Following Pokemon

[pkmin3033]

Here's a thing I'm surprised nobody has brought up yet. Around December last year, dataminers uncovered unused walking and running animations for Pokemon in SM. These were, obviously, never incorporated into the final game. However, the data is there. So. Do you think following Pokemon will be a thing in USUM? Is this something you would like to see returning? Or do you think it more likely that this will remain a feature exclusive to Johto...or maybe be incorporated into the Switch titles, rather than USUM?

 

[blue]

I'd love for this feature to return, I just don't see it happening in USM. I feel like they're saving a feature like this for the Switch since it has a lot more capability to support such a feature and it can be done in a much more viable way. The 3DS (particularly the older models) is pushed as it is, so adding a feature like Following Pok?mon would put even more strain on the console.

tl;dr while it would be really cool, I think they'll pass on USM and just wait for the Switch.

 

[clbgolden]

I think it'll happen. The animations are already there, and it seems that there will be Pok?mon moving around in the overworld anyways (like that Wingull).

I don't really care if it's implemented or not, though. It's a nice feature, but not that big a deal IMO.

 

[pkmin3033]

I think it'll happen. The animations are already there, and it seems that there will be Pok?mon moving around in the overworld anyways (like that Wingull).

Overworld Pokemon have been a thing for a verrry long time now, though. I'm not sure that's necessarily indicative of it being there or not as a feature.

 

[clbgolden]

Overworld Pokemon have been a thing for a verrry long time now, though. I'm not sure that's necessarily indicative of it being there or not as a feature.

True, but the Wingull in the recent trailer wasn't just standing and walking, it was flying around.

 

[Alexander18]

No thanks. This feature was annoying and is mainly a HGSS thing. Johto remakes can keep that feature.

 

[pkmin3033]

True, but the Wingull in the recent trailer wasn't just standing and walking, it was flying around.

I'm fairly sure that's been a thing in past titles too...it's hard to say without a longer in-game trailer.

I think the New 3DS would be more than capable of handling this, but I shudder to imagine what it'd be like on the older models, considering how badly SM ran on those without those animations. It'd be nice to think that the N2DSXL's imminent release would mean that they're going to start making more games that take advantage of the upgraded handheld's increased capabilities, but it doesn't seem very likely...although I hope and pray that they build up the Switch game from scratch and don't just lazily cutpaste the current visuals from the 3DS titles. We all know the Switch is capable of substantially more than that, and we don't need trial run games on that the way XY were trial runs for SM.

Having it in there is weird, but I think there is more to suggest it won't be included than not.

 

[Radiating]

I'd really like for this feature to return. Having walking Pokemon made HGSS feel more...realistic, I'd like to see that in another Pokemon game. I doubt it'll happen for USUM, as the 3DS is beginning to show its age hardware wise. We might see them return for a switch game.

 

[Alexander18]

Hopefully none of the switch games brings this feature back. It is pointless and useless. Gets old very quickly.

 

[L'Belle]

Hopefully none of the switch games brings this feature back. It is pointless and useless. Gets old very quickly.

How?

 

[shadowmoon522]

i think one of the guys at game freak said there was never gonna be a walking pokemon feature like in yellow & hg/ss ever again

i can't find exactly where i saw it at anymore thx to threads like this one + how old it was.
also might have been one of those interviews done on the wii.
its such a pain trying to find something like that from 7 years ago that hardly anyone bothered to save...

 

[Esper]

The following feature can make up for a lot of other lackluster features and I hope it can happen again in some game. It would feel a little strange for sequel games to have this when the previous versions didn't. I know HGSS did and GS didn't, but there was a long gap between those games. That said, I think it would help them boost sales for USUM because it wouldn't just be the same games with a few small changes.

 

[pkmin3033]

i can't find exactly where i saw it at anymore thx to threads like this one + how old it was.
also might have been one of those interviews done on the wii.
its such a pain trying to find something like that from 7 years ago that hardly anyone bothered to save...

Do you think they would hold to that after all this time, though? I doubt Nintendo had thought of the New 3DS - or at least the Switch - back then. Developers are changing their minds all the time...I remember Square Enix swearing blind there would never be a remake of FFVII, for example. Time and technology - and sometimes demand, although I'm not sure if that would be a factor here - changes minds.

 

[Lunar]

I would love for this feature to return but I don't really see it happening in USM unfortunately. I honestly believe we'll get it next generation though, probably on the Switch seeing as it'll have extra power to support the animations on the 3D engine. It's clear Game Freak haven't forgotten about it though, cause we saw there was similar animations in B2W2., so there's still hope.

 

[pixelani]

I feel like the fact that most or all of the necessary animations are there is enough for me to think they're going to include the feature. In fact, it's enough for me to conclude that they also fully intended to use it in Sun and Moon.

There's no need to worry about whether the 3DS can handle it, as far as I'm concerned; rather than being a straight port of Sun and Moon with a couple new features here and there, there will probably be further improvements to the code and to how the games run on the 3DS; optimizations. I also don't think that this would have been a particularly draining feature for the New 3DS in the first place, and probably not the old 3DS either.

It's a well-liked aspect of Yellow and HGSS, as well as its minor cameo in Sinnoh with Amity Square; it also caused quite a bit of commotion on social media when it was discovered that some of the functionality exists in SM. If the games can handle it, and I think they can, then I expect it to be available at least optionally, and I think it's going to be present.

 

[-Nonsense-]

If it does come back at all in Us/Um or later I think the option to turn it off might be nice so you can switch between having them follow you or not (I loved the feature but sometimes I wanted to travel without it in HgSs).

 

[shadowmoon522]

Do you think they would hold to that after all this time, though? I doubt Nintendo had thought of the New 3DS - or at least the Switch - back then. Developers are changing their minds all the time...I remember Square Enix swearing blind there would never be a remake of FFVII, for example. Time and technology - and sometimes demand, although I'm not sure if that would be a factor here - changes minds.

hope for the best, prepare for the worst

 

[riddlemeree]

They definitely intended to include it in S/M, but it was most likely scrapped due to the hardware limitations (most specifically the older models of 3DS, the lag was a bit evident there despite everything). I don't see why it will be any different this time, so I doubt it's inclusion. However, if it is still in there despite everything, I'll be pleasantly surprised.

But as GnX1 mentioned, I'd love it if they included an option to not have Pokemon follow you too. Or a quicker way to toggle what Pokemon to follow you instead of just the front of your party.

 

[EC]

I know those animations leaked, but I'm still struggling to see how they could make this look good now that your movement isn't restricted to only four directions.

 

[Alexander18]

How?

What is so great about the pokemon following you? It gets annoying after a while and you can't return them to the pokeball. No rewards either. Feature is useless as customization.