Footprints...

Started by Hiidoran July 6th, 2016 9:53 PM
  • 2501 views
  • 27 replies

Lunar

Age 24
Male
England
Seen September 16th, 2020
Posted September 15th, 2020
There's a Magmar with the three footprints on my map right now, I'm gonna go in search of it later xD

Strange

Age 23
Male
Everywhere at the same time
Seen September 27th, 2017
Posted September 9th, 2017
1,446 posts
7.9 Years
Is that what those mean? Interesting! I had assumed it just meant "Go walk around and find it lazy guy." Because I've yet to actually leave my house yet :X But I will definitely use that to find the eevee that seem to be nearby but not in my house.

Kurosaki

(「・ω・)「

Female
USA
Seen June 24th, 2018
Posted December 6th, 2016
210 posts
19.3 Years
I was wondering what those footprints meant! The only ones with three right now are a couple of mons that I already have, but I'm gonna utilize that feature around my workplace today. So far I've been hoping to find a few specific Pokemon, rather than just tracking down every Weedle I see, but there's not much around here yet.
hi, I'm @Steven Stone and this is an alt. c:

Jay

Here comes the boi...

Age 26
Male
Ireland
Seen 2 Days Ago
Posted October 10th, 2022
899 posts
8.2 Years
Used those footprints to track down a gastly today. No better feeling than looking at a screen in despair for ages with three footprints locked in place.

Then it drops to two.

And when it drops to two? That's when muk gets real.

Skip Class

previously zappyspiker, but rainbow keeps trying to get me to skip class

Age 28
Female
New Zealand
Seen July 7th, 2021
Posted July 24th, 2020
4,713 posts
14.8 Years
I honestly wished they bring it back to what it used to be :c Originally the distances were actually written out as 0m, 50m, 100m,150m and 200m. Earlier to the end of the beta it changed to 20s instead of 50s. Have no idea why they would suddenly change it on the full release, but I'm not a fan of it not being as clear anymore :/



Previously zappyspiker | twitter | instagram
Male
Seen November 30th, 2016
Posted July 19th, 2016
15 posts
6.9 Years
as far as ive seen they do, when the footprints go down that means the pokemon is closer so you pick a direction and if the pokemon goes down in the list youre going further away if it works up to the top theyre gettin closer and definitely when the footprints go down youre on the right track, this is how i caught a golbat and the cubone i have

Hiidoran

ohey

Age 32
Male
Indiana
Seen 1 Week Ago
Posted February 4th, 2022
6,203 posts
17.6 Years
...this is how i caught a golbat and the cubone i have
...

I'm so jealous! Cubone is my absolute favorite. ;-;

Although I did use this method to track down and catch a bunch of Vulpix earlier this evening. It works, you just gotta be patient and be willing to walk in many different directions. I wish it would at least somewhat guide you by cardinal direction somehow.
Male
Indiana, U.S.
Seen September 20th, 2016
Posted September 11th, 2016
304 posts
6.9 Years
...

I'm so jealous! Cubone is my absolute favorite. ;-;

Although I did use this method to track down and catch a bunch of Vulpix earlier this evening. It works, you just gotta be patient and be willing to walk in many different directions. I wish it would at least somewhat guide you by cardinal direction somehow.
There's actually a great way to use the footprint functionality by triangulating the pokemon's relative position. Try the following and it will work for you every time (unless there's an in-game glitch, of course, *ahem*, but the mathematics are sound...)

~

Let's say you have a Pokemon with 2 footprints showing on your radar. (if you do not, walk until you DO have one with 2 footprints).

Now, choose a direction and walk that way in as straight a line as possible (doesn't have to be perfect). If the footsteps increase to 3 immediately stop, note the general location of where you have stopped, then turn around 180 degrees. Walk back the way you just came. It will eventually decrease to 2 again.

Keep walking. Unless you just got lucky and are now heading straight to your Pokemon, the steps will eventually increase to 3 again. Stop. Turn around. Look back and eye the general location where you stopped in the other direction and try to gauge the midpoint between that spot and where you are now. Walk to the midpoint.

In the middle, between the two locations where the pokemon's distance became 3 prints away, you choose either left or right and walk. You will either head directly into the Pokemon or directly away from it, which is easily corrected when you see the steps increase.

