Following Pokemon

[L'Belle]

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.

The pok?mon actually give you stuff, and the pok?mon reacted differently to each mayor storypoint, making it very realistic.

 

[Alexander18]

The pok?mon actually give you stuff, and the pok?mon reacted differently to each mayor storypoint, making it very realistic.

The stuff they give you is actually pretty useless. Reactions to story points does not mean much to me.

 

[pixelani]

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.

The stuff they give you is actually pretty useless. Reactions to story points does not mean much to me.

Well, first I'll note that being pointless or useless to you doesn't equate to it being the same for other players (and I'm sure that's even more true of other features like customization), but second I'll note that in HGSS, the Shiny Leaves they pick up can rank up your Trainer Card, something that quite a few people like to do.

Partner Pokemon might not be a universally loved mechanic, but it's liked widely enough that it wouldn't be a surprising addition to the next games.

 

[Alexander18]

Well, first I'll note that being pointless or useless to you doesn't equate to it being the same for other players (and I'm sure that's even more true of other features like customization), but second I'll note that in HGSS, the Shiny Leaves they pick up can rank up your Trainer Card, something that quite a few people like to do.

Partner Pokemon might not be a universally loved mechanic, but it's liked widely enough that it wouldn't be a surprising addition to the next games.

I actually don't want it to appear again and i don't think it will. Upgrading your trainer card like that in HGSS made the achievement too easy.

 

[pkmin3033]

The option to turn it off/on if it's included would be ideal - I shudder to imagine what it would be like on older 3DS models, given how badly SM ran on them. I mean, it COULD probably handle it, but I can practically hear the screams of fury from all the people that get caught up in framerates etc. already...and they already had plenty to scream about with SM as it was.

It'd be nice if it was more than just an aesthetic, too - finding stuff in an on-screen pickup mechanic, something like the gold leaves again (maybe discarded stickers/stamps so you could decorate your passport?) etc. They could do a lot with it.

...also sizes. Oh god, think of what they could do with sizes. Although I think this more than anything else is what would keep the feature out of the games - can you imagine having a Steelix follow you around...or a Wailord? The game would probably crash...and if they're tiny or only come in 1/2 sizes, it's no fun. It was fine in HGSS because they were sprites, but with this move to ugly models has come size comparisons on-screen. So they'd need to compensate for that with following Pokemon. It'd be messy.

 

[Alexander18]

Sure they can make it optional. But it is still a pointless feature as far as i can see. It takes time to do all those spites and i rather GF doesn't waste time on all 802 spites for the overworld.

 

[pkmin3033]

Sure they can make it optional. But it is still a pointless feature as far as i can see. It takes time to do all those spites and i rather GF doesn't waste time on all 802 spites for the overworld.

Well, they've already done it, since the data was all there in SM, it just wasn't incorporated into the game. I can't imagine that it would take a substantial amount of time to actually put it into the game as a working feature...although I'm not entirely sure, that said. But if it's not included in USUM, I wouldn't have thought it would be because of a time/resource issue, but more as to whether or not the regular 3DS models can handle it without melting into a puddle of goo. xD

 

[PkmnTrainerElio]

There seems to be a lot of people talking about the games being "laggy" and "the 3DS won't be able to handle such a feature". I think the 3DS is more than capable of handling this feature, as Dragon Quest VII on the 3DS uses models, just like Pok?mon Sun and Moon (though the models and graphics in DQ VII are slightly better and more "clean"). And when your party is full, there's four models running around (and the game is much bigger than Pok?mon Sun and Moon, if I remember correctly).

I wouldn't mind the feature to return, it would be nice seeing Gladion with Type: Null in tow and Hau with Alolan Raichu following him, though Lillie wouldn't like it too much, as Nebby is meant to stay in that damn bag.

 

[Hikamaru]

I can admit that while I want to see the Pokemon following you again, Meyneth has brought up why it won't be possible on the 3DS. Not only do we have 802 different Pokemon, but there's also the fact that it'll lag older 3DS models to an unimaginable degree. And then there's the size of Pokemon like Wailord... it'll definitely be better for Switch capabilities, not the 3DS.

 

[Ducolamia]

The fact the animations are already in the game and that they have every single Pokemon with a running AND walking animation sells me on the fact that maybe we'll be getting something close to Pokemon following us. Maybe it'll be like that cute park in Platinum. I'll tread with caution as always as I do not want to be set up for disappointment.

