Do you want the new games' protagonists to be older or stay

>>31404316
They're 11, and the reason is that they're meant to be seen as the next generation of kids, 20 years later.

I like them young

>>31404316
16-20s preferred for protagonist age. Older is fine to but I understand why that would not happen.

>>31404316
GF is trying too hard to be popular with the kids.

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SMT mainline did a younger than usual protag fine, so I'm not sure why pokemon wouldn't be able to pull off an older than usual protaganist

I'd like to see more protagonists that are at least ambiguously older like Calem and Serena (since depending on how you dressed them up they could seem a bit older or a bit younger than the 15-17 range). The thing to me isn't saving the world at 11 since by now that's just a cookie-cutter plot, it's instead how they're done with school by 11. Like, setting out into the world at high-school age is just more believable than setting out before you should have finished elementary school.

>>31404354
/thread

How about options?

Have a Beginner mode and a Veteran mode right from the get go. Beginners, newcomers to the series (mostly young kids) will have younger looking player characters, while veterans (players familiar with the series, who are probably at least older than a teenager) will have an older looking player character.

>>31404496
this please

pick an older trainer and skip 4 hours of handholding

>>31404515
They'd just give you the low down of what to do quest wise like "alright so in Alola we have the Island Challenge, go around and do trials" but stuff like "oh do you know how to catch a Pokemon or go to a Pokemon Centre" would be gone completely. At best it'd be a throwaway line like "here's some Poke Balls, I'm sure you know how to catch Pokemon so good luck" or "the Pokemon Centre is nearby if you need it" or something.

>>31404533
And Hau wouldn't be giving you free Revives, and the Exp. Share would be available until post-game, and the Pokémon Refresh wouldn't heal status conditions...

>>31404496
I've wanted this since I started playing pokemon.

Nah, I want my kids to relate to the protag like I did when I was their age.

Maybe for sequels and every third gen or something, but not main games being completely changed in that regard.

>>31404597
But they were using older characters in BW, BW2 and XY.

>>31404496
>as an added bonus, all the tutorials are gone when playing as a veteran
Do it GF

>>31404316
You should be able to choose. Kid for those just getting in, adult for those in college, old people for those of us who have been playing since gen 1.

>>31406606
>adult for those in college, old people for those of us who have been playing since gen 1.
But I've been playing since gen I and I'm still in college.

older
so that we'd avoid shit like ''lol shes 11 fucking pedo''

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>play as an older protag
>"anon, aren't you a bit too old to start pokemon training?"
>"have you found a job yet?"
>"pokemon battling can't put food on the table! please find a job!"
>"a ratata hyper fanged you? i pray that you didn't skip on paying your medical insurance. does it even cover pokemon-related injuries, though?"
>"how's the retirement fund coming along, sport? you can't do pokemon battling forever."

>>31407070
>can't put food on the table
>mfw raking in hundreds of thousands of pokedollars every day beating the shit out of the e4 and throwing around some pyukumuku

Ah, I love the salt of wageslaves

>>31404496
Not happening. If they allow something like this, the story will suffer a lot.
Imagine a 18 year old traveling and being the rival of a 11 year old, and vice versa. If they do implement it, they'd need to change the story and have the secondary characters change age with you. Which isn't something that's going to happen, ever.

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>>31407070
>get a few badges
>fly to mom's house to visit her
>"You're a handsome young man, MC"
>"Why don't you have a girlfriend?"
>"Those girls at the Trainers' School don't know who they're missing out on then."

>>31404316
Who gives a fuck, just leave the ages ambiguous so the player can, you know, imagine themselves.

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>>31404316
Between 8 and 11 is the sweet spot for Pokemon characters. If you disagree, you might be a normie.

