Pokemon and MMOs seem like such a natural collaboration. They lend themselves to each other so well that it would work almost perfectly. I'm not the only one who thinks this as fans have been clamoring for one ever since the success of World of Warcraft. Even people who don’t like MMOs are interested in one based around Pokemon. Here's the problem: It’ll never happen. Not with Nintendo’s current view of online. But I still believe it has an incredible amount of potential, so with that in mind, I decided to create my own hypothetical Pokemon MMO called Pokemon World. 

Yesterday we took you through the character creation and initial quest structure of this possible blockbuster, but we didn't spend much time getting into the nitty-gritty. Today we take a look at the near limitless potential that the world of Pokemon offers MMORPG players. Dig it:

Time to Train

Now that players have their first Pokemon and subclass, it's time to set out into the world and begin training. By now everyone knows how Pokemon plays. It's a turn-based RPG with up to six Pokemon in a trainer's team, each of which knows four different moves. The amount of Pokemon trainers can carry and how many moves they know won't change. These are staples of the series that shouldn't be changed. What should be changed is the way battles play out and the way in which Pokemon are trained.

Battles should be as dynamic and exciting as the anime. It's boring watching one Pokemon hit the other until one faints. One would think that this would mean to take direct control of the Pokemon, but I think players should be the trainer at all times. Instead of just standing back and ordering moves, the player would also have limited control on how the Pokemon went about their battle. Five unique commands would be available: Dodge, Counter, Defend, Environment, and Distance.

Dodge commands the Pokemon to avoid an incoming attack, raising their evasion stat. Counter depletes the evasion statistic but allows for a guaranteed hit. Defend increases the defense statistic and ensures that an attack will only have at least half its power. Environment would intruct the Pokemon to use their surroundings in battle. For example, an electric Pokemon could lure its opponent to a shallow puddle to increase its electric attack. Distance tells the Pokemon to get away from its opponent to avoid close range attacks. These commands would be done on the fly during battle forcing trainers to watch very closely. However these commands cannot be used indefinitely thanks to each Pokemon's stamina gauge. If Dodge is selected after an opponent's attack every time, the stamina gauge will quickly deplete and Commands will not be available. Smart management of the limited gauge would be important to battles though it refills automatically after every battle.

The Commands are also limited by how well a Pokemon has been trained and in what areas it was trained in. So if a Pokemon is told to dodge and it hasn't been trained in evasion, it will be much slower than a Pokemon that has. Speed is extremely important when it comes to Commands. Even if a player's Pokemon has been trained in speed and dodge is chosne, the attack will still hit if the other trainer's Pokemon is faster. That's not to say that the Commands will work 100% of the time. They are a tool that can be improved but not perfected.

Experience, as already mentioned, would be divided into two categories: Training and Battle. Battle is exactly like every other Pokemon game where beating other Pokemon raises its level and allows it to learn new moves and maybe evolve. The ability to actually train Pokemon is a completely new feature in Pokemon World. Training Pokemon earns players Training points which are paramount to being able to level. Just like in the anime, trainers have to interact and work with their Pokemon in order to make them mature as battlers. By using tools for them to train with, Pokemon earn Training points that unlock their ability to develop as fighters. Toys, which can be bought at Pokemarts, are used to let Pokemon unwind and keep them from building up too much stress. The toys also create Trust between trainers and each of their Pokemon. The more Trust they have, the more likely they are to react quickly to Commands.

Completely ignoring the training aspect of raising Pokemon will prevent trainers from further exploring the world. If a player fails to train their Pokemon at all, the highest level it can reach is 15. Only by training and building up Trust can Pokemon become stronger and unlock the ability to grow to levels beyond 15. The level cap for the game would be 90 with levels being unlocked in increments of 15 (so 16-30, 31-45, 46-60, 61-75, 76-90). Training your Pokemon will also increase stats, unlock new Commands like Combine (your Pokemon combines two attacks into one devastating attack but loses a lot of stamina), and increase the chances of a Final Attack. The Final Attack is available when a Pokemon is attacked and should have fainted but instead has 1 HP left. It will be able to attack one more time, doubling the power of the final chosen move. The chances of it happening are directly related to how much Trust the trainer has with that Pokemon.

