The state of Wi-Fi Battling

[Alexa888]

I recently posted this in the Wi-Fi forum discussion thread.

This isn't and simple request, or question, more a discussion topic. The Wi-fi communtiy on Smogon is full of great breeders, each with trade threads filled with perfect Pokemon. However, the Wi-Fi battling I have experiences hasn't be that great. From the few Wi-Fi matches I have played, the standard of battling hasn't been anywhere near the quality on Shoddy. I expect I was probably unlucky, but either way, I feel there could be a better way of battling in Wi-Fi community. Maybe more tournaments could be run, or maybe we could set up a system similar to the Smogon Premier League, with several organised games. I know there are Smogon Wi-Fi Tournaments that run every weekend, but they attract only a small number of players each week.

I am curious to know what everyone else thinks on the subject, whether you would support the idea of more organised battling.

I just feel that Wi-Fi battling could be so much better than what I currently is challenging the odd person from time to time. I am wondering what would be the best way to improve it.

 

[Alex Practice]

WIFI has a lot going against it. There are more glitches (most notably Acid Rain), it takes a lot longer to play the game due to animation (which means Stall is pretty much banned by most people) and it's easier to click Find Battle than it is to find someone to battle with, register them, spend an hour to figure out why WIFI is down, and then battle.

All of that adds up to not as many competitive players using WIFI.

 

[Aqueos]

Also this discourages better battlers from using the format, especially do to the fact that the people on shoddy have more experience.

 

[VKCA]

WIFI has a lot going against it. There are more glitches (most notably Acid Rain)

There are so many more glitches in shoddy than there are in wifi.

 

[San_Pellegrino]

Also, effort needed to build a team in wifi

 

[Nix_Hex]

As stated in the OP, the WiFi Forum has never stopped exploding in activity. Many fully trained, fully EV'd, and flawless Pokémon are out there -- how else can you justify the almost outright demand for RNG and In-Game guides on this site? It does not take much to start a trade thread, and the amount of redistributables on Wi-Fi is really helpful for new trainers. As for finding matches, the Battle Me threads are constantly updated, and connecting with a (smart and polite) opponent will only take a few minutes. If a tournament were to be arranged and people were held accountable for being on time to their matches, I think it would go a lot quicker.

All of that being said; in the near future (future meaning about 8 days from now when BW are released), I think Gen 4 Wi-Fi will simmer down as we soak in the new games. As for Gen 5 Wi-Fi, I doubt there will be many battlers initially due to the effort of figuring out the new game mechanics, especially pertaining to RNG abuse.

Now, is a Wi-Fi tournament necessary or worth it? I think it would be fun, but if anyone is like me, they only have a handful of Pokémon to work with, meaning that if you have a successful team stored away in your PC, you will likely only be using that team.

 

[andrea]

I'm not sure if you've noticed, but there is a Wi-Fi Tournament section on the site. If you have a great idea for a tournament, you could definitely get it approved and host it. Currently there is a VGC 2009 tournament going on and there are also live tournaments coordinated on IRC every Sunday.

I'm honestly not sure what else could be done to improve the quality of battling, save for having more tournaments in the Wi-Fi Tournament section on a regular basis.

 

[Alexa888]

I'm not sure if you've noticed, but there is a Wi-Fi Tournament section on the site. If you have a great idea for a tournament, you could definitely get it approved and host it. Currently there is a VGC 2009 tournament going on and there are also live tournaments coordinated on IRC every Sunday.

I'm honestly not sure what else could be done to improve the quality of battling, save for having more tournaments in the Wi-Fi Tournament section on a regular basis.

Yes, I did notice. I signed up, but went on holiday and could not participate. I did mention in the OP the Live Tournaments, but as I said, the doen't attract many battlers. I think you are right, a good way to improve things is to at least run a few more tournaments.

 

[Firestorm]

The #1 barrier to entry in WiFi Battling is time invested. It's faster now with RNG manipulation discoveries, but it's still quite a bit slower than a battle sim. Not to mention it doesn't have easy matchmaking or clause settings. I think it's best to come back to this issue once Black & White are out and we know how Nintendo handled the situation this time around.