What are your hopes/predictions for V14?

[Dausk]

As in, what do you think will/hope happen or be added/changed? Both in terms of story and gameplay-wise? I know it's a little too soon to speculate on this, considering the devs are probably still on break, but I thought it'd be interesting what everyone else thinks. I was inspired to make this post by this reddit comment that went into great depths to speculate about the V14 story content, and I can see some of it happening: https://www.reddit.com/r/PokemonRejuvenation/comments/18k4l32/comment/kdrsfio/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3.

 

In terms of gameplay, I assume we'll be getting at least a couple of new Aevian forms, especially considering how scant they are in the early game. Considering Iron Moth is already in the game, we can probably expect at least some Gen 9 mons to make it into V14 (I recall Jan stating that Gen 9 was planned for V15 at some point, maybe that was changed). We're absolutely getting more Crests as well. I'm also expecting the last few non-legendary, non-Gen 9 mons to be made accessible. I hope we get an overhaul to how impactful side quest karma is in determing Bad Ending points, as engaging too much in that can screw you over in that regard.

 

In terms of story, I assume the Xen HQ will fail and the Xenpurgis will be released. Given how character-focused the Karma files were, I expect at least one character to die during this chapter (in Paragon anyway, a lot more in Renegade). I expect we'll get at least some answers on the nature of Team Xen during the raid (not sure it'll be all that satisfying at this point though), but everything regarding Vitus/Madame X/everything else will be left for V15 or later. Naturally, it's safe to assume that any earlier content will not be changed in any major way until completion, if ever; if we do, it'll be relegated to minor dialogue changes/corrections. I would hope some major changes would be instituted in this area, to make the many plot threads more cohesive and better paced—but again, unlikely for now. What are y'all's thought's on the matter?

[jimkas]

This is a wild take but

Spoiler

I'm expecting Madelis to die. The story has been leading up to her redemption arc and I think her dying while sabotazing the Xenpurgis in some way so that it is beatable would be cool.

 

[Dausk]

25 minutes ago, jimkas said:

This is a wild take but

  Hide contents

I'm expecting Madelis to die. The story has been leading up to her redemption arc and I think her dying while sabotazing the Xenpurgis in some way so that it is beatable would be cool.

 

I can definitely see it. I'm definitely expecting Team Xen to split apart during this chapter. Given what we currently know, I don't see Nastasia, Neved, and Madelis being fully on board with the Xenpurgis. This will likely lead into the final confrontation with Madame X/Team Xen at Blacksteeple, or that other castle close to it. While I can see some Xen Admins surviving, Madelis is not among them. There's also more going on with Nastasia, given that it seems apparent that she was the one tipped off by the storm chasers about the S.S Oceana.

[Cyphre]

I don't see it, Madelis has been implied to care about Francesca and Neved, she also got her beef with Cassandra, i believe she will turn around, semi-join our group, confront and beat Cassandra, then will convince Neved he is a moron and what he is doing doesn't help Francesca, so after one final Neved fight he dips out of Xen with Madelis and will bring us to Neverwinter later on on his ferry. (alternatively Neved dies from Madame X and Madelis is later care about Francesca) Don't know if they will be involved after that. 

[jimkas]

Also, I am fully expecting that we will travel through Ultra Space in some way, though maybe that's just wishful thinking cause I really want an Ultra Beast on my team.

[BlackPrismHunte]

I'm kinda hoping they'll clarify the relationship between Maria and Melia next update. I dunno it just bugs me. Something more than "she's just her but amnesiac/split in two" is going on. I wonder if rather than being her she could be a random child that was given Maria's power after her fight with Indris. And it's why she is the only one of the siblings to have Genesis Syndrome. Alice, Allen and Erina are all fragments of the Archetype and exhibit no signs of degradation because they are the Archetype. Melia instead of being a part has it infused in her regular human body.

