While the craze for Pokémon Go has died down a little bit. With that said it’s still bringing in around $2 million a day. That’s incredible. To keep players entranced in the Poke-madness, Niantic have been periodically releasing updates to the game. They have started rolling out another one today as version 0.41.2 for Android and 1.11.2 for iOS are available now for you Pokémon trainers.
In this patch, the following improvements and content has been added:
Catch Bonus: Trainers can earn a catch bonus for a Pokémon type as they catch more of a specific type.
Updated Gym Training: Trainers can now bring six Pokémon to battle at friendly Gyms. The CP of the Pokémon you are battling may be temporarily adjusted lower for your training session.
Egg & Incubator Screens: These will periodically update the distance walked without the Trainer needing to close and reopen the screen.
Fixed several audio issues.
Decreased the evolution animation time.
Minor fixes
Are any of these features enough to get you back into the game? What new features would you like to see implemented in future updates? Personally, I’d like to see a friends list implemented into the game, maybe alerting you when they are nearby so you could team up to catch more Pokémon.
Pokémon GO is in the process of being updated to version 0.37.0 for Android and 1.7.0 for iOS devices. One of the big additions with the update is the inclusion of buddy Pokémon.
Trainers will now be able to choose one of their Pokémon to be their buddy. A Trainer can earn Candy for their Buddy Pokémon by walking a certain distance.
The Pokémon Company just announced that Pokémon GO Plus will be available in much of the world next week, on Sept. 16.
Pokémon GO Plus is a companion device that connects to your phone over Bluetooth Smart (the Bluetooth low energy connection designed for health and fitness applications), allowing you to keep your phone in your pocket and go about your day-to-day activities while still being able to collect valuable resources and capture even the most elusive Pokémon.
Nintendo & Niantic have jointly announced that Pokemon GO has exceeded five hundred million downloads worldwide across the Android & iOS platforms since the game’s worldwide earlier this summer.
Describing the game this is what the CEO of the Pokemon Company had to say:
“The team at Niantic developed a unique experience that merges their expertise in cutting-edge location-based technologies with the beloved characters and classic gameplay of Pokémon. This ideal match of the right brand and the right technology has resonated with hundreds of millions of existing and new fans around the world.”
In the game players take on the role of Pokemon Trainers, assembling their own dream team of Pocket Monsters and take them into the real world. Blending elements of reality through augmented reality Pokemon GO uses the player’s rear facing cameras to insert the monsters into the real world. GPS is used to encourage trainers to venture out into their city or town to discover what wild monsters, poke stops and gyms await them.
Pokemon Go for Apple Watch as captured by The Verge
500 million downloads isn’t the only major milestone that Pokemon GO has passed – the game also set the record for the most download during its initial release in the United States. Pokemon GO also has the distinction of sitting at the top of the top grossing chart on the Canadian App Store as well.
Pokemom GO will also come to the Apple Watch later this year with the public release of WatchOS 3. The companion Watch App will let trainers know when a wild Pokemon has appeared, if they are near a PokeStop and it will also allow players to hatch eggs while walking.,
If you grew up in the 90s then there is a great chance that catching fictional monsters made up a significant portion of your free time. Two series dominated the school yards of the late 1990s, Nintendo’s Pokemon and Bandai’s Digimon: Digital Monsters. Many recess arguments were had about whether Charmeleon could melt Agumon in a split second with its flame thrower.
Now that Pokemon is back on the popular cultural radar thanks to Pokemon GO and Digital Monsters have been invading Japanese theatres with the six-part original series revival Digimon Trifilms,it’s time to relive this 20-year-old rivalry with an amazing mash-up video.
Created by YouTuber NiLowtherr this fusion of monstrous proportions combines the aesthetics of original American Digimon 01 intro + theme with Nintendo’s iconic critters.
Which side did you root for? I was on #TeamPikachu but secretly tuned in every morning to Fox kids to see how the adventures of Taichi & friends would progress.
