# Pokemon Go



## QuantumCybin

Did a search on here and using Google, couldn't find a thread about this. It just came out yesterday, and I downloaded it today because why not? It's free. The concept is cool, the execution is a tad bit wonky but I appreciate the idea. Basically it uses your location and as you walk around in the real world you encounter different types of Pokemon based on your real-world environment. So if you're on the beach or by water, you'll find water types. If you're in grassy or wooded areas, you'll find grass/normal/flying types, and so on and so forth.

I've only played it for like twenty minutes when I went to take my dog on a walk around my apartment complex and I caught a rattatta and a pidgeotto 

Hardly a substitute for the actual handheld game but the idea is interesting. Now I just gotta go inside my closest power plant and find a Zapdos hahahaha


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## Ralyks

I still can't get on it


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## ASoC

^ Just keep trying, mine kept telling me the servers were down until it eventually let me log on. 

I started playing this morning and chose Charmander to be my starter, as I always did in my youth, and went exploring around my neighborhood for a bit. 

On my first day of Pokemon Go I caught: Doduo, Vulpix, Sandshrew, Pinsir, Mankey, Geodude, Graveler, and Ekans. I also got an egg, which is super close to hatching. I'm about to take a midnight stroll to a nearby pokestop and see what this egg hatches into.


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## QuantumCybin

Nice, dude. I've caught a few more tonight, a Paras, a Pidgey, an Eevee, and I also chose Charmander as my starter because of childhood nostalgia  there's really not too many of those pokestops near my current complex but I'm moving in a couple weeks downtown where it's much busier so it'll be interesting to see how many pokestops there are.

I could see how over time as they improve it and add battling friends and stuff this could last for a while. I googled a tutorial because they don't really do a good job explaining things like pokestops, eggs/incubators, but it's really not that bad, maybe I'm just lazy lol.


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## StevenC

So, I've only heard people talking about Gen 1 Pokemon so far in this game. Is it only original 151? Because that'd be pretty lame.


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## 7 Strings of Hate

I went out and owned my neighborhood last night. I took over a gym and beat down the local youth. Got over 30 pokemon. My Eevee named beercan is a monster.


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## stevexc

I gotta say, the app (or the version I'm running) is a buggy mess.

That said it's a fun diversion. I'm just a little salty that I've got a dozen PokeStops and a Gym right by my office... _just slightly out of range_. 

Also there's nearly NOTHING by my house. One PokeStop about a ten minute walk away. Been reading some reports of people who have gyms literally on top of their homes, I'm a little jelly.


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## sezna

StevenC said:


> So, I've only heard people talking about Gen 1 Pokemon so far in this game. Is it only original 151? Because that'd be pretty lame.



Only gen 1 but I heard e3 rumors that they'll bring more in time.


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## PunkBillCarson

I can see Survival of the Fittest taking effect here when a .... ton of people get ran over at an intersection for not paying attention.


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## QuantumCybin

^ literally was just texting a friend of mine about how I'm just waiting for a news story about someone getting hit by a car because they were too busy looking at Pokemon on their phone


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## FEcorvus

QuantumCybin said:


> Nice, dude. I've caught a few more tonight, a Paras, a Pidgey, an Eevee, and I also chose Charmander as my starter because of childhood nostalgia  there's really not too many of those pokestops near my current complex but I'm moving in a couple weeks downtown where it's much busier so it'll be interesting to see how many pokestops there are.
> 
> I could see how over time as they improve it and add battling friends and stuff this could last for a while. I googled a tutorial because they don't really do a good job explaining things like pokestops, eggs/incubators, but it's really not that bad, maybe I'm just lazy lol.



they said they have no intentions of ever adding battling against people


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## Ralyks

The amount jokes and memes popping up on social media is baffling. And pretty funny. Still haven't been able to play...


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## sezna

FEcorvus said:


> they said they have no intentions of ever adding battling against people


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## QuantumCybin

Any proof for that? That seems pretty insane if they at some point they don't add that in. This game has already made an assload of money in just a couple days. It'll get stale if they don't improve it somehow!


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## benny

I've been playing since a little before the official release. No Pokémon ever spawn near my house, but I do have a few Pokéstops nearby along with a gym. Near my job is a gym and a few Pokéstops too. 

The servers are definitely getting slammed hard as the game has been up and down since I started.


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## sezna

Any word on when the servers will stabilize?


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## extendedsolo

I got on it today during my morning run (to anyone thinking of doing this, don't. It severely interrupts your running. Seems like it could be really fun when it's running properly


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## QuantumCybin

A 19 year old girl found a corpse in a body of water because she was playing Pokemon Go  definitely would ruin the game for me 


Teenage Girl Finds Body In River Playing Pokemon Go





On the other hand, my dog was totally gonna rip that Caterpie's intestines out and then re-string my guitar with it, but I had to stop him.


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## Pav

^ My goodness, this app is already breaking down the fourth wall unlike anything else.



stevexc said:


> I gotta say, the app (or the version I'm running) is a buggy mess.



What device are you running it on? I'm on a Samsung Galaxy S5 and have yet to encounter a single hitch. 

I downloaded it about two hours after release. My girlfriend demanded I do so because her phone can't run it. Within 10 minutes she was walking into trees and tripping over things.


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## stevexc

Pav said:


> ^ My goodness, this app is already breaking down the fourth wall unlike anything else.
> 
> 
> 
> What device are you running it on? I'm on a Samsung Galaxy S5 and have yet to encounter a single hitch.
> 
> I downloaded it about two hours after release. My girlfriend demanded I do so because her phone can't run it. Within 10 minutes she was walking into trees and tripping over things.



S7 Edge.

That said, being in Canada, I'm not exactly running the App Store version. >.>

Issues tend to include glitchy GPS (which I've heard is common) and all-of-a-sudden losing any ability to interect (move camera or press the buttons) until I force close and restart the app. And, of course, the server that goes down more than OP's Mom.

Also I gotta throw this in the thread:


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## QuantumCybin

I can't see your picture


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## Repner

No European release date set yet.


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## stevexc

QuantumCybin said:


> I can't see your picture



Fixed, looks like https:// breaks the


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## MFB

stevexc said:


> Fixed, looks like https:// breaks the tags.[/QUOTE]
> 
> Except for the part where it's not because Imgur has policy that blocks it from being displayed on SSO (and any other site with a classified section)


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## Mathemagician

Spent the day chauffeuring my fiancé around so she could catch them all. Physically exhausted from all the walking. I caught a bunch of good stuff myself. All in all the game is super fun. I like that it's focused on the GPS and it's not really quite a regular game. The "Go" actually means something. 

Tons of adults getting sun for the first time ever today was my experience. I drove to the local art college that had a bunch of stops early this morning and a few people were all sitting around staring at their phones. I rolled down my window and yelled "y'all playing Pokemon?" And all 6 looked up and waved. Best comment ever from one of them "This is life now!" lol.


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## QuantumCybin

MFB said:


> Except for the part where it's not because Imgur has policy that blocks it from being displayed on SSO (and any other site with a classified section)



I can see his picture just fine now...on my computer. Can't see it on my iPhone.


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## Varcolac

There are four pokéstops in the small park near my place. Went out for a walk to explore the neighbourhood and see if I could catch anything. Five other full-grown adults doing exactly the same thing. Look of childish glee and a little embarrassment on our faces. 

I'm level five now. Gonna try fighting a gym tomorrow. There's one on the way to work.

This game is pretty fun. It's a conspiracy to make people go outside and exercise. It's working.


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## SamSam

Level 10 now, my country is small so lots of stops and gyms are fairly close by.

They change hands regularly and everyone is going after each other 

Was gonna destroy two gyms but got a bug that would render the pokemon invincible prior to the final hit. Very annoying. Had to walk in the blazing heat to these gyms only to be denied 

Galaxy S6 Edge.

Tried on my old HTC one (m8) the GPS is a lot more sensitive on the HTC which is pretty handy.


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## stevexc

Went to a concert last night, the venue was a gym. Dirty gross Yellow owned it so I went to beat them down... something went weird as I tried to battle and I had to force quit the game. Once I got back in, the gym turned silver, so I claimed it for the glory of TEAM VALOR.

Then I tried to train my other pokemon at it, defeated the one I left there, and kicked myself out of the gym and couldn't get back in. Go figure.

Also found out my old workplace is a gym. I need to get a job there again...


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## extendedsolo

Varcolac said:


> There are four pokéstops in the small park near my place. Went out for a walk to explore the neighbourhood and see if I could catch anything. Five other full-grown adults doing exactly the same thing. Look of childish glee and a little embarrassment on our faces.
> 
> I'm level five now. Gonna try fighting a gym tomorrow. There's one on the way to work.
> 
> This game is pretty fun. It's a conspiracy to make people go outside and exercise. It's working.



THIS. I'm a pretty avid runner and run 7 days a week and yesterday I ran 9 miles and biked 10. Hit like 30 pokespots. I find myself more active than I normally am which is fine since it's been really nice here.]]


SamSam said:


> Level 10 now, my country is small so lots of stops and gyms are fairly close by.
> 
> They change hands regularly and everyone is going after each other
> 
> Was gonna destroy two gyms but got a bug that would render the pokemon invincible prior to the final hit. Very annoying. Had to walk in the blazing heat to these gyms only to be denied
> 
> Galaxy S6 Edge.
> 
> Tried on my old HTC one (m8) the GPS is a lot more sensitive on the HTC which is pretty handy.



Yeah I'm curious why that happens with the invincibility effect.


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## TheHandOfStone

I just started playing and I'm already scheming. I'm trying to pull of the trick where you walk away from the starters so I can get my Pikachu. I already plan on joining Team Mystic, mainly because Articuno is awesome. This game has awakened the long-dead Pokenerd in me. I fear for my guitar playing and social life. 

*EDIT:* Caught Pikachu, Rattata, and Doduo + found 2 eggs within a few blocks. Living in NYC makes this game super easy.  Now I just need a way to conserve battery and data.


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## Fretless

Not going to lie, I think the game is a buggy piece of code, but it is so much fun. I love how it encourages people to be active. You should have seen the houston zoo today. People were walking around looking at animals in between catching pokemon. I have never seen that many people at our zoo. This is the kind of game that I can really get behind them pushing like crazy.


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## Alberto7

^ I don't think it's so much a buggy piece of code as much as a poorly released game. I thought it was pretty obvious that this game was going to explode, and I was expecting a world-wide release once all servers were ready. I guess the pressure at E3 when Miyamoto accidentally announced the release date for the Pokemon GO Plus device made them rush to release the game beforehand. I think once all the servers are up and running, all or most of the bugs and the lag are going to sort themselves out.



But yeah, I've had a few fun adventures so far, have met great people along the way, and have been pretty active with my local community of PokeGO players online. Got it as soon as it was released, yet I'm still level 9 when I know people that started much after me and are already at level 20+. And this is where I think this game could fail:

There are individuals out there at level 21 and up who own Pokemon upwards of 1500 CP. If you don't have at least 6 Pokemon with at least 500-600+ CP, forget about owning a gym for more than 5 minutes. These people that are at level 21 have literally walked over 50-60 km in 4-5 days. These are people who are going at it hard and fast. Most of us do not have it in us to go out and play that much, as much as we'd love to.

That experience gap is long and painful to bridge, and battling at gyms has become frustrating. Capturing/keeping them is damn near impossible if you're just a casual player. (And by "casual" I mean I've already walked 12 Km in just a few days while ONLY playing this game.) I understand that at high enough levels, progress begins to stall, and things even themselves out a little bit, but I do still wonder what this game will look like in one or two months from now.

I think that could develop into a huge problem for the game. After some time, I fear that battling will simply not be accessible to beginners or casual players anymore after all gyms have been taken over by ridiculously powerful trainers who do nothing but go out and play all day.

That isn't to say that going out and catching Pokemon isn't fun on its own though. Today I found a Beedrill buzzing around on top of my trashcan.


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## QuantumCybin

Yeah, I agree with pretty much everything you've said. At this point I pretty much just play it when I walk my dog, I've had it for a few days now and just hit level 5. If I want to put a lot of time in something Pokemon related I'll just play it on my 2DS. However, it makes me excited for how other game companies will try this whole "augmented reality" style of game.


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## sawtoothscream

My brother,sister and her bf play this. I guess the local cemeteries are the hot spots to go.


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## extendedsolo

Alberto7 said:


> ^ I don't think it's so much a buggy piece of code as much as a poorly released game. I thought it was pretty obvious that this game was going to explode, and I was expecting a world-wide release once all servers were ready. I guess the pressure at E3 when Miyamoto accidentally announced the release date for the Pokemon GO Plus device made them rush to release the game beforehand. I think once all the servers are up and running, all or most of the bugs and the lag are going to sort themselves out.
> 
> 
> 
> But yeah, I've had a few fun adventures so far, have met great people along the way, and have been pretty active with my local community of PokeGO players online. Got it as soon as it was released, yet I'm still level 9 when I know people that started much after me and are already at level 20+. And this is where I think this game could fail:
> 
> There are individuals out there at level 21 and up who own Pokemon upwards of 1500 CP. If you don't have at least 6 Pokemon with at least 500-600+ CP, forget about owning a gym for more than 5 minutes. These people that are at level 21 have literally walked over 50-60 km in 4-5 days. These are people who are going at it hard and fast. Most of us do not have it in us to go out and play that much, as much as we'd love to.
> 
> That experience gap is long and painful to bridge, and battling at gyms has become frustrating. Capturing/keeping them is damn near impossible if you're just a casual player. (And by "casual" I mean I've already walked 12 Km in just a few days while ONLY playing this game.) I understand that at high enough levels, progress begins to stall, and things even themselves out a little bit, but I do still wonder what this game will look like in one or two months from now.
> 
> I think that could develop into a huge problem for the game. After some time, I fear that battling will simply not be accessible to beginners or casual players anymore after all gyms have been taken over by ridiculously powerful trainers who do nothing but go out and play all day.
> 
> That isn't to say that going out and catching Pokemon isn't fun on its own though. Today I found a Beedrill buzzing around on top of my trashcan.



I think you hit the nail on the head and pretty much mimic my stance on this. Adults are going to be left out in the cold since when they are working, kids are going to be out playing this game leveling up fast. It's going to be a complete nightmare trying to get a gym in larger cities too. I'm thankfully still in a small town and have some of the more powerful pokemon that I've come across. I'll keep playing until it becomes obvious that I'm not able to keep up

I also run 40-50 miles a week and will go on walks and bike to try and not be so sedentary since my job is pretty low activity. I can't imagine never exercising and then all of a sudden trying to walk around all day for several days. Just not happening.

I think this game will be really hot when kids are out of school, then drop off once it starts getting cold in a majority of the US. After that is anyone's guess, but I think that it'll have it's hard core ones. Adults really stand no chance though once this game gets really going and there are level 99s out there with several pokemon maxed out owning gyms

Another thing I've read is that this is supposed to be a social game. You hook up with other players on your team (red, blue, yellow) and take down the gyms literally together since more than one pokemon can fight at a time. 

I'm curious to see how the game changes when they open up character trading.


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## Fretless

I've walked about 40km since I started a few days ago. I've still yet to really find anything rare, but I am at least enjoying myself. I wonder if anyone will start making a map of where they've seen things. I want to know patterns and trends for rarer pokemon!


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## Samacle

Fretless said:


> I've walked about 40km since I started a few days ago. I've still yet to really find anything rare, but I am at least enjoying myself. I wonder if anyone will start making a map of where they've seen things. I want to know patterns and trends for rarer pokemon!



Pokemon spawn frequency is based on phone activity in the area, so busy towns are your best bet for catching lots of pokemon. I know your trainer level affects whether you can see the stronger pokemon in the area so levelling may help on your quest to find the rarer ones.


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## Fretless

Samacle said:


> Pokemon spawn frequency is based on phone activity in the area, so busy towns are your best bet for catching lots of pokemon. I know your trainer level affects whether you can see the stronger pokemon in the area so levelling may help on your quest to find the rarer ones.



Yeah, I am aware of that. Though there are bound to be trends for locating more rare types of pokemon. There is already a picture published that shows what pokemon are generally available from which of the 3 egg groups.

Egg groups


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## n4t

Is this why mobs of children are walking and even riding their bikes around staring at their cell phones?

What an amazing amount of douche-baggery. Just mind blowing.


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## MFB

You think that's bad? Check it.

Armed Robbers Use Pokémon Go To Find 9 Victims


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## flint757

I'm mostly excited about the prospects as I've always thought augmented reality had more potential than virtual reality, especially when it comes to productivity applications (rather than just solely gaming/movies). I was getting worried that with SteamVR, Google Cardboard, SamsungVR, Occulus, etc. AR would go the way of Betamax and either be too expensive in the long run or under developed like Sony Move or Kinekt. At the moment the only viable AR tech for productivity is Microsoft's HoloLen's and it's too expensive, and likely under-developed software compatibility due to being so expensive.

Maybe with this sparking the technology we can get some market saturation on the tech leading to better prices and development. Something like Google Glasses with a clicker/tracker on a finger could make games like this extremely seamless.

As for the game, I downloaded it about a week ago and can only consistently get on after midnight when I guess the servers aren't overloaded. Seems to be improving though. I haven't physically gone anywhere yet with the app (mostly because I'd feel dumb walking 10 miles down the road or driving to only get a 'cannot access server' message, and I don't take my phone everywhere) and have no clue where any gyms or Pokestops are, but I've caught some basic Pokemon in the vicinity of my house.


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## Alberto7

n4t said:


> Is this why mobs of children are walking and even riding their bikes around staring at their cell phones?
> 
> What an amazing amount of douche-baggery. Just mind blowing.



It's part of the reason I'm advancing more slowly. I HATE staring at my phone as I walk. I never text and walk at the same time. Every time I've played PokeGo I've gone out fully conscious that I will have to keep an eye on my phone, and I usually have planned routes. I keep it on silent and don't wear headphones. The game also has a very useful battery saver function that lets you hold your phone down and turns off the screen so you can walk around without staring at it. Your phone will still vibrate should something within the game happen so you can stop and look at the game.

