck mechanic is more "fair", but that just means it's helping you as much as it's hurting you.

The Yokai recruiting mechanic is pretty much the biggest example of this. The Crank-a-kai can give me game-breaking S-ranks right at the beginning of the game, but then I can get stuck trying to recruit that one Yokai to advance the plot. In Pokemon it's like being handed level 1 Mewtwo before the first gym but struggle finding something that can use the HM-Surf. Catching pokemon seems like an act of God's mercy compared to Yokai watch!

And the battle system is forgiving of mistakes, but it's still super frustrating when your healer decides to attack instead, or prioritizes the wrong target. There are ways to mitigate the damage, and again it's always "fair" but it's not quite perfect.

Although the thought of an official in-game battle system that allows the use of legendaries puts a tingly feeling in my heart.

But going back to Pokemon, while we don't have exactly what you're thinking of in terms of equipment, most high-tier items do have a trade-off effect. Berries are single use, Choice items lock you to one move, the Life Orb drains health, Z-moves have one use period, pretty much all competitive items have some sort of "pro and con" effect. It keeps in the spirit of it even if the details are different.

Edit: Yay! Post 1111!
 
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Most people who oppose hacking in Pokémon games are hypocrites. They will go to great lengths in talking about how much work went into breeding/training the perfect Pokémon, and how hacking them is cheating. But you know who discovered what IVs/EVs do and the secret tricks for maximizing them? Yeah, it was the very hackers that these guys complain about, since none of this stuff is in the manual. So I don't consider hacking to be morally wrong.
 
Most people who oppose hacking in Pokémon games are hypocrites. They will go to great lengths in talking about how much work went into breeding/training the perfect Pokémon, and how hacking them is cheating. But you know who discovered what IVs/EVs do and the secret tricks for maximizing them? Yeah, it was the very hackers that these guys complain about, since none of this stuff is in the manual. So I don't consider hacking to be morally wrong.
The biggest argument against hacking is that not every player has access to it, so using these Pokemon competitively is an unfair advantage and goes against the wishes of the creators.

This is not the same as data mining, as the contents of those are made public so everyone has access to them. Data mining is also taking a look at the inner workings of the game, unlike hacking which is altering these systems.

Nobody really cares what you personally do with hacked Pokemon on your own time, but using them competitively when a majority of your competition can't is cheating.

As for what happens when everyone could hack perfect Pokemon in seconds, well why do you think Smogon exists?
 
Most people who oppose hacking in Pokémon games are hypocrites. They will go to great lengths in talking about how much work went into breeding/training the perfect Pokémon, and how hacking them is cheating. But you know who discovered what IVs/EVs do and the secret tricks for maximizing them? Yeah, it was the very hackers that these guys complain about, since none of this stuff is in the manual. So I don't consider hacking to be morally wrong.
Actually you don't need to peer into the game data to know something is up that we are not told.

People noticed Pokemon's stats were growing differently, even in the same species, and disassembled the game's RAM to see why. Could have been a glitch, after all, even if it turned out to be intentional.

And even then you don't need to look at the RAM. You can approximate the formulas through mathematics.
 
The biggest argument against hacking is that not every player has access to it, so using these Pokemon competitively is an unfair advantage and goes against the wishes of the creators.

This is not the same as data mining, as the contents of those are made public so everyone has access to them. Data mining is also taking a look at the inner workings of the game, unlike hacking which is altering these systems.

Nobody really cares what you personally do with hacked Pokemon on your own time, but using them competitively when a majority of your competition can't is cheating.

As for what happens when everyone could hack perfect Pokemon in seconds, well why do you think Smogon exists?
How is it that not everyone has access to hacked pokemon?
 

Xen

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How is it that not everyone has access to hacked pokemon?
Well for one, if you don't have a hacked/modded 3DS, the only hacking tool a player would reliably have available to them that wouldn't require homebrew exploits is Powersaves, and if you have a digital copy of the game, then that's off the table as well.

Secondly, obviously not everyone is morally on board with hacking. Between Pokemon Showdown and how easy it is to breed perfect Pokémon on cart and Hyper Train those that are harder to obtain with flawless stats, some people find the time and resources put towards hacking to not be justifiable when they can just play the game the way it is intended to be played.

And let's not forget that competitive players are still the minority when it comes to the fanbase; a good chunk of the fanbase still has no clue about the likes of IVs and EVs, or perhaps they do but don't give a Rattata's ass about them because they generally just play the main story.
 

...I kind of liked pokemon musicals.

As far as "minigames within the main game," most would go with Pokemon Contests or Pokestar studios as their favorites, and frankly they'd be right (Pokestar studios in particular for me).

And fair point, pokemon musicals have to be one of THE most stripped down "minigames" ever, essentially being a glorified dress up simiulator with a nearly input-less dance routine at the end. But for glorified dress up simulators, you can't avoid the charm of putting top hats on everything.
upload_2017-7-1_20-8-19.png

EVERYTHING.