Niantic announced today that mobile game sensation Pokémon GO has been updated to version 0.33.0 for Android and 1.3.0 for iOS devices.
Below are some release notes and comments from the development team.
Added a dialog to remind Trainers that they should not play while traveling above a certain speed.
Trainers must confirm they are not driving in order to continue playing.
Made improvements to the accuracy of a curveball throw
Fixed a bug that prevented ”Nice,” ”Great,” and “Excellent” Poké Ball throws from awarding the appropriate XP bonuses.
Fixed achievements showing incorrect Medal icons.
Enabled the ability for Trainers to change their nickname one time. Please choose your new nickname wisely.
Resolved issues with the battery saver mode on iOS and re-enabled the feature.
Added visuals of Team Leaders Candela, Blanche, and Spark.
Currently testing a variation of the “Nearby Pokémon” feature with a subset of users. During this period you may see some variation in the nearby Pokémon UI.
Minor text fixes
I haven’t taken the app out for a GO since the update, but just a quick look inside the app after the update doesn’t show a lot of cosmetic difference, with the notable exception that the “nearby Pokémon” screen now shows a bit of grass behind the character.
We’ll let you know more as we experience the update.
I4U’s Luigi Lugmayr placed Niantic’s Product Marketing Manager, Yennie Solheim Fuller, at the center of the blame for Niantic’s poor communication with their fanbase.
Why is Niantic basically silent throughout the turmoil of viral growth that cause all kinds of issues?
The person who is responsible for PR and Marketing at Niantic gave birth two days after the launch of Pokemon Go. Yennie Solheim Fuller is on maternity leave.
First of all, I am not sure how Lugmayr decided that Fuller was responsible for the PR of Niantic. While she previously acted as the Marketing & Communications Manager when Niantic was still under Google, she left that position for her role as a Marketing Manager a year ago. Although she still may have been responsible for public relations before her maternity leave, there are no indications anywhere online that is the case.
Secondly, if Fuller gave birth two days after launch, you can bet that Niantic had months of time to plan for her absence. If Fuller had been in a car accident instead, Niantic wouldn’t have had months to prepare, and would she have still have been blamed? Though this is a rather moot point if Fuller was not in charge of public relations at all.
Lugmayr does state later in the article that “Because nobody at Niantic anticipated the extreme popularity of Pokemon Go, the company has likely not prepared a replacement for Solheim while she is on maternity leave.” Though this statement removes some of the blame from Fuller, it falls painfully short after blaming her maternity leave from marketing as the reason for Niantic’s public relations failure.
Lugmayr also fails to recognize that Niantic has been wellknown for its slow responsetimes and lack of communication with its community. The “silence” his article focuses on as a huge issue has been Niantic’s normal behavior ever since they launched Ingress in 2013.
Articles like this are extremely detrimental to the game industry and the women who are part of it. It is no secret that the game industry has problems with sexism and low amounts of female employees, only 22% according to IGDA’s 2015 survey. The women who are part of the industry are often victims of harassment, are paid less than men, and rarely receive maternity leave at all.
Calling Fuller’s maternity leave the “sweet reason” that Niantic is being unresponsive will make companies shy away from hiring women and providing maternity leave, and discourage other women from pursuing careers in games knowing that they may be unfairly incriminated for a failure of their company.
This shameful article not only places unwarranted fault on Fuller, but it features her image as the banner photo along with the jeering “sweet reason” in the title, effectively painting a target on her. Fuller’s Twitter is full of harassment and blame.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-lang=”en”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”><a href=”https://twitter.com/YennieSolheim”>@YennieSolheim</a> You are doing a horrible PR & Marketing. Quit NOW!</p>— Réudrigo (@Aristeaux) <a href=”https://twitter.com/Aristeaux/status/759936407284527105″>August 1, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-lang=”en”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”><a href=”https://twitter.com/YennieSolheim”>@YennieSolheim</a> so the reason that <a href=”https://twitter.com/NianticLabs”>@NianticLabs</a> has been silent since the game released is that ur on maternity leave?</p>— Venkat Krishnan (@krish_ven) <a href=”https://twitter.com/krish_ven/status/756236892056715265″>July 21, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Women in the game industry need support of the public and press, not to suffer attacks for failures outside of their control, especially while on leave. It is shameful that Lugmayr would make Fuller the scapegoat for Niantic’s habitual lack of communication. With a USA Alexa rank of 31239 and a global Alexa rank of 82870, one would hope that I4U would have better quality journalism than is contained in Lugmayr’s article.