It's why I can't wait for the Plus gadget to be released, so I can play hands free.


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## extendedsolo

n4t said:


> Is this why mobs of children are walking and even riding their bikes around staring at their cell phones?
> 
> What an amazing amount of douche-baggery. Just mind blowing.



go be a butthole somewhere else. 



Alberto7 said:


> It's part of the reason I'm advancing more slowly. I HATE staring at my phone as I walk. I never text and walk at the same time. Every time I've played PokeGo I've gone out fully conscious that I will have to keep an eye on my phone, and I usually have planned routes. I keep it on silent and don't wear headphones. The game also has a very useful battery saver function that lets you hold your phone down and turns off the screen so you can walk around without staring at it. Your phone will still vibrate should something within the game happen so you can stop and look at the game.
> 
> It's why I can't wait for the Plus gadget to be released, so I can play hands free.



Yeah I feel weird doing it since I am a fully formed adult, not that it's stopping others, but in my town it's mostly kids. My friends are playing it and we are all the same age, but still. Usually I'll ride my bike and do it. Granted, riding my bike comes first and it's at a very low speed on lowly traveled roads. It allows me to cover more ground.



flint757 said:


> I'm mostly excited about the prospects as I've always thought augmented reality had more potential than virtual reality, especially when it comes to productivity applications (rather than just solely gaming/movies). I was getting worried that with SteamVR, Google Cardboard, SamsungVR, Occulus, etc. AR would go the way of Betamax and either be too expensive in the long run or under developed like Sony Move or Kinekt. At the moment the only viable AR tech for productivity is Microsoft's HoloLen's and it's too expensive, and likely under-developed software compatibility due to being so expensive.
> 
> Maybe with this sparking the technology we can get some market saturation on the tech leading to better prices and development. Something like Google Glasses with a clicker/tracker on a finger could make games like this extremely seamless.
> 
> As for the game, I downloaded it about a week ago and can only consistently get on after midnight when I guess the servers aren't overloaded. Seems to be improving though. I haven't physically gone anywhere yet with the app (mostly because I'd feel dumb walking 10 miles down the road or driving to only get a 'cannot access server' message, and I don't take my phone everywhere) and have no clue where any gyms or Pokestops are, but I've caught some basic Pokemon in the vicinity of my house.



I'm wondering if it matters if people are using it in your general area. I live in a "small" town and usually have no problem getting on even at peak times. If anything cell service is an issue in certain spots.


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## TheHandOfStone

Fretless said:


> Yeah, I am aware of that. Though there are bound to be trends for locating more rare types of pokemon. There is already a picture published that shows what pokemon are generally available from which of the 3 egg groups.
> 
> Egg groups


Sure looks like there's some degree of correlation between the timers in GO and the cartridge games. You can check Bulbapedia for a nifty comparison.


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## Fretless

TheHandOfStone said:


> Sure looks like there's some degree of correlation between the timers in GO and the cartridge games. You can check Bulbapedia for a nifty comparison.



Yeah, I noticed that. I like that this game has certain deviations from the originals, enough to make it an original game, but with enough ties to keep it fun. Like the whole idea of candies is founded on the idea of rare candy. Totally cool way to use an already existing concept, even though we've practically become Majin Buu in order to progress.


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## QuantumCybin

All I wanted to do was buy some beer but this asshole had to interrupt me


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## Forkface

the fact that its not out yet in Korea is tearing my soul to pieces.


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## Fretless

One thing I wish I could do is turn off the curve ball throwing. I know it gives me more exp when I do one, but sometimes I just wanna throw the darn ball straight without it whipping away.


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## BlackMastodon

I just got on it yesterday. There's plenty of Pokemon and a few stops at my work, but almost nothing at my house aside form 2 stops. I will go for a walk sometime and try to look for some.  The game is really buggy but it's kind of fun. Just hit level 6 so I will try some gyms soon.

Team Mystic 4 lyfe.


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## Murdstone

n4t said:


> Is this why mobs of children are walking and even riding their bikes around staring at their cell phones?
> 
> What an amazing amount of douche-baggery. Just mind blowing.



From you, maybe. If it's getting kids to go outside and walk or bike around then it's better than most other attempts in the last few years. Eat a dick.


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## Fretless

BlackMastodon said:


> I just got on it yesterday. There's plenty of Pokemon and a few stops at my work, but almost nothing at my house aside form 2 stops. I will go for a walk sometime and try to look for some.  The game is really buggy but it's kind of fun. Just hit level 6 so I will try some gyms soon.
> 
> Team Mystic 4 lyfe.



I am disappointed. Life is all about Team Valor.


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## sezna

Fretless said:


> Not going to lie, I think the game is a buggy piece of code, but it is so much fun. I love how it encourages people to be active. You should have seen the houston zoo today. People were walking around looking at animals in between catching pokemon. I have never seen that many people at our zoo. This is the kind of game that I can really get behind them pushing like crazy.



do you know any other good houston places? I'm in the suburbs most of the time and it's pretty sparse out here :/ (west houston). Just walked 1.5 miles to get to the nearest pokestop...yay...3 pokeballs. Hatched my eggs though


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## Sumsar

From The Oatmeal.
I guess a lot of people feel this way 
I know about pokemon (had the blue version for gameboy back in the day), but aren't playing because I don't have a smartphone.


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## Fretless

sezna said:


> do you know any other good houston places? I'm in the suburbs most of the time and it's pretty sparse out here :/ (west houston). Just walked 1.5 miles to get to the nearest pokestop...yay...3 pokeballs. Hatched my eggs though



Discovery green is insane. I've been trying to find a good area by Katy, but have yet to come across anything.


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## Alberto7

BlackMastodon said:


> Team Mystic 4 lyfe.



We will f*ck you up. #TeamValor







Though, to be fair:


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## sezna

Fretless said:


> Discovery green is insane. I've been trying to find a good area by Katy, but have yet to come across anything.



I might scout out katy mills mall later today, I'll keep you updated.

It is kind of fun that you can't scout out places from afar and you actually need to scout it out physically.

Discovery green is 50 mins from me  and I am not good at finding parking downtown, lol.

edit: Alberto7 your second pic isn't working. no imgur here.


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## QuantumCybin

I am also on team mystic. Screw those other dj0nt kidz.

Also, i just went back to using photobucket instead of imgur because at least they embed properly


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## Alberto7

sezna said:


> I might scout out katy mills mall later today, I'll keep you updated.
> 
> It is kind of fun that you can't scout out places from afar and you actually need to scout it out physically.
> 
> Discovery green is 50 mins from me  and I am not good at finding parking downtown, lol.
> 
> edit: Alberto7 your second pic isn't working. no imgur here.



Fixed!


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## Fretless

I really really dislike curve balls. My phone doesn't want me to throw straight either.


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## Alberto7

^ Really? I once threw a curve ball and got the catch bonus for it, and it took me forever to find out how I had done that. Every time I try to throw one now I miss. They're so damn hard. But they never happen by accident for me. Odd.


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## TheHandOfStone

I made considerable progress today in Washington Square park. Got from level 4 to 6 (still a noob ) and caught/evolved lots of new mons. Soon I'll be able to partake in the constant turnover of my neighborhood gyms.

BTW, has anyone else had their game freeze just after landing a Pokeball and before the shaking animation starts? It's fortunately an inconsistent occurrence, but I think it's ruined maybe 10-15% of my catches, which is annoying.


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## Alberto7

^ Yep, it's happened a couple of times.

Get ready once you begin to battle at gyms. The battle sort of loads up on your phone and it always goes very smoothly. However, if your end of things on the server happen to bug up or lag too much during the battle, you won't notice it at all. What will happen is that once you bring your opponent down to 1 hp, he will stop attacking you and you can keep attacking him without lowering his health, and it stays like that forever, and you have to restart the app. If you initiate the battle again in the same gym, it's as though the battle never happened, and you have to do it again hoping that it won't bug out again. It can be extremely frustrating after a long, hard battle that was really difficult to win. On the other hand, if the battle bugs out and it turns out that you lose, you lose anyway, and you have to revive and heal up your Pokemon. It's the most annoying bug I've found so far.

But yeah, I'm already seeing people at level 26-27 with Pokemon reaching 2000 cp. It's getting insane. Most gyms here in Montreal have several Pokemon with at least 6-700 cp defending them, and there are quite a few gyms at level 5 and above. (Seen a couple of level 10 gyms.) I'm still at lvl 9 and my toughest is a 527 cp Hypno.  I can't even begin to fathom challenging the gyms around me yet.


----------



## flint757

The historic district in my small city had tons of PokeStops and a couple gyms all in a fair walking distance. Located at churches, monuments, and museums. There's like 3 in a garden where people usually get their wedding photos done. There were tons of cars parked there pretty late in the evening so I'm thinking the congestion might have to do with Go.  There's a gym right in front of our city library as well and there were like 4 teens just sitting at the bike rack with their phones. Probably the best way to battle friends at the moment. I got 5 eggs now and chose Team Valor. Sadly the only Pokemon I encountered on the trip were a bunch of Pidgey's and Rattata's.


----------



## Fretless

flint757 said:


> The historic district in my small city had tons of PokeStops and a couple gyms all in a fair walking distance. Located at churches, monuments, and museums. There's like 3 in a garden where people usually get their wedding photos done. There were tons of cars parked there pretty late in the evening so I'm thinking the congestion might have to do with Go.  There's a gym right in front of our city library as well and there were like 4 teens just sitting at the bike rack with their phones. Probably the best way to battle friends at the moment. I got 5 eggs now and chose Team Valor. Sadly the only Pokemon I encountered on the trip were a bunch of Pidgey's and Rattata's.



You my friend have chosen to walk down the correct path! As you level up you'll find more and more rare pokemon. I've started to notice an increase in evolved pokemon myself.


On a side note, I know a lot of this is attributed to hype, but I love that it is getting people out of their house, and causing them to be a bit more active. Sure they're still glued to phones and technology, but it's so nice to actually see people outside in a neighborhood again.


----------



## QuantumCybin

Went to the post office today to send a package, there was a 12 year old ginger on his phone. The post office is a gym. I had my 252 CP Raticate posted up, but of course this soulless child was level 15 with a 1000+ CP Pokemon and he eradicated me. I'm only level 6, and I'm not on summer vacation because puberty. It's like anything though, the kids will always rise to the top immediately while the people with priorities and jobs will slowly drudge their way through to catch up


----------



## Fretless

How's everyone's pokedex looking?


----------



## flint757

The game glitches are irksome at times. If it glitches just right I've literally lost things in the game void. The game crashed right when an egg hatched and I received nothing and I've lost some Pokemon in transfers where I get nothing in return too. I'll be glad if/when they iron out the code and servers.

Also ran into a Squirtle on my walk and it fled after the first ball burst. Le sad.


----------



## TheHandOfStone

Fretless said:


> How's everyone's pokedex looking?


Not that good.


----------



## Alberto7

Went out with the sis for a PokeWalk and just came back. Relatively uneventful. Except for the fact that there was a lure set up at some PokeStop where we came across a wild Vaporeon... WHICH F*CKING RAN AWAY FROM ME BEFORE I COULD CATCH IT. 

... and my sister caught it. She's level 6. God-f*cking-damnit. 

Other than that, my neighborhood is absolutely INFESTED with Drowzees. At one point I had 4 showing up on the map around me, and 8 on the nearby box. I have over 100 Drowzee Candy, and that's including the 50 I used to evolve a Hypno and the ones I've been feeding him to get him stronger.


----------



## Fiction

I just got it, spent the last 2 hours wandering around catching pokemon. I like it 

My girlfriend has been playing it since it's released and is way way ahead of me, she wakes up and does the rounds to capture 2 of the gyms nearby, and a few pokestops.


----------



## extendedsolo

Alberto7 said:


> ^ Yep, it's happened a couple of times.
> 
> Get ready once you begin to battle at gyms. The battle sort of loads up on your phone and it always goes very smoothly. However, if your end of things on the server happen to bug up or lag too much during the battle, you won't notice it at all. What will happen is that once you bring your opponent down to 1 hp, he will stop attacking you and you can keep attacking him without lowering his health, and it stays like that forever, and you have to restart the app. If you initiate the battle again in the same gym, it's as though the battle never happened, and you have to do it again hoping that it won't bug out again. It can be extremely frustrating after a long, hard battle that was really difficult to win. On the other hand, if the battle bugs out and it turns out that you lose, you lose anyway, and you have to revive and heal up your Pokemon. It's the most annoying bug I've found so far.
> 
> But yeah, I'm already seeing people at level 26-27 with Pokemon reaching 2000 cp. It's getting insane. Most gyms here in Montreal have several Pokemon with at least 6-700 cp defending them, and there are quite a few gyms at level 5 and above. (Seen a couple of level 10 gyms.) I'm still at lvl 9 and my toughest is a 527 cp Hypno.  I can't even begin to fathom challenging the gyms around me yet.



Unless there is a gym out there that's like level 10 with all CPs of 2000+ you can take it. You just need a friend or two to help you since you can battle two at a time. A place like Montreal is going to have some high level players because there are sooooo mannnnnny chances for pokemon/pokestops/and gyms.



Fretless said:


> How's everyone's pokedex looking?



I'm 1/3 of the way to catching them all! With that in mind it's impossible to find some of them. ALthough I had a Golem show up at my house which is odd. I can't find any others to upgrade him though. 


Also just some advice to anyone who isn't to level 8,9, 10. When you level up to those levels you get a magic egg. Hold onto that egg and catch as many of the easily evolved ones as possible. The pokemon where it takes 12 candies to evolve. fill up your pokemon bag or whatever. Make sure you have a ton of candies. Pretty much be able to do 30 evolves pretty easily and hold on to the ones that are going to evolve into something that you don't have since it gives you extra bonus points. Activate your egg and evolve for 30 minutes. you get 1000 xp per evolution so you can level up pretty fast. I wish I wouldve realized this since I would easily be level 20 by now. Alas I'm only an 17 and will probably get to an 18 soon.


----------



## BlackMastodon

My city is infested with Drowzees, too. I just figured it was because of all the stoners.

The game crashes are infuriating. I missed out on catching a Nidorino and an Eevee yesterday because it crashed right as I was about to throw a ball or right when I did. They really need to iron that out.

So far my best Mons are Hypno and Pidgeot. Haven't seen a single Squirtle in the wild so my hopes of evolving one are being dashed, until I move in to my new place in August where I'm near the river and a ton of Pokestops. 

Also, Alberto's gif is great.


----------



## Fretless

Just found a wild Kabuto. Guess they're no longer extinct!


----------



## sezna

So my city (Fretless - this is Houston, so perhaps you will want to take a look) has a google maps group for keeping track of pokestops and gyms, maybe other cities do too?

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1pkl3vLniXew7qATgQD1q2e-rLC4
Definitely gonna hit up downtown this weekend.

btw, if you go into google maps settings under "offline maps" and download your area, pokemon go uses WAY less battery.


----------



## Alberto7

^ Yeap, we started a map here in Montreal as well, though I've barely used it so far. And good tip on the offline maps. I'd heard of it, but hadn't downloaded any maps. Just did, and will see how it goes tonight.



extendedsolo said:


> Unless there is a gym out there that's like level 10 with all CPs of 2000+ you can take it. You just need a friend or two to help you since you can battle two at a time. A place like Montreal is going to have some high level players because there are sooooo mannnnnny chances for pokemon/pokestops/and gyms.
> 
> 
> 
> I'm 1/3 of the way to catching them all! With that in mind it's impossible to find some of them. ALthough I had a Golem show up at my house which is odd. I can't find any others to upgrade him though.
> 
> 
> Also just some advice to anyone who isn't to level 8,9, 10. When you level up to those levels you get a magic egg. Hold onto that egg and catch as many of the easily evolved ones as possible. The pokemon where it takes 12 candies to evolve. fill up your pokemon bag or whatever. Make sure you have a ton of candies. Pretty much be able to do 30 evolves pretty easily and hold on to the ones that are going to evolve into something that you don't have since it gives you extra bonus points. Activate your egg and evolve for 30 minutes. you get 1000 xp per evolution so you can level up pretty fast. I wish I wouldve realized this since I would easily be level 20 by now. Alas I'm only an 17 and will probably get to an 18 soon.



Yeah, with a friend or two it becomes a lot easier. Problem is, I still haven't gone out with anybody that is in my team.  My sister decided to join Team Mystic because, in her words, she wanted to be "hipster." 

I've also been saving up all my Pidgeys and Weedles to evolve them using my lucky egg. I'll probably start once I have a combined 200+ Pidgey and Weedle candies. It's a technique that is harder to pull off than it seems, I think. That much farming takes forever.

As far as Pokedex, I've only seen 40 and caught 39 different Pokemon. (Stupid Vaporeon that got away. ) It's time for me to begin visiting different areas - and NOT during nighttime - to see if I find anything a bit more interesting than what I already have.


----------



## sezna

Alberto7 said:


> I've also been saving up all my Pidgeys and Weedles to evolve them using my lucky egg. I'll probably start once I have a combined 200+ Pidgey and Weedle candies. It's a technique that is harder to pull off than it seems, I think. That much farming takes forever.



I'm following the same strategy, except I've already got 300 rattata candy, 200 pidgey candy, and only 50 weedle candy 

I'm saving up _all _of my candies until I can pop a lucky egg and just evolve stuff for thirty minutes straight. It's taking me a while to get the candies though, because I'm in the 'burbs. I can't imagine how much easier this must be if I worked in range of a pokestop.


----------



## Alberto7

^ You'd be surprised. I live right next to a PokeStop, and Pokemon are relatively rare in my neighborhood. I feel they don't pop up very often. Mostly just Drowzees and Zubats. I still haven't tried setting up a lure module on my PokeStop, but from my experience with lures, they're only slightly more effective than incense, which isn't saying very much. The key is just getting out there to places you haven't been before and walk around for a while. I think daytime is best, as you might get more variety and density of encounters.


