Pokemon Go (Mobile July 2016)

[Scythiroth]

As expected and as usual, mobile games continue being terrible.

[Kaslo]

As expected and as usual, mobile games continue being terrible.

[Serra]

[Omniyoji]

Not as hype as tha first trailer but I'm sure a lot of people are still going to like it.

[Serra]

http://pokemongo.nianticlabs.com/

Can register for the field test.

[Kaslo]

[6souls]

New Details

Pokémon GO will allow players to find and catch more than a hundred different Pokémon as they explore the world around them. When players approach a Pokémon in the wild, their phones will notify them and give them the opportunity to engage and catch the Pokémon using the phone’s touch screen to throw a Poké Ball. Poké Balls and other special items can be found at PokéStops, which are located at interesting places such as public art installations, historical markers, and monuments. During gameplay, Pokémon GO players will be encouraged to join one of three teams and engage in Gym battles with other teams. After joining a team, players will gain the ability to assign their Pokémon to Gyms. Like PokéStops, Gyms can be found at real locations in the world.

Battle

Battling is essential to any Pokémon game, and Pokémon GO is no different. Players can battle using the Pokémon they’ve caught to gain control of a Gym. By using their own Pokémon’s attacks and dodging incoming attacks by swiping left and right on the screen, Pokémon GO players can defeat the defending Pokémon to reduce the Gym’s Prestige. Once the Gym’s Prestige reaches zero, the defending team loses control of the Gym, and the victor’s Pokémon can be assigned to defend the Gym. When a team has control of a Gym, team members can increase its Prestige and level by training their Pokémon with other defending Pokémon. As the Gym gets to a higher level, the defending team gains the ability to assign more Pokémon to defend it. They can also team up with friends and battle together at a rival Gym to take down stronger Gyms faster.

Avatar

In Pokémon GO, players will interact with the world through their in-game Trainer avatar. The trainer’s appearance can be customized by choosing from a variety of different clothes and accessories to make their avatar stand out from the rest. The customized Trainer image will appear on the map as the player moves around, on their profile page, as well as in Gyms under their control.

Pokémon GO Plus

A portable device called the Pokémon GO Plus will enable Pokémon GO players to enjoy the game even while they’re not looking at their smartphones. The device connects to a smartphone via Bluetooth and notifies the player about events in the game—such as the appearance of a Pokémon nearby—using an LED and vibration. In addition, players can catch Pokémon or perform other simple actions by pressing the button on the device.

In-App Purchases

Pokémon GO will be free to download on the App Store and Google Play. In-app purchases will be available for fans who would like to enhance their Pokémon GO experience. Players can purchase PokéCoins, the in-game currency of Pokémon GO. PokéCoins can be exchanged on the App Store and Google Play for power-ups and extra items.

[Silenka]

In-App Purchases

I was afraid of that

[Lyall]

They announced those way back, though.

Sounds like Ingress+ when it comes to capturing nodes and gym. Could be a fun distraction for a while.

[Destinye]

I was afraid of that

Yeah, when you see 'free' or 'free to play', always expect In-App purchases, people don't want to release completely free games/apps anymore.

[Silenka]

It depends on how much the in-app purchases will affect gameplay though.
I actually hadn't seen before that it would be F2P, so I was expecting to pay something for it. Well, at least it's free to try which is good.

[The Stig]

If it says power ups.... surely it can't be P2W?

I don't want to battle some random asshole only for him to say to me: "The power of my... CREDIT CARD!! I win, why? CAUSE I FUCKING PAY!"

At worst I think it'll be master balls, I hope.

[Lyall]

Since this is the same team as Ingress, I sort of expect it to follow the same idea? Powering nodes in that game and attacking enemy nodes costs you energy (not unlike a lot of f2p facebook games) that you regain either by collecting ambient energy floating in the world or by using items to refill the gauge.

It's a pokemon game. I expect potions and elixirs and status heals to be the "sometimes found after a battle, but can be bought from the shop" method of spending cash on the game. Sure, you beat the gym, but your pokemon is at 10% health and people are going to come trying to take it over again. Heal up or lose the spot.

[Ratatapa]

Since this is the same team as Ingress, I sort of expect it to follow the same idea? Powering nodes in that game and attacking enemy nodes costs you energy (not unlike a lot of f2p facebook games) that you regain either by collecting ambient energy floating in the world or by using items to refill the gauge.

It's a pokemon game. I expect potions and elixirs and status heals to be the "sometimes found after a battle, but can be bought from the shop" method of spending cash on the game. Sure, you beat the gym, but your pokemon is at 10% health and people are going to come trying to take it over again. Heal up or lose the spot.

[Souj]

The two freetoplay Pokemon games I have experience with;
Pokemon Shuffle
Pokemon Picross.

Shuffle is an alright f2p game on the 3DS. They definitely push for people to buy things and most stages in later levels cannot be beat without using coins. On the phone its an absolute abomination that you'd have to spend an enormous amount of money on. It's the same game mobile and DS but on mobile they increased enemy health and increased the cost of coins for everything and made the free coins and items you get occasionally even rarer.

Picross I really liked. First part of the game you may not even notice the f2p elements. Later on you'll notice it but if you spend $30 on it they literally make it so you don't need to make any more purchases, basically changing the game from f2p to a normal, regular game.

[6souls]

July, Wearable Add-On to be sold for $34.99

Spoiler: show

The Game Freak and Niantic Labs-developed title will feature first generation Pokemon when it launches, with other generations coming through updates. The game will also be compatible with main Pokemon game releases later on down the road.

Trading will also be added, once players get used to catching wild Pokemon in the mobile title.

A new Camera feature that enables Trainers to take photographs of their wild Pokemon encounters will be included, and each will be saved to the user’s phone to share with others.

The mobile title will also feature a music track composed by Game Freak’s Junichi Masuda who also worked on various design elements of Pokemon GO.

A wearable piece of tech called Pokemon GO Plus was also revealed, and it alerts the user when a Pokemon is nearby. It too be be made available in July for $34.99.

http://www.vg247.com/2016/06/15/poke...pokemon-games/

[haroldsaxon]

I wonder if you can use another wearable band that detects phone notifications with Pokemon Go.

[Tyrath]

Game seems to have launched in Australia and New Zealand.

[Silenka]

Now taking bets on how long it takes for this game to kill someone.

[haroldsaxon]

Meh, apparently my Moto E is incompatible.