Given the current cost control situation, it is completely unrealistic to expect everyone to have a Pokémon device capable of achieving this level of image quality.
Even if we don't go for this level, and just upgrade to the 16-bit level, many users will still hesitate due to cost issues.
This is easily seen by simply looking at the difference in holdings between NP and NS in a table.
Although the price difference between the two is only a few tens of dollars.
A mere few dozen dollars has become an insurmountable barrier.
Not to mention the even more expensive and lower-volume 32-bit chips.
but--
If the only goal is to gradually renovate Pokémon Center in various locations, the cost will actually be passed on to GAMENOVA itself and the managers of the franchise stores in each location.
Essentially, it's like buying a few more arcade machines.
That's much easier to accept.
It was precisely because of this that Lin Lixin was able to unleash his full potential and put to use all those high-precision materials that he had prepared long ago but had never had a chance to use.
How long can these Pokémon stay here?
Marc returned to the front desk, having just sent one of his beloved squads to Pal Park.
"They'll live here permanently, until you take them back."
The receptionist, with a sweet smile, patiently explained to the child in front of her.
"----I'm serious, I hope my data won't expire and be deleted?"
"Well----"
Her expression froze; the drawbacks of rapid training and onboarding were immediately exposed. "You can rest assured, kid. As I just said, it's permanent. They're stored on GAMENOVA's official servers, and as long as you still have your membership card, they'll be there forever."
This is one of the major advantages of the GAMENOVA All-in-One Card.
Now that things have come to this point, the advantages of Lin Lixin's initial insistence on not using old-fashioned magnetic stripe cards are becoming increasingly clear.
Safe and reliable.
All data is processed via network or local connection before being uploaded to GAMENOVA's distributed server suite.
If you don't lose your card, your data will never be lost.
In a sense, this membership card is like a person's ID card within the GAMENOVA system.
However----
Marc was about to leave, the receptionist suddenly changed the subject, keeping him in suspense.
Seeing Marc a puzzled expression, she smiled and said, "Under the basic plan, Pal Park can only hold a maximum of 30 Pokémon, if you are a Great Advanced Plan Trainer, you can enjoy a quota of up to 6,000 Pokémon!"
"Six thousand? There aren't that many Pokémon in the entire game!"
If you count the current number of Pokémon, including both the Red Green versions, and even including Mew (No. 151), there are only about 150 in total.
Let alone six thousand, even a thousand would be enough to collect all the Pokémon in the entire game at Pal Park.
It's perfectly normal for Marc to have this kind of thinking.
After all, the Pokémon of today is completely different from the massive IP of later generations.
Leaving aside personality traits and other mechanisms that will gradually appear in later generations, even individual values and effort values are currently very implicit data.
Even the gender system was only established after the egg-hatching gameplay was introduced in the second generation.
At this stage, those who are not true hardcore data users may not even be aware that differences can exist between individuals.
Limited by the capabilities of the 8-bit era, many things could not be truly displayed.
But this doesn't mean Lin Lixin can't start planning ahead.
In addition, the sheer volume of numbers is itself a marketing strategy.
You trainers may never use all these slots in your lifetime, but just having these slots there is a certain satisfaction.
"I'm not sure about that, but that's the plan that headquarters has given."
"All right----"
Marc nodded and walked out of the Pal Park with a sigh.
Advanced option – that sounds like a subscription service, doesn't it?
It's really not worth spending your allowance on a small amount you don't even need.
Looking up at the opposite side, it seems that some space has slowly become available on the GTS side as well.
Marc spotted Uncle John standing blankly in front of one of the machines at a glance.
GTS----
He muttered something to himself and strode quickly toward the GTS.
The Global Trade System —just hearing the name is impressive enough.
Especially that huge globe in the center, it's so cool!
"Uncle, what's going on?"
John only snapped out of his daze when he heard the voice of the child beside him.
The shock that GTS had given him was so overwhelming that he was momentarily stunned.
"Oh, Pal Park? How was it?"
"Yes, I've tried it, and it felt..."
Marc scratched his head. This kind of thing was really hard to explain to him with words. "Oh, you'll see for yourself when you go over there. Maybe you'll even run into my Pokémon."
"Huh? What are you talking about, all that mystical stuff?"