----------



## sezna

Alberto7 said:


> ^ You'd be surprised. I live right next to a PokeStop, and Pokemon are relatively rare in my neighborhood. I feel they don't pop up very often. Mostly just Drowzees and Zubats. I still haven't tried setting up a lure module on my PokeStop, but from my experience with lures, they're only slightly more effective than incense, which isn't saying very much. The key is just getting out there to places you haven't been before and walk around for a while. I think daytime is best, as you might get more variety and density of encounters.



There's a popular place a few mins away from where I work (shopping center) and it has about 8 pokestops and a gym. Yesterday I went over there and there was easily 150+ people walking around just for pokemon (usually there's maybe,,,20 people there? 50?). Two pokestops were within range of each other and both were lured. It was raining pokemon. I think if you can get to some pokestops that are very close to each other (overlapping is best) and lure them both, it will amplify the effect.


----------



## extendedsolo

sezna said:


> There's a popular place a few mins away from where I work (shopping center) and it has about 8 pokestops and a gym. Yesterday I went over there and there was easily 150+ people walking around just for pokemon (usually there's maybe,,,20 people there? 50?). Two pokestops were within range of each other and both were lured. It was raining pokemon. I think if you can get to some pokestops that are very close to each other (overlapping is best) and lure them both, it will amplify the effect.



And then add in an incense and you will run out of pokeballs in less than 30 minutes.


----------



## Alberto7

sezna said:


> There's a popular place a few mins away from where I work (shopping center) and it has about 8 pokestops and a gym. Yesterday I went over there and there was easily 150+ people walking around just for pokemon (usually there's maybe,,,20 people there? 50?). Two pokestops were within range of each other and both were lured. It was raining pokemon. I think if you can get to some pokestops that are very close to each other (overlapping is best) and lure them both, it will amplify the effect.



Haha yeah, at my university campus, there's an intersection with three PokeStops, one on each corner. Someone posted a pic to our Facebook group of the intersection when all three PokeStops were lured, and the sidewalks were flooded with people playing PoGO haha


----------



## StevenC

Doing my best on Windows Phone


----------



## Alberto7

Oh noes!  Awesome try though haha go get yourself on Android!


Also, it seems like the Montreal teams might get an official logo each approved by Nintendo and all.  And official, Mtl-based merch. I am somehow very oddly stoked for this. 

EDIT: this is very interesting, and I think folks may find it very helpful: Using Ingress app as a Pokémon Go Maphack to find rare Pokémon.


----------



## n4t

*mod edit: one more troll post and you're getting an extended nap*


----------



## Chokey Chicken

n4t said:


> So Nintendo is now up 9 billion dollars by capitalizing on the pathetic and absurd nature of most people.
> 
> I'm gonna get me some of this! My game is called Frogger Go!
> 
> You go out, find a freeway, and play in it.
> 
> Go! Go now! You don't want to be the last idiot not playing in traffic do you? The app that takes your picture when you are hit by a truck for my enjoyment is still in development, but not required for the game.



The lack of nostalgia, creativity, and fun make this a terrible idea on every front. 

I find it mindblowing that there are so many people who just can't understand the appeal. I understand not wantimg to partake in it yourself, but why do so many people show such a weird bit of resentment?


----------



## extendedsolo

Alberto7 said:


> Oh noes!  Awesome try though haha go get yourself on Android!
> 
> 
> Also, it seems like the Montreal teams might get an official logo each approved by Nintendo and all.  And official, Mtl-based merch. I am somehow very oddly stoked for this.
> 
> EDIT: this is very interesting, and I think folks may find it very helpful: Using Ingress app as a Pokémon Go Maphack to find rare Pokémon.



I cannot believe that a week ago life was so much different and now here we are. 

Is anyone else finding gyms that have been leveled up with empty slots? I found two today and collected the sweet sweet coins off of them.



Chokey Chicken said:


> The lack of nostalgia, creativity, and fun make this a terrible idea on every front.
> 
> I find it mindblowing that there are so many people who just can't understand the appeal. I understand not wantimg to partake in it yourself, but why do so many people show such a weird bit of resentment?



Eh, probably because they want to feel like their opinion matters when clearly no one cares.


----------



## sezna

n4t said:


> So Nintendo is now up 9 billion dollars by capitalizing on the pathetic and absurd nature of most people.
> 
> I'm gonna get me some of this! My game is called Frogger Go!
> 
> You go out, find a freeway, and play in it.
> 
> Go! Go now! You don't want to be the last idiot not playing in traffic do you? The app that takes your picture when you are hit by a truck for my enjoyment is still in development, but not required for the game.



I don't see the reason for the negativity, just going outside doesn't mean the objective is to walk into traffic. Unless you were rather troubled beforehand?

It's a game that involves the real world - it is sort of a minor form of augmented reality. That's why it is so fun. I'd argue that getting people interacting with each other and becoming more involved with their surroundings is _not _a bad thing. 

What exactly is "pathetic" and "absurd" about playing this game?


----------



## extendedsolo

sezna said:


> I don't see the reason for the negativity, just going outside doesn't mean the objective is to walk into traffic. Unless you were rather troubled beforehand?
> 
> It's a game that involves the real world - it is sort of a minor form of augmented reality. That's why it is so fun. I'd argue that getting people interacting with each other and becoming more involved with their surroundings is _not _a bad thing.
> 
> What exactly is "pathetic" and "absurd" about playing this game?



Are you seriously trying to initiate conversation with this man-child? Lets all ignore the troll and leave this miserable person to be lonely and awful forever.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Some people are just hate anything and everything that's popular. F*ck 'em, let everyone else have fun and ignore the people who feel like they need to take it away from others. 

So I hatched an egg today and got a Clefairy, also caught a Jigglypuff waiting for the elevator at work....only to accidentally transfer it.  I did get a Dratini today, too.

8-year-old-me would be sh*tting himself if he knew that this was a real thing.


----------



## extendedsolo

BlackMastodon said:


> Some people are just hate anything and everything that's popular. F*ck 'em, let everyone else have fun and ignore the people who feel like they need to take it away from others.
> 
> So I hatched an egg today and got a Clefairy, also caught a Jigglypuff waiting for the elevator at work....only to accidentally transfer it.  I did get a Dratini today, too.
> 
> 8-year-old-me would be sh*tting himself if he knew that this was a real thing.



8 year old me would think you are making it up. I remember when SNES came out and it was the greatest thing ever. This would've broken my brain.


----------



## Fretless

sezna said:


> So my city (Fretless - this is Houston, so perhaps you will want to take a look) has a google maps group for keeping track of pokestops and gyms, maybe other cities do too?
> 
> https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1pkl3vLniXew7qATgQD1q2e-rLC4
> Definitely gonna hit up downtown this weekend.
> 
> btw, if you go into google maps settings under "offline maps" and download your area, pokemon go uses WAY less battery.



I've got two gyms at the park just outside of the Houston Zoo if you wanna go and try and take them haha. One's at the Houston Pagoda and the other is the Miller Outdoor Theater.

I've got a ton of music related deals to make this weekend, so I won't be able to GO that much sadly. Hoping just to maintain a level a day.


----------



## TheHandOfStone

Two things I do not like about this game are the ways in which HP and moves are calculated. It's possible for lower CP Pokemon to have better HP than higher CP ones, though AFAIK no one has figured out how/why yet. The move determination seems _completely_ random; earlier I had a Zubat with 2 great moves become a Golbat with 2 crappy ones.


----------



## 7 Strings of Hate

For the record, Beercan is now a Vaporeon and owns City Hall in my town.


----------



## flint757

So many kids and adults wandering about at Pokestops socializing. It's pretty cool overall. Helen's Garden by my house has 4 Pokestops and someone lured two of them so I just parked there and caught a ton of Pokemon for a bit (I saw like 10 people there playing as well; it's normally empty on weekdays).  I hatched an egg and got Charmander, and caught a Polywhirl.

I sort of feel bad for photographers if this trend continues as kids are going to be all sorts of in the way in that park for the foreseeable future.

It's nice to see so many people out and about. They certainly weren't before this game so I'd call that a huge win for society in general IMO. It'll be interesting to see if it stays trendy or goes the way of the Flappy Bird. Hopefully they add enough periodically it doesn't get completely stale. For myself the gyms feel pointless as every single one I've come across has a ridiculously leveled Pokemon at the helm. I think PvP battling will add a lot more value to the game for myself. In the meantime I'm just enjoying finding Pokemon and hatching eggs when I get a chance.


----------



## Alberto7

Chokey Chicken said:


> I find it mindblowing that there are so many people who just can't understand the appeal.



Me too. Heck, even MY MOTHER downloaded the game just to see what all the fuzz was all about.  My father, though he's not at all tech-savvy, has shown interest in how the game works, though he did show concern for people's possible recklessness while playing... which is a concern I have, too. But hell, he even told me "well, at least people are out now."



TheHandOfStone said:


> Two things I do not like about this game are the ways in which HP and move are calculated. It's possible for lower CP Pokemon to have better HP than higher CP ones, though AFAIK no one has figured out how/why yet. The move determination seems _completely_ random; earlier I had a Zubat with 2 great moves become a Golbat with 2 crappy ones.



Yeah. I hatched a Scyther yesterday from a 10 km egg. Scyther is one of my favorites ever. He is decently strong, at 391 cp, but his moveset is total garbage. Fury Cutter (Bug) with a power of 3, and Night Slash (dark) with a power of 25. Unless I raise his cp like crazy, that Fury Cutter is borderline useless, and Night Slash is barely passable as a special move.


----------



## 7 Strings of Hate

Some kids offered me some Weedle earlier. Just say no kids.


----------



## Pav

Damn...turns out the US Holocaust Museum in DC is a Pokestop. Needless to say they are not thrilled.


----------



## TheHandOfStone

Caught a Venusaur in Union Square Park tonight. Its moves and level left a bit to to be desired, but I just saved tons of candy! 

It was funny because a bunch of people went "oh ....!" at the same time.


----------



## Alberto7

^


----------



## flint757

I've only come across two Bulbasaurs at this point so I have no clue when I'll be able to evolve him. I can evolve Pidgey's and Rattata's for days though.


----------



## Bloody_Inferno

Thought you guys might get a kick out of this:

Nintendo&#8217;s Pokémon GO Wins with Technology and Nostalgia 

While I myself won't play the game (admittedly in fear of being completely immersed in it and neglect normal life activities just to "travel across the land searching far and wide"), I do respect Pokémon Go. I did play Red back in the day. 

My sister and brother in law on the other hand, are neck deep into this though. It was amusing driving them around the CBD on a Sunday night while they caught about 40 each within an hour.


----------



## flint757

Did I miss a convention where people decided what they thought about each team?


----------



## Maybrick

Ohh .... its officially released in the UK now.

Everyone at my work is going mental, running around telling everyone its released like little kids. Already got a group of about 10 guys that are going to be walking around the huge industrial estate I work on to catch Pokemon and take over a gym on the other side.


----------



## Chokey Chicken

flint757 said:


> I've only come across two Bulbasaurs at this point so I have no clue when I'll be able to evolve him. I can evolve Pidgey's and Rattata's for days though.



Apparently a trick for power leveling is to get a .... ton of pidgeys, activate a lucky egg then evolve like fifty of them all at once. 

Our city was split down the middle owned by red and blue. ....ing yellow now owns every gym in the area. Its crazy.


----------



## Mathemagician

Chokey Chicken said:


> The lack of nostalgia, creativity, and fun make this a terrible idea on every front.
> 
> I find it mindblowing that there are so many people who just can't understand the appeal. I understand not wantimg to partake in it yourself, but why do so many people show such a weird bit of resentment?



Haterade bro. I follow a couple fashion brands on Instagram (to buy the lady some cool stuff on the cheap $20 for $60 bras etc ftw) and they're posting things like "If you're man plays Pokemon Go you have the right to cheat on him."

It's pettyness over not liking something that someone else enjoys, and then demanding to be the center of attention again. I just don't even respond on FB or wherever. Not gonna defend my interests. Do you work 60+ hrs a week to support my family? No? Ok then.


----------



## extendedsolo

Mathemagician said:


> Haterade bro. I follow a couple fashion brands on Instagram (to buy the lady some cool stuff on the cheap $20 for $60 bras etc ftw) and they're posting things like "If you're man plays Pokemon Go you have the right to cheat on him."
> 
> It's pettyness over not liking something that someone else enjoys, and then demanding to be the center of attention again. I just don't even respond on FB or wherever. Not gonna defend my interests. Do you work 60+ hrs a week to support my family? No? Ok then.



Yeah I don't get why people legitimately feel this way. I think it's a pretty interesting piece of pop culture history happening right now. How there are people that are engrossed in the game and people just vehemently against it. That dichotomy is so bizarre. I think people just like to knock you down so you are at their level of unhappiness. They can't bare to see anyone having fun and experiencing joy like they would as a child. Not to say we need to do that all of the time, but man, this world sucks enough sometimes, why tear down something as harmless as this? 

I do make fun of things like saying "The Grateful Dead suck!" but I don't really mean it. We all do that. Just ragging on something because it's funny. I'm sure there is some of that out there, but most of it seems to be genuine disdain for it.


----------



## TheHandOfStone

Mathemagician said:


> "If you're man plays Pokemon Go you have the right to cheat on him."


That's...actually evil. 

*EDIT:* Found a funny picture:


----------



## broj15

I want to play, but I know I'd get into it and I don't have the spare data/time so I'm not even gonna start. That being said it's a cool idea and seems like a lot of fun.


----------



## flint757

The individuals I hear complaining the most are people who don't play games to begin with and largely it's late 40's and up. They don't get gaming to begin with and they think the idea of people being glued to their phones 24/7 is an awful idea. The thing about it is they thought that prior to the game too when it comes to things like texting and Facebook, yet ironically most people have little issue with others spending endless hours on those. Some of the complaints have some merit though, like playing while driving, walking into traffic, people trespassing, but otherwise they're looking at it all wrong. If you're already a physically active person, or a person who isn't glued to a device 24/7, you're not all of a sudden going to be one of those people, but if you're normally glued to your phone anyhow this game isn't going to be hurting anything as it's just a different app you'll be glued to instead. It has the added bonus of getting some people outdoors and social who otherwise wouldn't be as well. It's also likely to increase more local tourism, like people going to the zoo, which is a huge positive side effect.

I think a lot of times the hate can be so intense because when everyone's doing something and you aren't you feel like an outsider, but at the same time they have zero interest in phone apps, games, Pokemon, etc. so they aren't willing to join in on the fun.


----------



## n4t

> The individuals I hear complaining the most are people who don't play games to begin with and largely it's late 40's and up.


Not entirely correct.

I play games all the time. I do not play time-wasters on my phone. Those are just distractions for the less intelligent and basically marketing leverage. Many don't know the difference. 

Thing is, I know from experience that technology is a great tool. I use it. It doesn't use me, and I do not allow myself to become a tool of the technology.

Honestly this 'game' is a public safety hazard, but also a great way to identify the people who do not need to be here on this planet. 

And people being glued to their phones IS an awful idea. Those things that do that are not people. They are bio waste. 

I'm not that peeved about it. I honestly am appalled and I feel sorry for you people. Oh and I think you should all be killed.


----------



## Alberto7

"I'm not that peeved about it, I just hope you all die."


----------



## Alberto7

So, apparently this is my university right now:





I think I know where I'm headed to later.


----------



## Mathemagician

Why would you even go to class? Go find the cute girls playing the game and introduce yourself.


----------



## Señor Voorhees

And to think that _we're_ the ones with the problem. lmfao


----------



## Alberto7

Mathemagician said:


> Why would you even go to class? Go find the cute girls playing the game and introduce yourself.



 I'm not going to school atm, but it's close enough to me that I can just drop by for a while and then leave. If this app persists all the way to September, then your suggestion will become a reality before you even know it.


----------



## Alberto7

I never went out today as I'd planned. I was supposed to go downtown to a Team Valor meetup with a few buddies, but life ended up getting in the way and had to take care of some business.

However, I did go out grocery shopping with my sister today. Very close to the grocery store, we saw about 4-5 lures set up in one corner next to a park and a crowd of people. We resisted the urge of going, as we really needed to do groceries. One hour later, we came out loaded with heavy grocery bags on our hands and shoulders, but did not resist the temptation and we joined the crowd. It was quite insane. At one point, 8 modded PokeStops were showing up in my map, and it was raining Pokemon. I also saw all of my buddies I was supposed to meet up with from Team Valor, plus a few others, and ended up meeting a ton of awesome people.

This is what the crowd looked like from a short distance and a panoramic from within (and I didn't even point my phone to my back! There were tons of people lying on the grass and under the trees):









And this is what my map looked like. It was crazy:





And these were the catches of the day. That was my strongest Eevee; I caught 4 















Poor Magneton's CP was messed up.  A dude the same level as me got him at 746 :/




HOWEVER, my absolute best catch of the day, which ironically enough happened a few minutes ago while I was in my room on my bed, was this baby:





I finally redeemed myself from the one that ran away before!  And it's got great stats, too.

Too bad I only stayed at the park for about 45 minutes, as I had meat and frozen products among my groceries. I'm going again tomorrow evening.

Also, there's a ton of stores and businesses downtown with signs outside that say "we got rare Pokemon inside!"  We all conjectured that food businesses are setting up these lure spots near them so that people gather there and go to their places to buy snacks or meals.

EDIT: Oh, I forgot to mention, in the time that I was there, the cops drove by twice, both times blasting the Pokemon theme song with the windows down and the cop behind the wheel kept screaming "CATCH 'EM ALL GUYS!!" and it was glorious. This game has seriously turned the world upside down, and I can't even imagine what it'll be like once it drops officially here in Canada.


