Sword and Shield director explains why they made it so EXP share can’t be turned off

[Wonderrade]

The more I think about it the more I struggle to find a reason for why the ability to turn it off needed to be removed. Like what does gamefreak lose by having the option there?

Even if you think it might be for balance, couldnt you just have a box appear that says if you turn this off it could increase the difficulty? Doesnt feel that crazy.

 

[pokéfan]

This is where we can rightly criticise Gamefreak for a baffling decision, why not make it optional!?

giving players options and how they want to play is the best choice, don't take matters into your own hands and force someone to play it when it has been a option for many years.

 

[Mekanos]

Here's an example of not needing to grind in older Pokemon games:

I replayed Platinum last month, and there is a route between Pastoria and Hearthome that is full of trainers and optional to explore. I intentionally left that route unexplored until I hatched a Riolu. Then I took that Riolu, attached a Soothe Bell to it, and put it in front of my party, before swapping it out when the trainer sent out their own Pokemon, and did this repeatedly to gain experience. By the time the route was over, Riolu had gained 15-20ish levels and evolved into Lucario. If you battle every trainer in the game, you should have enough experience to beat the Elite Four.

 

[Melody]

I know that. I've played them all. Its not even about challenge more so than grinding the pokemon that didn't get leveled up which is inconvenient not difficult.

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Not trying to call you out necessarily but I see this kind of post on Era so often that it borders on parody at this point.

The point is to not grind them up. You play with underleveled Pokémon. It makes the games more fun for some people, since they're beatable even being very underleveled.

 

[Cantaim]

That's cool now please bring back the ability to turn it off in a day 1 patch. Thank you and bye

 

[Deleted member 2669]

They really are dumb as bricks.

 

[Lumination]

I don't really care whether or not exp share is optional, but what an obnoxious answer lol

 

[Flame Flamey]

This might be a more baffling decision than how they handled difficulty modes in B2W2. I dont understand why they couldn't keep it as a toggle that can be turned off. Would it be that resource-intensive to put that toggle in? I'm having a hard time imagining it would be.

I dont want to have to have a team of only one at all times when previously I could just not use the Exp. Share.

 

[Deleted member 49643]

what current RPG titles have the ability to turn shared party EXP off right now?

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I said other rpgs have a hard mode which pokemon lacks. Exp share off is the closest thing we had to a hard mode (well even then it's more like a normal mode at best).

 

[Jonovision]

I guess i`ll have to level up two teams then so I don't out level every one by 10 or more levels by end game.

 

[Camjo-Z]

Of the many questionable decisions in Sw/Sh this is probably the one that I find least egregious, but it's still weird that they won't just let people who desperately want to grind turn it off.

 

[weekev]

Seems like a non issue to me. I get the Dexit complaints (also doesn't bother me on the slightest) but this doesn't seem like an issue at all. People need to chill the fuck out. Jesus

 

[Mekanos]

Seems like a non issue to me. I get the Dexit complaints (also doesn't bother me on the slightest) but this doesn't seem like an issue at all. People need to chill the fuck out. Jesus

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The issue has been explained in detail many times over several threads, including this one.

 

[pokéfan]

I guess i`ll have to level up two teams then so I don't out level every one by 10 or more levels by end game.

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Yeah same here, only way around it, perhaps even 3 teams

 

[Metto]

The more I think about it the more I struggle to find a reason for why the ability to turn it off needed to be removed. Like what does gamefreak lose by having the option there?

Even if you think it might be for balance, couldnt you just have a box appear that says if you turn this off it could increase the difficulty? Doesnt feel that crazy.

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They probably didn't think it was that big of a deal.

They saw every other RPG including the most beloved ones of the generation have similar EXP systems and had data that the playerbase weren't really using it to begin with and figured it wouldn't be a big deal to make it mandatory and thought it would be a positive QOL change.

Maybe you can make the argument that them not understanding why it would be a big deal is a sign of being out of touch but even as a fan of the series I'm also shocked at how much backlash this decision has.

 

[Odeko]

Man Game Freak loves making it tough to be excited for their games huh?

They really just need to stop giving interviews. I would feel less insulted if they just slashed features without explaining it rather than peddling these ridiculous excuses.


So yeah fuck off Game Freak.

 

[Melody]

Yeah, Pokemon's leveling system before the modernized EXP Share in Gen 6 was out of the norm and kind of annoying to be honest.

Let the people who want to have their excessive grinding have it. Just include a warning before deactivating the EXP Share feature that it will mess with the balancing and make the game harder and more grindy.

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Again, you don't need to grind in Pokémon, even with XP share off. I don't get why people keep saying this in these threads. The point is to play underleveled.

 

[Serif]

Even if you think it might be for balance, couldnt you just have a box appear that says if you turn this off it could increase the difficulty? Doesnt feel that crazy.

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I don't think it's crazy at all. Exp. Share was on by default in the Gen VII games and they let you disable it. If the game is balanced around it then it can be the default - which is totally fine - and just preserve the ability to toggle it on or off.

