Virginia’s Smithfield Police Department invited eight ‘random citizens’ to catch super-rare Ditto in their processing room, after New Hampshire police employed same tactic.
There can’t be any doubts now of Pokémon Go’s world domination – even the police are getting in on the action.
A police station in Virginia is using its Facebook page to invite “random citizens” to try and catch a super-rare Pokémon in their processing room.
It’s worth noting no one has actually caught Ditto in the game yet, but that’s not what the police are hoping get caught – their “random citizens” all have outstanding warrants .
The administrator of Smithfield Police Department’s page Sgt. Bryan Miller told The Virginian Pilot he decided to make a list of eight people with outstanding warrants a little more exciting. “I have a sense of humour,” he said. “I had no idea it was going to be this big.” He added he wasn’t expecting anyone to actually turn up.
Of course, this isn’t even the first time this has happened since Pokémon Go was released.
Two weeks ago, police in New Hampshire did the same but with a Charizard – another sought after Pokémon.
While it’s unlikely any of the “lucky” few named in either post will actually come forward, police have actually already caught one criminal thanks to Pokémon Go.
A man in Detroit cycled to his local police station, which was also a gym in the game, to play. Unfortunately for him, police officers recognised him as someone with an arrest warrant.
As the Pokémon Go phenomenon marches on, players are increasingly turning to fan-made apps in their quest to catch 'em all.
It's no wonder why — as players keep overloading the game's server capacity, Pokémon Go developer Niantic seems to have turned off critical Pokémon-tracking features just to keep up. It means that these outside apps are often the only way to know where any given Pokémon is hiding.
So let's just say it off the top: using these apps is cheating and might get you banned. The vast majority of these apps are explicitly against Niantic's rules, and if you use them, there's a very good chance they'll ban your Pokémon Go account permanently.
Here's the pertinent part of Pokémon Go's policy, buried about halfway through. You agreed to this policy when you signed up for the game, even if you didn't read it. It says you cannot:
"...attempt to access or search the Services or Content, or download Content from the Services through the use of any technology or means other than those provided by Niantic or other generally available third-party web browsers (including, without limitation, automation software, bots, spiders, crawlers, data-mining tools, or hacks, tools, agents, engines, or devices of any kind)...."
That also covers stuff like GPS spoofing, a technique that some players are using to trick their phones into thinking they are where they're not, meaning they can catch Pokémon from around the globe while sitting on their couch. Once Niantic figures them out, it's likely to be Bye-Bye, Butterfree.
The good news is, some mapping tools like the mega-popular Pokevision, which works with a web browser, or PokeNotify, an app for Android, don't require you to use any login. So they won't know it's you.
Both services are very popular: PokeNotify tells Business Insider that its app has been downloaded 120,000 times; 16 million people used PokeVision in the first six days it was available.
But another Niantic's terms of service also prohibits "extract, scrape, index, copy, or mirror," meaning they'd be within their rights to shut down Pokevision and PokeNotify, too. That goes for iPhone apps like the similar PokeWhere, as well.
The absolute best tools, like PokeDetector for Android, can actually send you push notifications or texts when rare Pokémon appear in your vicinity.
But they require you to enter a game account login, since that's how it accesses the Pokémon location data. Plus, some of them charge for premium services, like this screenshot of PokeDetector offering you a Premium upgrade so you can choose which Pokémon you get notified about.
That's another no-no according to Niantic. Be warned.
And while savvy players are creating throwaway, one-
time use accounts just for the app, lots of players are using their main Pokémon Go account. And whether you're using a Google account or a Pokémon Trainer's Club account to log in, Niantic can definitely see what you're doing.
So, yes, it's frustrating that Pokémon Go is currently broken to the point where it's way harder than it needs to be to find hidden Pokémon. Just know that you're taking your account and your future Pokémon journeys into your own hands if you use them.
And while the Pokémon Go servers are all funky, it's still pretty legit to use "Ingress," Niantic's previous game, as a tool to help hunt rare Pokémon. Here's how.
Niantic did not respond to a request for comment, but we'll update if we hear back.
If you want to evolve the perfect pokémon these are the advanced techniques and insider secrets you have to know about…
It’s been out for over two weeks now, so either you’ve already given up on Pokémon GO and are sick of hearing about it (in which case we don’t know why you’re reading this) or you need to go deeper.
On the face of it Pokémon GO is an extremely simple game, with nothing like the depth of gameplay of the console titles. But although that’s true, the pokémon themselves have lots of hidden stats that work in a very similar way to the DS and 3DS games.
