All right here are my ideas for what I would consider the perfect pokemon MMORPG. Sorry if it seems random at times and for grammar/spelling, since I just threw it together.
*Note- many of these ideas are very similar to other games, and are slightly changed to what I think would be an ideal use of them. Some are essentially the same ideas just with a Pokemon theme to them.
· Leveling- Pokemon should level about as fast a characters in WoW do. Perhaps a little faster since pokemon can currently reach 30 levels higher that characters in WoW. I feel that having Pokemon level at a slower rate should keep your average Joe from having an entire team of six level 100 pokemon within a week.
Another idea would be to have pokemon level fast from lvl1-lvl33, moderate form lvl34-66, and slow from lvl 67-100, or some range similar to this. This can allow casuals(and other people who want a fair team, but don’t want to sacrifice their social lives to do so) to actually have some fun and not have to go through the tediousness of grinding, but will also require them others who want the best teams to actually work for the higher levels.
· Good/Evil Players- This is something that I have thought should be put in a Pokemon game ever since I met the trainer at the end of Nugget Bridge. Players should be allowed to make choices that will change how they can play the game. If they make poor/evil choices, they may be able to join groups such as Team Rocket, and be able to steal pokemon from other trainers(be they NPC or human player). If they make pure/good choices, they will be given perks from NPC’s and have their own events.
A problem with this could be that good players that have chosen the evil side may start picking on lower level/inexperienced players by stealing their pokemon. This may be avoided by not allowing players to steal pokemon from other players whose highest level pokemon is x number of levels lower than the level of the highest level pokemon of the would-be thief.
· Graphic/technical requirements- I personally can accept WoW level graphics if it means that I will not have to worry about the game slowing down much. Some movement of the environment would be nice, such as little touches like swaying grass and other possibilities that can make the game feel a little more alive. As long as the game is pleasant enough to look at, I don’t really mind if I don’t get much more.
· Payments/Real money- I understand that to keep the game running well, Nintendo(or whoever will be in charge of the upkeep of the game) will have to spend money. I think I will retract my previous statement in the thread, and say that a small fee, such as $5-10 per month, or say $45-80 per year would be acceptable if the price of the game on the store shelf is no more than $50. I would prefer to pay $100 at the store with no monthly fees, but can accept $5-10. As I said previously, WoW at $15 was fun but became too expensive for me.
· Pokemon Availability- This is something else that I have thought for a long time. There should be no other versions of the base game. Every pokemon should be able to be caught within the game. There should be no requirement to be playing during some special event in the real world, or requirement to go to a special event in the real world just to get a that last pokemon that you want. Expansion packs may be made to include pokemon that have never been seen before now, but preferably no expansion pack for Gold/Silver pokemon, one for Ruby/Sapphire pokemon, one for Diamond/Pearl pokemon, ect. Secret pokemon hidden within the game that need the player to meet specific goals to get are fine though.
· Events/Missions- These would be nice so that a person has a reason to go out and level their pokemon instead of simply spending hours battling wild pokemon to level them up. It will give players goals so that they don’t get bored playing the game.
· Battles- The battles could be done in one of two ways. Either way, both opponents would have to agree to a battle first
1. First way- The two opponents go into a turn-based mode. They can’t be attacked by other players or wild pokemon. From the perspective of other players it would look like to two opponents are attacking their foe, waiting to be attacked, attack their foe, waiting to be attacked ect… To add to the little touches category, the opponents move so that they are correctly aligned. I say this instead of having them magically teleport to their correct places.
2. Second way- The two opponents go into a real-time mode. They can be attacked by other players and wild pokemon. Attacks can take varying amounts of time to use. For example: Overheat would take longer to use than Ember. In my opinion stronger attacks should take longer to use because they require more power. These attack times can lower as the pokemon grow in level.
· Gyms- To test out your pokemon, and to perhaps obtain special acceptance to special areas, Gyms should, of course, be included. To work around the possibility of many people playing the game, Each gym can have many(enough so that there is one for every player) co-leaders, instead of just one main leader. Each co-leader will just happen to have the same team that the other ones have =). The levels of the pokemon of the leaders should not be set in stone. The level requirements of most gyms should change depending on the current rank of the player. Since each gym battle can be considered an event/mission, the player should only have to battle the leaders once. Of course there should be many more than 8-16 gyms in the world.
In addition, the choices of gyms can change depending on if the player has chosen to be good or bad. Players on each side will have their own specific gyms, and the perks/areas that go with them.
· Story-There really won’t be much of a main story/plot. Legendary pokemon can be obtained through sub-plot events, but much of the game should let the player do whatever they want.
· Starting Areas- In a perfect pokemon game, every map in the pokemon universe should be incorporated in the game. Each town/city can be a possible starting point. Also, each town/city has their own specific starting pokemon. For example, in Cerulean City should have water pokemon as the possible starting pokemon. Towns/cities that have no relation to any specific type of pokemon can have whatever starting pokemon the developers decide.
Players will have a choice when they begin; they can either choose their own staring city, or let the game randomly choose their fate. If they choose random, then they should also have the possibility of starting in an area that has somewhat rare starting pokemon that the players would not normally be able to get right away without choosing random. The chances of starting in one of these special areas are somewhat little, but it is infinitely better than without choosing random.
· Trading- To prevent people from using high level pokemon when they first begin by trading with friends, the same system that is used in current handheld games should be used. The only real change is that the chances of the pokemon not listening to the trainer should be lowered even more than it is now. Hopefully this will make it pointless to try to use high level pokemon first and make players raise their pokemon properly. The players rank(which can be measured by number of gym victories) will change the chances of a high level pokemon listening to the player.
That’s all that I can think up right now, so what would you say. Would you like a game like this? What would you add?
