How "Pokemon Go" will work on your smartphone

[Thomas the Tank Engine]

 

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At last, Niantic and The Pokémon Company are ready to talk about Pokémon Go. Until now we've seen and heard relatively little about the game, save for what was shown in its reveal trailer last September. But following a leaked video from SXSW, the pair have finally divulged how the app actually works. As you walk around with your smartphone, it'll occasionally vibrate to indicate that a Pokémon is nearby. Tapping the screen will throw a Poké Ball, which can be obtained along with other items at a "PokéStop." These stores will be based at "interesting places" including museums and monuments, encouraging exploration.

 

Some Pokémon will be limited to their natural habitats. So if you want a Squirtle or Poliwhirl, your best bet will be to head to a river or the ocean. As you play, your trainer will grow in rank, opening up access to new Pokemon and better probability Poke Balls at the PokeStop.

 

If you catch the same Pokémon multiple times, there's a chance that one of them will evolve. Furthermore, you can pick up a Pokémon Egg at your nearby PokéStop and hatch it by walking a set number of steps. These mechanics should ensure that your travels are always rewarded -- even if you hike up a mountain, only to find yet another Caterpie at the summit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read the rest: http://www.engadget.com/2016/03/24/pokemon-go-gameplay-details/

[DConnell Member]

The mechanics, at least in encouraging people to visit points of interest, reminds me of Niantic's earlier game Ingress (which I've reinstalled to try again.)

 

I've played PG for a couple days now. It's fun. We'll see how long it holds my interest.

[ATLien_0]

36 minutes ago, DConnell said:

The mechanics, at least in encouraging people to visit points of interest, reminds me of Niantic's earlier game Ingress (which I've reinstalled to try again.)

 

I've played PG for a couple days now. It's fun. We'll see how long it holds my interest.

After playing Pokemon GO is essentially Ingress, but re skinned it seems

[MikeChipshop Member]

Apparently if you're running an Intel CPU or the Android N Beta, it wont run at all.

[DConnell Member]

1 hour ago, wv@gt said:

After playing Pokemon GO is essentially Ingress, but re skinned it seems

The mechanics are a little similar, but Ingress is all about linking portals/landmarks to block out sections of landscape for your side. Maybe I haven't gotten enough into PG, but it doesn't seem to have that aspect. Finding resources and controlling landmarks is similar, but thus far I don't see any linking. And there's no critter-catching in Ingress.

[dragontology]

It's not Ingress re-skinned exactly, but it borrows several elements. Augmented reality (right?) and a game based on maps and GPS. That's very vague, but there just aren't that many games in this space yet, so until more show up, they're going to seem similar.

 

Pokemon Go is so broken, it's not funny. I have an iPhone 6s and my wife has a Droid Turbo 2, so we have pretty much the best of both platforms, or close enough in her case (Snapdragon 810 is still second best on Android, I don't think 821 is out yet). Aside from the communication errors and freezes and general lag, it has issues with movement. I was at the Raleigh mall (Crabtree) last night, and there were three Pokestops at three ends of the mall, but my guy was just walking in place right in the middle, just out of reach of all three, no matter how much I walked around. And I have one egg incubating (my first), and it's been at 0.3/5km since I first checked on it.

 

In general, it's not very good on the technical side. And I've never been a Pokemon fan, though I don't have anything against the series. It's been amusing to play with, but I doubt it will ever be my favorite.