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I tend to walk when I'm trying not to attract wild pokemon but don't have a repel to use to accomplish that. Is this just a psychological thing or is the encounter rate actually lowered while walking vs. faster movement options?

EDIT: I have heard on various places on the internet (of questionable trustworthiness) that the encounter rate does change based on whether you're running or walking. I originally accepted the answer that it is not affected since it seemed confident, but I'm not so sure any more. If someone can backup that answer with evidence I'll re-accept it. I would really like to be confident in knowing the answer to this question one way or another.

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    When you're running or on a bike you're going through the same number of squares faster, so even though you have the same "Encounters / Step", your "Encounters / Time Moving" goes way up, resulting in the phenomena you describe. Mar 14, 2011 at 2:56

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Bulbapedia states that using the Running Shoes does increase the wild encounter rate. Furthermore, in the games (at least in Pokémon HeartGold I'm sure) it says something along the lines of running in the grass creates noise and startles more Pokemon.

Anecdotally, when I walk through a patch of grass, most of the time I do so without encountering a single Pokemon. But running through the same grass I almost always encounter at least one wild Pokemon.

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I did a stastical t-test on the number of pokemon that one sees over 200 steps and I found that the amount of pokemon you see is different and lowered when walking vs on a bike. Over that 200 steps I found that you see on average 14 pokemon while on a bike and 6 while walking.

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    How many trials did you do for each? Mar 24, 2011 at 11:39
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It's psychological. The probability you will attract one at any square is the same. Since you move through them faster, there is less time between subsequent wild pokemon battles, which makes you think you get them more often.

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    Heh. Guess I shoulda posted my comment as an answer. Mar 14, 2011 at 4:26
  • This is what I suspected. Mar 14, 2011 at 11:08
  • @Raven Dreamer: agreed!
    – rxmnnxfpvg
    Mar 15, 2011 at 0:52

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