I do prefer the option of not jam-jarring dudes in unless you want to. For example, Joel has to be jam-jarred in or he'd go back to his terribad world and that would be that. But Sonny travels back to Kanto or the other regions every so often to visit friends and family. Jon travels to the Pokémon regions too, to visit Riwane or do Badges and such. I appreciate that flexibility, to corral or let loose my dudes as I see fit and I think that's kind of an appealing thing in general.

And FDC is a great, multipurpose plot device. It gives the characters places to go, things to do and something to look after. Maybe it could be utilized in different ways, though? Like what if, instead of just fixing up a mansion, there's work to be done on the city, too. If the place was just picked up and moved wholesale to a flying island, who's to say that parts weren't lost? Damaged? Deleted or corrupted? (Hey. Vidja gaems and all that shiz.) And it's up to our intrepid brawlers to set things right. (Spoilers: Everything is fixed by blowing into the cartridge.) But, you know. Maybe that's where resource gathering can come into its own, too - you have to find stuff to repair things, after all.

Also, flying mounts are good by me. Maybe a group project could be assembling a bestiary of sorts? Documenting what wild species actually populate the place and how they can be befriended/used. That could be a fun ongoing player plot for those who are academic and like to study things and people who like to get out and explore and find things. (Lookin' at you, trainers!)