>>31404316
i prefer if they keep the age hidden, like you can clearly see that it's a kid that's older than 11 but still not 17-8 years old

>>31407131
>implying the only reason they gave you money wasnt because you were a young kid

>>31404316
variations would be nice

>yfw play as in old man starting his journey too late in life as a mid-life crisis, getting laughed at and bullied by kids but still hanging in there because its all he has on his bucket list

>>31407214
We've never had 8 or 9 year olds as prtagonists. Don't be fucking ridiculous.

>>31407320
> Work really hard to become a champion despite Everything.
>By this point, evil teams are so used to getting fucked over by kids or accomplished trainers that they don't see you as a threat.
>Kick evil team's ass, with support from E4 or a couple friendly gym leaders because as an adult you are mature enough to just give them a fucking phone call.

I need this.

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>>31404316
Older protags definitely for the reasons you just said. I wish we could choose the age, but that probably will never happen.

>>31407131

I'm reminded of that Sea Mauville part in ORAS.

Prof Cozmo's father focused on work at the expense of his family. His wife is hinted to have cheated on him, later he lost his job too thanks to Wattson shutting down that shithole, and in the end his overtime pay was enough to buy one Ultra Ball.

The protags don't have to worry about any of that shit because they're one in a million battling prodigies. BW2's protag is also a movie star and owns a mall.

>the romances feel less awkward

Fucking cancer. Fuck off back to waifu rng wars.

>>31407382
>loving wife doesnt really care much for it but thinks its fun and kind of joins in, checking up on you via phone, asking for tips, and occasionaly catching cute ones in her own time
>daughter is best the out of you three. a prodigy. proud of you for trying and wants to show you off to her friends even though they think youre lame
>wife relays actual tips she got from the town locals. daughter will occasionally run in to you on her journey and kick your ass

older, but at least, they should never state their age. I always ship the protagonist with older characters, much more interesting in the plot.

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>>31407357
>We've never had 8 or 9 year olds as prtagonists
Then it's about time.

>>31404358
lol agree completly. the protagonists should have customizable ages.

>>31407182
I think that could work. The one you don't choose (old guy or kid) becomes the rival. If you are the kid, the veteran works as a "mentor" kind of rival. If you are the veteran, the kid is a prodigy with more talent than you.
Whole effort vs talent thing.

>>31407182
makes more sense a 18 years traveling than a kid. People travel by their own as adults, you know? A kid should be in school, and not being a trainer.

Also a trainer is a job by it's own, as they gain money battling.

>>31407503
> Daughter as a rival
> One of the E4 is your old classmate, he gets really happy to see you finally give it a go.
>You enter the champion's chamber just as your daughter was beaten by the champ. This motivates you further to win in her name.

dude make this happen

>>31407630
Point is, age difference is too large to work. A kid wouldn't just become friends with an adult just because they started the same day. A kid losing to adult or an adult "bullying" a kid are not the same things. It also kills any and all possiblities of romance, which is what the OP was concerned about. If there isn't going to be any romance, just make the protagonist a kid. It doesn't even matter.

In your mind, it might make sense. To me, it just doesn't. There's simply no reason to not just make them both the same age. A little customization is nice, but when going this far, it's not so much.

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>>31407656
it started as a shitpost but youre actually making me want this. stop. i dont want to need things thatll never happen

>>31407677
the characters are mostly ageless, you don't know exactly the age of serena and calem. They are at least 16, but if it were never stated, people would think they are 10 because of the anime.

the age of the rivals should never be stated, and make their design neutral to the point that's not childish but they don't look like 40 years. And that's it.

>>31407677
>>31407616

Read that nigga. You don't need them to be friends. It would be a one sided relationship with the kid seeing the adult as a rival, while the adult is lowkey jealous of the kid's talent, but cares about the kid and wants to see him/her succeed.

You don't need romance, you can explore other kind of relatonships in the pokemon world, wich would enrich the narrative a lot.

>>31407690
I know man, I just gave this a read and started looking up romhacking tutorials because if GF wont give it to me, I'm going to make it happen.

