Niantic Labs rolled out a significant new update for "Pokemon Go" that brings a new way to track Pokemon in the hit augmented reality game - at least for a few gamers.
The much troubled "Nearby" tracking system in "Pokemon Go" theoretically allow players to find out where Pokemon are without having to walk frantically, but it has been wrecked since day two or three after its debut.
Initially, it kind of worked with a functional-if-confusing "footprint" system; where three footprints indicated the creature is far, while one footprint hinted the creature is sort of close. But it eventually stopped working completely - with all Pokemon showing three footprints irrespective of the distance - and it was finally removed.
Fortunately, for quite a few "Pokemon Go" players, "Nearby" was replaced with "Sightings" - basically the same feature but augmented with higher refresh rate and some grass. Its basically a stopgap, Forbes reported.
Essentially, two types of trackers are being reportedly tested and players may either see both, one or none at all.
The 'Sightings' Tracker
Quite a few players have the Sightings version of the tracker that divulges what Pokemon are currently in a player's location. It is actually the same type of tracker that players had access to when the studio eliminated the steps from the original tracker. It's nothing more than a list of a few nearby Pokemon, but with grass in the icon this time.
Furthermore, there is no way to figure out how close the Pokemon actually are, or what direction a player needs to travel in.
The 'Nearby' Tracker
The other version of the new tracker dubbed "Nearby," is just like the old tracker, but this time, it's enhanced and more importantly, it actually works!
The Nearby tracker lists Pokemon currently in a player's general vicinity along with the PokeStops he/she needs to visit to capture them.
Tap on the Pokemon you want to hunt, and then tap on the View button to be taken back to the map screen. The screen will zoom in to show the location of PokeStop in relation to your avatar.
The app warns the player with "The Pokemon fled! Check the nearby list for other Pokemon" message if the Pokemon flees the location before he/she get there.
Several gamers are reporting that they have one tracker but not the other, while quite a few gamers have confirmed having both trackers.
This could be part of the testing process. According to a post published on Niantic Labs site, the studio is currently testing an alternative for the "Nearby Pokemon" feature with a group of users. During this period, many "Pokemon Go" players are likely to see some variation in the nearby Pokémon UI."
