Pokémon Go Fest 2020, Day 1

This is the live blog post for my coverage of Pokémon Go Fest 2020, Day 1.

The most recent updates appear at the top, below the three dashes.

This live blog post has ended.

---

8:30 PM UTC+7 - Since this is my first foray into live blogging, I've also learned something about my capabilities as a blogger, and a Pokémon blogger. For a live blog, I think I did OK with the tools I had on hand, but of course it takes time, especially when simultaneously playing. It has indicated a lot of good and bad things, but I'll save that for later. As promised, there is still the big "island of mystery" of Day 2, and that will be live as well.

With that, my coverage of Day 1 has ended. Stay tuned for Day 2.

8:15 PM UTC+7 - After 10 hours, Day 1 comes to a close. It has been a rather up-and-down 10 hours but everyone came through even if there wasn't actually "everyone" physically present. Of course, it's not yet over for the other side of the world, and they'll have to deal with what this side of the world dealt with, so I wish the rest good luck on whatever Go Fest challenges are left to complete.

7:46 PM UTC+7 - The throw challenge certainly leads to the triple catch Stardust as before. However, as the bonus came within the last half hour of the hour's Challenge, I opted to use a Lure Module (against current wisdom) on a PokéStop I had convenient access to. Something interesting happened during this time: I was suddenly invited by a friend in a high place to an Aerodactyl raid, and I took it up; at the end, I was given a Shiny Aerodactyl. It was surprising and rewarding at the same time, adding to the previous Shiny Heatmor surprise.

7:11 PM UTC+7 - Finally, the Water Habitat again. As before, the Global Challenge is Great throws, and there ought to be greater contributions this time around. This is the last Habitat before Day 1 ends, and there might be a sense of "rallying" as Day 1 comes to a close. That should give an extra drive for those who have been in since the beginning and are looking for an (initial) sense of closure.

6:54 PM UTC+7 - For me, it's a good thing the Gift challenge came when it did, because it allowed me to catch all (well, almost all) the Fire-type Pokémon that came about with this Habitat. I tried to focus on Litwick since it needed the Candy and Heatmor because of its regional quality outside of Go Fest, and the latter's Shiny form is a blessing. again, as before, everyone will have their own preferences. I also note that my friends are rather deft since they tend to capture more than I do.

6:24 PM UTC+7 - The Fire Habitat with its capture challenge is back, and like earlier, it was completed in a flash, this affords me time to take care of things that I couldn't take care of earlier when it came around the first time. As I was writing this, I encountered and captured a Shiny Heatmor! Surprises like these are what keep me and certainly others going in Pokémon Go. This is rather astounding.

5:38 PM UTC+7 - The Global Challenge is complete, and now Gifts come with Rare Candies. It's important to note that they are in addition to the three "packets" that come with the Gift itself, so it's best to make total use of them to rack up lots of Rare Candies, which is likely to be seriously helpful. Opening Gifts will also likely beef up Poké Ball stock in order to make it through the last couple of habitats with the most interesting things.

5:10 PM UTC+7 - As predicted, it's the Friendship Habitat, and the Global Challenge is about sending Gifts again, which means putting those Gifts from PokéStops and Gyms to work. If you're like me, you may have wandered out just a bit to different places or collected many from one place. Whatever happens, it's time to send them.

4:42 PM UTC+7 - It looks like the new part of the world that participated practically carried through the hour and few of my fellows are interested in raiding, so it's a good time to just be capturing Pokémon instead. But then there's the next Habitat and Global Challenge, which by now should be predictable.

4:19 PM UTC+7 - Battle Habitat again, raid challenge again. At this point I've already spent my free passes for the earlier raid challenge, though this might be helped with the three free remote passes from earlier. If the challenge gets completed (and it surely will, with Trainers from new regions on the scene), I'm likely to just activate another Incense and work on plain captures instead.

3:59 PM UTC+7 - And yes, I lost track of time. That's what happens when you're deeply into things, as I imagine other Trainers and fans of Pokémon are in general.

3:57 PM UTC+7 - The Grass habitat and the Berry challenge is back, and things play out in pretty much the same way. It seemed a little harder now maybe because of earlier Trainers having item issues, but then later Trainers seemed to have made it up. The bonus is triple catch XP and should be nice for anyone who needs the XP for different purposes.

