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[WaterAstro]

Because if you live and work in the same place every day all you get are the same 10-15 Pokemon over and over.

The point of the game is to 'Catch them all' and that requires some sort of tool

The design of 'Catch them all' from Pokemon Red and Blue doesn't apply here, especially when they made that clear with regional Pokemon.

And when you play the original Pokemon Red and Blue, you don't have a tool that tells you where Pokemon are. That would be like a game guide, which is also called cheating.

 

[Jintor]

I have a wider search area, updating as you walk, version of the nearby panel at:

https://pokemonnearby.io/nearby.html

of course they may block external access soon but its still working ok.

Arcaeus bless you

 

[L Thammy]

Not sure it's been said, but battery saved is only gone on iOS. It's still there for Android.

The design of 'Catch them all' from Pokemon Red and Blue doesn't apply here, especially when they made that clear with regional Pokemon.

And when you play the original Pokemon Red and Blue, you don't have a tool that tells you where Pokemon are. That would be like a game guide, which is also called cheating.

Well, it does if you've seen them before.

 

[Zen_Arcade]

The design of 'Catch them all' from Pokemon Red and Blue doesn't apply here, especially when they made that clear with regional Pokemon.

And when you play the original Pokemon Red and Blue, you don't have a tool that tells you where Pokemon are. That would be like a game guide, which is also called cheating.

Yes you do. In the Pokedex there is a tab called "Area" that shows you where Pokemon you encounter live.

 

[rpmurphy]

Niantic giveth and they taketh.

 

[Phu]

The design of 'Catch them all' from Pokemon Red and Blue doesn't apply here, especially when they made that clear with regional Pokemon.

And when you play the original Pokemon Red and Blue, you don't have a tool that tells you where Pokemon are. That would be like a game guide, which is also called cheating.

There's nothing fun or interesting about catching 5000 Drowzee. And guides aren't cheating, they put out official ones all the time and tell you what dudes are found on which routes. Also, there's the whole DexNav thing introduced in the last games, so there is a tool now that tells you where Pokemon are, and that's not counting the PokeDex showing their locations.

And the catch em all element is one of the few things this game offers, because it sure as hell doesn't offer the training, or the battling, or the trading, etc.

 

[Toki767]

The removal of footprints is a small part of the bigger issue.

Which is that Niantic are completely silent on virtually any issues the game has unless you seemingly corner someone that works there in person and ask them.

 

[MegaManTrigger]

The design of 'Catch them all' from Pokemon Red and Blue doesn't apply here, especially when they made that clear with regional Pokemon.

And when you play the original Pokemon Red and Blue, you don't have a tool that tells you where Pokemon are. That would be like a game guide, which is also called cheating.

Except the very basis of regional Pokemon contradicts "Gotta Catch 'Em All." To say that it doesn't apply is disingenuous considering the whole point of Pokemon is to catch the monsters and complete the dex. Otherwise what is even the point of Pokemon Go? Furthermore, with that in mind, how is anyone supposed to catch 151 (or 722 if generations are added in) if people are going to see the same old Pokemon on their way to work/school/etc.

What they should have done, was find a way to randomize where Pokemon showed up every time a player boots up the game. Keeping areas static works for the games because you have a large section and are able to keep Pokemon distribution consistent while still allowing the player to expand their dex through trade options with the opposite game. With Pokemon Go, you don't have the same luxury. You must've forgotten what Pokemon RBY were like, because they had a resource that showed you where catchable Pokemon were:

The first version of the Pokédex, model number HANDY505, recorded data on the first 151 Pokémon, focusing on Pokémon mostly native to Kanto. It listed them in number sequence, and it recorded data on height, weight, number, species, description, cry, and nesting area. However, in Red and Blue, Pokémon only found in Cerulean Cave and Pokémon found only by fishing would be listed as "Area Unknown". In Pokémon Yellow, the option to print Pokédex entries using the Game Boy Printer was added.

 

[Weltall Zero]

AFAIK, Pokévision and such sites just place bots in the map to triangulate pokémon location. They place a bunch of bots near where you are who are "playing the game" then use them to triangulate the position of the pokémons.

Nope, no triangulation at all is done. The python script Pokevision is based on only requires a single account and retrieves exact pokemon locations immediately from a single base location.

Someone on the development reddit made an app that re-enabled the footsteps. They found that the footstep functionality doesn't use the pokemon's location data via API call but instead calls a completely seperate hook that just asks for the distance from the server. The answer to this call, ever since it 'broke' is always 200m no matter where the pokemon actually is.

That's as much as I suspected (case 2 in my speculation above). It doesn't explain why the server function that does return exact pokemon locations is still enabled. However, the app does need a way to know the exact locations of very close pokemons, so it can display them on the map for catching, so perhaps it has a very generous radius that the unofficial scripts/sites can exploit.