Niantic the developers behind Pokemon Gohave finally issued a rather lengthy statement addressing user’s complaints after the removal of the ‘steps’ feature that allowed trainers to track nearby Pokemon, the closure of 3rd party sites like PokeVision that allowed players to see real time monster placement and the lack of availability in South America.
This particular Facebook post comes after a number of users on the r/PokemonGO subreddit gained notoriety for successfully requesting refunds for in-game purchases. Users have reported receiving partial or full refunds for every dollar spent on Pokemon Go by claiming that the most recent update, which removed the steps feature, damaged the game and does not fulfill the original vision promised by Niantic.
Here are the instructions provided to iphone users by [Insert username] from reddit to get a refund on itunes. This particular thread exploded with over 3,000+ replies – ranging from outraged, doubtful of both Nintendo & Niantic to straight up finding the lack of communication humorous.
2.Login with your Apple ID user name (typically your email address) and password.
3.Select the appropriate tab—all, music, movies, TV shows, apps, or books.
4.Find the purchase you want refunded
5.Select Open item but not functions as expected
6.Fill in the description,
Niantic’s statement probably doesn’t bring the kind of news that many trainers were expecting: The changes 3-step has helped ease load on the servers in the early days of the game, but the feature was not functioning to Niantic’s “product vision” and thus had to be removed. Their lack of communication is apparently due to the fact that Niantic’s staff are working around the clock to improve Pokemon Go and as of publication Niantic is still hiring for a dedicated community manager for Pokemon Go.
As many of you know, we recently made some changes to Pokémon GO.
– We have removed the ‘3-step’ display in order to improve upon the underlying design. The original feature, although enjoyed by many, was also confusing and did not meet our underlying product goals. We will keep you posted as we strive to improve this feature.
– We have limited access by third-party services which were interfering with our ability to maintain quality of service for our users and to bring Pokémon GO to users around the world. The large number of users has made the roll-out of Pokémon GO around the world an… interesting… challenge. And we aren’t done yet! Yes, Brazil, we want to bring the game to you (and many other countries where it is not yet available).
We have read your posts and emails and we hear the frustration from folks in places where we haven’t launched yet, and from those of you who miss these features. We want you to know that we have been working crazy hours to keep the game running as we continue to launch globally. If you haven’t heard us Tweeting much it’s because we’ve been heads down working on the game. But we’ll do our best going forward to keep you posted on what’s going on.
Be safe, be nice to your fellow trainers, and keep on exploring.
The Pokémon GO team”
What do you think about Niantic’s statement? Do you have faith they will fix Pokemon Go before the player base leaves en mass?
The latest version of Pokemon GO, Version 1.1.0 has rolled out on the Android & iOS platforms. This update brings an often requested feature – Trainer re-customization, allowing players to fit their digital avatar with different clothing. While browsing the re-customization screen it appears that a few new hats have been added, including one that is modeled after Red’s hat from Pokemon Blue & Red. Trainers can also swap their in-game gender with the press of a button.
Other fixes include updated achievement animations / graphics. Improved memory optimization, adjusted battle damage – which nerfed the popular Eevee evolution Vaporean and the usual bug fixes that come with incremental patches.
