In the fight against spoofers in Pokémon GO, Niantic has implemented an important change that will take the fun away from users of live maps.
In recent months, it has become clear how much Niantic is trying to drive the cheaters out of the game. Ban waves have been conducted, and functions that aim to completely stop spoofing are already in the planning stages.
Trainers in the Pokémon GO community have now noticed that the developers have made changes to the IV values, which are now level-dependent. Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that these changes have a significant impact on spoofers and live maps.
IV Values and Movesets Now Dependent on Trainer Level
As a Pokémon GO player, you have probably heard or read about IV values. “IV” stands for “Individual Values”, which are unique stats that can differ for each Pokémon. One Pikachu is therefore not as strong as another Pikachu. The IV values are “hidden”. In Pokémon GO, IV information is available for the following three values:
- Attack
- Defense
- Stamina
Many trainers can obtain the exact numbers with help programs. These programs then display the percentage values of the IVs. For example, one speaks of a 97% Bulbasaur when all values are good, or of a 50% Bulbasaur when the values are more in the middle.
Movesets: Movesets refer to the attacks that a Pokémon possesses.
Before the change:
- Previously, the IV values were independent of the trainer level. This means: If a trainer at level 1 found a wild Bulbasaur, it had the same IV values and move sets as if a trainer at level 20 had found this Pokémon. Any trainer could find the same Pokémon. The only thing that was dependent on the trainer level were the WP/CP.
After the change:
- Currently the IV values and movesets are also dependent on trainer level. This means: If a trainer with level 1 finds a wild 100%-Bulbasaur, this Pokémon could have different IV values (for example, only with 78%) and different attacks for a trainer at level 34.
How Do These Changes Affect Spoofers?
The changes to the IV values and move sets have significant effects on the game that are not immediately apparent. However, upon closer examination, it becomes clear that these changes align with Niantic’s plans to drive the cheaters out of the game. In the fight against fraudsters, there have already been three major ban waves this year and an announcement from the developers that spoofing is to be completely stopped.
Spoofers are players who change their current location using third-party software without having to be physically present at that location. This deceives Pokémon GO into thinking the player is in Los Angeles when in fact they are in Hamburg. Spoofers can catch certain Pokémon that do not exist in their actual location.
But what do the IV changes have to do with spoofers?
Many of the spoofers use live maps that show the locations of wild Pokémon. The maps often display the Pokémon, along with their IV values and movesets. This allows players using such maps to determine whether it is “worth” traveling to this monster or if its values are so poor that the journey is not worth it. This form of spoofing is also referred to as “sniping.”
These live maps obtain their information simply through bots. These are new Pokémon GO accounts that are teleported to various areas on the map and automatically search the area for wild Pokémon. If they find monsters, they pass on the information such as IV value and moveset to the live map, which then displays this monster with its values for the snipers.
In many cases, these bots are just level 1 because they can be created quickly and easily. It is not a problem for the operators to create a new level 1 account and turn it into a bot.
This is where the trap with the different IV values snaps shut
Let’s imagine the following situation:
A spoofer is searching for Pokémon on a live map of Brandenburg and finds a 99% Bulbasaur there. Quickly, he tricks his phone into thinking he is at that location and catches the Bulbasaur. However, he must later realize that this Bulbasaur has significantly lower IV values and completely different attacks than what the live map displayed on the internet.
How could this happen?
- The bot account that found the Bulbasaur and logged it on the live map is level 1. The spoofer has already reached level 30. Because the IV values and movesets are now level-dependent, as explained above, both accounts see different values for the Pokémon.
- This change will render many live maps useless!
- Trainers will see Pokémon on live maps with IV values that do not match the IV values of the Pokémon they have caught.
These changes have been noted in the Pokémon community from TheSilphRoad. It is currently assumed that the IV values and movesets of Pokémon only match for trainers above level 30. This means: A trainer at level 31 sees the same wild Pokémon with the same IV values and movesets as a trainer at level 39.
For regular players, there are hardly any differences: Players who do not use cheats have no negative changes due to this. Because of the changes, players with low levels do not have worse IV values for their Pokémon, but different ones. Trainers who have reached level 30 can still communicate with other trainers starting from that level and share where strong Pokémon are hiding.
Impact on Bots: Bots for live maps would therefore need to reach at least level 30 to display reliable results for the high trainers. Although it is not impossible to have a bot at level 30, it is significantly more painful for the operators if these accounts are banned. They are much more “valuable” and took more time than a level 1 account.
