Battle Beacons concerns (in particular, alignment reversal)

24

Comments

  • WikiBlueWikiBlue ✭✭✭
    edited July 2020

    This would be like ....

    I will never be able to use one, we have 2 active/daily agents and both are Blue. I don't believe that this is uncommon so it would be a the end of battle beacons before it even started (outside of big cities and events).

  • HydracyanHydracyan ✭✭✭✭✭

    Well it need at least two. And the name of participants needs to be public. Like, after using it, a time window appears and if no other agent from rival faction interact with the beacon is not consumed from user inventory (or require the use of two beacons from each agent of each faction).

    Beacons should have the same rules about inoculation, being impossible to use one in a recently inoculated portal. Also, portals with beacons could simply became unlikable during the 15 minutes time period. I this this solves most of the problems.

  • 1valdis1valdis ✭✭✭✭✭

    Woah this alignment reversal rule makes them so many problems to solve, that I think it would be easier to not flip portals at each checkpoint (thus agreeing with your proposition above). At least for the first time. Otherwise I will be surprised if Niantic does a good job handling such situations without disabling the rule.

  • aaronviannoaaronvianno ✭✭✭✭

    Do you have to spend CMUs on this? That would solve the alignment issue. If not, I agree that allowing it to be deployed only on neutral portals would be best.

    I would also like to see an activation limitation like mentioned in the above comments. Whether it's L8+ agents or 3+3 of each faction. Some limiter would help prevent abuse. Maybe even something like 2 opponents needing to initiate it by both using the CMU item at the same time (yes, that would limit it to opponents who both purchase CMUs).

    There should definitely be a public score card with all agents who took part. Including any agents who did non-comm activities like modding, recharging, upgrading, or unsuccessful attacks. Would want this if CMU is to be spent.

    Are there considerations for agent level parity? Like an L5 Vs an L16 doesn't sound like a battle at all. That should get rated as a tier 1 match. On the other hand 2 L16s battling it out should earn a higher rating.

    Are there considerations for type of inventory used? Again, higher ratings if VR or L8 inventory get used by both opponents.

    Is there a reason the boosted hack output lasts for hours? That doesn't seem right. Would rather have it last for the immediate 15 mins after the battle has ended. 4 hours seems like enough time for the whole world(including agents who had no interest in participating) to get there.

    Is the victory beacon the only motivation to win such a battle? Or is a tiered badge planned as well? A badge on a points based system could work. 3 points a win, 1 a loss or a draw.

  • aaronviannoaaronvianno ✭✭✭✭

    Would also be interesting if portals that were too frequently battled on gave lesser output / got a lower rating.

    I think that would make things interesting and keep people moving too.

  • HydracyanHydracyan ✭✭✭✭✭

    That will be just an strategic use. Remember that it can only be use once every 4 hours at the same.

  • AzhreiaAzhreia ✭✭✭✭✭

    We don't know that yet. It's not a standard beacon.

  • mortuusmortuus ✭✭✭✭✭

    I hope they share final details soon so all confusion how it works will be settled.

  • MoogModularMoogModular ✭✭✭✭✭

    We don't know the full details of what Battle Beacons do. We don't even know if battle beacons will be deployed or generated based on portal density. I understand the concern about it being implemented correctly but we don't even have the full details of the functionality.

  • They tested it on the live server is where this behavior was observed

  • MoogModularMoogModular ✭✭✭✭✭

    One documented test by @NianticBrian

    Again, the full functionality isn't known yet.

  • MadReliqueMadRelique ✭✭✭
    edited July 2020

    They are testing it this weekend in Taiwan and New Zealand and will do tests elsewhere in the future (vanguard's are deploying) so it seems it's a store bought item. Hopefully we will get a full picture of the current design this weekend .

  • SSSputnikSSSputnik ✭✭✭✭✭

    Niantic being deafening with their silence on this.

  • ZeroHecksGivenZeroHecksGiven ✭✭✭✭✭

    I kinda feel like they’ve been fairly deafening in most things lately. Here are the drones, enjoy some beta testing, maybe we’ll do some stuff later. Here is scanning, we want you to do it forever, we might change it, but for now, just keep scanning until further notice. Oh, you want something besides virtual FS, go play PoGo, they have interesting events every other week..

