What Should Go Into Pokemon Go

In only a short time, Pokemon Go has become a cultural phenomenon, inspiring thousands of people to go outside and capture virtual Pokemon. However, the app itself isn’t as good as it could be. With a only few updates on the way promising to add a handful of new features, there’s still a lot we wish was in the game. Join us as we weigh in on all the features we want to be added in the augmented reality game.

What other features do you want to see in Pokemon Go? Let us know in the comments below.

Batch Transfers

Do you have, like, 50 Zubats clogging up your Pokebox? Getting rid of all of them is an incredibly tedious process right now, as you have to transfer them individually to Professor Willow. Having the ability to transfer unneeded Pokemon in bulk would be an amazing, time saving addition.

Directional Guidance for Pokemon Catching

The distance indicator is a nice touch for telling you just how far away a Pokemon is from your location (when it works, at least), but it would be great to have some sort of indicator that tells you in which direction to start walking. It doesn’t necessarily need to be a big arrow pointing you to where exactly they can be found, though. How about something subtler, like a getting-hotter or getting-colder type of indicator? Maybe a glow around your avatar that starts off as red but slowly changes to green as you get closer? Or maybe even having the rustling tufts of grass indicate the place you should try searching? This would help players zero in on the exact Pokemon they want and the raised awareness of the terrain and distance could keep players safe.

Team Chat

Team Chat could help players within a certain range connect with each other to take down gyms in the immediate area. A specific mile radius could limit the chat, so that you can plot out your gym route and connect with players that are already there. This way, players outside of the team will not be privy to the plans and strategies being shared. This could also come in handy once Niantic updates the app with Pokemon trading.

Better Sorting Options For Caught Pokemon

Being able to sort your captured Pokemon via name or combat power is fine, but it’s all rather rudimentary. How about options for sorting based on how many candies you have (to see how far you are away from being able to evolve a Pokemon), or by type (type still matters in Gym Battles after all), or by moves?

Timers on Lures

It’s great seeing someone else drop a lure at a Pokestop. You know what would be even greater? Having some sort of countdown timer showing exactly how much time you have left before that lure runs out.

A More Defined and Explorable World Map

Sure, blue means water and you might find water Pokemon there, and dark green means grass types. Being in high-density urban areas means you’ll see nothing but Zubats and Pidgeys. But what if I really want to know where I can hunt for an Onyx or a Kangaskhan? Being able to drag the world map around and having a greater variety of clearly defined biomes would be a massive help in catching most, if not all, Pokemon

Fewer Zubats

I know part of the reason Zubat is so prolific for me is that I live in a major metropolitan area, but if Zubat is a nocturnal animal, why are there so many of them hanging out in San Francisco during the day? I’d expect a boring mix of Pidgeys and Ratattas, but the Zubat infestations are both annoying and (within the game’s internal logic) a bit nonsensical.

More Avatar Customisation Options

There are four hats, four jackets, four backpacks, four pairs of shoes, four hairstyles, one face per gender, and literally millions of players who are all wearing the same f***ing thing. C’mon, let me throw away my PokeCoins at some new pants.

Visible Team Representation During Gym Battles

I open up my map, and see there’s a rumble going down at the Team Mystic-owned Pokemon Gym two blocks away. The battle animations look epic–but who the hell is fighting? Do I rush over there to potentially help my Team Valor buddies out, or will I find myself playing tug-of-war with Team Instinct for control when I get there? Some kind of indicator to tell me which team is currently present and interacting with a gym–attacking or defending, would both be helpful and open up a whole bunch of strategic considerations to take into account.

Friends List

This seems obvious, but the social element of Pokemon could really be boosted with the addition of a friends list. Being able to see what Pokemon your friends currently have, when they’re online, and being able to send each other messages (hey, I saw a Haunter near the pub!) will really add to the feeling of being immersed in Pokemon Go. I’d like to be able to pull up a feed of my friends’ recent activities, such as their latest catches and battles.

Accessibility for All!

It’s important to consider different groups when building accessible game apps, especially for a franchise as popular as Pokemon. And to be frank, for those who might be finding it hard to get out or play due to physical limitations, this game can be a bit of a buzzkill. What about people with severe Parkinson’s? Or what about people with severe and crippling anxiety? Or children who are sick in hospitals and are left catching the same Ghastly over, and over again? Gamers have chimed in with their own stories and experiences about what Pokemon Go has been like for them, some of them are sort of heart breaking to say the least. This game is special, and everyone should have a chance to play. Some people are already doing what they can to share the experience with people who might otherwise not be able to go out.