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To ATB, or not to ATB?

SBaby

Dungeon Master
    • 2,005
    Posts
    20
    Years
    • Seen Apr 9, 2015
    This is a big issue where I come from. Should Pokemon forego the turn-based system and go for an ATB-type battle system? Oh. For those of you who don't know, ATB stands for Active Time Battle, which basically means you and the enemy make decisions on what you do in battle simultaneously. What are your thoughts on this? Would it make the games better, or is it a tired concept that we just might have seen the last of?
     
    Pokemon really wouldn't work on anything else but a turn-based system. Anything like Zelda style battling wouldn't work, as the AI might be loads quicker than your reactions, and it would cause lots of havoc. If the AI wasn't fast, it would be loads easier to win every battle - and it wouldn't be much fun really. Pokemon lives for it's turn-based battling, and although it works in some games (such as Zelda), it doesn't really fit in to this conecpt of RPG.
     
    What I mean is a system like Final Fantasy where speed determines how fast you can act in battle. The type that's still command driven.
     
    Uhh... Pkmn battle system is like Final Fantasy's o__o;;
    The one with more speed attacks first XD
     
    If you mean in real time like the Zelda games it might work, but it would be very hard for the player to grasp hold of what they are doing, so if there was ever a 3D pokemon Rpg made, it would still have to be in turn based system battle formate.
     
    I concur with the people above...anything but a turn-based attack system would be useless. Turn-based strategy RPGs are the best, with things such as FFTA and Fire Emblem coming to mind as perfect examples.

    Besides, the point of pokemon is to issue orders to the pokemon, not be the pokemon.
     
    Ya, someone concur with me! Now we can all concur together if everyone else concurs (love that scen form catch me if you can^^).
    CK is right anything but turn based would be a really bad move for the games.
     
    this realy has more to do wit hthe games than pok?mon in genral...

    Taking away the turn-based fighting system would take away the whole concept of pok?mon battling. It wouldn't even feel like a real pok?mon game that way...
     
    Why do you all think atb is zelda? pokemon is not like most final fantasy games as in ff7 f10 and such the enemy can attack while you are chosing an attack in pokemon they cannot that is what he means and it would be good because it would be more releastic expessially in pokemon colloseum it turns me off how they never hit each other they run up a battle animation hits the enemy no contact at all its kinda stupid
     
    I'll say it again. ATB is STILL TURN-BASED! It's just that the enemy might be attacking you while you are giving a command. I'll even go further. You have a little ATB bar under your HP meter, and it slowly fills up at a rate that is dictated by the speed of the Pokemon. When it's full, the command list comes up and you pick a command. Keep in mind that this is happening with the enemy, as well. As you are selecting a command, the enemy may be selecting one as well, if his bar is full. This is where Player Response Time comes in. Whoever selects a command first, goes first.

    The beauty of this is it makes Multiplayer really fun and even more tactically demanding, by personally involving the 'Trainer' in a way that gives it a more realistic feel.

    In conclusion, Zelda is Hack-and-Slash. Final Fantasy is ATB.
     
    Last edited:
    No... Pokemon *needs* the system is has now. Because...

    ATB: Ninjask vs whatever. Ninjask just keeps using protect and sub to stall while speed boost kicks in. Starting launching Silver Wind and Aerial Ace continously while not giving the opponent the slightest chance to attack. Since your speed is like 1500+ with speed boost, you should be able to attack 3 times before the opponent can move once. This example shows how ATB upsets the balance of everything.
     
    FROSTWEAVER I like that point. I have to give you credit for bringing that up.

    Ok, but any Speed Boost-type ability will only double the rate at which the bar would've originally filled up for the creature. Any more than that would DEFINITELY make it way too easy. Thus, Agility could counter it very well. Also, the 'boost' abilities will be limited to one layer of effect instead of multiple layerings, like in the Game Boy games. Plus, what is going to happen in the 2 on 2 or 4 on 4 battles? You WILL have to protect your other Pokemon too, or they will get singled out. To put it another way, bold new possibilities open up with this system. Do you rely on force to whittle down your opponent while he builds up his stats? Or do you prepare a counter for this before it's too late? Plus, what if the other Pokemon is strong against Ninjask's attacks?? How will that factor in? And can you afford the 2-second delay of switching Pokemon?? You'd better think fast. The opponent is about to attack!!

    TMBJR Sorry about posting in general, but this really had nothing to do with the GB, GBA, GCUBE, or N64 games either, and there didn't seem to be a general section for games. It just didn't seem to fit in any other category...

    Edit: I feel like an idiot. I just found the sub-categories! Uh, sorry about that... I tend to only look at the main categories...
     
    Last edited:
    Never. No way. Not in this lifetime.

    I HATE real-time strategy. OK, I have extremely slow reflexes; when I take a JavaScript reflex test I get "Are you drunk??" until I've practised for ten minutes, when it starts sliding into what could be considered normal. Just that would give me a heavy disadvantage; two thirds of a second will pass before I even notice that the command screen is up. Then it's selecting the attack. I'm a horrendously slow thinker; I'd probably be better off giving my Pok?mon a powerful damaging attack in the first slot and then tapping the A button until the battle is over than actually deciding which move to use. It would be all stress, frustration, panic... heck, just thinking about it makes me angry.

    If they made a game like that, I would be the person starting the petition of bringing Pok?mon back the way it was supposed to be.
     
    ATB would be stupid for Pok?mon, I think it should have a free-lance battle system like Morrowind, its real time everything. So you could attack with all your might until you run out of SP...
     
    First, it's not real-time Strategy. ATB just means that you put in commands at the same time. If it's difficult, you could switch it to Wait in the Options, which would stop the ATBs when the Command List comes up. Then, after you pick a command, it would start up again, ala Grandia.

    The real-time would work if it was like Star Ocean. That way, your other Pokemon could be AI controlled while you control one. Also, the 4-attacks-per-Pokemon rule could still apply, since you only have 4 slots for specials in Star Ocean. (Not including Runology.)

    Plus, it would still have random battles, which is a big thing with Pokemon. How would Catching go, though?...
     
    In link battles and Coliseum, you and your opponent select commands at the same time. The commands are process according to player number (P1 veresus P2, et cetera), and Pok?mon Speed values.

    If ATB means just "that you put in commands at the same time," then Pok?mon is already ATB, is it not?
     
    I'm happy with the system it has now. I'm just used to it, and I'm sure a lot of people are used to the current system in Pok?mon games. :P But anyway, here's an idea:
    A true real-time battle system, where the pok?mon can actually move about. Pok?mon take a while to charge their moves (similar to ATB), but it depends on what move (so Tackle would be easier to do than Mega Punch). Also, depending on how long u've waited since ur last attack, you get a boost in defense in exchange for some of the 'Focus Points' you've charged up (different amounts depending on how strong the attack is). However, stronger attacks like Fire Blast are harder to avoid then weaker attacks, meaning that charging up for longer can be worth it if ur opponent doesn't attack u first. Also PP still stays in, but moves have different amounts and pok?mon are limited to how many powerful attacks they can know at one time. What do u think?
     
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