[Improvement] Newbie-Friendly Starting Out Suggestions

[Daedalus007]

CHANGELOG

 

EDIT Apr 15 2021:
Bumped thread and also added in a new suggestion for Viridian Maze (an exit teleporter) as it seems unusual for custom content to be that tedious for a new player.

EDIT Feb 06 2020:

This thread was buried and then forgotten due to the PRO staff changing around. New admins/devs have been notified of this thread and "these are all really good ideas and very well-explained".

I never demand any dev to stop what they are working on for my sake or anything else but it is nice to know that the (new) staff actually cares about suggestions.

Also I was told that the devs/admins do read through suggestions forum regularly even if they don't respond so be kind and do a search for existing (duplicate) suggestion and 'frequently asked' ones before posting!

I'm gonna bump the thread so hopefully more eyeballs can take a look and maybe comment on it.

I've also updated several previous suggestions with the new knowledge and changes to the game since I originally posted this thread.

 

EDIT Dec 26 2019:

Almost 2 years later and none of my suggestions were even looked at. Seems those in charge want to maintain the status quo rather than get in a fresh new audience. Oh whelp.

 

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Suggestion:

Allow Team Rocket Story scenes to occur regardless of starter Pokemon. Maybe keep Surf exclusively to Pikachu as a nice hidden bonus.

 

Details:

Right now there is an exclusive Team Rocket Storyline if you pick Pikachu as your starter and also exclusively being able to teach 'Surf' to your starter Pikachu. Please consider making these story scenes occur regardless of starter (since you aren't Ash) replacing them saying 'Pikachu' with {starterpokemon} as a variable in chat (if your dialogue coding allows it, which it should).

 

Feasibility:

Simple variable-based edits to the dialogue system rather than hard-coded names will also open up further potential starter pokemon options later on. Less than a day's work if the dialogue system already supports variables (which it should since Professor Oak addresses you by your player name).

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Suggestion:

Remove the 5% money loss penalty from NPC Trainer Battles until AFTER obtaining the Boulder Badge.

 

Details:

This penalty is far too harsh for someone just starting out, especially if they haven't played a Pokemon game before. It may not seem like 500 pokedollars is a lot to veteran players but for a newbie scraping by trying to buy items and pokeballs, it is a big deal. We're starting out and learning so we shouldn't be punished for not reading up on a guide ahead of time (which spoils the surprise/fun for newbies). Newbies want to just dive in and play the game, not do 'homework' before playing first.

 

Feasibility:

Very easy to do and just involves changing the money loss variable to 0% instead of 5%. Can add in a check for Boulder Badge (better solution) or a more hackney faster way of doing it by hard-coding a 0% loss only on every trainer fight prior to beating Brock. The Boulder Badge check is a better idea to make sure higher level players still have the penalty applied.

 

Update (Feb 2020):

The Boulder Badge check would be ideal both for potential future changes/expansion and to keep code maintenance clean and controlled. It would also allow for other suggestions below to be implemented easier.

Due to wild Pokemon dropping money, this is far less harsh than it used to be but it would still be a very nice way to give players a 'no penalty' way to learn the game before they take on the first gym and really 'get started' on the remaining journey.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Suggestion:

Perfect optimal IVs & Nature for your starter pokemon, but it will be untradeable to other players.

 

Details:

This makes the choice of starter that much better and nearly any player will benefit significantly by choosing any of the starters without worrying about RNG screwing them over. I've done a few restarts on various servers to try things out and the RNG randomness of the starter makes a HUGE difference. Having a pokemon starter so weak you literally can't beat up even win a single fight OR having a pokemon starter that is strong, tough, and kicks [butt] to carry your otherwise mediocre team to victory. Starting IVs and Starting Stats make a HUGE HUGE HUGE benefit/difference in the lead up to fighting Brock.

Making them untradeable can mitigate the potential for messing with the economy.

FOSS = First Order Optimal Strategy

-Squirtle FOSS = Brock can be fought without having to grind a team to 15.

-Charmander FOSS = Grinding in Viridian Forest is much faster/easier.

