Pokemonewbie

[Whimbrel]

I got a DS recently and thought it would be great to play a game with my 10 year old daughter. We picked Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. I got one of each game on Ebay and she was going to get whichever one came in time for her birthday. She got Pearl last Thursday and started right in. My copy of Diamond came today and has a save game with a complete pokedex of 493. I want to start a new game, but I want to know if I should back this up somehow before starting a new game? Should I trade/ give some of these to my daughter who has Pearl and just started a new game? I don't really know how hard it would be to get some of these again or if it even matters, but we are certainly too late to go to the toys r' us events and neither of us has played any of the GBA games, so once I delete this saved game, I think some of these might be gone for good.

Can I trade them all to her and then have her trade them back to me for a bunch of low level starlys and bidoofs once I start the new game? It is probably pretty obvious that I am totally new to this, so any help would be great. Also, I just got a wii, so I might be able to upload some of them to the wii games that are compatible with the DS pokemon games, but I don't know if that acts as a backup or not.

Thanks for any help!

[Lint of Death]

A couple things:
*Traded Pokémon level twice as fast, but become disobedient (read: frequently refuse move commands) if their level goes outside the limit determined by the number of gym badges you have collected.
*A complete Pokedex is not easy to get! If you want to aspire to such a thing in a new game, find a list of Pokémon that are uncatchable in Diamond and Pearl (I'll pull up a link in a sec), and trade them to your daughter at least temporarily.
*Look for shinies among them. Shiny Pokémon are ones that have a different color. It's the only difference, but they are extremely, extremely rare. You can tell if one is shiny if a) when you look up its stats there's a little red star by its picture or b) if it sparkles upon entering combat.
*Yes, you can make worthless-return trades, but both sides need to exchange something; you can have your pokémon hold items to go along with the trades, like if your old save has a Master Ball or other rare items that you want to keep.

EDIT: here is the list of unobtainables. There are also some not on the list because they're in the game, but are practically unobtainable including Tropius, Manaphy, Shaymin, Darkrai and Arceus. There would also be the third starting Pokémon that neither of you pick.

[LongStepMantis]

Originally Posted by Lint of Death

*Look for shinies among them. Shiny Pokémon are ones that have a different color. It's the only difference, but they are extremely, extremely rare. You can tell if one is shiny if a) when you look up its stats there's a little red star by its picture or b) if it sparkles upon entering combat

I've yet to ever see one. I realize what you mean by rare though...isn't it something like a .001% chance, or maybe even lower, they will be shiny? Is it just a rarity thing or does that also provide some kind of a bonus or anything?

[Lint of Death]

Originally Posted by ScurvyDan

I've yet to ever see one. I realize what you mean by rare though...isn't it something like a .001% chance, or maybe even lower, they will be shiny? Is it just a rarity thing or does that also provide some kind of a bonus or anything?

My understanding is that shiny Pokémon are just as likely to have good stats as any other. According to the site I linked, there is a 1/8192 chance of seeing one in a battle, and that chance is for each battle rather than a cumulative measure. There's a strategy to all but guarantee one to appear in Diamond/Pearl, but it's so time-consuming and hard to do that I simply don't care to try.

I got one in my game of Diamond (a Stunky for the curious), and received two from trade (from the same person and they were both carrying unique/valuable items by coincidence, which leads me to believe they were not attained fairly, but I can use them online!).

EDIT: I forgot something. If you really cared, which is unlikely, traded Pokémon cannot be renamed. There's a person in a hotel in one of the early cities that can change names at any time for free.

[Whimbrel]

So for a specific Pokemon like Starly, does that mean that there are two entries in the Pokedex, one for regular Starly and one for shiny Starly, or is there just one and the shiny version may or not be in the regular spot?

[Lint of Death]

Originally Posted by Whimbrel

So for a specific Pokemon like Starly, does that mean that there are two entries in the Pokedex, one for regular Starly and one for shiny Starly, or is there just one and the shiny version may or not be in the regular spot?

No, it has no effect on anything. They're in there essentially as a secret, goal, or badge of pride. All that happens is it's a different color, has a little red star next to its picture in details, and sparkles when it enters battle.

There are actually quite a few mechanics that never go explained in the game, some of which are intended to produce randomness in monsters' stats and a number do actually have gameplay value, but you should only really care how they work if you're utterly obsessed with making each team member as ideally strong as possible. Personally I think that side of things is highly complicated and not very fun at all.

[J Arcane]

SAdly, My Pokemon Ranch and Battle REvolution apparently tie stored Pokemon to specific saves, so if you upload them and then start a new game, you won't be able to get them back.

However, if you do get one of the other, you might go ahead and upload them anyway just to have them. This would be especially good I think for Battle Revolution, as it would mean all those critters being available to play with in the tournaments and such, which is good for suckering your non-Pokemon-playing friends into the games.

[Lint of Death]

Originally Posted by J Arcane

SAdly, My Pokemon Ranch and Battle REvolution apparently tie stored Pokemon to specific saves, so if you upload them and then start a new game, you won't be able to get them back.

