Ingress Insights: Lighting Dynamics

Agents,

We recognize that Ingress Agents play during all times of day (or night) under all sorts of lighting conditions. Starting with Ingress Prime version 2.29.2, Ingress Prime's map, display, brightness, and contrast will be adjustable with our new Lighting Dynamics setting. 

Originally, we focused on making the map readable on a sunny day, which inadvertently created a map that could be challenging to view at night and in other dark environments. After several attempts to make the map easier to see, including an option that took time of day into account, we decided that the best option is to determine Ingress Prime's display settings based on the Agent's surrounding environment. Most mobile devices already have this feature that we can tap into. However, dimming the entire map as the environment darkened and brightening the entire map when it got brighter made the map less readable. 

Our current iteration is to make map elements, colors, animations, and contrast brighten and adjust accordingly as the screen darkens, and we’ll continue working to improve map readability.

Enabling Lighting Dynamics is an optional setting that you can adjust from low to high to better personalize your experience. You can find the Lighting Dynamics settings under Main Menu > Settings. Agents on iOS have an additional option to set Lighting Dynamics to automatic mode, which will adjust the lighting based on your device's current brightness level. 

We look forward to your feedback, Agents.


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Comments

  • How about just keeping redacted ?


    easy fix

  • Why don't you implement that on Android first, most of the player base is probably there.

  • LangeTheFlipperLangeTheFlipper ✭✭✭
    edited August 2019

    Niantic, please consider lifting the XM graphics and behavior from Redacted, the way Redacted displays XM is perfect. Currently, in Prime, it's become even harder to see the XM and i don't think the Dull off white XM colour is helpful. For me, it's become even harder to see XM with the Slider cranked all the way up.


    Edit: I just turned the Slider to the lowest setting and XM is popping through so perfectly, the rest of the map is really dark now. I think this is worth tweaking or fixing.

  • Redacted is the starting Point, improve it or redact to it...Get Real, Prime Sucks until it is better than Redacted....IT IS ALL ABOUT GAME PLAY....who gives a flying ...... about esthetics!!!!!

  • ToxoplasmollyToxoplasmolly ✭✭✭✭✭

    To my eyes, the most significant improvement to visibility on the map was the change to how portals are rendered: https://community.ingress.com/en/discussion/3373/thoughts-on-the-main-map-view-in-v2-29-2.

    Previously, I found portals to be far too wispy. I don't think tweaking their brightness or contrast would have produced a meaningful result. Now, portals have a well-defined "core," which can be affected by brightness and contrast tweaks. However, I don't think tweaks are necessary because that "core" is already sufficiently bright and contrast-y.

    And so, that sums up my initial impression of Lighting Dynamics: It doesn't solve any problem I actually have because my problem was solved by something else — possibly many somethings else, since I feel like other aspects of the map, like links and fields, were quietly tweaked for the better.

    ———

    After fiddling with Lighting Dynamics some more, I do see a use for it, or something like it. Right now, it feels like a single slider that affects the brightness of the map tiles (roads, paths, etc.), portals, links, and fields. The brightness of each element is affected to a different extent, hence the overall appearance of increasing and decreasing contrast.

    I want to be able to affect the brightness of the map tiles independently of the brightness of the portals, links, and fields. Sometimes, I really want to see the map tiles (I'm exploring somewhere new); sometimes, I really don't (I already know the area like the back of my hand). On the other hand, portals, links and fields should always be vibrant; they are what gameplay revolves around. I don't like how cranking up Lighting Dynamics starts to give those elements a washed out look, and I don't like how cranking it down makes portals feel smaller and less significant.

    That all said, I've found that setting Lighting Dynamics a little below the midway point on the slider works well for me, both indoors and outdoors. I'm a little dubious of why I might want Prime to adjust this setting in response to my environment given that my phone is already automatically adjusting the screen's overall brightness and given that no other app on my phone has similar behavior.

  • Prime is not like Redacted in anyway. Nowhere would such a change in a client app this drastic be acceptable.

  • The lighting dynamic slider is a very small step in the right direction. In order to do it properly a UI overhaul is needed. There is far too muy black to even use the app in a sunny day.

  • This new lighting dynamics doesn't improve visibility for me. I still have the same issues with contrast. I simply can't distinguish portals in sunlight which makes Prime unusable for me.

    More sparkling XM doesn't help at all. Visible elements are still blurry. Shaping the outline of the portals like in redacted would be much better.

    Do us a favour and remove the hack result cards. Whenever I finally manage to recognize portals one of those things pops up and disturbs everything.

    Somehow this feels so 2013.

  • LlamazapLlamazap ✭✭✭

    "Originally, we focused on making the map readable on a sunny day, which inadvertently created a map that could be challenging to view at night and in other dark environments."

    I've been using Prime for a while now - and from my point of view, regarding this statement, you've achieved the complete opposite. Lightning Dynamics is definitely a step in the right direction. Thank you.

  • HydracyanHydracyan ✭✭✭✭✭

    I just don't understand why this feature (circles on the base of a portal) keeps changing from a update to other on my devices. My old phone didn't show it at all. My new phone was showing it perfectly until this update and now they are extremely faded away, up to the point it's almost invisible. Everything else is fine.


    And Dynamics lights don't change it, they keep invisible with low or high settings.

  • jontebulajontebula ✭✭✭✭✭
  • The lighting dynamics is effective in multiple indoor and dim outdoor environments, but still is too dark when outdoors in daylight. The underlying issue remains the overall darkness of the colour palette, that drowns L1 portals and makes inventory items difficult to distinguish. An in-game option that would "flip" colours as in android accessibility settings would be a step in the right direction, but an intentional game-specific light-background/darker overlays layout would be a super option to have.

  • Agreed. On a sunny day I still can't see the map, portals, XM. I mainly use Redacted but I try Prime with every update and so far I'm not impressed. I do know that when Redacted disappears, my gameplay will be drastically reduced. 90% of my gameplay is cargressing, with Prime it's almost impossible. At least I got onyx sojourner before Redacted dies.

  • Moufa89Moufa89 ✭✭
    edited August 2019


  • Amazing, it really is better in the 
    game !!! No, it's not, it's completely 
    useless. The readability of the map is
     still terrible. Blurred portals look
     terrible. Announcing the start of 
    glyph too awful, flashing in redacted
     is priceless. Still confusing 
    inventory, scrolling through inventory
     is impractical and takes time. XM is
     not visible. As you zoom out, the
     graphical display looks like
     GTA II graphics. Prime needs 
    a lot of time, or maybe better to
     start from the beginning and 
    recognize that Prime was a
     step back. Now we just have
     to wait another 7 years for
     the new and maybe more elaborate
     version of Prime to come out and 
    play again !!! I can't wait anymore
     and it will be finished !!🤣🤣
    


  • Please get rid of the blurry map edges. My eyes are bad enough; why would I want intentional blurring to make things more fuzzy. Also brighten up the XM using WHITE.

  • thank for this new feature. If you turn the slider all the way down the some of the flashy effects become less intense. One suggestion. Does anyone remember the old themes in windows XP? Maybe you guys could add a feature to customize the scanner and add a redacted theme for those who prefer the old UI.

  • What about a custom palette/color chooser for ingame elements like map tiles or text, etc

    I.e. settings / colors / map tiles = select color ...

    Settings / colors / texts = select color...

    And all this configuration saved locally, so this makes the app themed by the user and we can share different color schemes between agents based on our experiences in different ligth conditions

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