-Pikachu FOSS = Misty is able to be fought without excessive grinding.

-Bulbasaur FOSS = Same as Pikachu plus not having to spend too much time hunting for low level plant pokemon in the forest.

No matter the starter, having that ONE perfect pokemon not only gives newbie players an immediate confidence boost but also makes the game seem that much more 'fair'.

 

Feasibility:

Can be done with a custom script for the starter pokemon stats. Veterans would need to restart with another server/account if they wanted the benefits but the non-tradeable drawback might make some feel it isn't worth restarting.

 

Update (Feb 2020):

Another option for veteran players would be to allow an NPC (say a professor or their assistant) to 'convert' any existing pikachu/squirtle/charmander/bulbasaur (unevolved) that was caught normally into a 'perfect' starter that would be bound to the player; must have caught pokemon yourself to be eligible. Pokemon would begin at level 1 with a player-chosen nature and become soulbound/untradeable. This could only be done ONCE per account and only for legacy accounts who didn't get the perfect starter.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Suggestion:

Newbie Pokemon Trainer discount of 50% off all goods until AFTER obtaining the Boulder Badge.

 

Details:

Pokeballs being 100 instead of 200 as well as potions being cheaper will greatly encourage players to catch more pokemon and learn about IVs and EVs and not be (as) frustrated when a pokemon like a Level 5 Weedle in red health and 'fast asleep' still breaks out of a pokeball 3 times in a row.

 

Feasibility:

This is where the Boulder Badge check could be coded in to provide some perks for those who don't have it yet. Easily done with a bit of tweaking since obtaining it already unlocks perks like using Flash & Headbutt outside of battle.

 

Update (Feb 2020):

May not be required anymore (because now wild Pokemon drop money) but would still be VERY useful for super-casual players to be more friendly and welcoming them to the game.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Suggestion:

Allow NPC trainers to be fought every 24 hours instead of every 7 days until AFTER obtaining the Boulder Badge.

 

Details:

Greatly assists with giving players something to do to mitigate the grind to Level 10+ to take on Brock and not get wiped so horribly.

 

Feasibility:

It is already done for at least one Trainer prior to Pewter City (Youngster Shawn). Just need to add 'hour' timer text to all the NPC trainers up to Pewter City. Preferably ALL of them in the game but at minimum those starting ones would be really wonderful to see. Can also be done in-game via a system command where you do /npctrainercd and get a list of every trainer and boss you've fought and their remaining cooldown. Would prefer if this shows up in a popup window in the UI instead of in the chat itself since it might be tiresome to scroll through a long list.

 

Update (Feb 2020):

I still feel this suggestion is useful but it may no longer be required (since wild Pokemon now drop money) if the staff want to sell more memberships and cash shop XP boosters. Feasibility is no longer applicable as 'Youngster Shawn' now has a typical ~3 day timer and I believe other NPC trainers may also have a ~3 day timer. With the economy changes since the original post, this suggestion may no longer be required.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Suggestion:

In the Viridian Maze, please consider adding several new rewards/bonuses at dead-ends so players don't feel like they've wasted their time wandering around (in the dark).

 

Details:

Let newbies feel like the game is rewarding in addition to being challenging.

Potential rewards can include:

-100 to 1000 pokedollars

-Pack of 5 to 15 pokeballs

-All 3 of the 'bonus' free pokemon instead of just one RNG pokemon that may or may not be useful (Horsea, Growlithe, and Bellsprout). Spread them out a bit

-At least 5 of the Dragon Rage TMs so newbies may want to actually use it on a Pokemon they like (who can learn it) instead of just saving it till much later. Also introduces the TM concept and how they work as there's no explanation provided when obtaining the initial one.

-Additional Trainer NPCs stuck at dead-ends who are facing the wall and then initiate a Trainer NPC battle if the player 'talks' to them.

