"Recycle Option"

#PokemonGO: In the handheld Pokemon games, I almost never used potions. Every time I was low, I would head to town to heal at a Pokemon Center, then sell all the potions I’d found to restock my Poke balls. It drives me crazy that we can’t do the same in PoGo. I’ve got over 300 healing items going to waste in my bag and next to no Poke balls. Something needs to be done to fix this.Niantic already implemented a recycle feature in Ingress, where each recycled item provides XM (energy needed to perform actions) rather than just disappearing. It would be extremely helpful if they did something similar in PoGo, either through an additional option in the Shop or an adjustment to the trash can icon. Something along the lines of recycle X potions for X poke balls:Item Exchange10 Potions = 5 Poke Balls10 Super Potions = 5 Great Balls or 10 Poke Balls10 Hyper Potions = 5 Ultra Balls or 10 Great Balls10 Max Potions = 10 Ultra Balls or 1 Master Ball10 Revives = 10 Great Balls10 Max Revives = 10 Ultra BallsThis system would be a simple automatic exchange of unnecessary items for more wanted ones. It would help casual players who only want to catch ‘em all, rural players who don’t live near an abundance of gyms (and cry a little every time Pokestops give potions instead of balls), and suburban players who’s Pokestops can’t keep up with their spawns. If implemented, the exchange rate could be tweaked by Niantic to counter any imbalance, the same way they keep adjusting (and screwing up) Pokestop drops.Alternatively, the system could allow players to sell items in exchange for Pokecoins. This would allow players access to balls, incubators, etc. without having to spend large amounts of cash. However, that does have a very strong pay-to-win aspect, and could tip the scales even farther in favor of high-density urban players. Combined with the likely drop in Niantic’s revenue stream, I doubt a Pokecoin exchange system would ever be implemented.As it stands, PoGo is divided into two aspects: Pokemon collecting and Gym battling. Many players simply don’t have an interest in battling at gyms, either due to a location with few options or frustration with the lack of diversity/complexity in the current battle system. For these players, Pokestops drop ~50% useless items that eventually get deleted in the search for more Poke balls. By implementing an item exchange system, Niantic would allow players to choose the type of Pokemon adventure they wish to have. Those who want to battle will still receive the potions/revives they need, and those who only want to collect can trade those potions in for the balls they need. Also, by allowing the players to decide what items are needed, Niantic wouldn’t need to alter the Pokestop drop rates as often, allowing them to focus more time on other features. cough trading coughTL;DR Let us trade extra potions for Poke balls. Happier players + less work for Niantic = Everybody wins!What do you think, Reddit? Do you see potential problems with recycling items? Have any suggestions for improvement? Secretly work for Niantic and want to implement this? Let’s hear it! via /r/TheSilphRoad http://ift.tt/2fJKEPk