Offensive Drones to Combat Inaccessible Portals (or Inaccessible Portals problem)

CarlTheLlamaCarlTheLlama ✭✭
edited May 2021 in General

It would be nice to have the ability to attack a remote portal, even if say, maybe it means knocking off one resonator at the cost of maybe killing the drone for a set amount of time. Like an ultra strike capable drone. Or maybe a field disruption technology that could cause a field to possibly go unstable or drop.

The reason for this being is that there are a lot of portals in my area that are being used as field anchors that are on business properties where going there would get you kicked out and/or be considered trespassing unless you work there. I have inquired on a few of them already.

Alternatively it would be nice to have a way to report these portals or list them as inaccessible. Since we cannot type out a reason when submitting a report I am at a bit of a loss.

Any thoughts ?

Post edited by CarlTheLlama on
«1

Comments

  • HydracyanHydracyan ✭✭✭✭✭

    I agree that portals that have extreme restriction rules (inside condominiuns or companies) should be somehow nerfed. But the only option right now is to attack the other anchors.

  • Bring Matryoshka back, then the fields made from inaccessible portals would not hurt so much.

  • harkonnnenharkonnnen ✭✭✭✭

    Personally I would like to see Drones be given something like a self de-struct ability that neutralises the portal it's currently on.

    It would help to address the issues with "inaccessible" portals.

    It would also add an extra layer to the game without changing its foundation. Planning where to deploy it, mapping portal routes including the number of jumps required. Scouting for enemy Drones and force recalling them before they could reach their target.

    So long as it stays 1hr recharge its not like suddenly people will be playing ingress just with Drones.

  • I think you should be able to transfer resonators and XMPs from your inventory to your drone so when your drone is flying it can fight and capture portals, just remember to return your portal when it’s low on items because your not going to be able to fill it until it’s recalled back to you.

  • CarlTheLlamaCarlTheLlama ✭✭
    edited May 2021

    One of the portals in question is in an area that is off limits to the public, and also is closed to employees sometimes during the winter and more so during the Covid pandemic they where not letting people out there. I used to know a guard that worked at the place and he said anyone from the public found there would be promptly kicked out and that it was for team members only. I was trying to get a visitors tour from him, however with Covid they were saying no to all of that. Since then he got a better job and I cannot even attempt to use my in to access it. He also dislikes mobile games, so having recruited him or any of the other guards was pretty much off the table. It's a pretty high end company and they do take their security pretty seriously.

    There are "No Tresspassing" signs all over and the same player has owned it for quite some time (seemingly since before covid since I have been watching it on the intel map). All the surrounding portals have been uncaptured as long as I have been watching them as well. Only recent have a few new resonators shown up on it and I am not sure how legit the player that placed them was either, since they never showed up there before and only upgraded the portal that was being use as an anchor.

    So this is an annoying thing, especially when the other anchors are spread out across multiple portals in layers and a good portion are outside of my area, the rest I need a day off and good weather to go after that are in my area since they have been placed back in on walking paths.

    This also occurred with the same player using a portal inside a Boy Scout camp as an anchor. I contacted the camp to see if I could come out and they told me it was off limits, however someone else apparently called them and got permission, so some are a mixed bag.

    Also relating to the Boy Scout camp, correct me if I am wrong, but didn't they state that Boy Scout camps are to be treated as schools and are not valid portals in one of the AMAs ?

    None of what I am describing would fall into the durable portal category imho.

  • gazzas89gazzas89 ✭✭✭✭✭

    You are correct, boy scout camps would be considered k12 (or whatever It was) and should be removed from the game

  • CarlTheLlamaCarlTheLlama ✭✭
    edited May 2021

    I sent my drone out to it and placed multiple reports on it and they keep coming back saying the portal should stay in network. So there's some inconsistency somewhere. And since I am not the owner of the property I cannot use the other form to submit it as invalid. And since the one player apparently got permission to go out there and neutralize it, my drone got sent back so I could not report it anymore either ( not without driving 20 minutes out of the way on my way home from work). Which leads to another question, if a portal dies at the hands of a friendly player, why should it return your drone ? Given friendly fire doesn't attack friendly portals.

    And speaking of the Boy Scout camp, it's being used to anchor the field that is also anchored in the private business property. Just checked to see if the portals where still there on the intel map again.

    So that makes at least a handful of links that cannot be broken without either trespassing or getting property owner permission. One of those properties being a lot harder than the other from what I have gathered. I could provide screenshots of this, but at the same time I am not trying to attack or out other players, even if I am questioning how legitimate their gameplay is.

  • HydracyanHydracyan ✭✭✭✭✭

    I'm against drone attack, but they can still be used to assist.

    Like:

    New weapon that use drone as a targeting system (will still need the player to be there but will enlarge the range up to dron visibility on map, that is about 1km). Attack power of such weapon must be carefully thought, like requiring many players to successfully destroy portals that far.

    Drones skills that prevent the normal use of the portal, like each drone preventing one outgoing link of that portal, or if have 8 drones on the portal it interfere with incoming links too. This can increase community efforts and strategies.

