Pokémon Go and the rails.

[Spleen.]

I just caught this bugger on the rail. A proper Drowzee. Don't worry, I'm a COSS working under a blockade. But in all seriousness, should someone be taking Naintic to task over placing their Pokémon in dangerous places. Looks will be kids after all.

 

[AlterEgo]

Network Rail are already on the case: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-36892627

Nintendo and app developers have been contacted by Network Rail over "safety concerns" regarding Pokemon Go being playable close to live train tracks.

The BBC understands gamers have been walking on to the tracks at Birmingham New Street.

Network Rail has warned that trains can reach high speeds and gamers "are likely to be distracted" when playing.

Pokemon Go developers, US firm Niantic, has not yet responded to questions from the BBC.....

 

[me123]

I'm pretty sure that the actual pokémon are randomly generated, so it's not the case that Niantic are deliberately/carelessly placing them on the railway (or any other dangerous place for that matter) - they spawn at random. No-one needs to be "taking Niantic to task" over anything - it's the users that are behaving like morons not the developers of the game.

The PokeStops and Pokegyms on the other hand are generated based on a database of local "landmarks", and railway stations seem to be favourite locations. I understand that Livingston North Station is a gym, for example. I would assume that these could be altered if any were causing a particular problem.

 

[BRblue]

I'm pretty sure that the actual pokémon are randomly generated, so it's not the case that Niantic are deliberately/carelessly placing them on the railway (or any other dangerous place for that matter) - they spawn at random. No-one needs to be "taking Niantic to task" over anything - it's the users that are behaving like morons not the developers of the game.

The PokeStops and Pokegyms on the other hand are generated based on a database of local "landmarks", and railway stations seem to be favourite locations. I understand that Livingston North Station is a gym, for example. I would assume that these could be altered if any were causing a particular problem.

OK.... I'm sure the drivers that hit and the emergency workers that have to clear up what's left of said "morons" will be happy to hear that. Why should the railway be left to clear up the mess caused by somebody else?
Believe it or not even game developers have a duty of care to their game users, even if they are stupid enough to put themselves in danger.

 

[DarloRich]

and cue the Daily Mail style wibblings and vast over reactions

PS i thought this thread would have appeared by now! We must be slipping as a community)

 

[Bayum]

OK.... I'm sure the drivers that hit and the emergency workers that have to clear up what's left of said "morons" will be happy to hear that. Why should the railway be left to clear up the mess caused by somebody else?
Believe it or not even game developers have a duty of care to their game users, even if they are stupid enough to put themselves in danger.

I'm a little confused confused as to why you're getting so arsey. Me123 has already explained that the Pokemon generated are random and it isn't actually up to Niantic as to when or where the spawns are generated. There is a splash screen on the game warning users to take care of the environment that they are in. Perhaps you should be getting this irritated over the vast number of people who think it's ok to climb over fences and trespass, rather than the developers of a game.

 

[fusionblue]

Niantic has already said (in response to a holocaust museum being a pokestop, i believe) you can contact them and they will remove them as necessary.

That said, lets hope nobody "randomly generates" one on top of the shard...

 

[coppercapped]

I'm a little confused confused as to why you're getting so arsey. Me123 has already explained that the Pokemon generated are random and it isn't actually up to Niantic as to when or where the spawns are generated. There is a splash screen on the game warning users to take care of the environment that they are in. Perhaps you should be getting this irritated over the vast number of people who think it's ok to climb over fences and trespass, rather than the developers of a game.

It is up to Niantic. It is quite possible to add some code to the servers to delete any Pokémon which have been randomly generated but which fall within a defined overlay which covers such features as motorways, trunk roads, railways and river banks. Or, indeed, any other hazardous area such as the very edge of Beachy Head.

It's all very well to get irritated with people who climb over fences, but it would help reduce the incidence of such occurrences if the temptation were removed.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Sllghtly OT but was there not once a furore raised in about a certain violent computer game that featured scenes of the inside of Manchester Cathedral where two combatants battled each other?

 

[Altnabreac]

The thing to bear in mind with Pokemon Go is that once the Pokemon appears on your phone screen you no longer have to move any further to capture it, you just click on the Pokemon.

So if you are in safe location when the Pokemon appears there is no problem or danger and you can't see where Pokemon might be until they appear on your screen. There should be no need to go anywhere hazardous to capture them.

So there is no need for anyone to go anywhere unsafe to capture Pokemon as they do appear all around. Pokestops and Pokegyms are all based on user submitted locations that come from Niantic's other game Ingress which has been running for 3 years. They are all in publically accessible (at least some of the time) areas so there shouldn't be any dangers accessing them.

