Making the game harder - Ingame challenges

[lifesharker]

Hello everyone. Here I'll give a list of ways to make the games more challenging, for those of us that have completed it too many times to count anymore.

Scramble challenge- 5 people recommend you one pokemon each. Your 6th is your starter, and you use only those pokemon on your list. Found here.

Monotype challenge- You play through the game using a single type. Dual types are allowed if they have your chosen type, as are pokemon that will evolve into that type. If you can't catch one of your type before the first gym, trade or use your starter until you can- but no dragons/ghosts. Full rules and a thread here.

EASY:

No running away- Self explanitory. Never run from a wild pokemon, fight every trainer.

Gym Challenger - Only take to a Gym the same number of pokemon as a Gym leader has- how is it fair when it can be 6 on 3, for example, against Gardenia?

MEDIUM:

Speedrun: Play through the game as fast as possible. This is partly luck based, partly patience based and partly good planning. (credit to BlitzBlast).

No saving before legendaries- about as self-explanitory as it gets.

No Evolution: You aren't allowed to evolve your pokemon. (credit to ayeepryll)

HARD:

Paul style challenge - Only use pokemon with a type disadvantage against the gym leaders (eg, only Staravia and Chimchar against Roark, etc) credit to foxyman1167.

Limited items (or "we're in a recession, so we need to save teh cash!" mode as my friend dubbed it) - don't use any item that isn't required to finish the game (items like the HM surf)- includes Pokeballs, healing items, TM's etc - use none of them! Obviously, it may be necassary to use a pokeball or two on HM slaves. This mode can also be altered to be only not using potions, or not using hold items for example.

Single pokemon mode - Get your chosen pokemon ASAP and never use anything else. Or, if your chosen pokemon can't be caught early in the game, trade for it; ths might actually be harder, as if you overtrain early on it won't obey you (thanks to MKFC for pointing that out). I've seen videos of a guy who did this with a weedle on red- and won.

Hardcore mode- Any pokemon that faints gets released. Death is permanant!

Legendary- play through game without saving. (Means no using Underground and no using PCs. Until the end of the game where it saves after you beat the Elite Four.) (credit to [Super-Fjord]

For scramble and monotype mode, post on the relevant thread. If you want to post your progress on any other modes, feel free to post here. if you have any other suggestions, feel free to post too and I'll probably add them to this post.

[Zhanton]

Nice ideas. The single pokemon mode sounds fun =] I should try it ASAP.

[Dawn_Hero]

Hard-core mode seems.... hard-core. lol. I think I might try some of these out, especially the single pokemon one. Kudos!

[Mastadi]

Where's the tireless mode?

Complete the game without using a pokecenter even once

[Zhanton]

Where's the tireless mode?

Complete the game without using a pokecenter even once

Lol =] That's a good idea =]

[Orton155]

I really like some of those, especially the gym challenger one. I think this should be a game mechanic as it would make it so much more realistic to the anime and that little bit harder. Also it would give the player a lot more strategy about them, which pokemon should I choose? etc etc.

hardcore mode - it seems very very mean, and i love my pokemon so i wouldnt use it.

But i love the creativity.

[lifesharker]

Where's the tireless mode?

Complete the game without using a pokecenter even once

That would be virtually impossible because of PP. Early in the game, you could catch and use new pokemon whenever you ran out of PP quite easily, but later on the gap between trainers levels and wild pokemon levels would become way too big. You can try it if you want though .

[ArmorAndonomon]

For EV training purposes, the no running thing might be a little annoying. xD Otherwise, I really like those ideas. : D I've done single Pokemon playthroughs before and they're a blast. xD

[Pikamiki]

Originally Posted by Mastadi
Where's the tireless mode?

Complete the game without using a pokecenter even once

That would be virtually impossible because of PP. Early in the game, you could catch and use new pokemon whenever you ran out of PP quite easily, but later on the gap between trainers levels and wild pokemon levels would become way too big. You can try it if you want though .

or else use hoards of leppa berries :P

[Cipher Lord]

Hello everyone. Here I'll give a list of ways to make the games more challenging, for those of us that have completed it too many times to count anymore.

