Niantic has released an update to its popular mobile game Pokemon GO with a host of new features. The most significant being the addition of new characters from the third generation of Pokemon games known as Ruby and Sapphire. All of the Hoenn starters like Mudkip, Torchic and Treeco along with their evolutions join up the roster. Over 50 fan favorites like Salamence, Shifty and Ludicolo are also available now. Legendary Pokemon of the region viz. Groudon and Kyogre are also teased. Since the theme of Ruby and Sapphire was weather effects, Pokemon Go also adds dynamic weather support means that players' real-world climate can influence the game now.
If it's raining outside, Pokemon GO will drizzle; on a bright summer's day, the sun will beam shine in-game — and so forth. The kind of weather user experiences will also affect which Pokemon are likely to be discovered. So during a downpour, one would be more likely to spot, say, a Totodile, Crabby or other such water Pokemon. Moreover, Pokemon better accustomed to certain weather will naturally be stronger in those conditions and hindered during others, so training and battles could be greatly swayed by weather's whim. For instance city like Mumbai might be dominated by water type Pokemon, whereas in Desserts of Rajasthan, Fire and Ground-type teams will be stronger.
By the looks of it, this seems a very exciting update. Niantic has sought to reinvest billions earned in revenue to improve the experience for the millions of Pokemon players worldwide, and this update will their interest intact and may even force them to take into consideration local weather, season and ecology in order to progress and eventually complete their Pokedexes
According to Niantic global product marketing lead Archit Bhargava, the 50 new Pokemon will arrive in a phased manner, bringing the total number of available Pokemon up to 300. Given that the total roster of Pokemon exceeds 800, there is a lot of scope of expansion in future.
