Niantic's hit augmented reality game "Pokemon Go" is getting another major update. This time, the focus will be on implementing weather mechanics to the mobile game. A bunch of new Pokemon will be added, as well.
Dynamic weather will be enabled in the latest update. With this, real-time weather in the players' surroundings will be reflected in-game.
This could lead to interesting mechanics. For example, players would be more likely to find Mudkips in rainy areas. Cacnea could more likely be found in sunny locales and Snorunt on snowy places.
Weather can also affect the stats of spawning Pokemon. For example, the water Pokemon found in rainy areas could also be of a higher CP level than most others but will be a bit harder to catch.
However, lead developer Matt Slemon said that they would refrain from penalizing certain Pokemon because of weather conditions. This means that Snorunt will not be weaker in sunny areas, nor will Ponyta be weaker in rainy places.
"We prefer to give bonuses rather than penalties where we can," the lead developer said.
In addition to the weather update, there also more than 50 Pokemon added in-game. Most of these are also from Generation 3, further reinforcing the Hoenn spirit apparent in the update. Fan favorites like Salamence, Feebas, and Mudkip are now in the game, among a slew of other Generation 3 critters.
The weather has been an essential part of the Pokemon main series since the release of Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald. Collectively known as Generation 3, these games are set in the tropical Hoenn region.
Even Hoenn's legendaries reflect the focus on weather. Kyogre represents the vast oceans and rains, while Groudon represents the heat and the landmasses. There is even a unique Pokemon called Castform that changes its type and appearance depending on the weather conditions.
In any case, Niantic's augmented reality game is taking a different approach to weather compared to the main games.
The update is now live. "Pokemon Go" is free to play and offers in-app purchases. It can be downloaded from the Google Play Store.