Scramble challenge- 5 people recommend you one pokemon each. Your 6th is your starter, and you use only those pokemon on your list. Found here.
.

Monotype challenge- You play through the game using a single type. Dual types are allowed if they have your chosen type, as are pokemon that will evolve into that type. If you can't catch one of your type before the first gym, trade or use your starter until you can- but no dragons/ghosts. Full rules and a thread here.

EASY:

No running away- Self explanitory. Never run from a wild pokemon, fight every trainer.

Gym Challenger - Only take to a Gym the same number of pokemon as a Gym leader has- how is it fair when it can be 6 on 3, for example, against Gardenia?

MEDIUM:

No saving before legendaries- about as self-explanitory as it gets.

HARD:

Limited items (or "we're in a recession, so we need to save teh cash!" mode as my friend dubbed it) - don't use any item that isn't required to finish the game (items like the HM surf)- includes Pokeballs, healing items, TM's etc - use none of them! Obviously, it may be necassary to use a pokeball or two on HM slaves.

Single pokemon mode - Get your chosen pokemon ASAP and never use anything else. I've seen videos of a guy who did this with a weedle on red- and won.

Hardcore mode- Any pokemon that faints gets released. Death is permanant!

For scramble and monotype mode, post on the relevant thread. If you want to post your progress on any other modes, feel free to post here. if you have any other suggestions, feel free to post too and I'll probably add them to this post.

These are all really good ideas. But, I have another one. How about 'Berry Only Mode'. The only things you can use that are not needed i.e. HMs, HM Slaves, et cetera, are berries. Hard... o_0

"we're in a recession, so we need to save teh cash!" mode as my friend dubbed it

^I ROFLed at that.

[lifesharker]

I'm going to start hardcore mode as soon as I finish my current playthrough. Sort of dreading it, tbh . I would've finished my current playthrough already if not for it taking so long to find a moonstone (stupid clefairy, what kind of pokemon evolves thanks to a stone anyways).

[MKFC]

How about in single Pokémon mode, you trade for the single Pokémon you use, so the game is much harder early on, since the Pokémon won't obey if you over-train?

[pokemaster001]

No running away- Self explanitory. Never run from a wild pokemon, fight every trainer.

done, every game, very easy

Gym Challenger - Only take to a Gym the same number of pokemon as a Gym leader has- how is it fair when it can be 6 on 3, for example, against Gardenia?

I only really ever have a team of 3 before the main legend, so I pretty much do that too

No saving before legendaries- about as self-explanitory as it gets.

I want to catch them, do you expect me to lose half of the legendaries for a F***ing challenge?

Limited items (or "we're in a recession, so we need to save teh cash!" mode as my friend dubbed it) - don't use any item that isn't required to finish the game (items like the HM surf)- includes Pokeballs, healing items, TM's etc - use none of them! Obviously, it may be necassary to use a pokeball or two on HM slaves.

no, I pretty much do that, not completely but mostly, minus the pokeballs, I can't do that, I want to "catch em all" as the first season wanted me to do

Single pokemon mode - Get your chosen pokemon ASAP and never use anything else. Or, if your chosen pokemon can't be caught early in the game, trade for it; ths might actually be harder, as if you overtrain early on it won't obey you (thanks to MKFC for pointing that out). I've seen videos of a guy who did this with a weedle on red- and won.

boo, where's the variety, I'm only training two pokemon extra, not 5, besides, there's only so many early pokemon

Hardcore mode- Any pokemon that faints gets released. Death is permanant!

no, I only catch pokemon once, minus shineys, and I only catch each shiney once, not doing THAT waste of time, how will I survive without my starter?

so, it's not the best ideas you have there, but they seem fun to some

[I like Pokemon (...)]

Maybe I should try these...

I kinda did my own little version.

