Rants and raves about stuff happening in and around my life in Singapore

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

The Hidden Side of Pokemon GO

With the recent launch of Pokemon GO here in Singapore it seems everyone and his mother is out to catch them all and the term going to the gym has taking on a new meaning. I'm sure like me your facebook feed is littered with Pokemon updates, a trend one hopes will die off as quickly as it started when we get to the point of "Who the fuck cares". But is the game all that it seems?



Well it appears not. Of course if you are playing for the sheer fun of it then carry on and read no further. But if you are trying to evolve and grow your pokemon to be the best and battle it out in the gym or even get ready for the soon to be released Trainer Battles (yes Trainer Battles are coming) then read on.

You see not every Pokemon is created equal. Two players may have the same Pokemon with the same combat power and health and yet when it comes to actual combat they can produce totally different results. You see each type of Pokemon has a base set of attributes for Stamina, Attack and Defence and it is "born" with these "Individual Values" (or IV) which can never be changed. Of course the game doesn't tell you what these are and only the most hardened Pokemon player will even know they exist or how to use them. In fact you will have to use some external tools to calculate them before deciding on growing, evolving or simply waiting to catch a Pokemon with better IV's.

The fact that you have to resort to additional tools to really get the most out of the game means that Pokemon GO really does fall short for the serious player. These IV statistics could easily have been included and would have made it a much more interesting game with a little more strategy thrown in. So if you are just growing your pokemon with the best Combat Power take note that it could actually be the worst Pokemon in your arsenal at the end of the day.

Maybe the in-game information will improve as the much hyped and planned trainer battles and pokemon trading are implemented in future updates, but if you are attempting to build the best Pokemon collection you can then take note that currently you will need to resort to external tools to help you decide your strategy.

Also, if all the rumors are to be believed, even catching those once easy lower level Pokemon can take a lot more attempts or just as equally you will find your target tends to run away more often as your player levels up. So growing your Pokemon may get a little more frausting as a result. Don't say you weren't warned and make sure you have a good stock of Pokeballs!

Yes Pokemon GO is not all that it seems it appears when you dig a little deeper and still has a LOT of room for improvement. Until then those "Individual Values", what they really mean and how to make the most effective use of them will remain hidden to everyone expect the most experienced Pokemon player.