7 Changes I think need to be made to GO

I just got back into GO a little over a month ago, and my experience has been quite positive, I enjoy the new features, and I love getting out and spending time with my friends while we reminisce about our experiences in the core games. However, there are still tons of features and changes that I think need to be implemented if the game wishes to retain its playability and remain relevant as time goes on. So, here’s 7 things I compiled that I really think would improve the current state of GO. I was originally going to make a video regarding this on my youtube channel, so this list may sound more like a script than a written article, that's because it was a script, modified for Reddit viewing!

7). Better Battery Conservation/Better Performance Optimization

Although this isn't a “Gameplay aspect”, it’s something that needs to be addressed, since release, the game has been a large drain on phone batteries. This results in decreased playtime, especially on older and budget phones, which many kids (which the game is arguably made for) and a majority of adults use. The “battery saver” feature does little to provide smoother performance when staring at the map. Things like the radar ring that expands around the player, clouds in the sky, and animations on gyms and pokestops should be able to be toned down to allow for smoother and longer operation. Also, an ecosystem of apps should be developed to provide smoother gameplay and better load times. Apps like a “Pokedex” made specifically for showing off pokemon you have to friends, or specifically for battles, so that you don't have to load every asset for the app and can quickly catch a pokemon or check your pokedex.

6). Raids

Raids must present a reward scaled to not only the difficulty of the raid but also the amount of players participating in the raid. Ex. solo raids give better rewards than group raids. There may already be a bit of a system in place for this, but in my experience it hasn't helped much. I got better rewards out of a magikarp raid than I did a mawile raid, which doesn't really make sense. Raid “curfews” have also become a nuisance, as many players myself included, specifically those that work during the day or prefer to go out at night when the weather is cooler or it’s not so bright and you can turn your brightness down and play longer, are usually unable to participate in raids when they are no longer available. This can also add another dimension to raids, allowing for powerful ghost type and dark type pokemon to appear. How else are we gonna catch Darkai or Giratina when Gen 4 drops?

5). Generation 4

Although I am very excited for the release of Gen 4, mainly because that’s the generation that I picked up first and grew up on, I worry that balancing the appearances of gen 4 pokemon in the wild won’t happen. They’ve done a decent job so far, but Gen 4 is a rather large addition, and it could become problematic. Along with Gen 4, Niantic has the opportunity to add in some new Pokeballs, Gen 4 has some of the best additions in terms of available balls, like the Heal Ball, Dusk Ball, and Quick Ball, which can all quite obviously be beneficial in one way or another to a trainer. Leaders from Team Galactic could also prove to be interesting, with thwarting their plans being a part of the special field research in the future. Gameplay items like poffins could also add a new layer of intrigue, perhaps in a mini game capacity like they were in the core games?

4). Gyms

Gyms need to present more of a challenge, and need to be more skill oriented. Taking down a gym in the current build is more of a time oriented event rather than anything to do with skill. This results in Gym turnover too frequently, which can be problematic when capturing gyms far from home. Perhaps this can be remedied with the addition of PVP in the near future, and gyms could adopt their battle system to an extent. Also, rather than just berries, players should be able to add battle items onto their pokemon in order to provide a boost to defend that gym. This would be a good way to add in items that raise attack and defense, like X Attack and X Defense.

3). Pokemarts/Pokestops

This is admittedly the most far fetched of the ideas presented in this list, but if more and more items are added, it could make sense. Urban areas are dense with stops and gyms, and it would be a nice way to break up the crowded screen filled with red, blues, and yellows. If PVP is added later this year, as Niantic claims, and a currency other than coins are introduced to act as prize money (or coins if values are adjusted slightly), Pokemarts could be good ways to get items you can't normally find in the shop, or discounts on shop items depending on what stop you’re at.

2). Larger Social Aspect

A more in depth friend system has been teased a bit now and should add tons of functionality to the game. Things like being able to privately message friends you’ve already added and interacted with IRL could be useful for group meetups. Friends (If allowed and the app is open) should be shown on the map in-game when applicable. Bonuses should be given when you hunt together with friends, and if one friend doesn’t want to catch a certain pokemon, they should be able to use their resources and attempt to help their friends catch said pokemon. A “faction war” resulting in bonuses at the end of each period (Month or season) should be established, with weekly or daily updates displaying the distance traveled, pokemon caught, length of which gyms are held or amount of gym captures, and raids completed by each faction. Niantic most likely already has this data on hand and it would be interesting to compare between teams and give players more of an incentive to “represent” for their team. When the game was first released, its social impact was possibly the best thing going for it. But the fact of it is, the playerbase has leveled out quite a bit compared to release, and the “social aspect” of the game now has to be pushed a bit in order to work. I for one love meeting new people while playing the game and even seeing other people still playing after all this time gives me a warm feeling. “Hotspots” should be added, like a heatmap of sorts to display a large congregation of players in one area, and if the number gets high enough, a rare pokemon could appear. This incentivises playing together. Pokestops, or even Pokemarts as mentioned before should grant “tags” that players can stick to stops or gyms, almost like virtual graffiti, that can be viewed in AR, with captions that revolve around one team taking a gym from another, like “This gym belongs to Instinct!” or “Mystic Rules!” with a Zapdos or Articuno silhouette, respectively.

1). Competitiveness

I’ve commended Niantic since release on the way they structure leveling, gym battles, and shop items. I’m very glad that the game is seemingly not “Pay to Win”, and that anyone that plays regularly and walks a fair bit can receive some powerful Pokemon and even earn coins without having to spend any actual money. Because of this, I think it would be safe to introduce a more competitive aspect of the game, this can coincide with the release of PVP by years end, and could definitely bring back players and possibly add players who found the game too casual before, a waste of their time due to the lack of a competitive scene. Other mobile games, Like DBZ: Dokkan have features that act as a “World Tournament” allowing players to compete with their rosters against other players. This could very easily be done within GO, with claims of “Competing to be the very best, like no one ever was” which is one of the main themes that Pokemon is based on. Throughout the core games your goal is to become the best trainer in the world, and we should be afforded the same opportunities in GO. This would allow people who don’t care for the faction war as mentioned in #2 to still show off their skills and earn prizes based on their individual performance in game.

Thank you so much for taking the time to check out my list! Let me know what you think, if you have any additions, and if I should make a video or a part 2 to this list

Submitted August 10, 2018 at 08:51AM by COMMAC00 https://www.reddit.com/r/pokemongo/comments/964n7m/7_changes_i_think_need_to_be_made_to_go/?utm_source=ifttt