So, could someone use VERY SMALL WORDS and tell me:
1. What game should I buy/learn/complete if I wanted to participate in this event? Assume I only have time to buy/play/learn ONE game, not play through the entire series. (For the sake of argument, you may also assume the player is a reasonably skilled gamer familiar with CCGs, and is equipped with a full quiver of console/handheld gaming systems.)
2. Is this an event which a "mere mortal" could participate in and have fun?
3. What exactly is a "gym leader" and an "elite member"? (From context, I'm assuming this is a rank you achieve whilst playing the aforementioned game?)
4. How would one go about becoming a "challenger" and what would be expected from them?
1. If you only want one game then pick Pokemon Platinum.
2. This event sounds open to everyone who wants to compete, so yes.
3. In Pokemon, Gym Leaders are NPCs who you battle to earn their Gym badge. Once you have defeated all 8 gyms you can take on the Elite Four, who are tougher than the Leaders. The OP is suggesting to do the same thing in person, with gamers as the Leaders/Elites.
4. Show up with your pokemon team which follows the rules outlined by the OP. It sounds like you'll need to defeat a certain number of Leaders to earn "badges" (probably just buttons) and be able to take on the Elite 4.
Last question... I promise! Speaking from a position of complete ignorance, is it reasonable to develop a "team" of 6 level 100 pokemon before PAX (given a casual "I'm playing this for fun in my spare time" play schedule)?
Last question... I promise! Speaking from a position of complete ignorance, is it reasonable to develop a "team" of 6 level 100 pokemon before PAX (given a casual "I'm playing this for fun in my spare time" play schedule)?
The wonderful thing about Pokemon is that when you battle other people via Wifi, etc you can have the game automatically set your pokemon's level to level 50 or 100 (or just whatever level they are). You could easily have a team of level 58 pokemon but still be able to use them at their level 100 numbers.
As far as IF you will have a team like that or not really depends on how serious you want to play the game, be competitive, and how much you like it. For a casual player, though, it shouldn't be too hard for you to get a team of 6 to level 70 before PAX. From there you can let the automatic scaling take over.
Last question... I promise! Speaking from a position of complete ignorance, is it reasonable to develop a "team" of 6 level 100 pokemon before PAX (given a casual "I'm playing this for fun in my spare time" play schedule)?
The wonderful thing about Pokemon is that when you battle other people via Wifi, etc you can have the game automatically set your pokemon's level to level 50 or 100 (or just whatever level they are).
Admitedly, I'm not the most experienced with playing multiplayer Pokemon, but my experiments have led me to believe that you're half right here. As far as my experiences have led me to believe, when battling in wi-fi, you can indeed scale to level 50 or 100, but if you're battling via local wireless, then you're stuck with the teams at the level you have them set to. For example, my team is currently ranging from lvl 1-45 right now. I'll try to put the four intervening months to good use.
After reading the OP again, it looks like we're going to be doing local wireless, as attempting to connect to Wi-Fi during PAX is going to be a regular Charlie-Foxtrot.
If I'm missing anything please feel free to correct me, but I'm almost positive that this means that we have to level up our teams to lvl 100?
Also, don't worry about not being up to speed on "years of backstory"... the basic premise is the same in every game. You want to be the best Pokemon Trainer, and eventually succeed. Everything else is really just window dressing.
If you sent me mail about being a Gym leader, or an elite four member, expect a PM reply soon.
still looking for a few more people though, so we're still open, and types/themes to gyms have yet to be decided.
So wait, Gym leaders are 3-4 pokemon of a given type theme while the challenger has 6 pokemon of diverse types with 1 possible uber?
Am I correct in understanding this?
I know this is for fun but that sounds a bit rapeface'd for the Gym leaders. Just sayin'
The idea, as in the games, is not for the gym leaders to be unbeatable. Keep in mind that Pokémon can have multiple types, and can sometimes use moves that are super effective against a type that's super effective against it, such as a water pokémon using dig against an electric type.
The leaders should be a challenge, but a capable, well rounded challenger should be able to beat them.
thespiffyneostar, please correct me if you had a different idea in mind, as this is all my opinion, but seems most reasonable.
