Did you collect them all?

June 19, 2017 10:26 AM

Hope you managed to cash out of your Pokemon Go gyms this morning, because they've been disabled in preparation for a major overhaul of the game.

Also, spawn points have changed, and Pokemon Go Fest is all set for Chicago, although tickets sold out this morning in just a few minutes.

posted by Brandon Blatcher (45 comments total)

I opened the app when I saw that spawn points have changed and now I have one in my living room. Woo!
posted by roolya_boolya at 10:49 AM on June 19, 2017

Pokemon Blue?
posted by Splunge at 10:51 AM on June 19, 2017 [1 favorite]

The new gym system looks great. Genuinely excited!
posted by roolya_boolya at 10:56 AM on June 19, 2017

Any idea when trading will come online? We're going to the UK this August and my son wants to make new friends by handing out Tauros to all who ask.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 11:10 AM on June 19, 2017 [2 favorites]

We're going to the UK this August and my son wants to make new friends by handing out Tauros to all who ask.

I don't play, nor do I care to, but your son sounds like a cool person.
posted by RolandOfEld at 11:15 AM on June 19, 2017 [12 favorites]

Still no idea on trading. I'm betting they still need to do some anti botting and spoofing stuff behind the scenes.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 11:20 AM on June 19, 2017

Aw, I wonder if the spawn in my living room will have gone. So sad!
posted by tavella at 12:20 PM on June 19, 2017

I'm still playing and think this will be a great change. Gyms in my neighborhood have been stagnant for months. It's all level 10 blissey towers with no room for me and I don't want to make an alt to flip my own teammates out.
posted by Arbac at 1:00 PM on June 19, 2017 [2 favorites]

Living in a rural area, the closest place any spawn to me is 4km away. This was a big disappointment to me when the game came out - I had dreams of sending the kids hunting for Pokemon in the forest where Pokemon should be, but it turns out they would have been hunting for Pokemon outside an outlaw motorcycle club house miles away, which was less than ideal. We quickly gave up playing.

From that reddit thread, it's not entirely clear but it seems the situation is possibly now even worse for people not in densely populated cities?
posted by Jimbob at 1:09 PM on June 19, 2017 [1 favorite]

Oh god am I glad to see the reign of Blisseys coming to an end. Gyms have been impossible for weeks.

At least my Pokedex has been looking pretty good.
posted by olinerd at 1:10 PM on June 19, 2017 [1 favorite]

I'm still surprised they haven't gone with type-themed gyms. E.g., only insect or grass type allowed at Gym X. Not only is it lore appropriate, it would activate a good portion of trash tier 'mons.

Still, this is a good update. My friend who's big into Pokémon is super stoked.
posted by tychotesla at 1:12 PM on June 19, 2017 [3 favorites]

I'm looking forward to this. It isn't just that gyms have become stagnant, it's that out of hundreds of pokemon only a few are actually useful. Like, it's cool I finally managed to evolve a magneton but it's useless in the current system.
posted by LastOfHisKind at 1:16 PM on June 19, 2017 [5 favorites]

Looks like more gyms are being added too. A number of future gym markers are popping up in Savannah, GA! Makes sense, if gyms only hold six slots now, there needs to be more of them to cover the current population.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 1:28 PM on June 19, 2017 [1 favorite]

Gyms will also give out "gym-related" items when they come back (potions and revives, not sure about berries), which will be very nice for those of us with very limited stops around. Though it won't help with being forever short on balls.

Looking forward to the changes and especially the upcoming raids. Though I'm very much hoping that they'll be possible without too much forced interaction with the great unwashed...

FYI, there's tons of detailed info about the upcoming changes on the new Pokemon Go Support page.
posted by randomnity at 3:18 PM on June 19, 2017

Actually, on re-read of the support page, looks like gyms will give out balls too. Hurray!!
posted by randomnity at 3:20 PM on June 19, 2017

Also this strongly suggests legendaries available from Gym Raids.
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 4:17 PM on June 19, 2017

Pokemon Go is pretty useless where I live, because it's not safe for me to walk to the nearest stop or gym, even though they're both within a mile. No sidewalks, busy main road. Still play whenever I travel.
posted by Ruki at 5:51 PM on June 19, 2017

All of this would be just FINE if the damn PTC servers weren't down yet AGAIN. Arrrgh.
posted by gingerbeer at 9:24 PM on June 19, 2017

I don't play, but I am told that some kind of Pokemon thing is on the sidewalk out front of my house. I am getting a kick out of watching people walk up the sidewalk, stop, look at their phone, and go back the way they came. I also see cars cruise very slowly up the street, stop out front, and then drive off. Sometimes they pull into my driveway but the drivers never get out. If I were paranoid I might get upset, but I think it's cute.
posted by elizilla at 7:47 AM on June 20, 2017