 

[MayorSquirtle]

Of the many questionable decisions in Sw/Sh this is probably the one that I find least egregious, but it's still weird that they won't just let people who desperately want to grind turn it off.

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Posts like these are perhaps even more baffling to me than Game Freak's decision to remove the option. When has anyone ever needed to legitimately grind in Pokemon? People who want the option to turn it off aren't wanting the option for mandatory grinding, they're wanting the option to not end up drastically over-leveled by playing the game normally.

 

[weekev]

The issue has been explained in detail many times over several threads, including this one.

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Yup and every time I reckon people are making a big deal over something pretty small. I get that it's a tiny bit irritating for the minority of people that will play the game, but there are ways round it with the pc being so easily accessible.

 

[BassForever]

Seems like a non issue to me. I get the Dexit complaints (also doesn't bother me on the slightest) but this doesn't seem like an issue at all. People need to chill the fuck out. Jesus

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It's 2019 how hard is it to give people options in games? Fan's with hacked switches will probably be able to add it with a patch within a day or two. There is no excuse to take away options from players, especially ones that shouldn't be that hard to implement.

 

[Deleted member 35077]

That's... the dumbest reason to actually remove an option. Christ.

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Nah, that goes to their excuse for no Character customization in ORAS where Masuda said that the reason why ORAS didn't have character customization was because Hoenn wasn't known as a region of fashion and beauty. Basically confirming that only French people have a second set of clothes.

 

[Mekanos]

Yup and every time I reckon people are making a big deal over something pretty small. I get that it's a tiny bit irritating for the minority of people that will play the game, but there are ways round it with the pc being so easily accessible.

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Except swapping through the PC every time is time consuming and convoluted, and doesn't fix the issue of wanting multiple Pokemon to gain experience in the same battle (but not all of them). People will be annoyed that a way to play the games, originally the default way, for the last 20 years is gone now.

 

[Metto]

It's 2019 how hard is it to give people options in games? Fan's with hacked switches will probably be able to add it with a patch within a day or two. There is no excuse to take away options from players, especially ones that shouldn't be that hard to implement.

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What's every other RPG's excuse for not having the option either? Why is it so bad for Pokemon to try out not having it for one game when it has been standard for every other RPG?

 

[Deleted member 2669]

Yup and every time I reckon people are making a big deal over something pretty small. I get that it's a tiny bit irritating for the minority of people that will play the game, but there are ways round it with the pc being so easily accessible.

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You aren't giving the impression that you're actually making an effort to understand the issue.

 

[Odeko]

Yup and every time I reckon people are making a big deal over something pretty small. I get that it's a tiny bit irritating for the minority of people that will play the game, but there are ways round it with the pc being so easily accessible.

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I too love playing games where I can get through the entire endgame by mashing attack with my starter because the game gives you an item that multiplies incoming experience by 3.5x that it's not balanced for and so I end up 15 levels higher than every opponent I face.

What a great experience.

 

[Mekanos]

What's every other RPG's excuse for not having the option either? Why is it so bad for Pokemon to try out not having it for one game when it has been standard for every other RPG?

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Pokemon is not the same as other RPGs. It's an apples to oranges comparison. Most RPGs feature team battles and have party members join at the same level as the party.

This has been a way to play the games for 20 years and it's gone now. You think people won't be upset?

 

[1000% H]

inb4 they delete Set mode.

 

[Sterok]

Why do they keep giving interviews? They've never gone well ever since E3.

 

[pokéfan]

I'm fucking pissed, this annoys me more than dexit.

Nah, that goes to their excuse for no Character customization in ORAS where Masuda said that the reason why ORAS didn't have character customization was because Hoenn wasn't known as a region of fashion and beauty. Basically confirming that only French people have a second set of clothes.

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just wow, no wonder Pokemon always feels decades behind compared to the hardware its on.

 

[Antoo]

What's every other RPG's excuse for not having the option either? Why is it so bad for Pokemon to try out not having it for one game when it has been standard for every other RPG?

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Other RPGs have difficulty options. Pokémon has not except for in B2W2 where they were locked behind a stupid linking feature. This was the only way to make the game more challenging that isn't just creating your own rules and restrictions.

 

[Deleted member 51691]

Again, you don't need to grind in Pokémon, even with XP share off. I don't get why people keep saying this in these threads. The point is to play underleveled.

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I grind all the time in Pokemon what you mean

Maybe I just suck though

 

[Odeko]

What's every other RPG's excuse for not having the option either? Why is it so bad for Pokemon to try out not having it for one game when it has been standard for every other RPG?

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Other RPGs are balanced well and have difficulty levels. If people had any confidence in Sword and Shield being balanced competently they'd be more willing to give GF the benefit of the doubt, but as it stands we need as many levers to tweak the difficulty for ourselves as possible.

 

[Mekanos]

I grind all the time in Pokemon what you mean

Maybe I just suck though

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Do you battle every trainer? Because you can easily enter the Hall Of Fame 7-10 levels under the Elite Four. I do it every time.