The stats of your Pokemon increase a preset amount with Battle experience, but training the Pokemon allows players to increase whichever stats they prefer. Each statistic takes roughly the same amount of time to train with the exception of Trust, which can only be leveled by playing with the Pokemon. Training HP consists of aerobic exercise where the focus is on the Pokemon's stamina. Training Attack and Special Attack has players sparring with their Pokemon either with tools or one of their other Pokemon. Training Defense and Special Defense consist of lifting weights and experiencing tough trials. Finally, training Speed includes sprinting exercises and other track and field activities. Each level needed has a quota that you must fulfill, but if you choose, you can go for the maximum stat option which takes a lot of time but ensures that the Pokemon will be at its best before going up a level. Only the most dedicated Trainers will likely go after that option as each level requires more and more time to reach the maximum stat.

Telling a Story

Pokemon has never been a story-intensive series. Players are given just enough to know the world, to know that some people use Pokemon in bad ways, and that they want to be the best. And really, that's all that is needed. Something a little more in-depth would be nice, but an MMO is not the place to do it. However, each region will have its own unique story and the role the trainers play in it is up to them.

In Kanto, Pokemon are disappearing all over the region. Fields that used to overflow with Pokemon only have a scant few left. Scientists are trying to research the cause of this, but they have no idea that the new Team Apex is the one behind the disappearances. Team Apex has created a new cloning technique that doubles the power of the clone compared to the original. The originals are being kept in a massive facility in which they are forced to battle the clones until they expire. As a Trainer, players are compelled out of a sense of compassion to stop Team Apex's plans, but if the player joined Team Rocket, they want to stop the new rival team and steal their technology for their own uses. It's possible to make this story even deeper by having Pokemon World take place before the first generation, which means that Apex is stopped but Team Rocket gets their hands on cloning technology that they use to create Mewtwo.

In Johto, trainers are having their Pokemon stolen right out from under them. They tell of a mysterious Pokeball which is able to capture already caught Pokemon. As players go along, they discover that Team Apex has created the Snag Ball with the desire to capture the strongest Pokemon that have already been trained by top trainers. Where Kanto's story is more about Pokemon being used in an inhumane way, Johto is about the connection between trainers and their Pokemon. If players lose to a Team Apex member in Johto, they will have one of their Pokemon snagged. The only way to get it back is to defeat that member in battle. Any Pokemon that he had stolen previously will be returned to the player. By helping other trainers, players are risking their own bond. For Team Rocket members, they merely want to destroy the rival Team and displace them from their establishment in Johto.

In Hoenn, rumors persist among the people of an underwater city jointly created by Kyogre, Groudon, and Rayquaza. You find yourself caught up in the search for the city as it's rumored to be the home of many rare Pokemon. Of course, Team Apex wants to use the Pokemon for their own desires, but it's up to players to stop them. The city would be the final dungeon before heading toward the Pokemon League. Hoenn's story is about the adventurous nature of the Pokemon World.

Meanwhile, in Sinnoh, Team Apex has perfected a machine that's able to create portals to another dimension. They have done this in the hopes of finding Arceus, the Alpha Pokemon. Team Apex is successful in their contact with him but his power overwhelms them and Arceus escapes into our world. His anger causes destruction wherever he goes but there is no way for trainers to overpower him on their own. While stopping Team Apex at every turn, players are tasked with finding and appeasing Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, Cresselia, Darkrai, and Shaymin to combine their power and return Arceus to his dimension. It is impossible to capture these legendary Pokemon at this point and must be done at a later time. Sinnoh's story is about the power that Legendary Pokemon possess.

Becoming a Master

After defeating the Gym Leaders and completing the story, the world of Pokemon truly opens up. The most obvious thing players can do is work on completing their Pokedex. There are 493 Pokemon and counting to catch which means it will be the single most difficult task in the entire game. Nothing's really changed about catching Pokemon. Players still have to weaken them, still throw a Pokeball, and still have to hope and pray that it actually works. The only change in Pokemon World is that a wild Pokemon's aggression come into play. Certain species are highly territorial so it's possible to get attacked by more than one wild Pokemon at a time. Each Pokemon also has varying stats and personalities much like the handheld games and rare, shiny Pokemon can be caught too. Most of this is just cosmetic changes that fit into the design of MMO. The more interesting changes come into play with the introduction of the Pokemon League.

