Pokémon GO was updated over the weekend with what initially appeared to be some relatively minor fixes, but the guys over at The Silph Road have been doing some digging and have discovered some a little more exciting.
Despite "minor text fixes" being mentioned in the update notes, it would appear that this new version is in fact laying down the foundations not only for the introduction of "Shiny" Pokémon, but also the elusive Ditto - one of the few original Pocket Monsters still not present in the popular mobile game.
Data in the update shows that there are now distinct values for "Default" and "Shiny" Pokémon, which proves that super-rare Shiny 'mon are on the way. There's no other information available in the code at present, so it's fair to assume that this update is simply starting the process of introducing super-rare beasts to the game. When they do arrive - and assuming they're as hard to find as they are in the mainline console versions - the promise of Shiny Pokémon could generate a fresh surge of interest in the title. When that will actually happen is anyone's guess.
On the topic of Ditto, things are a little more encouraging. Ditto assets have been added to the game, including sound effects, move sets, a new background and even a "spotlight" effect which could suggest that the creature will spawn differently in the game than other Pokémon.
We've not seen any reports of Ditto being encountered in the game since the update, so perhaps Niantic is simply getting things ready for the big push, and Ditto may be released in the wild as part of a forthcoming special event.
[source forbes.com, via thesilphroad.com]
Comments 14
Wow...Shiny Ditto.
It's Silph with an 'i', as in Silk Road & Silph Co. from Red & Blue...
I always name my Ditto 'Dilf'.
Oh god please no, not shiny Pokémon in a game like this.
That just serves to torment players who encounter one, to have it flee for any reason.
What's the deal with shiny pokemon anyway? I haven't played the main series since they introduced them...are they stronger? Or is it just something else to collect before you can consider a game "complete"?
I really hope it's not the latter, because, well, I'm out. If they just make more variations of the originals to catch, then nah. Give us gen 2 already.
@Baker1000
No one is expected to collect every shiny.
in the main games, a wild Pokémon has a 1 in 4000 chance to be shiny, which just means it's a different colour than usual. That's literally all there is to it.
People want them because they're rare and different.
I think it's more likely that they're just wasting time by experimenting on things like Gen 2 and shinies rather than actually getting the app running as it was supposed to be, and all of the stuff that has been found on them is just artefacts from their experiments that they've been too lazy to properly remove.
Ditto, on the other hand, is rather encouraging, as it is at least something that the game should have had from the start that they are now adding... it's just a shame we didn't get trading and a proper tracking system first.
@DragonEleven
What are you thinking they aren't working on? Tracking is in the game right now if you are in the right geo-fenced location. It is likely being tested for server load and issues to be tweaked before releasing wider. The app has been steadily made more smooth and palatable.
According to Game Freak and Niantic Pokémon GO, "running as it was supposed to be" was a relatively smalltime app for a moderate number of curious people primarily as an impetus to get up and go outside for some mild amusement.
Trading is a difficult, potentially game-breaking feature so I'm not surprised they are taking time on that one because this game is mostly about resource management (including travel time and real locations).
I enjoy playing this game as a mobile distraction with occasional fun advances and little family adventures taking over gyms. It's a bit simple and has instability issues. Not the most amazing game but certainly a different experience.
This is not a direct accusation against you, but I just see people lambast it for the most unsupported reasons with lack of depth in game development knowledge, lack of understanding about the mobile market, and entitlement to boot. Hard not to say something.
@aaronsullivan That tracker is just going to get even more complaints when it is released due to the fact it relies on PokeStops to operate... outside of town centres it'll be virtually useless.
The problem with the original tracker (which did work to an extent) was the huge number of users playing, which their servers couldn't handle... but the number of users has dropped substantially since then, so there shouldn't be a problem... they could just restore the original tracker and be done with it.
Trading shouldn't be that difficult to deal with if they took the right precautions... a simple CP limit for example would solve most of their potential problems... but the problem with that is that they will probably be in too much of a hurry to release it once it is running to think of that sort of thing... just look at the mess they've made of gyms.
But don't get me wrong... I love the game... still play it whenever I go into town... I'm just getting a bit fed up of Niantic's approach to it.
@aaronsullivan I believe trading & battling were in the Beta test were they not? I'm not going to hammer on Niantic about missing features or anything because I love the game... but they HAVE made a rod for their own back by ignoring criticism and also stating in several interviews they WERE working on trading and battling. I have faith we will get them eventually.
As for shinys & Ditto... great! It will give us long term players who have captured all the none-regional pokémon something else to look out for & capture when they're released into the wild. Wonder if it's a coincidence that Ditto, a pokémon synonymous with breeding is being developed alongside shinies? Would be a great way of selling incubators.
@DragonEleven I get those feels, I'm choosing to be positive at the moment however. I definitely think we'll be getting trading & battling... but not until the New Year at the earliest. They might bring them in WITH Gen2 to make the game feel more fresh & worth while.
They also removed Herobrine.
@EarthboundBenjy but...if you want to have everything...
Just give us new Pokémon not new skins jfc.
I wonder if this will stack with lucky eggs.
A friend of mine found Ditto !! It was hidden into a Rattata. So she caught Rattata and it transformed into Ditto !!
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