[Megathread] Pokemon GO

[Deleted]

The game currently does not encourage walking at all, the most efficient way to catch rare pokemon and level up is to sit at a lured pokestop. They really need to give some reward from walking wich could also balance rural areas, make incense baseline and sell a stronger version, and get pokeballs/items by walking X distance or something.

i would like it if you got a free incense daily or every 10km walked or something. can you even get incense from pokestops, or just ingame store? i havent bought anything from the store yet, and i don't intend to, but i dont recall ever seeing an incense from a pokestop, so i guess i wont have any of those for a while :\

im not even sure they are worth buying tbh, i used 2 earlier and walked around my area for an hour with incense and lucky egg, didnt see a single rare pokemon, all i caught was staryus, magikarps, poliwags, psyducks, goldeens, rattatas and pidgeys!! my last 2 incense, was really hoping i would get something useful from it all. in the hour of walking around i only came across 1 lured pokestop, camped it for 15min and only pokemon of note that spawned there was a 500cp haunter, so not really worth the 15min either

im lucky with pokeballs, getting the bus back from work goes past a lot of pokestops, the bus moves too fast for me to do anything useful like hatch eggs or catch any pokemon, but its great for pokestops. go to work with 10 pokeballs, leave with 200+ :P

[Sarevokcz]

You made the claim that sitting in one place to play is against the game's design.

However, people in largely populated areas are often able to do just that and complete a large portion of the game.

no, they cant. Not every big city has place like santa monica pier or central park with unbelievable density of pokemon, spawn and pokestops. Our capital has about 1.1M residents and literally only the biggest squares in the center have anything near good density and spawn rate, but there are mostly common spawns anyway, I live 10 minutes away from the centre and get like 5 pokemon at my house per day, mostly fo zubat/drowzee/goldeen variety, I had to travel around our local parks if I wanted to get pokemon like pinsir, bulbasaur, voltorb or scyther and there are lots of pokemon, that just simply dont spawn here, like fire types, since we dont have their habitats (desert? beaches?) at all. Yes, people in big cities are at an advantage, compared to rural areas, but everyone is at disadvantage compared to NYC.

I can agree, that pokestops need to be far more common in rural areas, which shouldnt be that hard, google maps already have tons of landmarks, that could be flagged, but niantic so far uses only their ingress database and that they could use better spawnrate, as variety isnt really different from big cities... but I just cant agree, that everyone needs santa monica pier level of desnity, variety and spawnrate, you would just sit there couple of days, collect everything you possibly can and quit the game, because thats exactly what spoofers do... I would even support spawnrate nerf in big cities (or just some sort of ceiling for it), if it meant we could get a working tracking system, since now even if you see rare pokemon on your tracker, you are likely to not track him down in time, regardless of location

[Seegtease]

This argument simply boils down to, "I want to catch a lot more than I am able to so I am cheating to make the game fair in my view".

Well, I definitely don't agree with that argument, and not because I'm against cheating in general, but I'm against cheating in a multiplayer game. But I can see why someone might be frustrated. I'm nearing 100 in my pokedex, probably almost 10 of those thanks to eggs, and the town I live in has a meager 2,000 people. However, when I hear of people with only 40 or so, and need to travel hundreds of miles for any reasonable amount of pokemon, it really sounds frustrating. And no developer should want frustration to be what their players feel.

Only design that contradicts it's own rules of operation is bad game design (because you could not play such a game, of course). Otherwise it is merely how we think something should be, which is no more valid than how the creator(s) think the game should work.

You keep trying to overly objectify good and bad design. It's not supposed to be objective, entirely. The way you're taking it, the creator could make it so you're unable to collect pokemon at all anymore, and as long as they make the claim "yeah, that was intentional" that the design is good. That's not what anybody means by good or bad design, and you know it.

The most reasonable way to approach the idea of bad design is to look at a game that people want to play and want to enjoy, but a majority or a large portion of players are greatly displeased with the way it's functioning. Yes, some games are supposed to be more art than fun, but that's obviously not the goal of this game. The creators almost certainly want players to enjoy the game, and they want to make money. If those are goals that they are reaching for (and let's be honest, they probably are), then what they have now is bad design. They could do better. They could draw in more players, they could have less players disappointed, they could make more money. While this is almost always true with any game, it's exceptionally true right now.

