Summary
Pokemon GOis quite successful, but it goes without saying that it’s time for some gameplay and quality of life changes. Updating the gameplay could make it easier for those that are free-to-play (F2P). WhilePokemon GOis already F2P, the in-game features needed to increase item or Pokemon storage require in-game currency.
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Catching Pokemon is the entire point ofPokemon GO, but there are also features such as Raids, Gyms, and battling Team GO Rocket. While it’s unknown if Niantic will add these quality of life changes in a future update, there are several improvements thatGOtrainers could probably agree on.
8Discard Eggs
Like in mainlinePokemongames, trainers can obtain and hatch Pokemon Eggs. Unlike the mainline games, Pokemon can’t be bred inGO. Instead, they’re obtained from spinning the discs at PokeStops or Gyms. The 2km, 5km, and 10km Eggs can be obtained from Stops/Gyms, but 7km and 12km/Strange Eggs are exclusive to Gifts and Team GO Rocket Leaders.
The downside to Pokemon Eggs is that players can only hold up to 9 at a time. They also have a Bonus Storage, that can store up to 3 of the Strange Eggs (12km). Unlike Pokemon, Eggs can’t be transferred to Professor Willow to make room. They’ll need to be hatched first in order for a spot to open. This can be frustrating as playersmay want a specific Egg, but can’t get one if the storage is full. Furthermore, the time it takes to hatch Eggs varies from player-to-player and ifGOis calculating the distance they’re traveling. It would be easier if players could “transfer” eggs to the professor.
7Higher Appraisal from Pokemon Encounters
Pokemon appear frequently on the map in most areas, so there’s usually something to catch. A Pokemon does not have a level inPokemon GO, but they have Combat Power (CP), which determines their strength and how much easier they are to catch. Once a Pokemon is caught, players can check its Individual Values (IVs) by selecting “Appraisal.” While an Appraisalshouldn’t be the final sayon whether to keep the Pokemon, it can be disappointing wasting 10 Poke Balls to catch a 2000-something CP Pokemon only for it to have 0-star IVs.
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If trainers are really lucky, they may find a Shiny Pokemon. Unfortunately, a different color palette doesn’t protect the Pokemon from potentially low IVs or CP. There are also Huge and Tiny Pokemon, which have their own special “animation” when encountered. As most may have guessed by now, their Appraisals can be pretty disheartening as well. While not every Pokemon in the wild should come packing with 2-3 star Appraisals, it would be nice if the Pokemon that were difficult to catch (1k+ CP), a different size (XXL or XXS), or Shiny had better stats.
6Be Able to Exchange Items
Items are gained from Gifts, completing Research Tasks, or spinning Gyms/PokeStops. Like the Pokemon storage, players can max out their Item Bag, too. They can expand the storage space by 50 for 200 PokeCoins at the shop, but what to do if they’re low on Coins?
Even thoughGOhas a shop, it’s impossible to sell items in exhange for Coins, Candy, etc. Instead, trainers that can’t afford storage space but need to make roomwill have todiscardtheir items. The thing about discarding is that players receive nothing out of it. Considering the amount of Stardust and Candy needed to learn new Charged Moves or Power Up a Pokemon, it would be nice if miscellaneous items could be exchanged for low Stardust. It would be even better if they could be traded in for PokeCoins, but this is even more unlikely.
5Storage Upgrade via Leveling
Trainers' Pokemon Storage and Item Bag do not expand as their Trainer Level goes up. It’s very likely storage is only expandable via PokeCoins to entice trainers to spend real money inGO. The unfortunate part of this is that someGOtrainers in rural areas will see fewer Gyms to leave their Pokemon. This means the only way to increase storage is by spending real money on PokeCoins and save up for more item or Pokemon space.
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Inventory and Pokemon storage should increase at certain levels. Perhaps at level 10 trainers could receive more storage in addition to other items or unlocking the next type of Poke Ball. The next storage expansion could be at level 20 or level 25 so that they’re not too close to one another. It’s very easy to max out on items and Pokemon, so having a way of getting free expansion without relying on Coins/Gyms could benefit most trainers.
