Ingress AMA Archive
September 11th 2017
Q1: Will there be a Marketplace at the #Osaka Anomaly?
A1: I don't know. But I will ask.
Q2: Peanut Butter: Do you prefer Smooth or Crunchy , when on your way to capture a portal?
A2: Smooth. Crunchy feels like an unfinished product. It's called peanut butter, not peanut butter boba. What the hell is crunchy butter?
Q3: This is a more of a statement than a question, i have in my possession the secret lasagna recipe if i do not receive 2 billion XM units in unmarked capsules, i will release that recipe to the public. You have one week from now
A3: Lies! The secret recipe is in my head. Wait? Is your real name Charles Xavier? Get out of my head Professor X! Where is Magneto's helmet when you need it.
Q4: Will there be a minimum level required to submit new portals, as it was(is) for OPR?
A4: Yes
Q5: Ito - increase the chance of Ada and Jarvis??..
A5: No.
Q6: The first round, Europe felt a bit left out without characters or nia community managers on site. Are there any plans to make up for it during the next round(s)? (NL1331E not included)
A6: It is unlikely that things will change.
Q7: When will the characters be released for the coming anomaly
A7: Watch the Ingress social media feeds tomorrow.
Q8: I guess many agents loved the INGRESS REPORT (and of course Susanna Moyer). Are there any plans to come back with this very nice videos? Maybe with another reporter or smth similar?
A8: Stay tuned...
Q9: Will it be one of the confidential item of the non-disclosure agreement that an agent themself been chosen as a member of the Alliance of Vanguards?
A9: A Non-Disclosure Agreement will be part of the documents that an Agent participating in the Alliance of the Vanguards will have to sign, yes.
Q10: what do you think about agent mods? as in mods which increase some abilities of the player, like more attack, more defence, more luck(hack items or critical hit) etc?
A10: I think it is a great idea. We've had talks about this and figuring out how the best way to implement it would be. Nothing is finalized at this time though.
Q11: Hi Andrew, in my country some months ago there were a couple of violent incidents regarding players of both factions. The agents had to go to the police and also did a g+ post appealing for Niantic to take action but never heard from them. Is there a way to make sure Nia will review the incident or they just accept these kind of things?
Q12: Hi Andrew, Here I am again, Last Ama I asked how you'd like your tea and you told me it depends on the tea. So my new updated question is: how do you drink your Earl Grey?
A12: Milk and sugar. But I much prefer a Chai like Masala.
Q13: Will there be a similar post announcing the September Embedded Reporters for sites like there was for August sites, +Andrew Krug?
A13: Yes. Probably early next week so it will be slightly closer to the Anomaly and fresher in people's minds.
Q14: About the Vanguard Program, if someone is in the Silver Level, there will be any way to upgrade to Gold Level, for eg?
A14: Yes. Any level can be obtained meeting the expectations of that level over the course of a year.
Q15: Hi Andrew, I was wondering how many people do work at NIA OPS and how we could help to review things faster.
A15: I have no idea.
Q16: Is it possible to know how many played hours(connection time to server) a agent has?
A16: I know games like World of Warcraft have this metric. I'm not sure though if we can.
Q17: W_h_e_n c_a_n w_e e_x_p_e_c_t p_o_r_t_a_l s_u_b...
A17: V_e_r_y_ s_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_n ...
Q18: Since portal submission is going to open soon, am i correct to say some new portal in Ingress will become PokeStop and Gym in Pokemon Go?
A18: Don't assume there is a 1:1.
Q19: MD in Moscow?
A19: Have you applied?
Q20: Is it OK for Chinese agents in mainland to join the Vanguards Program?
A20: Only Agents where Ingress has been officially released and available via the Play for App Store are eligible.
Q21: What's happening with mission days at anomalies. I heard there are less getting approval.
A21: Are there any cities that won't have a mission day in September? I think all had one in August.
Q22: Do we have confirmation that the Houston anomaly will take place, or will it be moved?
A22: Currently, there is no change in plans. We are communicating with the local POCs and watching the situation though. Should things need to change we will let everyone know.