----------



## downburst82

My wife is out searching right now....at least I hope thats what she is doing ... (naa I totally know she is as she keeps calling me every few minutes to tell me whats she caught lol )


----------



## Alberto7

^ That's actually super cute.


----------



## extendedsolo

I'm actually able to stick around in gyms long enough to get coins. Any idea what the best use of coins would be? I'm not going to spend any real money on coins so I'm trying to save up. I was thining 8 lucky eggs since they give you 2x XP and the chance to level up relatively quick. I would be 1/4 the way there then!


----------



## Alberto7

^ I think Lucky Eggs too. When I first started I thought incense or lure mods. Now I've realized that incense is garbage most of the time, and that if you live in a big enough town, businesses will set up lure mods near their shops/stores anyway. Save the incense to stack with lure mods. Maybe ultra balls once you get them, as they seem to be relatively rare.


----------



## Dumple Stilzkin

Anybody who forms an uneducated opinion about this gam, need only try it themselves. I made it to level 5, walked 5.25 miles and caught 17 different Pokémon in the first day playing. It's certainly fun. It's a great thing for the hermit type people to get up and get moving.


----------



## TheHandOfStone

Some of you probably know this already, but here's an explanation of the Frozen Pokeball Glitch. Basically, it only appears to happen when the encounter would have ended anyway (i.e., a capture or a flight). It seems like the worst thing about it is lost incense/lure/egg time. I'm relieved that it doesn't actually ruin your captures.


----------



## BlackMastodon

I'm all kinds of jelly of your catches, Alberto. My buddy is catching all these ridiculous Pokemon at work and in traffic on the way home but I haven't been in the office since Wednesday. We work in the same building but he's higher level than me, and he goes on "Pokeruns" at night in our city.  I'll join him one day.


----------



## stevexc

Alberto7 said:


> ^ I think Lucky Eggs too. When I first started I thought incense or lure mods. Now I've realized that incense is garbage most of the time, and that if you live in a big enough town, businesses will set up lure mods near their shops/stores anyway. Save the incense to stack with lure mods. Maybe ultra balls once you get them, as they seem to be relatively rare.



I kinda like incense personally, I'll pop one when I leave work and catch Pokemon for the entire commute home (I take public transit, don't worry). But in general your logic is solid.

It was pretty awesome actually, got to the bus station yesterday and had to wait about 20 minutes for mine. Turned out someone had left a lure module at the PokeStop at the station, caught 20-30 various pokemon including my first Abra, CP269 Eevee, and enough various Pidgeys, Rattatas, Weedles, and Caterpies to get me from barely level 9 to halfway through level 11 (with the help of a Lucky Egg of course).

On the downside, I hatched a 2km egg today... it hung on the "Oh?" screen for a good 5 minutes, and when I crashed + reopened the game the egg was gone and I didn't get anything new from it. At least it wasn't my 10km egg...


----------



## Señor Voorhees

Incense is dandy. Makes a lot of out of the ordinary pokemon show up. As an example, I've never seen a golbat, cubone, or a snorlax in the tracker, but they did randomly just pop up in front of me while I was walking around with incense going. I'm still a super low level though. I don't play nearly as much as I'd like. I walk around a lot at work, where I seem to live these days, and I have to decide if music or pokemon are more worth my time. Perhaps it's time I broke the ol' iPhone out to use for music.


----------



## flint757

stevexc said:


> On the downside, I hatched a 2km egg today... it hung on the "Oh?" screen for a good 5 minutes, and when I crashed + reopened the game the egg was gone and I didn't get anything new from it. At least it wasn't my 10km egg...



Exact same thing happened to me with my first egg. It is indeed frustrating.


----------



## Alberto7

stevexc said:


> On the downside, I hatched a 2km egg today... it hung on the "Oh?" screen for a good 5 minutes, and when I crashed + reopened the game the egg was gone and I didn't get anything new from it. At least it wasn't my 10km egg...



I know quite a few people to whom this has happened, and they always think they lost their egg, but turns out the Pokemon inside the egg has been saved to their list but they never got to see the animation. My sister got an Ekans that way, and a friend of mine thought she'd lost her 10 km egg, but when I looked through her list of Pokemon I saw a Chansey she said she'd never caught. So there it was. Seems to be a common problem.

2 km eggs hatch very common Pokemon, like Pidgeys and Zubats. I got a Weedle on one of mine. So all you might have is an extra Pidgey somewhere.



stevexc said:


> I kinda like incense personally, I'll pop one when I leave work and catch Pokemon for the entire commute home (I take public transit, don't worry). But in general your logic is solid.
> 
> It was pretty awesome actually, got to the bus station yesterday and had to wait about 20 minutes for mine. Turned out someone had left a lure module at the PokeStop at the station, caught 20-30 various pokemon including my first Abra, CP269 Eevee, and enough various Pidgeys, Rattatas, Weedles, and Caterpies to get me from barely level 9 to halfway through level 11 (with the help of a Lucky Egg of course).





Señor Voorhees;4616018 said:


> Incense is dandy. Makes a lot of out of the ordinary pokemon show up. As an example, I've never seen a golbat, cubone, or a snorlax in the tracker, but they did randomly just pop up in front of me while I was walking around with incense going. I'm still a super low level though. I don't play nearly as much as I'd like. I walk around a lot at work, where I seem to live these days, and I have to decide if music or pokemon are more worth my time. Perhaps it's time I broke the ol' iPhone out to use for music.



Aw man, you got a Snorlax from an incense?! Snorlax is apparently one of the strongest in the game so far, or at least really popular here in Montreal among the higher level people. A lot of gyms here had tons of 1000+ cp Snorlaxes defending them.

In my experience, Incense has been quite a disappointment after I used the first two you're given. However, I've only ever used it at night, and in places where there's not that much wireless cellular traffic. It did get me all the way to level 5 when I first started playing though, since I wasn't really leaving my house to play yet.


----------



## sezna

Saved up evolutions and did 40 at once on a lucky egg today. Got me from level 10 at 0% to level 14 at 75%. But man, just clicking through evolutions and transfers for 20mins is really...boring.


----------



## Alberto7

I WANT TO CLICK LIKE ON EVERY COMMENT BUT I CAN'T ARRRGG 

Now that that's out of the way, I can imagine. Having to watch the same animations over and over again has got to be a pain in the butt. I still only have ~90 Pidgey candies and 27 Pidgeys, and not that many Weedles, so I'm still gonna farm a bit more and then I'll use my lucky egg.


----------



## Pav

Alberto7 said:


> I WANT TO CLICK LIKE ON EVERY COMMENT BUT I CAN'T ARRRGG



Pav likes this.


----------



## stevexc

Alberto7 said:


> I know quite a few people to whom this has happened, and they always think they lost their egg, but turns out the Pokemon inside the egg has been saved to their list but they never got to see the animation. My sister got an Ekans that way, and a friend of mine thought she'd lost her 10 km egg, but when I looked through her list of Pokemon I saw a Chansey she said she'd never



Unless the capture date is the date the egg was found as opposed to hatched I don't think that was the case - nothing new in the journal, or at the top of the list when sorted by Recent.

On the bright side, pulled a Hitmonchan from my 10km egg, so I'm not too upset!

Also apparently naming your eevee Rainer, Pyro, or Sparky seems to guarantee a Vaporeon, Flareon, or Jolteon, respectively - at least for the first instance of an eevee with that name evolving.


----------



## Alberto7

^ Hadn't thought of checking the actual capture/hatch date. But yeah, my only 10 km egg that I've hatched was a Scyther, and his capture date shows the date of hatch, not that the egg was found. It seems you did lose that egg then, which sucks, but great hatch with that Hitmonchan! Makes up for it. I've yet to find/hatch any of the Hitmons, which I'd love, as they're two of my favorites from that gen. (Hitmonchan in particular.)

I don't trust the info about how to predict Eeveelutions. First it was dependent on the second move from its moveset, though that turned out to be false. And those names seem kind of random to me. But who knows, I've been wrong before. 

And speaking of speculation, I'd read and heard about some of this, but there's also some new stuff on this video that I came across (though, granted, it just goes over info taken from reddit, but I found it first than the reddit post):


----------



## TheHandOfStone

sezna said:


> Saved up evolutions and did 40 at once on a lucky egg today. Got me from level 10 at 0% to level 14 at 75%. But man, just clicking through evolutions and transfers for 20mins is really...boring.


Someone calculated that ~60 is the max if you time it perfectly and your game doesn't crash. You did well.

I only got 2 levels & change out of my first Lucky Egg (11 to 13). I'm holding off a bit then going all out because clearly I didn't optimize usage of the 1st one.


----------



## extendedsolo

TheHandOfStone said:


> Someone calculated that ~60 is the max if you time it perfectly and your game doesn't crash. You did well.
> 
> I only got 2 levels & change out of my first Lucky Egg (11 to 13). I'm holding off a bit then going all out because clearly I didn't optimize usage of the 1st one.



yeah so actually probably in the 50 range since the game isn't perfect everytime. Still that's 50k points at least, assuming you don't have any new pokemon you catch. Or how I"m going to have to level up from here on out.


----------



## Cloudy

Anyone else recieveing a lot of hate for playing pokemon go? A ton of people in my city are critcizing pokemon go players, Ive had a couple people heckle me on the street for 'staring at my phone'

People seriously need to mind their own business.


----------



## extendedsolo

Cloudy said:


> Anyone else recieveing a lot of hate for playing pokemon go? A ton of people in my city are critcizing pokemon go players, Ive had a couple people heckle me on the street for 'staring at my phone'
> 
> People seriously need to mind their own business.



not really. Although it is helping me realize who in my life is a cynical dbag and who is someone fun. Speaking out against it says way more about that person that it does the person playing it. "YOU"RE HAVING FUN WRONG!!!!" is all I hear.


----------



## TheHandOfStone

So far, I've only been heckled by very drunk people. It probably helps that tons of people here stare at their phones and that I don't need to when playing.


----------



## stevexc

Canadian losers:

IT'S HEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRE

but the servers are not


----------



## TheHandOfStone

https://go.jooas.com/; probably one of many.


----------



## Alberto7

Aaanndd servers are back up and us Canadians are... kinda indifferent, actually, since we've been playing it all along anyway.  This means more people will be playing it though, which is fantastic.

Also, I witnessed something amazing yesterday. You know that video making the rounds on social media of a group of people running at Central Park because a rare Pokemon appeared somewhere nearby? Well, yesterday at the park a Wartortle appeared and everybody lost their .... and started running exactly like in the video. It was funny because there was a police car parked close to the crowd, just on standby, keeping an eye (as they should be doing). I wonder what they were thinking when they saw the stampede of people suddenly taking off. 

Sadly, that Wartortle escaped before I could catch it.  That said, I caught enough Pidgeys and Weedles to bring me from lvl 13 flat to lvl 15 and a half by evolving with a lucky egg. It could have been more productive though, but I got so sick of catching Pidgeys lol



Cloudy said:


> Anyone else recieveing a lot of hate for playing pokemon go? A ton of people in my city are critcizing pokemon go players, Ive had a couple people heckle me on the street for 'staring at my phone'
> 
> People seriously need to mind their own business.



For real? In Vancouver? I find that odd. Here in Montréal it's almost everyone playing. Only a drunk homeless dude got angry at us because the crowd was standing on the spot where he slept at the park but he soon left and passed out somewhere else.

I've made many more friends than enemies playing this game. The day the opposite is true I may mind it more, but for now I'm having way too much fun (even if my legs hate me for it these days).


----------



## TheHandOfStone

I had a Wartortle run away from me too (also in a big park). No one went running though.

Today I lost a bunch of thrown pokeballs and accidentally used an incense thanks to lag. Not my best day rofl.


----------



## QuantumCybin

So I was bored and I follow Kiesel on Instagram. They posted a picture about how they'll do any color you want or something, so I (half) jokingly said something along the lines of just don't get an option 50 for their questionable color matching jobs and I got a reply back saying "<my username> is definitely team valor"  touchè, Kiesel, touchè.....


----------



## Alberto7

^  True that they haven't had great PR in recent months, but at least they have a sense of humor.


----------



## QuantumCybin

Yeah lol I'm not really a Kiesel hater since I personally have never even played one, it was just funny


----------



## Blytheryn

Anyone else's experience super buggy/laggy? I just walked outside at 1:30 AM to see what was out there, and everything is three footprints away, and stays like that. Also, whenever I catch a pokemon there is like a 50% chance my entire game freezes on the pokeball stage. Frustrating.


----------



## Alberto7

Blytheryn said:


> Anyone else's experience super buggy/laggy? I just walked outside at 1:30 AM to see what was out there, and everything is three footprints away, and stays like that. Also, whenever I catch a pokemon there is like a 50% chance my entire game freezes on the pokeball stage. Frustrating.



The former is tricky, and has, indeed, seemed inconsistent over the last couple of days. Sometimes Pokemon pop up in my house that appear to be 3 steps away on the radar. Before, if they popped up it showed them without any steps on the radar.

The latter is a pretty common glitch, although it rarely happens to me, personally. The only time it happens to me is when I try to use the spamming PokeBall glitch (the one where you make many throw motions at the very beginning of an encounter until the first PokeBall appears. This causes the shot to land a hit 100% of the time and you usually get a Nice or Great hit) sometimes the PokeBall will go up in the air higher and higher, and its shadow on the ground increases in size indefinitely until the whole screen gets dark and it's just the Pokemon left. You can't throw any more PokeBalls because the system doesn't recognize the one in the air to have landed yet. It's kinda creepy.  Sometimes it does lag after I throw a PokeBall, but it sorts itself out after a few seconds.

Going out later tonight around my area to see what I find.


----------



## Mathemagician

Pokemon Go won. Fiancé & I bought 2DS's and ruby/sapphire. This was their endgame. Also, I put $10 into the app. It's not even nostalgia, Nintendo just reminded me that I like Pokemon.


----------



## TheHandOfStone

Blytheryn said:


> Anyone else's experience super buggy/laggy? I just walked outside at 1:30 AM to see what was out there, and everything is three footprints away, and stays like that. Also, whenever I catch a pokemon there is like a 50% chance my entire game freezes on the pokeball stage. Frustrating.


For me, the servers have been dodgy all day.



Mathemagician said:


> Pokemon Go won. Fiancé & I bought 2DS's and ruby/sapphire. This was their endgame. Also, I put $10 into the app. It's not even nostalgia, Nintendo just reminded me that I like Pokemon.


The fact that people are playing Pokemon with their loved ones is adorable. 

I tried getting back into the cartridge games, but just...couldn't stick with them. I find that Pokemon GO is actually more engaging in some ways, in spite of all its flaws.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

*MEGA EDIT:* Someone made an IV calculator!


----------



## flint757

So it's 1 am and the garden/park I have mentioned a couple times in my posts is filled with cars. It's starting to feel like more people my age and older are playing than kids.  In the past people would just show up there to do wedding pictures without reserving the park, but if the trend continues they might just have to start doing so. 

I'm level 9, but I need way more candies to take advantage of my lucky egg. One of my eggs hatched and it was a Growlithe and I also caught a Pinsir. A nice comeback from not playing for a couple of days. A Dotrio and Taurus fled though, which was a bummer. I gave it razzberries and it didn't seem to help at all. I might still be too low level, but who knows.


----------



## Mathemagician

Arcanine is in my top 6 wants. I'm jelly. But I have a Valoreon and Flareon to console me.


----------



## TheHandOfStone

has a ton of good information about the game's mechanics. You should read it if you don't already.


----------



## sezna

TheHandOfStone said:


> Someone calculated that ~60 is the max if you time it perfectly and your game doesn't crash. You did well.
> 
> I only got 2 levels & change out of my first Lucky Egg (11 to 13). I'm holding off a bit then going all out because clearly I didn't optimize usage of the 1st one.



It also helped that a lot of mine were new pokemon for me. That made some of my evolutions worth 2k xp. 



extendedsolo said:


> yeah so actually probably in the 50 range since the game isn't perfect everytime. Still that's 50k points at least, assuming you don't have any new pokemon you catch. Or how I"m going to have to level up from here on out.



But you need to factor in like five minutes of break time to hold off the boredom, lol.


----------



## flint757

How much XP do you get for previously done evolutions?


----------



## Fiction

Lost a 10km egg to freeze, laaaame.

Still no special pokemon for me, but I'm still keen on playing. Been a bit busier lately, but theres a fair few gyms around me so I don't have to travel too far to get a few little things.


----------



## mongey

this thing is out of control. I haven't played it but I looked around on my bus ride home from work yesterday and counted 11 people playing it . that was out of about 30 people on the bus and they were all office worker types and 9 were chicks


----------



## flint757

Yeah, I see/hear the game everywhere I go and it's mostly adults. I live next to the coast so I've got a lot of magikarp, but you need 400 candies to upgrade it to gyarados. I'll need to go back to Kemah every now and then until I have enough to evolve one. Right now I'm trying to get as many pidgey, caterpie, and weedle as I can before playing the lucky egg. I currently have two of them so I've got a ways to go. 

Once I hit level 9 I've been dropping balls like crazy though. I'm getting more orange and yellow rings whereas before they were all mostly green. Dark orange either flees or takes razz and like 4 balls before it gets captured.

The worst part is the game freezes constantly or I fall into an infinite loop by clicking the right buttons at the right time. Like if you click into the backpack just as the Pokemon flees the game locks up because the code is written I assume to take you back to the battle exclusively and I guess no commands were written to bring them back to the main screen if that isn't possible. It's honestly the laziest coded game I've ever played. It's worse when I have my phone in battery save mode so it needs all the power it can get to function passably well. The problem is my phone dies 3 times as fast with battery save mode off. I just hope that people overlooking its flaws, including myself, doesn't mean that they completely forgo fixing them. They need program testers bad either way.


----------



## TheHandOfStone

is now known to be 40 thanks to this data dump.

Also some funny stuff, such as CURRENT SPONSORS.


