Champions What formats, gameplay modes, and or features do you want to see from Champions?

[Kallyle]

Now obviously, we need more Pokémon, items, and at least one more battle gimmick before we starting getting more things. However, what do you personally want to see added to this game after there's more of a Pokémon and item roster in addition to at least one more battle gimmick?

Personally, I'd like to see the following formats:

• The return of at least one of these formats: Inverse Battles, Triple Battles, and/or Rotation Battles
• The old cup rules you could do in previous Link Battle matches pre-Gen VI
  • Little Cup (currently impossible with most of the roster being fully-evolved Pokémon other than Pikachu)
  • Light and Heavy Cups
  • Gen 5's Wonder Launcher
• Competitions centered around a permanent weather/terrain to see how people can adapt and teach new players about them
• Some quirky Battle Frontier-esque formats, some examples being:
  • Reverse Terastal (making the Tera type the normal type and the original type (combo) the Tera-type(s))
  • Battle Arena rules
  • Battle Castle rules

For gameplay modes and features, I'd like to see the following:

• Battle Tower-esque (single player AND multi-battle) gauntlets since that seems to be removed from the mainline games
• GB Tower-like single player gauntlets for different Pokémon regions
• The return of the Vs. Recorder and the ability to practice with them like in XY
• The ability to create a gauntlet of trainers for other people to battle against, either with your own Pokémon, recruits, or teams you faced in the Vs. Recorder
• A create-your-own-tournament mode where you can set the rules

How about you guys though? What sort of features (other than the fact that we need more stuff first) would you like to see Pokémon Champions implement?

 

[Blast]

Before thinking about this topic any deeper I gotta say they have to fix the way Pokémon face each other. Why after more than 12 years are the Pokémon still rotating in place to face the opponent without any other body movement. They are just moonwalking in place without moving in the middle of what's supposed to be a serious battle. And this has been going for GENERATIONS at this point, spanning mutliple consoles even. In PLA they actually fixed this issue and Pokémon would physically use their body or feet to face their opponent. Beautiful. Now they make a solely battle-focussed game that's supposed to be the flagship for VGC Double Battles and they're back again to the state of the original XY games from 2013. Unbelievable and I'd be lying if I said I honestly think they'll patch this eyesore anytime soon. I'll be getting madder and madder the longer this drags on because it affects every single Double Battle in this game, sometimes multiple times in a single battle.

Other than that I'd like to the ability to select different stadiums. This is a great opportunity to show off some battlefields in iconic locations around the Pokémon world. One standard arena for both Singles and Doubles is actually worse than the controversial SwSh, which at least featured random stadiums from the Galar League Gyms even if they did blend together. SV is only marginally better in this respect with more variety in locations, yet doesn't use the Gym battle courts and still isn't selectable by the player. How has something so simple not been implemented yet? It seems to me more and more likely this game was rushed out uncooked to keep the promise of using it for the upcoming World Championships. No mobile version in sight either so those players are expected to learn the game, gather resources, test and construct a world-class team and compete at the highest level with the best Switch players who had a two month headstart to do all that in addition to full and exclusive HOME access. Those who don't own a Switch will only have access to Gen 7 Pokémon and I suppose the GTS under in the best case scenario btw.

I'd say fix the bugs, fix the awkward visuals and animation, add the Vs. Recorder, add local wireless play, add more playable arenas (can only be cosmetic) and make the playing field more even for everybody no matter if they pay (membership, HOME, starterpack, Z-A, etc.) or not (no HOME access, no premium purchases with real cash of any kind), or if they play on Switch or not. That should've been the standard from the beginning. Furthermore, right now the game is P2W in too many ways in my eyes to begin with as I've expressed before, adding the gap between Switch and mobile players to that it's even more apparent. I can't even sincerely brainstorm about potentially exciting new features and gamemodes when the current state of the game along with the surrounding infrastructure/ecosystem is such a fiasco above all else. Unacceptable to me.

 

[Kallyle]

Other than that I'd like to the ability to select different stadiums. This is a great opportunity to show off some battlefields in iconic locations around the Pokémon world. One standard arena for both Singles and Doubles is actually worse than the controversial SwSh, which at least featured random stadiums from the Galar League Gyms even if they did blend together. SV is only marginally better in this respect with more variety in locations, yet doesn't use the Gym battle courts and still isn't selectable by the player. How has something so simple not been implemented yet?

