119 replies to this topic

[some_weirdGuy]

As this is Gen I we aren't considering passive abilities that were introduced for ALL pokemon starting in Gen III, correct? will have to change my last post if I'm right.

I think they still count, after all they give the pokemon more depth and it's a pretty cool addition. Stuff like it was already shown in the tv show with some pokemon long before it was in the games, and seen as we seem to be taking the tv's version of the world into consideration over strictly using the games version of the world (eg. cities being actual cities instead of tiny places with only a couple of buildings, the whole area being 'life size' not shrunken like the games, etc) i think its a good idea to include them.

The thing I said about shroomish thriving on some poisons came from it's pokemon wiki entry, that listed one of its abilities (which it says was introduced in gen 4, so I had no idea about it) as 'poison heal', which makes it recover health when poisoned rather than loosing it. It worked well with nidoran being a poison type, so I used it.

Same with the spores, I mentioned them not just because of attacks like stun spore and stuff, but because in the game that I played, Shroomish's ability was 'effect spores', which means it has a chance whenever the opponent makes physical contact to either paralyse, poison or put them to sleep.

edit: You guys should definitely check the pokemon wiki to see what abilities your pokemon can have. I just went and checked them out myself, and to list a couple that are relevant(though most pokemon seem to have up to 3 abilities, so you should still check it out, maybe post yours here?) :
cubone has 'rock head' that stops recoil, nidoran has 'poison spikes' that has a chance to poison when physical contact is made, and copa i'm afraid vulpix has the same ability as cyndaquil, so using just fire moves would result in a stalemate XD

Edited by some_weirdGuy, 06 September 2011 - 04:16 AM.

[Vortigern]

Yeah, we're not naming these passive abilities but they are there. Pokémon react in certain ways to certain things, and sometimes their reactions are unique to them.

[some_weirdGuy]

So, what are we doing after this battle? Can we get a move on to whatever excitement awaits?

[Copaman]

SWG, I saw your OOC note in the story thread. IMO I would think it would be safe to assume that Pokemon are capable of communicating with each other. Pokemon have enough intelligence to use rudimentary tools (Cubone) and were shown in the anime to communicate with each other. Not to mention, there are animals in our world that are thought to be able to communicate with one another.

[some_weirdGuy]

That goes right against the level of 'realism' that was being promoted before now though, which would indicate the pokemon being as smart as their real life animal counterparts(in this case a fox and a gopher? [still seems off to change cubone from a theropod to a furry mammal]).

I mean, machop and evolutions were placed in notable pokemon for being "far and away the most intelligent pokémon", still being a way below humans. That, along with all the 'this is realistic not cartoony like pokemon was' would indicate all pokemon aren't human-level intelligence like they were in the show, and can't speak 'universal pokemon language' (which is almost as unrealistic as pokeballs)

And i mean, if their interspecies communication is so good then why don't trainers command their pokemon like in the show? Pretty sure if a cubone can tell a vulpix to use ember on his club, then a human could give out instructions like that too.

edit: I am fine with that being the case with pokemon, but things are getting a bit confusing and conflicting in terms of how realistic or like the pokemon tv show this is meant to be.

Edited by some_weirdGuy, 14 September 2011 - 05:35 AM.

[Pasidon]

I recall a Pokemon episode where some she-weird'ie was some sort of Pokemon whisperer and how she said all Pokemon have different versions of communication. I think she cracked that as a joke since she couldn't understand Psyduck since she was a phony, but it may have some fiction-truth to it. I would reference which episode it was for research, but I tended to loose track to the episode count after Pallet Town. Episode with a blue haired girl in it and Team rocket failing... begin tracking - - - now.

[Vortigern]

Miming actions does not mean they have a common language, SWG. It means that they're smart enough to think of something non-straightforward but ultimately beneficial, just like, for example, wolf packs in the real world. It's really not that unrealistic given the basic assumptions concerning the existence of pokémon at all. But yes, we can move on ASAP. To be honest, we just needed a chance to bring characters together, and now we've done that.