This is EXACTLY right.
Gym leaders especially are meant to be beat.
also, as to the "all level 100" thing of all the GL and E4 pokemon, with the gym leaders having fewer than 6 pokemon, even if someone has a team of about lvl 70 pokemon, they can at least beat a gym leader.
I would want to do an Eevee Gym, but that really would not fall into the each gym leader picking a type.....:)
That would work wonderfully.
I think one gym leader expressed a desire to do a gym of all fossil pokemon.
if you have any questions post them here, and I'll try to answer them.
and again, last call going out for GL and E4 members. only about 4 spots left (but again, we don't need 4 more, but about 4 more would be nice)
Hi, i'm interested!
Recently at a local con we held the annual pokemon spanish tournament...and boy it was great! Some misterious loner from nowhere beat the whole PKMN Spain staff, it was asm
So...I would be interested in any position (Challenger, Gym Leader, E4). Just tell me what's needed and I would be glad to help.
Oh, and have you mentioned already the other rules that should be followed? Sleep loss, No abilities that increase your dodge chance, etc? Those are the usual ones around here (don't really know about the US, but I think Smogon people use them too).
The Uber list should be banned completely, in my opinion, for everyone. And that includes Garchomp and Woobufet (specially Woobu :P).
I JUST SENT OUT THE FIRST LIST for GYM LEADERS!!!!
if you sent me your e-mail, and you didn't get an e-mail, check spam etc. and then send it to me again.
also I'm pretty sure there is still room for more applicants to be gym leaders and what not, so hustle up!
See that you've decided to go with the Pokemon VGC rules when it comes to restricting pokemon, but is that the only part of those rules we are following? Will we be following the Item/Species Clause? OHKO Clause? Sleep Clause and so on? Is it going to be forced double battles like this year's VGC?
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dyaballiklPAX Main Theatre House & Security Manager • PAX Community CartographerGold Coast QLD AustraliaRegistered Userregular
See that you've decided to go with the Pokemon VGC rules when it comes to restricting pokemon, but is that the only part of those rules we are following? Will we be following the Item/Species Clause? OHKO Clause? Sleep Clause and so on? Is it going to be forced double battles like this year's VGC?
yeah so we're gonna get together, with 2 ds's, 2 pokemon games. we'll link up and fight some mans. one person will win. if it's the challenger, they'll get a badge!
lol, [/sarcasm]. I'm not the boss on this thing, but if you start throwing more complexity into something that you want a lot of people to partake in, that very complexity will alienate many of those people. I think we should keep it simple, with the restrictions being no ubers, a set number of pokemon for leaders and e4, and some level limitations.
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a.k.a. dya
"Riding a mongoose reminds me of having sex with a man, which is something I do frequently because I am gay!" -Gabe
Need more information. Are we following the VGC 2010 format or not? I have a VGC 2010 Doubles team and a Smogon Singles team but that's about it. Is it not just using HeartGold/SoulSilver? Those are the only games I know that have a LV50 set mode for local wireless. Maybe Platinum does too.
It doesn't matter if a player has 3 Pokemon at LV100 vs 6 Pokemon at LV70. The LV100 player will win if they know what they're doing =P
The problem with "keeping it simple" is that some people are used to one meta and some are used to another. Simple is relative :P casual players proally prefer no legendaries, smogon players prefer smogon singles OU rules set and VGC players prefer VGC '10 rules. It will be hard to please everyone :P
Of course I'm fine with whatever OP decides on, this is their brainchild after all, but I do believe that there needs to be a set of rules that all people understand before team building gets started.
I agree, the more complex it is the less interested people there will be, but if you think about it this way, this will take out all the scrubs and whiners and potentially leave only the people that fully understand what is going on. I wouldn't want to have to explain why certain legendaries are banned (smogon/VGC format) and why others aren't. I'd prefer to play a match, win/lose and go on with the event.
We're using the now linked rules in the OP (not the smogon ones).
I'm going to go back and clean up the OP in about a week, and that should help with the confusion. The gym leaders and elite four are just now finishing sorting everything out and I'll post the list of GL types and what not soon.
do note that ALL GYM LEADERS AND ELITE FOUR will be using level 100 pokemon (almost) exclusively.
