>>15387928Play Emerald, not Ruby (and Platinum over Diamond).
Anyways, the routes looked absolutely amazing. I remember picking it up for the first time, and I was blown away by the sheer variety in routes. It made RBY/GSC really dull to me because before Hoenn, every route was a different combination of trees, ledges, grass, and normal tiles, with the exception of some caves that I really liked.
Most people outside /vp/ don't care about the water, while there is a lot of it, there's no reason to go in it outside the Regis once you complete the E4.
And what
>>15387959 said. Secret bases were one of the best parts about the game. During the latter portion of Gen 3 with the Sevii Islands and Emerald's Battle Frontier, postgame content seemed endless beyond what normally was trading, completing your Pokedex, and battling with friends.
Sinnoh kept up the good work, but lately the games have been too baby-fied. Even when I was little, I still enjoyed a challenge and absolutely hated tutorials, and Unova and Kalos offered none of it until maybe postgame.
I still enjoy teambuilding, though, so that's why I still play.
