Pokemon go

I’ve been a bit frustrated with Niantic lately. I love some of its ideas, but I watched someone else play Ingress prior to Pokemon GO’s release, and I noticed very similar problems between the two games after release — problems that the company should have noticed and corrected in its followup. Recently I decided to try out the former. Both are totally unintuitive. You have to search the UI for the tutorials, though Ingress’ can be accessed only near objectives. You’re asked to join a faction sooner there than in PoGO and with no context beyond 2-3 sentences. The game throws jargon with little to no context at you throughout the tutorial, making it difficult to follow. I walked around, clicking things and used items that I don’t fully understand, not because I’m too lazy to read but because I wanted to understand a game without consulting google. I saw portals get taken without anyone around me as I stood … [Read more...] about The Soapbox: Why is Pokemon GO still a tech demo?

In all my years working for Massively and Massively OP, we’ve never had enough Earth Day events for a proper roundup. That isn’t changing this year either. But there are a few here and there worth pointing out, and one of those is Pokemon Go’s. In spite of all the stories about how POGO players are wrecking up cities and parks and nature preserves in their quest to catch ’em all, the MMOARG is almost uniquely positioned to be a force for good for the planet, given that Niantic can point millions of people at a thing and grant them digital candy for doing whatever. This year, that “whatever” is going to be cleaning up. Literally. “Niantic, Inc. and Playmob are teaming up to host the first ever Pokémon GO Earth Day Clean Up on April 22. The Pokémon GO Earth Day Clean Up initiative is a series of events that will take place across locations around the world, inviting the Pokémon GO community to join together to clean up the … [Read more...] about Pokemon Go is mustering players to clean up the planet for Earth Day

Remember when Pokemon Go had a big live festival for player in Chicago? Considering how quickly the event devolved into a nightmare, Niantic is probably hoping you don’t remember it. The studio had already announced it would refund the ticket prices for attendees, but in wake of a class action suit to recover other costs related to the event, the developer is ultimately paying out over $1.5 million to all those who attended the event. A website for the settlement will be set up no later than May 25th according to court documents, with claimants needing to have checked in to the location via the app and provide receipts for claims over $107. Any leftover money is going to charity, not back to Niantic. It’s a pretty big figure and a notable piece of compensation for the disastrous event; whether or not it soothes lingering hurt feelings remains to be seen. Source: TechCrunchSHARE THIS ARTICLE … [Read more...] about Pokemon Go developer Niantic to pay out $1.5 million for its disastrous festival

If you’ve ever been to a massive gathering of tech-savvy people — like say, a gaming convention — you know better than to rely on the internet for sending emails or tweeting consistently, let alone for gaming itself. That’s just one of the lessons being learned by Niantic and the thousands of people who paid for tickets to Pokemon Go Fest in Chicago this weekend. Multiple outlets are reporting that not only can many people inside the park not connect to play, but there have been huge lines outside the park as people still wait to get in. When Niantic CEO John Hanke took the stage to calm everyone, he was subsequently booed and heckled while issuing apologies. Ouch. Popular fansite The Silph Road reports that Niantic is offering refunds and chunks of currency, but that won’t help all people who flew in from out of state — or out of country — for an event that’s gone south. Massively OP POGO specialist Andrew Ross tells us that the event … [Read more...] about Pokemon Go Fest in Chicago is pretty much a trainwreck