Once the app is installed and ready to roll, people gets to name their character, or 'avatar', and choose between three existing teams, Valor, Mystic, and Instinct. Image Credit: Engadget

Everybody is excited about Pokémon GO, but not everybody understands that reading is necessary to have fun in the game because not everything is as simple as wandering into the middle of nowhere to catch a Pokémon.

Once the app is installed and ready to roll, people gets to name their character, or ‘avatar’, and choose between three existing teams, Valor, Mystic, and Instinct. In contrast to previous titles of the franchise, players will have to level up the trainer himself, instead of their Pokemon.

Every time a trainer successfully catches a Pokémon, he or she will gain a certain amount of experience based on its type, rareness and the accuracy of the PokeBall throw. Also, the avatar will earn experience points by covering specific distances, inputting entries on the Pokédex, and so on. The trainer’s level will affect the rarity of the Pokémon he or she encounters as well as the chances of catching them. The level will also allow the player to use certain items and do activities like joining a Gym.

What are Poke-stops?

They appear on the map as blue circles, and they are usually located at real life landmarks. To interact with the Pokemon shown on users’ screens people have to move their avatar until they are close enough. Then, gamers have to spin the blue icon as fast as they can, and it will start throwing Pokéballs, candy, potions and so on.

The avatar has to remain within a particular range to get the items dropped by one of the stops, and if the person moves, the items will be lost. These places are usually located in populated areas, so people who live in deserted zones will have fewer Poke-stops available within their region. However, they “recharge”, so even if there are few of those in the neighborhood, people can wait for the icon to be blue again to collect items.

It is time to catch ‘em all, literally

Once players have the supplies, it’s time to go and find some pocket monsters. Pocket monsters,  that’s the origin of the name. Trainers just have to open the app and start walking around until a Pokémon appears on the screen. If it is the first time the “Pokédex”, the picture of the Pokémon will emerge as a gray shadow without details. It looks the same to the animation shown before commercial brakes saying “Who is that Pokémon?”. Maybe the 90s kids will be the only generation to remember such details, but that’s Pokemon GO’s primary target.

Under the picture, there are going to be up to three little footprints. They indicate how far the next catch is. Three prints indicate it is far, and one is a sign that is nearby. Sometimes, people just have to tap on the footprints, and the Pokémon will be summoned to battle. Once the fight has begun, the player can move wherever he or she wants without it having an effect on the outcome unless the internet connection is severed.

The second time the Pokédex detects a Pokémon already own, a complete picture will appear on the screen. Most people will feel disappointed, but if people catch the same Pokémon several times, they can trade them for candy which is used to level them up. For instance, if someone wants to play with a Pikachu, that someone will want to catch as many of them as he or she can to get candy and level it up.

Niantic set it for certain kinds of Pokémon to appear in particular kind of areas. So whereas a Charmander can be found, it is impossible to find a Squirtle. Regarding this, it is important to be cautious when playing the game, a lot of people have already got themselves injured for wandering around oblivious to their surroundings.

Pokemon Go has taken the country by storm with thousands of downloads in a matter of days. The augmented-reality game is here to stay, while its popularity continues to grow. Image Credit: The Atlantic

Niantic is going to punish bad behavior

The company established a series of guidelines for a player to follow, and those who disregard them can even lose their accounts. Since the players interact directly with the real world, these kinds of rules are necessary to avoid trouble.

Pokémon Go players are encouraged to respect players and people who don’t play the game alike. Any harass, bullying, harm, stalking or threatening can be reported to the official channels which can take proper actions.

Also, revealing the own real life identity or others is punishable because it can put people in danger. Players can create content with the app in the form of pictures, and the company will take severe action against an account that uploads material considered offensive or vulgar. If someone gets reported, the admins of the game will see him/her as a flagged person. Then, they will see the case and depend on the nature of the violation an account could even be terminated.

This is the first of a list of articles that are going to provide rookie players with core information about the game, and the politics of the company behind the app.

Source: Niantic Labs

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