What I'm doing is saying that some gym leaders may have a total of 300 levels accross their party, and others will have other numbers.
that might mean 4 level 75s, 3 100s, or 6 50s. you'll never know. just as long as it adds up to less than (or equal to) the given number.
as I said before, there will be minimal restrictions on challengers. and Remember wheaton's law. we're relying on it a lot
Ah, dang. I guess it's too late to volunteer to be a leader/E4? I was considering doing a cosplay for the league, but if it's too late, I can still do it as a challenger.
We're using the now linked rules in the OP (not the smogon ones).
I'm going to go back and clean up the OP in about a week, and that should help with the confusion. The gym leaders and elite four are just now finishing sorting everything out and I'll post the list of GL types and what not soon.
do note that ALL GYM LEADERS AND ELITE FOUR will be using level 100 pokemon (almost) exclusively.
What I'm doing is saying that some gym leaders may have a total of 300 levels accross their party, and others will have other numbers.
that might mean 4 level 75s, 3 100s, or 6 50s. you'll never know. just as long as it adds up to less than (or equal to) the given number.
as I said before, there will be minimal restrictions on challengers. and Remember wheaton's law. we're relying on it a lot
Let me see if I understand you, GL/E4 will have a level total they have to stay under, but challengers can run around with 6 lvl 100's? Ehhhhh... 3 100's is hardly a fight against 6 especially in doubles. Even if you bring 6 50's it wouldn't be close to fair. Also, if you're using VGC '10 rules, then it's 4v4 doubles with two in reserve for switching between battles. If you are only picking SOME of the rules to follow it'd be nice to know which those are...
Ah, dang. I guess it's too late to volunteer to be a leader/E4? I was considering doing a cosplay for the league, but if it's too late, I can still do it as a challenger.
PM thespiffyneostar, I'm sure he'll accommodate you. Cosplay for the league sounds interesting...
As for the league rules, yeah, simple is best. I don't actually see any rules linked in the OP, but I think the following ruleset seems reasonable:
For matches between Heart Gold and Soul Silver, use auto-level to 50 settings. For matches between other games, a maximum level of 60 is enforced for both challengers and gym leaders/elite four/champion. (REASONING: Level can make a huge difference in terms of advantage, so as level a playing field is best. Since leveling to 100 requires a grind, a more reasonable level cap may be desired. 60 falls in line with the 'advanced' version of gym leaders in HG/SS; most Pokemon will likely fall within this limit anyways. It may also encourage careful planning...)
Pokemon Restriction: (150) Mewtwo, (151) Mew, (249) Lugia, (250) Ho-oh, (251) Celebi, (382) Kyogre, (383) Groudon, (384) Rayquaza, (385) Jirachi, (386) Deoxys, (483) Dialga, (484) Palkia, (4870 Giratina, (489) Phione, (490) Manaphy, (491) Darkrai, (492) Shaymin, and (493) Arceus are disallowed from entry. (Let's try to be a little bit reasonable about power...)
Item Clause: No two Pokemon may hold the same item. (It is not likely that someone will have multiples of the same items on their team anyways.)
I don't really think there'd be any need for anything more than this...
Except OP already said VGC '10 rule set, it is linked in the first post, scroll down to "Linked here" click on link and scroll down to "Battle Rules". I do agree though that level needs to be equal for challengers and GL/E4.
Cosplay would be cool, or at least some sort of identification to show that you are a part of this... funky hat, over sized Pokeball, gravity defying hair... that sort of thing XD
Ah, I see. Yeah, that's the basis for the ruleset I was thinking of. It was kind of difficult to see the link, so I missed it.
For identification, there'll at least be the armbands with badge symbols. We'll probably want to have some sort of image or document that can be printed out with all the identification marks as well as rules/regulations.
The more I think about it, the worse the prospects of having this carried out without difficulty. Enthusiasm can only go so far, the logistics don't seem to be quite there yet. Time commitments for gym leaders/elites and having a reasonable number of badges seem to be the sticking points for me right now.
