In Fire Red / Leaf Green, Pokemon that were active (meaning their background was teal while the backgrounds of other Pokemon were blue) also had a sprite that bobbed up and down (the rest had animations that were 1-3 frames).
So, instead of having an animation for every sprite, why not have the active Pokemon's sprite transition up and down?
This would be an efficient way of adding practically the same results. But, this time no large texture files are required along with mcmeta files.
Since it is just one animation and not a couple, it saves a little more on hardware usage (not that much, however).
Also, it helps with knowing what Pokemon you have active before sending them out, as you can see the movement of the sprite from the corner of your eye.
It is also aesthetically pleasing to see.
The transition could be 1-2 pixels up and down, and when the player changes the active Pokemon, it is set back to the origin.
Not sure, just an idea. To me, turning the background a certain colour isn't enough, really.
Speaking of color, could be useful for the colourblind.
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