Bad Design: Pokémon Go's Battery Draining Map Interface

One of the biggest issues with Pokémon Go is its drastic effect on battery life. Combining constant location tracking with fully rendered 3D models will do that. However, there are basic design principles being violated that contribute to this battery drain. For starters, my avatar is constantly being fully rendered both on the map and in the corner. I see many problems with this. Let's talk about this corner first. My avatar has this breathing effect in this corner. Why? Having a full 3D model here doesn't add anything to the core game. It's not something I would miss. Instead, why not have a function that would let you choose a pose for your avatar and set that there instead. In my render, I just use a blue icon as a placeholder. The buddy Pokémon would be embedded in the profile screen instead of on the main interface. XP, level, and the notification badge can stay. It would be a still image, akin to a passport photo. This would also be in line with some of the more recent mainline Pokémon games, where you can choose a pose for your trainer's identification. It would certainly give your trainer more personality and less like a hollow, soulless shell. In addition, add some hair styles to pick from. These characters are so bland, there's no point in charging for new clothes for them. Finally, I removed the research menu button from the bottom right corner of the screen. I always hit this when I'm looking for nearby Pokémon. I feel this would be much better suited in the Pokéball menu in the center. Finally, if I zoom out, my trainer is still being fully rendered. A slightly lower-poly model should be used to save battery and resources. I'm not going to notice my trainer's socks or every spike of their hair when I'm fully zoomed out. And if I did, I wouldn't care. When the render distance for streets on the map is as pathetic as it is, why dedicate more resources to my trainer's hat than a gym right down the street? My render isn't super detailed, but when paired with this commentary, I think the point should get across. Pokémon Go wastes a lot of resources on things that simply don't matter.

Bad Design: Pokémon Go's Launch Screen

Pokémon Go is being slowly revitalized in popularity to its former glory. It has also been heavily acknowledged at some of Apple's events and on the App Store. Yet despite this, Pokémon Go breaks numerous industry-standard design conventions, including some recommended by Apple.

Let's start with the launch screen. Each app is required to create a launch screen for each optimized device, such as iPad, iPhone, iPhone X, etcetera. Most developers will make sure that the launch screen fits each device well. Niantic however just slapped the same resized image on each device. This is most noticeable on iPhone X and iPad, where ugly black bars take up a considerable amount of the screen. On iPhone X's OLED display, a better design choice would've been to make the Niantic logo white and the screen black, which saves power and looks great on an OLED display. See the images below for what I mean.

Pokémon Go has plenty of issues. That's no secret. So what better way to combat a slow news week than by making a series of blog posts on the issues with this game with my mockups and suggestions on how to make this game better? Stay tuned.

Pokémon Go Adding Johto Region Pokémon

Pokémon Go, that one game that was popular for about a month, is receiving a long overdue update. So long overdue, that it may be too late to revive the once sensational game. What many Pokémon players don't know is that the 150 Pokémon available in the game aren't all of the Pokémon. These are just the Pokémon from the Kanto region, the setting of the original games. There are over 800 total Pokémon. Yeah, that brings new meaning to "Gotta Catch 'Em All." The Johto region, which will be added to the game, consists of about 80 new Pokémon. And while this is the largest update since the game's inception, I don't see it jumpstarting interest. The update will be coming later this week.

Pokémon Go for Apple Watch Released

After confusion about Pokémon Go for Apple Watch's fate, Pokémon Go for Apple Watch is finally available for trainers. While the casual audience for the game has died down, this may reignite Apple Watch-equipped trainers. It definitely makes the game easier to play without the need to be focused on a phone. Pokémon Go is available on the Apple App Store for free [Direct Link].

Pokémon Go for Apple Watch Still Coming

This morning, a fake image of an email from Niantic posted on Reddit falsely convinced many people that Pokémon Go for the Apple Watch would be canceled. However, Niantic has publicly announced that development on the Apple Watch port has not ceased. Announced at the iPhone 7 event, Pokémon Go for Apple Watch was supposed to be released in December. The dwindling popularity of Pokémon Go has implied that Niantic may feel that a port is no longer necessary.

Pokémon Go and Starbucks

In hopes to reignite the hype for Pokémon Go, Niantic has made a deal with Starbucks, turning every café into a Pokéstop. In addition, there's a Pokémon Go Frappuccino. This news comes during the week we expect Pokémon Go to add about 100 generation 2 Pokémon. Pokémon Go was also just named the Breakout Hit of the Apple App Store for 2016. Also, Super Mario Run will be releasing next week. It is definitely a big week for Nintendo in mobile gaming.

