PokéCommunity Daily: Pokémon Home(less): a truly baffling decision

[EmTheGhost]

Alright, since nobody else is going to ask the question that truly matters, I'll ask it.

After learning this news, is anybody here not going to buy this game?

If you buy this game despite hating these new features, then why should Gamefreak change any of these decisions, when you're going to give them your money anyways?

I'm just gonna buy it used. That way I get to play the game, but still address that problem in the last paragraph.

 

[Blue the Smeargle]

everybody is saying that they can just use the sm models and upscale but that isn't the case. first of all, if they just copy and past the models then they will look weird and glitchy so they have to remake all the models in hd.
AND you can say "wElL tHeY dId It FoR xY!!" and yea they did, but there were less pokemon and they had a lot of ugly polygons. now they have to make smooth hd models for even more mons.
and dynamaxing, they cant just make the models big. they have to make the models AGAIN and this time with like 999,999,999,999,999,999,999 polygons. and they cant just delay the game because of what joe said.
so yea the models this time around took the most effort even with half the pokemon gone. and why is nobody else talking about the MAJOR FAN SERVICE. I know people don't like the cut of pokemon but nobody said
on there hopes for SS that they wanted national dex. and I hate people making up stuff and taking it as fact. so apparently you own a billion dollar corporation and have developed like 100 games. I doubt it.
and this info I'm speaking comes from people that know what there saying, know how models work, and don't take random thought as a true fact.

 

[Nah]

and why is nobody else talking about the MAJOR FAN SERVICE. I know people don't like the cut of pokemon but nobody said
on there hopes for SS that they wanted national dex. and I hate people making up stuff and taking it as fact.

you're going to have to explain this part to me, I don't understand what you're trying to say here

 

[bobandbill]

everybody is saying that they can just use the sm models and upscale but that isn't the case. first of all, if they just copy and past the models then they will look weird and glitchy so they have to remake all the models in hd.
AND you can say "wElL tHeY dId It FoR xY!!" and yea they did, but there were less pokemon and they had a lot of ugly polygons. now they have to make smooth hd models for even more mons.

Just going to address this part of your post. They did it... for LGPE. It's the same models as XY - and it's been datamined. The textures used for models differ, and the partner Pikachu/Eevee have slightly upgraded models, but otherwise they do not need to remake all the models themselves - just change how they render them and potentially textures.

 

[UnownJ]

Blue the Smeargle, even if they had to remodel every single pokemon, so what? This is what video game programmers do. I hear comments like yours in various places and I laugh at how silly it sounds. Heaven forbid that they have to actually put a slight amount of effort into making a good game, please. How many generations are we in with video games now? This is nothing in comparison to games made even a few generations ago on other platforms. This is why nintendo is lazy as hell. Their fans make excuses for them and they get away with it all the time.

 

[bobandbill]

TPC came out with a statement from Masuda today. https://www.pokemon.com/us/a-message-for-pokemon-video-game-fans/

Thank you to all of our fans for caring so deeply about Pokémon. Recently, I shared the news that some Pokémon cannot be transferred to Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield. I've read all your comments and appreciate your love and passion for Pokémon.

Just like all of you, we are passionate about Pokémon and each and every one of them is very important to us. After so many years of developing the Pokémon video games, this was a very difficult decision for me. I'd like to make one thing clear: even if a specific Pokémon is not available in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, that does not mean it will not appear in future games.

The world of Pokémon continues to evolve. The Galar region offers new Pokémon to encounter, Trainers to battle, and adventures to embark on. We are pouring our hearts into these games, and we hope you will look forward to joining us on this new journey.

June 28, 2019

Junichi Masuda

On the one hand, it says something that they tweeted, and put on their home webpage, a statement acknowledging it. But there's no solution (yet) for it, e.g. postgame patches. So business continues I suspect...

