Ingress AMA Archive

A1: The Gamemasters said, decoded hashes for 13MR were made public following the event. For clarity, the data has been re-uploaded here: https://gist.github.... ; https://gist.github..... An examination of the Anomaly Intel documents for 13MAGNUS Reawakens and EXO5 does not include a clause providing for per-portal scoring data.

A2: NIA OPS recommends that the best way to currently contact them is via the Help Center or through a Google+ post where they are tagged. It should be noted that we may not be able to comment on ban appeals or personal account related issues on a public post though. We can answer general questions but the Help Center is the best option.

A3: No they will not.

A4: The goal is to have them pushed by the end of this week.

A5: The Super Bowl was on many channels in Australia. It was slightly off putting to be watching it at lunch time on a Monday. We missed the first half because we were driving. But the second half was awesome.

A6: NIA OPS says that this would fall under multi-accounting which is a violation of the TOS and should be reported. p.s. assuming you are referring to suspended accounts that is.

A7: This is currently not something that I’ve heard discussions about.

A8: From a statistical standpoint there have been more Enlightened banned based on a third-party report of cheating than Resistance banned from a separate and distinct third-party report of cheating. From a qualitative standpoint, I’m sure Niantic has done the research and imposed bans on those they have found in violation of the the TOS based on the investigations they have concluded to date. NIA OPS doesn’t typically consider faction as an input when considering if a TOS violation has occurred.

A9: If I had to pick on thing, soaking in the hot springs of Taupo, New Zealand was awesome. I was feeling under the weather for a few days leading up to that and it not only feel instantly better but it re-energized me.

A10: We have put a pause to processing any new Mission Days as we sort out things related to Ingress Prime’s release.

A11: According to NIA OPS, some POIs might require more votes than others and we can't share a timeline on when specific Portals will go live. The general issue surrounding portals “in limbo” is still being worked on. We hope to resolve this in the next several months.

A12: According to NIA OPS, mine sites are treated the same was a military grounds. Only portals on residential single family property should be denied due to property type. Assuming the portal meets all the other submission criteria which includes not obstructing or interfering with the operations of a industrial site as cited in the OPR help article.

A13: Not a bad idea.

A14: NIA OPS says that in general, third-party tools are a no-no. Without knowing the specifics of how a particular application works it is hard to give a exact answer about an individual tool, but generally, tools that shortcut the intended challenges of the game are against the rules. There are offline applications and websites that will help train your memory and skill at Glyph hacking.

A15: NIA OPS says that they are aware of the challenges that the current system presents. There are plans in place to eventually expand the login solution. When that will occur and what that will look like has not yet been determined or finalized.

A16: Like all punitive punishments, I think it depends on the person. Some people learn their lesson and some don’t. For others it takes multiple punishments and for different people they learn the lesson by watching others getting punished.

A17: At this time we do not have any plans to have concurrent NL1331 events running.

A18: Can you ping me privately with the Help Center ticket numbers?

A19: Hotdogs with ketchup.

A20: I was told that the they are being (or will be soon) shipped to Agents.

A21: We already have an internal beta. Screenshots of it and a video already exist. We gave a demo in December to the people who at the San Francisco Anomaly.

A22: This has been requested several times and I’ve forwarded it on. Thank you for the input.

A23: I want to make Ingress First Saturdays big events. Not Anomaly big. But where a couple hundred people can come together and enjoy the game in a non-competitive atmosphere with both new and veteran players. My big asks would be for a tiered medal for participation and merchandise kits that we can send to POCs to reward players that come. I still like the fact that the community is involved with organizing them. I’m not sure I would want to take things away from Fev Games, who I think have done a great job. But I think Niantic can provide more logistical support than we previously do and scale them up.

A24: READ THIS F""KING POST: https://plus.google....

A25: Does anyone think violent behavior is acceptable? If you encounter someone who is being violent to you or another person, please put your personal safety first. Niantic is not the police.

A26: In speaking to Ethan, he recently confirmed Taipei, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka. He is also working on a schedule for Europe and other places.

A27: Honestly, I would have to think about that one more. Providing people the ability to insert links could be grossly abused and there may be some liability issues. NIA OPS also says that at this time, adding a photosphere for the location helps for areas that do not have updated Street View. For the historical/hidden gem candidates, adding a description about the significance of the Portal helps (own content please, not from third party sources).

A28: I don’t know. I could think of a number of ways to get around it to be honest. I think there are other solutions to mitigate that beyond trying to do so on the front end.

A29: Without knowing the specifics, NIA OPS guesses that this probably happened because the Portal at the correct location did not have pedestrian access or no longer existed at the location. They recommend that you use the G+ Portal Appeals community to post an appeal and they’ll look into it.

A30: Currently, the only licenses we provide are for Anomaly related merchandise to our POCs. If that changes we’ll make an announcement.

A31: NIA OPS says that you can write in using any language and that they can reply in English, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese.

A32: I am told that the faction, and how many reports are submitted, do not play in to the decision to remove a portal. We follow up individually and research all requests.

