WHY?

I am surprised. I just watch a full from full circle to small and focus on where the small circle is and throw to that. Usually it’s middle of the face.

I started this entry back in May around the time of the Regionals and never got back to it in time to publish at the time. There are research quests that I just wish would not be for one reason or another. Some have resolved themselves. Others, not so much.

In the Kanto Timed Research, we had to complete a raid in order to get past step #2. With the Remote Raid Passes (which is a misnomer I covered at least somewhat here), the powers that be thought that everyone could very easily participate in a raid. Not so fast… I know I can since I have 1 gym in my home screen. However, it was a Darkrai and a 4* the first couple of days. If that was all I was getting, I would have to pretty much waste a pass on a battle I could not win on my own in order to move on. I do know a couple of other players who may have access to that gym, but I only know them as in-game friends and not as friends I can contact. I don’t know anyone else who would go to that gym… it’s the one of the side of the highway I mentioned previously and is a pain to get to. It’s not in a good location to play at on a regular basis (as least in my experience). I was fortunate enough to see an easy 3* (Scyther… and I have an All-Star Rhyperior army) where I could remote raid and win easily. The more rural of my fellow players or someone who lives in a planned neighborhood where there are no gyms in site would have an even harder time, especially at that time where many were under travel restrictions. At least for the other Regionals did not have the requirement to play in a raid. Hopefully none of these types of researches will be required until we are clear of this situation.

Something else that has been on my mind in the past and at least so far has been kept away from the non-new player quests is the “make x” new friends quest. Especially after the newbie quests where these were front and center, I thought these would make a comeback in some other quest lines. Fortunately, this has not come up and hopefully never will come up again. I have made in-game friends with the majority of the people I play with on a regular basis, either on Wednesday Night Raids or random meets on the weekends. I do occasionally add people through groups or playing in different areas. I try to find a community if I will be in an area for some reason that is not a home base. If nothing else, 5* Raids are great no matter where they are. For those in more rural areas than mine, there is a lower pool of people. Sure there are ways to make friends through some places where we can trade codes, but I would rather not have to stoop to this.

There are a few Daily Researches that I find annoying… I doubt that these will change, but I don’t like them. Yes, I know to trash them, but with limited Pokestops that I can get to on a normal basis, even one trash is a significant amount. These are not in any particular order

• Trade a Pokemon – If I see other players on a weekday, that is a minor miracle. This does not count Wednesday, but that is more for raid night and sometimes I trade… sometimes I don’t that day. Weekends it’s rare to trade. So getting this done is a pain.
• Evolve/Power Up a Pokemon – Look, I get that it’s a part of the game. However, this is something I want to do on my own time at my own pace. I am walking 20k/candy characters now… and with the lack of raids I have been doing recently, it’s not easy getting rare candies. That and I don’t want to power up/evolve any random character. It’s just annoying as all get out to have to do something I don’t want to so I can do a daily research.
• Win a raid. Especially before the Remote Raid Passes, this was very difficult in the current situation. I can’t imagine for the more rural players who don’t have a gym in site. Until the remote raid passes become truly remote, these should not be a part of the line up.
• Catch a dragon type. Unless dragon types come out more than once in a long while in the wild, this is more frustrating than it is worth. I have been playing 13 months and am still 62 from the Dragon Tamer Gold Badge if that tells you anything. A lot of that is helped by raids. Otherwise, I would be 100+ to go.
• Catch a Ditto. Likewise, way too random for my taste. What’s left that CAN become Ditto anyway?

What are some of your least favorite researches? Let me know in the comments section. Thanks for reading and please do sign up to get updates on my postings via email. Sometimes I make entries that I do not mention on Social Media for whatever reason, like one from earlier today.

Prior to the current situation, there were special events known as Ex-Raids. You may see reminders of these times when you encounter a gym that has in the upper left corner “Ex-Raid Gym”. See the above picture. These were Invitation Only special raids that ran weekly. Most of the ones I have been invited to were on a weekend, but sometimes on a weekday or weeknight. I have heard that these are timed up to try to be a known busy time of the week for a certain gym.