 

Feasibility:

Adding in new rewards should be easy/trivial. Changing Dragon Rage TM reward to be 5 instead of an RNG amount should also be trivial. Additional Trainer NPCs may require some additional coding but copy/pasting the 'Youngster Shane', having them always facing a wall, and changing their dialogue a bit shouldn't be too difficult or time-consuming. Also saves time not having to do a prompt before battle.

 

Update (Feb 2020):

I'd really like to see this suggestion implemented in addition to the suggestions below by Starlight on adding in additional/alternative TMs and changing Brock's Gym Reward TM from Bide to Rock Tomb.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Suggestion:

Change text color of NPC names for combatative trainers vs non-combatative NPCs to differentiate them.

 

Details:

Right now both the 'combatative' trainers (ones who challenge you to battles) and non-combatative NPCs (those who offer advice or help/tips in various ways) are the same yellow-named text. Perhaps give either the NPC trainers or the NPC non-trainers some different color name (like purple or green) so that players know who will battle them and be able to prepare themselves and their team ahead of time. This is especially useful for those casual players who haven't played previous Pokemon games (or haven't done so in a long time) so they can prepare their teams accordingly.

 

Feasibility:

Changing text color should be very easy/trivial. I'd recommend changing the combatative NPC text color versus because of how many regular non-combatative NPCs there are in the game already. It would be up to the staff on what colors to use and how to proceed.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Suggestion:

In the Viridian Maze, please consider adding an exit teleporter at the end.

 

Details:

This is likely one of the most common complaints that newbies have had since PRO put in the Viridian Maze from the very get-go.  Why is there no exit?
So just put one in.  It can be a copy/paste of the entrance door that just leads outside to the same location.
For some extra effort it can be a 'teleporter' that transports the player to the entrance (while still inside the Viridian Maze) so they can just walk out.

 

Feasibility:

This requires a copy & paste for the hacky/easy solution of duplicating the entrance door.

The custom solution of a teleporter has been done before elsewhere in the game so I don't believe it would be difficult or time-consuming to implement.

 

Update (Apr 2021):

I'd really like to see this suggestion implemented as it would be by far one of the best improvements to the PRO-exclusive Viridian Maze map in years.

Edited April 16, 2021 by Daedalus007
New Suggestion added at bottom

[Starlight]

I like all of these suggestions, +1 from me

 

 

Minor notes though:

Can also be done in-game via a system command where you do /npctrainercd and get a list of every trainer and boss you've fought and their remaining cooldown. Would prefer if this shows up in a popup window in the UI instead of in the chat itself since it might be tiresome to scroll through a long list.

 

This part most likely won't happen, we have an NPC for boss timers already, and listing all the non-boss trainers would create a ridiculously long list as there's like, more than 500 of them.

 

 

Also, in my opinion, unless getting Growlithe from Viridian Maze is guaranteed like you suggested, the TM in Viridian Maze should be changed instead of increased, as Dragon Rage isn't a move with widespread distribution. Yes, it is a powerful move early game, but almost nothing early game can learn it. You have to either start with Charmander, or get Growlithe from Viridian Maze for the Dragon Rage TM to be of any use. Facade or Return would have been a better move, but it requires those two moves to be programmed into the game first.

 

(that Bide TM reward from beating Brock's gym is also ridiculous and should be changed to Rock Tomb)

[Daedalus007]

I appreciate the feedback from a forum veteran. Tyvm :)

If all my suggestions were implemented, it would greatly assist the newbie starting experience quite a bit.

 

Of course the biggest issue is the XP curve (for those who aren't familiar with the pokemon games or exactly what to do already) for those without membership.

I didn't mention it because obviously they want to sell/entice people to buy membership and making it too easy to level might reduce people obtaining membership.

 

But the grind to 15 just to be able to beat Brock is pretty brutal ;)

[Daedalus007]

I'm going to bump this thread due to the updates/edits and additional suggestions I have put in. Hopefully can get more eyeballs on this and get more feedback from the forum population (and maybe other staff) on these ideas.

[Samurai]

EDIT Feb 06 2020:

This thread was buried and then forgotten due to the PRO staff changing around. New admins/devs have been notified of this thread and "these are all really good ideas and very well-explained".

