Breeding Grounds and Daycare Centers for trainers!

When it comes to Pokemon games on handheld devices, the breeding system and daycare system are key parts of the player’s overall success. While these systems are not necessary to complete the game, they do save trainers some time and allow them to create their own “perfect” Pokemon. Although Pokemon Go is a very different game, I can realistically see ways that Niantic could implement these two systems to benefit players.

To start, let’s just talk about the breeding system. We can approach this from two different angles, but I’ll start out with the idea of having a perfect Pokemon. Let’s say you have two rare Pokemon, maybe a couple of Aerodactyls or a Snorlax pair. Much to your disappointment, you have one with a top-tier IV and a bad moveset, and one with a perfect moveset and a pretty poor IV. With a breeding system in place, you are now able to combine those two Pokemon. It would take the best moveset of the two and the best IV of the two, mash it all into an egg, and depending on the rarity of the Pokemon, the IV, and the moveset, your egg will be assigned a km value.

For a rare Pokemon that is going to create a perfect egg, maybe the value could be 10, or even 15km. Since you know what you’re getting, and you know it will be worth it, Niantic could increase km values for eggs created through breeding. This will allow the system to take time and make players really think before they decide to breed. On top of that, breeding won’t be something available in your inventory. Niantic could designate places on the map, much like Pokestops and Gyms. These facilities would be “Breeding Grounds” and you can drop your Pokemon off to breed. After 24 hours, you can return to this location to retrieve your Pokemon and your new egg.

This can also be used to help fill up your Pokedex. Let’s say you have a pair of Pikachu, but you don’t have a Pichu in your Pokedex. You can take them to the Breeding Grounds, leave them there, and come back to grab your guaranteed Pichu egg the next day. Players might think this will “ruin the game” by making it easier to fill your Pokedex, but by giving the eggs a higher km value, forcing players to walk to a nearby Breeding Grounds, and making them wait 24 hours before obtaining their egg, this could be a very balanced system.

As far as daycare goes, the same principal would apply. You must walk your Pokemon to the Daycare Center. Once you’re there, you can select one Pokemon to drop off. You won’t be able to dump ten or fifteen into the daycare, so you must choose wisely. Once the Pokemon has been placed, trainers will get one candy for every two hours the Pokemon stays in daycare. That will give you a maximum of 12 candies per day, which isn’t a crazy amount. At the same time, it’s also candy that you’re getting with absolutely no effort on your part whatsoever. This system would be very beneficial for players who aren’t in highly populated areas. They could take a trip to town, drop off their Pokemon, and return home. After a few days, they can take a trip back into town to claim their new candy. The Pokemon can stay in the Daycare Center for as long as you choose, and you can only claim your candies when you return to pick it up.

I truly believe that a breeding system and a daycare system just like this could be extremely beneficial without being overly powerful influences on the game. Niantic could easily implement these two systems, but they need to make sure everybody has an equal opportunity to use them. Some people are far away from Gyms and Pokestops, so Niantic would have to distribute these new buildings carefully. Perhaps the Breeding Grounds and Daycare Center could share a location. If not, the two could be placed right next to each other. This will allow players to drop all their Pokemon off and return to the same place the next day to pick them up. People won’t have to run all around town to get their Pokemon back, and they’ll have some extra candies and eggs for their walk home.