"It's not important. What about you? What exactly is the GTS? I noticed you were spacing out just now."
Marc's gaze shifted to the television set in front of John.
There was a world map-like image on the screen; I didn't know what it meant.
"This—this is amazing! You absolutely have to try it!"
Let me see what's going on—
Seeing that John had pulled out the card and gestured for him to come over, Marc stepped forward.
Once you enter the homepage, the overall design resembles an ATM machine.
There are only three options in total.
Welcome to GTS! What do you want to do?
[Seeking Pokémon ]
[ Pokémon Deposit]
[Exit GTS and eject the card →]
"Uh—what does this mean?"
"Is there Pokémon you particularly want? Anything is fine."
"Hmm... no, I've already collected them all."
Over the years, true fans like him have naturally filled their collections long ago.
However, judging from John's words, Marc had a general idea.
It seems that GTS is a device that can help him get the Pokémon he wants.
After thinking about it, Marc decided to try the first option first.
Which Pokémon are you looking for?
A list of options pops up below, consistent with the in-game encyclopedia, arranged by number.
Marc randomly picked Clefairy, a Pokémon superstar made famous by the manga, and then realized that he could specify other characters.
"Can I also choose the desired level range? And... gender??"
He understood the level; it was one of the core attributes of Pokémon.
But what's with this gender thing?
I've never heard of Pokémon and female counterparts.
"Oh, that doesn't seem to work right now; the option is locked. I guess it's a new mechanic in the sequel."
John offered to explain on his behalf.
I've pretty much figured out all the features of the GTS while I was playing it out just now.
Good heavens----
Marc nodded knowingly.
That really whetted our appetites.
I thought the Pokémon Center's massive construction event was meant to satisfy everyone's cravings, but it seems it's had the opposite effect.
This reminds me of the ridiculously high Pokémon limit at Pal Park.
Combined with the gender displayed here----
"My God, what exactly is Gamenova planning to do?"
The new Pokémon Center reveals a deliberate attention to detail throughout.
GAMENOVA clearly intended to show these things to its fans.
"Forget it, let's focus on GTS first."
After selecting his desired level, Marc clicked "OK," and GTS officially began its work.
The interface suddenly zoomed in from a single point to resemble a world map.
A halo of light began to spread outwards from California, centered on their location.
[Searching----]
"Drop"
Shortly after, a light appeared at another location in California not far from where they were, and a notification popped up on the screen.
[I'd like to trade with you:]
[For you: Clefairy ]
[Wanted: Sandshrew, Level: Any]
At this point, the purpose of this so-called GTS is no longer necessary to explain.
As many had previously imagined, this is indeed a networked global communications exchange system.
However, it appears to be asynchronous.
One player places their Pokémon in the GTS and sets up the Pokémon they want.
The other party can find a match using the same method or by searching directly.
It's not real-time; once you've set up your desired Pokémon, you can remove the card and leave.
The next time you log in, GTS will tell you if there are any matched swaps available.
"This... this really takes trading cards to a whole new level."
Marc did indeed have plenty of Sandshrew in his warehouse, so he simply agreed to the exchange.
As the data was transferred, the Sandshrew in my archive was temporarily stored on the server via the cloud.
Whether you log back into GTS or into Pal Park, you'll see the Sandshrew you traded for, with all its attributes remaining exactly the same.
And I also got the Clefairy I had just set up.
After the exchange was completed, the dot on the world map not only did not disappear, but instead remained fixed in place.
It seems that every time I complete a GTS-based swap, a new commemorative dot appears on the map.
Compared to the face-to-face exchanges of the past, this model lacks the feeling of trainers meeting in person, but unexpectedly adds a sense of social interaction.
This is a connection of hearts that transcends physical distance.
It's not just me who can see this point of light; presumably, when the trainer on the other side reconnects to GTS...
Sometimes, you might be pleasantly surprised to find a new dot of light on your map.
Of course, to prevent GTS from being sabotaged by malicious criminals due to Game Freak's poor technical capabilities, as happened in the original timeline, this system was personally designed by Lin Lixin.
By integrating various asymmetric encryption algorithms, the illegal modification of Pokémon has been effectively prevented from entering the market.
Starting today, limitations imposed by geographical location, game version, and hardware platform will no longer exist.
It cannot become an obstacle to trainers.