I never demand any dev to stop what they are working on for my sake or anything else but it is nice to know that the (new) staff actually cares about suggestions.

Also I was told that the devs/admins do read through suggestions forum regularly even if they don't respond so be kind and do a search for existing (duplicate) suggestion and 'frequently asked' ones before posting!

I'm gonna bump the thread so hopefully more eyeballs can take a look and maybe comment on it.

I've also updated several previous suggestions with the new knowledge and changes to the game since I originally posted this thread.

 

EDIT Dec 26 2019:

Almost 2 years later and none of my suggestions were even looked at. Seems those in charge want to maintain the status quo rather than get in a fresh new audience. Oh whelp.

 

Suggestion:

Allow Team Rocket Story scenes to occur regardless of starter Pokemon. Maybe keep Surf exclusively to Pikachu as a nice hidden bonus.

 

Details:

Right now there is an exclusive Team Rocket Storyline if you pick Pikachu as your starter and also exclusively being able to teach 'Surf' to your starter Pikachu. Please consider making these story scenes occur regardless of starter (since you aren't Ash) replacing them saying 'Pikachu' with {starterpokemon} as a variable in chat (if your dialogue coding allows it, which it should).

 

Feasibility:

Simple variable-based edits to the dialogue system rather than hard-coded names will also open up further potential starter pokemon options later on. Less than a day's work if the dialogue system already supports variables (which it should since Professor Oak addresses you by your player name).

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Suggestion:

Remove the 5% money loss penalty from NPC Trainer Battles until AFTER obtaining the Boulder Badge.

 

Details:

This penalty is far too harsh for someone just starting out, especially if they haven't played a Pokemon game before. It may not seem like 500 pokedollars is a lot to veteran players but for a newbie scraping by trying to buy items and pokeballs, it is a big deal. We're starting out and learning so we shouldn't be punished for not reading up on a guide ahead of time (which spoils the surprise/fun for newbies). Newbies want to just dive in and play the game, not do 'homework' before playing first.

 

Feasibility:

Very easy to do and just involves changing the money loss variable to 0% instead of 5%. Can add in a check for Boulder Badge (better solution) or a more hackney faster way of doing it by hard-coding a 0% loss only on every trainer fight prior to beating Brock. The Boulder Badge check is a better idea to make sure higher level players still have the penalty applied.

 

Update (Feb 2020):

The Boulder Badge check would be ideal both for potential future changes/expansion and to keep code maintenance clean and controlled. It would also allow for other suggestions below to be implemented easier. :)

Due to wild Pokemon dropping money, this is far less harsh than it used to be but it would still be a very nice way to give players a 'no penalty' way to learn the game before they take on the first gym and really 'get started' on the remaining journey.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Suggestion:

Perfect optimal IVs & Nature for your starter pokemon, but it will be untradeable to other players.

 

Details:

This makes the choice of starter that much better and nearly any player will benefit significantly by choosing any of the starters without worrying about RNG screwing them over. I've done a few restarts on various servers to try things out and the RNG randomness of the starter makes a HUGE difference. Having a pokemon starter so weak you literally can't beat up even win a single fight OR having a pokemon starter that is strong, tough, and kicks [butt] to carry your otherwise mediocre team to victory. Starting IVs and Starting Stats make a HUGE HUGE HUGE benefit/difference in the lead up to fighting Brock.

Making them untradeable can mitigate the potential for messing with the economy.

FOSS = First Order Optimal Strategy

-Squirtle FOSS = Brock can be fought without having to grind a team to 15.

-Charmander FOSS = Grinding in Viridian Forest is much faster/easier.

-Pikachu FOSS = Misty is able to be fought without excessive grinding.

-Bulbasaur FOSS = Same as Pikachu plus not having to spend too much time hunting for low level plant pokemon in the forest.

No matter the starter, having that ONE perfect pokemon not only gives newbie players an immediate confidence boost but also makes the game seem that much more 'fair'.