Works every time, as long as you don't have buildings in your way.
Seen September 22nd, 2016
Posted July 12th, 2016
20 posts
6.9 Years
There's actually a great way to use the footprint functionality by triangulating the pokemon's relative position. Try the following and it will work for you every time (unless there's an in-game glitch, of course, *ahem*, but the mathematics are sound...)

~

Let's say you have a Pokemon with 2 footprints showing on your radar. (if you do not, walk until you DO have one with 2 footprints).

Now, choose a direction and walk that way in as straight a line as possible (doesn't have to be perfect). If the footsteps increase to 3 immediately stop, note the general location of where you have stopped, then turn around 180 degrees. Walk back the way you just came. It will eventually decrease to 2 again.

Keep walking. Unless you just got lucky and are now heading straight to your Pokemon, the steps will eventually increase to 3 again. Stop. Turn around. Look back and eye the general location where you stopped in the other direction and try to gauge the midpoint between that spot and where you are now. Walk to the midpoint.

In the middle, between the two locations where the pokemon's distance became 3 prints away, you choose either left or right and walk. You will either head directly into the Pokemon or directly away from it, which is easily corrected when you see the steps increase.

Works every time, as long as you don't have buildings in your way.
This is so obvious and so brilliant. Hopefully this makes catching pokemon easier! Thank you!

Juno

OK I PULL UP

Age 28
Female
Seen 1 Day Ago
Posted 5 Days Ago
4,561 posts
9.5 Years
There are too many cars and other things to pay attention too around here for me to efficiently track the footprints, but I'm sure I'll use it more when I get back on campus or something, when I'm in an area that's a bit more "walk wherever you want"-friendly. :)

I did use it briefly to track an Electabuzz earlier though. I really wanted the Electabuzz.

Esper

California
Seen June 30th, 2018
Posted June 30th, 2018
I've tracked down more than a few Eevees with this, but I often have the problem where I'm one step away and the radar resets with a new batch of 9 Pokemon who are all 3 steps away, and all of them are Pidgeys and Doduos and such.

Meganium

memento mori

she/her
Houston, TX
Seen February 1st, 2023
Posted February 1st, 2023
Best thing ever. Used it last night to track an Eevee, and POOF it appeared right in front of me after a few seconds of walking.

Captain Fabio

Age 33
London, UK
Seen November 4th, 2021
Posted November 2nd, 2021
12,193 posts
17.1 Years

I understand the logic behind the footprints, but I don't think they are practical. I would prefer it they could be put into numerical figures. Doesn't have to track every meter in distance, but general 10/50/100 so on.

Squirrel

Age 28
Male
Seen 5 Days Ago
Posted July 10th, 2021
9,551 posts
11.7 Years
What is the best way to actually make use of the footprints? I tried for half an hour earlier to track down a Nidoran with three footprints but had no luck at all. From what I understand the closest Pokémon is at the top-left and the furthest is at the top-right, so when I was searching I walked in a set direction and saw whether the Nidoran moved up or down the list, then changed direction accordingly. As I searched it randomly hopped from 9th place to 5th, then to 4th, then to 7th, then to 9th, then disappeared, then 4th, then 9th, etc - it felt almost impossible to actually track the Pokémon based on those vaguest of clues. What methods do you guys use or was this just an unlucky trail?

Nina

Age 31
Female
Arkansas
Seen December 20th, 2020
Posted December 7th, 2020
2,409 posts
15.5 Years
I honestly wished they bring it back to what it used to be :c Originally the distances were actually written out as 0m, 50m, 100m,150m and 200m. Earlier to the end of the beta it changed to 20s instead of 50s. Have no idea why they would suddenly change it on the full release, but I'm not a fan of it not being as clear anymore :/

Late to this train, but wow! That's really interesting! It would be nice to have a sort of way to figure out EXACTLY how far they are. (and trick americans into learning km and m)
We already can see if they are close based on their order in the menu, but a more accurate measurement would be great.

My mother and I really wish it at least had a direction indicator. We've gotten pretty good at locating them honestly but right now when you have to backtrack it hurts a bit because the servers could chug at any moment and the current pokemon around will you will refresh. Sucks!




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