    Drone linking: I'm totally against drone capturing or firing xmp, but I think they can throw links, by spending one key and certain limitations like only one link, and the drone must stay there to keep the link active.

  • gazzas89gazzas89 ✭✭✭✭✭

    If you can find the email again, go onto the wayfarer forums and request its removal from the invalid appeals section there, state that its on a boy scout camp, meaning it's aimed for younger children, which goes against the guidelines and meets removal criteria. I suspect some of the regulars on there will help out too as they did that for me

  • LcfpLcfp ✭✭✭

    @Toxoplasmolly I couldn't have said it better. I 100% agree with you.

  • ShadusShadus ✭✭
    edited May 2021

    The "scout camp" in question does adult owls and baloo training anually as well and sometimes woodbadge (rotate through a few) which is more or less open to any adult involved in scouting at all (both teams have lots)... furthermore it rents out the entire camp 1 weekend a month for the entire year to a public group (non-scout) of adults (shy a few months at pandemic peak)... And has for years, and anyone can rent it (not cheap but accessible and non-k12.) Those portals largely have existed since 2013 and have been accessed by both teams without trespassing... just isn't always free.

    Post edited by NianticGray on
  • Hello. There are portals at amusement parks. You have to pay to gain entrance to play these portals - they also are not open year round. I personally don’t go to amusement parks but that doesn’t mean that the portals shouldn’t remain or that using them are unfair since I choose not to participate in those activities. Also I would not use covid times as an example because lots of in game travel was changed. Like I couldn’t just go out and play any time of the day or couldn’t leave the country during this time. We all dealt with that.

    Removing durable, hard to get to or portals that require pre-planning, scheduling and/or teamwork to get to will take the depth out of the game. It would remove the aspect of adventuring, physical exercise, playing with strategy, working together, and soften the whole storyline of the game.

    Also, at our local Boy Scouts we (pogo/ingress locals) have worked with the ranger to do community service on Earth Day inspired by Niantic to help maintain trails, clear down trees, and give back to the community.

  • MoogModularMoogModular ✭✭✭✭✭

    What? Boy scout camps are usually on camp grounds as in general camping is permitted. Scouting has never been limited to people under 18, you can always volunteer regardless of your age and/or gender. For instance, the Venturer program is within the Boy Scouts operations but it's open to men and women in the 14-21 age group.

  • gazzas89gazzas89 ✭✭✭✭✭

    If its one specifically for boy scouts then that wouldn't be allowed. I can't talk for all camping grounds, but I remember going to o e that was literally only for scouts (and associated groups like cubs, brownies etc.) And wasn't for adult use. If its a campground for all use that ALSO has scouts camp at it thats different. Its the same way that a scout Hall isn't allowed even if it allows other things to happen, but community halls that also host scout meetings is allowed as the scouts are not the primary function

  • MoogModularMoogModular ✭✭✭✭✭

    Boy Scouts isn't limited to an age range when you can volunteer at any age. I'm an Eagle Scout.

  • thesolothesolo ✭✭✭✭✭

    No. As others have stated, drones should not affect the gameboard. If anything, I would say the current drone implementation is too permissive and should be scaled back. Enabling the drone layer has shown that basically all anyone uses their drones for is gear acquisition.

    Drones should be allowed to help complete missions where portals are inaccessible. They can be used for sojourner. They should not be used as a replacement for farming, they should not be able to modify gameboard state (no caps, reso deploys, etc.), and they certainly should not be used to attack portals.

  • thesolothesolo ✭✭✭✭✭

    I would instead (and here come the disagrees) like to see drones be harder to use; offensive mods should have a chance of returning them or "damaging" them so that they're stuck for a jump or two.

    It would also be neat if they had a chance of malfunctioning and not returning all items from your hack, i.e. your hack produced X but you only get X minus Y, due to the xm construct nature of the drones. Or make them require substantially more XM to use.

  • grendelwulfgrendelwulf ✭✭✭✭✭

    I don't think drones should be able to attack, but I do think it would be neat if they could self destruct with the force of a single burster of the players level with a 24 hour cool down on deploying the drone again. A single burster isn't going to be much more than a minor nuisance to a portal unless it is unshielded with low level bursters or about to decay anyway.

  • grsmhikergrsmhiker ✭✭✭

    That would be vulnerable to abuse by multiaccounters. Just park all of your accounts' drones on the portal and fire them all at once.

  • GrogyanGrogyan ✭✭✭✭✭

    Bad actors would use the drone to take down strategic portals enmasse.

  • Yeah the drone Idea is very hit and miss on what would work in a fair manner+, that's why I also changed it to the inaccessible portal problem.

  • grendelwulfgrendelwulf ✭✭✭✭✭
  • grendelwulfgrendelwulf ✭✭✭✭✭

    We shouldn't be afraid of innovation because bad actors. In my opinion it just gives one more thing bad actors can be caught doing.

  • 1valdis1valdis ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited May 2021

    I am really pleased to see there are 24 disagrees and not a single positive reaction to the post. Way to go people!

Sign In or Register to comment.