----------



## sezna

flint757 said:


> How much XP do you get for previously done evolutions?



500, or 1k with a lucky egg.


----------



## flint757

A potentially game breaking bug at this point is that the tracking system doesn't seem to work at all, a problem many online are dealing with. There are always 3 footprints on the ones in my list and half of the time the pokemon I run into are not the ones even listed. You can sort of track by seeing what is at the top of the list at the moment, but I seem to just be walking right over them as the ones I'm looking for are precisely the ones that never pop up when I'm make a deliberate effort to search for them. That and the game freezing during an egg hatch could lead me to quit playing at some point if they remain an issue. 

They really need to implement a background functionality to track steps too so that my phone doesn't get drained leaving the phone open. Turning the screen black isn't even sort of a good solution, it's a patch job. If I put my phone in my bag or pocket like that it'll just close the app at some point when bumped and it kills the battery still faster than something keeping tally in the background. It needs to function more like an actual fitness tracker for the egg incubation's IMO.


----------



## TheHandOfStone

I've yet to have a phantom egg, but the tracker thing is killing me too. I missed out on an Aerodactyl within walking distance of my apartment earlier today. I would have missed Scyther too if I hadn't run into a few other players and managed to confirm his location. It really makes playing the game the way it was intended to be played hard, while promoting standing in one spot with a bunch of lures active.


----------



## flint757

Lures seem to be how 90% of people are playing and that is the only way I've caught descent wild pokemon. It creates a nice social gathering of like-minded people, as much as strangers can be, but sort of defeats the purpose of 'hunting' for pokemon (and walking). Lures are kind of annoying sometimes too. When I was at Kemah 3 Pokestops in one area were lured so there was pretty much nothing in the surrounding area. It just promotes people sitting on their asses next to the pokestop, as until the lure goes away you aren't going to catch much of anything just walking around if it isn't in the same area as the lured pokestop. That's a bit of a pain if you're heading in a general direction and want to play for a short bit to pass the time.

On another note, was Ingress this buggy?


----------



## stevexc

flint757 said:


> A potentially game breaking bug at this point is that the tracking system doesn't seem to work at all, a problem many online are dealing with. There are always 3 footprints on the ones in my list and half of the time the pokemon I run into are not the ones even listed. You can sort of track by seeing what is at the top of the list at the moment, but I seem to just be walking right over them as the ones I'm looking for are precisely the ones that never pop up when I'm make a deliberate effort to search for them. That and the game freezing during an egg hatch could lead me to quit playing at some point if they remain an issue.



My understanding was that the tracking has been intentionally temporarily limited to ease the server load until things start smoothing out. I'll try and find a source.


----------



## narad

Do high-level ghosts or flying pokemon influence your throw at all? I was trying to catch my first Haunter today and it took forever because he was the dark orange circle, and all my tosses seemed to veer one way or the other. I began to wonder if it was part of him being tricky, or maybe I was super nervous and it was having an effect on the throw. It seemed he was further away than usual, so maybe I was adding a slight curve, but you know I catch 400 pokemon the same way and not notice anything, then he pops up and my throws are all over the place. Just seemed too much to be coincidence.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Went on a Pokemon hunt last night to some parks with a few friends and was good fun. Lots of people out as well. Caught me a Bulbasaur and a few others but lost out on a CP 485 Lickitung last night due to crash. Lame -.-


----------



## TheHandOfStone

narad said:


> Do high-level ghosts or flying pokemon influence your throw at all? I was trying to catch my first Haunter today and it took forever because he was the dark orange circle, and all my tosses seemed to veer one way or the other. I began to wonder if it was part of him being tricky, or maybe I was super nervous and it was having an effect on the throw. It seemed he was further away than usual, so maybe I was adding a slight curve, but you know I catch 400 pokemon the same way and not notice anything, then he pops up and my throws are all over the place. Just seemed too much to be coincidence.


There's a glitch where you throw only curveballs, usually accompanied by the inability to retrieve thrown balls.


----------



## TheHandOfStone

I threw out a Lucky Egg thanks to carelessness and/or lag (probably both) when cycling through items.  I told myself I wasn't going to directly benefit from microtransactions, but now I'm debating whether or not I should replace it. Some options to consider:

1) A single Lucky Egg is only 80 Pokecoins, which in my case is frustrating. I'd like to have 0 left over so that I don't possess any advantage compared to before. I suppose I could swear not to use them, but having coins lying around that you won't allow yourself to use is both annoying and tempting.
2) I could get a Bag Upgrade and have 0 coins left over. I think this might be "fair" compensation for the egg. However, this seems like a somewhat unprincipled move, save for the fact that it'd help me avoid making the same mistake in the future.
3) I could just suck it up and cut my losses, attributing them to my own avarice and the game's glitchiness. This might be the most "righteous" thing to do, but the fact is there's no way to know if you've _already_ benefited from microtransactions. Perhaps the high-IV Pokemon that spawned by your favorite coffee shop only appeared because the owner bought and maintained a constant lure to attract customers (no, really)? There's no way you can be sure.
4) Maybe I should just go all out and start abusing microtransactions: replace the egg, get the bag upgrade, and maybe a few incubators for good measure? At this point I'd be giving up on integrity and going over to the dark side of money-wasting.

What would you all do in my situation?


----------



## Mathemagician

Spend $10 and buy bag upgrades and lures/eggs like the rest of us with full time jobs. How many hours of enjoyment are you getting out of this game? Reward nintendo's efforts a bit if financially possible. It's not unfair. 

Have you played a game by Perfect World Entertainment, or basically ANY non-us based MMO? That .... is broken.


----------



## flint757

I wouldn't call it an unfair advantage anyhow since you get coins for holding gyms for a day and the game is so glitchy you get robbed all the time (hatched eggs, lost balls, missed throws, lost time advantage around lures, incense, and lucky eggs due to game crashing, etc.). From that point of view it is more like evening the playing field, although I don't know how I feel personally about rewarding a company with real money for a game that is essentially a broken hot mess at this point.

At the end of the day it's just a game so there is no moral value attached to it. If it gives you enjoyment and spending some cash would help you enjoy it more I seriously don't see the harm. I'm personally trying to avoid buying things with real cash purely because I'm not sure how long i'll continue playing and I don't want to sink money into something if I decide to quit playing in a month.


----------



## Cloudy

I dropped 15$ on lures and incense yesterday.

I live close to a pretty popular area of vancouver, at any given time there is maybe 6-7 lures going and 50+ people standing around. Its glorious. 







This is what my neighbourhood looks like right now. Mostly zubats, and pidgeys but I'll take anything


----------



## Señor Voorhees

flint757 said:


> I wouldn't call it an unfair advantage anyhow since you get coins for holding gyms for a day and the game is so glitchy you get robbed all the time (hatched eggs, lost balls, missed throws, lost time advantage around lures, incense, and lucky eggs due to game crashing, etc.). From that point of view it is more like evening the playing field, although I don't know how I feel personally about rewarding a company with real money for a game that is essentially a broken hot mess at this point.
> 
> At the end of the day it's just a game so there is no moral value attached to it. If it gives you enjoyment and spending some cash would help you enjoy it more I seriously don't see the harm. I'm personally trying to avoid buying things with real cash purely because I'm not sure how long i'll continue playing and I don't want to sink money into something if I decide to quit playing in a month.



The game is glitchy as hell, but it will be patched in the future. I never hesitate to give Bethesda my money and they release buggy disasters every time. When Pokemon functions, which is in all fairness most of the time, it's great fun. More fun than I've had in some top tier games that retail for $60. I don't think you need to justify a purchase of $10 or $20 if you're currently having fun with it and don't feel like you're being robbed. I've played games where the micro transactions feel like robbery. This is not one of those games. You can absolutely make due without buying anything, even if you'll be a little handicapped along the way. (ie: $5 for 100+ pokeballs, or drive/walk around and collect a few from pokestops for free.)

It ain't a waste of money if your enjoying yourself, and you're certainly not cheating or giving yourself an unfair advantage. Games like this were designed to lure you in with free gameplay and coax at least a few bucks from your wallet.


----------



## flint757

Well, currently I can't access the server. 

I spent money on Clash of Clans and while I played enough to make up for the cost sitting in waiting rooms and whatnot I still felt robbed when the game just stopped being fun. 

I take issue with companies that use their customers as alpha testers. I get that new problems emerge when you add more players, and therefore new varieties of interaction and server problems, but some of the code issues I've encountered are just bad code that should have easily been sorted out in-house by even just a hand full of code testers. This game isn't exactly revolutionary in design or anything. It borrows a lot from Niantics other platform, same arguably applies to Bethesda as well. The graphics are pretty standard fare and geocaching isn't really a new thing. The game requires more hardware resources than is warranted IMO and that is because it is poorly coded. 

On one hand giving them money gives them the resources to fix these problems, but on the other hand the accolades and money give them little incentive to bother. They seem more concerned about releasing new features and launching into new territories rather than fixing old problems at the moment. It's a problem I encounter all too frequently from software companies so I do feel some hesitation is warranted.

Back to Bethesda, I re-downloaded Skyrim on Steam, presumably with most of the bugs worked out by now, played it vanilla and stupid .... like people being stuck in walls, stuff in rooms exploding everywhere, animals glitching on their position locations, etc. are still happening. Clearly they saw no reason to fix these problems.

[EDIT]

And none of this is an attempt to bash the game by any means. I love the concept and it brings me so much nostalgic joy to say the least. When it works I like it and I love the idea and its potential, but the game itself is poorly executed. Also, as far as I'm aware Nintendo has almost nothing to do with this aside from property rights and likely a cut of the revenue. Niantic is the company who has developed this game, not Nintendo.


----------



## Señor Voorhees

With Bethesda, it's pretty much ALL the engine they use/bought. You can't patch out the glitches because the glitches are just part of it. Quests bug out, and my fiance can't complete the stormcloak questline as her original main character. It's a little annoying, but for the most part they've made consistently great games despite the bugs, so they'll continue getting my money.

As far as pokemon go is concerned, the servers are down relatively frequently. Which is a bummer, but it's not the end of the world. Perhaps I'm just lucky, but I've never been prevented from accessing the game for too long. Games like WoW, (or MMORPG's in general) which frequently undergo routine maintenance, have had me unable to access the game more frequently than GO has, and they (especially WoW) are money pits.

Perhaps that doesn't detract from how sucky it is to not just FIX the problem. Perhaps, again, I'm just lucky and haven't been too put off by it. I still think that paying a few bucks shouldn't make most people feel robbed.


----------



## flint757

So after completing my lucky egg evolve cycle I went up like 3 1/2 levels and am now level 15 and about half way to 16. The issue now is that my backpack is overcapacity by like 90 items.

The backpack upgrade is looking pretty good at the moment. 

...and I also evolved a Flareon and Vaporeon, which are both now my strongest pokemon. The name change thing seems to be working. I let the first one evolve randomly and it turned into a Vaporeon so I named the second Pyro and it evolved into Flareon. The next one I'm going to name Jolty and see if it manages to evolve into a Jolteon.


----------



## TheHandOfStone

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I'm going to hold off on purchasing anything right now (I still have a Lucky Egg to burn ) but won't feel bad if I choose to go that route in the future.


----------



## Alberto7

^ What's your trainer level? If you have Pokemon over 600 cp, you can actually challenge gyms and get your Pokemon in them. For each gym you're in, you can collect one Defender Point every 21 hours, assuming you don't get kicked out of said gym within that span of time. Each DP will earn you 10 coins and 500 Stardust. I know people who have upwards of 1000 coins just from DPs.

Of course, that method takes A LOT longer than simply pouring money into your game account.

EDIT: I swear, once the like system is back online, I'm going back and I'm gonna like the sh*t out of a lot of posts here. So much good information!

This game gets more and more fun as I play it, lag and bugs and all. I've met SO many people thus far. I'm cool with the lure spots, as they provide a good chilling spot after or before a long walk, while still keeping the same mindset and hanging out with people that are into similar stuff to you.


----------



## Alberto7

After much skepticism on my part, I just named one of my Eevees "Pyro" and evolved it. Unsurprisingly - and to my surprise at the same time - it evolved into a Flareon. Judging by my own data, there's a small chance that the naming theory is true. Will report back once I capture 7 or 13 more Eevees. 

EDIT: just saw an Ivysaur hanging around my house, but with the tracking system all messed up and not updating more frequently, I walked around for about 5 minutes before restarting the game and realizing it was gone.  I've already missed out on an Aerodactyl, a Gengar, a Nidoqueen, and now an Ivysaur because of this. -.-


----------



## flint757

Alberto7 said:


> After much skepticism on my part, I just named one of my Eevees "Pyro" and evolved it. Unsurprisingly - and to my surprise at the same time - it evolved into a Flareon. Judging by my own data, there's a small chance that the naming theory is true. Will report back once I capture 7 or 13 more Eevees.
> 
> EDIT: just saw an Ivysaur hanging around my house, but with the tracking system all messed up and not updating more frequently, I walked around for about 5 minutes before restarting the game and realizing it was gone.  I've already missed out on an Aerodactyl, a Gengar, a Nidoqueen, and now an Ivysaur because of this. -.-



Yeah, so far it has worked for everyone I know, including myself. I changed the name back to Flareon though once it evolved. 

The tracker is super frustrating. I went out to check the mail and saw a ghastly, so I went to find it and walked around forever. The nearby list even after a restart doesn't list nearest to farthest, the top 3 icon when closed doesn't show the 3 closest pokemon, the green blinker direction tool seems to point me nowhere near pokemon every time I bother using it, and my nearby list rarely seems to show the actual pokemon near me. When I turn the app off and on again it seems like 50% of the time the list is different, but usually more accurate for at least a little bit. For the time being it would seem that walking and hoping is the only option. What's bizarre is that things like pidgey, rattata, and eevee are always where they are supposed to be and if I pass them up and come back later they are often still in the same spot. So it's really frustrating that this never seems to be the case for the less common pokemon in my experience.

On a happier note 3 of my eggs hatched and I got an Ekans and Magnemite out of the deal. Pretty stoked since I haven't seen either so far in the game. I still need to catch like 100 Magikarp to evolve it into a gyarados as well, but it give me a reason to go to the bay. My pokedex is slowly filling up and I think I'm about 1/3 of the way through it currently. If it's true that some of the rarer ones are region locked by continent I really hope it's possible to get one from an egg. I don't think it is possible though. My pokedex only goes to 136 and they claimed to have released all 151 from the first generation. This would mean 15 aren't accessible in my region I think (speculation on my part).


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## Alberto7

^ Well, reading TheHandOStone's post on the last page about the data leak, they certainly do have "Biomes," which are a lot more varied than I thought they'd be. (They even have glaciers listed there, ffs!! Another trip to Banff and Jasper is in order. ) However, I don't think they're continent-locked. That'd be kinda ....ty for a lot of people who can't travel for one reason or the other. Some Pokemon, however, seem to be locked to certain areas. For example, there's a really big Catholic basilica here in Montreal very near where I live called St. Joseph's Oratory, which is also the largest church in Canada. There's a Dragonite that spawns there occasionally and has become a pretty infamous spot for attracting large numbers of PoGO players even though there really aren't many PokeStops around. They go there in hopes of catching said Dragonite. However, Dragonites have appeared in other more random places across the city, but it pops up with more frequency at the Oratory.

That, and it's pretty much been confirmed that legendary Pokemon will be event-based. I'm also stuck at 136 (Flareon), but after Flareon you have the likes of Kabuto, Omanyte, Aerodactyl, Porygon, Snorlax, which many people here already have and elsewhere too, followed by the legendary birds, then the dragons, which also quite a few people have over here, and then Mewtwo and Mew.

And yes, a lot of the #136+ Pokemon you can get from 10 km eggs. (Fossils, dragons, Porygon, Snorlax, etc.)


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## flint757

It's curious why the numbers are left off the pokedex then if the 136+ are indeed possible to get. Before I got an eevee my list still went to 136 so it isn't like it's based on what you've seen. Strange. Perhaps that is meant to indicate their rarity or something along those lines.


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## TheHandOfStone

I remember hearing that Tauros, Kangaskhan, and Farfetch'd are unique to US, AU, and Asia respectively. This actually makes some geographical sense. There may be a few others but the vast majority of 'mons are available everywhere.


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## Alberto7

^ Kangaskhan supposedly comes out of 10 km eggs, but now that you mention it, I haven't seen either it or Farfetch'd around me. With that said, I do have 3 Tauroses, one of which I caught inside my house. They're fairly common around where I live, as well Jynxes. Then again, Montreal is very close to the US border, so who knows. 



flint757 said:


> It's curious why the numbers are left off the pokedex then if the 136+ are indeed possible to get. Before I got an eevee my list still went to 136 so it isn't like it's based on what you've seen. Strange. Perhaps that is meant to indicate their rarity or something along those lines.



That is weird. I remember my Pokedex when I first began was capped at Growlithe (58) for quite a while, which I found and caught very early on. Until yesterday it was capped at Vaporeon, (134) but now it's at Flareon (136) which I evolved a few hours ago. It basically has never showed me anything higher than what I've caught.


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## flint757

Perhaps I had caught an eevee early on and am simply confused. 

It certainly wouldn't be the first time.


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## Pav

The Eevee naming theory has been confirmed. All three names of the Eevee brothers will determine what your Eevee evolves to - Pyro will give you a Flareon, Sparky will give you a Jolteon and Rainer will give you Vaporeon.


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## stevexc

TheHandOfStone said:


> I remember hearing that Tauros, Kangaskhan, and Farfetch'd are unique to US, AU, and Asia respectively. This actually makes some geographical sense. There may be a few others but the vast majority of 'mons are available everywhere.



There have been cases of people catching wild Farfetch'd here in NA, so I don't think this theory carries much weight.

That said, all these theories bring back some massive nostalgia for me - they're all similar to "Hold Down + A to increase your catch chance" or "Mew is hidden under the truck", haha.

