Trainer Class Specialist Mechanic

[Jayrodd]

Now I've got Trainer Classes slated for an upcoming weekly discussion, but i had a stray thought that I wanted to talk about on the side that we may have discussed in discord a while back. So what if trainers had additional power ups depending on their class? Say you've got a bug catcher, well what if their bug pokemon gain additional speed just because they're a bug catcher. Perhaps a field nurse's pokemon get an automatic leftovers effect. Etc etc, thoughts on the concept? is it something you'd put in your game? Any other effects you could see working with other classes? I think this would be a neat mechanic to spice up game play in future fan games, and it'd be a neat community resource if it sounds like people enjoy this!

 

[Vendily]

I think I remember seeing this on the old forums. Yeah, [Discussion] Trainer Classes, here.

Instead of trainer classes just having a theme to their teams, what if they had some sort of advantage as well? Easiest example might be that all youngsters get a speed boost because they're youngsters. Or maybe all breeders regain health each turn. There is a lot of room to be creative with it and can add a new dynamic to these random encounters that can otherwise become dry. Food for though!

On one hand, it seems like it could be an interesting mechanic, especially if we allow the player to get into the game and stat themselves into a role as well. On the other, it would have to be balanced and there would need to be lore to explain this class-based boost or limit it to special characters (Rival, Antagonist(s), League Members).

Seems cool though, I'll toss it in my idea file and try to prototype it when I get the chance.

There is a million effects we could do with it. The most straightforward is boosting pokemon of the same type as the trainer's class (Bug for Bug Catcher, as mentioned earlier). We could also raise and/or lower battle stats (Ninja boosts evasion?). We could initiate a move or ability's effect (Juggler uses Trick Room?). I can't think of any others off the top of my head, but it would be cool.

(maybe i could do this during the game jam if there's no theme, i don't have an idea yet...)

 

[Phoenixsong]

Well, there are already trainers with specific items or other special attributes based on their classes, like scientists using X-items or the breeders in BW2 being rematchable because they want to keep training their young pokémon. Seems like a fairly reasonable progression to me!

Granted, for effects that are similar to items (e.g, "automatic leftovers"), it seems like it'd be simpler to implement by just giving the pokémon the item in question—rando trainers rarely use held items anyway, so unless you had plans for the nurse's pokémon to have both lefties and a sitrus berry or something, or it bugs you that the player might be able to use knock off to remove the item, just the lefties would probably do the trick. That, and how would you logically explain the nurse's pokémon magically healing themselves? Some kind of medicine they take before battle? The incredible effects of extreme healthy living? (Why aren't these things that the player's pokémon can do?) I'm not saying that there's no explanation for it—just that the explanation needs to be there.

That's something you'd have to keep in mind for all of these effects, really. Not necessarily some kind of in-depth physiological breakdown of the bird keepers' flight training regime that results in higher speed for their pidgeotto, but just a reason for each bonus to be in the game and some reason for the player not to be able to have it. It could even be something as simple/handwavy as there being, I dunno, "specialist badges" that give certain types certain stat boosts or other effects. Just like the older canon games (idk if Essentials does this) will raise your pokémon's attack or special defense if you have a certain badge or number of badges, maybe bug catchers who have passed the Ultimate Bug Catcher Test get a "bug badge" that raises their pokémon's speed. (And hey, maybe there's a way for the player to take this Ultimate Bug Catcher Test if they're willing to go mono-bug themselves for at least a little while...)

Probably also worth thinking about how you'd let the player know that these effects were a thing in-game. If a scientist uses an X-item, you see the item use message and it's clear what's going on. If the bird keeper's level 27 pidgeotto is faster than the player's charmeleon when they just beat a lass with a level 27 pidgeotto that was slower, that needs to be telegraphed somehow. Maybe it's announced by a toast pop-up when the battle starts, maybe you have a stat boost animation play, maybe you just do your best to make sure that the trainers' pre-battle dialogue hints at it ("My pidgeotto is faster than any you've faced before thanks to our special training!" etc., etc.)... just something else to think about as you're designing a feature like this.

So yeah, just a few thoughts that came to mind. Can't say I have a ton of interest in implementing something like this in my own work—although then again, I don't have much interest in making main-series-style Pokémon fangames in general—but if this were implemented logically and with all the obvious considerations for balance, I think I'd enjoy playing a game that included it.

 

[Dragonite]

I assume you mean beyond "all Doctors carry Full Restores," in which case I actually really like this idea to the point where I kind of want to work on a Pokémon game again. Maybe you could take it a step forwards and give the player the bonuses, too, depending on the Trainer class they write down on their Trainer Card. Also, not all of the "bonuses" have to be necessarily good. Here's a short-ish list of trainer class ideas:

- Ace Trainer: 10% to every stat
- Bird Keeper: 25% Speed to Pokémon marked as "bird"
- Black Belt: +1 stage of Critical Hit chance to Fighting Pokémon
- Champion: 30% chance to survive a fatal hit with one HP
- Fisherman: free Leftovers for Water Pokémon
- Hiker: if Pokémon endures a hit with Sturdy, recover 50% of maximum HP
- Pokémaniac: 10% all stats for Nidos (all species), 5% Attack and Special Attack for Pokémon marked as "unusual"
- Policeman: whatever the effect of the Quick Claw is
- Psychic: if a Pokémon uses a move in succession, the second hit does 1.5X damage (sort of like the Metronome item)
- Scientist: 25% Special Attack for whatever variety of Pokémon they most commonly use
- Youngster: 10% chance to flinch for no reason

God, I want to play a Johto game now . . .

If the bird keeper's level 27 pidgeotto is faster than the player's charmeleon when they just beat a lass with a level 27 pidgeotto that was slower, that needs to be telegraphed somehow

Maybe not, as long as the game itself tells the player that some trainer classes offer bonuses (perhaps on one of the Trainer Tips boards which nobody reads) you'll be fine.