Technology: Culture

Niantic released Daily Bonuses for "Pokémon GO," an incentives system for players who'll play the game on a daily basis. Experience Points, Stardust and additional items are rewarded for players who do certain activities in the game daily. (Photo : Niantic)

Four months ago, Pokémon GO's initial warm welcome bled with maximum popularity, penetrating even the bulk of reputable news outlets on television because of the overwhelming hype. The craze was visible and the accompanying frenzy cemented it atop the charts in the App Store and the Google Play Store.

That is until a surge of users withdrew from the augmented reality-capable game by Niantic because of a number of issues that deserve their own separate article. The global success ofthe game has waned considerably, and even more so now that winter is in the offing.

While it's easy to fault Niantic for its increasingly prohibitive measures that turned many users sour, the developers do make up for its disappointing shortcomings by releasing piecemeal updates in an attempt to avoid fans from jumping ship. Most recently, it released a Halloween update for the game which shot it back up the charts. Now, it seems that apart from newPokémon egg icons and improved gym training, Niantic is set to release Daily Bonuses to keep users playing on a daily basis, too.

How Daily Bonuses Work

With the new Daily Bonuses, users are given 500 experience points and 600 Stardust for catching one Pokémon per day. If you successfully do it for one week straight, then you get an added bonus of 2,000 XP and 2,400 Stardust. Additionally, daily visits to a PokéStop and daily Photo Disc spins will net you 500 XP alongside a number of additional items. Do this for a whole week and you get an extra 2,000 XP and a greater number of additional items.

With these new bonuses in place, more low-level casual players can at least play the game on a daily basis in order to enjoy some progress, without the troublesome measure of taking over the nearest gym for a brief period before rapidly claiming coins.

Will Niantic Bring Back The Tracker?

While these bells and whistles Niantic keeps throwing at Pokéemon GO players might cause brief delight, the biggest issue is still clear as day: the lack of a tracker.

"Seriously, Niantic, bring it back," Android Police's Michael Crider said, and many other voices unarguably join him in unison. ThePokémon GO tracker was even featured in the popular prelaunch trailer, and it initially was available in the first two weeks of the game's launch until Niantic pulled it abruptly. The company has promised to bring it back, a pledge all-too tainted with vagueness and uncertainty. Pokémon GO's daily active users has been on a steady decline because of the lack of a proper tracker, rendering many players searching for encounters without aim or hint. Now that popular third-party trackers have shut down, players are finding more reasons to head out the door and resign from the game altogether. We'll see if daily bonuses get those players back again.

Culture

'Pokémon GO' To Get Daily Bonuses: Here's What To Expect By Carl Velasco

Unknown Friday, 4 November 2016

For those who impatiently anticipate "Watch Dogs 2" as it nears its mid-November launch, Ubisoft has uploaded a new video showcasing the Season Pass. The $39.99 expansion pack contains a number of new missions, customization and more. (Photo : Ubisoft US | YouTube)

A new video uploaded by Ubisoft officially showcases in full detail what users are going to get if they avail the Season Pass for Watch Dogs 2, due for release mid-November for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 with a PC release after.

Fans have long awaited for the release of the much-anticipated sequel to Watch Dogs since its E3 unveiling in June this year.

The upcoming game's Season Pass will cost $39.99, coming with extra features, new co-op modes, new difficulty levels, an eclectic array of cosmetic options, new vehicles and new stories to immerse players in Watch Dogs 2's massive open world. Three major content packs come with the Season Pass, alongside added customization options and new co-op modes and returning characters, which will be released after the game's launch.

T-Bone Returns

Raymond "T-Bone" Kenney is making an appearance in Watch Dogs 2, lugging along his signature "tropical trucker-hobo" look. The T-Bone Bundle brings over T-Bone's truck and outfit, alongside the co-op play called Mayhem, introducing a new enemy archetype armed with advanced weaponry. The T-Bone bundle will be available for PS4 beginning Dec. 13.

The Jammer

The new Season Pass will also include the Jammer, an enemy archetype armed with the technology able to hunt the player down in elite co-op missions available in the Human Conditions content, which brings over three new world stories that pack hours of content mainly involving the player in uncovering underground scandals embedded in San Francisco's science and medicine industries.

Human Conditions will be available early 2017.

No Compromise

Our protagonist Marcos Holloway jockeys with the Russian Mafia in No Compromise that peels off San Francisco's veneer to unravel the more lurid and hazardous turfs of the city. Included in this content is a new co-op mode called Showdown where only the best players are left alive. Like Human Conditions, No Compromise will be available early 2017.

The Zodiac Killer

Someone's littering around the Bay Area calling himself the "Zodiac Killer," leaving a trail of messages for Marcus to decipher. The Zodiac Killer mission will include new outfits, cars, a drone skin and a new weapon. The Zodiac Killer will be available this winter.

Watch Dogs 2 Goes Psychedelic

The combination of San Francisco, hippies and a groovy weapon make for some potentially wacky and funky banner moment for Watch Dogs 2's more colorful side, a nice respite from the game's high-octane, gritty and austere atmosphere.

Tech Times previously reported that Watch Dogs 2 will not have AR mini games, a slight disappointment, but the hefty Season Pass builds upon and extends the already immersive and vast open world of the game. And as sort of a retooling of its tried and tested but waning formula for open worlds, Ubisoft is encouraging the player to explore the world instead of being forced to unlock maps piece by piece.

For the uninitiated, Watch Dogs 2 is a third-person open world action-adventure set in San Francisco. Players navigate the city through Marcus Holloway, a hacker who aims to tear down the city's advanced surveillance system. The bulk of Watch Dogs 2's gameplay are filled by missions, and each successful one increases the follower count of DedSec, a hacking group Holloway is part of.

The Season Pass will come bundled with the Gold Edition of Watch Dogs 2. For those unable to get the Gold Edition, the Season Pass will be sold separately for $39.99. Watch Dogs 2 hits shelves Nov. 15 for Xbox One and PS4, with a two-week delay for PC, which arrives on Nov. 29.

Culture

'Watch Dogs 2' Season Pass Contents Revealed: $40 Gives You New Outfits, Stories And More By Carl Velasco

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