"[Discussion] Niantic might start to merge PokéStops and Gyms soon"

#PokemonGO: We had countless posts about people usually getting 2 items out of a pokestop spin for about 2 weeks now. No communication or answers, just vague, automatic responses that suggest this bug might actually be a feature.http://ift.tt/2gGhDrd, we do know that Niantic is intentionally not adding new Pokestops and Gyms from Ingress, and that they removed every new Stop or Gym that was approved in Ingress after September 25. On the same day, October 11, we saw the start of something that we still have to figure out.http://ift.tt/2yFNWNG, more players seem to be affected by the "2-item-feature".http://ift.tt/2gGhEvh what if Niantic started to slowly test, how Pokemon Go would be played if every Pokestop became a Gym?Well, you might think, people would get a lot more items out of gyms than 2. But do you actually think that you would level up all those Stops in no time?Personally, I think most "Gymstops" would spit out 2 items most of the time, just like stops do now. People that are affected already see how this change plays out: They grind items from gyms that they leveled up, or they level up new gyms. Which is an interesting dynamic. It's definitely more interesting than just spinning a stop, for nothing but a bit more XP from the first spin.And this change would actually make a lot of sense. In Ingress, there is only one building, too: Portals. And they behave like Gyms. Every single one of them. There are no Stops in Ingress. Plus: There are a lot more Portals than Stops.But what problems would we face with this change? First, it would look a bit weird and drain a lot more battery, if they do not change the look of gyms on the map. So, Gyms would need at least a slight visual compression. And if you click on them, they would look just about the same as they do now. Second, lures Need to work with Gyms. And, just like ingress, there has to be a quick-spinning function from the map.Everything would make sense, from disappearing stops and gyms to the 2 item bug as a feature. We only need one bug client update. And as far as we know, there is still one coming, apart from Gen 3. (And: this Change might include PvP or Trading at those new Gymstops, who knows. But that would be wild speculation...)Also, every new Portal in Ingress might get added again as a new Gymstop, so this Update would be even bigger for all of us.What do you think about this? Would you like it if they merged Stops and Gyms? via /r/TheSilphRoad http://ift.tt/2yOcfc0