Pokéwalker: Difference between revisions

The Pokéwalker contains a 3V CR2032 battery with a capacity of 220–225 mAh. The battery will last approximately four months if the Pokéwalker device is used 30 minutes a day and about 10,000 steps are taken. This will vary depending on the temperature, the number of steps taken, how often the Pokéwalker is used, how often infrared communication is used, and how often the buttons are pressed. If the battery power gets low, a battery icon will appear on the top-left corner of the display and the Pokéwalker will save the information once every hour before the battery runs out. The battery is currently not rechargeable and must be replaced with another 3V CR2032 battery if it runs out. If the Pokéwalker's battery runs out and the session is not saved, all steps will be lost and all watts, items and Pokémon that were obtained during the trip will be deleted, however the Pokémon deposited at the start of the session will remain unaffected.

To sustain battery life in the midst of a session, the Pokéwalker puts itself into sleep mode after 60–90 seconds of inactivity, so the display will turn off and the screen will go blank. The Pokéwalker can be revived by holding down the central button for one second. While in sleep mode, the Pokéwalker will still maintain its primary function and record the amount of steps the player takes. The device's settings can also be set in order to turn the display sharpness down and decrease or mute the sound, as a way to conserve battery life. To replace the battery, a Phillips-head screwdriver is needed to remove the plain backing or the optional belt clip. Removing the battery will cause all steps taken and watts obtained to be cleared. The Pokémon inside will not be erased.

Pokéwalker gameplay boils down to simply walking around with the device so as to charge up watts, then utilizing the watts to purchase use of the [[Poké Radar]] and [[Dowsing Machine]]. Up to three caught Pokémon and up to three found items may be stored at once: after either limit is reached and given the player has caught another Pokémon or found another item, they will have to decide to replace either, in order to make space for the new Pokémon or item. The step counter resets at midnight each day. Watts is the mode of currency used within the Pokéwalker and can be earned in various different ways: every 20 steps the player takes 1 watt is earned, and Pokémon within the Pokéwalker can randomly find multiples of 10, 20, or 50 watts whilst on their walk. In total, a Pokémon can only gain one level every time they are sent to the Pokéwalker, and will not gain any more experience if it exceeds that level. Pokémon cannot learn moves or evolve by leveling up in the Pokéwalker.

Each Pokéwalker area has three advantageous [[type]]s which vary between areas, and have influence over the Pokéwalker's Poké Radar and Dowsing Machine. When a Pokémon of an advantageous type is brought into an area, then the chance of finding rarer Pokémon when using the Poké Radar and items when using the Dowsing Machine will slightly increase. In addition to making rarer Pokémon easier to find when using the Poké Radar, an advantageous type will lower the required step count for each Pokémon by 25%. This effect does not seem to apply to the Dowsing Machine.

The battle system of the Pokéwalker is quite primitive: each Pokémon utilizes their in-game menu sprite in the battle, and each has only 4 HP. A player can either Attack, Evade, or Catch the wild Pokémon, while the wild Pokémon in turn may Attack, Evade, or Run from battle. Attacking will cause the Pokémon to inflict 1 point damage (regardless of stats or type matchups) and the possibility of a critical hit (for an extra 1 point damage), unless the opponent evades the attack. Evading an opponent's attack results in the user counterattacking, inflicting one point damage without receiving any. If both Pokémon choose to evade, this results in a "Stare down" between the two Pokémon, and nothing happens during that turn. The Catch option will throw a Poké Ball at the wild Pokémon, which may catch it, but if it fails, the wild Pokémon will automatically flee battle, and the player's 10 watts will have been in vain. The same is true if the player's Pokémon defeats its opponent (as no battle experience is gained), whereas if the opponent defeats the player's Pokémon, the player will lose up to 10 watts (much as money is in the main series games after the defeat of the player's Pokémon).

Much like in the main games, the Dowsing Machine will help the player find items in the wild. Each use of this function costs 3 watts, and the player has two chances to find an item hidden among six grass tufts. If the item is not found the first time, the Dowsing Machine will tell the player if the item is close by ("It's near!") or far away ("It's far away..."). If the item is near, then it is adjacent to the first checked grass tuft (directly left or right). Likewise if the item is far away then the item is at least two grass tufts away in either direction. If the item is not found by the second search, the player will have to try again with another 3 watts.

* [[File:Pokéwalker Connect.png]] '''Connect''' - Allows connection to another player's Pokéwalker, however that same person cannot be connected to during the remainder of the day.  

* [[File:Pokéwalker Trainer Card.png]] '''Trainer Card''' - Views details such as the Trainer name ([[File:Pokéwalker Trainer.png]]), current area name ([[File:Pokéwalker Route.png]]) and current time. By pressing the right-most button seven times, further details will be shown such as the day, the total number of steps taken, the total number of days, and the steps taken in those days.