Let's Go Trade

Alongside gifts, the newly added friends feature in Pokémon Go also brought in a long-awaited feature. That feature, as suggested by the title of this post, is trading Pokémon. Now Trainers can trade the Pokémon they captured to be possessed and used by another Trainer. It's a great thing for sure, and one that many are going to utilize.

To be able to trade, two Trainers must have become friends with each other. Trades cannot be done when two Trainers are too far apart; they must be present within 100 meters or so from each other. Once they are close enough, they activate the Trade function by going to the other Trainer's profile and tapping the Trade button to link with each other. They then select the Pokémon to be traded, appraising if necessary, and then tap Confirm to begin the trade. The Pokémon are then traded and are now in each other's possession.

Trades are not free; each instance consumes a certain amount of Stardust. The cost depends on whether the Pokémon is ordinary, Shiny, or Legendary, and whether the Pokémon has been caught previously or not by the recipient. The most expensive trade is for a Shiny or Legendary Pokémon when two Trainers are only Good Friends with each other and the Pokémon will be newly registered in the PokéDex of the recipient (in other words, not caught), costing a whopping 1,000,000 Stardust. The least expensive ones are for ordinary Pokémon at any friendship level that the recipient has caught, at only 100 Stardust. Further, the trading of new, Shiny, or Legendary Pokémon constitutes a Special Trade and may only be performed once a day. It has been stated that this system is to prevent an emerging "market" for trades.

Another thing is that Pokémon that are traded will have their stats "rolled", sometimes for the better, but most times for the worse, which becomes something to consider before performing a trade - no one wants a good Pokémon to have its stats cut by trading. Performing trades, however, do count as an engagement between two Trainers for that day and will allow the achieving of the Pilot medal and achievement based on the relative distances of where the traded Pokémon were caught or hatched. Interested achievers of the latter may want to collect lots of Pokémon from a different place while visiting, to be traded with other willing achievers. Traded Pokémon may not be traded again, but the new owner may change the nickname of the traded Pokémon, unlike in the main series games, where the first is free and the second is restricted.

The trading system in Pokémon Go may seem a little intricate, but at least the system is in place, and any willing Trainer will achieve the necessary things for good trades to occur. Trading has been a key part of the Pokémon main series games ever since their inception, but now the system is available in a new vein of Pokémon games. It seems like a great testament with its inclusion in Go, which makes a great game even greater for enjoyment by multiple people.

One year ago: Speedblogging Like a Ninjask

Cosplay: ENNICHISAI 2018 + CLAS:H/ICGP Nationals

[AshKetchumMode]

Hi guys, it's me, Ash, and after a long break, I've been called back by my friend to go to an event. And this one's a big one - I mean, really BIG. The event is way farther out from where my friend is, but he was still able to send me there. That's really special, and I like that, just as much as my friend likes it. Oh yeah, this was the first time I was able to be at this event - in the past, my friend wanted to send me to this one, but there was a more important one where he lived, so it didn't happen. We're glad that it has happened.

This is an event, yet it is also a festival - which is also the meaning of the title of the event, my friend tells me. And it was really a festival - they closed off two blocks so everyone could have a good time. Everyone did, but we were all packed together in six small streets, so everyone moved really slow like a Slugma. But then, everything there was good, so it was worth it. There was food, goodies, and lots of entertainment, all the things you'd find at festivals like this. I even took back a few things for my friend, and they're great for sure.

I did say that it was the first time I was here, so I came with my Sinnoh outfit, to keep a tradition going. The other part of the event might remind of you of another event earlier this year, and it was like that. I took part in the character parade as one of the 600 characters, but only 60 or so showed up, so it wasn't too crowded. I still didn't win anything - the judges only had a number of favorites, and I wasn't one of them. I'm a little sad, but it's OK.

The hosts played a little trick on you, Pikachu - remember? One of them went up to you and offered you to another, but then you got returned to me.

Pikachu: Pika! [surprised, slightly mad]

I think the host who offered you has a slight liking to you and me - we last saw them the other time too, as one of my character friends told me. I'm surprised too.

As for friends, I met a few character friends from where my friend lived, and a whole lot more from other places. I also helped to link up my friends with his friends. I like to see them and maybe to keep seeing them too. My friend thinks that this is the great thing about events like these - I get to meet other characters, and he gets to meet people. I really do agree.

This event is also a big thing, because the best characters from different places who can give their best performances can also stand up for us. After all the local competitions like the one before, now the winners of those get to compete against each other. It might be hard for us to do the same, but at least there are others. The winners of this one should be so proud. So congratulations to them.

This event and festival was awesome for a lot of things, and that's so great. Maybe I can go again next time, depending on the plans that my friend has. But to go just this one time is good too. My friend and I will have to see.

