Pokemon Go swept through the world in 2016 and had people actually going out to play on the streets though still essentially on their phones. It is an augmented reality game that was developed by Niantic for iOS and Android devices. Since it was released first in select countries, the hype and excitement of those who had access to Pokemon Go caused the game to be anticipated by those who did not have access to it at the time. Pokemon Go was, therefore, a hit in most parts of the world.
The makers of Pokemon Go use a freemium business model that allows people to get the game for free while supporting in-app purchases for any additional in-game items. Pokemon Go was one of the most used apps of 2016. It was downloaded over 500 million times around the world by year-end. A lot of praise came its way for promoting physical activity and popularizing AR but it was also criticized for some accidents and distractions that came about from its use.
Pokemon Go Guide
Pokemon Go was the brainchild of a collaboration between Niantic and Nintendo via The Pokemon Company. It is played on the basis of using one’s mobile devise GPS to locate, capture and train or battle Pokemon (virtual creatures that are the characters of the game). The Pokemon appear like they are in the player’s real-world location. Below we give you a straightforward guide to playing the game fair and square.
- After getting the app, establish a game account
- Create and customize your own avatars
- The created avatars will be based on your geographical location and will be displayed on a map. Map features include such things as ‘PokéStops’ and ‘Pokémon Gyms’. Wild and rare Pokemon can be attracted occasionally by Lure Modules which can be equipped in PokeStops. Gyms, on the other hand, serve as battle locations for team-based matches.
- While moving in the real world, avatars move within the game’s map.
- When you encounter a Pokemon, you can see it through the camera and gyroscope of your device. To catch a wild pokemon, you have to toss a Poké Ball at it by flicking it from the bottom of your screen, up toward the Pokémon. When successful, the Pokemon comes under your ownership. The Pokémon’s catch rate, timing, and type of Poké Ball used all influence the possibility of capturing a Pokemon.
- When a wild Pokemon is caught, you are rewarded with Candies and Stardust (the two in-game currencies). Candies are awarded based on the evolutionary chain that the Pokemon belongs to and the two currencies can be used to raise a Pokémon’s “Combat Power” (CP). CAndies can also be used to evolve a Pokemon where each Pokémon evolution tree has its own type of Candy that can only be used to level up. Pokemon can also be transferred back to the Pokemon Professor to earn more candy and make room for more Pokemon.
- The game’s end is to finish entries in the Pokedex – a comprehensive Pokémon logbook. This is achieved by collecting and evolving until you catch them all.
Pokemon Go Updates
The developers of Pokemon Go are constantly trying to bring users the best experience and one of the ways that they do this is by continually churning out great updates. The first ever app of Pokemon Go may have generated a lot of excitement but it was also criticised on the basis of some shoddy technical functions. The developers have since improved upon that first app and a lot of exciting new updates have been made.
The latest update that all Pokemon Go users should definitely know about is the move to bring Field Research to the game, which was announced on March 26, 2018. As it stands, there are now two different types of research that a player can contribute to – Field Research and Special Research. You can get Field Research tasks by spinning PokeStops that you encounter nearby, they will give you access to objectives ranging from the discovery of certain Pokemon to engaging in battles. Special Research will be requested by Professor willow himself and it will lead to a journey with important discoveries.
The two types of research offer rewards that include a number of useful items and encounters with Pokemon. A player can complete as many research tasks as they want to in a day which means they can have a full day of adventures.
Pokemon Go has also announced that it is dropping support for devices that cannot run iOS 11. The list of devices impacted includes iPad mini, iPad 4 and earlier, iPod touch 5 and below and iPhone 5c, iPhone 5 and below.
Tricks To Help You Catch Them All
Sometimes you get a little stuck even in things that you enjoy or at least find them a tad bit difficult. To continue enjoying Pokemon Go these cheats and tricks to help you get across some pretty difficult areas should be pretty helpful. That way, the game is not so difficult that you begin to hate to love it or love to hate it. Below we give you a couple of cheats and tricks to help you catch them all in Pokemon Go.
Get Pikachu first
The cute yellow Pokemon is certainly a fan favorite and there is a simple trick to getting him right off the bat when you begin the game. To do that, however, you have to disobey. You have to disobey Professor Willow and staunchly refuse to pick a Pokemon when he says you should. Instead, keep walking until Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur disappear from your map. Be dogged in ignoring them. By the fifth time they appear, they will have Pikachu with them and then you can take him.
Remedy to getting the same Pokemon
Some Pokemon are pretty common which means you run into them frequently. Luckily, you can use these frequently seen Pokemon like Rattata and Pidgey and Weedle to do one of the most important things in Pokemon Go – level up your trainer. The higher your level is, the better Pokemon you will find. They will have higher CP and HP and will be more capable of fighting and win gym battles without you having to power them up. Level up by recycling your duplicates. The frequently seen Pokemon cost few candies to evolve and evolving them gives a fat payout of 500 XP. After evolving them, you can transfer them to Professor Willow for a bonus candy and be enabled to evolve even further.
Like most other games, Pokemon encourages you to play regularly by offering daily and weekly bonuses for spinning PokeStops. You have to take advantage of these things called streaks. The first spin of the day gets you extra items and XP and spinning daily gets you a weekly bonus on the seventh day which includes an evolution item. If you also spin ten PokéStops in a row, leaving no more than ten minutes between each, you can get extra items. Get real comfortable with PokeStops in your area and spin them whenever possible. It can help boost your stock of Pokémon Eggs where you can get Ultra Balls, Razz Berries, Max Potions, Revives, and Max Revives.
Wait to start using your Stardust
Stardust is gotten for doing practically anything in Pokemon Go but that does not mean you can just use it anyhow. Better to wait until at least level 12 or 15 to begin using it. Save your Stardust to use as a boost for both CP and HP for your top-level Pokémon at any crucial point.
Get a curveball bonus
Curveball bonuses occur sometimes after getting a Pokemon but if you have been getting them by accident, here is how to get deliberate about it. You can tap the Pokéball at the bottom of the screen before dragging it forward, swirling it around in circles and when it starts spraying sparks, let it rip diagonally toward the Pokemon you are trying to capture.
Incubate your eggs
It may be safe to say that you are already acquainted with eggs coming up as an item you can get from Pokestops. They can really give you the gift of rare Pokemon. If you do not know how all you have to do is click on the Pokemon submenu under the main menu and swipe to the left. The action of tapping on any of them will allow you to select the “Incubate” option which starts a counter that links to how far you walk while the game is open on your phone – your screen has to be on as you have to be playing for it to be measured. When you clock the distance recorded there while walking, your possibly rare and wonderful Pokemon will hatch.
Win gym battles
The skill you need to learn to win gym battles in Pokemon Go is dodging and attacking. Look out for the yellow flash of your opponent and dodge their incoming attack. Then quickly hit back at your attacker by tapping on your own Pokemon and not theirs. So you simply; wait for the flash, dodge, attack, and repeat. Unfortunately, this may not work when there are network issues.