In-game Reports, do they even work? Help/change needed to tackle cheating.
Tokekkebo-PGO
Posts: 30 ✭✭
I am aware this is not the place for a post like this. I am out of ideas on how to solve the situation for myself and the local community since in-game reports don't change anything.
The situation:
For the better part of the past 2-3 years, me and my family have been targets by cheaters/spoofers in our local area. My wife and I are collecting gold gym medals (especially gyms we created on forest trails and such) and the rest of the family just enjoy playing together. The cheaters/spoofers always take down gyms we are defending, and they leave them empty/white after they are done. They do so at speeds that are not humanly possible (especially between trail markers in forests with steep 60m high hills). There are several other players in our local community who have experienced the same situation we have. All of us have sent numerous in-game reports over the past 2 years, with screenshots and photo evidence of spoofing happening in gyms at remote locations while we were there. As a response, the chatbot always thanks me for my report and promises "We take these matters seriously, and your reports are critical to keeping Pokémon Go welcoming for everyone", yet this blatant cheating continues to this day. This type of toxic cheating behaviour has sucked the fun out of the game and, more importantly, wayfarer for us. My family and I take pride in the 1300+ wayspots we have gotten accepted successfully ever since Pokemon Go players got access to the submission process, but I think all of us are done with wayfarer if nothing changes.
I am certain we aren't the only players who are experiencing this. Since Niantic has taken a stronger stance against abuse in Wayfarer I feel like it's time for a big change in their attitude towards in-game cheating as well.
For the exact locations, video/photo proof of the cheating/spoofing I would like to ask anyone from the Niantic staff to DM me. There has to be someone at Niantic who can fix this situation. Please help us regain the fun of exploring the world for more good quality wayspots.
Comments
@Tokekkebo-PGO
I understand your frustration with what you are experiencing in the game. I have been the subject of bullying and harassment. And believe me I know how helpless it feels having to go via the report function.
However this is a Pokemon Go issue. The Wayfarer Team can't take action. So unfortunately you have to keep going back to the Go team for them to take notice. Don't take no for an answer keep persisting.
I know it will be sapping your morale and thus affecting your experience in all aspects of Niantic games. My advice would be to try and draw a firmer line between game play and the fun of finding and creating wayspots. Those bullies are not in that aspect so try and enjoy that more.
I am fully aware this is a Pokémon Go issue, but like I said the in-game reports do nothing and that makes me wonder why there is even an option to make reports about cheating in the first place. I have taken the route of persisting in my reports and at this point, I believe our group has made well over 100 reports of the same issue so it is quite clear the Pokémon Go team does not care about cheating beyond the point of what their automated algorithms can detect. Frankly, I feel like it's hugely disrespectful for players that the Pokémon Go team handles reports like this. In a game, which they claim is all about community-oriented play, there is actually nothing being done to help communities of real players. This just sets the standard to stop collecting badges or to stop going out and cheat instead if you want to keep up, neither are an option for me.
If you're aware that this is just about Pokemon Go, you should realize that there's nothing that the Wayfarer team can do about it. It's like complaining to Tesla about an issue with your Twitter account, both belong to Musk, but they are different people.
If it’s a Pokémon GO issue, perhaps post it on the official Pokémon forums.
Your example makes no sense and doesn't add anything to this discussion. My quitting as a reviewer because Niantic is mishandling their anti-cheating efforts directly affects Wayfarer so the two aren't as unrelated as you make them out to be.
A copy-paste there won't hurt, thank you for the suggestion.
Hi @Tokekkebo-PGO I get it's frustrating to be constantly passed from pillar to post by Niantic and end up banging your head against the wall and then to be told to go somewhere else too by other players when you are asking a reasonable question albeit in the incorrect place.
My experience is that individual reports very rarely achieve anything.
The best you can hope for is they will end up getting caught out by the system and in the meantime do your own thing that brings the most enjoyment.
I know it's a sh1tty resigned answer but It's all I've got unfortunately :)
In my experience InGame reporting no matter of what kind across of all Niantic products rarely works. You probably have better luck by asking the Niantic help account on twitter to DM you.
Or, if you know that those spoofers also did wayfarer abuse, you can report that instead and hope for a good investigation against them