  • 1valdis1valdis ✭✭✭✭✭
  • MadReliqueMadRelique ✭✭✭
    edited August 2020

    From the play test live stream it looks like battle beaconed portals become immune to ADA/Jarvii after they flip during BB combat.


    Also beacon inoculation may be a defense tactic (since you can not place beacons on a portal with an active beacon).


    So if you don't want a BB to flip a portal during an anomaly, place a beacon on it before the anomaly begins.

  • 1valdis1valdis ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited August 2020

    So if you don't want a BB to flip a portal during an anomaly, place a beacon on it before the anomaly begins.

    So basically, that means you have to pay for your big field to not be destroyed immediately by a dude with a BB? GOOD JOB NIANTIC *clap* *clap*

  • The number of Agents guarantees nothing. If they spoof and uses backpacks, is the same creating one or 10 accounts of any faction if they try to get a strategic advantage as we see they do all days

  • Some screenshots from The New Zealand test:



  • GrogyanGrogyan ✭✭✭✭✭

    @LizardKing430

    • Did you by chance test the Battle Beacons with flip cards?
    • Did the Battle Beacons require a hack from a player from both factions to be activated
    • Do you believe that Battle Beacons should have a hack from from a player from both factions to be activated?


  • @Grogyan

    yes we tested flip building a portal (with and without using a virus) - both worked to get the portal quickly to level 8

    not sure they required a hack to be activated

    My personal suggestion is an agent from the opposing faction must accept the ‘battle’ via some method , whether that is a hack or something more explicit (e.g. a option to accept the battle)

  • GreenVamGreenVam ✭✭✭✭✭


    Explain to me please, beacon is such a fracker but with a mini-game? Or I don't understand the essence of this thing.

  • 1valdis1valdis ✭✭✭✭✭

    After watching the stream I found that there are a few other potentially game-changing usages of Battle Beacons.

    If an agent is able to place them on non-neutral portal and it doesn't require "activation" from opposing faction, this creates the following situations.

    1. Agent of faction A goes to neutralize couch portal of agent of faction B. Normally, agent B can use a virus to flip the portal to faction A and not let agent A neutralize it at least during one hour. When Battle Beacons are out, agent A can place such beacon right away after a virus was used, flip the portal back and neutralize it.
    2. Agent of faction A during covid times can place two R8s on a portal. Then he can flip that portal using a virus to faction B. Then he can use a Battle Beacon on it, and at first checkpoint he would place 2 more resos (4xR8 in total). Then wait for two flips back and forth (6xR8 in total). Then again wait for two flips back and forth (8xR8 in total). This way a single agent can have an L8 portal, using a 1 Battle Beacon and 1 virus, with no help of any other agents.
    3. Agent of faction A wants to create good multi-layered fields. He places 2 SBULs on a portal, creates a set of fields, then uses a virus to flip the portal. Then he uses a Battle Beacon to flip the portal back and place yet another 2 SBULs and make a great 40 links from the portal. And after that, two another back and forth flips, which in total makes whopping (24+40+40+40)=144 links and potentially 276 fields, all for 20 minutes of action.

    But furthermore, to somehow defend a portal from Battle Beacon flip rules, if BBs are paid, then you have to use another paid feature that is simple beacons. Basically, you need real money to defend against items acquired from real money. Ingenious.

    Do we want this all to work this way? I for sure don't.

  • mortuusmortuus ✭✭✭✭✭

    its like a paid beacon u buy to start a battle and both teams gets hack output bonus...

  • WikiBlueWikiBlue ✭✭✭
    edited August 2020

    Having a Ingress event every other week and an event while the other event is still running would probably take the Fun out of it (Ingress) for me. But i agree that a bit more (like we had with those strange colored badges) events would be welcome, i guess/hope they will pick that up again once covid19 is less prominent.

  • GreenVamGreenVam ✭✭✭✭✭


    Again, they want to bring us closer or even make us friends. Moreover, for money. Do they really not understand that this will only ruin the game?

  • thesolothesolo ✭✭✭✭✭

    I mentioned every one of these problems on July 25th on the first page of this thread, FYI.

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