IIRC someone in this thread suggested doing some sort of twitter thing where the GL/E4 "tweet" where they are and when they are available. For people with smart phones this seems plausible, or just wander the lines and look for these identification markers which are TBD and do some sort of epic "I challenge you to a pokemon battle!" pose. Face pics posted on the first post doesn't sound like a bad idea...
Matches really don't take that long, especially VGC '10 rules. Unless some epic stall war happens I can't imagine them going over 10 min. Not too long, and a great time killer in line.
I have no idea how badges are being done or any ideas for them. Buttons? Everyone loves buttons. Find out the latest buttons can be made/ordered so that we have a semi-accurate head count and then order? Group pay via pay pal or on site IDK... I guess it really depends on the number of challengers appear >.>
to those saying that GLs and E4 will lose alot, they will.
especially a lot of the gym leaders. this is designed to be doable.
it's also designed to be possible to beat at least 1 or 2 gym leaders without haveing a team of ALL 100s. That way everyone can participate.
ALSO, I'm oging back now and updating the OP with all the new info and totally re-writing it.
look out soon for info on Gym leaders and elite four and what types/themes their teams have.
If you're saying that they will lose a lot then it also should be possible for them to win. I'm pretty sure victory will taste better if it was earned rather than given 8P
in-game the leaders are all around your level, assuming you didn't grind, and they always seem to have one or two pokemon that can easily sweep you if you don't have enough Potions. Also, E4, I don't know about the rest of you, but my first run and sometimes later runs, I use A LOT of items, meaning it would be almost impossible to beat E4 + Champion without Revives/Potions which are not usable over the wireless. Just something to ponder.
in-anime the main character always seems to have issues and sometimes loses once or twice. I don't really have much else to say, haven't watched the show in a long time XD
For example: Although Brock, the first Rock GL in R/B/Y only has a Geodude and an Onix, they are at the same level, or close to, where you are. Also considering the Pokemon around that are catchable, the only real surefire way to beat him is if you picked Squirtle/Bulbasaur.
tl;dr themes are cool, but same number/same level should be implemented. That's my two cents. It isn't that hard to grind to 50 or so and remember, HG/SS has a mode that brings everything down (not up though) to lvl 50. This may sound like complaining or arguing, I can see how it can be so, but personally it's more fun to have a tough but doable battle rather than a stupidly easy battle... >.>
*EDIT* Just read the OP, I still don't like the total level cap, but w/e. Challenger can use 6 lvl 100 but GL mite only use 3? In double battles as well? GL doesn't stand a chance... mite as well be giving out free badges >.> but w/e
note that not everyone will have a fulll team of level 100 pokemon that will be accepted to battle.
This is meant to be a challenge (come Elite four) for those who are prepared, and accessible for those who hear about it through word of mouth at PAX.
yes gym leaders will lose, Just like in the game and the anime. They are hurdles meant to be overcome. Just note that not everyone can jump as high as you can.
Because people don't all have the time to raise up a full team of 100s is why I like the rules about flat leveling or level caps of 60 (or maybe 70, tops). A level 50 Pokemon has half the stats of a level 100, so a team of six 50s is going to be much, much easier to beat than a set of three 100s - it's only going to be, overall, half as strong. If we wanted to be fairer, three 100s might be closer to equivalence to six 70s (or five 75s, or four 85s), but I still suspect the three 100s to be much more difficult to defeat. Really, having a lower cap or flat battle will be the fairest option. Gym Leaders and Elite Four already have a big disadvantage - consistent or themed typing. Let's not exacerbate that disadvantage more than it already is.
The issue with flat battle is that it isn't available on all versions, which comes back the the debate of keeping things open to challengers.
we might just make it so that challengers have the option of challenging in flat battle mode IF the Gym Leader or elite four member can accomodate, but that would be a stick wicket if someone has flat battled all the way to the last elite 4 dude only to realize they can't flat battle them because the last elite four member still uses diamond/pearl.
I'm still trying to figure this out...
I'll let you know if wecome up with anything...