[GoKs]

no, they cant. Not every big city has place like santa monica pier or central park with unbelievable density of pokemon, spawn and pokestops. Our capital has about 1.1M residents and literally only the biggest squares in the center have anything near good density and spawn rate, but there are mostly common spawns anyway, I live 10 minutes away from the centre and get like 5 pokemon at my house per day, mostly fo zubat/drowzee/goldeen variety, I had to travel around our local parks if I wanted to get pokemon like pinsir, bulbasaur, voltorb or scyther and there are lots of pokemon, that just simply dont spawn here, like fire types, since we dont have their habitats (desert? beaches?) at all. Yes, people in big cities are at an advantage, compared to rural areas, but everyone is at disadvantage compared to NYC.

I can agree, that pokestops need to be far more common in rural areas, which shouldnt be that hard, google maps already have tons of landmarks, that could be flagged, but niantic so far uses only their ingress database and that they could use better spawnrate, as variety isnt really different from big cities... but I just cant agree, that everyone needs santa monica pier level of desnity, variety and spawnrate, you would just sit there couple of days, collect everything you possibly can and quit the game, because thats exactly what spoofers do... I would even support spawnrate nerf in big cities (or just some sort of ceiling for it), if it meant we could get a working tracking system, since now even if you see rare pokemon on your tracker, you are likely to not track him down in time, regardless of location

Seems like you dont understand the word "often".... but yea, even catching your 5 pokemon at your house a day, is more then what some of the people here see in their whole town. So kudos to them for getting a way to get something done in the meantime while niantic tries to figure out just wtf they got themselves into, since clearly they did not think at all before releasing this game!!

I also dont mind taking a very long time to get all the pokemon in the pokedex, traveling to places is a nice thing to do, but not getting pokemon at a regular basis, like some do (even just pidgeys ect.), just affects everything, even their trainer levels. Reward the people that actually walk to play the game, then people would actually walk to play the game.

[Seegtease]

The game currently does not encourage walking at all, the most efficient way to catch rare pokemon and level up is to sit at a lured pokestop. They really need to give some reward from walking wich could also balance rural areas, make incense baseline and sell a stronger version, and get pokeballs/items by walking X distance or something.

The most efficient way to catch pokemon is to drive around town, hitting all of the hotspots (pull over first). I know about 4 locations in my town that will always have 3-5 pokemon up at any given time, and can quickly go between them, park for a few minutes, and catch all of them. I pretty much know every spawn location in town.

It encourages walking if you're in a place where spawns are everywhere. I mean, I have walked just because driving everywhere and finding places to park without getting out of range of pokemon is stressful. But until the tracker is fixed, it's the best way. Just do it in the middle of the night and drive 10mph to get eggs. But, even though it's legal to park random places, I don't think police like that you do this.

Also, I think it's proven that incense works FAR better if you move.

I know next time I visit a large city with an actual "downtown" area, I'm going to be doing some real walking (definitely not a place I'd like to drive).

[Nibúeanor]

that just simply dont spawn here, like fire types, since we dont have their habitats (desert? beaches?) at all.

Considering your nick, I suppose you mean Prague? There are some, I've had Vulpix on radar a few times (last time in Michle about an hour and half ago), saw Arcanine as well in Old Town and there are rumours you can Charmander as well in some areas. Though I do agree they are quite rare and hard to come by (especially with the removed tracking, so frustrating see that bugger on radar and be unable to find it).

[Deleted]

Poor conception of game design does affect me- it worsens the artform.

Incense. It spawns Pokemon as you walk. This is usable everywhere in the US as far as I know.

Sorry, but your attitude in the current discussion shows perfectly what's wrong in the game industry.

[Omians]

well i dont know how much of the game is influenced by area cell usage. but one of my friends lives near small "village", to small to be considered a town really
its a spot called Malaga in new Mexico in the Desert

https://goo.gl/maps/uei6DYE5LRs
has 1 pokestop at the unlisted firestation

and he lives a tiny bit out of the area. but at his house he has what I've i had seen was an Abra spawn. since the update it has shifted to Venonat by what i hear

Old Pokevison image

they walk up the road closer to the town and stuff like Growlithe and Arcanine. Ponyta and even Rapidash have spawned. at the pokestop have been more random asortment

[Fencers]

FACT living in a dense area, of high population and cellphone use makes the game 10 times easier for you, then somone who doesent

Yea, that's a bummer. Does not make the game designed to encourage cheating.

yes but they cost real money

So?

