The Official B&W/5th gen Discussion Thread - GAMES OUT EVERYWHERE

[Kayo]

I played the demo yesterday (For both black and white). The battle system is fast paced and looks great. This will probably be the first game I keep the animations on for.
The illusion pokemon does some really cool stuff. I'm pumped. The seasons looked great. Winter and spring are my favorite.
I can't wait. ;-;

I do like the seasons thing. They just seem like they're a month off at least. Like, Winter is April, August, and December. Basically, none of the dominantly winter months (Jan-March) are winter, and also the hottest month of the year (August for me) is winter. Maybe they wanted it to fit with the first day of each season (If I'm remembering right, June, which has the first day of Summer, is a summer month in B/W, etc), which would make sense, but it just seems a little off to me.

Not that I completely care. I like the seasons.

[The Riddler]

I do like the seasons thing. They just seem like they're a month off at least. Like, Winter is April, August, and December. Basically, none of the dominantly winter months (Jan-March) are winter, and also the hottest month of the year (August for me) is winter. Maybe they wanted it to fit with the first day of each season (If I'm remembering right, June, which has the first day of Summer, is a summer month in B/W, etc), which would make sense, but it just seems a little off to me.

Not that I completely care. I like the seasons.

...One month = one season. There is no deeper meaning. They did not have a specific reason for timing months with seasons. They simply made it that the season changes every month.

Fucking idiot.

[bluaki]

I do like the seasons thing. They just seem like they're a month off at least. Like, Winter is April, August, and December. Basically, none of the dominantly winter months (Jan-March) are winter, and also the hottest month of the year (August for me) is winter. Maybe they wanted it to fit with the first day of each season (If I'm remembering right, June, which has the first day of Summer, is a summer month in B/W, etc), which would make sense, but it just seems a little off to me.

Not that I completely care. I like the seasons.

Not only does your concept of seasons seem a little off, but there's a better reason for them to select the months that they did:
Spring may be seen as the default season (its appearance most closely resembles what all other Pokemon games have looked like) and the first season of the year (think Harvest Moon). So, January (first month of the year) is Spring, as well as August (the month that Japan received the game release).

Your mental season cycle is what's a month off. Most people see winter as Dec-Feb (Dec is winter in Pokemon), spring as Mar-May (Pokemon has May), summer as Jun-Aug (B/W share June), autumn as Sept-Nov (B/W share November). Considering that the real seasons last 3 months and the game season cycle is four, having these four months as the same season in both the real world and Pokemon is the closest they could be. If January is a Winter month or August is a Summer month, then we'd share no Spring months with Pokemon (both February and June would be Spring; the months before and after spring).

tl;dr the developers made the best possible choice of month-season association, given that seasons are to change monthly. Don't complain about something that isn't wrong.

[Kayo]

Jesus intercourse ing christ people. Not understanding what I'm saying at all. I know it makes sense, I just don't like it. I would have preferred something like this, but that's just my personal preference:
Jan- Winter
Feb- Spring
March- Summer
April- Fall
May- Winter
June- Spring
July- Summer
August- Fall
September- Winter
October- Spring
November- Summer
December- Fall
That way shares a Winter month (January), a Spring month (June), a Summer month (July) and a fall month (December). I still view December as fall, even though some people might think winter because holidays are often commercially associated with winter, and mass advertised all month.

I know they didn't care, but don't call me a intercourse ing idiot just because I see things differently. And Blu, I don't see like most people, considering I don't see March as Spring because it's mostly winter, but WHATEVER. It's my opinion. You see it differently, ok. Just saying.

[Zero]

Derp

[Kayo]

Bah, whatever. I like the seasons thing no matter what month it is and let's just leave it at that.

Although I don't think I would mind so much if it actually followed the regular season pattern, like 3 months per season. Yeah, it might be annoying having to wait until winter to get those Ice-types (especially because the game comes out right at the end of winter and what if you forget and etc) but I dunno, I guess I just like the idea of the Pokémon world mimicking the real world in that way. Besides, I'll get those Ice-types once then just breed them if I want more.

Yet I see exactly why they did it on a monthly cycle though, and it makes perfect sense. Ignoring any kind of realism, I'm content with the seasons being one month.

[bluaki]

Bah, whatever. I like the seasons thing no matter what month it is and let's just leave it at that.

