#zettel #gaming # What ARE convenience features I would want in [[Pokemon Fire Red|Fire Red]]? The truth is, there aren't that many. - physical special split? - reusable tms? - better exp distribution? I don't think many of these apply because it makes fire red more challenging. Former maybe is the only truly valid one. ## Physical-Special Split? The physical special split would create a new way to play through the game, but I feel that that's more of a transformative change to the core gameplay rather than an improvement to convenience features. Yeah sure, I'd love to use a Gengar with STAB that takes advantage of ghost and poison typing with special moves, or a Gyarados that gets physical Water moves, but that's not going to necessarily make the game *easier* to play, it just makes the experience different. - [[Gen 3 Kanto Games lacking the Physical-Special Split gives them an identity]] ## Reusable TMs? Reusable TMs are neat in the concept of multiplayer, or increasing the power level of certain mons by improving the base power of the moves that they have. However, again, this is something that I think is more of a reward to spend wisely. I agree that purchasable TMs shouldn't be locked behind the Game Corner, but that doesn't get to the point of limited use TMs. The single-use TMs force me to carefully make plans of how to use these moves. Is it worth teaching Clefable Water Pulse? Is it worth eventually getting rid of it for something like Return? Or does the coverage make it valuable? If you make the TMs multi-use, yes, you get an easier experience, but I feel like this is once again a transformative experience. If all my mons can be taught "the good move", then the game gets easier. ## Exp Curve? Exp distribution is tricky because [[Generation 3 Kanto games are balanced around the expectation that the player will fight every trainer]]. As a result, it's hard to change the exp distribution without fundamentally changing the balance in the game. The idea is that that if you're raising 6 pokemon on a team, you're expected to fight every trainer and still be met with a level barrier as you start fighting stronger and stronger gym leaders. I also have to wonder about the people who complain that you need to catch 50 Pokemon to get the Exp share. It is pretty easy to catch 60 Pokemon by the time you get to Fuchsia City if you're generally catching any new Pokemon you find and you're using your Evolution stones. And if you have 50 Pokemon by Fuchsia City, you have the means off getting the Exp share before you have 5 badges, which is when you'd normally get it in later games anyways. I agree that the exp yield is pretty iffy at times in this game, but if you change the Exp yield, you'd have to change a LOT of the intrinsic structure of the game. ## If not those, then what? So then what ARE those convenience features I'd want? - Running shoes sooner, automatically on, and that I can run indoors like in Silph Co. - not locking certain TMs behind the game corner. - A passage through the Seafoam Islands between Fuchsia and Cinnabar ## Related Thoughts: - Given that these games are somehow Retro Games, (oh dear), I have to consider these claims with my previous assertion that [[Modern Retro Gaming Mandates Convenience Features]]