'Pokemon GO' latest news: Niantic releases first 'Pokemon' update for 2017
A new update to the popular game "Pokemon GO" arrived last Tuesday, Jan. 17, bringing in some notable changes.
As posted on game developer Niantic's official website, the official patch notes explain that the recent update changes "distance-tracking to better account for GPS drift." The term is used to explain a phenomenon when a game character shifts location because the GPS service on the gamer's phone is not always working as well as it should.
This change will lead to a more accurate placement of avatars on the world map. A change in distance tracking will make the gaming experience more consistent as it provides a better calculation of distance walked while hatching eggs.
The new patch also updated the Apple Watch to display Eggs obtained from PokeStops. Since the Apple Watch version of the mobile game was launched late last year, players have complained about its limited functionality. Although the ability to display eggs is not necessarily a huge improvement that many players have been eagerly anticipating, Niantic's efforts to make the app more usable is encouraging.
As reported by BGR, The Sliph Road was able to datamine the APK of the game's latest update. The datamined APK code revealed that 38 new moves have been added to the "Pokemon GO" app. Both the moves' names, as well as graphic assets, have appeared, and several of them are believed to be ready for deployment.
A new support for Evolution Items has also been discovered. Evolution Items such as Sun Stone, Kings Rock, Metal Coat, Dragon Scale, and Upgrade still have no graphic assets in the game yet, but their names have explicitly appeared in the update's code.
Additions have also been made to enable Pokemon FORMS, which applies to Unown and its many various forms. A "News" digest section has also appeared in the code, a top-level button to the in-game menu which will bring updates about the game in a more official and referenceable format.
The recent update is not necessarily monumental, but from the looks of it, "Pokemon GO" is up for some major changes and additions throughout the year.