It's always been kind of hard to believe that the player and his or her rival are the only two trainers to beat the Gym Leaders in the main games. With that in mind, it is up to players to overcome one final challenge: win the Pokemon League tournament. The tournament takes place every month and is only open to trainers that have collected every Gym Badge in that region. Rather than fighting NPCs, the Pokemon League tournament is strictly Player vs. Player. Matches take place concurrently in order to prevent the tournament from going too long. The one who wins the tournament is granted an unlimited pass to challenge that region's Elite Four until victory. Once the Elite Four are defeated, players are not made the Pokemon Champion. Far from it. The player has only become a winner of that region's League. The path to becoming a Pokemon Master is much longer.

Players have to beat the Gym Leaders, win the Pokemon League tournament, and defeat the Elite Four in three other regions before they are invited to the Pokemon Master tournament. Defeating the other gyms won't be simple either. Because new players are constantly taking on the gyms, the levels of their Pokemon will be set. What that means is players can't take on the first couple of gym leaders with a level 60 team. Instead, trainers have to create an entirely new team either with Pokemon from that region or that they have already caught that are at the appropriate level.

By the time trainers would be able to take on the Pokemon Master tournament, they could have many different teams to pick and choose from. The Pokemon Master tournament is also Player vs. Player. The tournament is held only four times a year with slightly different rules. Rather than the team of Pokemon being healed between each match, damage from each battle is carried over to the next. This Survival Tournament among the best trainers would truly allow one to stand out as a Pokemon Master. The winner will have their character's portrait, name, and winning team placed in the Pokemon League Hall of Fame as well as be granted the title of Master. The Pokemon Master will also be given a new outfit befitting their status and immediate access to all Legendary Pokemon instances.

The quest to be a Master is not the only journey players can go on. There are also four other regions besides Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh and (eventually) the 5th generation's region. They include the Sevii Islands, Orange Islands, Battle Frontier, and a Pokemon World-only region called Okina. The Sevii Islands are basically available to catch different Pokemon and take on different trainers. The Orange Islands would play out much like the anime where it's mostly a challenge of how well you've trained your Pokemon. It's a good place to earn extra Training Points and build Trust. The Battle Frontier introduces many different ways of battling with specific rules for each Frontier Brain. Defeating each Brain grants access to special items and other prizes. Finally, the Okina region is for the players specifically. It's a challenge for the players by the players. There would be the typical NPCs, towns, and gyms, but there is no overarching story. Instead, players compete to either become Gym Leaders or members of the Elite Four while other trainers try to collect all the gym badges. Rather than eight gyms, there would be eighteen: one for each type and the eighteenth one for a balanced team. Trainers who have beaten at least eight gyms would then compete in the Pokemon League tournament against other players. The top five would get to take on the Okina Elite Four for a chance at winning a Pokemon of their choice from a list of the ones they've seen with the exception of Legendaries. However, they only can beat the Elite Four once.

Gyms and the Elite Four would be run under a guild system. It's impossible for one person to take on all the challenges so members of guilds would be the representative gym leaders. Rival guilds can challenge gym leaders for control of the gym in a Moderator-watched match between five trainers from each side. The Elite Four would be handled in a similar manner. The reward for being a gym leader is a greater income, more outfit choices, more training and battle experience, and the same prize as the winner of the Okina League. Once they reach gym leader status, they get to choose one Pokemon that they have seen before. The reward for the Elite Four is the same except that they get two Pokemon of their choice.

Finally, tournaments can spring up at any time all over the Pokemon World, each with their own set of rules. Possible tournaments include 1 vs. 1 battles only, 2 vs. 2 battles only, Survival Tournaments, Type Tournaments where only Pokemon of the same type can be entered, Partner Tournaments in both the 1 vs. 1 and 2 vs. 2 variety, and Legendary Tournaments where only Legendary Pokemon can be entered. The winner of these tournaments would earn money, rare items or TMs, and more clothes and furniture to decorate their apartment with. All tournaments, including the Pokemon League and Master tournaments, can be watched by all players whenever they want through their Pokegear. No one wants to miss out on an awesome battle.