Just to add some more confidence in the Eevee name theory, worked for me on the two I just evolved - Rainer and Pyro became Vaporeon and Flareon respectively.


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## TheHandOfStone

Someone made a list of moves with all their hidden stats here.


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## Alberto7

What does "Energy" mean??

Also, am I the only one who hasn't been able to log in all day?


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## extendedsolo

Alberto7 said:


> What does "Energy" mean??
> 
> Also, am I the only one who hasn't been able to log in all day?



It's been spotty all day. Japan had their release today so that's most likely why.


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## Pav

extendedsolo said:


> It's been spotty all day. Japan had their release today so that's most likely why.


Japan's launch was cancelled today...thanks to McDonald's.


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## stevexc

Alberto7 said:


> What does "Energy" mean??
> 
> Also, am I the only one who hasn't been able to log in all day?



You build up energy to use your special moves. For instance if your Pidgey has Tackle (+7) and Aerial Ace (-25) you'd need to use Tackle 4 times to build enough energy to use Aerial Ace.


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## Alberto7

^ Aaahh that, ok ok, gotcha. Thanks!

Also, I woke up at like 2 AM for some odd reason and couldn't go back to sleep, so I checked my Pokemon GO just to see what was around... I just caught another wild Vaporeon inside of my room at home, 955 cp


----------



## Black_Sheep

This game seriously turned people into zombies. Everyone just walks around the city, looking brain-dead and staring at their phones. People driving cars or riding bicycles have to be super carefull not to crash into someone


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## bostjan

First disclaimer: I don't play Pokemon, and honestly don't really know much about it, aside from Pikachu shoots lightning and there's something called Squirtle that looks like a turtle.

You sure it's Pokemon and not K2? I've heard that there was a batch going around that turned people into zombies.

I'm in a really small town, but I haven't seen any zombie-like behaviour other than the usual. There are a few urchins still up after a rough night when I'm getting ready for work. Those people look very zombie like. 

I do see a lot of kids running around with their phones out, but I don't think that seems new, either.


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## extendedsolo

Black_Sheep said:


> This game seriously turned people into zombies. Everyone just walks around the city, looking brain-dead and staring at their phones. People driving cars or riding bicycles have to be super carefull not to crash into someone



Eh, doesn't sound different than any other day of the week to me.


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## stevexc

extendedsolo said:


> Eh, doesn't sound different than any other day of the week to me.



UGH I wanted to just Like this but now I have to actually add to the conversation. REMOVING LIKES IS RUINING SSO.

But yeah. People have been wandering around staring at their smartphones for years now, since smartphones became commonplace. Now there's an easy scapegoat for it. Add in a healthy dose of confirmation bias and baby you got a stew goin'.


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## Alberto7

So, apparently, Cabot Square (the name of the place I've been going to the last couple of weeks where permanent lures are set up and tons of people gather) has increased its nightly attendees to the thousands, (I haven't been in a few days so I haven't seen the recent growth after official release of the game in Canada) and it is now being closed off to Pokemon GO players after a Dragonite appeared last night after midnight at the square and everybody lost their ....s, prompting around 8 police cars to show up to clear the place and threaten everybody with loitering tickets. Apparently the littering has become worse, despite many people's efforts to clean up and encourage better behavior. I also hear that many residents of the area have complained about the noise recently.

I think I'll keep my Pokemon activities to other places. :/


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## stevexc

We've been having similar issues here, we've got a neighbourhood that used to be a military base about 10-15 years ago and is full of stops:








Recently the crowds have been getting bigger and bigger and they've stepped up police presence. Won't be long before it gets closed off to anyone not being extremely inconspicuous. Doesn't help that it's all memorials to fallen airmen...

In other news, I've never gotten more exercise by doing nothing. I've gone across downtown countless times and racked up 3 or 4km without leaving my desk thanks to glitchy af GPS, haha. This morning I "jogged" all the way from where it says "7 minute drive" at the top to Nellie McClung Park at the bottom and back:






Hit the PokeStop there  Also came across my first wild Bulbasaur and caught a wild CP508 Jynx while on my commute and my lunch break.

And I found a handy dandy resource for tracking down Pokemon. It goes down nearly as often as the game itself, but it seems to be accurate when it's up. Of course I was AFK when a Blastoise popped up on my tracker so it didn't help me then... and it likes to tease me with rare Pokemon I can't get to, haha, like the Nidoking at the mall a few minutes away.


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## Alberto7

^ aaahh yes, that PokeVision thingy. I wondered if it actually worked. Seems like a lot of people swear by it!

On the other hand, I've been seeing people's reactions to what happened yesterday (http://montrealgazette.com/news/loc...ne-after-rare-pokemon-appears-at-cabot-square) and I'm honestly growing disillusioned by the community's reaction. It doesn't necessarily make me not want to play it, but it makes me no want to engage with the community as much as I did before. They have also banned the gathering on Saturday to set the Guinness World Record of largest Pokemon GO players concentration at the location it was going to happen, and I'm unhappy seeing how people playing the game have reacted to this. The littering, noise, lack of understanding, and overall lack of civility by a lot of the players is quite enraging.


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## TheHandOfStone

I'm of the mind that no Pokemon is worth risking your health and/or legal freedom. It's also not fair to inconvenience other people for the sake of your own advancement. My top priority while playing the game is not walking into, cutting off, or otherwise bothering the people around me. I think that's just the bare minimum in terms of common courtesy, and if the player base can't meet that then I'm sorry to say we're in no position to complain about negative reactions.

In related news, I'm planning on attending a rather large PokeGO bar crawl this weekend. It could potentially draw hundreds (if not thousands) of people. I'll let you know how that goes in terms of public reception and law enforcement.  It'll certainly play a part in determining how social I am about this game.


----------



## extendedsolo

TheHandOfStone said:


> I'm of the mind that no Pokemon is worth risking your health and/or legal freedom. It's also not fair to inconvenience other people for the sake of your own advancement. My top priority while playing the game is not walking into, cutting off, or otherwise bothering the people around me. I think that's just the bare minimum in terms of common courtesy, and if the player base can't meet that then I'm sorry to say we're in no position to complain about negative reactions.
> 
> In related news, I'm planning on attending a rather large PokeGO bar crawl this weekend. It could potentially draw hundreds (if not thousands) of people. I'll let you know how that goes in terms of public reception and law enforcement.  It'll certainly play a part in determining how social I am about this game.



Remember this happened in Canada, not the US so the cops are probably a little more forgiving and won't feel it necessary to break out riot gear and billy clubs. 

I think that these types of things will start to die out in northern cities (montreal, toronto, NYC, chicago) when winter comes around. Many of these things are happening later at night and in the winter people aren't going to be out. It'll be interesting to see if people have moved on come spring though.


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## Maybrick

I see the name mentioned but not the URL, this is a good site to check when Pokemons timers are up

https://pokevision.com/


----------



## Alberto7

Had another productive night tonight. Went up a full level, (16.5 to 17.5) hatched a couple of non-outstanding eggs and started to incubate a 10 km one, caught many Eevees, farmed many a Pidgey and Weedle, caught a few good Pokemon, and, most importantly, caught up with a very good friend of mine whom I hadn't seen in a few months. We're meeting up tomorrow and on Sunday again to visit areas of town we haven't yet been to catch Pokemon. 

Catches of the day:














And then caught these two new PokeDex entries within 10 minutes of each other, which I thought was outstanding:












Also, I tried "Sparky" on an Eevee and got my last Eeveelution: Jolteon. I now have all three!  Also, I managed to evolve a high-level Nidorino I found (400+ cp) into a badass Nidoking, and I caught a 700+ cp Fearow (not that big a fan of Fearow, but it was pretty strong anyway). My top tier aren't looking too shabby, and now I can start powering up my Eeveelutions and my Nidoking instead of saving up on Eevee and Nidoran&#9794; candy for evolving. 







I also admit to having had a bit of fun the last couple of days renaming some of my Pokemon.


----------



## TheHandOfStone

VeganCondom


----------



## narad

-.-


----------



## flint757

So yesterday I figured a couple of things out. First off, the bonus you get is for getting it on or inside the line of the circle. The bonus applies if you do so when the circle is small or large. In fact, if you wait until it is smaller, and hit it dead in the center, instead of getting 10xp you get 50xp. From my anecdotal evidence the smaller the circle is the more likely the pokemon won't break free as well. I caught some dark orange circled pokemon with no razz and a regular pokeball by just making the circle as small as possible so I think that tool tip online is indeed true.


----------



## Alberto7

narad said:


> -.-



Noooooo I'm so proud of that one!  My friend commented on how it looks like it has a blowjob mouth, and I thought it looked like a sex toy/condom, and from there I just figured it's a vegan condom because, you know, it's a vegetable.  Alas, nothing new under the sun.

I did like me WangFacePapa and PocketZora though, but for different reasons.

-------------

But yeah, getting a "Nice!", "Great!", or "Excellent!" does, in my experience, improve your chances of catching said Pokemon by quite a bit. And it's all indeed about hitting inside the circle with the PokeBall. Good to know someone else has the same experience as me.


----------



## gnoll

Leveling is getting slow, and I'm getting higher cp pokemon now, so I'd like to focus on finding more rare and powerful pokemon, but I'm not sure how. What do you guys do to find rare pokemon (preferably with a high cp)? I want stuff like charizard, blastoise, arcanine, lapras, gyarados etc...


----------



## flint757

I'm working more on evolving pokemon currently, but I find that lured stops have the best luck of getting rarer pokemon, otherwise it's pretty random for me. I'm traveling at the moment and I've caught all sorts of pokemon I haven't seen yet and seen a few more that have fled on me so other than luring pokemon constantly going to new locations would be your other option.


----------



## gnoll

Ya, I've been hanging out quite a bit at lured stops, but I mostly get the same old pokemons, nothing too exciting. Coolest thing I came across was a 1xxx scyther, but he fled after breaking out of the first ball I threw, pretty annoying. I guess trying new locations is an idea, but it's hard to know where to go. Good thing I have my pokebike though, makes getting around a bit faster at least.


----------



## Alberto7

I caught a Bulbasaur today on my way back from the grocery store. Now I have all three starters, and I'm so happy.  I only need that elusive Pikachu left... somehow, my friend who just started already has three.

Oh, and I've totally confirmed PokeVision's usefulness today. Found a Poliwag and a Jigglypuff using it, and they were exactly where it said they'd be.


----------



## Alberto7

Someone posted this today on Facebook, and my mind is f*cking blown:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/655434757958258/permalink/665245876977146/

Regarding IVs and whatnots.


----------



## TheHandOfStone

Yup, IVs have been implemented but in a slightly different way. I've been calculating then and keeping higher IVs over higher CP. Most people look at CP then HP, which is better than nothing but not really optimal. One thing that post doesn't mention is that egg-mons tend to have higher IVs than wild captures, i.e. Team Instinct was on to something. The same also seems to be true of lured mons, but maybe not to the same extent.


----------



## Alberto7

^ Huh, interesting. This game has many more dimensions that it is first apparent!

IVs are still a relatively new concept to me, since I only joined back the Pokemon craze back with generation VI after having left at generation II, so it's still sometimes hard to wrap my head around them even though I understand them and they aren't THAT complicated. I haven't been keeping track of my Pokemons' IVs yet, as I'm not anywhere near a level high enough to really worry about such small details, but after lvl 25-30 I should start keeping only the ones that have more favorable genetics, rather than high CP, like you said.


----------



## gnoll

Today was a pretty good pokemon day for me. I caught a 1345 slowbro (my first), two dratinis, my first electabuzz (1xxx cp), and I got a 1500 lapras from an egg. I also collected loads of magicarp candy (should be able to get a gyarados tomorrow) and some other stuff 

Edit: Also ran my pokebike into a lamp post.


----------



## TheHandOfStone

That sounds like a very good day.

I, uhh...caught a Staryu with really good IVs.


----------



## Alberto7

Meanwhile, it's pouring outside, I'm stuck at home, the radar is broken, PokeVision isn't showing anything on the map, and this is on my phone's screen:






EDIT: F*CK ALL OF MY F*CK. PokeVision finally loaded properly, and that Lapras was about 300 feet away from my place. It had 3 minutes to de-spawn. I put on a raincoat and literally ran out of my house. I got there. Lapras appeared on my map, and it was huge. I showed it to my sister, who came with me. I went to tap on it, and right before I tapped the screen, it disappeared from the map. Now I am wet and have no Laparas. FFMMLL.


----------



## gnoll

Dude that sucks about the lapras. But you'll find another one 

I had another pretty good pokeday. I caught a snorlax (new for me), seven dratinis, a hitmonlee (new for me), a gengar (new for me), another slowbro, and various other things. I'm now really close to being able to evolve a magikarp into a gyarados, and also a growlithe into arcanine, which should be pretty sweet.

Edit: How do I know if a pokemon has been powered up or not? I powered up a magikarp, and now I have two with the exact same stats but one is the one I powered up and one is the other one... But WHICH IS WHICH?? It's quite important really :S


----------



## Jactating

Best app, Pokenotify. Let's you pick what pokemon to be notified about when it's close, and tells you where. Also let's you know when it'll disappear.


----------



## TheHandOfStone

gnoll said:


> I caught a snorlax (new for me),


The highlight IMO. Lick/Body Slam is the #1 attacking combo in the game, and Zen Headbutt/Body Slam is #1 for defending.


----------



## gnoll

It wasn't great though, had like 1050 cp with kinda meh IV values.


----------



## Alberto7

Had an incredibly productive evening today, Pokemon-wise.

Went on a PokeWalk organized by Team Valor Montreal that was planned right around my neighborhood. It was intended to be a gym take down. We peaked at 12 people, and we had some relatively high profile people within the community hanging with us, including the unofficial Team Valor Montreal leader/representative (and official "Pokemon Go Expert" for Narcity Media... she basically has a lot of pull and a voice in the Pokemon GO community in Canada), and some random dude who joined us who turned out to be a level 32 guy with 136 Pokedex count, a perfect IV Gyarados, and possibly one of the most advanced players in Montreal, if not THE most advanced.

We took about 4 gyms and brought them up to level 8 each. Then most people left, and those of us who remained went on a pretty awesome Pokehunt.

All in all, I walked well over 16 kilometers (~10 miles), and caught a bunch of Eevees, a couple Magikarps, a couple of Rhyhorns, Squirtles, Psyducks, a Slowpoke, hatched a Pinsir, caught a Parasect, an Electabuzz, a cp 642 Growlithe (plus another one at ~200 something), a Seaking, a Kabuto, three Cubones one of which I hatched, and, most importantly, a Dragonite. cp 150  but a Dragonite for the Pokedex nonetheless.

Had a cp 661 Vaporeon run away from me, which I'm alright with since my strongest is at 1034. Also had a Rhydon de-spawn right underneath my fingers in the exact same fashion as the Lapras mentioned in my previous post.

We also met A LOT of people on the way.

All in all, it was my best time out yet playing Pokemon Go. Met a bunch of people I'd never met in real life, and made even more friends along the way, plus I got to catch a lot of Pokemon and practice my gym-fighting skills. Good times were had.


----------



## gnoll

Guys, is it true that you get experience for fighting in gyms? Is that a good way to level up?


----------



## narad

gnoll said:


> Guys, is it true that you get experience for fighting in gyms? Is that a good way to level up?



Only like 100-150 a battle or something. Not an easy way to level up, but some easy sporadic exp if you live or work within radar distance of one.


----------



## BlackMastodon

I'm getting really impatient with the bugs in this game. I still can't believe they haven't fixed some of them yet.

I realized today that I have 42 Pidgeys to send to the level grinder but I'm still holding out. Knowing my luck the game will crash right when I pop a lucky egg.


----------



## TheHandOfStone

When the developers say the game is 10% of what they want it to be, you can take that as ambition, or you can take it as an admission (that they screwed up ).


----------



## gnoll

Ugh. I'm starting to realize how hard it is to get pokemon that are actually good. When you finally have one with good IV's, then the moveset is bad.

I wanna get good pokemon that I can power up and start to take over gyms with, but none of my pokemon seem worth spending stardust on... It's really frustrating to have all that stardust just sitting there, not being able to use it.

Even my gyarados doesn't seem to have turned out that great... And my lapras has good IV's but ....ty moves... snorlax very mediocre IV's...

I was excited to try and get a dragonite but now I feel like, it's probably just gonna end up being no good anyway, so what's the point?

Also the whole gym and combat system doesn't seem very good or thought out anyway... Like, if you take over a gym, people can just gang up on it and easily beat it simply because they're using more pokemon, not because they're better. And if you're not controlling your pokemon while defending, how can you know it's gonna fight to the best of its abilities (or yours)?

Idk, it feels like the flaws of this game are starting to become apparent...


----------



## TheHandOfStone

Blastoise ran away 

*EDIT:* Golduck, Slowpoke, and a level up as consolation prizes.


----------



## narad

gnoll said:


> Ugh. I'm starting to realize how hard it is to get pokemon that are actually good. When you finally have one with good IV's, then the moveset is bad.
> 
> I wanna get good pokemon that I can power up and start to take over gyms with, but none of my pokemon seem worth spending stardust on... It's really frustrating to have all that stardust just sitting there, not being able to use it.
> 
> Even my gyarados doesn't seem to have turned out that great... And my lapras has good IV's but ....ty moves... snorlax very mediocre IV's...
> 
> I was excited to try and get a dragonite but now I feel like, it's probably just gonna end up being no good anyway, so what's the point?
> 
> Also the whole gym and combat system doesn't seem very good or thought out anyway... Like, if you take over a gym, people can just gang up on it and easily beat it simply because they're using more pokemon, not because they're better. And if you're not controlling your pokemon while defending, how can you know it's gonna fight to the best of its abilities (or yours)?
> 
> Idk, it feels like the flaws of this game are starting to become apparent...



I'm confused -- I can take over gyms and I haven't even learned the IV system and only realize good movesets in hindsight. It just seems that attacker has a huge advantage, so I'm not sure how you're not taking these over unless it's perfectionist tendencies preventing you from even tossing some candy at these guys.

