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‘Pokemon GO’ Update Expands Nearby Feature As 8th Great Migration Happens

By Simon Alvarez
Published on: 13:56 PST, Nov 30, 2016

Niantic has just announced the latest Pokemon GO update, expanding the reach of the revamped Nearby Pokemon feature to the rest of the continental United States and several areas in Europe. With the current pace that the developer is taking, it would most likely not be long before the revamped tracker makes it to other regions. As the update rolls out, however, avid Pokemon GO players have noted that the creatures’ nests have begun migrating once more. Amidst what seems like the 8th Great Pokemon Migration, the pressure is on for Niantic to make sure that its new tracker would work as designed.

The official announcement for the Nearby Pokemon feature was posted on the game’s official page, with Niantic assuring players that it would be reviewing the community’s feedback on how effective or ineffective the revamped in-game tracker is. Apart from this, the developer has also stated that it would be making modifications to the feature depending on the PoGO community’s feedback.

These statements have been welcomed greatly by PoGO players, as Niantic finally appeared to be developing the mobile game according to the needs and requests of fans. Previously, Pokemon fans and Pokemon GO players have called out the developer for rolling out new features and updates that were not beneficial for those who were actively playing the game. If any, the revamped Nearby Pokemon feature adds some incentives for players who are accessing the mobile title on a regular basis.

While the revamped Nearby Pokemon feature has been rolled out to new areas in the United States and Europe, players have so far been split on the new tracker’s effectiveness, with some stating that the feature is working flawlessly and others stating that it has caused more problems than before. While there are notable critics of the feature, numerous Pokemon GO players have expressed their appreciation, thanking Niantic for making the in-game tracker much more effective than before.

One thing that Pokemon GO players have pointed out was the fact that the new Nearby Pokemon feature is heavily dependent on Pokestops that are located close to gamers’ locations. This has been noted largely by players who are residing in rural areas, where Pokestops are rare and located far apart. By rolling out the new system, Niantic has made Pokemon GO a far more tedious experience for rural players.

Due to the issues that have been reported because of the new Pokemon GO update, several players in rural areas have called on Niantic to make the new Nearby Pokemon feature optional. After all, for those living in places where Pokestops are rare, the new tracking feature becomes more of a burden than a welcome change. If any, the new Nearby Pokemon feature has ended up limiting the number of Pokemon that users could track.

Unsurprisingly, numerous players have also complained that the new tracker completely disregards Pokemon that are spawning outside the reach of Pokestops. Some have even posted screenshots from their accounts showing Pokemon spawning beside the player that were being detected by the new Nearby Pokemon feature, simply because the creatures were appearing away from Pokestops.

The dependency of the new tracker to Pokestops might very well be one of this new update’s biggest flaws, as there are millions of active players who access the game from areas where the in-game stops are few. While these flaws could simply be bugs in the update, Niantic’s assurance to players that modifications to the new feature would be rolled out depending on the PoGO community’s feedback is encouraging.

As the continental United States and parts of Europe began to adapt to the new Nearby Pokemon feature, avid Pokemon GO fans from The Silph Road have noted that the recent update also triggered mass nest migrations. Details of the current 8th Great Pokemon Migration remain scarce at the moment, but moderators of the Pokemon GO-themed subreddit have put up an Atlas of the new nests in the game. While the data on the Atlas remains very little as of writing, The Silph Road‘s team has stated that it would be updated as reports on the location of the new Pokemon nests come in. Players interested in accessing the Pokemon GO Global Nest Atlas could click here.

With the new update rolling out and with Pokemon nests being migrated once more, it appears that Niantic is gearing up for a massive new change in the game. Rumors of a Pokemon GO Generation 2 rollout have been emerging from the rumor mill for a while now, but considering that Generation 1 legendary Pokemon, as well as trading and PvP features, have not been introduced yet, the chances of a Gen 2 rollout happening within the next couple of weeks are rather slim. Instead, fans of the augmented reality title believe that Niantic would most likely roll out Gen 2 sometime after New Year’s Day, after introducing the Gen 1 legendaries in a special holiday-themed event.

If there is anything that Niantic has so far proven to its players, it is the fact that it is willing to do all it can to keep Pokemon GO as fresh as possible. The consistent updates in the hit mobile title alone are proof of that. With the new Nearby Pokemon tracking feature, another great migration, and the impending rollout of even bigger updates, the next few weeks would undoubtedly be very interesting for Pokemon GO players.

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[Featured Image by Mr Aesthetics/Shutterstock]

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