 

Feasibility:

Can be done with a custom script for the starter pokemon stats. Veterans would need to restart with another server/account if they wanted the benefits but the non-tradeable drawback might make some feel it isn't worth restarting.

 

Update (Feb 2020):

Another option for veteran players would be to allow an NPC (say a professor or their assistant) to 'convert' any existing pikachu/squirtle/charmander/bulbasaur (unevolved) that was caught normally into a 'perfect' starter that would be bound to the player; must have caught pokemon yourself to be eligible. Pokemon would begin at level 1 with a player-chosen nature and become soulbound/untradeable. This could only be done ONCE per account and only for legacy accounts who didn't get the perfect starter.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Suggestion:

Newbie Pokemon Trainer discount of 50% off all goods until AFTER obtaining the Boulder Badge.

 

Details:

Pokeballs being 100 instead of 200 as well as potions being cheaper will greatly encourage players to catch more pokemon and learn about IVs and EVs and not be (as) frustrated when a pokemon like a Level 5 Weedle in red health and 'fast asleep' still breaks out of a pokeball 3 times in a row.

 

Feasibility:

This is where the Boulder Badge check could be coded in to provide some perks for those who don't have it yet. Easily done with a bit of tweaking since obtaining it already unlocks perks like using Flash & Headbutt outside of battle.

 

Update (Feb 2020):

May not be required anymore (because now wild Pokemon drop money) but would still be VERY useful for super-casual players to be more friendly and welcoming them to the game. :)

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Suggestion:

Allow NPC trainers to be fought every 24 hours instead of every 7 days until AFTER obtaining the Boulder Badge.

 

Details:

Greatly assists with giving players something to do to mitigate the grind to Level 10+ to take on Brock and not get wiped so horribly.

 

Feasibility:

It is already done for at least one Trainer prior to Pewter City (Youngster Shawn). Just need to add 'hour' timer text to all the NPC trainers up to Pewter City. Preferably ALL of them in the game but at minimum those starting ones would be really wonderful to see. Can also be done in-game via a system command where you do /npctrainercd and get a list of every trainer and boss you've fought and their remaining cooldown. Would prefer if this shows up in a popup window in the UI instead of in the chat itself since it might be tiresome to scroll through a long list.

 

Update (Feb 2020):

I still feel this suggestion is useful but it may no longer be required (since wild Pokemon now drop money) if the staff want to sell more memberships and cash shop XP boosters. Feasibility is no longer applicable as 'Youngster Shawn' now has a typical ~3 day timer and I believe other NPC trainers may also have a ~3 day timer. With the economy changes since the original post, this suggestion may no longer be required.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Suggestion:

In the Viridian Maze, please consider adding several new rewards/bonuses at dead-ends so players don't feel like they've wasted their time wandering around (in the dark).

 

Details:

Let newbies feel like the game is rewarding in addition to being challenging.

Potential rewards can include:

-100 to 1000 pokedollars

-Pack of 5 to 15 pokeballs

-All 3 of the 'bonus' free pokemon instead of just one RNG pokemon that may or may not be useful (Horsea, Growlithe, and Bellsprout). Spread them out a bit :)

-At least 5 of the Dragon Rage TMs so newbies may want to actually use it on a Pokemon they like (who can learn it) instead of just saving it till much later. Also introduces the TM concept and how they work as there's no explanation provided when obtaining the initial one.

-Additional Trainer NPCs stuck at dead-ends who are facing the wall and then initiate a Trainer NPC battle if the player 'talks' to them.

 

Feasibility:

Adding in new rewards should be easy/trivial. Changing Dragon Rage TM reward to be 5 instead of an RNG amount should also be trivial. Additional Trainer NPCs may require some additional coding but copy/pasting the 'Youngster Shane', having them always facing a wall, and changing their dialogue a bit shouldn't be too difficult or time-consuming. Also saves time not having to do a prompt before battle.

 

Update (Feb 2020):

I'd really like to see this suggestion implemented in addition to the suggestions below by Starlight on adding in additional/alternative TMs and changing Brock's Gym Reward TM from Bide to Rock Tomb.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Suggestion:

Change text color of NPC names for combatative trainers vs non-combatative NPCs to differentiate them.