I found it interesting to see how the many churches that were either stops or gyms handled that weird drive-by effect. Some of them complained and got the locations removed, some put out signs inviting players to come in and join their services...
posted by Karmakaze at 8:32 AM on June 20, 2017 [1 favorite]

I'm worried that the changes will create an explicit class divide between Valor and the other teams. Valor already has the infrastructure to take advantage the raids and get all the new loot (things like Facebook groups for raid planning, and (or so the stereotype goes) actually spending money on items). As a Mystic member who's given up on gyms altogether and focuses on catching, hatching, and evolving, I'm annoyed that there are no new opportunities to support my play style. Like bonuses for walking certain distances or filling up a certain amount of the Pokedex, or, you know, trading Pokemon or making incubators cheaper occasionally. I worry that Niantic is focusing too much on one type of player at the expense of the rest, and (full disclosure) I care because that "rest" includes me.
posted by WizardOfDocs at 10:53 AM on June 20, 2017 [2 favorites]

dialMforMara - that player is us too! These changes don't do much for us.
posted by mutt.cyberspace at 11:41 AM on June 20, 2017

Dragons, want more dragons. Also kitties.
posted by soakimbo at 8:10 PM on June 20, 2017

Valor isn't unique in having Facebook groups for planning.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:12 PM on June 20, 2017 [1 favorite]

Good thing they are going to make the gyms spinnable for items, because they're turning some of the Pokestops in my area into gyms, so they're annoyingly inaccessible.

And it seems like the Fire and Ice event is ongoing for as long as it's taking them to get the new gyms finished?
posted by angeline at 7:21 AM on June 21, 2017 [1 favorite]

No, the event is (re) scheduled to end in about 2 hours from now, though the events often run overtime randomly.

No official release time yet for the gyms but it should be within the next few days, according to what their reps have been saying on reddit.
posted by randomnity at 11:09 AM on June 21, 2017 [1 favorite]

Yeah, I'm in a local Mystic facebook group, but I don't go on gym raids because I am a high school teacher and I don't want to accidentally make plans to hang out with teens from the internet. (Even though the teens I know assure me that only their moms still play.)
I'm in the group to hear game updates without having to try to hear game updates.
posted by MsDaniB at 3:10 PM on June 21, 2017 [2 favorites]

The theory is once the update has been pushed to all countries and regions, they'll force everyone to update to it and make gyms live. No idea when that'll happen though, a few weeks at the most probably.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 8:56 PM on June 21, 2017

All the teams are fairly organized near me. I'm in a big private Mystic group, a smaller town specific Mystic chat with our own scanning bot sending notifications for rare spawns, and a county-wide all team discord channel. I know the other teams have a similar setup. We had even worked out small truce sections around town so each team's raiding parties would have some guaranteed gyms each day. Plus there's a group of players that host regular lure parties at some local hotspots. Raids should be pretty fun around here :)
posted by Arbac at 9:22 AM on June 22, 2017

Annnnd new gyms are live!!

Get out there and try them out, trainers!
posted by randomnity at 1:17 PM on June 22, 2017

I'm not normally one for gyms, but I admit finding six of them right after opening was pretty fun.
posted by Margalo Epps at 1:42 PM on June 22, 2017

I've continued to enjoy this game, largely because of the frequent special events. But I also like gym play, which my partner showed me how to do. On my own I would never have even tried, given the small size of my monsters-- in theory I really shouldn't be able to play at all, but it seems to be sort of a rock-paper-scissors thing. It seems like it will be quite fun if more different kinds of pokemon are able to come into play. As basic as the animation is, I love the different skills they have, like the rhinos' stone edge, or the way the machamp seems to be punching holes in a pane of glass.
posted by BibiRose at 2:13 PM on June 22, 2017

Having played one afternoon, so far I hate the changes to gym play. First, it's more time consuming to take down a gym with only one Pokemon in it. Second, I want my coins! I don't want to earn them by staying in the damn gym. The new animations are nice, and I do like getting supplies at the gyms. I guess the emphasis is really playing with another team member now. I just don't do that.
posted by gladly at 5:48 AM on June 23, 2017 [1 favorite]

Yeah I don't know how it's going to work out for me in gyms now. In the past, I have mainly gotten into gyms by upping their prestige until I can slip in, or my partner and I take one down and then one of us goes in. Sadly, my partner is a different team than me. Should one of us start a new account on the other one's team, maybe?
posted by BibiRose at 7:14 AM on June 23, 2017

This afternoon was whirlwind of emotion and activity. Coins went from 1 an hour to 1 every ten minutes, then the daily cap was halved to 50. All this while Raids were introducted to various levels of players,
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 7:48 PM on June 23, 2017

