In massively popular augmented reality mobile game Pokémon GO, one of the major actions is catching the little monsters by throwing Pokéballs at them.
Curved throws of Pokéballs at Pokémon will get the player bonus experience points, while also increasing the chances of catching the Pokémon. However, many Pokéballs have been lost in trying to catch Pokémon with a curved throw, as it could be difficult to get the angle and timing just right.
Some gamers are not even trying to use a curved throw to catch a Pokémon, with their throws not being straight enough so they see their Pokéballs flying wayward as their chance of catching the Pokémon dwindles.
Straight throws of Pokéballs might not be as flashy as curved throws, but they still get the job done. After all, the only objective is to get the Pokéball within the shrinking rings surrounding the Pokémon during the attempt to catch it.
To help Pokémon trainers in getting off dead-straight launches of Pokéballs and increase their chances of getting the Excellent rating by landing the Pokéball within the smallest circle, Jon Cleaver has created a blueprint of a smartphone case for the job.
The plans for the case, which have been uploaded to My Mini Factory for anyone to access, is a pretty simple accessory that partly covers the smartphone's screen. The case hugs both sides of the device and features a straight path right along the middle, through which gamers can slide their fingers across to launch a decidedly straight throw of the Pokéball.
The smartphone case can be 3D printed by gamers who are looking to get some assistance on their Pokéball throwing skills, with the case to be snapped on to the smartphone whenever the chance to catch a Pokémon appears. The case does not look like it will be offering any protection to the smartphone, but that could be the least of a gamer's worries when faced with the chance to capture the Pokémon that they have been wanting to own since they started their Pokémon GO journey.
The catch, however, is that the smartphone case which Cleaver created is only compatible for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s. Cleaver, however, noted in the accessory's description that he would be making more of these cases for other smartphones if there is enough interest. Looking through the few comments, it seems that there is a bit of demand for cases for other iPhone models and the Samsung Galaxy S7, so for gamers who would want to have such an accessory for their smartphone, it might be best to drop a comment and hope that Cleaver gets around to making one for your smartphone.
For Pokémon GO players who would like more tips in addition to 3D printing this smartphone case, Nick Johnson, the first gamer to catch all 142 Pokémon in the United States, offered advice for other trainers. The advice includes walking in a straight line, as the game measures straight-line distances between locations for progress, and evolving weaker Pokémon instead of waiting to evolve stronger Pokémon to gain levels faster.