Well, accessibility is the main concern in my head, yes. Flat battle is best whenever possible, but if it's not possible, I feel like the 100 cap is way too high, it's out of reach for most. It's just way too much time to bring up a Pokemon to that level, not many will have mons at that status naturally. Something lower would be more reasonable, hence my initial argument of a set cap of 60 across the board. Of course, people who have gone to the endgame and are not familiar with the League at PAX will have endgame mons that are above level 60 and may be disadvantaged, so that's an argument against the low cap. 80 is a higher cap that is harder to get to, but still much more reasonable to achieve (the experience necessary to get to level 80 from 1 is approximately the same as to get from 80 to 100). In addition there is also precedent for level 80 as a cap, since the highest-leveled trainer in HG/SS has their team leveled to around 80.
My thing with having any level cap other than 100, is that it disallows people to use pokemon higher than the set level. Even if the PPL wasn't happening, I would have an all 100s team ready for PAX (ready all the time actually). It's my favorite and best team. sure I have others, but those are the ones I have the best strategy with.
Yes, creating a level cap would make things accessable for those without level 100 pokemon, but it would also make things less accessible to those with a strong team all higher than the level cap.
yes, again Flat battle would solve this, but the issue is that not everyone has HG or SS, and I'm not going to gauruntee that anyone will.
if you have HG or SS, sure It can be arranged that you can choose to flat battle against all the gym leaders (but remember if you come accross a gym leader using 4 level 75s, they become 4 level 50s so it's not always going to be easier)
See, that's the other issue - inequities between gym leader and challenger due to level. As mentioned in post 113, the system set forth encourages leaders to have rosters of only Level 100 Pokemon. Not all challengers will have Pokemon at that level - in fact, I might argue that there are many more battlers out there with teams that are far under 100 than at 100. A lower cap of something like 80 is probably more accessible: though it excludes some people with Level 100 Pokemon, it also includes more who don't. Certainly, there is good reason to have a team of Level 100 Pokemon. I'm just arguing for those of us who lack the time to build up a competitive, full-leveled team.
If you decide to stick with the flat battle/free level 100 paradigm, then it's a good idea to restrict gym leaders/elites to that standard as well. (As mentioned, the system already heavily encourages this.) Then it'll just be a question of the number of Pokemon on each team rather than using the messy math of level sum caps.
EDIT: Thinking about it though, if the system has a free level 100 side to it, that kind of renders the flat battle side unused, since to compete, challengers will want a roster of Level 100s themselves. No perfect solution, hmm? Just gotta do what you think is best.
I've got to be honest... if there is this much discussion on the ruleset, I seriously doubt that the PPL is for me.
I want to talk Pokemon with fellow PAXers. Maybe get a "badge" or two.
I'd rather show up with a Level 1 Mudkip, lose the battle, and then discuss tactics/teams/builds than sit around arguing because someone didn't follow the rules to the letter. The latter seems to be likely at this point.
I've got to be honest... if there is this much discussion on the ruleset, I seriously doubt that the PPL is for me.
I want to talk Pokemon with fellow PAXers. Maybe get a "badge" or two.
I'd rather show up with a Level 1 Mudkip, lose the battle, and then discuss tactics/teams/builds than sit around arguing because someone didn't follow the rules to the letter. The latter seems to be likely at this point.
Our main rule - above everything else - is definitely to have fun!
These rules discussions are for those that are competitive players, so we don't have a conflict later. My personal philosophy is that if you don't try to abuse the rules - IE, have an all-legendary team, et cetera, I will do my best to accommodate you and make sure you have fun.
The rules are changing soon, but which rule exactly concerns you? We're trying to make this as fun for all involved as possible!
Edit: I just looked over the last two pages of the thread. I really hope we're not scaring off the people we're trying to attract with this. Right now we're just trying to get the rules squared away so it would be fun for all challengers. Unfortunately, this means being overly technical at times.
If the idea of going around fighting random people for badges appeals to you - even if you don't know anything about the game and just have a regular team of Pokemon - then come back in a week or so when we post the new rules. You should enjoy this event!
