Yet Another Open Letter for Niantic

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Comments

  • mortuusmortuus ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2021

    This thread would be a good opportunity for the new community manager to go through ? what happend with that , when is the person going to say hello finally ?

  • joecainjoecain ✭✭✭✭✭

    It might at least be a good opportunity for Jonny Thaw (new VP of Communications) to see the dumpster fire that is Ingress in 2021.

  • MJ78MJ78 ✭✭✭

    I agree.

    My subscription renewal for next month is hanging on notification of a comms fix.

    If I know something is coming by a certain date, I'll hold off. If not, it will be cancelled.

  • ZeroHecksGivenZeroHecksGiven ✭✭✭✭✭

    Now into wednesday, five pages of frustrations, feedback and more or less hoping for some kind of acknowledgment.

    Nothing.....

  • EvilSuperHerosEvilSuperHeros ✭✭✭✭✭

    I really feel badly for the new community manager. They are entering a game with lots of problems. They are going to get cheered on by some, but roasted by many others.

    I really hope they have some active Ingress game experience before coming into this role. If not, I'm not sure how much it will help the community itself overall.

    We definitely need someone to communicate with, since it's more than obvious no one else wants to communicate with the players (well, except some random IFS zoom meetings found what I've heard).

  • kiloecholimakiloecholima ✭✭✭✭✭

    1000% this. Has to be someone with Ingress experience and knows the pulse of the community. An outsider who doesn't know those basic things from Day 1 will be a disaster.

  • 1valdis1valdis ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2021

    Imagine Niantic people still trying to hide behind the community manager even though they're not yet announced, instead of stepping up and saying something here themselves (except for The Man, The Myth, The Legend ofer2 of course).

    Post edited by 1valdis on
  • 3car3car ✭✭✭
    edited June 2021

    The new CM won't be available to answer much. He/She'll hear roars from users every day, and most probably Niantic won't feed enough information in a timely manner to the new CM as well. Still, better than nothing, like what we are seeing here right now.

  • 1valdis1valdis ✭✭✭✭✭

    Over a week and 5 pages later, no one except from The Legend reacted to this thread on Niantic side.

    I wonder if they're now going to throw the new CM to deal with this dumpster fire, hiding behind her, or simply continue ignoring?🤔

  • SSSputnikSSSputnik ✭✭✭✭✭

    If Brian is the product manager, he aint doing his job.

    Letting this thread fester is just, negligence.

  • TheKingEngineTheKingEngine ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2021

    Support and Support tickets: Oh boy there could probably be enough stories of the Support for the next few years, but frankly speaking, the Support is trash. Not even trash that can be recycled, trash that gets put on a dump and forgotten. It is unbelievable how cr4p the Support system for Ingress is. First off, you’ll have to go through a chat bot, which is fair enough because it may point agents to the right places for things they can fix themselves. But as soon as you’re past that, it gets worse and worse. You will have to choose a category for your problem, of which there are only very few and limited options. Have a problem with Wayfarer? No correct category for that, the closest would probably be “Questions about Scanner and Intel Map” -> “Gameplay Questions”. Why aren’t there more categories or just a simple “Other” one? Then, you have this awful chat box for actually giving info. Due to the way it’s set up, you have to write on one line without any line breaks (because that would send the message), making longer problems hard to read and understand. Even worse, if you want to submit a picture, screenshot or anything else, you’ll first have to send off the text, wait for the automatic answer and then submit anything else.The worst thing about the submission via chat box however is that you a) don’t get the ticket ID anymore, you’ll have to check your Emails for that (hidden at the bottom right) and b) you can’t open another ticket without going into incognito mode or using another browser/device. What was wrong with the submission form that was used before the redesign of the support page? And even if you get through all that and send off a ticket, you’re now at the mercy of the support agents, who are exactly zero help at all. More often than not, it feels like you’re talking to another bot. The answers they give are pre-formulated, not allowing for even a slight deviation, tickets are not read correctly or at all and an answer that doesn’t fit the problem is sent, and worst, people are getting ghosted. Referring back to C.O.R.E and account issues above, I have not heard of a single agent getting their account fixed through support. Heck, the support has such a bad name that a lot of people are not even trying to open a ticket and rather message an Ingress team member via Social Media or open a thread on the forums, which has an incredibly higher success rate. What about an Agent that isn't as connected like a lot of us? For example, they have the same “Account not found” error as above. They play very casually and haven’t made contact with the local community, so they think “I know, let’s write the support, they can help me.”. They do that, get a nonsensical answer and either argue with support that whatever they say is simply not true or get ghosted. Result: They stop playing. Bad for a game already struggling with low player numbers.


    which means that you intentionally Disagree multiple posts from other players (not mine) that were made like "open letters" trying to solve spoofing issues with solid, undeniable evidence and not defaming players such as https://community.ingress.com/en/discussion/15010/hk-you-may-be-kidding-allowing-many-times-jogging-two-points-in-1-2-mins-and-100kmh-speed#latest

    and kept telling players to stop write posts here on the forum to seek for help but stick to the support channel



    on the premise that you've already known the reports and tickets via support channel would be very likely ghosted.

    Interesting.

  • 1valdis1valdis ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2021

    You really can't let it go even after 3 months, can you? :)

  • TheKingEngineTheKingEngine ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2021

    When other rightful players, after their support tickets seeking fair treatment and better management got ghosted, looking for help on the forum, would somehow receive trolls and disagree attack from you guys instead of assistance, saying that pinging Niantic employees is sort of hara.ssment. Example: https://community.ingress.com/en/discussion/comment/133562/#Comment_133562

    and then proudly, with dirty words, insult in chatgroups players on the forum requesting for manual review on others' serious in-game violations

    https://community.ingress.com/en/discussion/14482/why-my-comment-s-removed-when-disagree-attackers-incl-xm-ambassador-insulting-players-in-public (not removed, set hidden for further investigation by Niantic employee)

    And now you guys, after rightful players don't talk anymore, are becoming pioneers asking for fair treatment and better management, monitoring and sta.lking activities of Niantic employee, instigating remainning players to hara.ss Niantic employee who seems unwilling to make speech in this post.

