Occasionally people post about how they would like to see more playable monsters in the ranching games. I have decided to make a permanent resource explaining why there are more playable monsters in some games than others, why not every monster can be combined with every other monster, and why every monster can't appear in every game.

The MR games series has now been on several platforms. Each time a game is developed for a new console/handheld Tecmo has to work on a new game engine and then write the details of the actual game. Thus, the first game on each system (MR1, MR3, MRA) is always a more basic, simplistic game, because more effort has to be put into programming the game's basic functions. With subsequent games on a platform, there is more time for extra details, like more monster breeds, more items, etc.

In addition to the gameplay, each monster has to be modelled, and then animations created for that type. For the console titles (MR1, MR2, MR3 and MR4) each monster type takes over a month of a programmer's time to model. (I suspect that most people do not realize how much work goes into designing the monsters.) Then the animators work on animating it. Each of the console titles have featured more animations for each monster than the title that preceeded it. (MR4 has over 100 animations for most monster types.) Tecmo puts in as many monster types as time allows them to create. To make more types, a game would have to be delayed. (The attributes like statgain patterns are easy in comparison to new art.)

The MRA games have more monster types because many sub-breeds are simple color palette swaps on monster shapes, without any unique anmations. They don't have to spend as much time on detail, so they can make more monsters.

As for why not every breed in a game can be combined with every other (excepting MR3 which does not have combining) type within a game, the developers are looking for variety. It seems to them that it is better to have more unique main types, and then only have certain combinations. This makes the game have a greater richness. Given the fact that they only have time to create a certain number of monsters per game, they choose to make more different main types, and fewer subs. This way, the creative types get to work out a few new main types in each game rather than simply working out detailing sub-types. For example, in MR4 there are 328 unique monsters (including rares). If each monster were a sub of each type, there would be a maximum of 18 main types (assuming no rares at all, with rares the number would be 16 or less), and with 18 types, many old favorites would be cut out, and new types pretty much impossible. As things stand, we have a far more creative 34 main types.

The reason why Tecmo doesn't keep certain monsters in games is a matter of economics. With each new game'e release, the public and the press want to see something new. That's why they are buying a new game rather than continuing to play an old one. So, new monsters are expected. To make room for and time to create new monsters, only a select group of old monsters are used in each new game.

And, finally, the reason why every monster type ever seen before cannot be in a game is pretty much a matter of numbers. 57 main types have appeared in previous MR games. That's more main types than any game has been able to accomodate so far. And, lest anyone suggest it, for all 57 types to have all possible sub-types, that would equal 3249 monsters (not including any rares) in a game. A MR game with 3249 monsters in it would take 7+ years to develop. Most fans would like a new game sooner than every 7-8 years, and the series would lose a lot of momentum in terms of brand-recognition.

Here is a chart of each game and the number of monsters. Note that each first game on a console has fewer monsters, and that overall GBA games have the most.