I really like that the daily cap means there isn't an incentive for hardcore players to get into ten gyms. I'm so used to the level ten Mystic in all directions... Today I saw a yellow gym with one Pokémon in it and ran down to add mine (and feed theirs) and they are crazily still in there. When I've played the gyms before, I hit the coin thing in the store as quickly as possible, because low level gyms are overturned in a matter of seconds around here. I wasn't sure this change was going to make gyms more fun, but so far, yes. (Also, my Pokémon wasn't returned during the raid; it was still/back in the gym when the raid was done. It's motivation was lower, but I don't know if it'll count towards coins.)
posted by Margalo Epps at 8:36 PM on June 23, 2017

Okay, I've played in gyms more now, and I think they've tweaked the play enough that the actual battles are okay. I have no idea how many coins I should get when one of my guys makes it back. Not very much is what I'm seeing. That kind of sucks, but at least I get Niantic's motivation for that. I did win two raids, and they were fun with a big XP reward too. I'm traveling on Monday and Tuesday, and I'm kind of psyched about collecting other badges. I need secret Poketime away from my coworkers!
posted by gladly at 4:22 PM on June 25, 2017 [1 favorite]

The current rate for coins is 1 coin for every ten minutes in a gym, with a daily max of 50 coins.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:18 PM on June 25, 2017 [2 favorites]

How are we feeling about raids, peeps? It seems to encourage my less-favored style of play, which is my husband driving me around while I play for both of us. At least that way, though, we end up getting a good idea about which is the best raid for our one free daily raid pass.

I like the idea, floated on TheSilphRoad Reddit, that level 1 raids should be free.

I have played two Machamp raids and one Bayleef raid (which I regret, tbh). They're fine! Totally okay.

I lack a Tyranitar. I'd be psyched about a raid for one of them.
posted by purpleclover at 9:48 PM on June 25, 2017

Raids are great. Gymhuntr tracks raids now, so that's helped eliminate the need to aimlessly drive around. My area has a local raiding chat group now too, where people can call out raids and organize groups. I got a snorlax today! Anyone in Orange County, CA hit me up for an invite into the Facebook chat. All teams welcome.
posted by Arbac at 10:04 PM on June 25, 2017

Raids are meh. But i'm level 40, so....

I can pay a dollar for the chance at a better version of a 'Mon I already got, wheee! But actually meeting other players can be nice and TMs are a great prize. At this point I'm trying them solo to see how far I get.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 3:34 AM on June 26, 2017

I haven't tried any raids yet-- it's too much of a pain in trying to get there when one is available.

I have been enjoying gym battles. I was a little miffed when my Blissey was in a gym all day and got zero coins. It would have been 50-- the daily cap-- expect it turned out my last pokemon had been kicked out just after midnight the same day and collected 50. If anything, I'll have an easier time getting coins now. I never had 5 pokemon parked in gyms, and I had trouble remembering when it was time to collect, or it was 3am.

I am loving having a bigger variety of characters in play. I get to park my very weak Blissey and my Muk in gyms and have them stay a while. It's rather heartrending to me when I see that they asked for berries and did not get them and got kicked out. Bad Pokemom!
posted by BibiRose at 6:05 AM on June 26, 2017 [1 favorite]

I'm loving the raids - so far I've done an electabuzz and eggecutor (both very easy with 2 level 35 players) and a snorlax, also very easy because we lucked into a group of 6 very high level players just about to start when we got there. We really really wanted to do a tyranitar but nobody was around and we knew we couldn't take it alone.

Thrilled about the snorlax itself (I've only caught/ hatched 3 before, I think?). Rewards are pretty great too - I was lucky to get 2 TMs between the 3 raids, plus some golden razz and rare candy.

New gym system and especially the 50 coin cap I'm not so thrilled about yet, but I'll wait and see how they shake out after the system's more final.
posted by randomnity at 10:38 AM on June 26, 2017 [2 favorites]

4 high levels failed to get a Tyranitor, though I say it's because 2 of use were glitching out. Only missed it by 10-20 seconds. I refuse to say whether I was one of the four or just mocked them for a hour.

Note: DO NOT use a Ditto when fighting a Tyranitor, even as an experiment. It won't work.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 11:14 AM on June 26, 2017 [4 favorites]

Yesterday my partner and I were able to do a Magmar raid, just the two of us, won and both got the Magmar. That is potentially really fun. I was a little disappointed that we were in a park that's a hub for the game, and saw no other players looking for raids. Some kids dropping lures and hunting, but no one by the gyms. Maybe people use up their one daily raid pass and stop?

My partner was going by a cemetery the other day, and saw a burial taking place, with some of the mourners apparently participating in a raid.
posted by BibiRose at 5:45 AM on June 27, 2017