[/AshKetchumMode]

One year ago: My Offerings (or, What I Am Not)

Gifts That Keep on Giving

Along with the addition of the friends feature in Pokémon Go, a related feature - or even, a sub-element of that feature - was also added to the game. That feature is gifts, and this contributes to the dynamics of the friends feature. It also complicates things slightly further, but it's a small price to pay for making and nurturing friendly relations.

Sometimes, by spinning the Photo Disc of a PokéStop or Gym, a Gift may be received as an item. A Gift may only be opened by giving a friend the item; to do so, the "Send Gift" button on the profile of a friend may be used. The friend will then receive the Gift and be able to open it. Each gift contains a few items that are typically received from spinning a Photo Disc, and some may also contain a special Egg, provided there is space for the latter.

As with some other elements in Go, some restrictions apply. A Trainer will only be given a Gift as long as the Trainer has already sent some of the Gifts that have been collected. A Trainer can only send one Gift per day to a particular Trainer (but can send more to others) and must wait for that Trainer to open the Gift before sending another. Finally, a Trainer can only open 20 gifts a day, so prudence must be possessed in opening Gifts.

Whatever happens, the opening of Gifts counts as one engagement for the friendship level of two Trainers. It is possible for two Trainers to build up their levels simply by sending Gifts, and I've done it with at least one friend. Yet it would also be wise to consider who a Trainer has engaged with before sending another a Gift. It is also wise to consider where to get Gifts as well as whose Gift or Gifts need to be opened to make things as special as possible for both giver and recipient.

Gifts offer an efficient way for two Trainers to build up friendly relationships, but they must also be considered wisely. Still, there's nothing like a relationship that's boosted with a few instances of gift-giving, and the benefits are sufficiently attractive as well. In that sense, they are really the gifts that keep on giving.

One year ago: After Six Months: Poké-Paradise in a Blog

Monotype (of) Sorts

There is a Pokémon concept that every now and then floats around, in particular when teams of Pokémon are concerned. As can be discerned by the title of this post, that concept is called "monotypes". The concept is simple: to have a team of Pokémon with one type being the same. As it stands, this concept is a novelty; no one in their right mind would conceive a team all of one type and seeing that team go down by the type's weaknesses. Yet aside from that, this concept seems to be workable in other respects.

Some time ago, I entered a Pokémon tournament (which I do believe was this one) and the results were surprising: a team of all Ice types - a monotype Ice, though quite a few are also half other types - took third place. It was intended to be a joke or "troll" team, and yet it worked out so well. The reason why that is the case seems to be tied to the move Sheer Cold, which anyone well-versed in the main series knows is a one-hit KO move that only occasionally works, if at all. The person who made the team can be said to have taken a gamble with the move, and it somehow worked out. While this team is a high-risk-high-return situation, I wouldn't personally create and work on such a team, even if I could, for what it involves. But if such a team could be ably created and worked on, by all means - luck of the draw will decide how things fare.

The concept of monotype teams might fare better in Go, where raids make it possible to battle against one powerful Pokémon, thereby exploiting its weaknesses to a single type. In fact, this may just be necessary for "minimalist" raids with the barest number of participating Trainers, where the weaknesses have to be fully exploited. As for having single Gyms with all the Pokémon having one type, that's a bit hard to do, unless all the Trainers putting in Pokémon are in agreement or know the plan. Even then, a monotype Gym is by and large a novelty, as someone else with enough knowledge of battling can quickly take the Gym down and set up operations, as is typical of any monotype situation.

The concept of monotypes is certainly a unique one, but it is quirky at best and unworkable at worst, unless one knows what one is doing. It may still be a usable and useful concept in some circumstances, so it shouldn't be fully counted out. Given the right situation and knowledge, one can take full advantage of it and implement a possible monotype, which may work just as well as normal teams, albeit and admittedly with quite a bit more flair.

One year ago: 3DS Circle Pad and Pokémon Games... Plus My Experience

Go Gets Social

Pokémon Go recently just had one of its greatest feature additions ever, and with it, the game could be described to have "gotten social". That's because the game added the feature of friends, allowing Trainers to build relations with other Trainers and do nifty things as well. For the first time ever, Trainers in the game can interact with one another in ways that benefit them, and there are plenty of those ways.

But first, Trainers must forge the connection with one another. Every Trainer has a 12-digit Trainer Code, which is remarkably similar to the Friend Codes used by the 3DS. Using these codes, Trainers can request to be friends with other Trainers, as the codes are known and/or distributed. Once a Trainer accepts the request from another, the two Trainers are now friends. Like some other social media, there is a limit to how many friends a Trainer can have, and the current limit is 200; this limit may perhaps change in the future.

