It's almost been exactly a month since Pokemon Go was released to certain regions of the world. While the augmented-reality mobile game's popularity has soared to unimaginable heights, Pokemon Go has struggled on various fronts to keep it's users happy.

In a recent update, the game's developer, Niantic Labs, decided to completely remove the "3-step" feature which, while broken anyways, allowed players to know how close in proximity they were to a nearby Pokemon. Niantic has promised to come up with permanent solutions to the many suggestions by fans of the game, but they have yet to come to fruition. In this article we will take a look at four ideas in particular Niantic could use in order to improve Pokemon Go.

{subtitle}Better Tracking System{/subtitle}{br}

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With the removal of the 3-step indicators along with 3rd-party sites such as Pokevision, it has never been harder to locate where certain Pokemon are spawning. Sure, Pokemon still show up in our guide, but there is absolutely no direction included as the new system merely tells us a monster is within 70 feet. The tracking systems above use a compass to show where and how far the Pokemon is from a player, with the second image separating distances into tiers of circles to show a probable distance.

Niantic did announce yesterday that Pokevision and the 3-step function were removed due in part to the lack of server resources available. According to the developer, these tracking systems were removed in order to free up space on the server to launch in new destinations, such as South America. Due in part to these reasons, it's unlikely that the second tracking image would be accepted, although it's nice to dream.

{subtitle}Trainer Battles{/subtitle}

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Other than the lack of proper tracking for Pokemon, one of the most often suggested ideas for the mobile app is to add official "trainer battles". While the battle system integrated with teams is an innovative idea that has worked well, the original battle system seen on the Nintendo Game Boy version of the series was based on an individual. Sure, there were dual battles, but that's beside the point. Having the ability to walk up to a fellow trainer and challenge them to battle could add an incredible ripple to the game's already world-changing effect. As with the implementation of a proper tracking system, having the ability to track others trainers as well as battle them would more than likely cause even more server grief. We'll hold out hope.

{subtitle}Achievements System{/subtitle}

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While Achievements are already available to be earned on Pokemon Go, many have suggested a different approach. Similar to how the "poke eggs" system has a page which monitors the progress made toward hatching your eggs, this awards page shows the amount of progress made towards certain awards. Those mentioned in this picture are simply an example, although many of the names would fit right along the lines of what we would imagine. This would seem like an idea that would fall outside of the "server problem" excuses.

{subtitle}Enhanced Player Profile{/subtitle}

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As a Pokemon trainer, none of your accomplishments are done alone. Each player builds their character and gains experience throughout the Pokemon landscape with the help of their favorite monsters. Even in the animated cartoon series, Ash was rarely seen without Pikachu, or another one of his many Pokemon, at his side. One player has suggested bringing this feature into the fold when displaying user profiles. Whether selected by default or manually, a set number of captured Pokemon will appear next to your character on the profile page. The trainer who made this photo must really like purple Pokemon.

These are four suggestions that could help improve Pokemon Go from a functionality standpoint as well as making it a much more attractive game. The augmented-reality app has had it's ups-and-downs, but here's to hoping that Niantic Labs finds a way to implement these features to a degree and keep the enjoyment of the game trending up.