Global Terminal
The Global Trade Station, GTS for short, located in Jubilife City, is the worldwide network over which players of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl and Pokémon Platinum can trade Pokémon via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
In Pokémon Diamond and Pearl
Located in Jubilife City, the Global Trade Station lets a player send and receive Pokémon on the worldwide network. In order to access the GTS, the player must have the Coal Badge.
Inside, there is a large globe, called Geonet, on which players can indicate their location, and on which small dots representing players they have traded with will appear.
If the player talks with the woman at the counter, she will direct him or her into a room in which they can either put up a Pokémon to be traded or trade a Pokémon they own for one that has been put up for trade.
Pokémon searches, after being confined to one species that has been seen by the player, can be further narrowed down to level and gender of the Pokémon available. By level, players can search for and request Pokémon level 9 and under, level 10 and up, level 20 and up, and so on to level 100, or they can search for Pokémon of any level. Gender is similar, with the player being able to search for male, female, or either gender of the selected Pokémon.
Pokémon offerings are similarly governed, as the requested Pokémon in return cannot be any Pokémon that the player has not seen. Unfortunately, Pokémon that are offered cannot be bargained, as the player has to choose one Pokémon he or she wants for it, instead of having a more flexible list.
Like normal, inter-game trades have been since Generation II, a Pokémon can also hold an item when being offered or traded. This may add incentive for a player to trade his or her Pokémon for a Pokémon that they already own, instead of just trading to complete the Pokédex, in order to get the item attached. Just the same, Pokémon that evolve after a trade will do so.
GTS also allows individuals to trade between two different games without having two NDSes. Though the Pokémon may accidentally be traded to someone else rather than the original trader.
In Pokémon Platinum
In Pokémon Platinum, the GTS has been redesigned to be larger and contain more features. It is located in the same place as the older GTS, in Jubilife City.
Global Terminal
Other than the regular trading feature, there is a new feature where players may exchange Pokémon with another friend. The Global Terminal is apparently a computer-like machine which the player operates. It is not yet known what advantages this will offer over regular trading in the Wi-Fi Club, but a ranking system will be included.
Vs. Recorder
The Vs. Recorder, also introduced in Pokémon Platinum, has the ability to record and replay battles made in-game. A player may send and receive battles over Nintendo Wi-Fi using the Global Station. These battles can also be ranked by popularity and be watched by people on Wi-Fi. In addition, players can take pictures of their PC storage boxes and send them over Wi-Fi to friends.
Mail System
The GTS has incorporated an e-mail system that allows players to be notified of completed trades. The notification messages are sent to the player's actual e-mail address, and so the messages can be viewed either on a PC, mobile phone or a Wii console. In this way, the player will be spared of having to return to the GTS only to find that a trade has not yet been completed.
Glitches
Cloning glitch
- Main article: Pokémon cloning
There is a glitch on the GTS that allows the player to clone any Pokémon that doesn't have a Classic Ribbon. It involves turning the game off at pricesely the right moment before the Pokémon is deposited. If done correctly, when the game is turned back on, the player will have the cloned Pokémon in both their party/PC box and on the GTS.
Trade evolution glitch
There is a glitch with the GTS that allows Pokémon to evolve by being traded, but without actually trading them. Players must first place a Pokémon that evolves by trading it (with the correct held item, like Metal Coat for Scyther or Electirizer for Electabuzz) onto the GTS. For security reasons in case the Pokémon is taken, it is recommended that a player request an impossible trade, such as a level 9 Mewtwo.
The player must then search for a Pokémon on the GTS and trade for it. After this has been done, returning to the Pokémon that was placed on the GTS by the player and taking it back will cause it to evolve. Players, of course, must be careful with this, as the Pokémon can, in fact, be traded, if the trade is not unreasonable enough, and it may be difficult to find a reasonable trade on the GTS itself. The only way to evade this risk is to ask for a Lv. 9 and under Celebi, which, when attempted to trade, the trade is canceled, because Celebi are unobtainable at this level. However, Celebi are nearly impossible to obtain without the aid of a cheating device.
GTS morphing glitch
There have been somewhat numerous reports of a glitch happening in the GTS that causes a player's offered Pokémon to become glitchy. The Pokémon's sprite will morph into a different Pokémon, and the gender might be swapped as well. It will also say it is the same species it used to be (example: A morphed Heatran would still be Heatran/Heatran) and will be holding a Seal Bag (beta item). There is no confirmed way to deliberately access this glitch; however in many of the reports, people have reported that the glitch happened right after the GTS came up with no searches for any of the Pokémon, but did not send out a Communication Error. After it stops blocking all access to other Pokémon, it is believed that is when the glitch is most likely to happen. Trying to withdraw the glitch Pokémon will result in a Communication Error but when the game lets a player withdraw the glitch, the Pokémon returns to normal.
Another glitch similar to the morphing glitch has been happening where the Pokémon in the GTS is morphed into the wanted Pokémon (as shown in the picture to the right). Instead of its name being the same as before, its name is now that of the wanted Pokémon, but still the same species as the Pokémon originally offered. There's also the possibility of the morphed Pokémon holding a Seal Bag. Most of the time, trying to trade for it will either cause a communication error or say that the Pokémon has been traded.
Vanishing glitch
There have also been instances of a "vanishing" glitch on the GTS. After uploading a Pokémon to the server and checking its summary without changing the Pokémon, the "summary" button is replaced with "deposit," suggesting that the Pokémon has been traded. Selecting "Deposit" will cause a communication error, and the player will return to the front desk. Logging on to the server again will cause the Pokémon to reappear, with no noticeable changes.
Controversy and criticism
Impossible trades
Although being a well-meaning trade function, the GTS has come under much criticism from many players. Many traders ask for a version-exclusive legendary in exchange for a ridiculous offer, and many Pokémon asked for are at levels that are impossible for that Pokémon to be at, such as a level 9 and under Dialga. Other trades are dominated by demands of Pokémon currently being featured in Pokémon marketing, such as Munchlax or Lucario. Finally, the inability to ask for a Pokémon the player has not seen makes it impossible to trade for event Pokémon such as Manaphy and Pokémon that can only be found in Generation III games over the GTS without having seen the Pokémon through a cheating device. Nintendo has not commented on these pitfalls.
There is also a risk of getting hacked Pokémon when trading for legendary Pokémon and rare Pokémon since the GTS does not include the OT or the ID No. when seeking Pokémon.
Temporary Legendary Pokémon ban
On July 3, 2007, legendary Pokémon became banned from being traded on the GTS. A similar incident occurred in Pokémon Battle Revolution on the same date.
The banning received a large amount of controversy. Nintendo stated that it was a "technical difficulty", which proved true when legendary Pokémon were again allowed to be traded over the GTS and battled in Battle Revolution.
External links
- Bulbanews: GTS sabotaged by greed
- Bulbanews: New GTS restrictions fall short of ideal
- Pokémon GTS website
- Pokémon GTS Journal