Q23: What was your favorite portal you visited last week?
A23: One that was in a park on Friday because it was a beautiful night for playing Ingress.
Q24: Hi, do you think Edit portal should be reviewed in OPR by agent ? It would be great !
A24: I think that is eventually the plan.
Q25: How many agents are you hoping to recruit for the vanguard program?
A25: Only around two dozen for this initial round. If successful we will expand it.
Q26: Is the Vanguard program something that originated within the Ingress Team or is it a Niantic program (i.e. will it forever stay in Ingress or will we see it in other Niantic games as well?)
A26: Yes, the idea came from the those working on Ingress and it will be Ingress focused.
Q27: Hi Andrew! What do you think of a cross-faction couple in which the member of faction A makes use of his/her partner to gain more AP with less resources or to save flip cards? Or even to install low-level mods on the important/strategic portals of faction B? Thank you!
A27: It's hard to make a judgement call
Q28: Will you support my application to an ambassador?
A28: Yes. But I also supported everyone else's application to so you are all on the same level.
Q29: May I ask you about the Vanguard Program? Does Confidentiality of the program include the facts that he/she adopts?
A29: No. Vanguards can be public about it. In fact, due to legal reasons, Agents will be required to disclose they are an Ambassador.
Q30: Friendship-Function in Ingress 2.0?
A30: Maaaaaaaybe :)
Q31: When organizing field ops I have noticed that sometimes the MU per layer is very counter-intuitive. How is MU calculated exactly? What factors are used in the calculation?
A31: Shaper math.
Q32: is there an official (classified) document on which parts of the Ingress "story" history is considered canon/hallucination/lie/intrigue?
A32: We have many books and graphic novels that are canon. There is also the
http://investigate.i... website as well.
Q33: You mentioned that "mass reporting" players doesn't influence the outcome of said reporting. Is that true for reporting / editing portals aswell?
A33: I don't know about portal edits.
Q34: About game data transfer. I have been searching about this for a whole since it happened to me last week. I lost access to my edu email account due to some miscommunication with my school, which then I was not able to log in to Ingress for a few days. Then I have found out that the same situation had happened to many people when they lost their access to the email after they graduated or changed their job. So I wonder if we can have more details about transferring our gamedata to another account. (I know currently it says NO in the ingress help center.)
A34: Transferring an account to a new email address is not something we currently support.
Q35: Hi! You claimed "ask me anything ingress related", so why are you answering questions of eating habits or other hobbies every time？
A35: Ingress is more than a game. It is an enabler for experiences that cross many different boundaries. The Ingress world and experience is about more than just the pixels on a screen. One aspect of Ingress is getting to know others in the player community.
Q36: What was the most difficult decision you had to make as a GCM?
A36: I thought it best to step down from actively managing Behind the Scanner when I first started. That was hard because it was a labor of love that I invested thousands of man hours into. Ultimately, my involvement didn't seem to matter so I'll be bringing it back very soon.
Q37: We have a list of top agents which captured the most MUs each CP/cycle in each cell. Wouldn't it be nice if we a list of top field/MU killers... To add more spice to the game?
A37: You know, I thought about doing a quarterly leader board based on various stats. What do you think of that idea?
Q38: Are Lawsons still hackable or have they been completely replaced by the circle K
A38: To my knowledge they are still hackable.
Q39: Some agents seer badge not going to next tier even though submission count correct and submissions were before cutoff (badge deadline not submissions deadline). Known issue? Submit help ticket to fix?
A39: I believe more information about this will be coming in the next few weeks.
Q40: Will there be any more items for sale in the game store? It's a little bit like looking at a shop that never changes its products.
A40: Perhaps. But we are really sensitive about disrupting the game economy. At the moment efforts are being devoted to Ingress 2.0 and not evaluating the possibility of new items and their potential impact.
Q41: Good morning Andrew! Is there a possibility I could get you to hack another glyph sequence for the glyph journal? Also if you were a glyph, which glyph would you be?
A41: I would be the imperfect glyph because I am human. At least I think I am. Weird things happen to my memory every now and then.