 

I want to see how deep the Paragon-Renegade rabbit hole is. We can infer quite a bit. But confirmation would be nice. I like M2, I want to see more of her. I want to see if she'll ally herself with the crew to take the Interceptor down. I want to have more moments where the Interceptor talks. Their accusation of M2 was bone chilling. 

 

More than anything I want it clarified if the tidbits implying time travel in NG+ are canons or just meta stuff. It seem there is too much for it to be merely meta but you never know. I love those kind of stories and the implications are far reaching. 

Edited December 20, 2023 by BlackPrismHunte

[Kamikaze_Fritz]

I believe that Clear and Kieran will do something to take the MC off the raid, at least temporaly. Many times we get stuck somewhere else, that could happen and the Heroes Team would not have the interceptor for a good chunk of the Raid

 

 

[vampirevulpix]

I hope they'll include more ways to fuck up your Karma / get bad Karma. So far, the only Quest that really gives you negative Karma is the one at Fort Rystrine. Other than that, the only way to collect points for the Bad Ending is via just...not doing stuff (Side Quests, choosing the asshole options during talking to characters). Which, I get it, good way to make sure getting the Bad Ending has to be a LOT of conscious choices.

Still, putting in a few options that'd give you negative Karma would be cool just to have a bit more leeway re: Side Quests (+ the Karma they grant). Maybe an option to spectacularly fuck up more Side Quests, just like the one at Fort Rystrine? I don't see this working with all Quests, but like...maybe 2-3 more, that would be cool.

 

Plotwise, I hope/dread V.14 will be the Xenpurgis. It's been pointed to and feared by so many characters, and there's quite a bit of hype the Xenpurgis being T H E big ol' battle. Compared to the Terajuma Beatdown(tm), I...lowkey dread the Xenpurgis, lol. Mainly because I agree with @Dausk in thinking there will be people dying. Terajuma cost lives, too (Prof Jenner, Nim and MC (<- in a way)), so that would make sense, imho.

However, if the update will be Xenpurgis, I think this would be a HUGE thing. Not just because the devs would have to create two versions (? if Paragon and Renegade split too far), but also, well, this battle will be big, so unless they'll hit the brakes in the middle and have Xenpurgis Pt. 1 and Xenpurgis Pt. 2, this will take time. More time for me to cry over Rune, then.

 

I do think it would be ultra neat if the Paragon/Renegade mirroring would be done to the extreme. As in: in Paragon, Team Xen members (Madelis, Nastasia, Neved) join "our gang" and break off Madame X - and on Renegade, it is us/MC defecting to Team Xen. Which might impact the outcome of the Xenpurgis: with MC, Team Xen wins - and with major key players of Team Xen, "our side" wins.

This seems logical to me, because Renegade route has weakened several GDC players (Florin and Talon are dead, Flora has lost support due to the GDC ball bomb, Rhodea has not had Gloria returned to her). On Paragon route, all of them are much stronger (Florin, Talon both alive, the former even a candidate to become mayor; Rhodea is much more positive).

 

If we're talking silly little hopes: man, I wish there was an option to save Rune. I knowwwwwwwwwwwwwwww, her body was destroyed, but how about an artificial body where they "download" her consciousness? Which would also bring a lot of moral issues (suddenly having "limits" again, being cut off from the perpetual flow of data, being "a human"). Dunno, I just bawled out my eyes during that part of the game and I wanna save her so bad.

 

 

[jimkas]

48 minutes ago, vampirevulpix said:

If we're talking silly little hopes: man, I wish there was an option to save Rune. I knowwwwwwwwwwwwwwww, her body was destroyed, but how about an artificial body where they "download" her consciousness? Which would also bring a lot of moral issues (suddenly having "limits" again, being cut off from the perpetual flow of data, being "a human"). Dunno, I just bawled out my eyes during that part of the game and I wanna save her so bad.

That sounds like a fate worse than death. I don't think neither Rune nor Huey would like that

[Z..]

