(note: next chunk pasted from the original "pokeplans" file on my work computer. Dates left as-is rather than attempting to create back-dated blog entries for each.)
(3/22/2010)
FINALLY started SoulSilver! Petty got her package Friday, but I wasn't able to get my game going until Sunday night. Still, I now have the Pokewalker clipped on, and am counting steps.
Unfortunately, unlocking courses seems to count unspent watts only. So, unlocking the rest of the courses might take a while....
Also, while running around on Friday, decided to stop in the Columbia GameStop just in case, and nabbed a FR cart. However, there was no prep needed before starting that game, because when I booted it up, it acted as if it was completely new -- gave the rundown of the game controls, even. So, no catching stuff for breeding, no trading for the Farfetch'd, no cleaning out to do. Ominously, though, everytime I start up the cartridge, it says "The save file is ok" before it displays the continue game/new game screen. I take that to mean some idiot tried hacking the game, and wiped their save file. Hopefully it'll be OK to play a normal game on, though, because I'd gotten too far by the time I discovered this to want to restart.
So in Kanto I have a Bulbasaur named Irving, along with a Mankey and a Spearow that I don't really want to train. But all the Pokemon I actually WANT on my team aren't available until Cerulean or later, and I needed something to get me that far. Viridian Forest makes a Flying type almost necessary (and Spearow get Peck right away). So I will likely name those two and put them in the Specials box, even though I wasn't intending to train them.
I also have my Ekans, Slither, who I suspect has a crap IV in Defense because he is made of friggin' GLASS. Since I've already worked hard to train him, I suppose I'll throw vitamins at him later to compensate. For all my lack of an electric Pokemon, Misty went down to Irving with no problems, despite me taking time to raise my temporary team evenly.
So that got me to Vermillion, where I can trade for the Farfetch'd. Have caught a higher-level Spearow in the main Rue cart for this, then will breed my own Farfetch'd, hatch it, and trade it back. I was going to trade the unwanted Spearow I was training, but dang it, I've put too much work into it to just give it away.
From there I think I've got no choice but to fight through the SS Anne for Cut. Once I've got that and have gotten through Rock Cave, though, I can run over to Celadon, grab the Tea for the Guards, and open up the crossroads through Saffron. Then I'll be able to run to the other side of Saffron to catch my Growlithe, and level it up some before I take on Erica -- and, after I beat her, obedience won't be an issue for a good long while. Unfortunately, there's a Snorlax between me and the Super Rod I need to catch a Shellder in Vermillion until after I've done Silph Co. and Lavender Tower. I should likely give the Leftovers under it to Slither, to help offset his low Defense.
As for SS, my next foray will be into the Sprout Tower, followed by the attempt at Falkner's Gym. And lots of Poke-walking -- I've solved the nostalgia problem I was having over not wanting to train another Hootie by making him my walking partner. In the Pokewalker combats, level and attacks don't matter, so there's no problems with him not being strong enough. And Flying's one of the preferred types for the first two default routes. So Hootie has a new purpose, and will get raised despite not being in the team.
Other than Cynder and Hootie, though, I don't have any of my team Pokemon yet, which will no doubt prove a problem in short order. Maybe I can catch a Sentret off the Pokewalker today, and start raising my Izzel? Looking at Bulbapedia, there's nothing in Sprout Tower besides Bellsprout and Gastly, and it looks like I'll need Surf before I can get a Natu. This might cause problems, as the concentration on Cynder has gotten him levelled beyond where I can even catch other Pokemon easily.
Makes me wonder how far I have to get before WiFi trading is activated, so I can maybe get that Spinarak from Petty. Or maybe Hootie's going to have to get some training after all. WHY are none of the Pokemon I want available as early as I remember??