Pokémon Go Plus: First Impressions

Pokémon Go Plus is the official accessory that complements the App Store phenomenon, Pokémon Go. It can catch Pokémon and obtain items from Pokéstops without opening the app. It can track distance for eggs and Pokémon buddies. When in range of a Pokémon or Pokéstop, the device will vibrate and light up. This is very convenient while driving. However, there are some drawbacks. Pokémon Go Plus will only function about 20 minutes without the app being open. Also, since the catch rate is random, Pokémon with very little CP will run away from you. Because of how many Pokémon you encounter, you go through Pokéballs fast and you'll quickly run out of Pokémon storage space. My biggest complaint is that you don't get any Pokécoins for registering the device. It costs $34.99 and the features don't make the most of that price tag. I would be much happier if they gave me 500 or 1,000 Pokécoins for purchasing the device. Overall, whether you like this product depends on how dedicated you are to Pokémon Go.

Pokémon Go: Appraisal Update

In an effort to keep Pokémon Go players satisfied while game mechanics are being fixed, Niantic updated Pokémon Go with an Appraisal feature. This allows the user to gain insight on their Pokémon's strengths and weaknesses. In my opinion, this isn't very useful to experienced players and is pretty uninformative to newer players, so I see this as just a filler update. I mean, my team leader called my CP 10 Magikarp "above average." Pokémon Go is available from the Apple App Store for free [Direct Link].

Yeah, that's right. Team Mystic for life.

Siri Plays Pokémon Go?

From time to time, Siri will reference pop culture in her responses. Pokémon Go is no exception, which is a bit ironic considering it uses Google Maps. Asking her what her favorite Pokémon may yield one of the following results [Source: viridian-]:

• Hypno ... is ... the ... most ... mesmerizing - hey, wait a minute!
• Geodude, dude.
• Polymaths prefer Poliwags
• Oh, that one right there! Touching his egg! Did you see it?
• I like playing peekaboo with Pikachu.
• My favourite is Abra. No, Kadabra. Actually, Alakazam.
• My heuristic algorithm does not currently support favourtism when it comes to animated creatures.
• That yellow species with an electrostatic tail or veriable angles is rather cute.
• Well, i couldn't exist without electrodes. (Thanks Ralpie)
• "_____", I choose you! (Thanks Dragonilic)
• I believe all Pokemon were created equal. (Thanks BaconLondoner)

Asking Siri if she plays Pokémon Go will yield more responses [Source: 9to5Mac]:

• I like playing peekaboo with Pikac[h]u.
• PokéStop!
• Of course. That’s what it’s all about. Oh, wait, that’s the hoké Pokémon.
• Snorlax. Zzzz. Sorry, what was the question?
• Confining virtual beings inside powerful devices makes me feel funny for some reason.
• Oh, is that why everyone keeps asking what color a Geodude is?
• Chance! Go!
• I’ve been looking in the muck for Muk.
• I like pocket monsters. Pocket assistants, too.
• Just make sure to look both ways. And up and down, too.

Pokémon Go: Third Update

Version 1.3 of Pokémon Go may be it's biggest update yet. First off, if you're traveling above a certain speed, a prompt will be displayed requiring you to acknowledge that you're a passenger before continuing. The nearby screen is now "Sightings" which isn't really different, but it should only display Pokémon within about 700 feet. Sightings is just a feature to hold players over until a better system is made. Bugs were also fixed with how bonus XP was given for special throws. Battery saver mode has been brought back and you can change your username, but only one time. Pokémon Go is available for free from the Apple App Store [Direct Link].

Pokémon Go: Second Update

Today, Pokémon Go was updated with some important features. First, you can customize your avatar after starting the game. To do this, use the customize button in the avatar menu. Also, favorited Pokémon are protected from being accidentally transferred. It's also easier to transfer Pokémon. Finally, because of a glitch with the footstep counter for nearby Pokémon, Niantic has removed the footstep icons for the time being. Pokémon Go is available from the Apple App Store for free [Direct Link].

Pokémon Go: Record Setting Numbers

According to Rene Ritchie of iMore, Pokémon Go has had more downloads in its first week of availability than any other app in the Apple App Store. Keep in mind, it took quite a while for Pokémon Go to be available for most countries to get their hands on. The initial launch was only for the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand. This is truly an amazing feat. What could possibly surpass this?

According to Apple, #PokemonGo has set an @AppStore record with more downloads in its first week than any other app in the Store’s history.

