Derocher planned it out perfectly: to travel a loop of 10 PokeStops, each with lures attached to them, catching new Pokemon and evolving them while on the move until finally hitting 1,000,000 exp. Each time around the loop should take no more than five minutes, to maximize new PokeBall acquisition and capitalize on the lure spawning of Pokemon. Breaks were encouraged, but only when arriving at a particularly lucrative clump of three PokeStops.
And what better way to become legend that to do it all while livestreaming on Twitch? Derocher and several friends would work together to catch all the action and livestream it to any interested viewers. In addition, 25% of all donations made while livestreaming would be put towards charity. It’s the set-up for a wonderful Pokemon Go adventure that would potentially go down as an event in the game’s history. That is, until 13 hours into the event when Niantic’s anti-botting tech flagged Derocher’s account and soft-banned him.
Derocher was 13 hours into his 24-hour window, proving his critics wrong by having accumulated over 600,000 experience points. 1,000,000 wasn’t just a possibility, it was within reach. If Derocher just kept going at the same pace he’d been, he could make his goal. Instead, disaster struck. Niantic flagged Derocher’s count and soft-banned it, which prevented him from catching any more Pokemon for 24 hours. The dream was dead.
That didn’t stop Derocher from trying, though. He struggled for another hour and a half, earning experience for spinning PokeStops and having Pokemon run away. 25k over the next hour and a half wasn’t going to help him cross one 1,000,000. As disappointed as Derocher was, he was able to produce some cash for charity. He logged 25 miles with the Charity Miles app and promised $50-60 of his livestream donations to a good cause. From there, he decided it was best to start a conversation with Niantic.
Apparently Derocher was fully aware that his 1,000,000 run would likely catch Niantic’s anti-botting mechanisms. He’s sent a tweet requesting Niantic flag his account as safe for the duration of the stream, but obviously Niantic’s got bigger issues to deal with right now. Still, Derocher is hoping the event will lead Niantic to give more thought into their banning practices so as not to punish their most dedicated fans.
“Games are meant to be played, and in my opinion played well,” says Derocher, whose Pokemon Go journey is likely just beginning. Building his legend will simply have to wait for another day.
Check out our helpful Pokémon GO guides:
How to Use the New Sightings Tool How to Win Battles How to Become a Gym Leader How to Get Pokecoins How to Catch Pikachu as a Starter How to Use and Hatch Eggs How to Catch Rare Pokemon How to Use Pokestops How to Control Eevee’s Evolution Trainer Rewards at Every Level How to Hold Gyms Longer Where to Find Specific Pokemon How to Trigger Pokemon Spawns Every Type’s Strengths and Weaknesses Catching Region Exclusive Pokemon
Source: Kotaku
How to Use the New Sightings Tool How to Win Battles How to Become a Gym Leader How to Get Pokecoins How to Catch Pikachu as a Starter How to Use and Hatch Eggs How to Catch Rare Pokemon How to Use Pokestops How to Control Eevee’s Evolution Trainer Rewards at Every Level How to Hold Gyms Longer Where to Find Specific Pokemon How to Trigger Pokemon Spawns Every Type’s Strengths and Weaknesses Catching Region Exclusive Pokemon