Yet another thing is why returning the list of nearest Pokemon would be less server intensive than returning their exact locations. The only thing I can think of is that the response would be smaller since it omits each Pokemon's coordinates, but it hardly seems like a huge difference. Then again, when the entire world is hammering your servers with millions of requests per second, even that can make a world of difference...

 

[PSFan]

The design of 'Catch them all' from Pokemon Red and Blue doesn't apply here, especially when they made that clear with regional Pokemon.

And when you play the original Pokemon Red and Blue, you don't have a tool that tells you where Pokemon are. That would be like a game guide, which is also called cheating.

You most certainly do have a tool that tells you where the Pokemon are. It's called the Pokedex. Click on area and it tells you where they are.

So no, it's not cheating. At all. It's something that has existed since the original first games.

 

[Dishwalla]

lol at the overreaction in this thread. If they can figure out a way to fix it without having server strain all they have to do is release another update re-enabling it. Chill.

Though I kind of chuckled after updating it and booting it up for the first time I get a dialogue box warning me not to play while driving.

 

[jax]

lol at the overreaction in this thread. If they can figure out a way to fix it without having server strain all they have to do is release another update re-enabling it. Chill.

Though I kind of chuckled after updating it and booting it up for the first time I get a dialogue box warning me not to play while driving.

It's not really an over reaction. The complete lack f communication leads us to believe it's never going to be fixed.

 

[WaterAstro]

Yes you do. In the Pokedex there is a tab called "Area" that shows you where Pokemon you encounter live.

You most certainly do have a tool that tells you where the Pokemon are. It's called the Pokedex. Click on area and it tells you where they are.

So no, it's not cheating. At all. It's something that has existed since the original first games.

No, you have to catch them first before that shows up.

Did you really see the Pokedex say "Mewtwo is in the unknown dungeon north of Cerulean City" right at the beginning of the game when you go down the list and highlight #150?

 

[danm999]

Yeah better to pull it out than leave it in broken. And if they never fix it it's got to go anyway.

 

[WrenchNinja]

No, you have to catch them first before that shows up.

Did you really see the Pokedex say "Mewtwo is in the unknown dungeon north of Cerulean City" right at the beginning of the game when you go down the list and highlight #150?

This is not true. You have to have seen them before, either in the wild or through Battle.

 

[DR2K]

I'd replace foot prints with arrows. Even when it did work it sucked.

 

[devonodev]

Wait, they deactivated it?

So all the times I've opened the app and seen everything was 3 footsteps away...was a lie?

And I gave up every time?

FUCKSAKE!

Yep, this is exactly why they removed it completely. I'm sure it'll be back eventually, as for now I'm liking the update it feels much more polished.

 

[Conkerkid11]

The app I'm using to track Pokémon receives more updates and more communication from the single developer behind it than Pokémon Go.

 

[PSFan]

No, you have to catch them first before that shows up.

Did you really see the Pokedex say "Mewtwo is in the unknown dungeon north of Cerulean City" right at the beginning of the game when you go down the list and highlight #150?

No you don't have to catch them. Just see them. And you don't get Mewtwo until postgame. You can't even get into the cave before you beat the E4 and the champion.

 

[The12thGripper]

I used to be out every night with my friends hunting Pokemon but we've stopped doing that after a week went by with no tracking. We might end up just dropping the game, which I expected to happen but not this soon lol

 

[Mariolee]

I dig the new "Do not play Pokemon Go while driving" notice.

 

[Darryl M R]

Welp a good way to lose players. It's not just removing features that may be broken but communicating poorly.

 

[DigitalScrap]

Yup, until they take it down because they see this as cheating or shit like that.

I actually just read an article earlier that they are going to do just that. They are going to prevent PokeVison and PokeRadar from working. Although the CEO said that they have more important things to work on right now. But it's coming.

 

[EhoaVash]

I feel like footprints never worked for me so I'm okay

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

I didn't know this footprint thing existed. Is it the footprint silhouette next to the nearby Pokémon? Does it change when you're near a Pokemon?

 

[Lucky Seven]

People actually used this? I just wandered around aimlessly for pokemon. Do people really try to catch them all? That's lame, pre-Gen 4 stuff

 

[jax]

I didn't know this footprint thing existed. Is it the footprint silhouette next to the nearby Pokémon? Does it change when you're near a Pokemon?

It used to, when the game wasn't broken.

 

[WaterAstro]

No you don't have to catch them. Just see them. And you don't get Mewtwo until postgame. You can't even get into the cave before you beat the E4 and the champion.

Okay sure, see them. My bad on that because it's literally the same thing.

You're not supposed to be able to SEE where Pokemon are until you SEE them first. Does that make any difference when we're talking about Pokemon GO?