4Poke Ball Variety
As of now, the only Poke Balls that can be used to catch a Pokemon are the regular red-and-white Poke Ball, Great Ball, Ultra Ball, and Premier Ball. There’s also the Master Ball,which catches a Pokemon without fail. However, Great Balls and Ultra Balls are not readily available for those just starting theirPokemon GOjourney. They’ll have some leveling to do before they can start collecting them from PokeStops.
In mainlinePokemongames, there are a variety of Poke Balls. Some have a higher catch rate when used at the start of battle, others make it easier to catch Pokemon at night.Having different Poke Ball typesinGOwould make catching a stubborn Pokemon that much less of a chore. There are also trainers who just like catching Pokemon in specific Poke Balls for aesthetic reasons.
3Double Candy from Transferring Evolved Pokemon
Transferring a Pokemon to Professor Willow will net trainers one piece of Pokemon Candy. Sometimes the amount is doubled if there’s an in-game event at the time, but this isn’t common. Pokemon Candy is used for Powering Up, learning new Moves, Evolving, and Purifying Shadow Pokemon. As such, it’s quite important. They’re essentiallyGO’s version of “experience.”
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The downside is that even an evolved Pokemon, an XXL/XXS Pokemon, or even a Shiny Pokemon will give the same amount of Candy. Transferring Raichu is the same as transferring a Pichu: They only give one Pikachu Candy. The amount of Candy earned from transferring should be determined by the Pokemon. A transferred Pikachu can give one Pikachu Candy, but a transferred Raichu should give two Pikachu Candy, since it’s the evolution (or three Candy, if players want to factor in Pichu). Considering fully evolved Pokemon arerare to come by in the wild, it doesn’t seem like a feature such as this would make the game too easy.
2Lower CP for Team GO Rocket Leaders
A common complaint in thePokemon GOcommunity are the Team GO Rocket Leaders. Unlike regular battles, Team GO Rocket Grunts and Leaders always have Shadow Pokemon. These are Pokemon with a menacing aura and red eyes, and their attacks deal double damage at the cost of lower defense. Although, most players wouldn’tknowthe Shadow Pokemon has lower defense thanks to their ridiculously high CP.
Team GO Rocket Leaders (i.e, Arlo, Sierra, Cliff) can have Shadow Pokemon with CP as high as8000, which is as much as a 1-2 Star Raid Pokemon. Their leader, Giovanni, can have Pokemon with evenhigherCP than theirs - especially the Legendary Pokemon he saves at the end. It’s impossible to beat Team GO Rocket Leaders without Pokemon with high CP and good Charged Moves. Furthermore,GORocket Leaders always use Protect Shields, so trainers need to whittle away at those before they can dish out major damage. Of course, Team GO Rocket Leaders and Giovanni are meant to be a challenge, so the overpowered Shadow Pokemon is to be expected. However, it can get frustrating very quickly for players that keep losing one battle after another. Having the Rocket Leaders' CP adjusted to the trainer’s strongest Pokemon might make things a bit easier for casual players.
1Other Methods of Earning PokeCoins
Pokemon GOtrainers already know the value of PokeCoins. They also know that they can only be obtained from Gyms. To get PokeCoins, players need to leave a Pokemon to guard a Gym for a set amount of hours. Once the Pokemon is knocked out, it will return to its trainer with PokeCoins. Players can get up to 50 PokeCoins a day, so if more than one Pokemon comes back at a time, thenGOwill treat it as if the Pokemon was never in the gym.
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The 50 PokeCoins cap has been frustrating to many players, and it doesn’t help that there’s no other free way to get PokeCoins. Those that want more than 50 a day will need to fork over real money at the in-game Shop. There should be other ways to obtain PokeCoins whether it’s through PVP, winning Raids, or kicking Pokemon out of a Gym. The amount earned doesn’t have to be 100+ or anything excessive, but a little pocket change could go a long way. The other alternative is to raise the PokeCoin cap from 50 to something like 100 or even 75 if triple-digits is too generous. Considering PokeCoins areneeded for storage and other goodies, this feature would most likely be welcomed by the community.