2:59 PM UTC+7 - It's close to the end of the current Water habitat, and I imagine a few people might be having trouble maintaining their item counts, especially if they're playing remotely. It might be time to open a few more Gifts or to really get out and spin some PokéStops and Gyms. I would say to keep one's focus on what has been given, especially during capture. The rest is for the game (and others) to decide.

2:34 PM UTC+7 - Moving into the Water habitat, the Global Challenge is (or was) making lots of Great Throws. This looked like a simple one to complete, but it actually took a bit of time. Still, with triple catch Stardust as the bonus, it is very rewarding, so the rest of the efforts can be directed into that. As with the bonus of the previous Fire habitat, now it's time to be catching again, hopefully with a Star Piece activated in order to reap even further rewards.

1:50 PM UTC+7 - The double catch candy has been a total blessing. It has helped to increase Candy stock for all my Fire-type Pokémon, including low-runners such as the Charmander family through capturing a Charizard with a Pinap Berry of either kind. I take interest in everything, so I try to catch everything. There will be another Fire habitat block later, so I can try for even more then. For now I'm also taking some breaks, including watching some videos in the virtual team lounge on the official site. I recommend it, even if the videos are in different languages, like a Battle League guide in Polish. There is something for everyone.

1:19 PM UTC+7 - It's now the Fire Habitat, and this one has Pokémon that many are surely interested in. The Global Challenge is to catch lots of Fire-type Pokémon, and that is certainly appropriate. Some will take to Heatmor, others to Litwick, and yet still others to the assortment of others, including Alolan Marowak, which has always had the potential for being Shiny. As I write this, the challenge became completed, and the reward of double catch Candy should be very, very nice. Get to catching now. 

12:37 PM UTC+7 - A tweet was made that at some point in the future a make-up event will be held due to "issues" in some habitat blocks. This is standard procedure, and I won't contest that. In some sense it was bound to happen, and the multitude of events in Pokémon Go in general also seem to be a safeguard to this. The Friendship habitat continues and it's still time to make the most of things.

12:18 PM UTC+7 - Next up, the Friendship habitat. The Global Challenge for this one is sending lots of gifts, and it was completed in no time flat. This is the perfect time to send and open Gifts, as they now may contain Rare Candies. Since one of the Special Research tasks involves making a new friend, it's a good opportunity for that as well. Emotions will definitely run high.

11:56 AM UTC+7 - Global Challenge completed and bonus is active. Activated a second Incense to try to catch more Pokémon. What could be problematic for some people is seeking friends who are active and willing to raid with. That may be why the challenge took quite a bit of time to complete. There's a right sense in moving on.

11:12 AM UTC+7 - New habitat, new challenge. It is now the Battle habitat, and the Global Challenge is to complete many raids. Initial progress seems a bit slow, but it might be just doable. Other unique Pokémon have started to join the fray, including Gible. 3 Remote Raid Passes are available free. Lots to do.

10:46 AM UTC+7 - Unusual things during this first habitat, the Grass habitat: Venusaur and Leafeon in the wild, which are definitely mondo for their bonuses. Focusing on the capture aspects of the Special Research. Refraining from taking up the 200 Great Balls from the Special Research until the right time. Will also try to complete the raid aspect. As expected, the Global Challenge was completed in due time.

10:23 AM UTC+7 - Go Fest has started in my area, and the Special Research is live and active. The first Global Challenge of using Berries to catch Pokémon is also active and stands to be completed real quickly for a bonus of triple catch XP. Everything in the Special Research is quite enticing and therefore needs to be completed. Unown is live in the wild and, form reports, can even be shiny! This is already a great start.

9:39 AM UTC+7 - There's been a few reports that Pokémon Go is lagging for some people. The game's not a stranger to lags, but it does happen sometimes, and quite possibly for a major and global event like this one. With or without lag, there are still stories to be gained, so the only way to go is onward.

9:04 AM UTC+7 - Hi everyone, and welcome to my first live blog, featuring one of the most spectacular Pokémon events in the world, the Pokémon Go Fest, which this year is virtual because of all that's happened. I've decided to start the coverage an hour early local time since I foresee lots of things could happen. So bear with me for today, and let's see where things go.

One year ago: Pokémon for Print Projects

Two years ago: World of Pokémon... Media

Three years ago: Videophones and Pokémon, Then and Now