The algorithm that affects appearance of Pokemon is based on existing phone usage activity so more will appear in areas with lots of people there. As Niantic used to be part of Google it is generally thought that this data comes mainly from Android phone usage data and again this was pioneered in Ingress over several years so they are just reusing previous data. In general this means that Pokemon are generally in busy public areas with less in the countryside / rural / industrial areas etc.

 

[plymothian]

Network Rail are already on the case: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-36892627

Those Pokemon Go advice screens are being broadcast across the whole network, not just BHM (Birmingham New Street) as the article might suggest.

 

[infobleep]

It is up to Niantic. It is quite possible to add some code to the servers to delete any Pokémon which have been randomly generated but which fall within a defined overlay which covers such features as motorways, trunk roads, railways and river banks. Or, indeed, any other hazardous area such as the very edge of Beachy Head.

It's all very well to get irritated with people who climb over fences, but it would help reduce the incidence of such occurrences if the temptation were removed.

I doubt the detailed overlays required are free. Ordnance Survey master map is an expensive product. That would give the detailed information required. Then you need to find the restricted areas. It l costs time and money.

Mapping data doesn't just grow on trees. It's far more complicated.

Would be like saying why don't you just switch the power back on and run trains when the signals go down.

Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Sllghtly OT but was there not once a furore raised in about a certain violent computer game that featured scenes of the inside of Manchester Cathedral where two combatants battled each other?

Just watched the Musketeers TV drama and they had a battle sequence inside a church.

Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

 

[MrB]

It would be much easier for people just to think rather than having to go to the bother & expense of producing all this advice. All that is necessary is for people to have an ounce of common sense and not go wandering about on the tracks!

 

[fishquinn]

What is it? Surely people looking at their phones and not paying attention around the railway is nothing new?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

What is it? Surely people looking at their phones and not paying attention around the railway is nothing new?

I agree with what MrB said in his posting. I note what you say above but it is in the certain situations that can be fraught is when you expect common sense to come to the fore.

 

[LowLevel]

We have actually had an A4 briefing paper on it and it's dangers so I'm assuming some silly fool has fallen on to the track, down some stairs or similar.

 

[coppercapped]

I doubt the detailed overlays required are free. Ordnance Survey master map is an expensive product. That would give the detailed information required. Then you need to find the restricted areas. It l costs time and money.

Mapping data doesn't just grow on trees. It's far more complicated.

<SNIP>

But Niantic (and Google and Apple) already have the mapping data - how do you think many of their other applications work?

All the publishers have to do is add the coordinates of an overlay which covers, say, railway routes and add the code to delete any Pokémon randomly generated within the forbidden zone. The overlay doesn't have to follow the boundary fence exactly - it could be simplified and bigger so long as all the active railway is excluded.

It's not conceptually difficult and considering Nintendo's share price practically doubled it should easily be affordable. It would save an awful lot of bad press.

 

[infobleep]

But Niantic (and Google and Apple) already have the mapping data - how do you think many of their other applications work?

All the publishers have to do is add the coordinates of an overlay which covers, say, railway routes and add the code to delete any Pokémon randomly generated within the forbidden zone. The overlay doesn't have to follow the boundary fence exactly - it could be simplified and bigger so long as all the active railway is excluded.

It's not conceptually difficult and considering Nintendo's share price practically doubled it should easily be affordable. It would save an awful lot of bad press.

But they haven't mapped exclusion areas I wouldn't have thought. There will be far more than just railway lines. What about military areas that are open to the public only at certain times of the year. I still think it's far more complicated than you think.

I draw maps and create mapping data for a living so I have a fair idea what I'm talking about.

If they excluded stars that would of course include all stations, which apparently are popular and within reason safe.

Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

 

[mrpsb]

Sllghtly OT but was there not once a furore raised in about a certain violent computer game that featured scenes of the inside of Manchester Cathedral where two combatants battled each other?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contr...nchester_Cathedral_in_Resistance:_Fall_of_Man

 

[Islineclear3_1]

It would be much easier for people just to think rather than having to go to the bother & expense of producing all this advice. All that is necessary is for people to have an ounce of common sense and not go wandering about on the tracks!

Ah but the powers in Westminster and beyond don't want us to think for ourselves; they would rather "look after us" and just tell us constantly that we "can't do this" and "we can't do that" - i.e. eroding our civil liberties. And as for using common sense... we are too dumb to do that. What do you think this Pokeman thing is for?

