Et Tu, Shuffle? (Thy Hath Bugs)

I have said and frequently referred that Pokémon games, in particular the main series games, are complex things, with many elements and mechanisms that can go wrong (and do, per Murphy's Law). Unfortunately, the same is true of one of its spinoff games; that game is Pokémon Shuffle, which since its modest beginnings has grown to a complexity that almost parallels the main series. Recently, there had been a serious bug on the 3DS version for one of its Special Stages with a dramatic effect, and I bore witness to the bug itself.

The bug pertained to a Special Stage that involves Mewtwo, specifically for the purpose of enhancing it. When the Special Stage was first added, it couldn't be played; it was able to be selected, but after dismissing its first-time information pop-up, doing anything that caused the screen to transition instantly crashed the game and forced the 3DS to restart. Pokémon couldn't be selected, nor could "Continue" be tapped to start the stage, and backing out to other stages was useless - once the Mewtwo stage was selected, the game was assured of crashing no matter what and taking down the 3DS system with it.

When I experienced this bug, I was concerned that my 3DS was acting up again, considering its previous spate of troubles. After a bit of research on the Internet, however, it became apparent that all other players were having the same issue, and this was a genuine bug, and it had to be rectified somehow. The fix came a day later with the next check-in bringing extra data, and the stage could be played as intended. But the damage had been done; I've read some players had expended a No Hearts Needed (from the Special Shop) prior to try playing the stage, and they effectively wasted it by not being able to play. In any case, players received apology gifts in the form of Hearts and Experience Boosters.

This is not the first time that Shuffle has had bugs, but this is the first bug that I've experienced and quite affected my experience playing the game. I've been told that in the Mobile version for smartphones, there was another serious bug, but it was also fixed and players received compensation for it. This seems to be a standard practice when a bug occurs, which is quite appreciable, even if the compensation may not fully pay off the struggle caused by the bug.

As I've noted previously, Pokémon games will become more complex with added things, and this is a certainty. Within that certainty is an inevitability for bugs when things do not go right. What must be done is to fix the bug and make the situation right; for that, it is fortunate that Shuffle does allow updates continuously and therefore this to occur quickly. With all the complexity that Shuffle has now, I have (and it is not hard) to expect that Murphy's Law might once again come true for the game as another bug occurs.

One year ago: It's Been a Month...

Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Series 2 Figures

Along with the hanging merchandise that I got from Sunday's event, I scored a big one in terms of merchandise. I got a set of Pokémon figures for quite a deal, and they just happen to be officially licensed figures, which is indeed very nice. Most interestingly, the set is all about Pokémon creatures, so it's great to see them get some respect.

As can be discerned, the figures are from the Sinnoh saga, though not all of the Pokémon are from the generation that concerns the region. Pikachu is obviously a first-generation Pokémon, and Sudowoodo is a second-generation one; the only fourth-generation one is Carnivine. They're all excellently designed and decently sized, though, and that's impressive. They even include a set of "surprise stickers", though I wouldn't stick them on things, and I would just leave them as they are.

The package seems a bit disheveled, and that leads me to reason that these figures aren't new and are therefore used. Even so, the repackaging seems to have been done well, as it seems I can't attack the package to get at the figures inside - and I won't do so haphazardly, because the packaging is too nice. I may have to enlist a friend who knows about figures more than I do for assistance. From what I gather, the condition of the figures still seem pretty nice.

I must also say, I keep recalling that this exact figure set has floated around in a different event or convention, but I've forgotten which one. The point is that I'm somewhat sure that this is that exact same figure set. Now that it's in my possession, I'm only glad. I'm even more glad that things haven't changed much from when I remembered seeing the figure set, and I intend to keep it that way.

This set of figures still seems in good condition even if the packaging isn't quite in the same state, which greatly pleases me as a Pokémon fan. I'm already planning out how to display them - once they're out of the packaging, that is. I quite appreciate the figures regardless.

One year ago: Always 21 - Memories of 21

More Pokémon Hanging Things

I obtained a few more Pokémon merchandise that could be hanged from the event on Sunday. Hanged merchandise are neat because they can come in all sorts of sizes, and in that way include but are not limited to keychains, many of which I've gotten and discussed before. The same is true of the hanged merchandise that I got.

The big one is of course the knitted mini Pikachu doll. For its size, it's well-crafted; the ears are quite prominent, and so are the limbs of the hand and feet. Even the tail is present in two colors, which is a rarity among mini Pikachu crafts. The face is admittedly expressionless, but that just leaves the intrigue of wondering what exactly Pikachu is feeling. As for its usage, I was informed from the keeper of the stall that it could be used as a decoration for bags and so on; I think it's too cute for that - I prefer to leave it as an ornament for something less mobile, and that's good enough for me.