Maybe the situation is different in your area. In london it's often 1800-2000cp leader at the gyms, usually taken out by my 1500cp vaporeon _after_ beating one or two other guys.


----------



## TheHandOfStone

Good IVs are nice, but not necessary. Moveset is incredibly important. Always prioritize moves -> IVs and CP, but obviously take those if you can get them as well.

The optimal moveset varies whether you're attacking and defending, mainly because 1) the defender AI only attacks every ~1.5s IIRC, and 2) defending mons use a lot of charge moves regardless of whether they're best. These factors favor slower, more powerful moves and good specials, whereas attacking is just about fast DPS and (sometimes) irrelevant specials.

For attackers' movesets, here is a Google Sheet with DPS values in various formats, courtesy of Qmike on r/SilphRoad.


----------



## Stijnson

Damn, this thread grows quicker than an Axe-FX thread


----------



## Alberto7

gnoll said:


> Ugh. I'm starting to realize how hard it is to get pokemon that are actually good. When you finally have one with good IV's, then the moveset is bad.
> 
> I wanna get good pokemon that I can power up and start to take over gyms with, but none of my pokemon seem worth spending stardust on... It's really frustrating to have all that stardust just sitting there, not being able to use it.
> 
> Even my gyarados doesn't seem to have turned out that great... And my lapras has good IV's but ....ty moves... snorlax very mediocre IV's...
> 
> I was excited to try and get a dragonite but now I feel like, it's probably just gonna end up being no good anyway, so what's the point?
> 
> Also the whole gym and combat system doesn't seem very good or thought out anyway... Like, if you take over a gym, people can just gang up on it and easily beat it simply because they're using more pokemon, not because they're better. And if you're not controlling your pokemon while defending, how can you know it's gonna fight to the best of its abilities (or yours)?
> 
> Idk, it feels like the flaws of this game are starting to become apparent...



Putting the IV talk aside for a second, I do agree to an extent on what you said about the gym system, as I get frustrated myself sometimes. However, when I consider the strategies involved in leveling up a good gym, the true intentions of the game come to light. It's a game that is meant to be social, and the game has come to a point where taking gyms on your own is still very possible if you have strong Pokemon, but holding them on your own is impossible.

After my experience yesterday, I realized that taking over a gym is extremely easy, no matter the level or the CP of the defending Pokemon. It's the defense that is extremely hard. Even a level 10 gym can fall very quickly if the Pokemon in it are not right. It takes a lot of planning with several people to take over a gym and make it as unbeatable as possible. That's where the social aspect comes in. Organizing a group of people with the right Pokemon to hold a gym. Start with a naturally strong Pokemon with a lot of health that isn't very high level (say, a cp 900-1000 Snorlax) as the weakest. And then build up with at least 1300+ strong Pokemon afterwards. Every time the gym goes up a level, social discussion is needed to see which Pokemon will be left in there next. It has to be strong, but not so strong that it will make too hard to keep leveling up that gym.

It is certainly possible to build an extremely tough to beat gym that can hold for a while, but it requires planning and social interaction. The high levels required demand that people get out there and get stronger Pokemon, which encourages even more social playing. Two of the four gyms we took over last night are still standing at levels 7 and 8, because the planning was decent enough.

Of course, IVs begin to play a more tangible role at higher trainer levels (25-26 and up, I'd say?), where the percentages begin to make huge impacts on max CP and health possible, and how effective your evolution multipliers will be. Before that, however, it's really not that important. Look more at your evolution multiplier.

For now though, I'm really just focusing on filling up my Pokedex, go out and hunt for cool Pokemon, and meeting up with people to enjoy the game together.


----------



## gnoll

Well, I found another lapras today, this time with frost breath and 90% perfect IV's. Good. Problem is, it's ....ing 300 cp. How in the world am I supposed to power up a 300 cp lapras? Candy for it doesn't exactly grow on trees...


----------



## Alberto7

^ Yeah, my Dragonite is 90% perfect IVs with 100% HP, but he is cp 150.  I also have a cp 330 Seaking with 88% IVs. All of my good IV Pokemon are low level. I'm waiting for that great Nidoran to show up so I can evolve an awesome Nidoking/queen. On the other hand, I found out that my cp 1000+ Vaporeon that I've been nurturing for a while is subpar. With that said, he is still absolutely great for battling.

Bad IVs don't necessarily mean a bad Pokemon, just not quite as good as others of its species. Pokemon with good IVs are better for defending than attacking gyms, as they'll need those stat boosts for when the AI controls them. They also can't dodge when defending a gym, so you'll want them to take as many hits as possible before they go down, which means that there's a higher chance they can inflict more damage on whoever is attacking them. If you learn to dodge properly during a battle, you can take on Pokemon that far out-power yours, and IVs and combat points become less relevant.


----------



## Fiction

Caught a slowbro with 11cp, about 20 steps further I found a slowbro with 280cp, gah. I was excited to skip the evolution process with it 

I was away camping for a week and have severely fallen behind, all the gyms around me where my girlfriend and I could go and take down are now always dominated by the same crew, they're all ranging from level 23-31, they generally have 7-9 tiers of pokemon and hold them with gyarados, flareon, arcanine and snorlax', one has a snorlax with 2800 cp!!

Also does anyone feel they're slowly releasing better pokemon into the wild with updates? I mean when it first came out I never really saw the evolutions, only starters and maybe a few pidgeottos. But now I'm finding a fair few evolutions, as well as a hitmonchan, more starters and just other pokemon that I never saw in the first week, all in the same areas that I generally go to train.


----------



## flint757

I think it is more based on your level, but it could also just be a timed release sort of thing as well.


----------



## Alberto7

Fiction said:


> Also does anyone feel they're slowly releasing better pokemon into the wild with updates? I mean when it first came out I never really saw the evolutions, only starters and maybe a few pidgeottos. But now I'm finding a fair few evolutions, as well as a hitmonchan, more starters and just other pokemon that I never saw in the first week, all in the same areas that I generally go to train.



Yeah! I noticed that, too. Just yesterday I caught a Muk and yet ANOTHER Dragonite inside of my house (cp 47 tho), and have seen a lot of cool Pokemon popping up near my place, including an Electabuzz. Maybe it has to do with more and more people reaching past level 20 and the system kind of making up for the average player level's demands? Or something to that effect. Or it could just be that they've adjusted the spawn rates for some Pokemon.



flint757 said:


> I think it is more based on your level, but it could also just be a timed release sort of thing as well.



Thing is, if it were based on your specific level, some of the lower leveled people around you would be able to see that strong Pokemon as well... which none of us really did when we were at that point. That's why I suspect it might have to do with the fact that the general level is increasing, or that Niantic has adjusted spawn rates.


----------



## narad

Caught my first Lapras today, after a long walk and a 2-3 minute sprint 

Do people agree on the best moveset? Everyone seems to be happy when they get dragon pulse, but I don't have it. Maybe sometime this week invest the time to setup that Pokemon optimizer and see what the IVs are like. 

I really dislike that IVs are hidden, but people inevitably figure out how to see them via some long-winded process or hacking. Seems to create an artificial divide between players who want to play and players who want to send all day munging excel sheets and whatnot to setup a good team.


----------



## TheHandOfStone

narad said:


> Caught my first Lapras today, after a long walk and a 2-3 minute sprint
> 
> Do people agree on the best moveset? Everyone seems to be happy when they get dragon pulse, but I don't have it. Maybe sometime this week invest the time to setup that Pokemon optimizer and see what the IVs are like.
> 
> I really dislike that IVs are hidden, but people inevitably figure out how to see them via some long-winded process or hacking. Seems to create an artificial divide between players who want to play and players who want to send all day munging excel sheets and whatnot to setup a good team.


The most important thing for Lapras is Frost Breath; Ice Shard sucks and comes on mostly the same mons. If you got that + good IVs I'd say don't worry about the special move too much. The reason people want Dragon Pulse is because Lapras's other ice moves are outclassed by Frost Breath. However, the only time Dragon Pulse really sees use on offense is against other Water/Ice mons, and really why would you want to play those matchups?  On the other hand, if you get Ice Beam or Blizzard, that would probably be marginally better for defense, since the idiot AI is going to use specials regardless of whether they're optimal or not. Either way, Frost Breath = good, Ice Shard = bad.

*EDIT:* Here's an interesting theory about a glitch that ties naturally-spawning Pokemons' Attack IVs to their Pokedex number. It's not 100% confirmed yet, but my god look at that chart...


----------



## BlackMastodon

gnoll said:


> Ugh. I'm starting to realize how hard it is to get pokemon that are actually good. When you finally have one with good IV's, then the moveset is bad.
> 
> I wanna get good pokemon that I can power up and start to take over gyms with, but none of my pokemon seem worth spending stardust on... It's really frustrating to have all that stardust just sitting there, not being able to use it.
> 
> Even my gyarados doesn't seem to have turned out that great... And my lapras has good IV's but ....ty moves... snorlax very mediocre IV's...
> 
> I was excited to try and get a dragonite but now I feel like, it's probably just gonna end up being no good anyway, so what's the point?
> 
> Also the whole gym and combat system doesn't seem very good or thought out anyway... Like, if you take over a gym, people can just gang up on it and easily beat it simply because they're using more pokemon, not because they're better. And if you're not controlling your pokemon while defending, how can you know it's gonna fight to the best of its abilities (or yours)?
> 
> Idk, it feels like the flaws of this game are starting to become apparent...



I'm starting to feel this way, too. The 10% comment from the developers becomes more and more apparent every day.


----------



## stevexc

Alberto7 said:


> Thing is, if it were based on your specific level, some of the lower leveled people around you would be able to see that strong Pokemon as well... which none of us really did when we were at that point. That's why I suspect it might have to do with the fact that the general level is increasing, or that Niantic has adjusted spawn rates.



Not necessarily. The game does hide some Pokemon from lower-level players in my experience. I've had a few experiences where my wife was only seeing most but not all of the Pokemon I was, with no lure or incense involved.


----------



## Alberto7

stevexc said:


> Not necessarily. The game does hide some Pokemon from lower-level players in my experience. I've had a few experiences where my wife was only seeing most but not all of the Pokemon I was, with no lure or incense involved.



Hhmmm interesting. I was writing that with PokeVision in mind. Everybody can go and check out the map with the Pokemon and where they are, and it has been accurate for everybody I've met, from the lowest (pre-10) to the highest (post-30). But it might be that I've been overlooking other cases, too, so you could well be right.

However, regarding the change in spawn places, it seems to be official that nests and spawn locations HAVE, indeed, changed world wide, and Silph Road people are calling it a "migration": https://www.reddit.com/r/TheSilphRoad/comments/4v78mw/psa_nests_have_changed/


----------



## TheHandOfStone

It's not just nests that have changed. They adjusted damage values on a lot of moves. The implications are too many to list here, but it looks like the Vaporeon hegemony might come to an end. Here's a nifty page summarizing (among many things) the best moves in general, though obviously STAB is very important now as well.


----------



## Alberto7

This game is goddamn broken and Niantic are being so unresponsive, that there go the $30 I was planning on spending on PokeCoins. Seriously, they need to get their sh*t together. Change of nests, (or their elimination altogether, in the case of some Pokemon *cough*Dratini*cough*) no tracking, Pokemon are harder to catch, and Pokemon randomly turning into other Pokemon after you catch them? No, thank you.


----------



## flint757

They also did a cease and desist with Pokevision, which was the only viable alternative for reasonable tracking with the in-game tracker broken. So they not only remove it completely, but got rid of the alternatives. I waste a ton of pokeballs now. I spent 10 bucks a week ago, as my bag was full, but I had no pokeballs so I needed expanded storage. I might have wasted my money if the app dies due to drop in interest with everything that has been happening.

Worst news is magikarp don't spawn as frequently near me anymore and I still need like 100 more before I can get a gyarados. 

We'll see how things go I guess. I don't play every day anyhow.


----------



## QuantumCybin

I stopped playing when I hit level 7 because it just seemed really pointless to me. I have a DS, so I just end up playing alpha sapphire when I want to play Pokemon. With all the crazy glitches and bugs people are talking about it just didn't seem worth it to continue. Plus, the battery drain is _miserable_. My iPhone 6 Plus can go like, 8+ hours. Literally lasts about an hour when playing Go


----------



## Alberto7

^ That sucks big time that you poured money into the game and got an expandable bag... I mean, it'll never be full now that we can never have Pokeballs. It never happened to me before, but I am now at 2 Ultra Balls, 10 Great Balls, and ~50 Poke Balls. Before the update I always had at least 100 Poke Balls, 70-something Great Balls, and always had 40-50 Ultras.

I still play frequently but because I go out on Poke-walks with friends, which is fun one way or another, but ever since the update I get very frustrated with the game very frequently.

The Magikarp spawn spot here in Montreal also disappeared, and I never went before they took it away...  now I only have one 40 CP Magikarp and 15 Magikarp candy.

Also, apparently a Team Mystic user somewhere got an Articuno gifted by Niantic for no apparent reason... or so they claim. The screenshots and videos (despite the latter being potato quality) give the claim *some* credibility. We'll see.


EDIT:



QuantumCybin said:


> I stopped playing when I hit level 7 because it just seemed really pointless to me. I have a DS, so I just end up playing alpha sapphire when I want to play Pokemon. With all the crazy glitches and bugs people are talking about it just didn't seem worth it to continue. Plus, the battery drain is _miserable_. My iPhone 6 Plus can go like, 8+ hours. Literally lasts about an hour when playing Go



Yeah, today I pulled out my copy of Pokemon Y and began searching for and leveling up all the Pokemon I wish I had in Pokemon GO.  If it weren't for the social and get-off-my-ass aspect of GO, I don't think I'd be playing it much anymore, if at all. I haven't spent money in the game yet, though I did buy a 20,000 mAh powerbank pretty much just for this game. I wanted one anyway, but this game was what made me spend $40 on one, and $15 on a phone case, which I didn't have.


----------



## flint757

Well it was only 10 dollars and relevant at the time. I won't lose sleep over it if the game dies out.


----------



## TheHandOfStone

I've been using Smart Poke v2 (Android only as of now) and it's working well for tracking local mons. PokeTrail also looks good but AFAIK isn't ready yet. I'd love to post links, but...I'm sure you get why I don't.  Though I _really_ appreciate the balance changes, the combination of glitches with the myopic C&D business has me down as well. I'm glad I held off on in-game purchases.

*EDIT:* Niantic speaks on the recent changes!


----------



## Alberto7

^ Well, that wasn't much, now, was it?  That was basically "Nope, you're right, you can't track Pokemon. And nope, we won't allow others to provide you with alternatives. You're sh*t out of luck. Oh, but we REALLY care about delivering our sub-par product to Brazil."

I've been giving Niantic the benefit of the doubt up until now, but the recent glitch where Pokemon are switched around after they're caught is making it seem like they do not have things under control, at all. They should have released this game once it was _ready_ to be released. Hell, even the Pokemon GO Plus device was delayed all the way to September. Thankfully for them, it's technically a free game and there isn't much we can do about it when it is advertised and delivered as such. (Even if there are optional in-game purchases.)


----------



## TedEH

Alberto7 said:


> "Nope, you're right, you can't track Pokemon. And nope, we won't allow others to provide you with alternatives. You're sh*t out of luck.



I wouldn't be surprised if these tracking alternatives are putting extra strain on the games servers, which isn't making life easier for the people maintaining them. I'd rather a game that's harder to play, than one that's technically easier but with servers that don't work half the time.



> They should have released this game once it was ready to be released.



"Ready to be released" is not a simple thing to define. It's not realistic to expect any piece of software to be without flaws/bugs both in implementation and in design/concept regardless of how far along it is in development- someone has to make the decision as to what level of "readiness" is acceptable, and someone will always disagree with that decision.


----------



## Alberto7

TedEH said:


> I wouldn't be surprised if these tracking alternatives are putting extra strain on the games servers, which isn't making life easier for the people maintaining them. I'd rather a game that's harder to play, than one that's technically easier but with servers that don't work half the time.



You are actually correct. The trackers _were_ indeed putting more strain on the servers, as admitted by the people behind Pokevision, and it's the reason behind having had to wait 30 seconds between scans. The problem is that not having a tracker doesn't really make it harder to play, but frustrating and borderline impossible. It would be okay if we had more variety of spawns, but when 95% of everything that pops up are Pidgeys, Rattatas, Drowzees, and Zubats, you kind of don't want to aimlessly walk around in the off-chance that you MAYBE bump into something interesting. This is especially true when the game requires us to have the app turned on at all times. If at least we were able to walk around while doing other things and have our phones let us know that we've bumped into something interesting so that we can THEN open the app to catch it, it would be a lot less frustrating.

My other, perhaps more serious, problem is that Niantic has refused to tell us whether or not we will ever see the in-game tracking system back (which, by the way, I thought was fantastic and more fun than Pokevision) and have decided to leave us floating in limbo.



TedEH said:


> "Ready to be released" is not a simple thing to define. It's not realistic to expect any piece of software to be without flaws/bugs both in implementation and in design/concept regardless of how far along it is in development- someone has to make the decision as to what level of "readiness" is acceptable, and someone will always disagree with that decision.



I agree with this statement wholeheartedly, but I just don't think it excuses Niantic for having put out a flawed app and, more importantly, for having kept so silent about the issues. I think it's very widely acknowledged that this game has had crippling issues since it first launched. The kind and amount of bugs and glitches we're seeing are such that I highly doubt the devs were oblivious to them. The kind that, if you know about them, would make your app not ready to be launched. Even Ingress (which shares a lot of code and data with PoGO) and the Field Test for the app were reporting a few glitches here and there, and back then it didn't have the kind of traffic it has now. It tells me that the developers simply didn't set the bar very high when the app launched and just rushed the game out.