Probably the most controversial change in this update won’t be the nerfing of certain move but the removal of the ‘three step’ counter that appeared on the nearby Pokemon screen. The feature was intended to give players a visual representation of how close wild monsters where to them but it never worked as intended. Instead all Pokemon displayed the maximum range, three footprints, leading the community to dub the glitch the “three step glitch”. With the removal of the step icons players have no way to tell how far/close Pokemon are to them.
What do you think of this update? Let us know!
Here is the full patch notes:
Trainers, Pokémon GO has been updated to version 0.31.0:
– Avatars can now be re-customized from the Trainer profile screen
– Adjusted battle move damage values for some Pokémon
– Refined certain Gym animations
– Improved memory issues
– Removed footprints of nearby Pokémon
– Modified battle damage calculation
– Various bug fixes during wild Pokémon encounter
– Updated Pokémon details screen
– Updated achievement medal images
– Fixed issues with displaying certain map features
– Minor text fixes
Niantic continues to tweak their mobile smash hitPokemon GO behind the scenes on a regular basis and adventurous users aren’t far behind them, discovering and cataloguing even the most minute changes to the game.
Users over on The Silph road have discovered that Pokemon Nests, that is locations where catchable Pokemon spawn, have been swapped around. Based upon a pattern discovered by users on the sub-reddit it appears that some monsters have been swapped with ones with a lower Pokedex number while other nests appear to spawn up to two new monsters now.
Here is the entire list that The Silph road has compiled about known Pokemon Nest spawn changes. My area (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) is full of Drowzees and also a lot of Jynx. According to these changes I can look forward to seeing a lot more Seels and the Scythers.
#1 Bulbasaur –> #1 Bulbasaur…
#4 Charmander –> #1 Bulbasaur
#7 Squirtle –> #4 Charmander
#21 Spearow –>
#23 Ekans –> #21 Spearow
#25 Pikachu –> #23 Ekans
#27 Sandshrew –> #25 Pikachu
#29 Nidoran♀ –> #27 Sandshrew / #25 Pikachu
#32 Nidoran♂ –> #29 Nidoran♀
#35 Clefairy –> #32 Nidoran♂
#37 Vulpix –> #35 Clefairy / #32 Nidoran♂
#39 Jigglypuff –> #37 Vulpix / #35 Clefairy
#43 Oddish –> #39 Jigglypuff
#46 Paras –> #43 Oddish? / #39 Jigglypuff?
#48 Venonat –> #43 Oddish?
#50 Diglett –> #46 Paras
#52 Meowth –> #48 Venonat
#54 Psyduck –> #50 Diglett
#56 Mankey –> #52 Meowth / #50 Diglett
#58 Growlithe –> #54 Psyduck / #52 Meowth
#60 Poliwag –> #56 Mankey / #54 Psyduck
#63 Abra –> #58 Growlithe / #56 Mankey
#66 Machop –> #58 Growlithe
#69 Bellsprout –> #60 Poliwag
#72 Tentacool –> #63 Abra
#74 Geodude –> #66 Machop
#77 Ponyta –> #69 Bellsprout
#79 Slowpoke –> #72 Tentacool
#81 Magnemite –> #74 Geodude
#83 Farfetch’d –>
#84 Doduo –> #77 Ponyta
#86 Seel –> #79 Slowpoke / #77 Ponyta
#90 Shellder –> #81 Magnemite / #79 Slowpoke
Nothing? –> #83 Farfetch’d
#92 Gastly –> #84 Doduo / #81 Magnemite
#95 Onix –> #86 Seel / #84 Doduo
#96 Drowzee –> #86 Seel
#98 Krabby –> #90 Shellder
#100 Voltorb –> #92 Gastly
#102 Exeggcute –> #95 Onix / #92 Gastly
#104 Cubone –> #96 Drowzee
#106 Hitmonlee –> #98 Krabby / #96 Drowzee
#107 Hitmonchan –> #100 Voltorb / #98 Krabby
#108 Lickitung –> #102 Exeggcute / #100 Voltorb
#111 Rhyhorn –> #104 Cubone / #102 Exeggcute
#114 Tangela –> #111 Rhyhorn / #104 Cubone
#115 Kangaskhan –> #111 Rhyhorn
#116 Horsea –> #114 Tangela? / #111 Rhyhorn
Nothing? –> #115 Kangaskhan
#118 Goldeen –> #116 Horsea
#120 Staryu –> #118 Goldeen
#122 Mr. Mime –> #118 Goldeen
#123 Scyther –> #120 Staryu
#124 Jynx –> #123 Scyther / #120 Staryu
#125 Electabuzz –> #124 Jynx / #123 Scyther
#126 Magmar –> #125 Electabuzz / #124 Jynx
#127 Pinsir –> #126 Magmar / #125 Electabuzz
#128 Tauros –> #127 Pinsir / #126 Magmar
#129 Magikarp –> #127 Pinsir
Nothing? –> #128 Tauros
#133 Eevee –> #129 Magikarp
#147 Dratini –> #133 Eevee
Nothing? –> #147 Dratini (RIP)
Why did Niantic chose to change up nests? It certainly allows Pokemon Trainers to catch up as many monsters as possible.
