Are rock type (aka larvitar) hatches increased during this event?
I'm asking because it looks like larvitar still isn't quite common enough for me to get my first tyranitar before the event is over.
If its coming out of eggs, ill step up my egg hatching.
If not, ill use our citywide communal scanner to find and chase larvitar outside my normal walking routes, and burn some gas in the process.
Answers
Thank you for not answering my question and generally being a prick.
The fact is, many cities have a citywide communal, free scanner, such as bostonpogomap.com, just like the free IV calculator everyone uses here, which is also against the TOS. Are you willing to give up checking IVs?
I don't consider it cheating if everyone in the city is on a level playing field. If I weren't using it, everyone I have to compete against in the gym game would be - they would have their Dragonites and Tyranitars, and I wouldn't.
I don't spoof, I don't use multiple accounts, and I don't shave.
I do use the communal scanner and occasionally bubblestrat.
A few minor points.
First, yes, the IV calculator is a violation of the TOS and people have been banned for it. Niantic used to ban people who tossed all their low IV mons before the analyze feature came out, because they figured if you found out the IVs were low, you had to be cheating. Now with the analyze feature, that logic doesn't work, so I don't think Niantic is banning for that anymore.
Also, from terms of service:
"... you may not: .. reverse engineer ... the App".
The IV calculator was created using a form of reverse engineering.
Second, the communal scanners use the Niantic API in a third-party app, which also violates the TOS. However, I still wonder why Niantic leaves that API open for use. They could shut it down instantly, or insta-ban any account that uses it outside the pogo app. However, they do neither.
I use city scanner and I have to admit is not good; load on server from bots, ten fold at least the number of real players in my city, also probably alter niantic statistics of mons cought, km walked, active users, etc.
And from advantage perspective, again gains to ones that afford to spend more(gas) or even cash for cabs(one case, someone use a cab but cought a lvl 29 amazing dt/o dragonite; granted cabs are quite cheep here, he spent equivalent of 2 euro/2 usd) or ones that can leave 30 minutes from work at their will. I speak from personal experience. The big downside is the lack of satisfaction, the sensation / reality that a game controls you and decrease in walking/healt gain vs. Driving.
I think the bans came from users who logged in with their full account.
True, you needed to do the 'first evil' to get all the formulas, get all the multipliers in order to build it into the website. However, it's already been done. The free IV calculator here serves 0% of niantic's load.
Nonetheless I am not on any moral high ground to educate you or anyone else, I also used city scanners (to no avail) and also gym scanners (still doing this today).
You can't split hairs when cheating. Either you're cheating or you're not. Sure, you can have levels of offense, but cheating is cheating. Using a "communal" app is still cheating. Otherwise you could justify looting in a riot simply by saying, "it's communal."
Having said all of this, as the consumer of the Niantic product, we can draw a line. I don't find people using scanners to be offensive. They may have a leg up on me, but it doesn't directly affect my game experience. If I had a free scanner available to me to use I would. But living in the suburbs I don't.
I can't see Niantic banning people for using web-based scanners. It's cheating, but hard to prove. Sort of like Jaywalking. If you do it, and nobody sees it, then it's impossible to prove.
Trainers telling other trainers the location of good spawns is not the same as people looting in large groups. Theft is always illegal. I don't think trainers sharing info is against the TOS. In fact I think Niantic encourages it. If texting a friend about a spawn is ok then surely tweeting about it must be ok too.