Everyone knows about the elemental types for pokémon and their moves, but there are also secret, hidden stats that determine their CP (Combat Power) rating and how well they do in gym battles. And that’s only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Pokémon GO’s hidden features…
Attack, Defense, and Stamina
Tap on your pokémon for info and you won’t find any mention of Attack, Defence, and Stamina stats, but that doesn’t mean they’re not there. These stats are the same for every pokémon of the same species and explain why, no matter how much you power them up, a Rattata is never going to be a powerhouse like a Snorlax or a Lapras.
The Attack and Defense stats are pretty straightforward, but the Stamina one is what limits your secondary special move in battles. The higher that stat the faster the special bar will fill and allow you to perform the move.
Since the stats are the same for each species you can bone up on each pokémon long before you enter battle and determine which is worth concentrating on. All of the pokémon are detailed here on fan site Silph Road, which also allows you to sort them by individual and combined stats (no surprise, Mewtwo is the best overall).
Individual Values
This is where things get really serious. Individual values (IV) have been a thing in Pokémon for years now, but so-called IV training is so hardcore that even most console players don’t do it. And it was quite a shock to find that it’s actually a part of Pokémon GO.
Remember when we said the Attack, Defense, and Stamina stats are the same for each species? Well, that’s true but each individual pokémon also has an extra set of individual values for those three stats that can have a rating of 0 to 15.
The problem is though, there’s no way to know exactly what they are. Except the fans at Siph Road have worked out a method to guesstimate the Stamina and combined Attack and Defence.
Just visit this site and follow the instructions about entering the IV Rater info for your trainer and the pokémon you want to test. Hit RATE MY POKÉMON! And you’ll be told what its IV is likely to be.
Once you’ve done that you can pick which pokémon in your collection are the most powerful. Although bear in mind what their moves are as well, because you could still have one with a high IV but relatively useless moves.
When to evolve
One of the big decisions in the console Pokémon games is when to evolve your pokémon. Because if you do it straight away you can miss out on earning them extra moves and an increased stat bonus when they finally do evolve. But that at least is not a factor in Pokémon GO.
The CP boost you get in Pokémon GO when evolving a pokémon does not depend on what level you are as a trainer, but instead what species the pokémon is and the other hidden stat info we’ve already covered.
Or at least that’s the current theory. No one involved in the game has actually told anyone any of this, and all the info has come from fans experimenting and working things out. So it could be that discoveries will be made in the future that reveal further secrets. If you want to keep up with the cutting edge of Pokémon GO theory then it’s best to join an online community on Reddit or elsewhere.
Grind House
The other important fact that separates the pros from the wannabes is the realisation that until you reach at least trainer level 20 it’s more or less pointless to power up any of your pokémon.
The reason for this is simple: as you level up your trainer you’ll automatically start to find stronger and rarer pokémon and trying to keep the ones you’ve got up to speed just isn’t worth the Stardust and Candy you’ll spend on them.
The best thing to do instead is a trick involving a Lucky Egg (which doubles all the XP you earn for 30 minutes) and evolving as many pokémon as possible at once – which in itself generates large amounts of XP.
You can industrialise the whole process by collecting as many Pidgey, Weedle, and Caterpie as possible (because they need only 12 Candy to evolve – the lowest amount in the game) and then using a Lucky Egg and getting a massive XP boost that way.
There’s even a website app to calculate how much you can get at once. Keep doing that and you’ll get to level 20 much more quickly, and then you can start worrying about powering up your star pokémon.
Further tips
There’s lots of other top tips for those that play to win with Pokémon GO. From learning how to ensure what your Eevee evolves into, to making sure you get Pikachu as a starter pokémon.
It’s also fairly easy to trick your phone into thinking you’ve walked more than you have (in order to hatch your eggs) by either keeping the game turned on all the time when you’re in the office or at home, or by strapping it to your dog so it does all the work.
The other major weapon in a profession Pokémon GOer’s arsenal is one of the various maps that show you exactly where pokémon are around you and how long they’ll stay there for. The Pokémon Radar app was one of the first to appear but Pokévision is particularly good for keep an eye on things when you’re supposed to be working.
3D-printed case works as a target to help people aim better with Pokéballs
Was devised by a design student who is now selling it online for £4.90
Player Sam Clark doesn't need one - he has caught all the UK Pokémon
Gamer showed off monsters and thinks he's first to catch them all in UK
If you have bought into the hype of Pokémon Go, but struggle to capture the virtual monsters with a single swipe of your finger, a new phone case could help.
A design student has made a 3D printed plastic case for the iPhone that acts like a guide and target to help hapless gamers snare Pokémon more easily.
However, one person who definitely doesn't need one is Sam Clark, from Southampton, who claims to be the first player in the UK to catch 'em all.
The gamer walked 225km to snare all 142 Pokémon available in the UK and has even lost weight as a result.
Australian industrial design student Jon Cleaver invented his iPhone case for less skilful players.