Q42: It's the 10th AMA! Going away from asking when 2.0 will be released, when do you think we'll see the first screenshots?
A42: Some people have already seen them.
Q43: Any plans on realeasing an anomaly tool or something for agents? I'm having this idea about agents to be able to create their own "anomaly" for local events, maybe to make IFS even better, and help newbies on how that event works. Or just some custom events created by locals. I think that would make Ingress more dynamic for players.
A43: It is something has been discussed at length.
Q44: Will there be any restriction on the player's level for creating portals?
A44: Yes.
Q45: 1. With more world wide traffic laws world wide now also cracking down on handling a phone on a bicycle, can we expect changes like speedlock on a slower speed or something? 2. Are you crazy or are you an airplane.
A45: 1. I suppose it is a possibility but I haven't heard anything yet. 2. Yes.
Q46: As more & more Agents slowly work their way towards Platinum & Onyx Tier Mission Day medals, what other tier-ed medals does Niantic have up your collective sleeves after this?
A46: I can't tell you that! Next you'll want to know when it'll be implemented.
Q47: Will said Vanguards (is the name set in stone, yet?) get an in-game medals or are the tiers symbolic, and once a certain tier is earned, will there be reviews on the activity level of said Vanguard to ensure they maintain or exceed (to move up) their qualification of the highest tier earn thus far?
A47: The name is set in stone. There will not be an in-game medal. Reviews will happen periodically.
Q48: Are the Q4 anomalies under the 13MAGNUSReawakens anomaly series?
A48: No.
Q49: Hi Andrew! Which one is going to be first: portal submission reopening or enabling existing portal edits moderation for OPR people? Can you give any suggestions regarding the time to expect those? Thanks a lot for answering!
A49: Definitely portal submissions will be the first.
Q50: Does 2.0 have a marketing plan to get more new people? As an old player, the game is much more fun with lots of players. Thank you!
A50: You bet it does!
Q51: Hi Andrew! Got some lore-related questions. When will we know what happened to OLW after his tecthulhu was shattered in Via Noir? Any clues so as to what/who was the entity in Misty's Mind Palace? Not sure the players found it at the RPE on Saturday?
A51: Do you think there is a connection?
Q52: The hijinks at recent RPE session has enlightened me in various ways; so let me ask your thoughts on several issues:
1) Who would win in an arm wrestling match? +Oliver Lynton-Wolfe or +Roland Jarvis?
2) Who do you think would look better in a corset? Yourself or +Ethan Lepouttre?
3) Which 5 ingress characters would you want to hold hands with while summoning the dead? Who would you summon?
4) Can you give us your Ingress RPE stats (using the Mind Palace's scanner based stat generation method) including your archetype ?
A52: 1) Jarvis is physically dead... so OLW
2) Definitely me.
3) Just one... Azmati.
4) I cannot. It is confidential.
Q53: Andrew, most recently Nashville, TN had a weekend fun filled with cheating bot accounts. Thank you to those at Niantic that were able to see the problem and respond accordingly. My question is what do you suggest for agents to do to keep up morale as Niantic does it's due diligence investigating while the accounts are active.? Turn around time was quick on the accounts deletion..... and I know it is a problem Niantic is addressing as quickly as they can.
A53: It sucks. I won't sugar coat it. But don't let it get you down. Ingress is so many thing and enables so many experiences. Know and understand that we are working on this issue every day. Don't discount the progress that has been made and continues to be made. The game is in a much better place from where it was three, four, five years ago. While it is hard to not focus on the present, the past is a great indicator of the strides that will continue to be made.
Q54: I suppose this thing has been asked many times before, but... have you considered to have a user profile page accessible via web app? I'm thinking about something like the one accessible in Destiny (Bungie's Game).
A54: I don't know. But that is
Q55: What are your opinions about niantic's licensing fees for swag at anomalies?