Ex-Raids are meant to be a reward to players who are active at a certain gym during a given week or two. I have gotten invites in the past for being active at a local gym. Usually it was because of either gym battles and/or placing a defender in a gym that is already my color. I have heard that preferences are given to those who have the gym gold, prior raiding at a site, and participate with larger raid parties as well. (I imagine those are for more urban sites, as I was able to get invites often, sometimes from places I only played once in a while). Players can also get an invite from a Ultra (3*) or higher friend who got an invite to an Ex-Raid. Players can carry their own invite and a friend’s invite for a total of 2 eligible Ex-Raids at a time. Hopefully these will come back once the entire situation is over.

The first reason for me is that the Ex-Raids brought together players who might not have otherwise met up. I remember seeing some people who were regulars from Wednesday Night Raids at a few Ex-Raids. Seeing them on the weekends was nice since Ex-Raids were a bit more social in the group I was with. I know I showed up a bit early to the Ex-Raid to get ready and chat up with friends. The battle ensued, and then after it was some more socializing. There were also some other people who I did not see on Wednesday and it was good meeting some new people too. I also remember meeting some people at other Ex-Raids I would not have met and played with at other sites I don’t go to on a regular basis. I also will say that at least one Ex-Raid was the basis for a date with my Fiancee, which is good so she met some of the people I know from around here. I also remember an Ex-Raid where I brought a friend to where he never knew about the park where I like to play outdoors. Some of our mutual friends now play there too, since there are not too many good places to play for a longer period of time in our area. Pokemon Go is a good social activity to meet people we never would have otherwise. If nothing else, at least there is something to talk about and be social about. I know all types play, but for me, this is great so I can meet more and other people.

Secondly, Ex-Raids bring out exclusive Pokemon characters that are not available in the regular 5* raids for a time after introduction. They were a bit of a badge of honor to be able to get those Pokemon before the general public. These were also stronger Pokemon so it always took more than just 3 or 4 highly rated players to take down, so there was a sense of teamwork and accomplishment. I enjoyed getting the special Pokemon characters that I knew would not be released generally. The characters have been helpful with gym fights and other parts of the game.

Ex-Raids also helped get me out and going somewhere on some weekends where I would have not gone out and walked around a bit afterwards. If nothing else, there are those health benefits. Sometimes a push like that is all one needs to go and walk/play.

I am truly hoping that once this whole situation is resolved, we can get back to having Ex-Raids. I was hoping that the Pinsir Raid Day would have been a step towards Ex-Raids to getting Ex-Raids back, but we took a side step with the cancellation. Ex-Raids were some of the best parts of Pokemon Go to me. Getting the special characters is nice. Getting out with people I sometimes see only at these events was fun. I know there needs to be a week or two to get the qualifications back to where they need to be to get invitations out. Let’s enjoy these special events as soon as we can again!

The Guaranteed Spawns have been decent, but never noteworthy until today…

Sometimes I do not always remember to discuss everything I want to before publishing… yesterday was one

I have been noticing a lot more variety in the Pokemon pool lately. I have caught Slakoth, Snorlax, Dwebble, and Tangela lately which are not common in my experience. It’s nice to see some different Pokemon. Keep this up, Niantic!

Also, my lead Rhyperior got to Ultra Buddy, becoming #7 to make that mark. Now for the hard part, 150 Buddy Hearts without doing a lot of walking. I don’ t need any Rhyhorn candies, so why walk it? Reshiram made it to Great Buddy, which becomes #12. I am working a couple of other Rhyperiors, Darkrai (which I was working prior to Reshiram), and a Vaperon (Perfect).

I heard about these “Mega-Evolutions”… I do not quite understand everything about this. Remember, I come as a Role-Player, not a Pokemon Fan. I’m guessing that in a trainer battle Pokemon can get the CP like some of the NPC Pokemon? Hopefully before this is released, Niantic will provide a guide and/or Leek Duck will provide a graphic and explain this to me and all the other players who do not understand this fully.

