"Tracking vs. Homing vs. Targeting and why it matters what we call it"

#PokemonGO: "Oh, look! A third rail! I wonder what will happen when I step on it?" - Me trying to figure out how to put this post together.So I've been thinking about the topic of "tracking" in Pokemon GO since it is one of the more controversial aspects of recent updates and came to some conclusions about how we talk about it. In looking over the many dialogues going on about the feature it seems like we're all using the wrong terms for what we want and what was shown/provided.First off, we never had a tracking system and probably never will unless they change the nature of the game. Pokemon spawn, sit, and de-spawn. They are never in motion and so essentially don't leave "tracks." They have a fixed location. If it is ever implemented that Pokemon can move in realtime (not de-spawn and re-spawn in a nearby location) we'll never be tacking them. Also, I have no idea how such a tracking system could be realized (When Pokemon move would they leave behind actual tracks that you could only see through an AR viewer?).What Niantic gave us at first and what we currently have is a (currently very broken) form of a homing system. A stationary Pokemon's location is picked up and translated onto the Nearby screen, which can (kind of) be used to estimate where the Pokemon is. A user can then home in on that location to hopefully locate it. This is also what the "Three Steps" and the beta's distance method was. It wasn't a means of tracking, it was a means of homing in on a location by trial and error.Pokevision and other services like it were direct Pokemon targeting systems. They took location data, overlaid that onto a map, and gave the user an exact target to hit and how long they had to hit it. There was no guesswork or chance involved, only precise data.Now why post something like this? Because I think it's important from a place of intellectual honesty to be entirely clear what points we're arguing over and what exactly it is we're asking for. When I hear Pokevision and similar services being touted as a replacement for the Nearby screen, I think it's comparing apples to oranges. As defined above, one is a homing system and the other a targeting system and those differences heavily change the mechanics and outcomes of game events.What do I want? I'd love to see a return of the three step system (if they can fix it) or the implementation of a similar homing system (the distance system used in the beta). This is what I think Niantic is referring to when they mention "original product goals." They're talking about the experience they're trying to create with this game where you have to explore and work to find the Pokemon you want for whatever reasons. Am I arguing that they're doing that perfectly, no. What I am saying is that we should at least be honest about exactly what we want in the game, why we want it, and if that's what was shown to us. In this case, we were never promised a Pokemon targeting system or a tracking system. What we were shown was a homing system, which we have, albeit in a broken form. via /r/TheSilphRoad http://ift.tt/2ath79Y