The little things beside it are of course keychains, which are in the style of the Kanto starter keychains I got a while back. In fact, it was from the very same stall that offered the keychains for sale. I can't help but think, though, that these keychains are slightly off for some reason, which is probably why they were given as a bonus. The Pichu and Poké Ball keychains seem passable, though, and they're definitely a keeper in my collection.

Overall, I'm satisfied with these hanging merchandise. Even though there might be some noticeable flaws, I'm happy to just disregard them for the Pokémon aspect of the merchandise. These are some of the neatest and quirkiest ones I've gotten. Perhaps I will have to think about the best ways to show these off while making use of the hanging aspect.

One year ago: Fire Power!

Cosplay: Japanese World 2018

[AshKetchumMode]

Hey everyone! I've been asked to go to a theme event that's out of town, but it's still fun. I've been here a few times in the past by request of my friend - he says he has special memories with it, and I like that. You might have read when my friend wrote about the event last year - that one happened a little later in the year, and this one happened earlier. It seems that many of the events or conventions this year will be shuffled around from when they were last year, but that's OK. It'll be like a new adventure.

I came today with my Sinnoh outfit. It was the very first one that I wore when I was asked by my friend to come to events and conventions like these. I think it's quite special, and so does my friend. Today was going to be just for fun at first, but then I found out that the character parade was still open, so I signed up. I performed well - I even tried to do things that I don't often do in performance - but I guess we just didn't do enough to win something, Pikachu. Maybe next time.

Pikachu: Pi. [in understanding]

Other than that, well, there's not much that is different. The stands are much the same and everything is in pretty much the same place - goodies are on one side, and food is on the other, all in one road. This time I didn't tag along another character, but another character tagged along with me, up until the journey back to my friend here. And it did get quite windy - I thought a Dragonite was going to come, haha. Also, I met different characters than last year...

... including a mini-me, in my Kanto-Johto outfit! I was slightly down to see that he didn't bring his cap and Pikachu, but he had all the other parts of the outfit, which was so neat. I know other characters meet their mates at events like this, but this was the first time for myself. I'm quite surprised. Maybe he'll become a fine me someday.

Pikachu: Pika-chu! [elated]

You know it, Pikachu. And you know, today I could've been sent to a different event in the home town of my friend, but we talked about it, and we decided it wasn't worth it. I'm sure this will not be in regret, now that everything has happened. My friend tells me he was disappointed he couldn't send me every year to go, so we're happy we broke the pattern of going every other year. This was totally worth it.

Pikachu: Pika pika! [happy]

I had a wonderful time for this event. I've even got some goodies for you, my friend, for such a great day. I think I should be able to go more often, even if things are not too different. Thanks again my friend, and enjoy the goodies - I'll be glad to go to the next one!

[/AshKetchumMode]

One year ago: The First-Generation Bicycle Theme

Changes

Recently I just bought something related to Pokémon Go, but much of it applies to when the game was first released with all its madness. And then recently I've heard of another major bug with moves that was found in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, causing the offending moves to be banned from VGC until they are patched in a later update. This makes me realize that things, even Pokémon, can and will continue to change, and it's something that I as a Pokémon fan have to take part in. The aforementioned things in relation to this are a testament for the former and inevitability for the latter.

For Go, it is understandably not complete in its reach of the Pokémon world. Only three generations of Pokémon have made it in, and not even all of the most recent generation have appeared. The Gym system had even been changed last year, allowing further collaborative efforts, especially through raids for Legendary Pokémon. Even its player base has changed; way back when, it seemed everyone was playing, but now it has boiled down to those who still enjoy the camaraderie and wish to pursue greater achievements together. For that, it is fair to expect that the game will continue to change until it is up to the maturity of today's all-inclusive Pokémon games. It has been a wild ride for those who have played and perhaps it will just get wilder.

For the main series games, they are far-reaching and can be considered definitive of any interaction in the world of Pokémon. The only thing is that this world of today is not like its world of yesterday. It has more Pokémon, it has gotten more complex, and there's just more, more, more of everything. This is all the results of the changes that have been incorporated over time. Like Go, even the players have changed as well as differentiated with the standardization of VGC as a prime format of play. And of course, the VGC rules change yearly, unlike the games which are pretty much set unless there are errors that need to be fixed such as above. Here too, change is imminent and sometimes necessary, even if it doesn't come quickly.

