Last week we looked at Pokèmon Unite’s battle pass as an example of why more complicated systems aren’t always better than their simpler predecessors. This week, there’s another topic in Unite that I really want to touch on, but before I do, I feel the need to say that I am genuinely enjoying the game. The core gameplay has really surprised me with how entertaining it can be. Maybe I feel compelled to point out flaws in its design because I really want the game to be the best version of itself and show its full potential. Or maybe I’m just a grumpy old fart who wants to complain about how things have changed from the good old days. Anyway:
The implementation of Pokèmon Unite’s held items seems like it is going to create a massive problem for anyone trying to improve at the game. There, I said it. So what am I talking about?
What is this system?
In Pokèmon Unite, there are several “held items” that players may equip to their Pokèmon to increase their in-game strength. These items are unlocked by either leveling up your trainer (via playing the game), or purchasing them in the in-game store. Once unlocked, each of these items are grade 1, providing a tiny amount of power to the Pokèmon they are equipped to. Their grade and corresponding power level can be increased up to grade 30 by spending Item Enhancers (Pokèmon Unite’s currency for item upgrading). And that’s where this system creates a problem.
The wrench
Certain Pokèmon are going to end up favoring having specific held items equipped. For instance, Pokèmon that rely on their basic attack for damage are generally going to prefer items that enhance their basic attack. Similarly, players who are learning the game are going to favor one or two of the Pokèmon classes:
Supporter: Low damage and survivability, but provide health, damage, and/or survivability buffs to allied Pokèmon.
All-Rounder: Medium damage, survivability, and mobility; the jack-of-all-trades, but master of none class if you will.
Attacker: High damage over time, but low survivability and mobility.
Defender: High survivability, but low damage and mobility.
Speedster: High damage and mobility, but extremely low survivability.
These players are also going to be spending their Item Enhancers to enhance the items that benefit their class of Pokèmon. These Item Enhancers are earned primarily through three methods:
Leveling up your player avatar (trainer) by playing the game.
Progressing through the battle pass
Purchasing them in the store for fashion tickets (an in-game currency earned by playing) or gems (an in-game currency purchasable with real money)
Item Enhancers are earned at a slow enough rate that players are extremely unlikely to spend them upgrading held items that are not useful for their preferred class. If you’re planning to play as a low-damage supporter for 75% of your games, why waste your hard-earned Item Enhancers on upgrading held items that increase your Pokèmon’s damage?
Players are almost never going to just play a single class every single game, however. Whether they need to pick a different class to strengthen their team’s composition, or if they think a Pokèmon outside their normal class looks fun, players will need to be able to play more than one class. With the current held item system, they will be at a strict disadvantage from the moment the game starts. When players feel like their skill with a given Pokèmon is being overpowered by their opponents’ held item advantage, this system becomes a serious point of frustration. And yet, with the current iteration of this system, players’ skills will frequently be overshadowed by the mismatch in held item strength, thus incentivizing them to only play Pokèmon from the first class whose items they powered up. While this will eventually stop being a problem for players once they maximize the power of all of the held items, why give players this reason to not stick around?
But Why?
So why was this system added in the first place? If I had to guess, which I do, I would say one reason is to provide players an opportunity to make strategic decisions outside of each match. Allowing players to augment their preferred style of play when playing a MOBA has rightfully received praise in both League of Legends and Heroes of the Storm. This strategic customization gives players more of a sense of ownership over their hero, champion, or Pokèmon: they’re not just controlling Gengar, they’re controlling their Gengar. It also gives players more opportunities to experiment with different strategic choices, thus increasing player engagement.
Another reason is to give players a feeling of progression, and provide them long-term goals to work towards. Since each match starts your Pokèmon at lv 1 regardless of how many matches you have played, the matches themselves do not provide a lot of opportunity for long-term goals outside of progressing through a ranked system. Single match-based games such as Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas (MOBAs), card games, and many multiplayer first person shooters, are not designed to have the same level of consistent growth over multiple play sessions that Massive Multiplayer Online (MMO) games, 4X games, and roguelikes do. The held items, and associated Item Enhancers, give players a reason to return to Pokèmon Unite, unlock the next held item, and fully upgrade it with Item Enhancers.
This Item Enhancer system is also a monetization opportunity, since Pokèmon Unite allows players to purchase Item Enhancers for real-world money. This creates a problem where the game can become pay-to-win for newer players however, which is a huge red flag for players used to competitive games. Why bother improving your skills when you can spend $20 to do more damage than your opponent?
So how do we fix it?
I would remove the Item Enhancer system entirely. Doing this also means changing the held items to provide a static power increase, since there would no longer be a way to increase the held items’ power level via Item Enhancers. This means that once players unlock a held item, the item provides the exact same level of power increase that everyone else’s items provide, and there isn’t nearly as much of a power disparity when the game starts. It also removes a system that allows players to spend real world money to gain a competitive advantage over their opponents. Pay-to-win systems have thrived on mobile titles such as Clash of Clans, but the PC and console markets have largely rejected these systems in competitive Player vs Player games.
A downside of removing Item Enhancers is that Pokèmon Unite loses a monetization opportunity. Pokèmon Unite offers a wide variety of other options for players to spend money on however, including spending real money on:
Unlocking Pokèmon to use in-game.
Unlocking skins to change their Pokèmon’s appearance
Temporarily increasing the amount of Aeos Coins (another form of in-game currency used to unlock things) gained through playing matches.
Unlocking skins to change their in-game avatar’s appearance.
Aeos Energy (yet another in-game currency) used to earn random rewards through a system very similar to loot boxes.
Temporarily increasing the amount of Battle Points earned after each math to level their avatar up faster.
...And more!
Removing this system would also remove the opportunity for players to set long-term goals of fully enhancing the held items. Other MOBA such as League of Legends and DotA 2 have thrived without a comparable system, and been better games for it. Players still need to work towards unlocking all of the Pokèmon, progressing through the battle pass, leveling up their in-game avatar, and climbing the competitive ladder. These systems should provide players more than enough opportunities to compensate for the loss of the Item Enhancer system.
In closing
Systems that allow players to customize their champion, hero, or Pokèmon can provide players an important opportunity to strategize outside of a given match, and encourage them to engage with the game more. However, when these systems are not carefully implemented, they can provide extremely frustrating experiences for newer players. And when your game is almost a month old, we’re all new players.
On the off chance any of the Pokèmon Unite developers ever read this, I promise the next time I write about your game I’ll gush about some feature or system that I love. This isn’t a make-fun-of-the-new-kid-on-the-MOBA-block party. In the meantime, keep growing and evolving, and I’ll see you next week!
-Mark
Comments