I have been from a rural town in a far flung province in one of the Philippines's more than 7000 islands and base on my experience, the remaining active Pokemon players in there are really struggling with the game. First is the absence of Pokestops and Gyms and also the dwindling player base that participates in Raids.
Since we already transferred here near the country's capital, all I can do from my end is to be actively communicating to those players back there and invite them to raids for new Tier 5 pokemons since they cannot do it there even if they could access some of the gyms that get spawns.
Perhaps Niantic could also check the actual usage of POIs in places considered as remote or rural and verify if some needs improvement to aid those remaining players before they eventually give up due to frustrations. If Niantic could also implement something like that or equivalent to Google Local Guide that could be a way to be the channel to support those player base on that unfortunate locations.
As per experience, some of them who happens to get to a level that can nominate POIs have done so but due to lack of ideas and information end up having their nomination disapproved or stuck in the queue due to limited to zero reviewers in the area.
My Oma used to live in Bad König. The Odenwald is quite lovely!
In any case, the best way to clearly document a POI hidden or not otherwise showing on Google maps, is to create and submit a Photo Sphere in Google Street View. Once it is live on Street View, it will show up in the Waypoint review information.
Yes and we do have great things here in the woods. I wont make any Street View for those things, Niantic is quite clear:
If something is not visible on the maps, 3* it when it should be there. I cant help if there are people reviewing that havent left their urban area in their lifetime.
Everyone that wants to see the wonders of the Odenwald is free to come here, just check out the gazillions of Pokestops and Gyms i created here
There are multiple problems with rural areas. One major one is that we seem to be held to a higher standard than urban and cities. In cities it's fine to have very dubious nominations that presumably only get through because local chat groups vote them in. Graffiti tags as one example. Cities end up with so many POI that it becomes difficult to pick one out. We then get numerous people saying that they don't want to see rural areas get covered with POI! That lots of trail markers are bad for the game. It could be that a rural area only has a trail, why should only one marker be considered? If a city has lots of the same type of POI they all are valid.
Then we have the problem of loose guidelines which benefit areas with chat groups effectively making their own rules. What is acceptable in a town is rejected elsewhere. Cemeteries for example are often accepted as POI in cities ( not just notable graves but the entrance gates and notice boards) but are very difficult to get in a rural location because apparently they're sensitive.
Some consideration needs to be given to rural areas, we aren't some pristine wilderness that must be protected from POI appearing.
So we live on the outskirts of a larger city and there are only a few pokestops around. I have been submitting new valid locations and all of them get rejected within a few days. I really don’t understand. If I am not meeting requirements or these are not valid stops please let me know. Or let me know what else I can do to get these approved, again, not many choices or places for good stops in this area.
Having enough nominations to spend in other areas is a big big big deal, especially for those of us who only play one game. I don't want to use my nominations somewhere that I'm not going to play. But with "free" nominations, I'm more than willing to travel and add things.
Hi. We would love to help you with those nominations. Remember that they need to meet one of these criteria: 1) A great place to exercise, 2) A great place to explore, 3) A great place to be social.
1) Bonkers appears to be a gas station/convenience store. Which of the 3 criteria does it meet? Around me, gas stations are not places to exercise, explore or be social.
2) Petersburg Tunnel might be a place to exercise if it is on a walking trail. I don't know the details. However, pedestrian tunnels usually require a well-written nomination to convince reviewers that they essentially serve the same purpose as footbridges.
3) Eagle Crossing East appears to be a generic neighborhood entrance sign. Those do not meet any of the above criteria and are not eligible. Some fancy ones might if they have a pergola or waterfall but this one does not have anything like that.
4) GameStop is a sponsor for PGO. We should not be submitting them through the normal process. If the corporation wants a POI there, they have to pay for it. I don't really like that answer but that is how it works.
Feel free to post in Nomination Improvement if you want help with any other submissions.
Also @LokiVariant42-PGO if you live "on the outskirts of a larger city", you're in the suburbs, not rural. Usually Niantic punishes suburbians 25-30 miles or so around a big city, by making their nominations take 4 months to two years to resolve without an upgrade (each upgrade takes 2-3 hours of reviewing, to earn). You must be very lucky with the call divisions - landing in a different region from the city. I'm 20 miles from a city, and can't imagine getting back October nominations already!