Fairness is not guaranteed. If the dismay is equity that is fine.

Then stop playing if it worsens the artform for you, just shows how self centered you are.... It is fine if the "artform" is spoiled for others but not for you....

The art of game creation is not marred by how you interface with the game.

So basically you get everything handed on a silver platter, than berate people who live in a dead area for trying to have fun? Absolutely disgusting attitude.

I have no need to berate other players. It is an invalid argument to claim the design of the game encourages cheating.

Players are not guaranteed anything other than the game (POGO) working- which it does. Whether it is easier or harder, more or less convenient to play for others is an accident of circumstance independent from design.

But I can see why someone might be frustrated.

Naturally. But one's desire or personal feelings about gameplay are not relevant to game design. The expression of gameplay of all games is apart from how we feel about it. Claiming the design is 'bad' because it is less playable due one's luck is not valid in the context of game design in Pokemon Go.

The gameplay is based on travel, RNG, density, etc. The gameplay expression is so in the current state. Cheating circumvents that design and is against terms of use personal frustration aside.

What one should say is more akin to, "The design of this game is not enjoyable to me." which is completely valid. I have said this myself to a degree in this very thread.

I'm nearing 100 in my pokedex, probably almost 10 of those thanks to eggs, and the town I live in has a meager 2,000 people. However, when I hear of people with only 40 or so, and need to travel hundreds of miles for any reasonable amount of pokemon, it really sounds frustrating.

100 Pokemon is more than I have in my 'dex actually. I frequently walk (I don't know how to drive), live and work in high density areas too.

And no developer should want frustration to be what their players feel.

This is a personal rule. Not something a developer actually has to adhere by- game design can be anything the developer wants. The only rule and bad design is that which makes the operation impossible.

One's personal enjoyment is not a divine rule of artistic creation.

It's not supposed to be objective, entirely.

Game design is an art with qualitative and quantitative functions. How one interfaces and enjoys that interface with a game as designed is personal (and largely irrelevant); how a game operates as a function of design expressed through gameplay can literally never be anything except objective. Video games operate exactly where error does not occur.

The most reasonable way to approach the idea of bad design is to look at a game that people want to play and want to enjoy, but a majority or a large portion of players are greatly displeased with the way it's functioning.

I do not believe audience is to be considered at any point. Audience minimally only needs to interface with the product or work as designed.

An artist does not necessarily have to please an audience. It is their art, you are the audience.

[Nefarious Tea]

Yea, that's a bummer. Does not make the game designed to encourage cheating.

You're confusing "the game is designed to encourage cheating" with "the [poor] design of the game encourages cheating." They're not the same thing. Pokemon go gives a massive economic advantage to large cities compared with rural areas - when it should be the opposite. Since, if you know anything about Pokemon, just like real animals, their species richness is (almost literally) garbage in areas populated heavily by humans.

Fairness is not guaranteed. If the dismay is equity that is fine.

Quite the contrary, actually. Any game should strive to give all its playerbase the exact same experience, given that each player is willing to put in the same amount of effort. Punishing players based on circumstances outside their control (the city/country they were born in, live for work, etc) should absolutely not affect the game experience. A similar effect in World of Warcraft would be if you earned 50% less experience if you lived outside the limits of cities with a population of at least one million.

As soon as you give certain people preferential treatment literally "just because" you stop being a game and start being the real world; which utterly defeats the purpose of entertainment. Speaking of which, to use your inane "art" argument - the truncated ability to play Pokemon go in a rural area would be akin to movie theatres in small towns only receiving half of every film and not the entire work because there wasn't enough people.

You're like a living embodiment of affluenza, and it's honestly both pathetic and disgusting, ESPECIALLY from a moderator.

[Fencers]

Unless... you know, they want make money from it.

Which is not relevant to art but to the artist.

You're confusing "the game is designed to encourage cheating" with "the [poor] design of the game encourages cheating." They're not the same thing.

I believe the user stated it encouraged cheating. But under both assertions you make, the gameplay expression is contra to spoofing and terms of use.

Quite the contrary, actually.

Not at all. Many games have been designed asymmetrically. And there is no such rule fairness in any game system is a necessity of design universally or objectively.