I will say in the meanwhile that it makes no sense from a development standpoint to me to have 800+ models in a game all equip with certain specific animations and NOT use them. I understand some things never make it into games, but even then, for EVERY Pokemon? I'm not saying this exempts that fact they could not be in USUM, but it's still seems a little weird to put in all that effort for nothing. I will also say that the ability to toggle the walking on and off would be very nice.

Also....how would Wailord and Pokemon like that work? It's huge!

 

[tokyodrift]

As much as I would like for this to make a return, it most likely won't. I do remember them saying that it was a 4th gen exclusive thing, though it won't hurt at all to hope tbh. It's a really neat feature, and it would be amazing to see how they updated it to go with the 3D games. An option to turn it off would be great too, though I'm not too sure many people would have it turned off, so maybe that would be borderline pointless.

 

[Alexander18]

I am certain that this is a gen 4 exclusive feature. It has been 2 gens and one pair of gen 7 games now and there is no sign of it returning. Feature is basically dead in my opinion.

 

[pkmin3033]

Given that SM were little more than Gen I fan pandering, I actually wonder if USUM will be Gen II fan pandering, like a lot of people seem to expect with all this hype surrounding possible Gen II Alola form Pokemon. If that was the case, it'd make sense for this feature to make a return, as a throwback to HGSS...and if these really are going to be the last 3DS Pokemon titles - I personally doubt this, but still - it would make sense for them to go all out.

...that said, if that was the case it'd make sense for them to have another region postgame, and that probably won't happen. Hrm...

 

[Alexander18]

Given that SM were little more than Gen I fan pandering, I actually wonder if USUM will be Gen II fan pandering, like a lot of people seem to expect with all this hype surrounding possible Gen II Alola form Pokemon. If that was the case, it'd make sense for this feature to make a return, as a throwback to HGSS...and if these really are going to be the last 3DS Pokemon titles - I personally doubt this, but still - it would make sense for them to go all out.

...that said, if that was the case it'd make sense for them to have another region postgame, and that probably won't happen. Hrm...

HGSS are gen 4 games. Not gen 2. The feature is a gen 4 feature that is likely to be kept in its gen. Gens are known to keep features from others.

 

[pkmin3033]

HGSS are gen 4 games. Not gen 2. The feature is a gen 4 feature that is likely to be kept in its gen. Gens are known to keep features from others.

Actually, technically the following feature is a Gen I feature, since it started with Pikachu following you around in Pokemon Yellow. Which, if they want to continute with the Gen I fan-pandering, would make sense to include this time, depending on what USUM are in relation to SM...and I would assume that if they're going to pander to Gen II they'd take inspiration from HGSS and not GSC, given that they're the more recent titles. They're Gen II remakes in Gen IV.

It's difficult to know which features will be carried over between gens, and just because it's excluded in one gen doesn't mean it will be excluded in every gen following...as evidenced by the fact that following Pokemon reappeared in Gen IV after being absent since Gen I. Day/Night was absent in Gen III but reappeared in Gen IV. So it's not guaranteed it won't appear again...especially considering they've already programmed it into Gen VII and just haven't implemented it yet.

 

[Altairis]

I thought he animations uncovered were for PokeFinder, not following Pokemon. I can't check right now if some of them match, but...

They seem really clunky to be included with 3D trainer models to me.. honestly I liked it as a sprite feature.

 

[Alexander18]

Actually, technically the following feature is a Gen I feature, since it started with Pikachu following you around in Pokemon Yellow. Which, if they want to continute with the Gen I fan-pandering, would make sense to include this time, depending on what USUM are in relation to SM...and I would assume that if they're going to pander to Gen II they'd take inspiration from HGSS and not GSC, given that they're the more recent titles. They're Gen II remakes in Gen IV.

Yellow was only one pokemon and was based on the anime. HGSS are remakes of gen 2 games but still count as gen 4 games. Either way, i don't see the feature returning.

 

[User19sq]

If they're gonna implement this feature, they should do so in a similar vein to the GB/GB Color features, wherein the 3DS won't allow this due to the lack of power, but playing on a N3DS would.

 

[Hikamaru]

With that confirmation of a Pokemon game coming to the Nintendo Switch, I think those walking Pokemon graphics could easily be for that and not a 3DS game, since I think the Switch will have the capability to render all of that.

 

[kingdenas]

As much as I would like that feature to return, I just can't see it happen. I know it's strange for them having those models already done FOR EVERY POK?MON, but still... Probably the 3DS doesn't have enough capability to handle such a feature. Regardless, I still believe this feature will return someday, probably in the Switch game, as many have said here (=