It has happened again. Niantic has released yet another Pokemon Go update. Bringing back some of the features they previously disabled, such as, battery saver. They also added an extra warning notice in which you have to confirm that you are not driving when you are moving at a fast speed.
Along with some other under the hood updates, Niantic has updated their nearby feature, and when I say updated I mean replaced the NearBy feature all together. This is another blow to Pokemon Go fans. The nearby feature has been replaced with a "Sightings" tab which appears to be more accurate in reporting nearby Pokemon than the previous broken nearby but still not as great as when it first came out with the Three step feature.
At least we lay in comfort knowing that Niantics is actively trying to fix the tracking aspects of the game, but still, I have to ask Are we settling here? Do we feel content because we've lost confidence in Niantics? And most importantly, "will the game ever be anything more than a blind cat chasing the sneaky mouse? Will it ever reach its full potential? Yes. The mobile app is still in its infancy state and Niantic has been nurturing it since birth, but does it have the best intention at heart? Will they raise it to be the best or will they beat it to the point where it will never amount to anything?
I for one wish it was the later but somehow expect worst.
Here are the most recent updates to the game.
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 experience bonuses
Fixed achievements showing incorrect Medal icons
Enabled the ability for Trainers to change their nickname one time, so please choose your new nickname wisely
Resolved issues with the battery saver mode and re-enabled this feature
Added visuals of Team leaders – Candela, Blanche and Spark
We’re 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.
Niantic Labs has finally released the game of the century. Of course, keeping up with the trend, they released the game in the form of a mobile app. Whether you're on iOS or Android, the game is free to play. Sorry windows user, the game is not out for your platform as of yet.
I personally, have a love hate relationship with Pokémon GO. I loved from the moment it came out, but then Niantic Labs broke the game. Yes, they intentionally broke the game due to server issues. How sad is that?
Now the game is only a fraction what it was and could be.
It started with the 3 step glitch, then Niantic did something that really pissed people off, they remained silent.
No press release or tweet, not even a single post on their blog to give the people an explanation or hope. The entire Pokémon Go community were outraged. Tweets after tweets, hashtags after hashtags and still Niantic remained silent.
Fans tolerated the silence with the hope that the game will be fixed. But they were dealt with a heavy punch in the gut. Niantic Lab release an update. People rushed home, others didn't care about their data plans and downloaded the update without a second thought. That's when the real horror and realization kicked in.
Niantic not only removed the nearby steps completely, they went after all third party applications, (alternative websites like Pokevision that helped the Pokémon Go community to find their way to that pokemon they've been searching for).
Still, Niantic said nothing. A silent sphere in the center of the world that remained still, people gazing from below wanted answers. Still, Niantics wouldn't give it to them. But fans refused to hold still, to be shackled by their silence. A wave of hardcore players emerged with a hemlock.
Thousands of Fans, demanded answers and they demanded the answers by using the one thing that could make a blind man see...Money.
That's right, fans went after Niantics in the form of refunds. They demanded refunds for their in-app purchases, and guess what? They got it. Apple, without hesitation, refunded peoples money without asking questions. Android uses had to take a few extra steps and time, but they got theirs back. So much so, Google, began directing the users to Niantics email address. They wanted no part in Niantics failure.
Oh, It doesn't stop there. After being directed to their support page, Fans discovered that the email given to them was an automated email, which is a violation against Googles terms of service. That's when the reports started coming.
Yes, This was enough to open Niantic's tight lips in the form of a facebook post.
This only goes to show the power people as a whole have if they utilize it properly. Well, that and the power of MONEY.
Check out some of my evolution videos for Pokémon GO.
