What makes Auria unique?
From Auria
Considering that there are literally hundreds of little Pokemon roleplaying forums scattered about the internet, this is a fair question for prospective members to ask. There are severel things that make Auria different from most if not all Pokemon RPGs out there.
Contents |
The Fidelity Factor
I've noticed that among Pokemon RPGs, there tend to be two kinds of sites in regards to how faithful they are to the original games. The first is very unfaithful to alot of the ideas, often entire features like abilities or hold items are completely left out. The second is the mirror image clone, where you begin at one of the starter towns from the GB games and trace the exact same route through the region, fighting the same gym leaders in the same order and encounter the same stores and areas that you already did in the games.
I think that both of these "types" of site suck. That is why I took a third route, a way of balance between the two. Auria utilizes basically all aspects of the GB games, while at the same time expanding on them and adapting them to our own purposes. All the while using a region that fits the best aspects of the GB games while not actually being a region from the GB games.
Open Endedness
Another one of the banes of most Pokemon RPGs is how linear they are. Most of them you go to and you see a list of forums detailing every major location in the game, and most of the time you have to go through them in the same order that everyone else is. What's the point if you already know the exact path you'll take and exactly what you'll find along the way?
One type of site has a solution to the strict linearity. They tie everything together into one big plot where each person plays a character in an overarching storyline. This makes it more interesting, but has a serious flaw: when the storyline gets completed, what then? If your RPG revolves around a bunch of Pokemon trainers banding together to stop a rampaging Groudon (or whatever), what happens on the site when Groudon is finally KOed/killed/captured? The site has no point any more. Why would you deliberately design your site in a way that guarantees it has a limited life expectency?
That is why Auria is set up differently. There is no set order to the places you can go in Auria. You can go, and pretty much do, whatever you want. There will be storylines, just to keep things interesting, but the site will not be dependent on them. Auria combines the best of both worlds because it is both open ended and allows you to do what you want, while at the same time allowing for the interesting possibilities of having a storyline.
User Input
Many Pokemon RPGs out there that I've seen are very top heavy as far as control go. Staff are phobic and go on witch hunts over the tiniest instances of God modding. And worse. Before you get there your exact journey route is already planned out. You have no say in anything. At Auria, I vowed to be the exact opposite of this. Users help design the region itself, users can suggest new items, moves, features, etc. Nearly every aspect of the site and the RPG is open to suggestions and changes from the user base. Power to the people! :P
Complete Pokedex
I've noticed that a lot of sites do things like ban legendaries from play and other things that would prevent a player from completing their pokedex. I mean, what's the point of going through with your journy if you can't even hypothetically complete your pokedex? At Auria you will be able to complete your pokedex if you try hard and persist.
Pokemon Growth
One thing that always bothered me about the GB games was the limits put on Pokemon growth, the four move limit being a big nuisance. It was necessary to add strategy to the game, I know, so it was forgivable, but other things bothered me too. Pokemon can't go past level 100 no matter how much you train, there's a limit on how many stat boosters you can use, Pokemon only have one ability, etc. I've always been of the school of thought that says you should be rewarded for your work. So, in Auria all that goes out the window. You can go past level 100, have unlimited moves, acquire new abilities, etc. As long as you're willing to work, your Pokemon will continue to grow.
Acquire Your Pokemon from Other Sites
You may have noticed that role playing sites have a habit of dying eventually. You may have had to deal with that yourself. Years of RPing could just like that, go down the drain. Well, John feels for you, so he rigged the Cable Club system to allow members to trade pokemon acquired in Auria for Pokemon they owned on other sites. That way your efforts weren't wasted. There are some limits and rules, though, so read the Cable Club page.
