pokémon go !!
Pokémon Go
The game allows players to capture, battle, and train virtual creatures, called Pokémon, who appear on device screens as though in the real world. It makes use of GPS and the camera of compatible devices. The game is free-to-play, although it supports in-app purchases of additional gameplay items. An optional companion Bluetooth wearable deviceis planned for future release, the Pokémon Go Plus, and will alert users when Pokémon are nearby.
The game quickly became one of the most used smart device apps after launching, surpassing the previous record held by Candy Crush Saga in the United States, and was a boon to the stock value of Nintendo. It has brought augmented reality to the mainstream, and was praised by some medical professionals for potentially improving the mental and physical health of players, but also attracted some controversy due to reports of causing accidents and being a public nuisance at some locations.
After logging into the app for the first time, the player creates their avatar. The player can choose the avatar's gender, hair, skin, and eye color, and choose from a limited number of outfits. After the avatar is created, it is displayed at the player's current location along with a map of the player's immediate surroundings. Features on the map include a number of PokéStops and Pokémon gyms. These are typically located at places of interest. These locations are re-purposed Ingress portals, Niantic's previous augmented reality game.
As players travel the real world, their avatar moves along the game's map. Different Pokémonspecies reside in different areas of the world; for example, water-type Pokémon are generally found near water.[4] When a player encounters a Pokémon, they may view it either in augmented reality (AR) mode or with a live rendered, generic background. AR mode uses the camera and gyroscope on the player's mobile device to display an image of a Pokémon as though it were in the real world. Players can take screen shots of the Pokémon they encounter either with or without the AR mode activated.
Unlike other installments in the Pokémon series, players in Pokémon Go do not battle wild Pokémon to capture them. During an encounter with a wild Pokémon, the player may throw aPoké Ball at it. If the Pokémon is successfully caught, it will come under the ownership of the player. Factors in the success rate of capture include the right force, the right time and the type of Poké Ball used. After capturing a wild Pokémon, the player is awarded two types of in-game currencies: candies and stardust. The candies awarded by a successful catch depends on what evolutionary chain a Pokémon belongs to. A player can use stardust and candies to raise a Pokémon's "combat power" (CP). However, only candies are needed to evolve a Pokémon. Each Pokémon evolution tree has its own type of candy which can only be used to evolve or level up. The player can also transfer the Pokémon back to the Pokémon professor to earn one more candy and create room for more Pokémon.[8] The ultimate goal of the game is to complete the entries in the Pokédex, a comprehensive Pokémon encyclopedia, by capturing and evolving to obtain the original 151 Pokémon.
Pokémon Go Plus
The Pokémon Go Plus is a Bluetooth low energy wearable device that allows players to perform certain actions in the game without looking at their smart device.[14] When a player is near a Pokémon or PokéStop, the Plus vibrates.[14] The player can then press the button to capture the Pokémon; the player cannot check what they have caught until the device is connected to an appropriate mobile device.[15] It is set for release sometime in July 2016.[16] The design is a combination of a Poké Ball and the shape of the Google Maps pin.[14] The decision to create the device rather than create a smart watch app was to increase uptake among players for whom a smart watch is prohibitively expensive.[17] The Plus, which had a pre-order cost of $34.99,[18] was being listed on eBay for over $100 afterAmazon, GameStop and the official Pokémon store sold out.
Development
The concept for the game was conceived in 2014 by Satoru Iwata of Nintendo and Tsunekazu Ishihara of The Pokémon Company as an April Fools' Day collaboration with Google, called Pokémon Challenge.[20] Ishihara had been a fan of developer Niantic's previous augmented reality game, Ingress, and saw the game's concept as a perfect match for the Pokémon series.[15] Niantic used data fromIngress to populate the locations for PokéStops and gyms within Pokémon Go.[21] In 2015, Ishihara dedicated his speech at the game's announcement on September 10 to Iwata, who had died two months earlier.[22] The game's soundtrack was written by longtimePokémon series composer, Junichi Masuda, who also assisted with some of the game's design.[23] Among the game's visual designers was Dennis Hwang, who had previously worked at Google and created the logo of Gmail.[24]
On March 4, 2016, Niantic announced a Japan-exclusive beta test would begin later that month, allowing players to assist in refining the game before its full release. The beta test was later expanded to other countries.[25] On April 7, it was announced that the beta would expand to Australia and New Zealand.[26] Then, on May 16, the signups for the field test were opened to the United States.[27][28] The test came to an end on June 30.
Regional availability
The game was released in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States on July 6, 2016.[30][31][32][33] Due to server strain from high demand upon release, Niantic CEO John Hanke stated that the release in most other regions was "paused until Niantic was comfortable" fixing the issues.[34][35] Pokémon Go was released inGermany on July 13,[36] in the United Kingdom on July 14,[37] and in Italy, Spain and Portugal on July 15.[38] Pokémon Go was released in Austria, Belgium,Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta,Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, and Switzerland on July 16.[39]
In South Korea, like most other Asian countries, Pokémon Go has not been released yet.[40] However, due to a glitch, in a small area around Sokcho in the northeastern area of the country the game is playable due to the Niantic's mapping. This part of South Korea is part the North Korean mapping of the game.[41][42]Numerous people have taken advantage of the gap to play the game. Bus tickets from the capital city of Seoul sold out and people living within Sokcho shared information on free Wi-Fi areas to tourists.[43] Players also discovered a gym in Panmunjom, North Korea, along the Korean Demilitarized Zone; however, Niantic later removed it from the game.[44]
In Mainland China, Google services are banned by the Great Firewall. Players of Pokémon Go in China bought Australian App Store IDs and used a GPS spoofingapp to use Google services and because there are no Pokémon to catch in China many Chinese people downloaded a clone known as City Spirit Go, which was released shortly after Pokémon Go's beta test in Japan.
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