Having a strong internet connection while playing the new and hottest game, Pokémon Go, is proving to be a big asset.
Pokémon Go is a free-to-play, location-based, augmented reality mobile game developed by Niantic for iOS and Android devices. It was released in most regions of the world in July 2016.
1. Connectivity Strength
In my weeks of travel with Pokémon GO (Beta early release included), I've found that the best way to get online and stay online in the game is to find as strong an internet connection as possible. Once I'm RIGHT next to a router, for example, I have an easier time avoiding the Servers Down screen.
I've tested this theory with multiple devices - those with weaker connections to the web are treated to the Try Again Later page in Pokémon GO more often than those with a hearty, strong connection.
Once a device is connected, it's far more likely that a player will be and stay connected on their journey, than if they'd logged out and tried to log back in.
2. Knowing When to Close The App
While connectivity issues generally land in the category above, there are times when the user should consider closing the app rather than face future negative consequences.
- The white loading PokeBall is spinning in the corner of a user's screen excessively during battles. It's better to get out quick than to find one's self in the middle of a Gym battle with the other Pokemon destroying them because they have no connectivity problems.
- Trouble tapping a Pokémon nearby. If a user cannot tap a nearby Pokémon, there's a greater chance that the same Pokémon will appear upon re-loading the app than if they, by chance, load the Pokemon, then have to close the app, by necessity.
- Spinning PokeBall while walking. If the ball spins and spins and spins non-stop in the corner of a user's screen, there's a good chance the data they're supposed to be picking up isn't registering. Notice that Pokémon egg you're supposed to hatch, and how it's not gaining any distance? Close the app and re-open it again.
What helps distinguish Pokémon GO is how non-traditional its gameplay is. No button-bashing, or sitting in front of a TV for hours on end, but instead heading out with the smartphone that was probably already in your hand, and exploring a virtual world that has been blended in with the physical environment. It's something you couldn't do without all the key components of a modern phone: a sizable display, cellular connectivity, GPS, and a camera.
Indeed, smartphones, and Android in particular, are well placed to tackle just the sort of location-based gaming that Pokémon GO capitalizes on. The augmented reality on which the game is based, of course, comes from former internal Google startup Niantic, Inc., which used the lessons it had learned developing multiplayer game Ingress to deploy the Nintendo characters around the real world.