I agree someone is dying, especially after Aelita setup that deathflag during that event where Erin invites everyone to her Rose Theater

[vampirevulpix]

16 hours ago, jimkas said:

That sounds like a fate worse than death. I don't think neither Rune nor Huey would like that

What, why?

I mean, Ren is basically the same - his consciousness (soul??) is hosted by a mechanical body created by Nastasia. Who says she couldn't do the same for Rune, especially seeing as she managed to fix the scrambled eggs of Team Xen Geara? I'd just imagine her having the option to become a person again - that, and I think it would raise a lot of interesting questions that weren't tackled with Ren. Is Ren still a person if he's basically an android? When does being a person start?? Also Nastasia takes over control over his body/him, but is it ever really discussed how this influences him "being Ren", if other people have the option to take over? Dunno, what with Rejuv asking a lot of questions of what makes a person themself/a real person (see: Aelita), I just think having the option of android bodies didn't tackle those enough. With Rune, that would be possible.

Iirc both Rune and Huey expressed their regret of Rune just...what, dying? Disappearing? Also, is Rune even dead-dead? Like, is that even stated? Or is she just...well, powered off?

[BlackPrismHunte]

25 minutes ago, vampirevulpix said:

What, why?

I mean, Ren is basically the same - his consciousness (soul??) is hosted by a mechanical body created by Nastasia. Who says she couldn't do the same for Rune, especially seeing as she managed to fix the scrambled eggs of Team Xen Geara? I'd just imagine her having the option to become a person again - that, and I think it would raise a lot of interesting questions that weren't tackled with Ren. Is Ren still a person if he's basically an android? When does being a person start?? Also Nastasia takes over control over his body/him, but is it ever really discussed how this influences him "being Ren", if other people have the option to take over? Dunno, what with Rejuv asking a lot of questions of what makes a person themself/a real person (see: Aelita), I just think having the option of android bodies didn't tackle those enough. With Rune, that would be possible.

Iirc both Rune and Huey expressed their regret of Rune just...what, dying? Disappearing? Also, is Rune even dead-dead? Like, is that even stated? Or is she just...well, powered off?

I guess going from knowing everything to a limited human body could be considered "worse than death" if you assumed Rune enjoyed being near omniscient and it was something she really wanted to keep, otherwise yeah can't see how it's a fate worse than death. Pretty sure the siblings would be happy to be reunited. 

[jimkas]

1 hour ago, vampirevulpix said:

What, why?

I mean, Ren is basically the same - his consciousness (soul??) is hosted by a mechanical body created by Nastasia. Who says she couldn't do the same for Rune, especially seeing as she managed to fix the scrambled eggs of Team Xen Geara? I'd just imagine her having the option to become a person again - that, and I think it would raise a lot of interesting questions that weren't tackled with Ren. Is Ren still a person if he's basically an android? When does being a person start?? Also Nastasia takes over control over his body/him, but is it ever really discussed how this influences him "being Ren", if other people have the option to take over? Dunno, what with Rejuv asking a lot of questions of what makes a person themself/a real person (see: Aelita), I just think having the option of android bodies didn't tackle those enough. With Rune, that would be possible.

Iirc both Rune and Huey expressed their regret of Rune just...what, dying? Disappearing? Also, is Rune even dead-dead? Like, is that even stated? Or is she just...well, powered off?

The difference is that Rune was dead from the start, Ren was controlling a robotick, but he himself was still alive and well. Rune died when her mind was transported into the engine, she was just data.

[vampirevulpix]

35 minutes ago, jimkas said:

The difference is that Rune was dead from the start, Ren was controlling a robotick, but he himself was still alive and well. Rune died when her mind was transported into the engine, she was just data.

And this is EXACTLY why I DO think Rune getting an android body would be really interesting - if she is "just data", then why is she, as a person, still...well, acting? Thinking? After her body was destroyed? Her mind (soul?? identity?) was basically uploaded to the engine, where she created the Puppet Master. Huey unlocks her and has this tearful meeting with her, getting closure.