Honestly, I didn't even think about that. Presenting different stages to play in has pretty much been a staple of e-sports games, so it's genuinely baffling that they haven't even thought about doing something so simple as multiple environments.

I can't even sincerely brainstorm about potentially exciting new features and gamemodes when the current state of the game along with the surrounding infrastructure/ecosystem is such a fiasco above all else. Unacceptable to me. Do you accept this?

That's completely fair. I haven't even gotten the game yet since I'm waiting for at least more Pokémon/items to play with, so I can understand where you're coming from. What is and isn't in this game is very arbitrary to the point where I agree that this game might've gotten pushed out the door to get the World Championships on schedule.

As for why I'm still speculating regardless of the current state of the game: there's only so much you can do to keep players hooked aside from drip-feeding the Pokémon and item rosters; there needs to be something more to keep people engaged down the line and I think bringing back some of the formats and battle rules of the previous games (beyond the regional battle gimmicks) would be the best way to start doing so.

 

[Salmancer]

I think extensive single player content is approaching the situation incorrectly. Champions very much just wants to be a player vs player client, and everything in the game should be pushing players toward dueling other players. It keeps the queues full. While the enfranchised Pokémon fan may look at Champions and see an equivalency to Stadium and Battle Revolution, that is most certainly not the case. Besides, extensive single player content would imply the need to raise Pokémon specifically to beat that single player content, and there isn't nearly enough Box space to store Pokémon for that.

As for what I think the game would benefit from...

• Better tutorials. This game very much throws the player into the deep end and expects the "terminology" menu option to do most of the heavy lifting. There are tutorials, but they're just "this is what this feature is". These aren't good enough. If there's anything stratifying the Champions playerbase... okay access to Nintendo Switch games is one but the other is knowledge. While I would prefer a fully playable battle for each tutorial, that again is stretching the point of Champions. Failing that, more involved tutorials that present multiple scenarios to fully go over the topic at hand. The weather tutorial should include a segment for shutting down the opponents preferred weather with your own weather setter. The Mega Evolution tutorial should include segments on how choosing not to Mega Evolve immediately is helpful, how Mega Evolution triggers some effects that normally only occur on switch in, and how the inability to switch and Mega Evolve on the same turn can make things more difficult. There also needs to be a tutorial for each kind of thing. Lumping al the status conditions under one tutorial, that only really covers Burn, isn't that helpful. Paralysis, Poison (especially Toxic), Sleep, and Freeze all need space to be explained, and the same goes for other topics with multiple elements. Lastly, every extant tutorial about is about functionality. Some tutorials about strategy, like one for speed control, would do wonders.
• Viewing Mega Evolution stats and abilities as part of Pokémon summaries. Again, another odd info gap. I shouldn't have to remember information I can only see during battle to build teams.
• I'm not opposed to more battle formats, but I think the need to have a functional mobile client might keep Triples and Rotations out of the running. (There's a non-zero chance the main reason people remember Triples exist is because Bulbapedia displays range data for all moves using a Triples layout, even for moves that only exist in games that don't have Triple Battles.) Inverse battles should probably happen. Aside from being very simple, imagine the cutscene where the characters discuss Inverse battles! Plus, we get two queues for the price of one, since Inverse Doubles probably exists.
• VS Recorder functionality makes a lot of sense. It could help with practicing and analysis. Additionally, if they add modern exporting features then it would be a very useful advertising tool. Somehow, I have a hunch even if this happens, Mock Battles wouldn't return. (It would interfere with the Plaver vs Player funnel.)
• Some kind of type and base stat viewer for out of battle use. Kind of like a Pokédex, but you don't have to fill it out. (Therefore, do not call it a Pokédex) Another info gap thing. The player has to build intution as to which Pokémon are stronger physically or specially, and the ability to check that after a battle would assist in that. Yes, one could use a online resource, but if people are playing Champions on their phones, they may not have a second device nearby to do that.

 

[Kallyle]

I think extensive single player content is approaching the situation incorrectly. Champions very much just wants to be a player vs player client, and everything in the game should be pushing players toward dueling other players. It keeps the queues full. While the enfranchised Pokémon fan may look at Champions and see an equivalency to Stadium and Battle Revolution, that is most certainly not the case. Besides, extensive single player content would imply the need to raise Pokémon specifically to beat that single player content, and there isn't nearly enough Box space to store Pokémon for that.

