Consolidation: New Café Remix Updates

Pokémon Café Remix is not shy on updates, which it has to have for every Pokémon event that comes its way. But the updates can also bring changes to the interface, and that has been evident with some of the more recent updates. Those recent updates can also be described as updates that offered "consolidation", a "bringing together" of sorts, and they're worth exploring in some way for what they bring.

The first consolidation occurred with news and event tidbits, which were "consolidated" in a new graphical interface some time ago. The interface has the relevant tidbits organized in a sidebar of buttons on the left that when tapped display the relevant content on the right panel, while news and event tidbits are separated by category selection buttons on the top. This interface makes it possible to move to certain tidbits to go through and read them quickly, at least far more quickly than with the previous popup interface, so the change has been welcome.

More recently, access of the main gameplay areas have been "consolidated" with just a single "Order" button on the lower right. When tapped, this brings up a screen that displays currently active main events, progress on main orders, and buttons to access past orders as well as menu development, which means that the latter two (three) have been integrated in this manner. The active main events themselves - which often involve One-Minute Cooking - for some time had been promoted alongside accessing main orders in general, so it seems to make sense that all of these are "consolidated" as such.

Another "consolidation" occurred with the Cookie Shop and Pokémon leveling. Now, the Pokémon whose cookies could be bought in that shop with Milestone Cookies can have higher levels uncapped by spending Milestone Cookies proportional to their cookie prices directly at the Pokémon information screen, and thus the Cookie Shop was rendered unnecessary and removed altogether. While only Delivery-gained and certain non-event Pokémon apply for this treatment, at least this removes a disjoint in the necessary effort and simplifies things.

With the "consolidation" updates above, a good deal of features were not only brought together but were also simplified as a result. It is in some ways necessary for a game that becomes more complex with additions over time, for both Pokémon and playable stages, and "consolidation" serves well to tame down that complexity and make further updates all the more worthwhile, especially with new things.

One year ago: Starter Pokémon in the Wild

Two years ago: The Retro Cup of GBL

Three years ago: Going Elite with TMs

Four years ago: Detective Pikachu Burger King King Jr. Toys - Arcanine

Five years ago: Round Pikachu Keychain

Six years ago: Cosplay: Isshoni Tanoshimimashou 12

The Last Stop: The End of The Silph Road

Speaking of goodbyes, this one happens to be both apropos and ill-timed, and things had only broken out within a day. The Silph Road, and by extension the Silph (League) Arena, has decided to shutter its operations as of this year, even starting at this moment. For many of its users and/or participants, including myself, this may come as a surprise and a shock, as its "institution" may be expected to end eventually, but not this soon. As such, I need to cover it immediately, especially as it seems that there may be no turning back.

As of today, most of the resources and tracker portion on The Silph Road are no longer accessible, except for the Traveler's Card, which can still be used for personal tracking to a certain extent, including for the Silph Arena. (The check-in system for game events like Community Day will function until this month's edition, due out soon.) The Arena itself continues with the remainder of its current individual competition and Factions season, for which the latter ends this month and the former will end the next; after that, there is the postseason for both, which also will be explained in due time. Finally, after their conclusion and on August 1, the site will no longer operate.

Many have expressed their sympathies for both The Silph Road and Silph Arena, both having served the community for seven years, meaning that they (perhaps mostly the former) appeared at about the same time as Pokémon Go itself. That is an impressive achievement, and that applies to the stats as well; some had nothing but praise to give (and the resulting sadness to express). Earlier this year, I had written about the troubles that may have befallen Silph Arena - along with The Silph Road - and its functioning, but based on the above, the users and admins don't seem to have any qualms at all... at least up until the announcement of the immediate shuttering.

Yet the story also goes deep. The fact of the matter is that Niantic had actually lent The Silph Road a "lifeline" a year ago by giving sponsorship to it in exchange for being in the Community Ambassador program. The site really needed it to stay afloat, so all seemed well since then. But then the sponsorship ended, the recent quandary regarding the game happened, and in the end it led to the decision of shutting down everything, at least in some gradual fashion. Crowdfunding was suggested, but it wasn't taken because of the state of the game and declining interest from both users and admins, leaving the only option as above, which is quite unfortunate.