So unlike Ren, Rune has no body to "return to", because it was destroyed. Does that mean she would be unable to inhabit a body, either android or human? As in, her soul is "forgetting" how to inhabit a limited body?

And with Ren, what if something happens to his human "shell", so to speak? Can his body forget to be inhabited by a soul/identity, body decaying? Kinda thinking of a braindeath situation here, as in: if the soul is departed from the body for too long, the body has to be artificially kept alive by machines, otherwise it dies.

So yeah, in conclusion, giving Rune an android body would open up a LOT of questions and interesting parallels with Ren's situation. Also with Reina - literally Ren's sister - taking over Rune's role as Huey's sister.

 

...man, I'm kinda talking myself into writing a fanfic about this, lol.

 

[SoulN7]

Hmmm. To return to the inital question...

Plotwise, I hope the game doesn't become full meta and I hope we get answers such as "What happened back in the sanctuary" or "why Meloetta is important". In short, more plot, 13.5 was too short.

Gamewise, more new crests like Noivern's or Unfezant and more megas like Charizardites, Blastoisite and Salamencite. 

And they should continue to develop NG+ content, it's nice.

[jimkas]

51 minutes ago, SoulN7 said:

Gamewise, more new crests like Noivern's or Unfezant and more megas like Charizardites, Blastoisite and Salamencite. 

I don't think we are getting any of the mega stones for pseudo legendaries before post game. 700 bst mons are just too strong.

[SoulN7]

10 minutes ago, jimkas said:

I don't think we are getting any of the mega stones for pseudo legendaries before post game. 700 bst mons are just too strong.

The thing is that...

Spoiler

Using the terajuma password will let you get it. At some point, they'll add it for sure. Probably not V14. But yeah, they will add it near Endgame or post.

 

[Zohnical]

Well for sure in 14, 

Spoiler

Aelita

will be deleted in Renegade, she was marked by Karma when she mentioned she heard someone say stop.

 

Curious who else gets deleted, feel the Interceptor will either trick his friends into their demises or offer cruel mercy and delete them.

 

Who's to say Paragon doesn't succeed? If they do, then something else trips them up, or they fail and there's time travel involved. Feel Melia saw too much from the bad future to allow it to continue, although the tiles of the next few versions beg to differ.

[Magus543]

I'm curious to see if Madame X's identity will be revealed or if the mystery will be dragged on again.

[BlackPrismHunte]

On 12/19/2023 at 11:28 PM, SoulN7 said:

Hmmm. To return to the inital question...

Plotwise, I hope the game doesn't become full meta and I hope we get answers such as "What happened back in the sanctuary" or "why Meloetta is important". In short, more plot, 13.5 was too short.

Gamewise, more new crests like Noivern's or Unfezant and more megas like Charizardites, Blastoisite and Salamencite. 

And they should continue to develop NG+ content, it's nice.

I think we don't have to worry too much about that. Pretty much everything that happened in 13.5 has an in universe explanation that doesn't require breaking the 4th wall. Even Eizen's ramblings have an explanation with the game acknowledging the Interceptor hit the reset button on the universe already. 

[ClaraTheCriminal]

On 12/21/2023 at 5:43 AM, Zohnical said:

Well for sure in 14, 

  Reveal hidden contents

Aelita

will be deleted in Renegade, she was marked by Karma when she mentioned she heard someone say stop.

 

Curious who else gets deleted, feel the Interceptor will either trick his friends into their demises or offer cruel mercy and delete them.

 

Who's to say Paragon doesn't succeed? If they do, then something else trips them up, or they fail and there's time travel involved. Feel Melia saw too much from the bad future to allow it to continue, although the tiles of the next few versions beg to differ.

damn, definitely not doing a full renegade run is that happens