>>31407182
If you are a kid, the other gender kid is your rival.
If you are a veteran, the other gender veteran is your rival.

>>31404316
precocious preteens are the norm in this series for a reason - it makes it easier to maintain a light-hearted tone, and it's easier for all age groups project themselves onto a child MC.

if you're so uncomfortable with using an avatar that's younger than your age irl, then you really shouldn't be playing children's games in the first place. go play SMT or something

>>31407734
that's why pokemon go has avatar that look older.
That's why Hilbert, Hilda, Rosa, Nate, Serena and Calem are older.
Come on, this "child game can't have older protags" is getting stale.

>>31407714
>You don't need romance, you can explore other kind of relatonships in the pokemon world, wich would enrich the narrative a lot.

And that very thing can be done without making the protagonists older.
If they had to write the two different scenarios with two different aged protagonists, it IS going to bring down the quality. It also FORCES people to replay the game if they want to experience it all, something GF has always actively avoided, to the point of never even making a New Game+.
And for literally no reason, as all it achieves is make the protagonist older. Nothing else. I'd say this should be the last thing they focus on.

>>31407750
It's way easier to insert into a 15 y/o because I can't fucking belive an 11 year old is fucking up gangsters who were able to take a whole town.
I think 15 should be the norm. You're mature enough at 15 to make rational decisions but you're still a kid.

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>>31407730
godspeed, anon-kun

I always ignore the ages because the protagonist is supposed to be me, and they makes no sense at all. Is just ridículous tem being 11 years.

>>31407798
Quick question tough, wich would be the best starters for this?
I'm not gonna make fakemon because we know that always turns to shit.

>>31407761
>>31407761
Theres no reason to change the story just because of age, the same reason theres no need to change the plot due to the gender. Pokemon left everything open to interpretation and role playing.

>>31407730
God praise you.
Do it you madman

>>31407750
pokemon go was aimed at an older audience (the gen 1 normies who are now in their 20s/30s)

The BW and BW2 protagonists are ambiguous examples - just because you headcanon them as older does not make it so

The XY protagonists are the only verifiably "older" ones on this list, and even with them, their age is not immediately apparent in-game (you only find out by meticulously reading through all the bookshelves in the endgame that you are older than Emma, who is 16).

An obviously older character would demand a shift in tone and story à la Colosseum. It's not that it's impossible to craft a good Pokemon story using an older protag - it'd just be way outside the desirable demographic, and so very stupid from a sales perspective

>>31407901
>>31407901
you don't know what are you talking about. the creators said in a interview that the bw protagonists were designed to be older.

and no, it will not demand a shift in tone, as the pokemon stories has a lot of dark tones. They take down evil organizations and capture gods that control time and space, life and death, etc.... fits much more them being older, than 11 years.

They being kids limits the story. And not all protagonists are kids, anyway, That's it.

>>31407832
Numel, Tentacool, Exegcute
Because they all feel like mediocre stiff you fill you team with rather thab use asa starter

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>>31404316
Older mcs work better, you have more available options to develop them and kids still can self insert

Just look XY's customization compared to the SM one

>>31407182
>Imagine a 18 year old traveling and being the rival of a 11 year old, and vice versa

Do you realize the evil team is always an adult trying to defeat a kid?

How about university aged protagonists and they establish that the games take place during a gap year, or maybe its a sandwich course and pokemon training's accepted as a valid use of this time, have the season change as the story progresses and have the post game be implied to be a hobby that the main character does along side their course with the seasons becoming tied to the system clock once you beat the league

>>31408004
To be fair that probably worked a little easier cus they were chibi models

>>31407702
But Serena's design was very very visibly deaged for the anime.