Great news for the thousands of Pokemon trainers here in Canada who have side-loaded Pokemon Go on to their device in order to catch’em all – you no longer have to fear the ban hammer as Pokemon Go has been officially launched in Canada. It is no wonder that some estimates pegged Canada as having a 6% side-load rate.
Niantic Labs & Nintendo made the announcement this morning on the official Pokemon Go twitter account, here is the tweet that kicked things off:
Within 15 minutes of Pokemon Go being live in Canada the servers were slammed so hard that our staff were unable to connect to the game to create new characters. It could be a little while before things stabilize as thousands upon thousands of trainers who chose not to side-load the game rush to download the app and start their very own Pokemon adventure.
As of the writing of this article one of our staff members was unable to connect to Pokemon Go:
The community has created some excellent resources for new trainers and I’d like to take the opportunity, while the servers catch up, to tell new trainers about some of them.
If you are wondering what Pokemon are available in your town and where they’ve been spotted then PokeMapper should be your go-to place for real world Pokemon locations. This crowd sourced pokemon map allows users to sign-up and add their pokemon sightings to the map, although viewing the map requires no registration.
There are dozens upon dozens of Pokemon Go google mapping projects out there. I chose this one from Google Maps for recommendation because it is NOT COMPLETE, meaning that new players have a constructive activity to help out the community. Third party developers have also written map apps for mobile phones like Maps For Pokemon on Android will give players the ability to load Pokemon location data while they are out and about.
Visiting the Pokemon Go sub-reddit should be an obvious choice for the latest information about the game but this resource might not be obvious for those who don’t enjoy reading hundreds upon hundreds of threads. On the Pokemon Go sub-reddit you’ll find trainers sharing their accomplishments, talking about the meta (over arching gameplay systems) of Pokemon GO and other game related topics. They also have several sticky threads to help out new trainers.
If you are into social media and live in a major Canadian city why not consider joining one of the many Facebook groups for larger communities in Canada. Here are just a couple:
For more Pokemon Go coverage keep checking out BrokenJoysticks.net, we will be sure to let everyone know when the servers have finally stabilized and are back online. We also have a really handy beginners guide that will you get you started with a bunch of tips & tricks.
Niantic Lab & Nintendo’s smash hit mobile adaptation Pokemon Go has launched in an additional 26 European countries according to the developer’s official Facebook Page. This rollout on iOS and Android brings the total number of European countries with access to the game to 36 with 10 more until all of Europe & the UK has access to catch ’em all. Still no word on a Canadian launch date or a Mexican launch date leaving users in North America who aren’t American to side-load the game and possibly become infested with malware.
Here is a complete list of the new countries with access to Pokemon Go:
Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
Greece
Greenland
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Romania
Slovakia
Slovenia
Sweden
Switzerland
Pokemon Go has been a runaway success which has caused Nintendo’s stock to rise to levels not seen since 2010 – just after the boom of the original Wii.
