How bad Pokemon GO is... and a poll

1

Summary

July 6, 2016. The game was released. Many people downloaded and played the new Pokemon game.
Summer, 2016. The game was almost worldwide and all the media was talking about Pokemon Go. The phenomenon.
February, 2017. 2nd Generation was released (first major update in the game).
June, 2017. Gym rework (second major update).
Summer, 2017. Legendaries.
November, 2017. No major update (December?).

Ok. That is a summary of the content release. What do we have in the game?

1GEN - 142/151 Pokemon (1 of them still missing, 4 regionals, 3 legendary event, 1 of them in the EX system (9))
2GEN - 90/100 (4 not released, 2 regionals, 4 legendary event (10))
3GEN - 5/135 (5 released on the Halloween Event

40 LVs - The last unlock is in the 35 and the last power up is achieved at the 38. (20M XP in total, 8/20 without any kind of unlock, so 12 for maximum)

Extras: a few shiny variants.

Is this enough?

Clearly not. At the end of 2016 everyone was hoping for a 2GEN update. It came 2 months late (or even more). I am not counting the babies as I am not counting 5 3GEN pokemon as great update.

With the 2GEN came 90 New Pokemon, 50 less pokemon than the previous generation, a lot of them were pre or new evolutions, so the new content is even less as it was easier to get them (babies came before and harder evolutions were only a matter of luck).

Then 4 months later we got the Gym update, an update that made the community more interested in Gyms and more dynamic with also the Raid system (that changed 5 months later for the worse).

Then the legendaries… Summer was full of them, with pros and cons. And now we have 3 more running around the world.

The “history” of Pokemon Go is that. More than a year with the feeling that this game lacks of many things.

In about 2 months or less with every major update (2 in total) every player starts to get tired. +1 Year and only 2 major updates are not enough.

Players are always asking for a new generation but what we see is that 2GEN update change very little, the game was as it was before in terms of playing and almost nothing change for the long term. However, Gym rework was an update that changed the mechanics… Almost 1 year later, and it wasn’t a huge change.

I think the community should start asking for other things, asking for a new generation won’t change the game core problems. So I ask… What 4 features would revamp the game for 1 year? In other words, what features should be the next quarter updates of 2018?

  • 4 Generation (3rd should come this year or at least be almost complete by the end of Winter)
  • Abilities (along with a less complex battle rework)
  • Battle Rework (status / more than 2 attacks / special split… whatever)
  • PVP (without battle rework, standalone)
  • Trading
  • Breeding (and proper mechanics to make it enjoyable [no jokes pls XD])
  • Some kind of happyness mechanic (feeding, training, etc.)
  • History mode (single player, coop, whatever)
  • City Leaderboards along with more competitive mechanics
  • A mechanic (could be one of the above) as complex and important as catch and battle gyms (this means a core mechanic not an addition as it could be a full histoy mode and not a simple one as I listed before).

0 voters

Show results

I know other people made similar polls but with this one I try not to focus on the key one but the ones that together could bring the game to another level.

To finish I want you to focus on the idea of the topic. Pokemon Go is not a good game, is a very good idea, but not a good game. Good games release content to keep players interested, this game takes advantage of 2 things: players memories and feelings about the saga and the time they invested in this game (maybe money). New generation trick and new shiny trick are becoming less effective each time they are used.

With every major update people get interested again. That happened 2 or 3 (with legendaries on summer) in more than a year, they should hire people or invest more time on Pokemon Go. I think Niantic is going to be suprised when they see that 3 Gen won’t reach its expectations. That is a prediction, I would prefer to see the update becoming a success but my opinion is that we are not going to see abilities full implemented along the 3GEN in the game soon enough.

My December expectations are 3GEN and a few new items, and I think I am optimistic, it could be worse.

2 Likes
2

A nice resume, but allways because asking for more…
Shurely we need progress, but can’t we live a time in peace which what we have?
A lot of people, not only in this game, are asking sustenaibility. This world is exploding…
It seems as we can’t waiting two weeks before everything is renewed.

Let’s be happy with what we have, so many things to do, another month doing the same as last time, and when something new comes, better, let’s enjoy… but, please, not allways asking for more.

Klasser: this is NOT a comment against you in person, it’s only because I have the sensation that we force the machine too much

1 Like
3

Do you remember that Niantic has said that they will pronounce news this week…

At the end of this week faults only the notice that somebody will call a judge because Niantic has not publicated this news.

News will be very welcomed, but nothing happens if they doesn’t come.

