>>13568354Janine had Pokemon in the low-mid 30s in the original GSC. They were buffed in HGSS, but the point is rather to exemplify the horrendous exp pacing in the Gen 2 games, many of which still remain even in the updated HGSS. The entire game is filled with super low leveled wild Pokemon and trainer Pokemon, with fluctuating level curve for the important fights. Grinding for the E4 [surely recommended, since if you have more than 3/4 Pokemon, you lack the exp needed to even match their lowest] is even worse, since E4's start in their 50s, and the wild Pokemon are still in their 30s.
>>13569599If no other region requires it, then neither does Hoenn. People just tend to complain about the most, as if they're forced to endure through encountering wild Pokemon, as if the game doesn't offer a cheap way to keep it optional as you want to. Gen 3 doesn't even have the worst encounter rate and every game offers Repel, so it isn't like it's a 'design flaw' that needs to be remedied with an esoteric element soley designed to get around said flaw.
Most all the water routes are broken up into smaller segments and goody islands/side areas (regis, utility NPCs, abandoned ship, etc) to keep them interesting. The only time this doesn't happen is during the first search for Sootopolis, due to the game relying on the introduced Diving mechanic, and the search for the waterfall entrance to the E4, which is tied to that route. That route is bad due to the actual lack of variety, and I feel is a legitimate complaint. The generalization that all the water routes were generic and pointless with little/no variety is something I would contest, however, and a personal issue with the game and not a global design flaw. The larger area is ameliorated by the faster surf speed, while having benchmark interest points along the major routes.
>>13570877>Implying GSCHGSS had enough exp unless you only ran 3/4 Pokemon 
