You Can Now Find Out Every Pokemon Around You Using ‘PokeVision’
But, just because you CAN, does that mean you SHOULD?
Pokemon GO has been out for a couple of weeks now, and people are already finding ways to cheat. Somebody created the ultimate Pokemon GO locator, and it's called 'PokeVision." Basically, it's a website where you type in an exact address, and a map will show you every Pokemon available in that area and how long that Pokemon is available for. That way you know exactly where you need to go to catch a specific Pokemon and how long you have to get there.
From what I've read, it seems to me like a lot of people are using this website to combat some of the bugs in the Pokemon GO app right now. If you've been playing, you know that there have been a whole bunch of issues, especially when it comes to the "three steps nearby" feature. For two days now my app has been showing me a Pikachu that's supposedly close to me, but no matter what direction I go, I never get any closer. It's kind of frustrating because I REALLY want a Pikachu.
The issue is, Niantic has explicitly said using a 3rd party search tool is cheating. So then comes the moral dilemma: to cheat, or not to cheat? On one hand, if you choose not to use the site, other people who are will then have a potential advantage over you. On the other hand, many people are saying this is fair because of the "three steps" bug that's preventing people from really seeing what's nearby. Will Niantic get the site get shut down once that part of the game gets fixed? Who knows.
All I know is that for me, this app kind of takes the fun out of the game a little bit. I like taking walks and hikes and wandering around different areas never knowing what's going to appear. I like running in a bunch of different directions trying to hunt down a Meowth in downtown Cedar Rapids (that actually happened). It's part of the fun for me. It makes catching a rare Pokemon that much more enjoyable, because you really feel like you earned it. I did check out PokeVision to see how it works, but I don't see myself actually using it.
Poke Masters, will you be using this site? Or will you be doing things the "old-fashioned" way?