If they ever decide to revisit this concept in a remake or future installment, I think one simple fix would be to add a little rhythm game at the end. Either Elite Beat Agents style (or Harmoknight GAMEFREAK *HINTHINT*) set to some classic pokemon series tunes, that would be simple but oh so AWESOME!

Or you could do actual pokemon musicals, like real musicals starring pokemon. But 'cmon I mean what kind of audience would watch that?
upload_2017-7-1_20-16-31.png

Honey what you waiting for? Welcome to my candy store! You just got to prove you're not a loser anymore... and step into my candy store.
 
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Deleted User 400951

Banned deucer.
Or you could do actual pokemon musicals, like real musicals starring pokemon. But 'cmon I mean what kind of audience would watch that?
ME ME ME

Here's another terribly unpopular opinion: Team Magma and Aqua SUCKED. Like, really badly. I'd say they're the worst villainous teams after Team Flare (we can all at least agree that Team Flare sucked). To me, Aqua/Magma just didn't work. They tried to be deep teams with philosophy - not the downright gang-style of Team Rocket. However, they just... failed. I felt no emotion in ORAS going against these guys. It's like they didn't even care. Maxie and Archie just didn't seem to care at all. They had no passion in it. It felt as though they were doing it just to get paid, and honestly, I could have seen them as Team Rocket admins better than these teams. Team Rocket at least stuck to their clear niche, Team Galactic had Cyrus's deep philosophy and darkness (I wrote about him in the Little Things you Like about Pokemon thread), Team Plasma had N and Ghetsis and Team Skull/Aether Foundation had Lusamine (I guess Plumeria too, not Guzma I didn't like him which is another unpopular opinion of mine). Team Aqua/Magma were "philisophical" teams that had a laughable goal and no heart. It's like Team Rocket dressed up as a cult, but with no character.
 
Here's another terribly unpopular opinion: Team Magma and Aqua SUCKED. Like, really badly. I'd say they're the worst villainous teams after Team Flare (we can all at least agree that Team Flare sucked). To me, Aqua/Magma just didn't work. They tried to be deep teams with philosophy - not the downright gang-style of Team Rocket. However, they just... failed. I felt no emotion in ORAS going against these guys. It's like they didn't even care. Maxie and Archie just didn't seem to care at all. They had no passion in it. It felt as though they were doing it just to get paid, and honestly, I could have seen them as Team Rocket admins better than these teams. Team Rocket at least stuck to their clear niche, Team Galactic had Cyrus's deep philosophy and darkness (I wrote about him in the Little Things you Like about Pokemon thread), Team Plasma had N and Ghetsis and Team Skull/Aether Foundation had Lusamine (I guess Plumeria too, not Guzma I didn't like him which is another unpopular opinion of mine). Team Aqua/Magma were "philisophical" teams that had a laughable goal and no heart. It's like Team Rocket dressed up as a cult, but with no character.
Not unpopular.

You know what's unpopular? Me preferring their original characterizations in Emerald (not Ruby and Sapphire as some events feel out of place).

For instance, Archie happily explaining Team Aqua's motivation in a museum that outright states how wrong he is.

Then, the Weather Institute's scientists telling you, after freeing them, how their plans will backfire spectacularly.

Oh, right, I forgot the whole "take wrong-coloured orb" in the originals.

(And I might be missing some other parts)

As in, they were never meant to be taken seriously. The game sets everything out in a way that's how we are supposed to see them.

Often enough you see people crying at Team Aqua and Magma and "how stupid they are" but that's exactly the point. Incompetent eco-terrorists.
 
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Deleted User 400951

Banned deucer.
Was just coming here to say this. I think they're meant to be a giant joke.
Not unpopular.

You know what's unpopular? Me preferring their original characterizations in Emerald (not Ruby and Sapphire as some events feel out of place).

For instance, Archie happily explaining Team Aqua's motivation in a museum that outright states how wrong he is.

Then, the Weather Institute's scientists telling you, after freeing them, how their plans will backfire spectacularly.

Oh, right, I forgot the whole "take wrong-coloured orb" in the originals.

(And I might be missing some other parts)

As in, they were never meant to be taken seriously. The game sets everything out in a way that's how we are supposed to see them.

Often enough you see people crying at Team Aqua and Magma and "how stupid they are" but that's exactly the point. Incompetent eco-terrorists.
I think I can get this, but I would have rather preferred much more serious teams. To me, this does seem to have the message that eco-terrorism is never the way to go, but I think it'd be better shown with a serious team getting what they wanted and ruining the land. That would have worked out better than making the teams a joke in trying to express the theme that eco-terrorism is not a good idea.

Even then, I'd prefer a serious team even without this theme. I don't find Magma and Aqua funny because as a person who knows several environmentalists who've worked for environmental groups, this is not a joking matter. And as I said, joking doesn't get the theme across.
 

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