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Pokemon Go map tracker FastPokeMap to rise from the dead this weekend
Many Pokemon Go fans will have fond memories of FastPokeMap, easily the best Pokemon Go map tracker there was. That is, of course, until Niantic shut it down with an update. According to Niantic, map trackers don’t fall within the spirit of the game and therefore must be destroyed. But FastPokeMap has managed to crack Niantic’s blockade and should be back up and running any time now.
The best part of Return of the PokeJedi is the solemn warning the developers of FastPokeMap have for the Empire, Niantic. In a blog post criticizing Niantic for what the developers claim is a lot of battery-draining “bogus code flow and instructions that are useless for the end result, they’re just here to slow us down,” the devs drop the following PokeBomb:
Listen to your community and open the api. You can still save Pokemon GO. We’ll keep reversing your game as long as your game is popular.
FastPokeMap will continue to come back no matter how hard you try to kill it.
But if you keep trying to kill it don’t be surprised if soon there won’t be anyone playing your game anymore.
According to the developers of FastPokeMap, recent changes to the Pokemon Go API have been specifically designed to not only keep tinkerers out, but also to deny folks with older Android phones the ability to play alongside a massive waste of resources that contribute to excessive power consumption.
Considering the vast buckets of money Niantic have at their disposal I’m going to assume they’re not too bothered by a tiny dev team’s threats, but there is something to be said about making changes to a game to keep tinkerers out if it results in a bad playing experience for everyone. Pokemon Go’s popularity was never going to last forever, but by trying to stop fans making it more enjoyable, Niantic might just be contributing to its demise.
Will you be using FastPokeMap once it’s back up and working? Do you think Niantic should block map trackers?
You can check FastPokeMap to see when it’s back, here.