I disagree that Champions should remain only multi-player, though I do think multi-player should remain the main draw. I imagine it would be more of a Fortnite situation if anything: the main draw to that game is the multiplayer, though they also have a purchasable campaign alongside it (or at least they had one; idk if that's still available). It would be a good chance to sell GB Tower-esque bundles and add score boards/records to share with others as well.

While the box space is a point in your favor, adding such single-player features would probably be a good opportunity to push Pokémon Home compatibility as well. There's also nothing stopping TPC/{Pokémon Works from simply adding a few more boxes either.

Better tutorials. This game very much throws the player into the deep end and expects the "terminology" menu option to do most of the heavy lifting. There are tutorials, but they're just "this is what this feature is". These aren't good enough. If there's anything stratifying the Champions playerbase... okay access to Nintendo Switch games is one but the other is knowledge. While I would prefer a fully playable battle for each tutorial, that again is stretching the point of Champions. Failing that, more involved tutorials that present multiple scenarios to fully go over the topic at hand. The weather tutorial should include a segment for shutting down the opponents preferred weather with your own weather setter. The Mega Evolution tutorial should include segments on how choosing not to Mega Evolve immediately is helpful, how Mega Evolution triggers some effects that normally only occur on switch in, and how the inability to switch and Mega Evolve on the same turn can make things more difficult. There also needs to be a tutorial for each kind of thing. Lumping al the status conditions under one tutorial, that only really covers Burn, isn't that helpful. Paralysis, Poison (especially Toxic), Sleep, and Freeze all need space to be explained, and the same goes for other topics with multiple elements. Lastly, every extant tutorial about is about functionality. Some tutorials about strategy, like one for speed control, would do wonders.

That's mostly what I'd expect out of most single player content outside of the GB Tower-style bundles I mentioned earlier, and is also why I think the game would benefit from single player content; the main games seem to have done away with the battle facilities that would have helped practice in the past as even the bare-bones Battle Tower has currently been absent. The Battle Frontier thing is just wishful thinking on my part, but it's also a good way to monetize Pokémon Champions outside of purchasing battle items and rental Pokémon so I wouldn't throw that out just yet.

Viewing Mega Evolution stats and abilities as part of Pokémon summaries. Again, another odd info gap. I shouldn't have to remember information I can only see during battle to build teams.

They don't give you that option yet? Haven't gotten Champions yet as I'm waiting for a more substantial variety of Pokémon and items.

I'm not opposed to more battle formats, but I think the need to have a functional mobile client might keep Triples and Rotations out of the running. (There's a non-zero chance the main reason people remember Triples exist is because Bulbapedia displays range data for all moves using a Triples layout, even for moves that only exist in games that don't have Triple Battles.) Inverse battles should probably happen. Aside from being very simple, imagine the cutscene where the characters discuss Inverse battles! Plus, we get two queues for the price of one, since Inverse Doubles probably exists.

While I do see that as an obstacle, it depends on whether or not Champions is being treated as primarily a mobile title or a Switch/Switch 2 title. If the former, I can see your point and also think anything other than the bare minimum would be off the table. If it's treated more like a Switch/Switch 2 title, I can see them adding back in those missing formats for the console versions only. I really don't want the mobile version to stifle what Pokémon Champions is able to do despite also being on that platform, but I admit that hope might end up ringing hollow.

VS Recorder functionality makes a lot of sense. It could help with practicing and analysis. Additionally, if they add modern exporting features then it would be a very useful advertising tool. Somehow, I have a hunch even if this happens, Mock Battles wouldn't return. (It would interfere with the Plaver vs Player funnel.)

I don't think mock battles would kill off PvP; it would probably just be part of a Mario Maker-like gauntlet side mode you could share with other players if anything (which was my intention when mentioning the feature).

Some kind of type and base stat viewer for out of battle use. Kind of like a Pokédex, but you don't have to fill it out. (Therefore, do not call it a Pokédex) Another info gap thing. The player has to build intution as to which Pokémon are stronger physically or specially, and the ability to check that after a battle would assist in that. Yes, one could use a online resource, but if people are playing Champions on their phones, they may not have a second device nearby to do that.

That sounds like an awesome idea!

 

[nuvematown]

I'd love to see multi battles and battle royals make a return. I think 4 player battles are super fun! several years ago me and some friends did a friendly multi battle tournament amongst ourselves and it was super fun lmao