 

Details:

Right now both the 'combatative' trainers (ones who challenge you to battles) and non-combatative NPCs (those who offer advice or help/tips in various ways) are the same yellow-named text. Perhaps give either the NPC trainers or the NPC non-trainers some different color name (like purple or green) so that players know who will battle them and be able to prepare themselves and their team ahead of time. This is especially useful for those casual players who haven't played previous Pokemon games (or haven't done so in a long time) so they can prepare their teams accordingly.

 

Feasibility:

Changing text color should be very easy/trivial. I'd recommend changing the combatative NPC text color versus because of how many regular non-combatative NPCs there are in the game already. It would be up to the staff on what colors to use and how to proceed.

-1

 

All those changes would make the game easy, really easy to the beginners.

[Daedalus007]

-1

 

All those changes would make the game easy, really easy to the beginners.

 

Is that a problem? Is the point not to get casual players (especially with the Android mobile client) to play the game more often without feeling like the game is an unfair grind?

Conveyance in this game is not exactly a thing so having some help in the early game prior to obtaining the Boulder Badge is something that would get more people to get over the initial 'difficulty hump' of starting out.

 

I don't know about you but I'd rather have the game be easier early-on than be artificially-hard just for the sake of satisfying some veterans who don't even remember/know what early levels are like for a new player. Since I last played, many QoL (quality of life) changes have made the game much better for new players including money drops from wild Pokemon so newbies can actually afford potions, pokeballs, etc and not just hit a wall of minimal/zero resources available to continue.

 

I also didn't suggest ALL the changes be implemented; just the ones that the Staff feels would be beneficial to the game within the current 2020 game economy.

[Daedalus007]

Bumping this again to get some eyeballs on this.  Would love to see these newbie-friendly changes finally implemented (in part or in full) to help bring in more players and get them to stick around

 

I also updated the main post with a suggestion for the (in)famous Viridian Maze to make it less tedious for newbies.

Edited April 16, 2021 by Daedalus007

[G3n3r4l]

On 1/29/2018 at 6:12 PM, Daedalus007 said:

Remove the 5% money loss penalty from NPC Trainer Battles until AFTER obtaining the Boulder Badge.

 

would make it too easy, -1

 

On 1/29/2018 at 6:12 PM, Daedalus007 said:

Perfect optimal IVs & Nature for your starter pokemon, but it will be untradeable to other players.

 

again, too easy, it's a fun game of chance to hope you get a good starter. and besides, you can hunt them later, does nothing. Also the perfect nature would have to be chosen, because for each of the starters, they all have a couple natures that can work well with them. so -1

 

On 1/29/2018 at 6:12 PM, Daedalus007 said:

Newbie Pokemon Trainer discount of 50% off all goods until AFTER obtaining the Boulder Badge.

 

you can't even grind that much money at the start, and the pokemarts aren't that stocked either early on, this would just do nothing imo. -1

 

On 1/29/2018 at 6:12 PM, Daedalus007 said:

Allow NPC trainers to be fought every 24 hours instead of every 7 days until AFTER obtaining the Boulder Badge.

 

you only fight like 5 trainers anyways, i don't see why it's necessary. 

 

On 1/29/2018 at 6:12 PM, Daedalus007 said:

Change text color of NPC names for combatative trainers vs non-combatative NPCs to differentiate them.

 

+1 would be useful to differentiate, but i guess it's part of the challenge somewhat.

 

On 1/29/2018 at 6:12 PM, Daedalus007 said:

In the Viridian Maze, please consider adding an exit teleporter at the end.

 

it's a maze for a reason. that means going in AND coming out. and besides, there are already ways to cheese the system, like battling someone and logging out.

 

It's an MMO, you're SUPPOSED to grind. making it easy early on, then making it hard would make players want to play less, because they'd think it's that easy all the way along, when in reality it's much more difficult.

Edited April 16, 2021 by g3n3r4l