Spoilers Official Let's Go Pikachu/Let's Go Eevee Discussion Thread

[PkmnTrainerV]

One thing that interests me from the article is that Game Freak has many more people than they did a few years ago. It makes sense of course with multiple projects happening at once, but it seems to have roughly doubled in size in the last few years?

(From 143 two years ago to 'well over 300' now)

Well, there have been a lot of job applications since last year or so, and it’s time they realised they’re working on a console now.

If GameFreak wanted any part of their yearly or semi-yearly schedule to work on the Switch, they needed to expand- which they did.

 

[Grimbad]

Nobody posted this yet?

Pokémon boss Junichi Masuda on keeping hardcore players happy, borrowing from Pokémon Go, and Let's Go's story

So the Gamefreak studios has indeed grown! Almost twice the size it was I think. That's reassuring

if LGEP sell really well it could be it’s own series

Oh I have no doubt it will sell well. Already with the preorders a few days old its looming like it will be the most popular switch game yet. Id like if they continue with a simpler series of lets go and a more meatier rpg series, but I could see lets go as a one off if pokemon go stops being relevant at some point

 

[Boss1708]

The official Game freak website still says 143 staff members (I just checked it).

Which makes me think this "well over 300 members!" was including non- developer positions, like translators and such. And those don't really count.

 

[Tuoko]

So based off of that interview, it definitely seems like the Safari Zone/Safari game is going to be replaced by Go Park.

 

[Icy Wind]

The official Game freak website still says 143 staff members (I just checked it).

Which makes me think this "well over 300 members!" was including non-profit developer positions, like translators and such. And those don't really count.

Yeah the 300 part might have been a mistake by Eurogamer.

In 2015 they absorbed mobile company "Koa Games" so that could have helped but, according to their own website (GAME FREAK 株式会社ゲームフリーク オフィシャルサイト), they had 143 as of April 2018

However, I believe this is an error on Eurogamer's part. They probably said 300 are working on the game. That'd include staff at Nintendo who help with netcode etc., and staff at Creatures Inc. who do the modelling not to mention the localisers at Nintendo and The Pokémon Company International.[/url]

 

[Psalmist]

The article has me a bit concerned. While I am optimistic for these games, I sincerely hope they are one-off games. I don't want them to ultimately get to Gen IV remakes and give Sinnoh the same casual-friendly treatment.

 

[Bolt Strike]

Something Masuda continually seems to fail to understand is that the older and more skilled players don't like having the accessibility forced on them. The key to getting both audiences on board is to give the games a sense of depth while still making it clear where to go and what to do. Make the games accessible, sure, but don't take the player's choice away from them. Just point them in the right direction and let them decide whether or not they want to follow it.

 

[Knightwolf09]

Frankly I don't really care and am willing to cooperate with the accessibility. I know that's not how everyone feels, but I feel like people a being a bit too, I wanna say finicky? Fans like complexity (for some reason) while casual players want more simplicity and so far nobodies trying to come to a compromise aside from separating each other like kids drawing lines across a room.

 

[Bolt Strike]

Frankly I don't really care and am willing to cooperate with the accessibility. I know that's not how everyone feels, but I feel like people a being a bit too, I wanna say finicky? Fans like complexity (for some reason) while casual players want more simplicity and so far nobodies trying to come to a compromise aside from separating each other like kids drawing lines across a room.

The problem with simplicity is that it can get repetitive, boring, and easy. Making something more complex makes it more intellectually stimulating and that can be more fun for an older audience. On the other hand, when you make something more simple as Game Freak has been doing in recent games, it feels a bit more mindless, like you're just going through the motions and not really immersing yourself in the experience. They've definitely lost something by forcing the simplicity on people in the newer games.That being said, they don't necessarily need to force the complexity either, and as Masuda has pointed out forcing the complexity can turn people off that don't really want or can't handle something more complex or challenging. So he's definitely right about that much, but he only seems to be looking at this from one perspective.

Having both sides compromise by accepting an average level of difficulty is the wrong way to go about it. If they're forced to put up with an uncomfortable level of difficulty they'll get turned off and stop playing. The "compromise" should be a flexible gameplay style with plenty of choice so they can experience the game the way they want to. Things like an adjustable level of difficulty, making as much of the content optional as possible, and supporting a wide variety of playstyles would go much farther in getting casuals and hardcore gamers on the same page than forcing one or both groups to put up with a particular design decision for the sake of the entire fanbase.

 

[Sakuraa]

I'm seriously curious about what the version exclusives are gonna be, since obviously Yellow didn't have any being that it was just one version. I feel like there's a high chance it'll just be the version exclusives Pokemon from Red and Blue, but regardless, I'd still like to know.