If you own a 6-player uber level 100 ev-trained team, then you'll probably curbstomp most of the gym leaders, but may have some issues with the E4. We may have to adjust difficulty based on experience, but not all of the leaders are competitive players. In fact, I'd guess that most of us aren't?
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1. If you only want one game then pick Pokemon Platinum.
2. This event sounds open to everyone who wants to compete, so yes.
3. In Pokemon, Gym Leaders are NPCs who you battle to earn their Gym badge. Once you have defeated all 8 gyms you can take on the Elite Four, who are tougher than the Leaders. The OP is suggesting to do the same thing in person, with gamers as the Leaders/Elites.
4. Show up with your pokemon team which follows the rules outlined by the OP. It sounds like you'll need to defeat a certain number of Leaders to earn "badges" (probably just buttons) and be able to take on the Elite 4.
Last question... I promise! Speaking from a position of complete ignorance, is it reasonable to develop a "team" of 6 level 100 pokemon before PAX (given a casual "I'm playing this for fun in my spare time" play schedule)?
The wonderful thing about Pokemon is that when you battle other people via Wifi, etc you can have the game automatically set your pokemon's level to level 50 or 100 (or just whatever level they are). You could easily have a team of level 58 pokemon but still be able to use them at their level 100 numbers.
As far as IF you will have a team like that or not really depends on how serious you want to play the game, be competitive, and how much you like it. For a casual player, though, it shouldn't be too hard for you to get a team of 6 to level 70 before PAX. From there you can let the automatic scaling take over.
Admitedly, I'm not the most experienced with playing multiplayer Pokemon, but my experiments have led me to believe that you're half right here. As far as my experiences have led me to believe, when battling in wi-fi, you can indeed scale to level 50 or 100, but if you're battling via local wireless, then you're stuck with the teams at the level you have them set to. For example, my team is currently ranging from lvl 1-45 right now. I'll try to put the four intervening months to good use.
After reading the OP again, it looks like we're going to be doing local wireless, as attempting to connect to Wi-Fi during PAX is going to be a regular Charlie-Foxtrot.
If I'm missing anything please feel free to correct me, but I'm almost positive that this means that we have to level up our teams to lvl 100?
Also, don't worry about not being up to speed on "years of backstory"... the basic premise is the same in every game. You want to be the best Pokemon Trainer, and eventually succeed. Everything else is really just window dressing.
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If you sent me mail about being a Gym leader, or an elite four member, expect a PM reply soon.
still looking for a few more people though, so we're still open, and types/themes to gyms have yet to be decided.
now to answer some questions:
This is EXACTLY right.
Gym leaders especially are meant to be beat.
also, as to the "all level 100" thing of all the GL and E4 pokemon, with the gym leaders having fewer than 6 pokemon, even if someone has a team of about lvl 70 pokemon, they can at least beat a gym leader.
That would work wonderfully.
I think one gym leader expressed a desire to do a gym of all fossil pokemon.
if you have any questions post them here, and I'll try to answer them.
and again, last call going out for GL and E4 members. only about 4 spots left (but again, we don't need 4 more, but about 4 more would be nice)
Can't wait to see you at PAX!
Recently at a local con we held the annual pokemon spanish tournament...and boy it was great! Some misterious loner from nowhere beat the whole PKMN Spain staff, it was asm
So...I would be interested in any position (Challenger, Gym Leader, E4). Just tell me what's needed and I would be glad to help.
Oh, and have you mentioned already the other rules that should be followed? Sleep loss, No abilities that increase your dodge chance, etc? Those are the usual ones around here (don't really know about the US, but I think Smogon people use them too).
The Uber list should be banned completely, in my opinion, for everyone. And that includes Garchomp and Woobufet (specially Woobu :P).
What GL positions are still free?
Please don't go. The drones need you. They look up to you.
PM me your e-mail
I JUST SENT OUT THE FIRST LIST for GYM LEADERS!!!!
if you sent me your e-mail, and you didn't get an e-mail, check spam etc. and then send it to me again.
also I'm pretty sure there is still room for more applicants to be gym leaders and what not, so hustle up!
Got a particular team in mind, but can't catch certain Pokemon in your version?
Shoot me a PM. I'll get your Pokemon and trade 'em to you online.