My friend bred 6 eggs of Pokemon I wanted to fight with. As soon as they hatched, he sent them to me to play a new game with. Pretty fun having to start with 6 level 1s. I remember battling Gardenia's level 22 Roserade with a level 14 Lucario (I ran... a lot).

[Dabottle]

Here are some

Shiny only: (Evil) You have to only use shinies so SR for a shiny starter and run around for a month looking for others.

What ya see is what ya get:
Before you start choose *however many Pokémon you will have* routes (-1 if you are using starter) and use the first Pokémon you see on each of them.

Letter mode: Choose a letter and use only Pokémon that begin with that letter. Pokémon that will begin with that letter are fine. Like Chimchar on I You could also say the first 6 of that letter you see.
eg. Prinplup, Pachirisu, others that begin with P

Lol at the "we're in a recession, so we need to save teh cash"

[yeminied]

For the letter mode. are we allowed to use say Sceptile if our chosen letter is T since it is evolved from a Treecko?

[Mikaga]

Disappointed not to see "gender mode". Doesn't anyone remember resetting for females in Colosseum before FR and LG came out?

Anyway, yeah. Fill the dex so it shows stuff in gender/form order. I guess it's not "hard", but darned if it wouldn't take a long time.

For the letter mode. are we allowed to use say Sceptile if our chosen letter is T since it is evolved from a Treecko?

Sceptile has a T as well But Grovyle doesn't, if that's what you had meant.

[Dabottle]

I meant Pokémon that begin with it which is why I said Prinplup not Empoleon.
But if you want to do it that way then do.

[foxyman1167]

What about a 6-pokemon challenge? Basically you always have to have a full team of six pokemon. When you find a pokemon you wanna train, you just drop it for a new one. I have been doing it on FireRed, ands it's not too bad. How about combine 6-Pokemon challenge mode with hardcore mode, making it have a full team of 6, and when a pokemon faints, swap for someone else?

EDIT: RANK UP!! RANK UP!! WOOT WOOT!! WOOT WOOT!!

1,000TH POST!!

[[Super_Fjord]]

Legendary- play through game without saving. (Means no using Underground and no using PCs. Until the end of the game where it saves after you beat the Elite Four.)

[[Ampharos]]

Legendary- play through game without saving. (Means no using Underground and no using PCs. Until the end of the game where it saves after you beat the Elite Four.)

I almost did this.
Back when I was like
Seven years old.

I wanted to redo my red file, but didn't want to restart my game and overwrite.
So.
I choose charizard and started beating the game.
I got to at least six badges. I don't think I had surf.
The battery died when I left my GBC on hoping it'd last all night.

[ayeeprill]

One of my personal favorites is the "No Evolving" method. Basically, you keep Pokemon in the first stage of evolution. For instance, if you choose Chimchar as a starter, it stays Chimchar through the whole game. And single evolution pokemon such as Pachirisu and Dialga and Palkia aren't allowed. =)

I also enjoy the "Weak Powerhouses" challenge. I catch a couple of pokes everyone considers "weak". For instance, in Sapphire, I used Skitty; and in Diamond, I used Buneary (and never evolved it) and Pachirisu. All three of these, with some hard work, became amazing. They held their own in the E4 at levels 55-60.

[ayeeprill]

One of my personal favorites is the "No Evolving" method. Basically, you keep Pokemon in the first stage of evolution. For instance, if you choose Chimchar as a starter, it stays Chimchar through the whole game. And single evolution pokemon such as Pachirisu and Dialga and Palkia aren't allowed. =)

I also enjoy the "Weak Powerhouses" challenge. I catch a couple of pokes everyone considers "weak". For instance, in Sapphire, I used Skitty; and in Diamond, I used Buneary (and never evolved it) and Pachirisu. All three of these, with some hard work, became amazing. They held their own in the E4 at levels 55-60.

[Raichu4u]

Only have six pokemon throughout the game.

Or better yet,

Don't play at all.

[I cant think of a name]

I have a friend who tried "hardcore mode" once on silver, but it didn't really matter because he never lost a single pokemon (maybe he was just lying though, he wasn't exactly what you'd call "honest").