 

[Shudouken]

There is no excuse to take away options from players, especially ones that shouldn't be that hard to implement.

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I'm with this. Small quality of life changes are always good. ALWAYS.
If only they'd let me skip all cutscenes by now I could forgive it, but I'm sure I'll have to watch my trainer throw out my pokemon for the millionth time.

 

[Xaszatm]

Except swapping through the PC every time is time consuming and convoluted, and doesn't fix the issue of wanting multiple Pokemon to gain experience in the same battle (but not all of them). People will be annoyed that a way to play the games, originally the default way, for the last 20 years is gone now.

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Actually given how it works with Let's Go I can see the thought process behind GF's decision. Let's Go Box system made it trivial to swap out pokemon at any point and even changed the UI to make it a far less hassle. The annoying thing about it in older games was the 4 menus you had to navigate to properly swap out teams. If the UI is similar to Let's Go then yeah I can see why they'd think just swapping pokemon overleveled out would just be a fix, even if I don't necessarily agree with it.

 

[Deleted member 34873]

Beautiful

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[HK-47]

That might be one of the dumbest reasons for a design decision I've ever read.

 

[The Adder]

They saw every other RPG including the most beloved ones of the generation have similar EXP systems and had data that the playerbase weren't really using it to begin with and figured it wouldn't be a big deal to make it mandatory and thought it would be a positive QOL change.

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Other RPGs aren't 1-on-1 character battles. The EXP needs to be spread out so that the games can be played without having to grind. Solo character runs are feats of Herculean skill.

Solo Pokemon runs, by contrast, make Pokemon games prior to XY's EXP All easier. Focusing all of the EXP into a single Pokemon puts that Pokemon 10 or more levels above anything else by end game, giving it the ability to shrug off even 4x super effective attacks and whittle down any opposition by itself.

EXP ALL takes that issue and makes it so your entire team gains experience like a single Pokemon run.

And removing the ability to turn it off makes the game extraordinarily easy.

 

[Metto]

Pokemon is not the same as other RPGs. It's an apples to oranges comparison. Most RPGs feature team battles and have party members join at the same level as the party.

This has been a way to play the games for 20 years and it's gone now. You think people won't be upset?

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That's not an argument or even a point. SwSh is making a bunch of QoL changed for the better to make the game accessible and it turns out one was a little too much for the fanbase. With that said I do think it should be an option but I ultimately don't think this was a decision GF really took to heart or really expected it to.

 

[weekev]

You aren't giving the impression that you're actually making an effort to understand the issue.

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I am and I do, folks don't want over levelled Pokemon. But then just swap after each battle and keep them in the PC. Its more or less the same as toggling it on and off and in the grand scheme of things is a minor irritation. I do also agree that it doesn't seem like it would be the most difficult thing to toggle off but in the grand scheme of things it's a minor annoyance really isn't it?

 

[Ragnarok Flames]

This is a Don Mattrick-ass answer. how can people defend this removal of more OPTIONS?

 

[JohnDoe]

Can we stop accusing game developers - who are worked to the bone as it is - of laziness?

 

[Deleted member 51691]

Do you battle every trainer? Because you can easily enter the Hall Of Fame 7-10 levels under the Elite Four. I do it every time.

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I try to but sometimes I'm still a couple levels under the gym leader. Depending on which gym it is, it's either still a breeze to get through (glares at XY) or I get bodied and have to train my team some more.

 

[Mekanos]

That's not an argument or even a point. SwSh is making a bunch of QoL changed for the better to make the game accessible and it turns out one was a little too much for the fanbase. With that said I do think it should be an option but I ultimately don't think this was a decision GF really took to heart or really expected it to.

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The option already existed and was the default since XY. This "QOL change" is taking away an option.

 

[noyram23]

That is such a stupid answer lol. Is this game being rushed?

 

[Deleted member 2669]

I am and I do, folks don't want over levelled Pokemon. But then just swap after each battle and keep them in the PC. Its more or less the same as toggling it on and off and in the grand scheme of things is a minor irritation. I do also agree that it doesn't seem like it would be the most difficult thing to toggle off but in the grand scheme of things it's a minor annoyance really isn't it?

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Keeping only one Pokemon in your party at a time and swapping them out via the PC every single time you want to use a different one is not a solution. Come on now. People just want to play the game the way they always have.

 

[Secretofmateria]

Fuck off game freak

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its a pokemon game aimed at CHILDREN....chill the fuck out.

 

[Deleted member 49643]

What's every other RPG's excuse for not having the option either? Why is it so bad for Pokemon to try out not having it for one game when it has been standard for every other RPG?

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Other rpgs are actually difficult or have hard modes for the extra challenge. Pokemon does not, it's designed to be beaten by a 5 year old playing pokemon for the first time ever. Exp share off is the only way to play something like a hardmode.

 

[The Adder]

But then just swap after each battle and keep them in the PC. Its more or less the same as toggling it on and off

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It's not. See my post above.