Doing it better: Pokémon Mythos

I'm pretty negative about many of the components of the Pokémon franchise, but that flows from a deep enjoyment and passion for it. I've watched the anime, most of the movies, played many of the games and gotten overall invested in the Pokémon world. When I complain and bash and whine it's coming from an overall postive intent. So I've decided I'd start posting how I think the franchise should be improved, and I'd do it by walking you through the concept design of what I think a much better Pokémon game would look like. I've been working on it on and off for a long while now, and after going through four iterations I've reached a point where I'm pretty happy with the idea. The entitre concept is just a brainchild I use to gain more clarity on my ideas, and I think they'll help you as well.

I'll give a brief outline of what this hypothetical game would be about, and I'll go over a wide range of aspects of the game in future posts. I call this game Pokémon Mythos. It's set in the distant past of the modern Pokémon games, way before modern technologies come into being. Mythos is essentially set in ancient times; there's no electricity, no steam power, no computers etc. People use more basic technologies, and Mythos is set in a time where archeology is becoming a field of study for the first time. Pokémon researchers have realized that many Pokémon have specific relationships to certain stones and objects: they help Pokémon evolve, power up their moves etc, they even found out that certain Pokémon can be revived from fossils! This knowledge has upended the existing power balance between the more developed groups in the Archaea Region that focus on skilled labor and higher-end goods and the larger part of the peoples who do more intensive physical labor (usually under less.. comfortable conditions): working the land where they come across all these objects. The existing powers become worried that--essentially--the unwashed masses will start using their found Stones, Gems and Fossils to gain new power that will help them fight for a better lot in life to the detriment of the more luxurious artisans.

The player is a clerk in tiny Ilian Town who comes into posession of a Pokémon Egg of mysterious origins which contains an Eevee (as a Starter Pokémon), and is then ousted from Ilian Town when two warring factions do battle in Ilian Town, destroying it in their struggle. The player is thrust into adventure figuring out where the Eevee came from and finding a way to cease the war and eventually rebuild Ilian Town. Pokémon Mythos has no Gyms and no Elite Four; the story is completely different from what we are used to. But more on that in a future post.

For now just realise that I think the current Pokémon story formula is beyond stale, the Mythos story line is completely fresh on so many levels; switching up the story structure, player motivations and the stakes while learning more about something that is so central to Pokémon: their interactions with their environment.

'till next time.

The obsession with shiny Pokémon has got to stop.

During wild encounters Pokémon trainers have a small chance of encountering a Pokémon that looks different from other Pokémon. It has a different colour scheme to various degrees of difference, and a small 'sparkle' effect appears when a so-called 'shiny' Pokémon enters the battle. Finding these Pokémon has become easier and easier over the years, to the point where many (veteran) players find themselves complaining that having a shiny Pokémon isn't as much of an achievement as it used to be. What they don't realize is that this is a good thing rather than a travesty. The focus on shiny Pokémon is absolutely silly; many of the shiny Pokémon don't look very good, the effect makes very little sense, trainers are pressured to keep shiny Pokémon even when they have detrimental IVs, Natures or Abilities and the fact that they're encountered mostly randomly make them more of a drain of your time rather than a mark of achievement (unless you count sheer bull-headed perseverance as a worthwhile achievement I suppose). 

The interest in shiny Pokémon flows from the same interest people have in the different patterns on Vivillon, the colours on Florges, and the different forms some Pokémon can have in general: trainers form attachments to their Pokémon, and any way they can find to differentiate their Pokémon from the legions of others helps make the bond feel unique and particular to that trainer and their Pokémon. Most Pokémon don't have alternate (purely aesthetic) forms, most Pokémon aren't dimorphic, so getting a shiny Pokémon is pretty much the only way for trainers to get a Pokémon that is 'special' in a way that can be recognized by other players. But I can guarantee you that if more ways to do this became available shininess would become less and less important. Which would be a good thing because, as we discussed, the focus on shininess is absolutely ridiculous.

Note the spiky left ear.