(3/23/2010)
Instead of advancing either game, I spent some time breeding Farfetch'd. Trading the lvl 32 Spearow I'd caught in LG got me a Farfetch'd that had Swords Dance, so I taught him Cut and Fly and bred a female. After raising her to get Swords Dance as well, I bred a Farfetch'd with Peck, Cut, Fly, and Swords Dance, named him Norton (although, I know I've got something elsewhere with that name [ yes, a Taillow]) and traded him back into FR. Then I spent time raising him up to lvl 20 to match the rest of the team. Norton seems to be holding his own pretty well, which let me put my Spearow away.
Did nothing in SS except rack up steps and catch two Doduo on the Pokewalker. Unfortunately, the more steps I get in a day, the less likely it becomes that a Sentret will appear. This means that to get the Sentret I want, I'm going to have to save watts from the previous day, then try first thing in the morning while the steps are still at 0. I'm already over 700 steps today which is too high to get a Sentret. Also, if I only see Pidgey when doing that, I'll have to return Hootie and start another stroll.
Though, catching Pokemon on the Pokewalker is way harder than I thought. First you have to pick the clump of grass showing the "!", up to four times for the rarer Pokemon. If you don't get to it in time using the two buttons, or pick the wrong one, the Pokemon gets away. Then, the battles are deceptively tricky. Besides losing the Pokemon if you faint it, it can also just up and run off. Worse, while all your steps get saved, the watts you spend trying to find items or catch Pokemon are NOT sent back to the DS. You spend it, you lose it. This means you have to rack up enough watts to spend on multiple attempts, AND to unlock new courses. Pain in the ass, really.
Another issue is the day/night thing, which I remember being an issue back in Silver, too. Quite a few Pokemon only appear during the morning or day, which is going to be a problem when I can usually only play at night. I'd wondered why I didn't see any Sentret on that first route.
Anyway, the plan for tonight is to blow through both the SS Anne and Rock Cave in FR, if possible. SS will have to wait until I manage to nab a Sentret.
(3/23/2010)
Aaaand the best laid plans of mice and men....
Upon sticking the FR cart in the DS and starting it up, I was greeted with a message declaring that "The save file has been deleted." So much for those ten or more hours, and all that training....yet, I'm surprisingly mellow about it. In fact, I half-expected this to happen. Restarting the game didn't seem to help, either, because the "The save file is OK" message still appears. So I'm going to take the cartridge back to the Catonsville store as defective, and see if I can't get another. Goodness knows Slither wasn't as strong as he could have been, and I can easily breed another Norton -- in fact, I can get Norton as soon as Viridian now, and train him from the get-go.
Conversely, I managed to catch a Sentret on the Pokewalker with comparatively little effort. So I ended that stroll, sending Hootie and my new Sentret back to the DS -- but a second later, another Sentret had spontaneously joined me on the Pokewalker! Sure, it's a function of the programming, but that's still awesome. I sent her back to the DS immediately, and put her on the team (even though I'll have to wait until Goldenrod to nickname her properly).
After a bit of training, I took my new Sentret up Sprout Tower and got Flash, then easily swept the Violet City Gym. From there I went out to the Ruins of Alph, but sure enough, I can't get a Natu there until after I have Surf. Will have to look to see if they're available elsewhere. [they're not.] Instead, I went south towards Azalea, and despite running out of Pokeballs for random catches, I did catch a Mareep. So now I have three of my final team: Cynder, Izzel, and Sheepish. I also have Merry, the Togepi from the Mystery Egg, and Rocky the Onix, traded for a Bellsprout. All are at lvl 15 (except Merry, who I'm not sure I'll train since I've got Surprise in Pearl).
That means the next tasks are to get through the Slowpoke Well and the Azalea Gym. I should likely pop back to Union Cave and catch a Zubat for 'Dex credit, and probably fish for a Magikarp now that I have the Old Rod. I missed catching any Unknown, but I'll be back that way later anyway so they can wait. After that, it'll be time for Ilex Forest, which means I'll need my special Pichu to trigger the event there. This weekend, I need to bring my DS and games to Traci's, and get the event Pokemon moved over. I also promised Corwin something but I forget what. [it was a Ditto.]
