What makes a good level curve?

[GiovanniViridian]

I'm currently new on ROM hacking, and right now I'm thinking of doing a high difficulty/catch-em-all mod without changing much of the game to start it off.

One thing I'm wondering is that there are some ROM hacks that are notorious for their level curves, so my question is this: "What makes a sufficient level curve even with high difficulty?"

Thanks.

 

[BadEgg~]

Wild Pokémon being 5-10 levels below your 'expected' level (depending on how far the player is in to the game), gym leaders being several levels above the expected level with normal trainers being either at or just below the expected level for each area. As you move down the route, gradually increase the level of trainers' Pokémon. That's about as much advice as I can think of at the moment, however those who have more experience making ROM hacks may have an opinion that differs from mine.

Hope you find this helpful in some way.

 

[azurile13]

I think it is easier to answer this question in the opposite direction: what type of level curve is "too much?" And to that, I would say that a level curve is too much when heavy grinding is essentially mandatory. Grinding should be an option to get through the game; not a necessity. If you ask me, most of the "difficulty" hacks have terrible level curves because all they do is lazily throw high leveled pokemon at you. You should keep in mind that forcing grinding does not make a game "difficult." All it does is make the game annoying by wasting the player's time with fainting 50 wild mons on every new route.

 

[Deokishisu]

I made a post on what makes the standard level curve right here that might provide some insight into how the Game Freak curve generally works so that you can break a few of those guidelines for a higher difficulty. Just remember, there's a difference between difficult and unfair, and it's often very hard for the hacker to realize when he or she has stepped over that line.

 

[Caliber70]

default game's levels = X
good level curve for all trainers = X + 3
level curve for gym leaders + rival + league = X+1
level difference between weakest E4 monster and strongest champion monster should not be more than 9 or 10.

for ALL trainers, if the default game has them using only 1 or 2 in their team, jack that number up to 4 or 5. after all the limit for a team is 6, giving us only 1 unit in that one trainer is a waste of potential. part of the reason i never use a full set team of 6 is because i know when i reach the league my team will be underleveled because the developers never tested their game and never realized the default trainer + teams they set is NOT giving enough. nowadays i use a team of 3 or 4 + 2 or 3 HM slaves if playing the base game. that way i divide the game's default sum of EXP before league between my 3 or 4 units rather than my 6.