In post 2132, Chevre wrote:This is a weird question, but can people tell me how theyplayPokemon?
I just feel like I play it with a set of rules that I must follow and I can't ever play it loosely. Like my pokemon have to be in my party in order of level and then if their level is tied, by order of HP, once they level up I shift the order around so it makes sense again, etc. I just feel on the glimpses of LPs and Nuzlockes I've seen people are able to play more freely while I've been playing this way since I got Pokemon Yellow. It frustrates me.
As a kid, I used to just do whatever. I would level them up more or less evenly and change the order if one was leveling too quickly, but I didn't pay too much attention. That bit me in the ass in the late game. Always used a fire starter, though.
A little later, I kept to a rough formula for my party's composition, since it worked for all of the required HMs and TMs and for passing the endgame. I also started sorting Pokémon by level and number of EXP needed for the next level. I would also make a point of never using any Berries or potions, and I caught literally everything with Poké Balls (except Safari). The worst part, though, was trying to get every single item and every single available Pokémon, which eventually became neither realistic nor fun, particularly when they started distributing critters through store events and Pokémon Dream World.
I've been trying to play more loosely with Alpha Sapphire (because doing it otherwise meant I wasn't ever going to start). The tendency to want specific types for my party is still there, and I think I still want to stick to Poké Balls only, but it's been nicer than usual to not care so much.