[Discussion] Fixing things that ain't broke

One of the things I did while starting to create Four Star Mon was to propose revamps of almost every single formula in the Pokémon games.

I've actually implemented a few of them in the engine itself, and they seem to work just fine. But I know from seeing many posts on here that some people are averse to such developments, because they like to stick to what already works. What are you guys' stance on doing new, unexpected things with the game mechanics?

Why not? As long as the end result is workable for the player, it shouldn't matter too much exactly what formulas you used to get there, right? And the main games changed the EXP yield formula in Gen 5, so it's not entirely unprecedented. Changing things for the sake of changing them instead of because you've found something you think works better seems like a bad idea, though.

"Ain't" is improper grammar.

Anyway, sure, I think it's a good idea. You just have to be careful to make sure that everything still stays balanced. Then again, some people argue that the official people games are unbalanced.

If you're making a fan game, and you want to do something creative and different, why not change stuff?

It's your game, and like Yami said, as long as it works for the player it shouldn't matter what you tweaked, it's like in performing arts - The public doesn't know what you're doing or how you did it, they just see the result and judge if they like it or not based on that. If you think those changes work and make the game a better experience and you enjoy them, then by all means you should do it!

(By the way, i'm very interested about your Four Star Mon game. Where can i see it? Looks like an interesting idea!:D)

Don't fix what ain't broke is the reason official pokemon games have stagnated.

theres thousands of hacks out there for people who want a 1:1 pokemon experience.

we have cool engines, instead of copying features exactly, we should try to impove on the standard pokemon formular.

Thanks for all your replies.

Yamiidenryuu said:

Changing things for the sake of changing them instead of because you've found something you think works better seems like a bad idea, though.

Click to expand...

Often changing things requires the thought of wanting to change them first, and that will always be for the sake of changing them because you're unsatisfied with simply "sticking to what works".

Sometimes the change isn't for the better, in which case you always have the old way to revert to. But it's never a waste of time to try something new when designing games, in my opinion.

DaSpirit said:

"Ain't" is improper grammar.

Click to expand...

I'm quoting Bert Lance who said, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

"Broke" is also improper grammar in this case, but I didn't see you correct that :P

Anyway, sure, I think it's a good idea. You just have to be careful to make sure that everything still stays balanced. Then again, some people argue that the official people games are unbalanced.

Click to expand...

Well, balancing is an independent concern, relevant more to game design itself than staying faithful to or straying from the Pokémon games.

RaulCortez said:

(By the way, i'm very interested about your Four Star Mon game. Where can i see it? Looks like an interesting idea! :D)

Click to expand...

It's not a game, it's an engine. http://fourstarmon.com/

It's really up to you. What's there in Pokemon games already works. If you want to try something new, it might be better, it might be worse. Since you're working on an engine, it might just be up to the user of that engine to pick whether or not they want to use a formula.

DarkDoom3000 said:

Don't fix what ain't broke is the reason official pokemon games have stagnated.

theres thousands of hacks out there for people who want a 1:1 pokemon experience.

Click to expand...

Totally agree. 16 years of the same formula. But it works and it sells.

To answer the OP's question as a developer its good to experiment test things see what works and what doesn't. Feedback should help you develop the best product but it shouldn't dictate the final product

I'm conflicted by this to be honest. In one way, it's great because it's very familiar and it's what I've been used to for the past 14 years. In another way, I'd love something a little fresh, and I don't mean a new region, or new pokemon. I mean set in a completely different era of pokemon (past or future). Same RPG, but much different story flow so to speak.

Darkroman said:

I'm conflicted by this to be honest. In one way, it's great because it's very familiar and it's what I've been used to for the past 14 years. In another way, I'd love something a little fresh, and I don't mean a new region, or new pokemon. I mean set in a completely different era of pokemon (past or future). Same RPG, but much different story flow so to speak.

Click to expand...

Then go for it. Try something new. Its what good developers do all the time..

Changing=Improving

I absolutely agree with that. If you don't change the formula to a game, it's just the same game with different graphics and some additional features and we have plenty of examples of these kind of games. Be free to change it: experimenting is the key to improve.