The world of Pokemon GO mirrors the engaging gameplay of its predecessor titles, incorporating a diverse assortment of Poke Balls that players can discover, earn, or purchase. While each Poke Ball serves its purpose, the rarer options, such as Ultra Balls, stand out by offering a higher probability of capturing elusive Pokemon. Ultra Balls rank just below the ultimate Master Ball, which guarantees a capture for any Pokemon it encounters. However, the frustration of watching a Pokemon slip free from even an Ultra Ball can be disheartening for players. A potential improvement could be to enhance the effectiveness of Ultra Balls, ensuring that an Excellent Throw leads to an automatic catch or at least significantly boosts the chances of success.
The Challenge of Achieving an Excellent Throw with Ultra Balls
In contrast to the main Pokemon series where throws are executed automatically, players in Pokemon GO must manually throw each Poke Ball to capture Pokemon. This adds an element of skill and precision, as factors like aim and the erratic movement of Pokemon can cause misses. Successfully hitting the target usually requires players to achieve Nice, Great, or Excellent Throws.
Securing an Excellent Throw demands perfect timing and precision, specifically by hitting the center of a rapidly shrinking circle at just the right moment—an incredibly small target that can be challenging to gauge on a mobile screen. Consistently achieving Excellent Throws serves as a badge of honor among dedicated players, especially since many high-level Special Research tasks, including the quest for a Master Ball, require these highly skilled throws. Despite the effort, the incremental increase in catch probability provided by an Excellent Throw can often feel underwhelming, particularly when utilizing an Ultra Ball.
Rewarding Players with Automatic Catches for Excellent Throws
Ultra Balls are not easily acquired, amplifying player frustration when these coveted items fail to secure a capture. Even seasoned players with maximum level experience can watch helplessly as a Pokemon escapes after multiple attempts—a particularly tough pill to swallow when the Pokemon in question is a rare or Shiny specimen. Enhancing the mechanics to ensure that an Excellent Throw with an Ultra Ball results in an automatic catch would be an excellent recognition of player commitment and skill development.
This change would not only provide immediate rewards for players honing their throw techniques but also might encourage them to conserve their Ultra Balls, strategically saving them for situations where they feel confident in making an Excellent Throw. Importantly, this dynamic could alter player behavior, prompting them to engage further by attempting to catch more coveted Pokemon.
Additionally, incorporating the potential for Excellent Throws to lead to automatic catches in raid scenarios could significantly boost player satisfaction. Given the considerable effort and teamwork involved in defeating a raid Pokemon, losing the opportunity to catch it afterward can be particularly disheartening. Implementing even a slight chance for an automatic catch following an Excellent Throw in these instances would make raid participation more rewarding, encouraging continuous improvement and skill enhancement in the game.
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