Although I don't think I would mind so much if it actually followed the regular season pattern, like 3 months per season. Yeah, it might be annoying having to wait until winter to get those Ice-types (especially because the game comes out right at the end of winter and what if you forget and etc) but I dunno, I guess I just like the idea of the Pokémon world mimicking the real world in that way. Besides, I'll get those Ice-types once then just breed them if I want more.

Yet I see exactly why they did it on a monthly cycle though, and it makes perfect sense. Ignoring any kind of realism, I'm content with the seasons being one month.

Because B/W are the first games to implement a season cycle, they are bound to abuse it more than any future generation will. I think that, if it's later not as mandatory in the game to play the other seasons, we'll get the real world's season cycle in later Pokemon games.

[Kayo]

Because B/W are the first games to implement a season cycle, they are bound to abuse it more than any future generation will. I think that, if it's later not as mandatory in the game to play the other seasons, we'll get the real world's season cycle in later Pokemon games.

The changes might me less drastic. Actually, since we have Deerling and Sawsbuck now, there will definitely be seasons in every game in the future. I doubt it will be like day/night and disappear the following generation. Just in the future maybe the climate will show cosmetic changes in different seasons, but there will still be that icy cave or mountaintop year round where you can always get your Ice pokemon. That seems to be the only real difference in the seasons here that actually impacts gameplay. Except there's probably more things I missed.

[JrDude]

The changes might me less drastic. Actually, since we have Deerling and Sawsbuck now, there will definitely be seasons in every game in the future. I doubt it will be like day/night and disappear the following generation. Just in the future maybe the climate will show cosmetic changes in different seasons, but there will still be that icy cave or mountaintop year round where you can always get your Ice pokemon. That seems to be the only real difference in the seasons here that actually impacts gameplay. Except there's probably more things I missed.

Well, with those Pokémon, it can easily be taken out. Just have them be different depending on the area they're sent out on, like Burmy. If it's a winter climate, they become winter coated, when they go inside a building, they remain the form they were in when they were outside. Maybe even be like Burmy's evo and stay the way it is when it evolves? Or possibly be like Shellos and just stay how it is from where it was caught. Though I think seasons are gonna stay, they can still easily take it out.

[bluaki]

Well, with those Pokémon, it can easily be taken out. Just have them be different depending on the area they're sent out on, like Burmy. If it's a winter climate, they become winter coated, when they go inside a building, they remain the form they were in when they were outside. Maybe even be like Burmy's evo and stay the way it is when it evolves? Or possibly be like Shellos and just stay how it is from where it was caught. Though I think seasons are gonna stay, they can still easily take it out.

Like Shellos, they always remain the same form from capture even through battles, trade, and evolution. My PC has all four seasons' versions of both deer at the same time and none of them are ever going to change. (Unlike Shellos, I believe an egg will hatch to the current season's rather than the parent's form)

I never said or implied in my last post that they'll remove the seasons; rather, they may (like Animal Crossing) make it based perfectly on real life's seasons' dates eventually. Considering that clocks with date are a standard feature in all game systems of today and the future, there's no reason that day/night or seasons would be removed.

[Kayo]

My PC has all four seasons' versions of both deer at the same time and none of them are ever going to change. (Unlike Shellos, I believe an egg will hatch to the current season's rather than the parent's form)

Wait... how? Don't they all change to whatever season it is? I thought that's how it worked... it depends on when you obtain it?

[JrDude]

I thought they worked like Burmy, except season-wise. Huh.

[Kayo]

I always thought they just change form in the different seasons.

They're less cool now. :(

[bluaki]

Wait... how? Don't they all change to whatever season it is? I thought that's how it worked... it depends on when you obtain it?

Yes, it depends on when you obtain it (as far as I've checked). I doubt it, but perhaps one of the things I just said is wrong and it could update its seasonal appearance during a certain event; however, I do at least know for certain that the form will not change while in the PC.

I'm fairly sure I've at least tried battling with my Deerling in an alternate season and verified that its form didn't change.

[Kayo]

Yes, it depends on when you obtain it (as far as I've checked). I doubt it, but perhaps one of the things I just said is wrong and it could update its seasonal appearance during a certain event; however, I do at least know for certain that the form will not change while in the PC.

I'm fairly sure I've at least tried battling with my Deerling in an alternate season and verified that its form didn't change.

So I'll have to do all my breeding in the winter. That's my favorite form, though I hate winter IRL.