Need more Pokemon Go coverage? Make sure to check out our beginner’s guide if you are just starting your own Pokemon Journey.
Some bad news for Canadian Pokémon fans who might be looking to get the complete experience once the mobile app launches above the 49th parallel -it looks like the optional Pokémon Go Plus bracelet that can be paired with the game may have been delayed.
In an email I received from Amazon.ca about my pre-order for the Pokémon Go Plus, I was notified me that the item had been delayed. Originally I pre-ordered at the end of June and Amazon had expected the bracelet to be available by the end of this month. Their updated Pokémon Go Plus page now lists the item for a September 2016 release. That is a full two-month delay for the peripheral.
In part the email from Amazon.ca said:
“Hello from Amazon.ca.
We wanted to let you know there’s a delay with one or more items in the order you placed on June 29, 2016
“Nintendo Pokemon Go Plus – Not Machine Specific – Nintendo 3DS Standard Edition”
Estimated ship date: September 06, 2016″
Of course, it doesn’t matter if the Go Plus is available here or not while Pokémon GO is still unavailable in the Canadian Google Play or Apple App Store. This hasn’t stopped thousands of people in Canada from side-loading the game via an SD card on Android or changing the region of the IPhone in order to play the game. According to some unofficial statistics, Pokémon Go might be installed in as many as 6% of Canadian Android devices.
Nintendo has yet to provide a release date for Pokémon Go in Canada, but if you are playing the game in another country or through side-loading then you might find our Beginner’s Guide for New Trainers interesting.
Pokémon GO has spread like wildfire across the United States and other countries lucky enough to have access to it right now. However, the guides are far and few between. We’ve collected the best and most important tips and tricks to guide you right here!
PokéStops
PokéStops grant you items, including Eggs, Potions, Revives, Poké Balls and Razz Berries
To get the items you have to click on a PokéStop (marked by a blue circle icon on the map) and spin
You don’t have to click on the items that pop up to collect them, simply closing out of the PokéStops will collect them all
PokéStops are located at points of interest (likely determined by Niantic’s previous game, Ingress); these include murals, parks, art installations and museums
The items generated by PokéStops are dependant on your level, higher levels can get more items
The items are often level-locked, so you will start by only finding Eggs and Poké Balls
A Lure can be placed PokéStop to attract Pokémon
Catching Pokémon
You will need to walk to find Pokémon (unless you are using Incense or a Lure on a PokéStop)
When you start the game, you are giving the chance to catch one of the three original starting Pokémon (Charmander, Squirtle and Bulbasaur), the others disappear when you catch one, but you can run into them later
If you want Pikachu as your starter, you must walk away from the other starters multiple times (3-5 times) until Pikachu spawns with them. You can also run into all four of these Pokémon out in the wild.
Catch every single Pokémon you see. Each catch gives you Stardust and Pokémon candy, both used to improve your other Pokémon
You can tell which Pokémon are near you by expanding the menu in the bottom right of your screen, the fewer paw prints, the closer they are, and the top left will always be the closest (and bottom right the farthest)
The environment, time and location affects what kind of Pokémon you run into, go to different kinds of areas to find different types of Pokémon!
Wandering Pokémon are visible to everyone and catchable to everyone until a few minutes after they are first caught, then they despawn
Pokémon wander around, so one could be drifting towards you or away from you
Lures placed on PokéStops and attract Pokémon for everyone for 30min, they are a good way to make new friends
Incense is attached to you and attracts Pokémon just for you for 30min. These Pokémon do not appear to be the Pokémon that are shown as being “close” to you
My character surrounded by the pink cloud from Incense.
You must throw your Poké Ball and hit the grey circle around the Pokémon, the aim requires a toss of the correct distance as well
For an exp and better chance of the Pokémon you are facing, hit the inner circle — this circle starts as wide as the grey circle and shrinks down to nothing before repeating
Like in the classic Pokémon games, hitting a Pokémon with your ball does not mean it will be caught, it can still break out. Three wiggles and a click is what you’re looking for!