Agree, but look at the dates. Those noms are about a week old and have already been rejected. I'd say this person is genuinely rural or at least in a POI light area.
I see comments here about GameStop being a sponsor or a chain, but both of these are irrelevant when judging a nomination.
That doesn't mean GameStop is a good nomination. I can't see it being a great place to explore or exercise. That only leaves a great place to be social.
If it just sells games, then it isn't really a great place to be social. If it semi-regularly hosts events like LAN-parties or FIFA tournaments, then yes, I would consider it a great place to be social and an eligible spot. But it is up to the nominator to prove that.
So, this is where the games have different rules. Gaming centers where Play! Pokemon Leagues are run recently got Pokestops for free. On top of that Game Stop has a contract with PGO along the lines of Starbucks. We have been told not to nominate sponsors (trigger!) if we can avoid doing so.
Frankly, the current definition of Wayfarer, and POI, does not allow for the same density of wayspots in rural and remote areas as in large cities, which is what some players are seeking.
This is something that the Wayfarer team, as well as the teams in each game, and we at Wayfinder, are aware of.
All we need to conclude this discussion is for @NianticTintino-ING to clearly define what rural and remote areas he refers to at the beginning of the thread.
Someone earlier noted that a convenience store is not a place to be social in their area. In a rural area where the nearest store is 15 miles away, a convenience store is a great place to meet. It may be one of the only public building in the town. When you want to meet people it is a safe place.
Also volunteer fire departments in rural areas should be allowed. If you're obstructing the access, you're volunteering.
In addition, why not make this the next Wayfarer challenge? We can help the rural areas out by voting on their submissions.
Not sure if a challenge like this can encompass multiple regions or if it has to be of one region. If the latter, we could have multiple mini Wayfarer challenges for selected regions.
Comments
I have been from a rural town in a far flung province in one of the Philippines's more than 7000 islands and base on my experience, the remaining active Pokemon players in there are really struggling with the game. First is the absence of Pokestops and Gyms and also the dwindling player base that participates in Raids.
Since we already transferred here near the country's capital, all I can do from my end is to be actively communicating to those players back there and invite them to raids for new Tier 5 pokemons since they cannot do it there even if they could access some of the gyms that get spawns.
Perhaps Niantic could also check the actual usage of POIs in places considered as remote or rural and verify if some needs improvement to aid those remaining players before they eventually give up due to frustrations. If Niantic could also implement something like that or equivalent to Google Local Guide that could be a way to be the channel to support those player base on that unfortunate locations.
As per experience, some of them who happens to get to a level that can nominate POIs have done so but due to lack of ideas and information end up having their nomination disapproved or stuck in the queue due to limited to zero reviewers in the area.
Most Go players would most likely just choose anything from 1*-5*. It would get messy.
Have any of the ideas here been explored yet? Would be great to get a status update.
My Oma used to live in Bad König. The Odenwald is quite lovely!
In any case, the best way to clearly document a POI hidden or not otherwise showing on Google maps, is to create and submit a Photo Sphere in Google Street View. Once it is live on Street View, it will show up in the Waypoint review information.
👋
Yes and we do have great things here in the woods. I wont make any Street View for those things, Niantic is quite clear:
If something is not visible on the maps, 3* it when it should be there. I cant help if there are people reviewing that havent left their urban area in their lifetime.
Everyone that wants to see the wonders of the Odenwald is free to come here, just check out the gazillions of Pokestops and Gyms i created here
https://intel.ingress.com/intel?ll=49.620136,8.870888&z=17&pll=49.620136,8.870888
Somewhat late to this discussion.
There are multiple problems with rural areas. One major one is that we seem to be held to a higher standard than urban and cities. In cities it's fine to have very dubious nominations that presumably only get through because local chat groups vote them in. Graffiti tags as one example. Cities end up with so many POI that it becomes difficult to pick one out. We then get numerous people saying that they don't want to see rural areas get covered with POI! That lots of trail markers are bad for the game. It could be that a rural area only has a trail, why should only one marker be considered? If a city has lots of the same type of POI they all are valid.