However, if you do get one of the other, you might go ahead and upload them anyway just to have them. This would be especially good I think for Battle Revolution, as it would mean all those critters being available to play with in the tournaments and such, which is good for suckering your non-Pokemon-playing friends into the games.

That's not a bad idea if he already owned Battle Revolution. However, do not get it unless you're really sure that you really enjoy the battle system, because that's all the game is. Lots of fights and a way to make battles between two DSs a bit more entertaining to watch. Basically, you shouldn't own this game until well after you've deleted the old save to make a new game, instantly diminishing the value of the future purchase

And that Ranch WiiWare is completely useless unless you're very easily amused like I am or you catch way too many monsters.

[J Arcane]

Yeah, Ranch is pretty much just a glorified storage box, with a few extra features to potentially acquire some new critters. Apparently it's the only non-promotional, non-hacked way to get a Mew, for example, though it requires catching 999 Pokemon and storing them on it . . .

[rinichanraar]

Originally Posted by Lint of Death

My understanding is that shiny Pokémon are just as likely to have good stats as any other. According to the site I linked, there is a 1/8192 chance of seeing one in a battle, and that chance is for each battle rather than a cumulative measure. There's a strategy to all but guarantee one to appear in Diamond/Pearl, but it's so time-consuming and hard to do that I simply don't care to try.

I got one in my game of Diamond (a Stunky for the curious), and received two from trade (from the same person and they were both carrying unique/valuable items by coincidence, which leads me to believe they were not attained fairly, but I can use them online!).

In my time playing Pokemon, I've only run into one shiny, and it was a Machoke (or was it a Machamp?). I was excited about it, but I wish I could've gotten something cooler because I'm not really a big fan of Fighting Pokemon (my favorite type is Psychic).

[Whimbrel]

I guess what we will do is just try to get another cheap copy of Diamond or Pearl and save this one for trading the rares when we get high enough.

Originally Posted by rinichanraar

In my time playing Pokemon, I've only run into one shiny, and it was a Machoke (or was it a Machamp?). I was excited about it, but I wish I could've gotten something cooler because I'm not really a big fan of Fighting Pokemon (my favorite type is Psychic).

Not a fan!!? But Machamp/choke's are the bodybuilders of Pokemon. That automatically makes them awesome!

[Ancalagon]

Whimbrel, if I was you, I'd delete the save and start again.

It may sound like a massive waste of a huge collection of Pokemon, and it is. But I think as a newbie to pokemon, you will learn more and get more enjoyment out of a clean slate. Having those uber pokemon available to you will also tempt you, so you might be tempted to use one of them instead of raising your own.

Yes, it would take you 100+ hours to get those Pokemon back, but who cares? Thats not really what you want out of Pokemon, is it? If you want a good game, with Pokes that you can trade with your daughter, start a new game, both of you, and play together. Trade version specific Pokes now and then, or just when you find a cool one, or whatever, and if you want specific Pokemon, talk to us here at CoG and I'm sure we can get most of the good ones. For instance, I can breed you most starter pokemon except those from the second generation and Turtwig. So you can get a level 1 charmander if you want. Not too high level to control, will still level quickly though.

As for Shinies.... as for as I know, the only thing being shiny enhances is your e-peen.

Enjoy it, its a great game with lots of depth and strategy.

[Whimbrel]

Thanks for all of your suggestions and ideas.

[QueQueg]

I agree with Ancalagon. IMO, nothing will ruin your game faster than having a huge collection of powerful pokemon available right away. Learn to walk first.

When you've completed the game a couple of times, you can always grab an Action Replay to get the really rare ones again, if that's what you're into.

I liked using the Action Replay to start new games with custom groups of starters (the elemental pokemon from previous games.)

Mudkip > Piplup

[CES]

If the save has 493 Pokemon in the 'Dex, I'd just start again since someone used an action replay on it at some point which means you have no clue what else they may have changed.

[LongStepMantis]

Originally Posted by CES

If the save has 493 Pokemon in the 'Dex, I'd just start again since someone used an action replay on it at some point which means you have no clue what else they may have changed.

A very valid point. They could have got them all the honest way...but unless they were really hardcore about the game, I'd say it's far more likely they cheated.

And I completely agree with the idea of just starting from scratch and forgetting them. One of the things that drew me into the games was just finding new Pokemon and hand-picking your team from your own findings. Raising them up and seeing what kinds of powers and evolutions they become. Without that, I wouldn't even want to play. I played for an hour or so yesterday for the first time in months, and my favorite psychic finally evolved. It was like I was playing for the first time all over again.

[Goronmon]

Originally Posted by Ancalagon

Whimbrel, if I was you, I'd delete the save and start again.

Definitely this. I'd almost compare it to starting up an RPG with all the characters leveled and geared out already.

[Lint of Death]

Originally Posted by Ghost Rider

Not a fan!!? But Machamp/choke's are the bodybuilders of Pokemon. That automatically makes them awesome!

Not to mention if you trade Machoke, he becomes Machamp and has four arms.

But yeah, I totally agree with starting a new game.

[zarathstra]

I'm definiately in the "start fresh" camp as well. most of the fun of the game is exploring, encountering new Pokemon, and leveling up your team from beginning to end. Starting with everything would ruin the experience.