 

[Treecko]

Pretty much what I got from this was a big non answer that doesn't address the problem, but was just put out to hopefully dose the outrage fire a little bit. Pretty much cancels out the possibility of a patch or update being added, but it does raise the possibility of a third game where all the Pokemon are included. But overall it's just no real explanation or what the problem was or what was improved to make the game better, just a "we're sorry this was a hard decision to make please understand. Oof.

 

[Child Amnesiac]

Pretty much what I got from this was a big non answer that doesn't address the problem, but was just put out to hopefully dose the outrage fire a little bit. Pretty much cancels out the possibility of a patch or update being added, but it does raise the possibility of a third game where all the Pokemon are included. But overall it's just no real explanation or what the problem was or what was improved to make the game better, just a "we're sorry this was a hard decision to make please understand. Oof.

The problem with this outrage fire is it's an electrical fire, you try to douse the flames with water and you get electrocuted.
What you need to do is use a fire extinguisher, and that would be doing something directly with the game. To put out the flames, they need to cut off the problem at the source, and the source is the games themselves. They're going to cancel the games, there's been too much backlash.

 

[Taste of Tea]

What a load. They may as well have said nothing for all the good that this statement will do. They're just trying to save face as always.

 

[Rivvon]

Just like all of you, we are passionate about Pokémon and each and every one of them is very important to us.

I'd believe this more if the past few generations weren't filled to the brim with so much Kanto-pandering that even the newest generation of Pokémon were overshadowed by it...

I'd like to make one thing clear: even if a specific Pokémon is not available in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, that does not mean it will not appear in future games.

Firstly: this does not address the issue. If I wanted to transfer up my Battle Tower team but one or even two of the three Pokémon aren't available in SwSh, suddenly my entire team synergy is ruined. Maybe that second or third partner will be available in gen 10, but by the time that comes out they may finally give my first team member a break and not have it available. What if I want to breed for a shiny Blitzle, but it's not in the Galar regional dex just as it wasn't in the regional dex of any game since gen 5? All Pokémon should be in every game.

Secondly: some Pokémon haven't been in a regional dex outside of their region of origin, and with all the focus gen 1 will inevitably get, I doubt they will put any extra effort into ensuring every Pokémon gets their chance eventually. If I remember correctly, Masuda claimed he didn't want to remake gen 3, but did so because of fan demand. But if fan demand is no longer enough to entice them to do things--for them to patch in the ability to transfer Pokémon after release--I doubt we will ever see gen 4 or 5 remakes to give the niche favorites of those regions their chance to see the light of day.

Thirdly: Game Freak clearly doesn't care about long-term benefits for Pokémon. They drop every potential long-term improvement with each passing game--Contests, Secret Bases, Battle Frontier, Poké Star Studios, PWT, Megas, Z-Moves, Pokémon following you, soon to be photography and Dynamaxing. We nearly lost character customization for crying out loud. So if Game Freak doesn't care about thinking ahead two or three games from now and what those games will feature, why should we the players? Maybe I will be able to use my competitive team of favorites seven years down the road, but why should I care after all that time?

Needless to say, I am not a fan of this statement.

 

[Treecko]

The problem with this outrage fire is it's an electrical fire, you try to douse the flames with water and you get electrocuted.
What you need to do is use a fire extinguisher, and that would be doing something directly with the game. To put out the flames, they need to cut off the problem at the source, and the source is the games themselves. They're going to cancel the games, there's been too much backlash.

Only thing is, I really can't see them cancelling the games over this. I think they're too stubborn to do that. It really just seems they attempted to solve the problem and their attempt really did nothing. But really like you said, their real only solution would be to cancel the games and start all over. But I think they still realize they will still sell enough games from devoted enough fans to make money from it, but then again I've seen people threatening to cancel their preorders over this, which is absurd and childish if you ask me.

 

[Yue Han]

They're not going to cancel the games but that 'we know you're upset but we don't care' statement is going to do more harm than good and honestly so it should. I really do hope sales take a hit because of this because they've been getting away with doing the least and using this franchise as a cash cow for too long. I've lost all interest in this generation and that's a big deal for me, especially since there's such a long time to go before it's release date.