The stickers for the envelopes are nice… but pay per sticker HARD PASS

Hopefully tomorrow will be more fun than I expect. I am not a Weedle fan.

All the best in your Pokemon Go adventures!

So far this week we have had a lot of new things in Pokemon Go. My thoughts follow.

Today I got a new kind of incense that Professor Willow found (at least that is the storyline). It looks like now every day I will be getting one home spawn no matter what. This is a great new addition to the game so that we can continue to get the every day catch a Pokemon bonus. I like this since I don’t get home spawns without the increased incenses. This will also be great for the more rural players as well since many may have a longer commute (walk or drive) than I do to a Pokestop and/or Gym. Anything that makes catching at least the daily Pokemon is a good thing. Two caveats though, at least so far from what I can tell having it for one day only.

• I sure hope that the Pokemon does not run away on you. I believe that this is supposed to be a player’s catch of the day. I caught mine first try today…
• I sure hope that this is not in lieu of the strong incense we have now. The way this new feature is worded has me worried – calling it an incense. Hopefully this is just a wording issue and is just me overthinking things. I have said it before, but it bears repeating that before this situation, the incenses did not attract Pokemon to me at home. I am glad that I can do a home game to get a day’s worth of Pokemon with the improved incense. I truly hope Niantic keeps the strong incense as part of the quality-of-life updates. This was not spelled out in the recent news update one way or the other. Until this is spelled out, I will campaign for it. This helps all players, especially those in more rural and rural suburban areas.

Speaking of the quality-of-life updates (I discussed what I wanted kept here), Niantic announced that most of the updates will be maintained. Hooray for increased distance to spin Photo Discs and get into gyms for raids and fighting to take over gyms. This will allow for more people to get into to a raid without having to use a Remote Raid Pass (unless they want to) and will also allow for larger raid parties. Gifts storage and opening will remain increased which is good. Hopefully buddies will continue to go to local Pokestops and Gyms to collect Gifts. The walking requirement will “eventually” come back as well. I have discussed this in the past, I was hoping that the walking requirement would be eliminated… or at least reduced. We shall see what happens.

What was left unsaid is also telling. I will repeat my disappointment that nothing was stated about the increased incense effectiveness. I also know that the 1/2 distance eggs and the double length incense probably will not last forever. However, it would be nice if there was a definitive announced end date for the 1/2 distance eggs and double length incenses.

I also got a daily free box today as a part of the testing. I like this as a nice little bonus of some in-game staples. This, along with the daily bonus gift from Great Buddies are very helpful to making game play a little easier and more fun overall. This will be great for newer players as well. Good job.

Very nice seeing Galarian Farfetch’d added, even if for a couple of days. I caught a few. Serious question though for anyone who knows the Pokemon Universe better than I do: Why do only some show up in the Pokedex (eg. Obstagoon and Perrserker) from Galar and not all of them? Makes no sense to me, but I come in to this game more from a Role Playing angle and not a Pokemon fan angle.

I also got my ticket for July 25 & 26. I am looking forward to this two day event. I hope to get some new Pokemon out of this and maybe some more of my favorites… and some shinies!

Hopefully more good news soon!

Today I caught my 3rd most wanted Shiny first thing when I got out to play today.

Sunflowers are my favorite, so this is meaningful. Funny thing is, I was taking about wanting this with my Fiancee yesterday.

#1 and #2? Shiny Wailmer (my favorite Pokemon) and Shiny Machamp (The Incredible Hulk).