It will still be a while before the entire infrastructure of The Silph Road shuts down for good, but the situation and effects are already felt - if they aren't already so - by what is actually happening in the game that the site serves to elaborate on, assist with, and make competitively viable. After seven years, it seems to be quite anticlimactic and crazy that things have to end at that point, and yet things happen in time - sadly now as The Silph Road prepares to roll on down the road.

One year ago: Useless Rewards in Pokémon Games

Two years ago: The Road to Victory

Three years ago: Seeing Pokémon in Rice Fields

Four years ago: The Exclusive Detective Pikachu Promotional TCG Card

Five years ago: Cosplay: INOCHI 2018 - Yuki no Hana

Six years ago: Cosplay Photography

Listen to Our Hearts

Listen to your heart

When he's calling for you

Listen to your heart

There's nothing else you can do

I don't know where you're going

And I don't know why

But listen to your heart

Before you tell him goodbye...

-- "Listen to Your Heart", Roxette

Last month, I discussed about "the language of money" and how that pertains to Pokémon situations. Part of languages and their use, however - particularly in spoken form - is listening to them as they are used by people. And that may be something that's not happening to a certain capacity. I feel the need to discuss the relevant situations, and to do that, I've also coupled the discussion with the song above, which ought to tie in with them.

The situation last month, of course, dealt with remote raid passes in Pokémon Go and startling developments related to them. They were made without player (Trainer) feedback and even now they still don't accommodate feedback... except maybe for some recently introduced "panic" responses to what followed. At that point in time, the players campaigned with the hashtag #HearUsNiantic in hopes that the relevant party might do just that, but this has mostly been in vain, even with the evident repercussions.

Meanwhile, in Pokémon Unite, a similar situation may be occurring with its developer, Tencent. Pokémon that obviously need adjustments are not being adjusted, features stated to be modified aren't being so, events are becoming rather repetitive and show a lack of creative effort, and some profound changes were made with significant impact to play. Some players have similarly been in uproar, and the repercussions could turn from a minor turning away to full-on abandonment, which could be hard for a young game.

With all that's happened, the message of the song is circumstantially relevant. The song itself speaks to the mind of a lover who may be situated within a deteriorating relationship, and it asks the lover to consider responding (listening) to the outreach of the partner before the relationship may proceed to deteriorate further. In the same way, the two developers above ought to reassess the situation and listen to player concerns, lest the situation becomes a way of "saying goodbye" to them - yet another eerily familiar concern.

As it stands, both popular Pokémon games above are appearing to be suffering from similar symptoms - changes made that don't accommodate player feedback and have flawed execution. Like what the song suggests, the most effective solution may be to go into the hearts of everyone and listen to what they suggest. Beyond language in any form, what is in there may serve as the understanding that is truly needed.

One year ago: More Online Statuses for Pokémon Go?

Two years ago: Three Bears

Three years ago: Missed Pokémon Merchandise in Snacks

Four years ago: Watching in Style, with Friends

Five years ago: To Know the Unknown

Six years ago: You Are Blessed

Cold Appearances

There's a certain font on mobile phones that I tend to try to avoid if possible. The reason is that the font is rather standard and most importantly conveys a cold impression by its appearance, at least by my personal regard. Even so, that's something that can conceivably occur for any visible thing, and some Pokémon things could certainly be included as well, as they are certainly very much visible in different ways. As such, I've attempted to write up this discussion to see how it could be with Pokémon things.

When Pokémon is involved, there is certainly the Ice type, to which some Pokémon belong. But then there are Pokémon that do appear rather cold (literally), one of which is Cryogonal, which is just a living snowflake. Another would be the Bergmite family, including its next-of-kin's Hisuian form, the latter of which could be construed to look slightly "warmer". Then, it's also impossible to forget about Kyurem, whose demeanor is totally cold even with Dragon influence. It may be hard to dispute their coldness by their looks.

As for figurative coldness, things that have relations to other than the Ice type would apply. Giovanni, the Team Rocket boss in his various guises, may be considered to have a cold impression by appearance, not unlike the mobile phone font I described above. Even (for the parts) without snow, Mt. Coronet can have a cold impression about it due to its towering height and repute. It may also be possible to consider Metagross and its kin as cold due to their Steel typing and obvious outward appearance, even if they may not be inside.