Complaints here want a solution to catch new and rare Pokemon that they haven't SEEN before, and that's what the cheater website is for, to let you know that some park, a park that you never been to and would have never been to, has a Pokemon you haven't seen before so you can go there and catch them.

And let's also be clear on one more thing. They are different games. Catching in Pokemon GO is supposed to be difficult as opposed to Pokemon Red/Blue where it is an adventure that requires you to catch specific Pokemon in order to progress.

 

[NobleGundam]

The app I'm using to track Pokémon receives more updates and more communication from the single developer behind it than Pokémon Go.

Which app do you use, BTW?

 

[Abylim]

Is this patch out in some places?

In Aus on iOS and I dont have it, dont think I've ever downloaded a patch for it, to be honest.

Also, does the over use of "I mean" bug anyone else? That first reply bugs the hell out of me because of it >_<

 

[FleetingFlowAir]

Considering that the footprints were still broken to only view 3 no matter where you are, this removal will make no difference to my experience. Hopefully they're just doing it to fix the tracker and then bring it back.

 

[Zubz]

Guess I can use PokeVision guilt free now?

 

[jax]

Considering that the footprints were still broken to only view 3 no matter where you are, this removal will make no difference to my experience. Hopefully they're just doing it to fix the tracker and then bring it back.

They should have made it how it was instead of just removing it.

 

[Geminosity]

Okay sure, see them. My bad on that because it's literally the same thing.

You're not supposed to be able to SEE where Pokemon are until you SEE them first. Does that make any difference when we're talking about Pokemon GO?

Complaints here want a solution to catch new and rare Pokemon that they haven't SEEN before, and that's what the cheater website is for, to let you know that some park, a park that you never been to and would have never been to, has a Pokemon you haven't seen before so you can go there and catch them.

And let's also be clear on one more thing. They are different games. Catching in Pokemon GO is supposed to be difficult as opposed to Pokemon Red/Blue where it is an adventure that requires you to catch specific Pokemon in order to progress.

Not that I was involved in this conversation, but if seeing a pokemon would allow you to also see where they come from then I could use the Gyms to find all kinds of stuff

 

[StarVigil]

To have such a phenomenon in their hands and they are wasting it away day after day.

 

[victreeb3l]

The hell is Niantic doing smh

 

[DeathPeak]

Don't pokemon move up and down the grid depending on whether or not you're getting closer? It seems to when I do it.

 

[Weltall Zero]

It's not really an over reaction. The complete lack f communication leads us to believe it's never going to be fixed.

Really, the problem here is the utter lack of communication. It's frankly disheartening to have such a crucial feature broken for weeks with nary a word from them. Removing the footprints altogether is the least of the problems with all of this.

 

[Infernal Monkey]

Well at least they fixed the missing footpaths and bridges.

 

[Lijik]

Not gonna lie, my playtime with the game has plummeted once the 3-step bug started happening. The two extremes available right now of being given a list of pokemon but no means to hunt them down, or going to an unofficial site and being given exact directions to their location and how much time they have left ruin the fun for me.

 

[Jailer of Hope]

Don't pokemon move up and down the grid depending on whether or not you're getting closer? It seems to when I do it.

It can be misleading with Pokemon spawning in and out and changing the list order. Pokemon that I actually see are more often in the #2 spot rather than #1. Either way it's not working as intended or expected.

 

[OnPoint]

Why wait until December? After level 20 the game loses most of what made it fun, now it's just a grindfest.

I hit 22 and pretty much quit.

 

[jax]

I hit 22 and pretty much quit.

Same here. If the three step was fixed I probably would have caught enough Oddish and shit to get to 25 or 30. Oh well. App continues to rot.

 

[Kyzon]

It worked fine, until they turned it off to relieve server strain. It was assumed to be turned back on, not removed.

Did they say they turned it off to relieve server strain? Like is this directly from Niantic?


My favorite thing about this game is they don't tell you much of anything, so we're back to having "playground rumors" which may or may not be true.

I tried moving a truck by the lake for a Mew btw. No luck

 

[jax]

Did they say they turned it off to relieve server strain? Like is this directly from Niantic?


My favorite thing about this game is they don't tell you much of anything, so we're back to having "playground rumors" which may or may not be true.

I tried moving a truck by the lake for a Mew btw. No luck

I believe it was confirmed via datamining the app or something.

 

[Hidden One]

The magic of this game died for me once I hit level 20 anyway lol.

 

[Conkerkid11]

Which app do you use, BTW?

https://github.com/BrianEstrada/PokeScanner/releases

The magic of this game died for me once I hit level 20 anyway lol.

Same, but that was also around the time the nearby functionality was killed.

 

[Jintor]

Did they just break third party trackers in the last half hour or so?

 

[jax]

Did they just break third party trackers in the last half hour or so?

Seems like they want as many people to uninstall the game as possible.

 

[Dion Blaster]

This is a really dumb thing to complain about. Its functionally the same.