And about the machops: they may be exactly as intelligent as humans. They communicate but in a fashion that humans have not yet been able to interpret or translate, they live in communities, they make tools and build homes. They're undeveloped, but that doesn't mean they're unintelligent.

By the way, can we please avoid too many unsubtle allusions to or direct mentionings of type alignments. I know that obviously there are points to be made and it does make a big difference, but don't go throwing out, what was it, "he's too young to know any ground-type moves". (I removed that from the post in question.) As you may have noticed, Isolde used a move that was basically Dig, despite being a fire-type. So I'm pretty sure that Yorick could have figured out some useful ways to use the earth to his benefit. Furthermore, age doesn't make nearly so much difference to what a pokémon is capable of as experience does, and in that battle nobody had any way of knowing how experienced or otherwise Yorick may have been. Obviously, reaching maturity means that pokémon will be bigger and stronger, but you could theoretically have a blastoise that's lived a sheltered life and is utterly worthless in combat except for a straight up shoulder-charge, whereas a rattata that's been fighting all its young life might know exactly what to do and how to do it. So yeah, size, age and strength help, but they are far from the be-all and end-all of pokémon combat.

[some_weirdGuy]

Just a heads up, I have decided to abstain from posting while I work on a programming assignment. So if anything exciting happens in the mean time I guess I'll have to come back and read about it later.

[Vortigern]

Okay, I've added gastly to the list of notable pokémon along with the three legendary birds in their own separate post. Feel free to read about them. Or don't. Freedom is like that. While you're here, you should also go over to the storyline thread and post in there. All of you. That's right, you too.

[Copaman]

I just got back to my computer after a jaunt home to catch Blink-182.

And now I'm headed out the door to go party.

Will post tomorrow. Promise.

[Neth]

My post would have been better if I'd waited a bit, as it's 3am, but I decided something needed posting

[Vortigern]

Something's better than nothing, Neth. Remember guys, we don't have to be making epic action scene posts every time. There's nothing wrong with a couple of one- or two-line posts just to keep things rolling. In fact, I hereby actively solicit a few very short posts every now and again. Brevity can be a good thing.

[some_weirdGuy]

Reading through the noteworthy pokemon stuff, i've finally decided i've got enough worth mentioning now so:

I think you should make it so Venusaur's relationship extends to more than just bellsprouts. Might be interesting if venasur have a small ecosystem happening on their backs. I can image parsects setting up in the plants that grow on there, or other sorts of grass and bug pokemon setting up shop(makes sense, since Victreebel and prevolutions are pitcher plants, they attract bug pokemon).

Or maybe other things like poliwag living in pools of water that gather in the cupped areas of the plant(like what happens in rainforests), or bird pokemon sometimes nesting in the plants top?

Also, I think it might be good to have magnemite be the same 'lightning bug' that's inside electrode, since they're both steel-electric types who are very similar in appearance and capabilities, they could just be two different types of shell housing the same electrical creature you mentioned.

edit: Oh, and with the gym leaders, am I correct in assuming you mean that they still have a type preference? Cause at first i was thinking you removed that, but after reading over it you mentioned "(six, of various types but often with a particular favourite)" i wasn't quite sure.

Does that mean they have 6 pokemon with a favourite pokemon, or does that mean 6 pokemon but with a favourite type?

Edited by some_weirdGuy, 24 September 2011 - 01:31 AM.

[Vortigern]

The bulbasaur/bellsprout thing: I can get behind that, I guess. In fact, seeing as oddish and bellsprout are parallel pokémon, I guess it would make sense for both of them to be involved. And maybe the poliwag frogspawn could be laid in venusaur plants. I'll think about it.

The magnemite thing: I've actually come up with something different for them just yesterday, so I haven't got around to writing it up yet, but I will.

The gymleader thing: Yes, they still have a favourite type, but they all have balanced teams. Or relatively so. But yeah, these are six of the best trainers not actually competing in the League, so it makes no sense that they'd all think 'Oh yes, clearly there is only one type of pokémon that is superior to the rest, and I'm the only to have figured it out'. So Blaine will still favour fire-types, but will also have an electric, a water, and whatever else. They know how to cover their weaknesses.