Odds and Ends

Pokemon World is almost complete. I've covered everything I wanted to talk about except for some odds and ends. First, if a trainer's Pokemon team gets knocked out, then he or she will be transported to the nearest Pokemon Center and lose a portion of their money as well as lose Trust from all the Pokemon in that team. All matches, including Player vs. Player, will earn the winning player experience points. Players can also compete in Super Contests and the Pokelethon in a similar manner to the handheld games. NPC trainers can and will have up to six Pokemon in their team. Each Legendary Pokemon is treated as an instance that can only be accessed by tournament winners or through lottery tickets. There are group quests, many of which have restrictions like only one Pokemon per trainer or only certain types. Training areas exist so Trainers can train their Pokemon without getting challenged to battle. Fan Clubs will work in the same way that guilds do in other MMOs. Whoever captures all 493 Pokemon, a feat harder than becoming Pokemon Master, will receive a signed Trophy from the game creator.

Beyond the gameplay is the question of what system Pokemon World should be on and how it should be structured. To me, there is only two viable options: the next generation Nintendo system or the PC. The next-gen system seems more likely, but I think Nintendo should look into PCs. The user base is massive, the design is already there, and they could hand the monitoring of the game to a second or third party. This doesn't mean that the next-gen Nintendo system wouldn't work though. First of all, it would be a massive exclusive that could pull millions of people into buying Nintendo's system. Second, one would hope that Nintendo's internet structure would be more hammered out by this point. Third, the increase in graphical power would allow the developer to create a style a bit more timeless. Either option would work fine in my opinion. The cost of Pokemon World should also be looked at. The fairest price would be $50 for the game itself with the first two months free. After that, ten dollars a month would be charged. The first two months would be enough to really hook players while the (relatively) cheap monthly cost would be competitive to other MMOs.

The communication aspect of the game should also be looked at. As many servers as required would be created with each one containing all the features I've mentioned previously. The servers would also have the Friends and Rivals system. Any of the other players that you meet can be added to your friend's list. Once added, you can contact them for battles, trades, or just to chat. The Rivals system is a bit different in that two players agree to be rivals and are constantly updated on each other's progress. Once a day, a battle with the rival will net double the experience points. Players are not limited to one rival either. They can have up to five with the ability to change rivals at any time.

What makes Pokemon World a bit different from other MMOs is that almost all talking between players would be with voice chat as it would be bundled with the next generation of Wii Speak. This would be handled in the form of channels. The Personal channel would be between two players. The Group channel would be between a specific group. The Fan channel would be between the members of a Fan Club. The Trade channel would be between people looking to trade. The Battle channel is for those looking for battles. And finally the Community channel would be for those who just wanted to talk about Pokemon and get tips on the game from other players. Switching between channels would be at the press of a button. Except for the Personal, Group, and Fan channel, all channels would have an area of effect to help cut down on chats becoming nothing but mindless crowd talk.

The channel system would seem to invite child predators but this is where the parental controls would come in. Parents would be encouraged to determine how much they want their child to actually chat. It could go anywhere between full access to no chatting whatsoever. There are also mid-grounds where individual channels could be blocked. For example, I'm okay with my kid playing this game, but I don't want any personal talking. He can only access channels with more than one person in it.

Finally, because kids would undoubtedly play this game, players could only choose normal names. There would be no online handles or anything of the sort visible to the other players that could contain crude words. Only Bill, Sarah, Jake and so on. However, because this invites overlaps in names, the player's hidden last name would be their handle to help differentiate between players. So if there were three Jakes and I wanted to be friends with one, I would ask his handle, and he would tell me Jake Slimdude, and I'd enter it into my friend's list. The last name would be completely unique to the player. Parents would also be able to determine whether their child could have friends on their list or not. It is designed to reassure both Nintendo and the parents that there are precautions in place if they choose to use them.

With that, my vision of Pokemon World is complete. While it’s doubtful that any of this will come to be, it demonstrates the vast potential of an MMO based in the Pokemon universe. Hopefully Nintendo will actually make these wishes and ideas happen someday, but until then, Pokemon fanatics can only dream of the possibilities.