I can concede them the fact that they never expected so much traffic in the first place... even if I found it pretty obvious that this game was gonna be huge since it was first announced. But I don't think traffic alone can account for all of the issues the game has been having.

I know doing a massive roll-out for a game that has had such a huge and immediate impact can't be an easy thing. So I can at least understand why the game has issues. I've been fine with that up until now. What has tipped me over the edge and made me change my mindset is just how utterly unresponsive Niantic have been about the issues the game has, particularly the more recent ones. I get that they're a small studio, but sparing a minute or two to write a Tweet or a short statement will not hurt their progress in trying to fix the game. Heck, with the income they've been making, I can't see why they couldn't hire a PR person. Just one would be enough. And the fact that when they do decide to make a statement, they just state what everybody already knows.

Conversely, however... one could argue that the app was totally ready to be released simply given the amount of people that keep playing it (myself included) and amount of money it has made, regardless of how people actually feel about the app. It is a working game, just not a smooth experience at all.


----------



## TedEH

Alberto7 said:


> frustrating and borderline impossible. [...] more serious[...] put out a flawed app [...] crippling issues [...] not a smooth experience at all.



To be fair, the game is not quite the disaster you've painted.  The game is playable, relatively stable at the moment, and does what it claims it does. Sure, the tracking is a bit frustrating right now, but that's not the only way to play the game. There's nothing wrong with taking the game a bit more casually and just catching things as you wander, or go about walks you might have been taking anyway. Or, if the tracking thing is that bothersome, just don't play the game until they've put it back in. That one feature doesn't have to be the entire focus of the game.

Realistically, we're talking about a free-to-play game. If this was a $70 boxed game online-only that suddenly shut down their servers with zero communication, we'd have something to complain about. But we literally paid nothing for it, it got us outside for a bit, got us a bit of exercise and social activity, and it does still work- if we've run out of patience or ways to have fun with it, then just move on for now, and come back to it once it's been improved.

And yeah, I understand the communication bit. Yes, they need to work on their communication skills. But at the same time, we don't know what discussions are going on behind closed doors- maybe it's not as easy or simple as just sending a tweet and hoping for the best.


----------



## Alberto7

Apologies for the colorful language.  I do tend to get carried away. However, I do stand by what I said: it is a working and playable game, but it isn't smooth. 

But yeah, I suppose that is my, and a lot of other people's, issue. We've been taking it perhaps a bit more seriously than we should. I actually had this discussion yesterday with a friend who is equally frustrated about the game: the one about it being a free app and thus not having a right to complain. It's kind of a yes-and-no there for me, as there are displeased people who have already spent quite a bit on in-game purchases. Thankfully, that hasn't been me yet.

You do make good points though, and at the end of the day, it's true that I am simply b*tching about it. Perhaps if I played it a bit less I'd chill out more and just let it run its course.


----------



## TedEH

As someone who has worked on some games, and been on the other side of some of the backlash that just seems to come with games development as a whole- there's definitely a point to be made that sometimes we take the media we consume waaaaaaay too seriously. Enthusiasm is great, but we sometimes forget there's real people behind this stuff.


----------



## Chokey Chicken

I've been rage free since launch. I legit just walk around and catch whatever pops up. I don't stress about cp, pokemon rarity, or what anyone else is up to. Just a fun little time sink for me and the wife.


----------



## TedEH

^ I've been going for walks at the end of my day as a sort of health thing, before the game was a thing. The game has served as some added entertainment during that time.


----------



## UnderTheSign

Chokey Chicken said:


> I've been rage free since launch. I legit just walk around and catch whatever pops up. I don't stress about cp, pokemon rarity, or what anyone else is up to. Just a fun little time sink for me and the wife.


Same. I just want to catch cool-áss pokémon, I don't care about attacks, what gym is the biggest or whatever


----------



## extendedsolo

yeah, Pokemon go is a free app and it owes us nothing. I think the people getting upset are a just a very vocal and small minority.


----------



## ASoC

Idk, I was playing every day before the update and Niantic totally killed my interest in the game. For one, I don't think it's cool that they keep ninja patching the game and making big changes without saying anything. Second, the fact that tracking wasn't working was already super lame, but Niantic trying to shut down the only alternatives to an intended game feature that they have now removed entirely is hyper weak. Pokemon are harder to catch now as well, with even 10cp trash jumping out of a bunch of balls. Aside from that there are still TONS of bugs. 

Honestly, it feels like Niantic is just phoning it in until somebody offers to buy their share of the game. And failing that they'll just make us need so many more balls that the game becomes practically unplayable without spending money (getting balls from stops doesn't even come close to giving you enough, especially now).


----------



## Maybrick

I've stopped playing a huge amount over the last week. Since release I played it non stop like a vast majority of people but now I think I've partly lost a bit of interest in it (maybe the hype has worn off a little for me) but also I absolutely burned myself out the weekend before last so maybe its just that I'm having a break?

I still play it with my gf when we go out for a wander, just not so obsessively haha.


----------



## TheHandOfStone

I went an eternity without seeing a single Kabuto, but last night I snagged a 709 CP Kabutops with great moves + IVs. I could hardly believe it. Moments like that one are what keep me playing through all the silliness.

*EDIT:* check out this video on how to track w/o steps


----------



## extendedsolo

ASoC said:


> Idk, I was playing every day before the update and Niantic totally killed my interest in the game. For one, I don't think it's cool that they keep ninja patching the game and making big changes without saying anything. Second, the fact that tracking wasn't working was already super lame, but Niantic trying to shut down the only alternatives to an intended game feature that they have now removed entirely is hyper weak. Pokemon are harder to catch now as well, with even 10cp trash jumping out of a bunch of balls. Aside from that there are still TONS of bugs.
> 
> Honestly, it feels like Niantic is just phoning it in until somebody offers to buy their share of the game. And failing that they'll just make us need so many more balls that the game becomes practically unplayable without spending money (getting balls from stops doesn't even come close to giving you enough, especially now).



Yeah I agree that it sounds like that they are trying to bump the value by increasing in app purchases only to sell it off. Decreasing pokemon spawns and increasing number of balls needed to catch easy pokemon is a good way to do it. Have to spend money on pokeballs, incense and lures. Then they can sell it for like 2billion or whatever and be done with it. It makes complete sense from a business perspective since it doesn't matter if fewer people are playing it, if the ones that are keep pumping tons of money into it. If you aren't spending money on pokemon go, I"m betting Niantic doesn't care if you play or not. 

The flip side of it, is that they had a huge chance to make this worth SOOOOO MUCHHHH MONNNEY and they screwed it up.


----------



## TheHandOfStone

I don't think that's correct. Niantic just announced that the catch/flee rate changes are a bug.


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## BlackMastodon

Yesterday I worked from home so I took the time to pop a lucky egg and evolve all of my banked up Pokemon. I went from being just under level 16 to 80% of the way to level 19. Also hatched a couple of level 10 eggs earlier this week: an ~1100 Lapras with Blizzard and a ~870 Scyther with not the best moves, but I'm just glad I got him.


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## Alberto7

It was my first outing today playing Pokemon GO in quite a while. Had a ton of fun and made a couple of good friends, who seem to be very decent people.

We went to a new spawning area today and caught about a gazillion water type Pokemon. I can now evolve two Golducks, a Starmin, Seaking, and a Poliwhirl. I also hatched a Dratinig from a 10k egg, which gave me enough to candy to evolve and power-up an absolute beast of a Dratini that I caught later on in the day. All hail your new future Dragon Overlod.


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## extendedsolo

BlackMastodon said:


> Yesterday I worked from home so I took the time to pop a lucky egg and evolve all of my banked up Pokemon. I went from being just under level 16 to 80% of the way to level 19. Also hatched a couple of level 10 eggs earlier this week: an ~1100 Lapras with Blizzard and a ~870 Scyther with not the best moves, but I'm just glad I got him.



AFter reading this, I'm curious; is anyone else slowly getting through the higher levels? Once you get to level 20 or so it becomes a lot harder to level up since the XP curve is so high. Based on xp you aren't halfway to level 30 until you reach level 27.


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## narad

Wow, killer dratini.

Wondering if someone can provide a definitive answer for something I've been wondering: will a pokemon with max IVs also have max CP possible at your level after powering it up as much as possible? Basically, is max CP per level a stat derived from the IVs?


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## TheHandOfStone

I am also finding that leveling is slow now. I'm coming up on another Lucky Egg session, so there's that. Hopefully my soon-to-be Nidoqueen will get good moves.


narad said:


> Wondering if someone can provide a definitive answer for something I've been wondering: will a pokemon with max IVs also have max CP possible at your level after powering it up as much as possible? Basically, is max CP per level a stat derived from the IVs?


Correct. I don't remember the exact CP formula, but it factors in the species' base stats + IVs. Since IV values run 0-15 for every Pokemon, the somewhat counterintuitive conclusion is that they matter more for weak mons with lower stats.


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## narad

Thanks - good to know. Anyone know of a good IV checker now that Poke Advisor is down? That site was fantastic.


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## TheHandOfStone

I'm on Android and I use PoGoIV app, which is not visible in the Play Store but can be downloaded for free here. There are also a number of other app options for both iOS and Android. If you want an online calc, you can use The Silph Road's IV Rater (go here and click the "IV Rater" tab), but some people have complained that it might overestimate %s. There's also the Pokédexcel if you prefer a spreadsheet format (I use this as a backup).

Also, NEW UPDATE! No major fixes, but a number of QoL things at least.


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## narad

Thanks again. It does seem a little off -- rated my only perfect IV kabuto as less than, so a bit worriesome. Finding perfect IVs and thinking, "alright, totally done with that species" was a lot of the fun of the game for me... really sucks now.


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## Alberto7

I find that the Silph Road IV calculator is the most accurate of them all. However, it is very prone to human error. You need to set the arc slider *exactly* right or otherwise your percentage might vary quite a bit. To make things more difficult, the arcs don't have the same exact same shape in the game vs. in the calculator. The game's CP arc is flatter more elliptical, whereas I find the online calculator's is completely round, which makes finding the equivalent position quite hard. Seeing the amount of stardust and candy you need to power up is useful, but sometimes the range of levels that said amounts cover is relatively large. It took me time to get used to the arc, and I still make mistakes sometimes.

I usually go to Poke Assistant, where they give you a range of possible IVs, and then I cross-check with Silph Road stuff, which I then, finally, double or triple check.


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## narad

You're hardcore!


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## Alberto7

^ Nah, I'm just pedantic.


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## narad

Alberto7 said:


> ^ Nah, I'm just pedantic.


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## Alberto7




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## TheHandOfStone

Just did another mass-evolve last night. Got the best overall moveset for Tentacruel + Nidoqueen and the best defensive Vaporeon set. I'm having incredible luck with final evo moves so far.


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## narad

pogobag.me is pretty good if you want to save yourself the guesswork (for now).


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## Alberto7

^ Haven't checked that one out. I was using Pokestop.ca today and it was useful. It's based on user input though. (As I assume all of them are nowadays.)
EDIT: just saw pogobag.me. My bad, it's not a radar, but an IV calculator.  I've been using GoIV. It has been taken down from the Play Store apparently, but the apk is still floating around. Very clever and very simple little app. It screen-caps your screen and uses the data that's on it, calculates the IVs, and then overlays the information on top of the Pokemon GO app.

Also, I played at length today and had a good chance to test out the new update. I'm really liking it so far. They've solved most of the issues I had with the game. I didn't run into any bugs of any sort, the Pokemon escape rate and their aggressiveness have been toned WAY down, (I was at a spot with 5 constantly lured PokeStops - at least 3 in range constantly - and I maintained my Pokeballs at a steady amount despite catching a lot of Pokemon) and it looks and feels much smoother than before. The tracking system is still barely there, but at least the Sightings box updates much more frequently now to show you what's closest to you, and the new 3rd party tracking systems work decently well. Not Pokevision well, but close enough. I'm happy with the app again, though I still feel like a total loser when I join the massive crowds running toward an Arcanine or an Aerodactyl.


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## TheHandOfStone

Man, I pity the Southerners who are playing this right now. The mid-Atlantic heat has seriously curtailed my wandering.


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## narad

Aw man, I was just walking home through Regents Park with a friend with pokemon go open to track the mileage when I saw a shadow I didn't even think was possible to see in the wild. Confirmed with my friend (who has at least played Pokemon red): gyarados! 

I did about 2 minutes of walking towards the water in case it was there, but when it didn't surface I popped open a pokeradar type app which placed it on the opposite bank with 2~ minutes to despawn. I was really torn - I think it would have been doable with about a 90 second all out sprint, but I'd have to push through a lot of tourists and families, and I wasn't sure if they would despawn once the timer ran out even if you had already engaged them (just run away the instant the timer runs down?) Quite frustrating, but I console myself with the thought that it probably had crap IVs and I'll be sure to get better ones by evolving it.


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## Mathemagician

Florida here, I now pokestop in the car. Gotta help my fiancé catch them all. It's her new life's goal.


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## TheHandOfStone

narad said:


> Aw man, I was just walking home through Regents Park with a friend with pokemon go open to track the mileage when I saw a shadow I didn't even think was possible to see in the wild. Confirmed with my friend (who has at least played Pokemon red): gyarados!
> 
> I did about 2 minutes of walking towards the water in case it was there, but when it didn't surface I popped open a pokeradar type app which placed it on the opposite bank with 2~ minutes to despawn. I was really torn - I think it would have been doable with about a 90 second all out sprint, but I'd have to push through a lot of tourists and families, and I wasn't sure if they would despawn once the timer ran out even if you had already engaged them (just run away the instant the timer runs down?) Quite frustrating, but I console myself with the thought that it probably had crap IVs and I'll be sure to get better ones by evolving it.


Aww man, that sucks! FWIW I ran for an Aerodactyl and had it despawn 1 block away because I got unlucky with lights. 

Speaking of Gyarados, anyone who loves this game and visits NYC should consider making a trip to the Intrepid Museum. You'll get to see some cool battleships, and the pier is usually lured. I didn't even get into the best spot, but managed 150 Magikarp candy in 1 & 1/2 hours. You could literally knock out a Gyarados evolution in an afternoon and have time for sight-seeing. It's a real shame I just found this place and am moving in a few days.


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## Alberto7

So is anybody here still playing this? It's been almost a month since this thread was last updated. 

New update with Buddy System seems great, but Niantic is asking for it big time for restricting access to users using rooted phones on Android. (Dunno what the situation is like for Apple users with jailbroken phones.) If this somehow wasn't a mistake, the pitchforks will be out.


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## flint757

Alberto7 said:


> So is anybody here still playing this? It's been almost a month since this thread was last updated.
> 
> New update with Buddy System seems great, but Niantic is asking for it big time for restricting access to users using rooted phones on Android. (Dunno what the situation is like for Apple users with jailbroken phones.) If this somehow wasn't a mistake, the pitchforks will be out.



I haven't even opened the app in weeks. I totally lost interest when they did that sub-par update and killed 3rd party tracking.


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## TheHandOfStone

I still play, but I'm running out of things to do. I also moved to a less-populated area, making those remaining things harder. When I do talk about the game, it's mostly on dedicated forums (like r/TheSilphRoad) rather than on general discussion ones.

The buddy system is nice, but I don't think it's going to be a game-changer. Mobile games don't have a very long lifespan, and PoGo actually has above-average player retention rates. I just hope they get around to releasing the legendaries this winter.


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## BlackMastodon

I open it up at work and when I walk for extended periods of time but that's about it. I don't care about gyms or battling, I just want to hatch/evolve/catch some cool Pokemon and that's about it. I will probably stop playing in the next month or 2. I just stopped caring.


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## Alberto7

Huh, it really is going down in popularity very fast.

I do still play once or twice a week, and when I do, they're pretty intense sessions. But the only reason I still play when I do is because I made a really cool group of friends a while back by playing the game, and we all get along very well. Today we took the whole day off and went on a little road trip to Ottawa's Dick Bell Park, and had an absolute blast together.

However, honestly, the game itself really isn't much fun on its own anymore. I don't play by myself because it's boring. It's boiled down to finding cool, comfortable spots and just hanging out at those places. The "hunting" itself isn't even a thing anymore.

It's sad because the game now actually works pretty well, but the one thing that made this game what it was initially is long gone: the tracking system that made hunting possible.


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## TedEH

^ Super off topic, but I've always thought that was a terrible name for a park.


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## BlackMastodon

Alberto7 said:


> However, honestly, the game itself really isn't much fun on its own anymore. I don't play by myself because it's boring. It's boiled down to finding cool, comfortable spots and just hanging out at those places. The "hunting" itself isn't even a thing anymore.
> 
> It's sad because the game now actually works pretty well, but the one thing that made this game what it was initially is long gone: the tracking system that made hunting possible.


This is exactly how I feel about it. It's a shell of what it was supposed to be, but hey at least they made it stable.


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## Alberto7

^ 



TedEH said:


> ^ Super off topic, but I've always thought that was a terrible name for a park.



I'd say about a quarter of every joke cracked yesterday while there had something to do with the name of the park.  We even gave names to every one of the lured stops at the park based on their position on that little peninsula *cough*p3nis*cough* across from the sailing club.

Jokes aside though, it's a really nice place during the summer.


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## extendedsolo

I've been playing it pretty regularly. I know that in Milwaukee, the best spot in the entire city it's possible to catch all of the north american pokemon in one spot. In fact it's been so popular they had to have a special meeting about it to try and figure out how to not have so many people. I think the following will eventually be small and dedicated though, especially when they introduce trading and then gen 2 pokemon. What they also seem to be doing is changing what spawns, so theoretically if you play long enough it's likely you could get all of the pokemon. I mean they haven't even released legendaries yet! Yes it's down from the ridiculous numbers, but I'm willing to bet they are still making a ton of money on this. It's just more like Candy Crush or CLash of CLans than some huge cultural phenomenon. I just hope they bring back tracking to make the game fun again. Also I"m curious to see what winter does to players.


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