By the above, a cold impression may be gotten not just by things that are definitively cold (evoking icy qualities) but also things that are suggestively cold by their specific features. The latter is what I saw in that mobile phone font, which is hard to be separated according to my judgment. Yet it's also not hard to look for and delineate Pokémon things that have similar impressions, even if unlike the mobile phone font, they are not meant to be avoided, but to be enjoyed as best as they can.

One year ago: Blogging on Blogs: Pokémon Blog

Two years ago: Forgotten (Event) Days

Three years ago: (Preparing for) Shuffle's Last Stand

Four years ago: Special Feature Film - "POKÉMON: Detective Pikachu"

Five years ago: Just Like a Rainbow

Six years ago: A Shout-Out to a Fellow Blogger

Still Not Quite Outside the "Ilex Forest"

In the Johto region, the Ilex Forest is the wooded area just outside of Azalea Town on the path to Goldenrod City. Entering the area from the former and traversing its path allows one to get to the path that leads to the latter. It's not a trivial matter, however; the forest is twisty and confusing, perhaps more so than the similar Viridian Forest the next region over. For that, I consider it appropriate to be involved in a discussion of a still-overhanging matter that I've avoided to a certain capacity.

Recall from three years ago the start of the pandemic, which after a time I started referring to as "current conditions". New developments have suggested that it may not have to be considered as such anymore, even though the cause of it all still lingers and is slightly troublesome. It may seem like everyone and everything - including Pokémon affairs - have been able to make it out of what seems to be something akin to the forest above, but personally, I still don't consider that to be the case just yet.

The lingering and troublesome quality of the cause as above is the main thing, for it is still just that, even in my local area. While that may or may not interfere with Pokémon things, it does still mean that the ways of life before may still not be perfectly applicable as it once was, and some caution is still necessary, even for the most extreme of doing Pokémon things (such as attending Pokémon Go Fest or its World Championships - more on them very soon). Yet those processions happening do indicate that the brunt of things has dissipated.

Come to think of it, humanity's handling of the situation may be somewhat described as the twisty parts of the forest, at least from its entry to its eventual exit. It went from entering the forest and wandering in the twists, to finding a straight path for getting it resolved - at least to a sufficient capacity that the exit can eventually be seen and has been reached. Yet, humanity may still need to grope in this area for a bit before it can eventually trudge on the path to the shining, gleaming city.

Perhaps the consolation is that by going through the forest, humanity has discovered and passed by the shrine that exists within it, the shrine of a special time traveler. While it is impossible to use time travel to erase what has transpired (in either direction), it may serve as a reminder of what needs to be done. Even as humanity is at the exit of the forest and far from the shrine, it remains symbolic of the pathway and what is needed to get out of it as well as the remainder of the way to the city ahead.

And so, things run their course, even as the "Ilex Forest" still minorly looms.

One year ago: The Rock-Paper-Scissors Principle

Two years ago: Transparent Language Presentation?

Three years ago: More YouTube Pokémon Highlights

Four years ago: Trading Styles

Five years ago: The No's of Go

Six years ago: Site Design

Towards the TCGL Horizon

In February, I had already brought up the matter of Trading Card Game Live (or TCGL) as the expected successor to the current Trading Card Game Online (or TCGO) for playing the Pokémon TCG virtually. Back then, the discussion was prompted by the development cutoff date of March 1 this year, which had come and gone; now, the next milestone of shutdown and retirement ("sunsetting") is at hand, and thus I need to make a post on it to serve as both a discussion and a reminder to take care of things as that milestone looms.

So, that milestone has been announced, and that would be... June 5 at 4 PM UTC, becoming the final day for TCGO. This would then be followed by the release of TCGL, which would be three days later on June 8 along with the latest expansion to the game. Of course, at that point, the matter of migration becomes relevant (if it isn't already is or was, as some are already on TCGL even in beta); that has been explained by the online FAQ and my "distillation" of it into something more succinct and direct. The date is less than a month away, so it remains wise to pay attention to that date and the matters that come with it.

For those already on TCGL, they should be "home free" whether or not the migration has been performed - in the latter case, eventually as the beta wraps up. For those still on TCGO, it should be good to remind that there are things that will and will not migrate to the TCGL, as stated and discussed earlier. Whatever happens has to happen now, in the time of less than a month before the sunsetting of TCGO, and as with the transfer of Pokémon on Nintendo consoles - even with some present leeway - it's effectively a "say your prayers" matter for some things that are not accomplished even if they can be right now.