 

[coppercapped]

But they haven't mapped exclusion areas I wouldn't have thought. There will be far more than just railway lines. What about military areas that are open to the public only at certain times of the year. I still think it's far more complicated than you think.

I draw maps and create mapping data for a living so I have a fair idea what I'm talking about.

If they excluded stars that would of course include all stations, which apparently are popular and within reason safe.

Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

Nobody was writing about military exclusion areas, but specifically about railway track in areas with sufficient population to be interesting to Niantic. However OpenStreetMap already has UK military exclusion areas marked as well as other sensitive sites such as AWE.

OpenStreetMap includes the current layout of Reading station including the location of Boots on the new overbridge. If this level of detail is available to an open source project then I still don't see the problem for companies with the resources of Google and Nintendo to make the active railway 'out of bounds' for Pokémon but to place the 'hot spots' in or near station buildings.

 

[IanD]

I don't play Pokemon Go at work and I'm not in a safety critical role.

 

[cjmillsnun]

Nobody was writing about military exclusion areas, but specifically about railway track in areas with sufficient population to be interesting to Niantic. However OpenStreetMap already has UK military exclusion areas marked as well as other sensitive sites such as AWE.

OpenStreetMap includes the current layout of Reading station including the location of Boots on the new overbridge. If this level of detail is available to an open source project then I still don't see the problem for companies with the resources of Google and Nintendo to make the active railway 'out of bounds' for Pokémon but to place the 'hot spots' in or near station buildings.

Please don't use OSM as the font of all accuracy. To do this properly requires data surveyed to the accuracy that is available in commercial products that use surveying grade equipment. I say that as someone who worked with mapping data for 11 years and as a contributer to OSM. In the UK that means OS MasterMap which is generally accurate to 1:1250. I would also not consider smartphone GPS to be accurate (in my last job my smartphone GPS put me in the Solent despite the office being about 500m inland) meaning the buffer around features would be large.

 

[al78]

Ah but the powers in Westminster and beyond don't want us to think for ourselves; they would rather "look after us" and just tell us constantly that we "can't do this" and "we can't do that" - i.e. eroding our civil liberties. And as for using common sense... we are too dumb to do that. What do you think this Pokeman thing is for?

Exactly what have you been told by Parliment that you can't do that has eroded your civil liberties (being told not to do something that causes harm/ unnecessary inconvenience to others doesn't count)?

 

[Sacro]

... considering Nintendo's share price practically doubled it should easily be affordable..

I wouldn't drag Nintendo into this, their share price dropped and levelled when people realised they don't actually have much to do with Pokémon Go.

 

[rebmcr]

Anything that spawns on a railway track will be within range to interact with it from outside the boundary fence — the (in)accuracy of the basic Google Maps overlay gives a lot of leeway up to 50m or so.

There is quite literally never a situation where a player would need to enter the boundary fence, so there is no need to change anything about the game.

 

[island]

People should take responsibility for themselves (and, where applicable, their kids). End of.

 

[sprinterguy]

There is quite literally never a situation where a player would need to enter the boundary fence,

Although that hasn't stopped occasional reports of specifically Pokémon Go related trespass around the network trickling in.

 

[TheKnightWho]

But Niantic (and Google and Apple) already have the mapping data - how do you think many of their other applications work?

All the publishers have to do is add the coordinates of an overlay which covers, say, railway routes and add the code to delete any Pokémon randomly generated within the forbidden zone. The overlay doesn't have to follow the boundary fence exactly - it could be simplified and bigger so long as all the active railway is excluded.

It's not conceptually difficult and considering Nintendo's share price practically doubled it should easily be affordable. It would save an awful lot of bad press.

As has already been pointed out, this is pointless. You can catch them if they appear on your screen.

If someone is trespassing playing Pokemon Go, that means they trespassed in the hope they'd find a Pokemon there, which is a) far less likely, and b) not Niantec's fault.

 

[WelshBluebird]

It is up to Niantic. It is quite possible to add some code to the servers to delete any Pokémon which have been randomly generated but which fall within a defined overlay which covers such features as motorways, trunk roads, railways and river banks. Or, indeed, any other hazardous area such as the very edge of Beachy Head.

It really isn't as easy as you seem to think. You are talking about using the vast majority of the globe as a game world. There are SO many areas where using your logic Niantic should be writing code for Pokemon not to spawn in. If they did that the game would never actually come out! You really just have to guide player behavior through warnings, signs etc etc.