As soon as you give certain people preferential treatment literally "just because" you stop being a game and start being the real world; which utterly defeats the purpose of entertainment.

Games are not strictly entertainment. Conception as such is low and unworthy of conversation.

[Orange Joe]

Anyone else laughing at fencers poor attempts to defend this game.

Seriously your whole games are art argument is shit. ...... This game is in no way, shape, or form art.

[Rixis]

Were it art, I imagine it would not need to have been done with Pokemon, it's a business, and business is money.

Unfortunately you can't ignore mods so I have to scroll past what I see, which when I do read it, seems like utter crap.

I'm really not seeing many if any fire pokemon anywhere, rather saddening, I want to get some more Charmanders, only one I had was from an egg

[Sting]

I have no need to berate other players. It is an invalid argument to claim the design of the game encourages cheating.

Players are not guaranteed anything other than the game (POGO) working- which it does. Whether it is easier or harder, more or less convenient to play for others is an accident of circumstance independent from design.

Sorry, but you're completely wrong. Accident of circumstance independent from design? They picked the pokestops, they decided how much they wanted per area, they decided to fuck everything that isn't a multimillion city. How is that a fucking accident? "Whoops, just pressed this randomize button, whatever it'll be fine!"

Once you look past the hype, the game's design is atrocious.

[FelPlague]

Sorry, but you're completely wrong. Accident of circumstance independent from design? They picked the pokestops, they decided how much they wanted per area, they decided to fuck everything that isn't a multimillion city. How is that a fucking accident? "Whoops, just pressed this randomize button, whatever it'll be fine!"

Once you look past the hype, the game's design is atrocious.

i think fencer is the only one in this forum defending the horrid parts of pokemon go, its a fun game, but it has so much shit in it that after the hype we have noticed, and it makes it horrible unbalenced

how can somone possibly defend that having the game be 10 times easier for people in high population areas is "fair" and "balanced" and "doesent ruin the game for people not in those areas"

[Fencers]

We can call it “art” all day, in the end it’s still a business, the main goal of all this is profit.

Which is still only relevant to the artist.

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Sorry, but you're completely wrong. Accident of circumstance independent from design? They picked the pokestops, they decided how much they wanted per area, they decided to fuck everything that isn't a multimillion city. How is that a fucking accident?

By whatever circumstance led one to live in a rural or low density area, the game design does not control. Thus whatever you live is your problem not expressed in the gameplay.

If it is not contained in the gameplay, nothing external matters to the design of a game. One can only ever interface with a game via gameplay.

- - - Updated - - -

i think fencer is the only one in this forum defending the horrid parts of pokemon go, its a fun game, but it has so much shit in it that after the hype we have noticed, and it makes it horrible unbalenced.

Never said the game was fair or balanced, the opposite in fact. Bummer bros.

I did say the assertion the game design encouraged cheating because Jimmy lives in the sticks is an invalid argument, aginst terms of use and non illustrative of faulty design.

One doesn't have to like a games gameplay. But how one feels about it is of no consequence to design.

[Roxinius]

So basically you get everything handed on a silver platter, than berate people who live in a dead area for trying to have fun? Absolutely disgusting attitude.

i agree elitist prick attitude at its core their whole attitude from their posts reflects this and its horrible

[Orange Joe]

They really need to make it so you can ignore mods. Having to read their bullshit is stupid. At this point its pretty much trolling but we all know reporting will do no good here.

[Roxinius]

They really need to make it so you can ignore mods. Having to read their bullshit is stupid. At this point its pretty much trolling but we all know reporting will do no good here.

oh i know i probably have another infraction coming my way for my last post but its the truth the elitist attitude is bullshit especially when 99% of the thread doesnt agree with said flawed opinion

[Roxinius]

What the actual fuck…? Is this for real? O.o;

Sure, where I live is not the games fault… but the poor ass spawn system they came up for the game sure as hell ain’t my fault, they were the ones who made the decision to scale Pokemon spawns based on cellular data usage, more people, more Pokemons, no people, no Pokemons, that’s a choice they made, it is a game design decision they came up with, a poor ass decision that is preventing many people to even be able to play the game because they had the “bad luck” to live in a poke wasteland.

in fencers eyes we're pleebs who dont deserve to play because we were born in a small rural area