There are a bunch of easy ways to make this change; first off I want to note that I think 'shininess' should be conferred by in-game groomers that simply make your Pokémon nice and sparkly and clean, similar to how a manicure would work; this process doesn't alter the colour palette of the Pokémon. The obvious complimentary change would be to start putting out different colour palettes and slight variations for all Pokémon; some are darker than others, create variations in their colorings and patterns, perhaps switch up how often certain movements pop up in the animations (maybe in relation to their Nature even); there is plenty of room to grow. And make the variations look good; don't just paint the entire Pokémon fluorescent pink for example. But you don't have to stop there; how about bringing back Seals for PokéBalls--heck--allow players to switch what PokéBall their Pokémon is in. 

Let's give trainers a proper way to bond with their Pokémon. And get rid of Hulk-Champ.

Strong to the finish.

Let's get rid of Individual Values.

Since the introduction of Individual Values Pokémon has been burdened with a sligthly fascist undertone in the game play department. Individual Values (IVs) are an abstraction of an individual Pokémon's genetic traits as expressed in their stats (HP, Atk, Spd etc). These stats are fixed and immutable from the Pokémon's birth onwards, and individual Pokémon have different configurations of IVs. The idea behind this is to make Pokémon more unique by giving them personalized traits beyond just a Nature and an Ability; it's an attempt to make a Pokémon your Pokémon by implying that it's unlike any other (on some level anyway). IVs were never a good way to convey this (especially because they're not shown to or explained to the player) in comparison to, say, giving Pokémon multiple colors and variations to their sprites but the effort is appreciated. Sadly, not all Pokémon have the same amount of IVs. There is a maximum amount of IVs any Pokémon can have, and having a high IV value for certain stats is important for getting that Pokémon to its most powerful possible state.

This means that some Pokémon are simply better than other Pokémon. This means that no matter what you do, no matter how hard you train, your Pokémon will most likely never be as strong as another Pokémon could be. And, while this is somewhat a reflection of some loose interpretation of 'reality', in a game about fighting monsters while treating them as your friends this system has unfortunate implications. Mainly in the eugenics department. Committed trainers will (and are) looking and--especially--breeding their Pokémon to obtain one that has the highest possible IV stat of the type the trainer is looking for. They're essentially trying to breed an ÜberMon, a Pokémon that is inherently superior to all other creatures of its kind. Not really something we want to attach to a kid's game I think, but that's perhaps up for debate.

My real problem with IVs is that their cumbersome and tedious and don't add anything to the game. It's just a stupid randomiser that makes you feel bad about your favorite Pokémon when you realize they're not in the 'top percentage' of their kind, meaning they'll never be able to reach their full potential. At first I thought it would be fine to change IVs so every Pokémon has the same amount of IVs but their distribution is simply shuffled around but I realised that's only mitigating the problem rather than getting rid of it. 

The IV system should be ripped out of the franchise, it was a mistake. If you want more individual Pokémon they should be differentiated in other ways. I'm a proponent of multiple sprites for Pokémon (and seeing the love for Vivillon I think I'm on to something), but I think Pokémon should just start having twó Natures rather than one.

In the current system when a Pokémon is 'born' it is born with a Nature, which is essentially an abstraction of its personality; it's brave or playful or shy etc. While not exactly 'realistic', it doesn't have the fascism problem ánd its effects are less profound. The player can knów what Nature the Pokémon has and can raise it to reflect its personality. If it has a Nature that tends towards Speed, maybe it's a good idea if the player were to promote that tendency. Giving Pokémon two Natures amplifies this effect and automatically differentiates between Pokémon more effectively. Trainers looking for a Pokémon with a specific temperament can still do so, but players don't need to worry that their beloved Pokémon is burdened with inferior genetics. I'd love a system where Pokémon personalities are more dynamic as well, changing to reflect its development (maybe as a result of EVs gained), but I'm will to settle for getting rid of IVs, and gaining an extra Nature. 

I'll have a Quiet Gentle Exploud please.