A33: NIA OPS recommends using the G+ Portal Appeals community.

A34: Ethan wants to bring the November Lima experience to Latin America. However, the logistics for that, as mentioned previously, are difficult and are still being discussed internally.

A35: While this would be a good feature. I don’t know if the cost benefit is there. Meaning the cost to make a system to inform a small amount of people about why something was removed is greater than the benefit. There are also privacy concerns as well that come into play when an owner contacts us to request a removal. The last thing we would want is a person being harassed over their request. So as it stands, this is not something we are actively pursuing.

A36: The Vanguards have been a great addition to Ingress. They work very hard to provide objective insights on many many topics in addition to participating in various other programs. Their contributions are very much appreciated. I did not read all of the NiantiClaus letters yet. There were a lot.

A37: The OPR team says that it is on the development roadmap and they hope to have a solution in the next few months. So yes… soon™.

A38: The majority of ban appeals are reviewed within 48 hours. Some appeals are escalated for further review which may take considerably longer. NIA OPS is now caught up on escalated appeals and future escalations should be handled in a timely manner.

A39: Ethan says that yes, at some point it will be back in the U.S.

A40: We are aware of the allegations and NIA OPS is investigating.

A41: You know… I don’t know. At the moment we do not have anything planned.

A42: In the shell roasted and salted pistachios.

A43: Epiphany night. I mean… BOOM! BANG! An A.I. involved in an escape! XM EVERYWHERE! CATS AND DOGS SLEEPING TOGETHER! CRAZY TIMES MAN!

A44: This has been discussed internally. The gamemasters are for any mechanic that can activate and include as many people as possible. While I can’t say that this will definitely be a feature in future Anomalies or events - it is one I think we all want.

A45: Didn’t we figure out that in the end it all leads to the same place/conclusions and that is - the truth as we choose to believe it? Mind blown…

A46: NIA OPS says, roundabouts that have pedestrian access (have a stripped crossing lane, sidewalk around the roundabout, etc) are OK. If the player cannot walk up to the object on the roundabout, it will be removed. Note that access from a sidewalk next to the roundabout is not considered safe pedestrian access. To appeal, adding photos showing that the roundabout has pedestrian access would help.

A47: At this time I can’t provide an estimate.

A48: According to NIA OPS, If it's on someone's private residential property (right-of-way or not), it does not meet criteria. If it's on a common area that's not associated to any private residence, that should be ok.It's hard for us to know the local nuances of legal access for a global game, so as a general rule, if it's on the 'Do Not Submit' list, do not submit them.

A49: I would need to think about it more. Initially, I am pretty indifferent and have no strong feelings either way.

A50: NIA OPS says, unless explicitly allowed, if an account has been permanently banned, it is permitted to create a new one as long as you play clean going forward. If your account is later unbanned, please choose one account to play with. You may either delete the second account, or simply stop using it. Actively using multiple accounts could result in all accounts being permanently banned.

A51: We are working on holding a Camp Navarro styled event in Europe. I do not know when and where that will be. But the team is actively trying to put something together. When things are confirmed, I am sure there will be an announcement about it.

A52: It is recommended to try reaching out to the Mission Author on COMM and request that they edit the Mission.

A53: NIA OPS says, usually they are rejected because they do not meet the criteria. If it's a duplicate or rejected because it's too close to another Portal, the rejection email mentions that. For everything else, check the Ingress Portal Criteria and resubmit with a better title/description/photo if you think it's a valid candidate.

A54: Can you ping me with which areas specifically you are wondering about?

A55: NIA OPS recommends that it might help to provide a more detailed description on how the banner image relates to the overall image. In a majority of cases, the Mission may be rejected because the banner image has no connection to the Mission content or waypoints chosen.

A56: NIA OPS says, this is unlikely to change.

A57: There have been some steps put in place quite recently to help with this specific issue.

A58: Will we definitely implement this? That’s not something we can comment on at this point.

A59: NIA OPS recommends posting these suggestion in the OPR G+ Community. They frequently scan through and add things to the list if they find any new candidates being discussed.

A60: Only with my creme brulee.

A61: We are researching this. It might be a restriction with the Google Play store as they only allow certain apps in certain countries.

A62: I think I’ve already detailed some of the what in a previous question. The “when” is going to be determined by a few things internally. Mainly, I need to free up some cycles so I can work on this. That should be happening in the next few months and then I’ll be able to revisit Ingress First Saturdays and start executing on a plan.

A63: Patriots. Koalas. One.

A64: Not at this time.

A65: Creativity, Thought, and Idea are all the same glyph. Chase may not be in the scanner yet but there was mention of it here in connection with Pursue: https://niantic.schl...

A66: I would love it. I don’t think a feature like this will be available until after the Ingress Prime upgrade is completed. But once it is completed, it should open up the ability to do a lot of new things.

A67: Noted and passed along.

A68: That is not a bad idea. I’ll pass this along too.

A69: We can’t answer the question of monthly active users. We are preparing, and anticipating, for a wave of new players for Prime. As such, reconfiguring the onboarding and tutorials is a big priority for us.