The aim of the augmented reality game is to search for and capture every Pokémon, or monster by collecting Pokéballs which can be thrown to trap the fantastical creatures, most famously including Pikachu.
Called the Pokémon Aimer, the case covers part of the screen, leaving a long vertical slit in the middle which acts a guide for throwing Pokéballs and capturing monsters.
The design stops users' fingers slipping sideways, leaving them frustrated as they are unable to add to their collection of virtual miniature monsters.
He said the case, which also cleverly contains design features of a Pokéball, almost guarantees a perfect throw.
Mr Cleaver is selling the Pokémon Aimer case for £4.90 ($6.44), but the template is available free online so fans can print their own.
The massively popular augmented reality game has quickly swept the world and people have been just as quick to create aids and hacks to give themselves an edge over other players since it launched earlier this month.
These include software hacks that let users change their GPS location to anywhere in the word in order to capture new Pokémon, to hands-free gadgets for Pokémon hunting missions.
Just one day after its release in the US - days before the app was available in the UK - Pokémon Go had already been installed on more Android devices than Tinder and closed rank on twitter too.
It was revealed that players are spending more time trying to catch Pokémon in the real world than they are using other popular apps, including WhatsApp and Instagram.
It’s the summer of Pokémon Go, and if you’re the singer of O.G. American theme from the ‘90s T.V. show, you’ve got to step up and (re)claim your rightful place.
The man is Jason Paige, and he’s an accomplished professional singer with a pretty legit résumé featuring other bits ‘90s kids likely remember, like that Mountain Dew “Bohemian Rhapsody” commercial. Recently, he walked back into the studio for a new video recording of the classic theme. Below, watch him do his vocal parts along with the original track; it’s so close to the original you can hardly tell he’s doing a re-take.
Players of Pokémon Go can end up walking for hours before finding the monster they were looking for. To help them target their hunt, developers have created a map that shows the location of Pokémon across the world in real time.
The map is called Pokévision and it uses publicly available data from Niantic Labs, the company that created the game along with Nintendo and the separate Pokémon company, to display where the creatures are at a given moment and how much longer they'll be there.
To search for the augmented reality critters using the map, go to the Pokévision website. There are two ways to scan the map. You can either click on it to drop a location marker and then press "scan" to show the Pokémon nearby. Or you can enter the location where you want to hunt into the search bar, and navigate around the map to see which Pokémon are hiding where.
The Pokémon are displayed on the map with a timer to show how much longer they will be in that location for. Once the timer reaches zero it is likely that the monster will have disappeared.
"Rarer Pokémons have a shorter appearance time so they might despawn. Make sure to be quick and keep an eye on timers," the makers of Pokevision warn.
The map doesn't show Pokémon that spawn because of a lure or incense, as only individual users can see those. And players can't, unfortunately, search by Pokémon type.
Unlike other maps, such as Pokémapper, Pokévision uses the official app's API to scan for Pokémon. This means it can only scan once every 30 seconds and it doesn't work whenever Pokémon Go's servers are down. The normal scan time is five to 15 seconds, according to Pokévision's makers.
John Hanke, the chief executive of Niantic, told Comic Con that the company is "on the lookout" for someone that can upgrade the servers, which regularly stop the game from working for a number of reasons, including high volumes of users, DDoS attacks and when the game is released in a new country.
Other tools designed to help Pokémon players include crowd-sourced map Poke Radar, key hotspot tracker Find.Catch.Share and advice app for novices Go Helper.
Pokémon: The First Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back, commonly referred to as Pokémon: The First Movie, originally released as Pocket Monsters the Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back! (劇場版ポケットモンスター ミュウツーの逆襲 Gekijōban Poketto Monsutā: Myūtsū no Gyakushū?), is a 1998 Japanese anime film[2] directed by Kunihiko Yuyama, the chief director of the Pokémon television series. It is the first theatrical release in the Pokémon franchise.
It was released in Japan on July 18, 1998. The English-language adaptation, produced by Nintendo and 4Kids Entertainment and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures (under the Kids' WB! label), was released in North America on November 10, 1999.
The film primarily consists of three segments: Pikachu's Vacation, a 21-minute feature focusing on the series mascot Pikachu; Origin of Mewtwo, a 10-minute featurette that functions as a prologue to the main feature; and Mewtwo Strikes Back, the main 75 minute film feature. The featurette was added on for later releases and eventually dubbed as a special feature in the U.S. release of the TV special (that was released as a direct-to-video follow-up film sequel in the U.S.A.) Pokémon: Mewtwo Returns as The Uncut Story of Mewtwo's Origin.
Although Pokémon was extremely popular when the film was released, the English-language version received negative reviews from film critics. Despite the reviews, it was a box office success worldwide, topping the box office charts in its opening weekend, and eventually grossing US$163.6 million worldwide.
