Pokemon Duel is a mobile device game for Android and iOS operating systems. It is developed by the Japan-based group HEROZ and is published by The Pokemon Company. It involves a mix of movement strategy, collection of hundreds of figures through several means, and creation of a 6-figure team that the game is played with. It pits players from across the world against each other in a ranking-based ladder where winning earns players more points and rewards. There is incentive to spend money for virtual currency that give players a chance to collect more powerful figures that would give them an edge over their opponents, and many players do so.
Right now, the method to transfer the data in each device is code-based, where a player can generate a code in-game and create a password tied to the code that would enable them to move their saved progress, figures, and currency to another device if need be -such as when a phone is replaced or upgraded.
However, this method of transfer is unreliable, as the codes sometimes do not work. A support ID tied to the account to-be-transferred can be obtained as a last-chance option, but often does not work either. The player loses all of their progress and collection as a result, even in the cases where money was spent to reach that point.
This raises an issue - the need to protect an investment in a safer way than what is currently implemented. Being unable to restore a transfer code or use a support ID in the event that a player needs to move the data will often lead to the player quitting the game all together, despite the time, effort, and money that was put into the game. I do not think that the transfer code method is the safest way to protect players from losing their data.
From a development standpoint, I believe some kind of account - a username/password generated by HEROZ or The Pokemon Company, link to an existing Google account, or some other means of backup - is essential to protect the time, effort, and monetary investment that people give to play this game. Other titles such as PokemonGO, also published by The Pokemon Company, use an account-based method and have a very large audience to cater to.
I propose that an account-based system be developed and/or implemented to replace the current transfer code-based method. This will give players a more reliable way to obtain their data in the event it is lost.