TCGL, as noted, represents something new on the horizon for virtual TCG play as well as for the TCG in general. The path that leads to it is already evident, and now so is the distance to get there with the announcement of the firm date for the sunsetting of TCGO. With that, all that is left is to take care of remnant matters for those still on TCGO, while those on TCGL may just be able to sit tight. Either way, the journey continues towards the horizon where the TCGL awaits and TCGO fades away on the other end.

One year ago: Journeys Gap Ad... in T-Shirt Form

Two years ago: Glyphs of Pokémon?

Three years ago: Playing Pokémon All Day

Four years ago: Getting Lucky with Friends

Five years ago: A Place for VGC

Six years ago: Blue and Yellow Philosophy

Tournament: SWEEP JR vs. Your Storage Is Full (SA Factions)

This Cycle of Silph Arena Factions is down to its home stretch, and my team, SWEEP JR, has to press on. In this seventh Bout, we were paired up with an Australian team with a bit of a strange name, Your Storage Is Full. If my team is what I call the "fledgling" team (or also, "academy team") of SWEEP JR, presently competing in the Diamond tier, then this team is the one for Your Bag Is Full, presently competing in the Emerald tier. It was a fascinating showdown that had to happen, since we both aren't doing too well in this Cycle.

Regarding this Faction and its upper-level brethren, one of their purposes may be to accommodate some influential names in PvP in Australia and beyond. One of them happens to be on the team that my Faction is facing, which will become evident soon enough. The opposing team is made up of all Australians; meanwhile, the upper-level team has a few Trainers not from Australia - even, from the other side of the world - and that takes care of the "beyond" portion. In later Cycles, the members of the two teams will likely change, as with my team and its upper-level brethren, for accommodating others into the "academy".

After early attempts at coordination, battles were definitively scheduled. Only one match took place on Thursday, which was the Open Great League match of riman12 vs. Franedamus and resulted in a 2-1 win. Then, on Saturday, things quickly turned as the Arcana Field matches of Almujha vs. Lidorkork and Kucingimutt vs. NotRandyN3wman resulted in 1-2 and 0-3 losses respectively, instantly putting my team behind. The remaining matches that day, Wina1403 vs. Alo0ali and YukixCyz vs. BuurggittBro - both for the Catacomb Field - only resulted in a 2-1 win and 1-2 loss, and my team remained behind.

One match was actually scheduled to take place between the Field Specialist matches above, but had to be rescheduled for Sunday due to coordination issues, more in a line of them. That match was for the Justicar Field for Ultra League involving RaymondHrtwn vs. Trysty19, and it resulted in a 2-1 win to allow my team to catch up. The tensest moment of this Bout was during the Open Master League match involving Orioo16 vs. bbao2803, as issues came up near its conclusion. Perhaps almost miraculously, the issues were resolved and the match was decided as a 3-0 win, leading to a close 11-10 victory for my Faction.

No disputes were filed for this Bout, making it a rarity in that regard. However, the last two matches above did come dangerously close to that point, before and after respectively. The last match also presented a unique issue that might have become troublesome had it continued and I had full control to make decisions, but thankfully it did not progress and my manager helped to keep things at bay until the miraculous resolution; it's another point of why I'm glad to not have started this Faction from scratch. Regardless, I can only hope that such situations are rarities, as they are admittedly uncomfortable for all those involved.

It was a nerve-wracking Bout against the Australian team, but the battles speak for themselves, as they should for any match of any Bout. Yet, they still also show how shaky my Faction remains, with yet another close result (even as a favorable one), the sixth one yet. There are only two more Bouts left in this Cycle, and that means two more chances to get our act together, if that hasn't already occurred. It would show that my Faction is in fact not shaky at all, but firm in our stead, even with a "full storage" as the other team might suggest.

One year ago: The Wish for (and Caveats of) Time Travel

Two years ago: The Lengths We Go To... T-Shirt

Three years ago: Pokémon Stickers on WhatsApp

Four years ago: Looking from Far Away

Five years ago: (High Noon at the) Local Ex-Raid, 5/8/2018

Six years ago: Ash and Pikachu Keychain