I've been with Pokémon for nearly two decades, and that means I've bore witness to the many changes that have occurred. And there's a lot, from the games that contain the world to the consoles where the games are played. Sometimes they have to be rectified, but otherwise they're good changes, as in what I've noted with the games above. As a fan, I have to welcome these changes as well as expect others further on; while I'm not likely to change fan, things will keep on changing, and that's at least one thing I can expect from this fascinating series and franchise.

One year ago: A Loss Is... A Loss?

Private vs. Public Raids?

A curious thing happened after the successful Ex-Raid on Wednesday. In my raid group, a controversy (if it can be called that) unfolded in the group regarding the usage of the grouping feature in raids, whether to go into the public group or a private group. This was something that I thought was a non-issue, but it turns out to snowball into a different issue altogether. While that issue may not be relevant for my case in playing Go, the merits of public vs. private raids can still be discussed.

An explanation of how the grouping works is in order. When choosing to participate in a raid, a player can choose to go into the public group or create a new private group. Players that choose the public group get lumped with other players that do so. Otherwise, players can create a private group that is identifiable by a "picture password" composed of three Pokémon. Those who are informed of the password can elect to join that group. Whatever happens, the raid progresses in the same way for any group, only of course the participants differ.

Now, I should make the admission that for the Ex-Raid that happened on Wednesday, I joined a private group. The way I perceived it, those who allied with Team Mystic decided that a private group would benefit them, and so a private group was created. I simply followed suit and joined in, and that was it; I didn't think that a debate would later take place. It was my conception that the same would be true for the rest of the Ex-Raid participants, who would be segregated into their own groups, but still having a good chance at making the Ex-Raid successful.

Of course, this still ties to that different issue. My view is that that particular issue was over-inflated and shouldn't have even been mentioned at all. It's also kind of a shady issue, which is why I decline to explain further. What I can say is that when the Ex-Raid happened, I was not aware of the issue, and even if I was, it didn't affect how I played. In that sense, it really was and should have been kept a non-issue.

As for the public or private group issue, I don't see much difference in either method, though it does present a good way to make raids more particularly manageable and successful when more than 20 participants are involved (the suggested for level 5 raids), as in the Ex-Raid I participated in on Wednesday. Considering everything, I then offer the following statement regarding the issue: "It's your raid - do it however you like."

One year ago: The Times They Are a-Switchin'

Performance Critique: ACC 2018 Single Performance

While it's still fresh in my mind, I would like to critique my own single performance from Day 1 of the previous event. Ash has noted some of the flaws, and I'm here to flesh them out further. What really helps to do this is a video recording of my performance; I was going to initiate this myself, but the call to perform was so sudden that I couldn't request a friend to record. Fortunately, a fellow cosplayer, competition participant, and friend took the initiative to record the performance, though he was also caught off guard with the performance announcement and missed the first few moments. Much of the rest of the performance is intact, however, and open for criticism.

First, because of the rush to perform, I had completely forgotten that I still had my event pass hanging on me, which I should have stowed away prior to the performance. I realized this within a couple of moments when my performance began; I tried my hardest to ignore it, but it still interfered slightly with the opening moments. Perhaps the fall at the beginning of the performance lost some naturalness as well.

Note the hanging pass.

Another thing that possibly detracted from the performance was the fact that I kept messing around with my cap, mostly during the latter part of the performance. I also missed the cue to turn the cap around before the "defense". In a perfect world, the cap would stay on as needed, but this isn't one. Next time, maybe I should let the cap lie where it may, but still find appropriate moments to put it back on.

I kept futzing with my cap.

A big thing with this performance is that Pikachu has to move about for the "turning point". However, my Pikachu isn't actually motile - it's a doll, and therefore inanimate. Another friend suggested that this performance is best accompanied with a background video, but alas, this particular competition didn't warrant the use of one. I could also enlist the help of a "black man" (stage hand dressed in black) to move Pikachu, but then this wouldn't be a single performance. I thought I still had to move Pikachu around and I tried to do it in the most subtle way possible.

If only Pikachu could move...

For all the flaws in the performance, there were a few things that seemed to go right. Pikachu did land on the floor after the throw in the right orientation (though on the opposite side) for the next part. And then for the final flourish, my Poké Ball pose seemed perfectly timed. But in the end they couldn't save my performance.

One of the things that went right.

By the way, these images are all frames from the video of the performance that my friend so graciously recorded. Eventually, I'd like to post the entire video on YouTube in a complementary channel for this blog, but that will have to wait. This would also open up the performance for wider and deeper critique than what I have posed here. In any case, I'd like to have as many recordings of my performances as possible so that I'm able to analyze and critique on them myself... and let others do the same, especially for further ones to come. I stand to appreciate both cosplay and Pokémon more in this way.

One year ago: Keychains!