The color of the inner circle indicates how hard the Pokémon is to catch. Green is easy, yellow is medium, orange is hard, dark orange is very hard and red is the hardest. Red Pokémon are the most likely to break out of their Poké Balls.
Throwing “curve balls” (lobbing the ball with a bit of a curved angle instead of tossing it straight) can improve your chances of catching a Pokémon and reward extra experience points
You can swirl the ball before tossing for a guaranteed curve ball
Some Pokémon will try to resist being caught by using various moves, these include:
Blocking – The Pokémon smacks the Poké Ball away, combat this by throwing the ball when the inner circle is smaller
Dodging/Jumping – The Pokémon jumps up, potentially dodging a thrown Poké Ball, combat this by waiting for the Pokémon to jump right before throwing. This move is used mostly by Flying Pokémon.
Attacking – The Pokémon attacks when the inner circle is small, causing it to stick at that size. Aside from good aim, the only way to counter this is by throwing your Poké Ball early or by waiting for the attack to end, upon which the normal inner circle cycle continues.
At level 8 you unlock Razz Berries, if you use a Razz Berry on a Pokémon you are trying to catch, you have a higher success chance. Use this on Pokémon with orange and red inner circles.
You unlock more effective Poké Balls as you level up — at level 12, Great Balls are unlocked
The higher your level is, the higher Combat Point (CP) Pokémon you will find, so keep hunting!
Building Your Team
Pokémon have different power levels (Combat Points – CP), these can be increased by using candy of that Pokémon type and Stardust
Your highest CP Pokémon will generally be your strongest
Pokémon of the same species can have different move sets, check to see which basic and ultimate attack each Pokémon has (found at the bottom of their info page)
Candies for a Pokémon can be used to evolve them or, in combination with Stardust, increase their CP
“Transferring” a Pokémon will destroy it, but will grant you additional candies for that Pokémon that you can use to evolve and improve others of that species
You can hold up to 250 Pokémon when you start the game, so don’t transfer a Pokémon if you are unsure whether or not it will be useful!
Gyms and Battles
You battle other Pokémon at gyms (and, it seems, special events) by tapping to attack and swiping to dodge
When your Pokémon’s attack bar under its HP becomes full, tapping and holding will release it’s ultimate/second ability. This can take a bit of time.
Pokémon types work the same way they do in the classic Pokémon games, so try to use Pokémon attacks that will be super effective against your opponents or Pokémon that will likely resist your opponent’s attacks
When you reach level 5 and interact with a gym, you will be encouraged to select a team to represent in your gym battles; Team Instinct (Yellow), Team Mystic (Blue) and Team Valor (Red)
At this time, it does not appear that you can change your team
An unclaimed gym (which will appear white/grey) can be claimed by a team by leaving a Pokémon at the gym. This Pokémon will be returned to you when it is knocked out of the gym.
Gyms has prestige and prestige levels. The higher the prestige level of a gym, the more Pokémon can be left by trainers at that gym.
Only a single Pokémon can be left at each gym per player
To battle an opposing team’s gym, you can select up to 6 Pokémon and fight the Pokémon of the other gym from lowest to highest CP
Defeating an opposing team’s gym will lower the gym’s prestige. If it lowers the prestige level, it reduces number of Pokémon slots the gym has. If all slots were taken, the lowest CP Pokémon of the gym will be kicked out to fit the reduced number.
Reducing the prestige to nothing will clear the gym and open it up to be taken over by another team
At friendly gyms you can battle with a single Pokémon against the other Pokémon in the gym to increase the gyms’ prestige. The prestige only is increased if a Pokémon is defeated. It appears more prestige is granted for battles between closer CP Pokémon.