— Rene Ritchie (@reneritchie) July 22, 2016

Pokémon Go: Amazon Web Services

The CTO of Amazon, Werner Vogels, offered Niantic, the developers of Pokémon Go, help with their constantly failing servers. As many know, Pokémon Go servers never seem to work. Right when you catch a new Pokémon, the connection is lost and so is that Pokémon. Other times, you can't sign in at all. Now, this is a big deal because Amazon owns Amazon Web Services, which is a huge provider for hosting servers. It covers a big portion of the internet. In addition, this offer was sincere. It was not poking fun and Vogels legitimately wants Pokémon Go to be stable, for his sake and players around the world.

Dear cool folks at @NianticLabs please let us know if there is anything we can do to help! (I wanted that drowzee) pic.twitter.com/UVwVKA0Lz8

— Werner Vogels (@Werner) July 8, 2016

Why Pokémon Go Has Just Been Released in Canada

Pokémon Go has become a huge phenomenon. It captures the universal appeal of Pokémon and puts it in a freemium app. However, for those outside of Japan, Australia, and the United States of America, people had to wait a while for the game to rollout to their country. Today, the app finally came out in Canada. This sudden influx of users cause servers to crash for many. Servers crashing is nothing new for Pokémon Go. It makes one wonder why it's so popular when you can barely play it for more than 5 seconds at a time. It was this very reason that delayed the Canadian release. Due to servers crashing, the release of Pokémon Go in other countries was delayed.

Pokémon Go: Yelp

When checking into a restaurant today on Yelp, I noticed it asked me if the restaurant was near a PokéStop. Yeah, that tells you a lot about Pokémon Go. Yelp has a new filter that allows you to select results that are close to a PokéStop. Yelp is available in the Apple App Store for free [Direct Link].

"In order to leave no PokéStop unturned, we need your help! To identify a business that's in the vicinity of a PokéStop, check-in to that location on Yelp and answer a quick question to let fellow Yelpers and trainers know that this is the place they want to be. In just the past 24 hours, Yelpers have already identified thousands of PokéStops! With your help, we'll become Pokémon masters in no time."

Pokémon Go: T-Mobile Perks

I've always admired T-Mobile for their Uncarrier initiative. It's ambitious and is great for PR. Of course, there's no denying that the coverage is miniscule. However, starting next Tuesday, T-Mobile will no longer count Pokémon Go data usage against your data plan for a year. Since Pokémon Go is pretty heavy on data usage, this is a big deal. To get in on this, just use the T-Mobile Tuesdays app and redeem the gift. Be sure to do so by August 9, 2016. 

Pokémon Go: First Update

I've always noted there have been some issues with Pokémon Go, but now they may be resolved. Now, there is an update that fixes most of the current issues, including the scope of how much access the app has to your Google account. Be sure to get this update as soon as possible. 

Pokémon Go: Transfer

Since Pokémon Go is becoming so popular, I'll probably do a few posts about it. My first tip to playing the game involves transferring Pokémon. When you catch a Pokémon that you already have, I recommend that you go to the Pokémon menu and find the CP numbers (CP stands for Combat Points) of the Pokémon you caught, and the Pokémon you had before (they should be the same Pokémon, like two Charmanders). Tap on the Pokémon with the lower CP number. Scroll to the bottom and hit the transfer button. This will get rid of that Pokémon in exchange for a candy for that Pokémon. Candies let you evolve and power up your Pokémon. Transferring Pokémon also frees up space in your inventory, as you can only hold 250 Pokémon by default. I hope this helps. 

Pokémon Go: First Impressions

After using Pokémon Go for a bit, I've formed an opinion on the overall game. When it works, it's a lot of fun. However, the servers were so overwhelmed in its first few days, that I was unable to log on for 24 hours. In addition, I found the gym battles weren't that fun, considering the controls were barely explained. The main improvement to be had would be to add more multiplayer and social functionality. While I feel there's room for improvement, this is a great first version. Pokémon Go is available on the Apple App Store for free [Direct Link].

Pokémon Go

Pokémon Go has started rolling out across both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Pokémon Go is an augmented reality smartphone game focused on Pokémon and catching them. It was very highly anticipated until E3 where a demo caused skepticism on how great the game could be. In addition, there's a $35 peripheral called Pokémon Go Plus that allows you to attempt to catch Pokémon without opening the app, which really defeats the purpose of the game if you ask me. Anyways, Pokémon Go is available from the Apple App Store for free [Direct Link].