If you have ever tried playing Pokémon GO or Ingress in a village, you know the feeling: in town there is a game spot on every corner, out in the countryside there is one by the church, one by the war memorial and then nothing for a long while. It is not a bug and it is not bad luck. It follows from how these games build their world.
Why the countryside is empty in GPS games
Most big GPS games run on a database of points of interest - portals, stops and gyms. A large share of those spots are submitted by players themselves and approved by the community. Where more people live, there are more players, more submissions and, in the end, more spots. The result is a dense network in cities and a sparse one in rural areas.
The same principle often decides where creatures or monsters show up. In a village there tends to be less to catch, fewer places to go and fewer players to team up with. For people outside cities that is frustrating: they have the most nature around them, and the game gives them the least.
Which GPS games work in rural areas
- Geocaching - caches are often hidden out in nature, by springs, on hilltops or at castle ruins. Here the countryside is more of an advantage.
- Pikmin Bloom - it mostly counts steps, and you can walk those anywhere. Don't expect any competition though, it is a laid-back app.
- Kokume - its game world is not built on a list of points of interest but on the actual landscape. That is why we look at it in more detail.
How Kokume handles it
Regions in Kokume follow a country's administrative boundaries, from the smallest local districts up to larger units. So there is game territory wherever there is a municipality - in a small village just as much as in the middle of a capital city. You will not end up with an empty map and nowhere to play.
The countryside even has a few advantages in Kokume:
- The landscape is your stockpile. Regions follow the real terrain - forest, fields, meadows, quarries or water - and each type of terrain favors a different resource. A village often has more varied surroundings than a housing estate.
- Remote places pay off. Remote areas give more generous rewards and a longer gathering reach.
- Trips have a goal. Airdrops with loot appear at castles, ruins, lookout towers and hilltops. The countryside is full of places like that.
- A calmer start. Fewer players nearby means more time to get your economy going. It also means fewer allies, so it is worth coordinating with your faction on Discord.
Tips for playing in the countryside
- Start with the region around your home. Action range is counted in hundreds of meters, so you can put up your first buildings on a short walk.
- Use your trips into town - to work, to school, to the shops. Every stop along the way is a chance to claim another region.
- Let carts haul resources between your own buildings, so production from different corners of your area meets where you need it.
- Combine a weekend trip to a hill or a castle with hunting airdrops.
Want to see how Kokume compares with other games? Read our overview of GPS games or the comparison of Kokume and Pokémon GO.