Legit requests only. No Wondertombs!
yeah, i can't seem to find any mew running around in my game, could you hook me up?
still trying to figure that out... but I fixed the OP to reflect things we've decided on. good catch!
*I like how it's VGC rules and not Smogon rules. It reminds everyone that Smogon doesn't rule Pokemon battles XD
yeah so we're gonna get together, with 2 ds's, 2 pokemon games. we'll link up and fight some mans. one person will win. if it's the challenger, they'll get a badge!
lol, [/sarcasm]. I'm not the boss on this thing, but if you start throwing more complexity into something that you want a lot of people to partake in, that very complexity will alienate many of those people. I think we should keep it simple, with the restrictions being no ubers, a set number of pokemon for leaders and e4, and some level limitations.
I agree completely. Anything beyond that and my interest in the PPL will be significantly lowered.
It doesn't matter if a player has 3 Pokemon at LV100 vs 6 Pokemon at LV70. The LV100 player will win if they know what they're doing =P
Of course I'm fine with whatever OP decides on, this is their brainchild after all, but I do believe that there needs to be a set of rules that all people understand before team building gets started.
I agree, the more complex it is the less interested people there will be, but if you think about it this way, this will take out all the scrubs and whiners and potentially leave only the people that fully understand what is going on. I wouldn't want to have to explain why certain legendaries are banned (smogon/VGC format) and why others aren't. I'd prefer to play a match, win/lose and go on with the event.
I'm going to go back and clean up the OP in about a week, and that should help with the confusion. The gym leaders and elite four are just now finishing sorting everything out and I'll post the list of GL types and what not soon.
do note that ALL GYM LEADERS AND ELITE FOUR will be using level 100 pokemon (almost) exclusively.
What I'm doing is saying that some gym leaders may have a total of 300 levels accross their party, and others will have other numbers.
that might mean 4 level 75s, 3 100s, or 6 50s. you'll never know. just as long as it adds up to less than (or equal to) the given number.
as I said before, there will be minimal restrictions on challengers. and Remember wheaton's law. we're relying on it a lot
Let me see if I understand you, GL/E4 will have a level total they have to stay under, but challengers can run around with 6 lvl 100's? Ehhhhh... 3 100's is hardly a fight against 6 especially in doubles. Even if you bring 6 50's it wouldn't be close to fair. Also, if you're using VGC '10 rules, then it's 4v4 doubles with two in reserve for switching between battles. If you are only picking SOME of the rules to follow it'd be nice to know which those are...
PM thespiffyneostar, I'm sure he'll accommodate you. Cosplay for the league sounds interesting...
As for the league rules, yeah, simple is best. I don't actually see any rules linked in the OP, but I think the following ruleset seems reasonable:
I don't really think there'd be any need for anything more than this...
Cosplay would be cool, or at least some sort of identification to show that you are a part of this... funky hat, over sized Pokeball, gravity defying hair... that sort of thing XD
For identification, there'll at least be the armbands with badge symbols. We'll probably want to have some sort of image or document that can be printed out with all the identification marks as well as rules/regulations.
The more I think about it, the worse the prospects of having this carried out without difficulty. Enthusiasm can only go so far, the logistics don't seem to be quite there yet. Time commitments for gym leaders/elites and having a reasonable number of badges seem to be the sticking points for me right now.
Matches really don't take that long, especially VGC '10 rules. Unless some epic stall war happens I can't imagine them going over 10 min. Not too long, and a great time killer in line.
I have no idea how badges are being done or any ideas for them. Buttons? Everyone loves buttons. Find out the latest buttons can be made/ordered so that we have a semi-accurate head count and then order? Group pay via pay pal or on site IDK... I guess it really depends on the number of challengers appear >.>
especially a lot of the gym leaders. this is designed to be doable.
it's also designed to be possible to beat at least 1 or 2 gym leaders without haveing a team of ALL 100s. That way everyone can participate.