 

[STikER]

The problem with this outrage fire is it's an electrical fire, you try to douse the flames with water and you get electrocuted.
What you need to do is use a fire extinguisher, and that would be doing something directly with the game. To put out the flames, they need to cut off the problem at the source, and the source is the games themselves. They're going to cancel the games, there's been too much backlash.

They are not going to cancel anything. They are not going to delay anything. They are not going to DO anything. Nothing will change, the games will come out as they are and we are the ones who will be dealing with all of this.

 

[CF1994]

Masuda is really dense at handling criticism.

I'll be adding his generic excuse to my Game Freak bad compilation. There goes my incentive to play Gen VIII, AGAIN!

If there's any silver lining to all this, we can now call ourselves citizens of any region we cherish, be it Kanto or Alola, since some of our brothers and sisters obviously won't make it.

 

[Janp]

Dear players,

no.

Junichi Masuda

PS: Buy our next games

This is the vibe I get from the statement. But I fear it will add more fuel to the hate currently going on.

 

[Nah]

tbh I didn't expect them to do/say anything else

 

[Hyzenthlay]

The reason I'm disappointed is because Game Freak's requested feedback gave me hope that they were actually listening.

Other than that, I'm still excited for SwSh, and I will enjoy the game for what it is! I won't let this bother me. As long as the new Pokémon meet the standards of Wooloo and Corviknight, call me satisfied! <3

 

[Gym Master]

I'd believe this more if the past few generations weren't filled to the brim with so much Kanto-pandering that even the newest generation of Pokémon were overshadowed by it...


Firstly: this does not address the issue. If I wanted to transfer up my Battle Tower team but one or even two of the three Pokémon aren't available in SwSh, suddenly my entire team synergy is ruined. Maybe that second or third partner will be available in gen 10, but by the time that comes out they may finally give my first team member a break and not have it available. What if I want to breed for a shiny Blitzle, but it's not in the Galar regional dex just as it wasn't in the regional dex of any game since gen 5? All Pokémon should be in every game.

Secondly: some Pokémon haven't been in a regional dex outside of their region of origin, and with all the focus gen 1 will inevitably get, I doubt they will put any extra effort into ensuring every Pokémon gets their chance eventually. If I remember correctly, Masuda claimed he didn't want to remake gen 3, but did so because of fan demand. But if fan demand is no longer enough to entice them to do things--for them to patch in the ability to transfer Pokémon after release--I doubt we will ever see gen 4 or 5 remakes to give the niche favorites of those regions their chance to see the light of day.

Thirdly: Game Freak clearly doesn't care about long-term benefits for Pokémon. They drop every potential long-term improvement with each passing game--Contests, Secret Bases, Battle Frontier, Poké Star Studios, PWT, Megas, Z-Moves, Pokémon following you, soon to be photography and Dynamaxing. We nearly lost character customization for crying out loud. So if Game Freak doesn't care about thinking ahead two or three games from now and what those games will feature, why should we the players? Maybe I will be able to use my competitive team of favorites seven years down the road, but why should I care after all that time?

Needless to say, I am not a fan of this statement.

What you said. Yes.

Only thing is, I really can't see them cancelling the games over this. I think they're too stubborn to do that. It really just seems they attempted to solve the problem and their attempt really did nothing. But really like you said, their real only solution would be to cancel the games and start all over. But I think they still realize they will still sell enough games from devoted enough fans to make money from it, but then again I've seen people threatening to cancel their preorders over this, which is absurd and childish if you ask me.

Not stubborn, real. We're talking about multiple companies in multiple countries and multiple billions of dollars. Canceling the game or even delaying it is never going to happen. It's ridiculous to even think about it.