At this point, a Trainer can then start to build up relationships. By engaging in activities that involve other friends, an easy example being raids, two Trainers can become closer to one another on different levels. Those levels are Good Friend, Great Friend, Ultra Friend, and Best Friend, which are achieved after 1, 7, 30, and 90 days of engagements respectively. The rewards for the upper level aren't too shabby either, which include attack bonuses and extra Premier Balls in raids, which are very helpful. Since the feature was rolled out just about a week ago, no one is an Ultra or Best Friend yet, but by now there should be many Great Friends and plenty of Good Friends.

As with some feature rollouts in Go, not all is perfect from the get-go. There have been reports of two Trainers engaging with one another, but the engagements are not synchronized for both - one could be seen to be 2 days left to go to a Great Friend with another, but this shows up as 6 days left for one. As well, this feature was also rolled out gradually; initially it was for level 35 and above, but this was quickly expanded for level 25, 15, and others. In any case, the feature now seems to work well for most everyone.

This is an amazing step forward for the game. Pokémon games have always provided a path for socializing one way or another, in and out of the games. The addition of the friends feature in Go only serves to affirm this fact. Go has always been a game that afforded social opportunities from its start, and this only takes things to the next level, even literally. Now great Trainers can show they're a great social player too, within the game.

One year ago: LINE Pokémon Themes

Leaders

A leader is someone or something that is followed in order to move forward. A leader is absolutely essential in many life matters, and they are as numerous as there are matters in life. The same could be said to be true for Pokémon as well, where many things in it are superficially similar to those of the real world. Being that they are so, it is then not hard to expect that there would be leaders as well. And there are, in various guises.

The most famous leaders that hail from Pokémon are of course Gym Leaders, the ones who are the bosses of their establishments where Trainers come to test their mettle and skills. They too are Trainers, but they're some of the best at what they specifically do and deal with. And through battling, they can also guide Trainers to do better when they lose or far better when they win, at least indirectly. They're leaders in every sense of the word, and that's saying something.

On a more outward side from the Pokémon world, the "generals" (in particular as related to Pokémon Go) that I discussed some time ago can also be considered leaders. I've elaborated on this on different occasions also, so they need not be mentioned again. What is important is that as long as they are in the capacity to guide others, then they are leaders. This capacity may arise naturally or from previous guidance, but this doesn't matter; as long as it guides others, then that is leadership by the leaders. It is up to the generals to use their capacity as they see fit.

Even Pokémon may have leaders of their own, especially when they are separated from care by people. These "leaders of the pack" can do things both like their animal brethren and like what people usually do. This is best illustrated in Mystery Dungeon and other games where Pokémon and not people are prominently featured. It's only fair that they do so, for they need to manage themselves and others however they can, based on their instincts. The Pokémon that manage to do so are rightfully leaders.

Leadership can be manifested in various ways, and this seems to be just as true for the Pokémon world as it is true for the real world. But that's a good thing for the people and the things that wish to advance or be advanced, because a leader can steer things in a certain direction to do so. It doesn't seem to matter which world one lives in - leaders and leadership are undoubtedly important and essential.

One year ago: A Little Dream

Retro Music and Modern Music

A couple of my friends met at my home the other day so that we can have a chance to see and talk to each other in person before we're separated for an extended time again. As it happens, the ones I met were from my clique, which as I explained a year ago, had some of its start in Pokémon. Sure enough, it became a hot topic when we gathered. One of the things we discussed (and experienced) was the music pieces from the older games and how they made us feel. They obviously have a different character compared to music pieces from more modern games, even of the same pieces as older ones, and this is what I wish to ruminate in this post.

Retro music pieces at the least have the component of nostalgia when viewed in a modern light. They may only be rudimentary in their arrangement and instrumentation, but that is what is perhaps liked about them. They're simple and no-frills the way as they are, evoking the greatest feelings from the past when we played the games as they were. One of my friend seemed to agree, as we discovered when we played some of the retro music pieces as they were arranged back then. For my friend, there was a rush of feelings from way back when as we did so. It's certainly a great feeling to have, if nothing else.

Modern music pieces may not be as nostalgic or simple as retro music, but they do have complexity going for them. They don't necessarily have to be arranged in the same way as the older pieces for even the same ones, but that is what makes them unique. They can introduce arrangements and instrumentation that may at times be quirky or just plain different, but this may just be a good thing, as is their richness, something that the retro pieces don't really have. These are all qualities that are appreciable.

Of course, "retro" and "modern" are relative; what is now "modern" may later become "retro" as we perceive them to be less of the qualities that make them the former and more of the qualities that make them the latter. Yet when it comes to Pokémon and in particular the music from the games, we'll take them however we see them fit, as the "retro" of yesterday and "modern" of today. And then later on in the tomorrow, we'll talk about them and listen to them again as we did the other day.

One year ago: More LINE Pokémon Stickers