ALSO, I'm oging back now and updating the OP with all the new info and totally re-writing it.
look out soon for info on Gym leaders and elite four and what types/themes their teams have.
anyways, I went and cleaned up the first post. please let me know if I screwed anything up...
in-game the leaders are all around your level, assuming you didn't grind, and they always seem to have one or two pokemon that can easily sweep you if you don't have enough Potions. Also, E4, I don't know about the rest of you, but my first run and sometimes later runs, I use A LOT of items, meaning it would be almost impossible to beat E4 + Champion without Revives/Potions which are not usable over the wireless. Just something to ponder.
in-anime the main character always seems to have issues and sometimes loses once or twice. I don't really have much else to say, haven't watched the show in a long time XD
For example: Although Brock, the first Rock GL in R/B/Y only has a Geodude and an Onix, they are at the same level, or close to, where you are. Also considering the Pokemon around that are catchable, the only real surefire way to beat him is if you picked Squirtle/Bulbasaur.
tl;dr themes are cool, but same number/same level should be implemented. That's my two cents. It isn't that hard to grind to 50 or so and remember, HG/SS has a mode that brings everything down (not up though) to lvl 50. This may sound like complaining or arguing, I can see how it can be so, but personally it's more fun to have a tough but doable battle rather than a stupidly easy battle... >.>
*EDIT* Just read the OP, I still don't like the total level cap, but w/e. Challenger can use 6 lvl 100 but GL mite only use 3? In double battles as well? GL doesn't stand a chance... mite as well be giving out free badges >.> but w/e
This is meant to be a challenge (come Elite four) for those who are prepared, and accessible for those who hear about it through word of mouth at PAX.
yes gym leaders will lose, Just like in the game and the anime. They are hurdles meant to be overcome. Just note that not everyone can jump as high as you can.
we might just make it so that challengers have the option of challenging in flat battle mode IF the Gym Leader or elite four member can accomodate, but that would be a stick wicket if someone has flat battled all the way to the last elite 4 dude only to realize they can't flat battle them because the last elite four member still uses diamond/pearl.
I'm still trying to figure this out...
I'll let you know if wecome up with anything...
Yes, creating a level cap would make things accessable for those without level 100 pokemon, but it would also make things less accessible to those with a strong team all higher than the level cap.
yes, again Flat battle would solve this, but the issue is that not everyone has HG or SS, and I'm not going to gauruntee that anyone will.
if you have HG or SS, sure It can be arranged that you can choose to flat battle against all the gym leaders (but remember if you come accross a gym leader using 4 level 75s, they become 4 level 50s so it's not always going to be easier)
If you decide to stick with the flat battle/free level 100 paradigm, then it's a good idea to restrict gym leaders/elites to that standard as well. (As mentioned, the system already heavily encourages this.) Then it'll just be a question of the number of Pokemon on each team rather than using the messy math of level sum caps.
EDIT: Thinking about it though, if the system has a free level 100 side to it, that kind of renders the flat battle side unused, since to compete, challengers will want a roster of Level 100s themselves. No perfect solution, hmm? Just gotta do what you think is best.
I want to talk Pokemon with fellow PAXers. Maybe get a "badge" or two.
I'd rather show up with a Level 1 Mudkip, lose the battle, and then discuss tactics/teams/builds than sit around arguing because someone didn't follow the rules to the letter. The latter seems to be likely at this point.
Our main rule - above everything else - is definitely to have fun!
These rules discussions are for those that are competitive players, so we don't have a conflict later. My personal philosophy is that if you don't try to abuse the rules - IE, have an all-legendary team, et cetera, I will do my best to accommodate you and make sure you have fun.
Edit: I just looked over the last two pages of the thread. I really hope we're not scaring off the people we're trying to attract with this. Right now we're just trying to get the rules squared away so it would be fun for all challengers. Unfortunately, this means being overly technical at times.
If the idea of going around fighting random people for badges appeals to you - even if you don't know anything about the game and just have a regular team of Pokemon - then come back in a week or so when we post the new rules. You should enjoy this event!
If you own a 6-player uber level 100 ev-trained team, then you'll probably curbstomp most of the gym leaders, but may have some issues with the E4. We may have to adjust difficulty based on experience, but not all of the leaders are competitive players. In fact, I'd guess that most of us aren't?