>>31407974
you're confusing tone with themes

like most other fantasy games, pokemon features evil organizations, clashing "gods," and, yes, even the concept of "death."

but the way a child relates to these themes necessarily differs from the way a young adult relates to them. if you make your protagonist older, there is a presumption that, because your character is actually capable of understanding and relating to the conflict-driving theme as an adult, the theme will be treated more seriously. you can, of course, fight this presumption by using other tropes and storytelling devices, but the point is that the assumed maturity is more likely to hijack the plot.

when the child is a protagonist, the story designers can still engage with these themes, without also having to force the MC to be any more/less mature than the player assumes them to be. a child MC with 0 experience with death can still face off against the god of death, without losing the feeling of grandeur that goes with fighting the embodiment of death. if a player prefers to headcanon a tragic backstory for the child MC, they can do so, without detracting from the experience.

a teenager/young adult who fights Death, but does not also demonstrate solemnity or an "adult understanding" of what he's facing off against, comes off as autistic

>>31404316
Pokémon doesn't need any romance and I hope they continue to never add any when it comes to the protagonists.

As for age, it doesn't really matter what age they are as long as the journey is fun. I'm 29 years old, it's not like I can relate to a child protag or a teen protag anymore anyway.

>>31408252
But romance is cute.

>>31404496
That's dumb.

What if you're a kid who wants an easier experience but want to play as the cool looking adult?
What if you're an adult that wants a harder game but want to play as the adorable looking kid?

Alternatively, what about kids who want harder games and to still play as the kid and adults who want easier games and to still play as the adult?

>>31404316
One of the few things XY did right was making the player age more believable in context.
I'd like a choice of age/height, but honestly BW had a nice middleground of 15-16 so it's easy for anyone to identify with. Nobody over 18 forgets their teen years, and little kids think teenagers are cool because they're retarded.

>>31408274
I don't think it's needed in this game at all.

Also I don't want to open THAT Pandora's box of having to please everyone's sexual preference.

>>31408291
None of the games have let you choose who the romance subplot will involve, so that shouldn't be an issue.

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I don't think that having older characters would ruin experience for the children.

It doesn't matter how old the heroes are, as long they're heroes. Children want to be Han Solo or Legolas or Iron Man. No child on this planet wanted to be Anakin Skywalker from Episode 1.

My first pokemon game was Pokemon Colosseum and every main character since then was a huge letdown for me.

>>31408337
None of the games have romance

>>31408375
All of them have had a romance subplot since BW2, and it's been mandatory since XY.

>>31404316
New protags should be grizzled genwun veterans.

God damn it, now I REALLY want to see this.

>>31408391
There is none and any romance you think you see in Pokémon involving the protags is very likely your own head canon.

>>31408606
i kind of agree, but there's hinted romance between a lot of characters and the protagonist. Shauna and Lillie being the most popular, but there's even romance with minor characters and the protagonist.

Nothing official.

>>31408708
Shauna was confirmed by the devs but she's massively unpopular. Yancy might count too.

>>31408708
>hints.
Everything is 100% your own head canon and "Thisizproofpeople" bullshit.

Shauna says she's never watched fireworks with a boy before, that doesn't instantly mean she wants to ride the protag's cock.

Lillie says she wishes she could keep traveling with the male protag, you know, after traveling with him this whole time...That doesn't mean she wants to ride the protags cock.

Just because you are shipping doesn't mean it was written with what you intend.

Besides, if romance was intended, the female protag would have some kind of romance as well. She gets absolutely none.

>>31408872
ok
get help bro.

>>31408872
why the female can't have romance with the same characters? homphobic?
also there's hinted things with other characters that are not shauna and lillie. And, the least, i never said i ship them. Just that there's hints or super suggestive scenes or quotes in the games that are clearly romantic or sexual, and makes sense turn it into ship. If you don't care is your problem, i don't care to, but there's no need to deny it.

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>>31404383
He's not even the youngest smt protagonist

>>31408954
I'm saying that there are no lines that would leave you to even suggest romance when you're the female character unless you want to count random pre-battle quotes by random NPCs

Anything romantic, again is all in your head and that becomes your problem since pokemon still hasn't and very likely will never put in any romance in the games.