A70: Portal edits are coming to OPR so I don’t think a Trusted Reviewer group for edit appeals is needed. No update on submission appeals and I’m not sure it will be a thing at this time.

A71: Sounds like you are a pessimist so any news will be a let down. So let’s just speculate about anything, pick something, and call it a day - mmmkay?

A72: NIA OPS says, sounds like it would meet criteria if it has some significance and has pedestrian access. If it's not easily apparent, adding a clear description about the significance of the Portal candidate will help other OPR reviewers evaluate it accurately.

A73: Ethan says that nothing is scheduled at the moment and they are still trying to figure out how to support LatAm.

A74: NIA OPS says, to keep it simple, if it's on private residential property don't submit it.

A75: Commenting on how things work may skew potential behavior and this is something we do not want to do or encourage. I would rate things based on the training and guidelines and don’t worry about the rest.

A76: It’s on hold right now. I don’t foresee it being implemented any time soon.

A77: Nothing is scheduled specifically for the Philippines at this time. But keep an eye on the events page since we’ll list new events there when they are confirmed and this is a location Ethan wants to get to in 2018.

A78: Glyphs are a primordial language of thought, they bypass 'human level' language. The order is created in the mind of the observer.

A79: All that we can say at this time is that we are looking into additional solutions. When, what, how, has not been finalized or determined yet and would be premature to comment on.

A80: That’s not really the point of these AMAs. I wouldn’t want to artificially limit topics or opinions by providing a top 10 list - which is what would inevitably happen.

A81: As I understand it, all of the information will be released on February 13th. It might be released in pieces. It might be released as a single source. If it is released in pieces, we’ll need your help to compile it. Regardless, stay tuned next week for more information.

A82: NIA OPS will review and update the criteria page since it seems this isn’t clear.

A83: I’ve expanded upon this a bit in the past but am willing to do it again. There is a lot that goes into the decision making process for choosing Anomaly cities. Have we ever been to a city in the past? If we have, what was the attendance? If not, what is the estimated attendance? What is the weather like during the proposed dates? How easy is the city to get to? Does the city have the infrastructure to support an event? Are there permits that are required? Are there other events going on at the same time in the city? What is the lead time on submitting permits if they are required? Can we work with the Government? Are there venues available that can hold the estimated attendance? These are just some of the questions that the team works through. There are many many many more. I wish it were as easy as throwing a dart on a map, but alas, there is a lot more to it.

A84: Yes.

A85: Our team says that they have no shortage of ideas. However, they are always looking for what will have the biggest positive impact for players for the time required and prioritizing those.

A86: Well… Ethan drove the entire time and didn’t cause, or was involved, with any accidents. So his perfect record compared to my non-existent record would indicate he is the better driver.

A87: I’m not aware of any discussions about this topic internally. I could see it opening up a lot of problems though.

A88: Ok. Ok. Ok. At the risk of getting fired… [CONNECTION LOST] ... [CONNECT ESTABLISHED] So yeah. That sounds like fun huh?

A89: I honestly haven’t thought of it. Seems a bit unnatural given how natural it is to hold a phone in portrait mode. People already complain about playing Ingress on big screens and not being able to reach the buttons.

A90: As mentioned in an answer to a similar question on the same topic - this should be happening in the next few months.

A91: Depends on the question.

A92: NIA OPS suggests using the Help Center.

A93: After the 300th shower, I am happy to say that I am glitter free. I think.

A94: Ethereum is the only type I except. The Ingress shop? Let’s get internationally shipping down first.

A95: Can you shoot me a link to the appeal submission in the G+ community. While I’m not supposed to help with individual cases as a rule for these AMAs, I can try to flag this for NIA OPS and am willing to make a one time exception because I drank some awesome warm coffee out of a vending machine in Tokyo today, ate an American Dog for breakfast with some fermented soy beans and am in a really good mood.

A96: So we can develop it?

A97: You know… no one has ever suggested this, that I can remember. I kind of like the idea.

A98: Maybe. This is unlikely to happen prior to the Ingress Prime release and upgrade being complete.

A99: Depends on the historical/cultural significance. Check the Portal Criteria page for details.

A100: OMG yes!!! NOM NOM NOM

A101: It saddens me that something that brings a great deal of people joy can be used to harass another person. Has this been reported? Can you ping me privately with the ticket numbers?

A102: Hops and IPAs are played out in the US. They are EVERYWHERE. I’m not usually a fruity guy, but there was a raspberry beer at place called Lakehouse Taupo in Taupo New Zealand (I know… not Australia) that they brew themselves which was amazing! Perfect for a hot and sweaty summer day. The fruit didn’t overpower the beer. It hit right at the end with a nice clean crisp finish.

A103: At the time, the person knew what the risks were. I’m generally in favor of a second chance. But, no, not just because the times changed.

A104: There are multiple ways. I however would not interpret it based on numbers alone and comparing two distinct third-party reports to one another. This isn’t a faction versus faction issue. This is about people breaking the TOS.

A105: Depends on the historical/cultural significance. Check the Portal Criteria page for details.