Since we were ten years old, we’ve all been training for this lifetime adventure to catch Pokemon in the real world. All the hours I spent on watching the TV series, so I could study all the different Pokemon. What were their likes/dislikes, what Pokemon type overpowers the other, discovering their next step in evolution… Along the TV series, came the first Red/Blue Pokemon game, it was crazy to think that a game this simple could be this addicting: catching Pokemon, battling other players, trading Pokemon, defeating gyms and winning badges. These were the problems a 10-year-old had to face and now virtually became reality. Nintendo has made a kid’ dream a reality with their new successful app ” Pokemon Go!”
Pokemon Go has been officially released only for a limited number of countries like the U.S, New Zealand and Australia. They didn’t do this, to annoy the rest of the countries but it was all about “testing the game’s servers” but they probably forgot about the ingenuity and perseverance of some of those Pokemon trainers who are anxiously waiting for an official release in their homeland. People found different ways to download and play the game, even when you’re not in the “official” country and this caused some server issues. The moment you got the game running on your mobile, you probably were stuck on this screen…
People found different ways to download and play the game, even when they’re not in the “official” country. The “different” way depends on the system you’re using. iOS users had to log off on their official iTunes account and set their iPhone region to one of the “officially released” countries. Once the region was set, all you had to do was “create a new iTunes account” and download the game. Android users had a fairly more easy way, they just had to download the Pokemon GO APK and install it. If you’re still eager to try the Pokemon GO app and you can’t wait for a few more days, here’s how to do it…
iOS
- Log off your existing iTunes account and make sure your internet is on.
- Go to Settings => General =>Language & Region => Region => choose: New Zealand.
- Open App Store, search “Pokemon Go” (by Niantic) and download the app. ( The developers name is important! Beware of Malware)
- iTunes will ask you to make a new account or log in to an existing account, you choose to make a new account of course and fill in a new password and security question.
- Fill in the following at the “address” section:
6. Verify your account, set your “original” region, sign in on your “original IOS device and play!
Android
- Download the APK file on your mobile and install.
- If it doesn’t download or install, make sure you ” allow installation of apps other than the Play Store
Pokemon GO is all about ” To be the best trainer, like no one ever was!” and “Gotta catch ’em all!” The game application uses your GPS and Google aMps to turn your world into a real virtual Pokemon world. Throughout the world, you’ll find different Pokemon of different levels (CP) and it’s up to you to level them up so you can take on gym battles! Your Pokemon Google map will show a pinging radar around you in which Pokemon can be seen. Once you see a Pokemon, you tap it and the game will show you the Pokemon through the eye of your camera. This is great for immersion as you see the Pokemon in “real life”. The game then lets you throw a Poké Ball at the Pokemon to catch them. Once your finger touches the Poké Ball, a white circle will surface around the Pokemon and within that circle, there’s another circle that’s reducing and it will have a certain color: green, yellow, orange or red. Green stands for “easy to catch” while other Pokemon will have a Red circle which means “it’s hard to catch” and you might need a better Poké ball. The smaller your circle, the better your catch will be.You can even throw a curve ball!
The game is also about leveling your trainer. The higher the level of your trainer, the better Pokemon you’ll encounter! Everything you do gives you experience: catching Pokemon, battling and using Poké stops. Poké stops are “special waypoints on the map” that are actually near monuments, statues, important buildings, etc. You’ll actually explore your hometown and get rewarded for it! These Poké stops let you spin an icon of this “special place” which rewards you with EXP and items such as Poké balls, Incubators ( for egg hatching), Razz Berry (to boost your catches), etc. These Poké stops can be used unlimited and offer different items each time but it has a 5-minute cooldown. Poké stops can be seen from all over the world, but you need to be close to them to get these items.
Pokemon Go offers a lot of nostalgia which makes up for some cool features. For example, there are Gyms all over that can be claimed by actual players. The gym confronts you with different Pokemon that has been left there by an actual player. Once a Player is defeated, you take his place and you’ll be able to leave a Pokemon at the Gym to fill in the “defeated” place. You fight your way to the Gym leader ( marked by a crown and has the highest level Combat Power or CP) and once the Gym’s Prestige level has been reduced to zero, it’s there for the taking. You can’t claim the Gym as one of your own, but you claim it to represent your team! At level 5 you’ll be able to choose one of the 3 teams: Red (Team Valor), Yellow (Team Instinct) and Blue (Team Mystic). Once you picked a team, you can represent them at Gyms.
Another cool feature is the tracking system. As you walk, you’ll discover Pokemon and it might not be as random as you think. On the right bottom of your screen, is a white box and this box shows the Pokemon that are nearby. Each Pokemon has a couple of “steps” next to it. The more steps there are , the further it’s away. These steps can build up to 3 steps as one is the lowest. This is, of course, useful when you’re tracking a more specific Pokemon. If you open up the box, you’ll see all of the Pokemon nearby. The top Pokemon are the Pokemon closest to you and the Pokemon at the bottom are further away.
Pokemon Go also offers a lot of items in the game to help you progress a little faster. There are egg incubators that help you hatch a Pokemon egg. There are Berries to boost your “catching”. Incense to lure Pokemon to your position or even a Lure Module to attract Pokemon to a certain Poké stop for a limited amount of time. Then there are the Lucky Eggs, to earn double XP, Potions to heal your Pokemon and Revive Crystals to resurrect dead Pokemon during battle. Most of these items can be found by tapping the Poké stops but a lot of those items can also be bought with Poké Coins ( currency for real money).
The “battling” mechanic is also an important feature in the world but in Pokemon Go, it’s quite simple. At the Gym, you’ll be able to battle different Pokemon. It’s not turn based like the original Pokemon game but it’s more real-time. During battles, you’ll have to tap your Pokemon in order for it to attack. It has a set of 2 attacks: a quick attack and a special signature move. By tapping, your Pokemon will use its quick attack and it will charge up his signature move. Once the attack has enough power, your Pokemon will be able to use his super ability. You can activate this ability by tap and hold on your phone. You can also dodge attacks by swiping your finger to the right or the left. Each attack has a certain animation, so you’ll have to pay attention in order for you to counter the enemy’s attack perfectly.
The last feature I want to talk about is how to boost your Pokemon’s damage and eventually evolve it. If you catch a new Pokemon, it will be added to the Pokedex. Each time, you catch a Pokemon you’re rewarded with XP, stardust and a specific Pokemon candy. The XP is used to level up your trainer but the other 2 can be used to boost your Pokemon or even evolve. The level of your Pokemon is presented in CP. If a Pokemon is boosted, his HP and hitting power will increase. Each Pokemon has to use a certain amount of candies to evolve. You can also transfer Pokemon duplicates to get that extra amount of candy.
This was my first look into Pokemon Go. I’ll be back with another post about Pokemon Go where I’ll talk about how Pokemon Go affected the world and the players in it. Be sure to check it out! See you around!