A55: As a former POC and a person involved in Anomaly planning, I think it is a fair deal. We have to separate something out of this discussion though. Typically, when people talk swag and cost they are also wrapping in the cost of after parties in the discussion. After parties, and the funding thereof, have nothing to do with licensing our intellectual property. What you do with the profit is your own thing. That is where people can get themselves in trouble. 10% on a t-shirt that cost $5 to get printed that is sold for $20 is $2.00 off the gross. So instead of $15 profit the POCs get $13.00 profit. I don't see that as unreasonable. That is also the worst case and the highest licensing tier and it nets an astonishing 260% profit.
Q56: Is there any way to get into Vanguard program when under 18?
A56: No. Legally we cannot accept anyone under 18 at this time.
Q57: Hello Andrew, Our translator from the Netherlands Ingress Resistance News (NIRN) was asking if you could count to 3. Because of the minimum of 3 questions in the AMA. Last time we had 70 questions and answers to translate ^_^
A57: Sure I can count to 3. 1,2,15,27,48,55,71,3... see?
Q58: Inspired by another question I have another one! If you were to make a new item for agent inventories what would it be? Would you prefer more defensive items or offensive? If you were to make your item, what would you call it?
A58: I think an easy one is an anti-virus mod. I'd call it the super anti-alignmentinator.
Q59: There are people who are banned (reasons unknown) on both factions who have raised tickets asking for reinstatement, claiming innocence, but then see that ticket get closed without response. Sure, this may be getting rid of cheats, but also locking out long-standing, legit players, too. Could the peeps behind the scenes stop auto-closing the tickets without an action?
A59: I had a conversation with NIA OPS about providing more information. They agreed it would be a good idea. I'm not sure when the new policy will be put in place but, as a whole, we want to communicate better.
Q60: Do you call them Black or Onyx?
A60: Both.
Q61: I’d like to have more colors for common capsules. What do you think? Is it possible?
A61: It is certainly a possibility. I would love a system that allowed me to pick a color for each capsule. That way I could color code things.
Q62: Are you excited about Metroid: Samus Returns?
A62: Samus is a woman?! On a serious note, I loved Metroid as a kid... my thumb hurts just thinking about it.
Q63: Why are anomalies and mission days usually on Saturday?
A63: Because it is generally easier for people take time off on the weekends then in the middle of the week.
Q64: If an agent has a gear card that includes a MUFG, when they use that card now, will they still get a MUFG capsule?
A64: Yes
Q65: What are your thoughts on player created “in universe” content? I’m in the planning stages of a Ingress themed YouTube series ala “Trainer Tips” but obviously I’m no Klue or Susanna. I want to recap story with an “in game” feel but don’t want to step on your toes or cause confusion. Is this a no go?
A65: I think that falls under fair-use. Go for it.
Q66: Very recently, a lot of portals have been removed that were located in roundabouts. These all happened at around the same time even on locations that had clear marked pedestrian access. People are speculating that NIA that implemented a script to automatically remove roundabout portals. Anything you can say about that? Is that really happening?
A66: I have no idea.
Q67: You wake up on Monday, and Niantic informs you that you're allowed to create a new scanner medal measuring any metric or combination of metrics. How exciting! What's your new medal called and how does one unlock it? What does it look like?
A67: It's a medal measuring how many people you've met in real life by leveraging Google's Nearby API and/or some sort of unique physical device for touch screens that has a unique pattern on it for each Agent. Almost like a physical QR code that would act like a stamp (no ink of course).
Q68: If someone has a non-compensated volunteer leadership role with a different ARG would that automatically disqualify them from the Vanguard program?
A68: No.
Q69: When will lasagne become an official Ingress item and what would it special powers be?
A69: Hopefully never. Not everyone should be able to grow facial hair. Which is the special power of my mother's lasagna.
Q70: Hi Andrew!!What you can say about badge Guardian in Ingress 2.0? Thanks
A70: Things are under review.
Q71: Hey Andrew, regarding 2.0. Is it possible to get a "daylight mode" in there. Playing Ingress in full sun makes it really hard to see what your doing, especially when upgrading r7 to r8 on a high resonated p7
A71: Interesting idea. I'll pass it along.
Q72: Does the Q4 Anomaly have a series name yet? if not, when is the ETA on this?
A72: After the Q3 Anomalies end.