[some_weirdGuy]

I was actually thinking that it made sense for them to have type-based teams, since the pokemon league is an organised competition and they are official parts of it. Doesn't exclude duel types, or the occasional mismatched type, but seen as your changes have made types(and their weaknesses) less defined anyway I think it's quite reasonable for them to have preferred types.

Take brock and his earth pokemon, given the fact that they aren't really rocks or 'ground' anymore, just animals with exoskeletons, their weakness to water is(should be) severely diminished. There would be no onyx's fainting from bubbles, thats for sure...

edit:

((So who's going where now? Don't feel like you have to follow me if you have other ideas.

problem is, and I addressed it in my last post, having a group of such size who don't know each other randomly decide to join up feels really contrived.

Perhaps some of you guys should already know each other? That way it kinda makes sense to consider sticking together.
Jak just came in, so what if he and maybe Killian know each other? you both have bird pokemon so you could use that. (Maybe Skitz was bought from Killian's father? Maybe they're family friends?)
Alternatively TBG, you mentioned that Jak worked at Celadon Tech (i assume this was meant in relation to the Technical Machines's that teach pokemon moves). Jorah worked with Professor Oak, so maybe your two characters are familiar with each other through that?

Claire and Patrick could potentially know each other, Hoenn is apparently past Johto on the map, maybe she met him on the way over?
Also, Claire lived in Saffron city before, you(copa) said Patrick was heading that way, maybe he was planning to pop in and say hi?
((I just got this idea of it was organised that Claire stopped over the night when she was moving from Hoenn to Kanto, the two families being friends or relatives or something. The next day when saying her goodbye's she could have said: 'and hey, if you're ever near Saffon city don't be a stranger. Drop in and say hi!".
Patrick is now off adventuring and when deciding where to go remembered the invitation and thought that Saffron was probably as good place as any so set off that way.))

Another possibility is Caitlin and Killian. They seem fairly companionable, maybe thats a sign that they've met before?
Or Kieran and Killan could be friends?

Anyway, It would just seem better to me if we somehow come together a way which makes it a bit more natural.
Perhaps splitting into two groups who meet up again soon? Only problem is not everyone seems very active, so splitting up the group might not work so great when it comes to keeping the progress rolling... the last thing we want is stagnation))

Edited by some_weirdGuy, 24 September 2011 - 01:27 PM.

[Vortigern]

SWG, I agree that it feels contrived when we just shoehorn a bunch of complete strangers into being travelling companions, which is why I raised the opportunity for people to say they're going somewhere else. Like how Claire said she's planning on going to Cerulean, Caitlin's planning on heading to Fuchsia through the Safari Zone (it seems reasonable that you could get into it from the north as well, which would presumably therefore be just down the coast a little way from Vermilion, which is itself just south of Saffron). So yeah, that's my intended route, but don't feel obliged to join me just because I'm the leader of the RPG.

It seems equally contrived to me to have people who know each other meeting up in some two-bit roadside hostel nowhere near anywhere when they could have just gone to each other's houses and saved the effort of coordinating the whole thing. And the reason Killian seems companionable is that, from what I could tell from Athos' first couple of posts about him, he's a talkative and amiable chap. Caitlin was also talking a lot to Jorah last night, but now it's the morning and she's quite happy to disappear without even saying goodbye. That doesn't scream long-standing friendship to me.

Also, TBG was referring to Celadon House, who are an R&D company based in Celadon who work with all kinds of things non-pokémon-related. Silph Co. are the leaders in pokémon technology, Celadon House are the leaders in other stuff.

[some_weirdGuy]

It seems equally contrived to me to have people who know each other meeting up in some two-bit roadside hostel nowhere near anywhere when they could have just gone to each other's houses and saved the effort of coordinating the whole thing.

Really? To me it seems kinda the opposite, though it is all dependant on where they came from and where they're going.
Why go all the way to the persons house(especially without a car) if you intend on then turning back and going a different way after? You would just meet at the half-way point and then head off to wherever it is you're really going.
Other perfectly good explanation is that it wasn't a planned meeting, you just happened to cross paths and decided to stick together.