I can't understand why you believe canceling preorders is "absurd and childish"? If the games lack the series feature that you expected, expected so reliably that you preordered after a very limited reveal, why would any reasonable person still be pledging their money in advance, details unknown? If the most significant information you have is that the company has become comfortable taking away a feature you never even questioned was their highest priority, why would you still have so much faith as to blindly agree to buy their product? How are you seeing "absurd and childish" here?

They are not going to cancel anything. They are not going to delay anything. They are not going to DO anything. Nothing will change, the games will come out as they are and we are the ones who will be dealing with all of this.

The only hope for me is that there are enough fans talking about it, who remain serious about not buying the games or merchandise, and the damage to sales is significant enough to actually motivate change.

If it sells well anyway, Game Freak will have learned that Pokémon fans will give them money no matter what. There is no incentive to do anything after that. And they will have created a new automatic hype engine: "What's that you say? Gen 9+ looks like crap? Oh, but [insert previously cut favorite Pokémon here] is in it this time? Well, Game Freak, I guess ya got me! Ha ha!"

All they have to do is recycle forever. People arguing that this is about freeing Game Freak up to do more innovation aren't really listening to the reasons Game Freak is giving or looking carefully at the technical proficiency on display in what we've seen from Sword/Shield.

If enough people really don't buy these games, there is a chance they will release patches or a third version with a full Pokédex. Sales would have to take a dramatic hit, though, and I'm not sure the Pokémon fanbase has either the stomach or the organizational commitment to make that happen. Most likely, this message is really not only about the Dexit issue, but every conceivable fan grievance with Pokémon, no matter how essential or how widespread it is:

"Fan input is neither effective nor desirable. Please stop. You will buy our games. You will buy our merchandise. You will subscribe to our services. We are busy counting money and laughing at how vocally outraged you are about planning to give us even more of your money. We know this, so just shut up and hand it over. Thank you. End of line."

 

[hotsushi-kun]

Masuda's annoucement about not including previous Generations

Here is from the Pokemon News wrote by Masuda on this Pokemon official website:
https://www.pokemon.com/us/a-messag...l&utm_campaign=SwordShield&utm_term=Statement

Thank you to all of our fans for caring so deeply about Pokémon. Recently, I shared the news that some Pokémon cannot be transferred to Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield. I've read all your comments and appreciate your love and passion for Pokémon.

Just like all of you, we are passionate about Pokémon and each and every one of them is very important to us. After so many years of developing the Pokémon video games, this was a very difficult decision for me. I'd like to make one thing clear: even if a specific Pokémon is not available in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, that does not mean it will not appear in future games.

The world of Pokémon continues to evolve. The Galar region offers new Pokémon to encounter, Trainers to battle, and adventures to embark on. We are pouring our hearts into these games, and we hope you will look forward to joining us on this new journey.

June 28, 2019

Junichi Masuda

I guess we have no choice but to have mods for this. Now i am starting to hate on what did Game Freak did this time!!!!

 

[Candy]

Again, I don't really mind downsizing the Pokedex, but only if there were anything else of substance in the game itself. And that response... Ho boi, that's the biggest PR disaster I've ever seen. It doesn't address the issue, it's pretty much a "Please understand PS. buy our games anyway" message. Fans can't accept that. They can't accept that the number is cut for "performance" when from what we've seen, it looks like a sloppy "HD" port of a 3DS Pokemon game.

I just got off watching a let's play of Platinum on youtube out of boredom, and all the memories of all the things that you can do in that one game came flooding back. We got the Underground, which was a really fun side game on its own. Super Contests had dressing up and dance segments. There was the WiFi Plaza when it was active. You got the Battle Frontier as well. Back in the day, the games felt a lot more explorative and you get to do whatever you want that is within the in-game features itself.

Listen, if you can fit in so many weird ass minigames and features into one DS cartridge then you should have the ability to fit in more features and better graphics in a Switch cartridge if you're going to start cutting the Pokedex numbers for "performance". If fans are forced to trade Pokedex numbers for a better game, then they better get something more than just raid battles and dynamaxing for the gimmick of the generation.