Raids, anti-cheat measures and feeding Pokémon berries – Exciting results from data mining the 0.63.1 APK of Pokémon GO.
The announcement of the new Update 0.63.1 for Android and 1.33.1 for iOS is only a few hours old. However, the experts were not satisfied with the patch notes, as only a new language and a small change to the medals were announced. When the new version was reviewed in data mining by TheSilphRoad, changes came to light that the developers withheld from us. There is new information regarding raids. Additionally, an anti-cheat function was found in the code that aims to undermine cheaters’ gameplay.
Keep in mind that results from data mining do not guarantee changes in the game. Changes were found in the code that suggest certain areas in the game could be changing. Similar to a beta phase, the content may be significantly altered before being activated in the game.
Anti Cheat
Encounters with monsters in the wild are referred to in the code of Pokémon GO as “Encounter”. For failures in these encounters, there were previously entries like “Encounter NOT_IN_RANGE” if a monster is not in range, or “POKEMON_INVENTORY_FULL” if you have no more space for another monster in your collection.
A new encounter error has now surfaced, indicating a measure against cheaters “ENCOUNTER_BLOCKED_BY_ANTICHEAT“.
This could be related to the new anti-cheat system, which intervenes when a Pokémon is encountered in a different location than the player’s allowed position. We explained this anti-spoofing function here.
Same Pokémon in Gyms – Not possible soon?
The code also contained hints of possible changes in gyms. The entry “MaxSamePokemonAtFort” suggests that there may be fewer or no Pokémon of the same species in a gym in the future.
This is good news for the trainers among you who regularly battle in gyms. Soon you might see more variety among the monsters there.
Raid Pokémon and Push Notifications
The data mining results regarding raid Pokémon are particularly speculative and should be taken with caution. It is unlikely that the gym rework is already in the code. However, there were changes in the code related to raids and a list of “ACTIVITY_’s” where extra XP can be earned. The XP activities are called:
- ACTIVITY_DEFEAT_RAID_POKEMON
- ACTIVITY_FEED_BERRY
- ACTIVITY_SEARCH_GYM
It is suspected that defeating a raid Pokémon will grant experience points. However, what a raid Pokémon actually is remains entirely unclear. It could possibly be an offensive Pokémon attacking a gym that you are defending.
The SEARCH function will likely not be related to what one normally understands as a search function. However, a more precise functionality is not known.
Feeding a berry might have to do with a new defense function, similar to how it works in the Ingress app. Experts from TheSilphRoad envision that in the future you could strengthen or heal your defender Pokémon in the gym in real time while another player is attacking it. This would create a new gameplay style for the gym system in Pokémon GO.
In line with this possible real-time system, the push notifications in the game have been worked on. There could soon be more variations for different events.
Patrick says: The changes found in the code sound interesting. Especially the possible healing system for battling gym Pokémon seems like a good way to make battles more interesting. Combined with the limit of the same Pokémon in the gym, this aspect could give the game a whole different feel in the future.