A few months ago, I discussed Spotlight Hour and some ideas to improve it. Many things have changed since then. I have been able to play at least some on Tuesday Nights more. One major factor being that the sun is out later. Remember, where I live there are no sidewalks or street lights. Even though my side roads are low traffic, it is still dangerous to walk outside in the dark. Also helping is that the incenses have become much better. Prior to this, I could not get any Pokemon to come by my house. Now I at least get a decent amount. Now if I need to stay home for whatever reason, I can still participate. I hope that this will continue beyond the current situation, so I can play on less than ideal days to go out as well as in the Winter when daylight is short. Yes, the main point of the game is outside, but there are other considerations that can prohibit gameplay.

Spotlight Hour has definitely come a long way from its roots. The original Spotlight Hour was just an increased spawn rate. Sometimes, it was a specific Pokemon. Others it was a general increase, which seemed to run contrary to the Spotlight idea. There was also a Mystery Bonus Hour on Thursday Nights, which was “double catch candy” and the like. This was regular spawn, so maybe players had a chance to get the specials. These were combined to become one much better hour on Tuesday Nights. This makes great sense to allow players one unified hour to play and get great bonuses. Also, I do like that Thursday Night is also freed up to play more causally and/or tend to other important non-Pokemon Go things.

With the combined night, some of the the rewards are worthwhile. Double Catch Stardust (especially with a Star Piece to kick that up another notch) and double XP day (especially for those of under Level 40) make those Tuesday early evenings worth the effort. However, double catch candy is not always worth it (sorry, Poochyena and Kricketot) and double transfer candy really isn’t a whole lot either for me at least. I usually catch and release right away. I have thought of some alternatives that can be explored. These are in no particular order.

I stand by the idea that sometimes the spotlight should be on those Pokemon that would help players out on some of their quests. Bronzor in a recent spotlight during the Sinnoh Regional was a good example. Steel Pokemon was difficult to find in my experience during this time. I got lucky to find a Shadow Magnemite before Tuesday of Sinnoh week. At least if you had to wait until Tuesday for Bronzor, you had a good chance to finish the week’s researches to qualify for the Championship event without paying for it. Onyx is great for those who need the Excellent Throw or the 5 Great Curveballs in a row. Also, Onyx is great for the newer players to learn how to throw a curveball on or to try throwing a curveball in the opposite direction of one’s normal curveball motion. There is also the XP boosts from the great and excellent throws which are helpful. Magmar is another example of a great Pokemon for such quests. Rolling these out once in a while would help many players.

Another idea that would work out is introducing certain shinies during Spotlight Hour. I’m looking at YOU, Vulpix and Sandshrew. Community Day was not the right time for either of you or any other single evolution characters. A Spotlight Hour is perfect. I don’t want a dozen shinies of either of those characters, and we certainly don’t need 1000+ candies. I would like to have one or two of both regular and Alolan Vulpix and Sandshrew shiny to evolve. Other one evolution new shiny characters can be introduced similarly.

I would like to see a “Happy Hour” where odds of certain desirable Pokemon are reduced and is announced as such. I have heard before that during Spotlight Hour the shiny rate is reduced if the spotlight character has a shiny, but not officially. It would be nice for it to be official. The 91+% IV should not be handed out easily, but a small increase would make the hunt more fun. Also, a Spotlight Hour for candidates for best Great and Ultra League PvP Pokemon would be helpful. I have no idea of what to look for. Some people say a certain Attack/Defense/Hit Point combination is ideal. I do not know, but it would be helpful for the causals to PvP to put up a decent fight against the hardcore players. This would have been great for the extra Tuesday we had this month and for other 5 Tuesday months, as we get 4 per year.

Weather Boost Hour. All the Pokemon caught during the hour are weather boosted no matter what the weather. The game auto-detects weather, so it may not be easy to implement. There could also be a way to simulate this by making all Pokemon a certain guaranteed level (how about 20 or 25) for the hour. The weather boost would then be negated for the hour. Granted, I still would want the extra 25 Stardust per catch, but that can be worked out.

I know that the original post states that General Spawn is a lousy idea. Remember, back then the Spotlight Hour was a stand alone event. At least now there is a bonus with the spotlight, so this makes more sense to have general spawns. Maybe then the extra catch candy would be worth it for more players.