I'm not saying everyone knows each other, that's nearly as contrived as strangers randomly joining up. Those ones i gave were just examples of some possibilities.
Having a couple of the people know each other seems reasonable enough as a way of passing off them forming a group. It even acts as a bridging mechanism, where you could have 'friend of a friend' situations bringing more people together than you otherwise would.

Here's another example of some fairly reasonable plot-glue:
------Group 1-
Killian is friends with Kieran and knows Jak.
Jak doesn't know Kieran.
Kieran is friends with Pat.
Pat and Claire have just met, but have hit it off.
>Killian, Kieran and Pat form a group, Jak and Claire tag along.
group of 5, done.
(man, need a flow chart or something for this XD edit: I know, colour coding!)
------Group 2-
Cait and Jorah then also head off together(maybe at first not intentionally), later to be joined by Sebastian(when he shows up).

Any names are interchangeable with any other btw. I just picked Cait and Jorah for the small group in the example cause Cait seemed to want to ditch, and Jorah and Cait were the ones partnered in the double battle
Taking this thought further:
At some point the group is shuffled. Maybe Claire and Kieran head 1 way while the others go a different way. They then meet Cait and Jorah, and stick with them for a bit.
The group meets up as a whole a bit after that, and sticks together then since they're all headed for the same place.

-----
I'm not saying that's how I actually want to do it, it's just an idea and I personally have some issues with it. My main concern is that I think we need to stick together. We've seen what happened when parallel storyline ran in an RPG, it was kinda cool but really didn't work cause we just don't have enough activity.
In the end you had to combine them together to try and keep it working. So thats the problem with keeping the group split here too. It seems revorian RPG's need to be lead around by the nose for the thing to actually work :/ (don't get me wrong though, it's still enjoyable that way).
What we really need is good plot-glue which could both drive us into action and keep the group together. Once we've been kept together for a bit it's then easier to pass off us staying as a group... Maybe a kidnapping or something is in order XD. Team rocket goons snatch our pokemon and we work together to chase them down and get them back? I don't know...

You know, another option is possibly if we skip forward a bit in time. We've all met each other here, maybe a couple join up and head off, the rest go it alone. We then skip forward to another meeting, maybe some event which draws us all together again, and knowing each other we stick together and head for it. We then up up staying as a group.

Anyway, thats a few idea's up on the table for how to keep the group together, any other idea's or input are also welcome.

And I feel I need to address this quickly:

And the reason Killian seems companionable is that, from what I could tell from Athos' first couple of posts about him, he's a talkative and amiable chap. Caitlin was also talking a lot to Jorah last night, but now it's the morning and she's quite happy to disappear without even saying goodbye. That doesn't scream long-standing friendship to me.

I know that Vort. You seem to be missing the part where we only just considered this now, meaning prior actions aren't going to be perfectly matched up.
You just have to think of what you could pass off without being openly contradictory, in order to get the story going the way it needs to. (I'm surprised at you actually, you've been RPGing longer than I have, surely you know this stuff already?)
Alternatively if you consider it a major issue you could quite easily edit the offending post.

We're all in the same boat, none of us pre-planned for our characters to be friends or even know each other. However it's early in the story, so a change like this could be added in easily enough without much/any mess.
I'm just trying to think of ways to have the group join up while making it flow nicely in the narrative, some of us previously knowing each other and being friends was just one of them.

Edited by some_weirdGuy, 26 September 2011 - 03:06 AM.

[mike_]

Alternatively, we could stop overthinking this and have our characters realize the world is dangerous and that there is safety in numbers.

[{IRS}Athos]

If you knew the trouble I went through to make that...

[some_weirdGuy]

Alternatively, we could stop overthinking this and have our characters realize the world is dangerous and that there is safety in numbers.

as I said, sounds really contrived. Doesn't it bother you at all how horrible that is?
Maybe if some event really drove home 'safety in numbers' it would be all right though .

Cue some giant pokemon attack that we have to overcome all together?