A father and son were stopped earlier this week after they were spotted driving around during the quarantine. When questioned by the police, the father explained that they were ‘on the lookout for Pokémon GO stops’.
This comes soon after a man in Stevenage, UK, was cautioned by authorities under similar circumstances when he was caught by the local police force whilst driving around on the hunt for new Pokémon.
Current quarantine rules state that travel in the United Kingdom is only to be made when it is absolutely necessary. Unsurprisingly, the ever-growing Pokémon quest to ‘catch them all’ is not considered essential travel by the police.
In light of the essential need to isolate and stay at home during the quarantine period, Niantic has temporarily eliminated the need to ‘go’ everywhere with Pokémon. New features added to the game are allowing players to continue their journeys from home without sacrificing any of the benefits they gained from traveling with the game.
The main change that people are noticing is the new Go Battle League format. The player now does not have to travel three kilometers before they can participate in the battle-orientated feature. Go Battle League now simply allows the player to challenge other players from around the world and choose three of their Pokémon to battle alongside them. If the user is able to win four matches in a row, they then get the opportunity to catch either a rare or legendary Pokémon.
The movement tracking system has seen a full overhaul as well. It was perceived as being inaccurate when it came to movements around the home, but Niantic has taken steps to assure its users that their steps will be counted more accurately than ever before. Players can now also receive awards for performing tasks such as using a treadmill and doing household tasks.
The chat system in the game has also been assessed with changed being implemented which allows the players to chat and take part in raid battles remotely rather than having to travel to the specific location together.
Niantic stated that:
“We look forward to the day when we can return to the familiar places we dream about and once again safely play together with family and friends. When the world is ready for that, we’ll be ready too.”
Until the world returns to normal, it’s highly recommended that you make use of the new stay at home features Pokémon GO is offering rather than taking off and exploring the open world.
[Featured Image Credit: Niantic / Pixabay]