Then we have the problem of loose guidelines which benefit areas with chat groups effectively making their own rules. What is acceptable in a town is rejected elsewhere. Cemeteries for example are often accepted as POI in cities ( not just notable graves but the entrance gates and notice boards) but are very difficult to get in a rural location because apparently they're sensitive.
Some consideration needs to be given to rural areas, we aren't some pristine wilderness that must be protected from POI appearing.
So we live on the outskirts of a larger city and there are only a few pokestops around. I have been submitting new valid locations and all of them get rejected within a few days. I really don’t understand. If I am not meeting requirements or these are not valid stops please let me know. Or let me know what else I can do to get these approved, again, not many choices or places for good stops in this area.
Having enough nominations to spend in other areas is a big big big deal, especially for those of us who only play one game. I don't want to use my nominations somewhere that I'm not going to play. But with "free" nominations, I'm more than willing to travel and add things.
Hi. We would love to help you with those nominations. Remember that they need to meet one of these criteria: 1) A great place to exercise, 2) A great place to explore, 3) A great place to be social.
1) Bonkers appears to be a gas station/convenience store. Which of the 3 criteria does it meet? Around me, gas stations are not places to exercise, explore or be social.
2) Petersburg Tunnel might be a place to exercise if it is on a walking trail. I don't know the details. However, pedestrian tunnels usually require a well-written nomination to convince reviewers that they essentially serve the same purpose as footbridges.
3) Eagle Crossing East appears to be a generic neighborhood entrance sign. Those do not meet any of the above criteria and are not eligible. Some fancy ones might if they have a pergola or waterfall but this one does not have anything like that.
4) GameStop is a sponsor for PGO. We should not be submitting them through the normal process. If the corporation wants a POI there, they have to pay for it. I don't really like that answer but that is how it works.
Feel free to post in Nomination Improvement if you want help with any other submissions.
Also @LokiVariant42-PGO if you live "on the outskirts of a larger city", you're in the suburbs, not rural. Usually Niantic punishes suburbians 25-30 miles or so around a big city, by making their nominations take 4 months to two years to resolve without an upgrade (each upgrade takes 2-3 hours of reviewing, to earn). You must be very lucky with the call divisions - landing in a different region from the city. I'm 20 miles from a city, and can't imagine getting back October nominations already!
Agree, but look at the dates. Those noms are about a week old and have already been rejected. I'd say this person is genuinely rural or at least in a POI light area.
GameStop would be a chain business which isn’t eligible by itself typically. I don’t know if Bonkers is the same.
If you share the full details of the nominations then I’m sure folks will be able to assist as to whether they’re eligible.
I see comments here about GameStop being a sponsor or a chain, but both of these are irrelevant when judging a nomination.
That doesn't mean GameStop is a good nomination. I can't see it being a great place to explore or exercise. That only leaves a great place to be social.
If it just sells games, then it isn't really a great place to be social. If it semi-regularly hosts events like LAN-parties or FIFA tournaments, then yes, I would consider it a great place to be social and an eligible spot. But it is up to the nominator to prove that.
So, this is where the games have different rules. Gaming centers where Play! Pokemon Leagues are run recently got Pokestops for free. On top of that Game Stop has a contract with PGO along the lines of Starbucks. We have been told not to nominate sponsors (trigger!) if we can avoid doing so.
Where has this been told? It would contradict previous statements.
Frankly, the current definition of Wayfarer, and POI, does not allow for the same density of wayspots in rural and remote areas as in large cities, which is what some players are seeking.
This is something that the Wayfarer team, as well as the teams in each game, and we at Wayfinder, are aware of.
All we need to conclude this discussion is for @NianticTintino-ING to clearly define what rural and remote areas he refers to at the beginning of the thread.
Someone earlier noted that a convenience store is not a place to be social in their area. In a rural area where the nearest store is 15 miles away, a convenience store is a great place to meet. It may be one of the only public building in the town. When you want to meet people it is a safe place.
Also volunteer fire departments in rural areas should be allowed. If you're obstructing the access, you're volunteering.
In addition, why not make this the next Wayfarer challenge? We can help the rural areas out by voting on their submissions.
Not sure if a challenge like this can encompass multiple regions or if it has to be of one region. If the latter, we could have multiple mini Wayfarer challenges for selected regions.