4

Remember, they’re in a different time zone to us in Europe. While the day is coming to an end here their day in LA is just getting started. I don’t like how long it’s taking them to drop this announcement but give them a little while longer.

1 Like
5

Exactly, that’s what I want. Don’t be too … (exagerado en castellano, I don’t know to say it in english :sweat_smile:)

6

No problem with the comment, what I mean it is that the release of content is not well enough, maybe next week I compare it with a game I play also and that it hasn’t that problem.

I understand your point of view also but I think the daily player (I am but no more than 15 minutes or less a day, more in an “updated time”) has little incentives to keep playing. It is about the time you invest in the game. The more you invest the earlier you run out of content, and I know a ton of players that invest more than me and I am 37LV (close to 38LV) so imagine how do they feel about Niantic’s policy of releasing content.

7

Yeah but I sincerely don’t care too much because what is datamined and Niantic behavior and way of doing things, although I would be happy to be wrong!

8

Really that is is a problem in itself… The more time you play, the more you need new content.

But where do we go, if we answer to all of this needs?

The problem is inside this type of games which have a “goal”. Once you reach it, what will I do? New goals all the time? I have played other games with 200 levels, and? When you reach it, you have the same problem. There are games without “goal”, but then you have a problem of how to incentivate the players.
I have played chess before, it’s called a Zero-Sum game, which means when both players equal, without error they will come to a tie. And still there are millions of people playing chess (I think in more than 100 years they have not changed the rules.
Here we are asking every week for new things, and we are angry if they don’t come.

9

Hmm… @bagguille it depends on which type of game is it. Given the fact that Draconius GO spring up with some typical features, it’s time for Niantic to turn peril into safety. Especially when Draconius GO show it’s efforts, Niantic seems to be lacking behind. I understand your viewpoint about new content. However, Pokemon GO is not a chess game. Chess games are supposed to be simple, convenient, and suitable for all ages. Once a chess game is released, not much adjustment would be made for the game. I think it could be described as a game in console. For example, BOTW and a lot more games in Switch will get their own DLCs. It provides the game even more potential. In Pokemon GO’s case, I think new stuffs are more contributive.

Just lemme mention one more thing: Pokemon GO are in it’s 10%, which has been confirmed by some Pokemon GO websites. The remaining 90% are still unknowns. Hence, I think we shouldn’t draw a conclusion too soon. I’m pretty sure Niantic has got plans for 2018 and will release Pokemon gradually. For cooperative system, challenging mechanics, minor stuffs and bug fixes, just wait for the announcement to see what are coming in 2018. I will accept Niantic’s decision if they don’t implement our ideas @Klasser.

1 Like
10

It is not all about the Goal, it is also the way (like LV40) is it fun, at this moment of the game, going for LV40? For me no and as I see for others neither. The best games have a well design curve of what you get and how much time you need to invest for it. Pokemon Go has very good things that I really like but being honest content/time is not one of them.

Niantic said that the game it is far from complete, I agree, 1 more year of development would have been “mano de santo” (in English I would say handy).

11

Yeah that’s the problem, they release a game in early stages with litlle depth, 10% Pokemon GO is what we have and that’s what I complain about. I am completely honest saying that I have never played a game with such a low amount of content, and I say it again, I keep playing because I like the saga, the core idea of the game… but I am not blind.

12

Oh, quite right for both, @Yoshi and @Klasser. Chess is not the same, it’s eternal. But if PokemonGo is diferent and yes, has agoal or a fin, and gradually they have to publish it, then in some way we are at the way to the finish… I don’t think I like this much. Maybe it would be better to see allways new goals, new levels, or as in chess, other players which are everytime more difficult to beat.

13

I don’t like the current battle-system too much. It’s too much just pressing the screen repeatedly, and that is no fun. And when they are going to release generation 3 we need a battle system that works well with abilities. Abilities is something they (according to me) they have to put in the game. I want my Shedinja and without its ability Wonder Guard it would be very useless (maybe the truth is that it would be useless even with its ability, but still…).

A Happiness mechanic would be awesome (never thought about that actually). It would give you something back if you have a Pokémon that you have put a lot of effort in. Putting it to defend gyms, battling with it e.t.c.

Niantic they still have a great game here that I enjoy playing. It would be a shame that they would let it slip through their fingers. I think many people have a love-hate feeling about the game. They may complain about boring gameplay, lack of play-modes and function, but I believe its not always about giving Niantic a hard time, but they see that this game has much more potential to be greater than what it is today. And they may feel like Niantic is holding this game back for some reason.

1 Like
14