After a battle your Pokémon may be hurt or fainted, you must use items (Potions and Revives) to bring them back to life and full health
Pokémon knocked out of a gym will be returned to you at 1hp
Leveling Up
Leveling up your trainer profile has many benefits, including increasing the CP level of Pokémon you can find, granting you additional items, and unlocking new item types
You gain experience for the following
Catching a new Pokémon species (500xp)
Hatching a Pokémon from an egg (500xp, stacks with new species)
Catching a Pokémon (100xp, stacks with catching a new species)
Throwing a Poké Ball well grants extra experience.
“Nice” throws, hit the inner circle when it is rather large – 10xp
“Great” throws, hit the inner circle when it is <70% of the outer circle – 50xp
“Excellent” throws, hit the inner circle when it is about 25% of the outer circle – 100xp
“Curveball” throws, throw the ball in an arching motion, swirling it on the screen helps – 10xp (xp stacks with the Nice/Great/Excellent xp)
Using a PokéStop
Winning a battle
Using a Lucky Egg grants you double experience points for 30min, this is great to use right before evolving a bunch of Pokémon or when you are sitting on multiple Lures
Eggs
Eggs are found at PokéStops
You can view your Eggs in the same menu as your Pokémon (by selecting “Eggs” in the top right)
You cannot tell what will hatch out of an Egg, but different species require different amounts of walking (2km, 5km, 10km, etc)
“Walking” seems to be considered movement under around 15mph (yes, you can grab a bike and ride around to hatch Eggs like the good ol’ days), GPS drifting sometimes will count as walking
You start the hatching process by selecting an Egg out of the Egg menu and placing it in an Incubator
Your default Incubator has unlimited charges
Other Incubators (such as ones from the store), have a limited number of incubation charges
To incubate multiple Pokémon at the same time, you must use multiple Incubators
You can only carry 9 eggs at a time, but increasing your inventory or Pokémon storage with upgrade items from the store may increase this number
Each Egg can carry a different Pokémon, depending on the walk distance required, check out this table to see the Egg distances for each Pokémon
General Tips
Turn off the music volume in the settings to clearly hear when Pokémon and other objects come within range
For Android users, if you turn on the developer mode, you can set your phone to not sleep when it is plugged in. This means you can keep up Pokémon GO and listen for sounds of Pokémon while doing other work
Turning off the AR while attempting to catch Pokémon can make it easier to aim and reduce lag (there is a toggle in the top right of the catching screen)
Comment your own tips and tricks below and we’ll be happy to add them to our list!
After being released to Australia and New Zealand for iOS and Android earlier on July 6th, Pokémon GO has now been officially released in the United States, much to the joy of many Pokémon fans.
Pokémon GO is an augmented reality phone app from Niantic, the creators of Ingress. Much like Ingress, Pokémon GO is a GPS-based game that will require users to explore the real world. In Pokémon GO, players can find Pokémon, eggs, Poké Balls and other items, then use them to battle other trainers and even gym leaders.
The game starts by placing the original starter Pokémon around you, allowing you to catch one. From that point until level 5, you can gain experience by visiting PokéStops where you can pick up items and by catching Pokémon that appear in the world with a finger-flick toss of a Poké Ball.
Once you reach level 5, you are required to pick a team to join, much like Ingress’ Resistance and Enlightened. However, Pokémon GO sports three teams: Team Instinct (Yellow), Team Mystic (Blue) and Team Valor (Red). You can support gyms owned by your team by leaving Pokémon there to fight and battle gyms owned by another team. You battle by tapping and swiping on your screen.
While the phone app is free, there are numerous micro-transactions happy to relieve you of your money. You can discover Poké Balls and other items out in the world, but you can also purchase them. I also have a feeling that more customization items might be available for gold in the future.
Later in July, another item will be available for purchase: the Pokémon GO Plus, a wrist-worn wearable with that “notifies the player about events in the game—such as the appearance of a Pokémon nearby—using an LED and vibration.” It also promises the ability to “catch Pokémon or perform other simple actions by pressing the button on the device.”
