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[Crayolan]

I agree with you on the region design, though I wouldn't call it a problem with the series. BW2 are some of the best games in the series and yet have very linear region design. After replaying RBY I would appreciate them to take another stab at nonlinear regional design though. It's a nice feeling to have a lot of options, which is something you really haven't had in terms of main story progression since gen 2.

On dungeon design, well I'm kind of 50/50 there. Mt. Moon I would classify as a long, grueling dungeon early on but it's mostly because you have so little at your disposal at that point. Mt. Moon also has a lot of wrong paths but you can find rarer pokemon (Clefairy, Paras) and items in the wrong paths making it worth it.

Rock Tunnel on the other hand just sucks. It's just a series of forks in the road where one way is progress and the other is a pointless dead end. FRLG addressed this somewhat by putting items and a move tutor in the dead ends but it's still a lame dungeon overall. I do appreciate that this and Mt. Moon force you to actually use your potions, something I barely ever find myself doing nowadays, but I wouldn't call it good dungeon design.

Give us a huge, maze-like cave with worthwhile rewards at the dead ends and with more unique ways of splitting up the paths. For some examples, I think gen 5's victory roads were pretty good at this. Especially BW2's victory road, which had like 5 different paths which intersected at a central area, one of which you started at depending on your version, and 3 of which eventually intersect again at the end of the dungeon. And if you explored every path you could find some secret areas with tougher battles vs. high level veteran trainers and TM rewards. I want more dungeons like that.

On the safari zone...nah. Safari Zone is just obnoxious. I do miss when some pokemon were rarer than others, but Safari Zone is not the way to do it and wifi trading ruins that anyway. And I'd rather they keep their online features than have some pokemon be rare or special.

18 would be a bit much. I'm cool with trainers joining you, but I can't see it working in a solo run other than how they did with Generation V where occasionally you'll have a trainer participating in a doubles battle with you. Also with Gen V I find it refreshing how all the gym leader battles are two on two in Black 1. It's different and I like it.

I'm guessing you're playing Blaze Black? That's not a thing in standard Black.

The only double gym leader battle in the series in Tate&Liza from RSE.

 

[Nocturnowl]

I don't think the issues are as large as you think.

You say people don't get lost anymore? What about Mt. Coronet? Or Terminus Cave. Or Clay Tunnel

Terminus Cave is an option place by the way. As is Pokémon Village. These things you list still exist in the game. Caves are also more gruelling.

I was trying to remember if the Pokemon Village was mandatory or not, I guess it wasn't then.
Not sure I'd agree that caves are more gruelling now but I did give Mt Coronet its props.

Playing thru Platinum now...and getting bodied often. So the next games should at least match that level of difficulty.

i could also just be total asscheeks right now tho

I got wrecked in Platinum by some Galactic mooks Kadabra in Eternia City, humbling experience that was.

One reason why I love Unova so much is how exploring has been handled.

Overall the map structure is very linear, Wich allows to go trough the story quite fast.

However, if you decide to spend more time on the routes, you'll notice how many of them are actually quite large, with lots of stuff you can find.

The map structure in Black/White hit the perfect balance of being linear while still allowing to explore a lot. X/Y Kinda regressed on that a bit by making the areas a bit more linear. There are still a few areas that encourage exploration though.

I honestly like how Black and White's routes were handled. Yeah, the region is a circle, and the routes are short from point A to B, but pretty much every single one has a substantial optional component to explore, with items, trainers and even optional standalone Pokémon to discover. Yeah, you can run around the region in ten minutes if you fancy it, but the sheer density of the content off the beaten track is enormous, and there are many hours of fun to be had exploring the little branches of the routes, going up waterfalls and finding legendary or unique Pokémon. I'd probably argue that no Pokémon game has as much optional content and sights to see as Black and White.

These points are a big part of why Black/White are my favourite modern entries, the map was an interesting compromise offering an overly clear main game progression but plenty of avenues to go off the beaten track.

 

[Neku89]

The one thing I'd want to come back is... How to put it? World building?

I'm talking about how the features of the game are put together to create a plausible setting, like the day/night cycle in Gen2. Yes, there is a d/n cycle in modern games, but it's purely aesthetic. In G/S you'd find different Pokémon in different parts of the day, radio programs changed, moves like Moonlight and Morning Sun had stronger effects if used in the right timeslot... It was a very nice feature, and some touches are amazing like finding nocturnal Pokémon asleep during the day. A similar mechanic was the seasonal one in B/W(2), maybe that's the reason I like Gen5 so much

 

[witchedwiz]

Instead of doing a "good vs evil/semievil/goodactingevil" troppe they might as well drop it..
Make it a game centered around the catch and esploring part..
Make it so that you're a random joe in an orphanage (or scrap the orphanage part) of pokemon fanatics that as they grow up all become invested in the dream of be coming the best pokemon trainer..
Make the story be a story of progression and challenge, with you comparing your result after every gym with your a few of your friends (3 randomly picked of the starting npcs pool of 15 or so) ..
Make it so that your friend pokemon are "randomized"..
At te beginning of the game you have to pick some attribute/trait for these friends and this will determina their starter And their lineup as the game progress.
Make it so that you choose among them your "best friend" and eh will be your companion in a team-battle tournament that is set in parallel to the gym conquest..
Additionally based on the trait of your randomized friends make it so that they might become the vice-chief//chief of One of the gym for the post-game..

Not enough?
Mixed gym..
Each city has a team-gym, with flavour depending on the core gym of the town + core of the neibour city .. And they compete a-la team battle 2vs2...
And you can either invite One of the three random friends available in the city OR you can call your best friend npc...

Plus for a sense of grandeur, since there is no good vs evil, legendary pokemon are tied to "pokemon sages" that are now getting old and of you defeat them and earn their approval you will get the legendary pokemon they hold (legendary or unique). Those npc are not in a fixed location but you can get info from some specific world npc that will give you hint of which "hut" (hide out. A-la pokemon gold/silver) they're going to visit..
Plus a lot of other caveat..

I mean pokemon has a lot of aspect it can improve, they've basically sit in the same formula/setting for so many iteration it's not even funny..
And they've lost the sense of exploration and "gotta catch'em all" while doing so..

 

[batfax]

The one thing I'd want to come back is... How to put it? World building?

I'm talking about how the features of the game are put together to create a plausible setting, like the day/night cycle in Gen2. Yes, there is a d/n cycle in modern games, but it's purely aesthetic. In G/S you'd find different Pokémon in different parts of the day, radio programs changed, moves like Moonlight and Morning Sun had stronger effects if used in the right timeslot... It was a very nice feature, and some touches are amazing like finding nocturnal Pokémon asleep during the day. A similar mechanic was the seasonal one in B/W(2), maybe that's the reason I like Gen5 so much

This is definitely what I want the most. It makes the world feel more "alive" and entertaining to explore. Mix seasonal, weekly, and daily events in and try to spread them out over the towns/dungeons so there isn't any one place you just pass through never to return and it'd be magic.

 

[Arnold15]

Do we really need HMs? Can't we have a Pokemon game where the water type naturally knows how to surf and the flying type knows how to fly without needing to waste space? Pokemon, too, is different. I play all the games with the same name, this example does not even disdain such )))) http://www.kizigamesxl.com/pokemon-great-defense-2.html

 

[cory64]

I was thinking the other day that a cool idea would be that depending on what starter you picked your mother would be like "Sorry, PLAYER, we have to move to TOWN now" and you got a different gym order. Don't think they would do this because of the streamlining and monoexperience they've been going for but it might have been viable back in Gen III.