The Riolu Hatch Day happened on July 22nd, and while I was initially excited for the event, there were a few factors that drastically changed that. I usually don’t share my personal opinions on games since there are others who tend to articulate how I am feeling.
Normally, I would stay silent and I don’t write this with the intent of making it seem like this is something I’m so passionate about. Instead I think this egg event is a chance to draw attention to some important considerations Niantic might want to consider moving forward.
The Weather
Let’s talk about something that is on the mind of many Pokémon Go players. Right now in the northern hemisphere, it’s summer and with some unprecedented heat waves in some parts of the world. This event required Trainers to hatch lots of eggs in a small window of time. That window of time happened to be part of the hottest part of the day for many people.
Pokémon Go has warnings when you load up the game. Among them is an important one about being aware of surroundings and taking into account weather conditions. Yet to play the Riolu Hatch event to the fullest, many people would have had to go outside while it’s dangerously hot out.
I live in the Southern United States. An extremely high heat index made me question whether to go out or not. This combined with potent humidity, made me feel uncomfortable going outside for this event. I realize that I could have traveled to an indoor mall or large enclosed place to play the game much safer. But eggs are best hatched outside. Going inside buildings can interfere with the GPS Signals making a process that was timed take longer.
I don’t think I was alone with these sentiments. Instead, I feel that this event should have had a longer time frame so that Trainers would get chances to go out before the sun was bearing down. Or perhaps this event could have been improved by Niantic extending it to night. Remember this is constructive criticism. I want Pokémon Go to continue to improve. This is a game I wish to continue enjoying after all.
The ultimate prize from eggs
Egg Hatching Variables
The other main issue I had with Riolu Hatch Day was the amount of variance for the event. To get Riolu Trainers had to get 2km eggs specifically. Then, once they got one, hoped when it hatched it would be a Riolu. And for shiny hunters, there was the same extra variable that is always present when hunting shinies.
Essentially this event was a lot of random chance. Most of the strategy involved preparing accounts for the event ahead of time. But once the event started everything else was a roll of the dice. 2km eggs were not guaranteed even if boosted. And the Riolu hatching from 2km eggs was also boosted. But the same issue remained with it not be an assured hatch.
When combined with the weather issues from the earlier point, Riolu Hatch Day became more of a chore that wasn’t fun. I elected not to do the event, despite Lucario being one of my favorite Pokémon. And I was a bit disappointed that I had to make that choice.
The end goal of the event
Amount of Work
The final issue I had with the Riolu Hatch was the end result of the above points. To get a Riolu from an egg was a lot of work during this event. Notice I did not say multiple. But a single one. Many Trainers, myself included have an inventory of several 10km eggs. Those can take a while to hatch. And since we cannot discard eggs from our inventory, we have to hatch them.
Those eggs prevent Riolu eggs during the event. Many Trainers could not participate in the event because they had no open egg slots when it started and would have had to walk too far within the 3 hour window to actually hatch Riolu. Notice that they would only have a chance of getting one and that is assuming that they could obtain 2km eggs first.
With the random chance, how far Trainers needed to walk to hatch all the eggs, and the intense weather to go with it, this Egg Hatching Event seems ill timed. A shame too, because implemented better and with a couple changes, this could have been a great event.
Potential Improvements
After all the negativity about the event, I want to mention some ideas that could make this event a lot better in the future. With a few modifications, the Riolu Hatch event could have been a great way to obtain several Pokémon and get some exercise too. Rather than continue complaining or suggest ideas that are not something Niantic is interested in, I have chosen ideas that go along with the spirit of what they intended.
So what did Niantic intend with the Riolu Hatch Event? They wanted Trainers to hatch lots of eggs. To do so, they wanted those Trainers to buy incubators in the store. They are a business after all. They want Trainers to be out and moving about because they make money from the data gathered from Trainer locations.
With all those conditions in mind, here are suggestions from me.
- Those 2km eggs should only contain the event Pokémon and nothing else. Trainers are hunting for shinies as well as candy. They will not stop at one hatch.
- Make the event longer. Trainers have busy schedules and weather can have a drastic effect on enjoyment as well as safety. Trainers would then be able to choose when they play. As an extra benefit, more time means more eggs. More eggs means more profit.
- Item Boxes filled with Incubators before the event. One of the biggest issues with the Riolu Hatch Event was the eggs in Trainers inventory making it impossible to participate properly. Giving Trainers a way to remove those eggs preemptively would go a long way to fixing future events.
Pokémon Go has a lot going on. And while the Riolu Hatch event may have been disappointing for some Trainers, plenty of events upcoming are more exciting. KeenGamer has plenty of guides to help Trainers understand and plan for these events.
