Shafting the rural and solo players again?
I, like most of us, have been waiting impaitiently for the gym rework and the introduction of new content. But I am also afraid that some of the stuff that I have been reading this morning is really going to have a negative effect on the rural and solo players of the game.
First off, making the game more interactive has to be done in a way that doesn't prohibit the solo player from participating. Those of us who play while on the way to work, in public transportation, on a bicycle, or while taking an evening stroll can't be locked out of aspects of the game. Making group gameplay a necessity in order to accomplish certain tasks, acquire special mons or rewards, or accomplish feats is going to hurt the game more than help it.
Secondly, big special events in a very few select cities that cannot be accessed by the majority of players have to be 'fun', but cannot be exclusive. I.E., if you attend the event you get a chance to acquire a legendary, but if you are in a remote rural area you never get that opportunity. (Just an example, I didn't read that anywhere.)
Thirdly, gyms ( and everything else) must be accessible to all, not just to groups.
Lastly, although I understand the concept of Biomes, Niantic needs to make things more fair with the distribution of spawns. Occasionally, even if rare, non-biome mons have to spawn in diverse biomes.
I still am looking forward to the new changes. I anticipate continuing to play as much as I have in the past, and finding new things to do in the game. But I am also a little apprehensive about the changes being made to favor the urban areas to the point that suburban and rural players get squeezed out of competitive play.
The only thing that I can say at this time is, I'm waiting to see what these changes do.
Answers
1.) We do not know the group gameplay yet, no sense in freaking out about it. You can already hit a gym with multiple people, Everything game wise is easier with multiple people but not impossible with solo play. Trust me i am in the same boat on pretty much ways i play the game(On the way to work, Evening Strolls). But hope for the best prepare for the worst. Don't complain just yet.
2.) This is dicey, Legendaries again like above are just speculation and don't expect it. I personally am waiting for more word on the event(s) it is a month and a half away. Maybe some more grow, but i actually look at it as a good chance to get out. I live about 11 hours driving distance from Chicago, i am going to wait and see if any are closer or what exactly what the event is but i would travel and probably spend the day in Chicago. Never been would be awesome to check out the city as well.
3.)Speculation..... Do not complain just yet.
Lastly.) I thought that is what the events were? Before the rock event never seen a Kabuto, Evolved 3 by the end of it. Fire/Ice coming in a week you will get your different pokemon.
All i can say is calm down, don't freak out. keep on playing and Niantic will take care of you, They are trying their best to hit everyone they can. But to be honest Events will likely be held in Cities.... Niantic still gets paid. Is your town going to pay?
There were no complaints in the OP. Concerns, yes, but no complaints. Nowhere was anyone 'freaking out'. Everything I commented on was in regards to what Niantic posted on thier site(s). I never said that any of these things were confirmed, so yes, there is speculation involved. Even in the speculation, nothing was a negative, more like items that need to make certain to be addressed.
In regard to your response about spawns and biomes: EVENTS?? So you are just fine with the fact that one week out of the year you can catch a Kabuto? (In my case, I've never seen a Chansey or Porygon in the wild, even during the 'pink' event.) All I said was that Niantic needs to spread the spawns out to be more fair.
Usually I read your posts and agree with most of what you say, but in this case I think you are out to lunch.
Lastly on this, Niantic doesn't get "Paid" by any city or town for holding an event. They pay the city! It costs them to get permits, reserve space, and even pay for security, (Especially in this day and age.)
They choose areas of large population in order to reach the largest possible audience and therefor the most wallets. And no, I doubt that even the closest 'major' city to where I live is large enough to draw them to it. Which is exactly WHY they need to make sure that, in regard to game play, these events are fun, but not content exclusive.
I do not think this will be content exclusive. Depending on the event i would not mind visiting Chicago, it would be better than spending a grand to get to Australia. Pokemon Go wants you to get up and go. Maybe Chicago is their "Trial and Error" City. But appreciate you agreeing with most my posts. I think they want to stick to Biomes. Nest Migrations and Events are the only real option i see. As much as i would like Growlithe as a common spawn. I am open to rotational Biomes though.
I play the same way as you. The only people I have consistently played with either no longer play or are back home in another state. Some of the changes they've made before were detrimental and they had to make changes to those but they seems to be taking a long time for this reworking so I'm hopeful it will be well thought out.
All I know is spoofing, sniping and shaving ?
I agree. Except one father-mother-child team, everyone I know plays solo. If the game becomes is less fun for the solo player, I don't see that helping Niantic.
The most curious thing about PoGo has always been the discrimination, that some people live in place with lots of interesting Pokemon, some with a limited number of Pokemon, and some places you can't even play. What Niantic gains from the discrimination, I also don't know.
I think it shows where they generate most of their money, or on the flip side, they generate money because rural players have to pay more. People seem to think that being fair and equal is always the best business model. Tons of businesses focus on a very select group of people and really prosper.
Also, I don't think it is so much discriminate as a cost-benefit issue. They simply built this game on the Ingress platform, not from scratch, so a good chunk of the work was already done for them. It probably simply wasn't worth it to blow it up.
