Niantic Labs recently released a new version of its augmented reality (AR) application game "Pokemon GO." The new update brings 50 new 3<sup>rd-generation Pokemon from the Hoenn region to be caught and the anticipated Dynamic Weather Gameplay.
With the 0.85.2 version now available, players can now catch Pokemon like Treecko, Mudkip, Torchic, and more. The new Pokemon came from the Ruby and Saphire edition of the Pokemon franchise.
Niantic Labs also added the Dynamic Weather Gameplay function. With this element, real-world weather will now reflect in the game. A weather icon is also added and will affect a variety of wild Pokemon appearing in a player's area. "Pokemon GO" has six weather conditions in total -- sunny, rainy, snowy, foggy, partly cloudy, and windy.
During an interview with The Express, Niantic Labs said the new weather update will not affect the 2017 Christmas event. Niantic Labs' developer Matt Slemon explained, "The most important thing for us when it comes to the weather is that we enforce it is an AR feature." Slemon also clarified that the new update will not hinder future events. There are still no updates from Niantic Labs about the Christmas event and when will it start.
Other than the new Pokemon and weather update, the 0.85.2 version increased the maximum Pokemon storage to 1,500. There is also a separate or dedicated button to perform charged attacks. A beta feature that allows trainers to save teams of up to six Pokemon for Raids and gym battles is also added.
The update also fixes a few bugs and improves the game performance.
Niantic Labs has not released any information about its plans in 2018. The video game company is set to release two new AR games next year, "Ingress Prime" and "Harry Potter Wizards Unite."
Niantic Labs made it clear that "Pokemon GO" will not be left out despite new AR games coming.