 

[Knightwolf09]

And how exactly do you accomplish that? The games are already too complex as it is, but more simplicity harms it cause it's too easy? Then again all of us that played the game for years of course feel it's too easy, we're practically experts at this point. Honestly simplicity is more needed for fans who are tired of the current tediousness as much as people want to argue that it's needed.

 

[Icy Wind]

And how exactly do you accomplish that? The games are already too complex as it is, but more simplicity harms it cause it's too easy? Then again all of us that played the game for years of course feel it's too easy, we're practically experts at this point. Honestly simplicity is more needed for fans who are tired of the current tediousness as much as people want to argue that it's needed.

Removing online features, breeding, ect... isn’t going to make this game less “tedious”. It’s just dumbing things down.

 

[Knightwolf09]

Removing online features, breeding, ect... isn’t going to make this game less “tedious”. It’s just dumbing things down.

Maybe that's a good thing. I'm sick and tired of spending hours riding a bike for hours hatching hundreds of eggs just to get the right pokemon I want. It's one of the reasons I fall off the games till the next so easily. Granted online features should stay of course, I think it's just for this game. Even though we're still not sure about the state of the online features. One thing says there's none, the other says there is, nothing but confusion at this point.

 

[Bolt Strike]

And how exactly do you accomplish that? The games are already too complex as it is, but more simplicity harms it cause it's too easy? Then again all of us that played the game for years of course feel it's too easy, we're practically experts at this point. Honestly simplicity is more needed for fans who are tired of the current tediousness as much as people want to argue that it's needed.

Actually that's pretty easy, and they already have some of the pieces in place, they just need to put them together in the right way.

1. Bring back multiple difficulty modes, but make them available from the start.
2. Allow the player to challenge gyms in any order and implement a level scaling system to accommodate that based on how many badges you have. Wild Pokemon and minor trainers when rematching will also temporarily scale based on what level your current party is at.
3. Areas on the main path should be simple and easy to traverse, with clearly visible landmarks to help guide you from one city to the next. Optional paths off the beaten path can have more intricate and complex designs since players would need to actively seek them out.

 

[Icy Wind]

Maybe that's a good thing. I'm sick and tired of spending hours riding a bike for hours hatching hundreds of eggs just to get the right pokemon I want.

I mean, good for you if you don’t like breeding.

But no one forces to breed, and removing it just make it a lesser game for some.

 

[Bolt Strike]

Maybe that's a good thing. I'm sick and tired of spending hours riding a bike for hours hatching hundreds of eggs just to get the right pokemon I want. It's one of the reasons I fall off the games till the next so easily. Granted online features should stay of course, I think it's just for this game. Even though we're still not sure about the state of the online features. One thing says there's none, the other says there is, nothing but confusion at this point.

Considering that breeding is a way to get certain Pokemon you couldn't otherwise and is an easy way to obtain more members of a particular species, that's not exactly a positive change. Breeding can get complex with egg moves and passing down natures and IVs, but those mechanics are optional so it's not really interfering with their experience in the first place.

 

[Knightwolf09]

I mean, good for you if you don’t like breeding.

But no one forces to breed, and removing it just make it a lesser game for some.

Just as people say simplicity's forced on them, same could be said about complexity. For example in online play almost every trainer have has high trained pokemon that can easily stomp you unless you pokemon are "perfect". Then you feel pressured to jump into the complexity so can have a fighting chance. Otherwise if don't, you'll have no fun if you never win.

 

[Bullet Club Master]

When does everyone think we will get more Let's go Pikachu/Eevee news? I really want to know how the rival will look like.

 

[Knightwolf09]

More than likely at E3 next week.

 

[Bolt Strike]

Just as people say simplicity's forced on them, same could be said about complexity. For example in online play almost every trainer have has high trained pokemon that can easily stomp you unless you pokemon are "perfect". Then you feel pressured to jump into the complexity so can have a fighting chance. Otherwise if don't, you'll have no fun if you never win.

That's the nature of competition, you're never going to be able to eliminate that feeling from the experience. When you're trying to compete with someone, you look for any advantage you can to gain an edge over your opponent, so anyone that wants a realistic shot at succeeding needs to get as close to perfect as they can and play at a high level. If you can't do that then competitive gaming probably isn't for you. It would help if they made training up perfect Pokemon more accessible to ensure players have a quick and easy way to obtain viable Pokemon, but beyond that there's nothing they can do about that. But there's nothing saying you even have to battle competitively in the first place, this is just something some fans like to do. This is where having a flexible game that accommodates a variety of styles helps them, if you want to experience the story, if you want to battle competitively, if you want to trade and interact with people, if you want to collect Pokemon, if you want to explore, or if you want to do side activities, you can do that.