@deathly_hallows
EVs are a hidden stat not needed to beat the game. They exist to make each Pokemon unique and competitive players use them to make specialized Pokemon.

@-JKR-
@deathly_hallows

Bottom-screen stuff is only for if you're super-into Pokemon or the game's social features. I've decided to ignore it. I've already spent my fair share of hundreds of hours with Pokemon games; I'm just going to play straight through this one, ignoring the side goals of catching them all and being the very best. I'm content to stick with a relatively unchanging team throughout the whole game and play it was a regular RPG.

I am a little envious of the Pokemaniacs who must be loving this game to no end though. It's nearly an MMO!

@Pokefreak911
Hmm, if the stats are hidden how do you know what they are or how to effect them? Is there some kind of PC program you load your save file into to see the numbers?

@Secret_Tunnel
I like Pokemon Amie, and I intend to use it to get my Eevee to evolve into a Umbreon, but I find it a little weird and frustrating that there is nowhere it tells you your friendship level, I'm just going to keep feeding that sucker puffs until it chokes!*

*so much animal abuse in this game

@deathly_hallows Strangely enough, when you go to switch Pokemon for Pokemon-Amie it'll tell you 3 different stats for each one, which I guess is the new relationship level?

I loved how in Black and White 2 I could use the cell phone thing to call the professor to ask how to evolve any Pokemon in my party, or Bianca to learn what my relationship levels were, etc. What's up with the feature regression?

@Xbob42
Yeah I'm assuming that 5 hearts will trigger the evolution* I'm looking for, I hope!

*Even though the FAQ I read said I need a friendship level of + 220 pts? (still don't understand how people know these hidden stats)

@Xbob42

That's one of the worst problems with the series. Pokemon continues to refine but it does selectively seem to regress features only for them to show up again later. No matter how good a Pokemon is, it'll always be lacking on something. It's weird.

So, let's just assume I did care about EV points (which I don't ), how would I see these invisible numbers in order to manipulate them by taking vitamins and killing certain dudes? Every FAQ I read seems like it's written in secret code with more jargon than Jargon himself. To up the ddr you have tmml and csg by 23.8% by taking a ppr and ttl to the rrrrm for a bonus of 2/5 X .08886 delta Z pps to the llm.

PS: Spent an hour on Route 3 last night and still can't find a Pikachu!? Pika Pika!

Yeah got me a Pikachu! Yes!

So my roster is now:

Level 21 Eevee
Level 21 Rhyhorn
Level 34 Litleo (about to evolve!)
Level 30 Azumarill
Level 18 Pancham
Level 4 Pikachu

I feel like that's an okay mix? If I can evolve Eevee into a Umbreon, I'll have a Dark, Fairy/Water, Ground/Rock, Fighting, Fire, and Electric. Guess I don't really have a Grass which may come back to bite me in the ass, but I haven't captured any cute grass types yet.

@deathly_hallows
You can't. The best way to do it is to use a Reset bag and then begin counting how many EV points you get in each stat, whether you get them through battling or Super Training it doesn't matter.

@deathly_hallows
Most of the types that Grass covers can be covered by Electric and Water.

@Pokefreak911
So how do you count EV points if there is nowhere in the game it tells you how many your earning?

@deathly_hallows
Each Pokemon or each Super Training minigame gives away a set amount of EV points. There is no in-game way to know how much each Pokemon gives you however as the developers never intended for players to manipulate it. You are told the numbers in Super Training however.

@Pokefreak911
Oh okay I looked in super training but never say an EV stat, I will look again!

So before super training how did players know the EV stats? How were they discovered back in the first gameboy game? I feel like there is something I missing. I've read FAQs that telly you exactly how many EVs you need to max out a certain pokemon and how to get them and never mention it's a hidden stat (I guess assuming everyone knows how to access those hidden numbers via a hack or some math equation or something), but I think it's super bewildering.

Sorry to ask annoying questions! I seriously do not understand. Like look at this, what the hell? Do you read that and it seems super clear and easy to understand?

@deathly_hallows
Fairly sure it was through hacking. Pokemon games are probably some of the most hacked games around.

And I can understand that page fine, but only because I have read up a bunch on what EVs are. I still do not understand IVs correctly however.

@deathly_hallows Are you talking about this line?

"In GSC we had Stat Experience; in RSE, FRLG and DPP we have Effort Values. These are a bit more complicated than Stat Exp, but they both have the same principles."

Cause he's just talking Pokemon games, Gold Silver Crystal, Ruby Sapphire Emerald, Fire Red Leaf Green, Diamond Pearl Platinum.

@Pokefreak911
Well I don't get EVs, I'm going to ignore them and just never play online, it's way too much work, ha.

@Xbob42
Ha, yeah, I was able to figure that out... but I still don't know how to count EVs, and I'm giving up.

@deathly_hallows Just do Super Training for bonus stats, that's all you need to worry about. The old way of EVs is antiquated. Do Super Training until your Pokemon is "Fully Trained" and you're done! Just make sure you max it out with the stats you know you want.

Also, I don't think I've EVER looked at this icon before, I mean I've seen it, but I never took notice of what it was for, but the little circles by an attack description mean special damage while a starburst means physical damage, right?? I always just figured "special attack" enhanced elemental damage while "attack" was for "normal" abilities and boosted anything that "physically connected" (i.e. when your Pokemon rammed into another, rather than shooting something at them.)

That changes things drastically... I'm slowly learnin' this crap. I feel like I should've already known, but a thousand times more than that I feel like the game SHOULD HAVE FUCKING TOLD ME.

It feels weird saying this, especially since I adored Fire Emblem Awakening, but this game just seems too complicated. There was something bugging me about it that kept me not-very-addicted to it since release (just beat the third gym most recently), and I think Xbob is hitting the nail on the head. It's both way too easy, and way too difficult.

The main game has been a piece of cake so far--the gyms, as usual, are "find the weakness and STAB it." I cleared the third one with my puffy cotton candy Swirlix alone just doing a 50 base power Fairy move. And yeah--why doesn't anyone have more than three Pokemon? Craziness--give me some tough battles!

Meanwhile, it seems there's a ton of depth and hidden stuff, but the game makes absolutely no effort to tell you anything. Every now and then you'll get a hint from an NPC (I just learned the L-button trick from this thread), but it's super-frustrating doing trial-and-error for 700+ Pokemon, many of which you have no idea how to tell their type beyond memorization. And a minor detail, but I really wish there was an icon showing me if I caught one species of Pokemon or not when I engage it in battle. The games obviously expect players to look up stuff and buy guides or something (either that or just be insane and memorize a novel's worth of info), so why the heck isn't it there in the first place? You should get a Pokedex upgrade after the first gym or something that just gives you the whole chart on weakness/resistance, and be able to access it any time with a button press. I just don't feel like putting in any of the effort to play online; it's way too complex and maybe I'm just an old fart but I can't be bothered to pet/feed/exercise each member of my team ad nauseum in silly little minigames.

@TriforceBun There is an icon above the HP bar of wild Pokemon you've got (Same as always, a little Pokeball icon) but not for trainer battles.

And yeah, the strange mix of brain-dead easy and mind-blowingly dense with no transition into one from the other is ouch.

@TriforceBun
I'm with you 100% man, I seriously don't understand why they don't just give you the information you need, especially since this is a portable game, when I'm riding the subway I can't access the internet and look up a bunch of stuff online, nor do I want to really... it seems very bizarre.

Oh man, I captured a Hawlucha last night, he's so cool, and throwing everything off! Do I switch out him in instead of Pancham? I mean Hawlucha is fighting and flying, that kicks ass! (but I love my Kung-Fu panda )