The fact that you think there are actually scenes which are not only romantic but sexual towards the protag is more than enough proof that it's all in your head.

>>31409079
just curious, but why do you think the female character's dialogue has any bearing on the male character's story? do you think it's impossible that gamefreak would craft different experiences for the player character depending on their gender?

>>31409079
Masuda LITERALLY confirmed in an interview that XY had a romance subplot with Calem and Shauna.

>>31409164
>Gamefreak being lazy
yes

>>31407832
any sounds good to me
well with the usual reqs like typing and 3 stage chain

>>31409179
or serena

>>31411127
>or serena
No? He explicitly deconfirmed romance between Shauna and Serena.

>>31409025
I said mainline since I assume this thread is about the mainline pokemon games

>>31408375
>>31408606
>>31408872
>>31409079

Even taking all other things out of the running, you have to admit the Yancy/Curtis sidequest in B2W2 is totally a romance. I believe even an official guide calls it a romance. So there's at least one romance plot involving the protagonists, both male and female options available.

>>31404710
Leaving exceptions in is fine, I'm just saying that not every gen should have older protags.

>>31404316
13 or older is fine in my opinion, but I think it would be best if Game Freak just left the age up to the imagination of the player. If the protagonists are going to be just blank slates, then let the player fill in their character including there age and personality.

>>31406637
The pedos will still pick the younger variants, doesn't solve anything.

>>31407131
Anon, you're only getting $200 every time you do that.

Rent in Japan is insane. I'd assume it would be similar in Pokémon regions. They have free healthcare, so taxes must be very high as well.

>>31404354
>Older is fine to but I understand why that would not happen.

/thread

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One of the good things about Gen 4 is that that Dawn Lucas and Barry don't have official ages. Obviously they're not adults but the player can use their imagination on how old they are. Watch Game Freak fuck that up by making them 10 in the D/P remakes.

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>>31404316
>Do you want the new games' protagonists to be older or stay young?
Don't care about the protag, but if we're talking pokegirls, then:
Over 18: What the fuck are you doing?
18-15: Weird, but alright if you like it.
14-12: Decent taste.
11-8: Good taste.
Under 8: Is starts getting weird again from here.

Don't even try to debate me on this.

>>31408391
No, anon, you just don't understand how friendship works and mistake any little friendly scrap of dialogue as romance.

It's like when fujoshi see male characters hug, to them that automatically means they're gay and want to FUCK.

>>31411978
oh well, he still does launch an attack towards heaven an kills his younger brother.

>>31412687
t. Unapologetic pedo

>>31411795
how?

>>31404316
Younger, the game is mainly for kids, so make the protagonists kids.

>>31407677
>Not wanting romance between a young trainer and their older rival.

>>31407832
Instead of picking a starter, have the game ask you what your pet is:
Bird
Dog
Cat
Fish.
Then give the protag a starter based on the answer, e.g. Cat would mean they start with the family Meowth.

>>31408371
I agree with this to an extent.

To the extent I disagree, sometimes kids might want to see themselves in the game and having younger characters helps with that. So I understand why they do that.

But to the extent I agree, your pic related is a good example. When I played Colosseum when I was younger I thought it was really cool how the player character was older and he was an outlaw and he stole Pokemon (albeit Shadow Pokemon but still, that was a concept that was pretty unheard of). He was cool.

>>31404316
With the rise of customization, the age should stay ambiguous with customizable height and an implied age range.

I remember when Battle Revolution had all those body type customization things.

>>31404354
20 is too old unless there's a plot-based reason as presented in sidegames.

>>31415644
Nobody is too old for a pokemon adventure.
It's about time they had a few height options and for each height different face choices and special unique age dependent choices like balding lel.

I really honestly for my whole Pokemon experience have hated the way they do the faces.

>>31404710
BW2 trainers look pretty young. I wouldn't say they're teenagers like the BW and XY kiddos.