    Very impressive.

  • TheKingEngineTheKingEngine ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2021


    This is a discussion thread. If you simply enjoy cur.sing Niantic as always, I'd advise you to stop and pick another post to play.

    If you have abundant time making cur.sing replies such as "Niantic ugly hiding her", why not simply dropping an email to Brian? This won't ensure replies but in this case at least we got his/their notice. Isn't it better than cur.sing endlessly?

    Espeically when you've already been told that the new Community Manager has noticed this post why not having due patience to hold off a week as suggested by your teammate? Do you want solutions or opportunities to insult somebody?

    I've seen enough of you, with increasing repeated comments, instigating players in this post against Niantic with humiliating words.

    Maybe you are fond of humiliating Niantic. I am not, even though I'm very disappointed with general operation of Ingress game.

    Not to mention that you guys were actually suppressing or even attacking other rightful players on the forum thriving to make anti-cheating efforts before this thread.

    When players' saying that the support cases are not reviewed you say Niantic's surely doing their job so stop complainning.

    When Ingress team's doing their job you're however encouraging players to keep ringing the door bells of new administrators.

    Undeniably Niantic's poor game operations' driving normal players away. Double-standard players' also driving normal players away. Double-standard players' writting "Open Letters" and endless humiliating replies to denounce Niantic and to infiltrate and control this community forum so that every replies or attempts made by Ingress team would be considered as negligible or double negative whether it's negative or not.

    Writing by you guys, this open letter wouldn't make things better if what you really want is to prove that "Niantic ignores players as always". How could things become better if you are not expecting it? With the help of your cur.sing comments and nobody stopping you, it would 100% turn to a Niantic shaming game no matter what they say or what they do. Maybe that's exactly what you want. You are probably intentionally doing it not for good.

    Maybe You are not pursuing justice and a better game. Maybe you are simply trying to become Key Opinion Leaders and the only voice. You are trying to make players angrier and raging but not focusing on the problems itself. And ultimately you would say "See? No replies. Silence. 100% typical Niantic" and you would make sure that only you guys can say so, with the problems never solved but more and more posts looping. As you like.

    Post edited by TheKingEngine on
  • TheKingEngineTheKingEngine ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2021

    @NianticBrian @NianticThia I'd appreciate if you could review this post. While doing so, please pay attention to the fact that,

    IMHO most of the facts and opinions presented in this open letter is correct and valid and those problems really exist and should be solved asap. However it's written and intentionally promoted by a team of specific players who in the past hald year were trying their best to control and manipulate the voice of this community forum by all means, including collective Disagree Attack

    https://community.ingress.com/en/discussion/14375/let-us-ingresser-be-professional-all-time-disagree-attack-or-100-unreasonable-disagree-does-no-good/p1

    and blatant bully and verbal attack if Disagree Attack does not work https://community.ingress.com/en/discussion/14482/why-my-comment-s-removed-when-disagree-attackers-incl-xm-ambassador-insulting-players-in-public

    and their daily amusement activity is sneering at Niantic (especially Ingress team) ,defaming normal players and restraining players seeking help to handle spoofing cases on the forum, which can be easily noticed in their disagree (forum reaction) history and the chatgroup affiliated to https://t.me/IUENG which @wowthia has already joined for several years.

    Good Open Letter written and exploited as a campaign by wrong guys is probably even worse than no Open Letters if not on the right track. All what I can see is that while normal players expressing their feelings (disappointment) here, some have been intensifying the issue by making repeated comments just like they do in previous posts of other players. Especially someone who successively make cur.sing replies (7+ in one week) trolling at Niantic, more emotional every time, which lays no foundation of open talk.

    Post edited by TheKingEngine on
  • TheKingEngineTheKingEngine ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2021

    But you were proactively Disagreeing threads of players (not mine) reporting undeniable spoofing cases (with too solid evidence, making it definitely not defaming other players or violating rules) on the forum:

    For example where only you did so:

    https://community.ingress.com/en/discussion/15010/hk-you-may-be-kidding-allowing-many-times-jogging-two-points-in-1-2-mins-and-100kmh-speed

    https://community.ingress.com/en/discussion/13821/spoofing-destroys-the-game

    Hitting frustrated players fighting with spoofers there, and then leading the way for other kinds of frustrations here?

    Of course you have the right to do so. But, if you really want to help build a better game and if you are pursuing fairness, please refrain from suppressing anti-spoofers, otherwise it's purely double-standard of you.

    Anti-spoofing is a core requirement of players that should not be missing in terms of "Open Letter". If you don't include it because you are "not familiar with it", then at least please do not obstruct it by yourself.

    Post edited by TheKingEngine on
  • TheKingEngineTheKingEngine ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2021

    Whatever, this would be my last comment in this post before any new replies from Niantic were made in this post. What I want is to see substantial feedback from Niantic, that would not become more anticipated with those cur.sing replies in favor of some players who's been proactively dispelling anti-cheating efforts made on the forum.

    Derailing? I don't think so. Only if someone would like to embrace the "Niantic shaming" game then it's derailing, otherwise I'm helping this thread going back to the right track. Are players here satisfied and happy with simply trolling at Niantic? Do people want to turn this discussion into cur.sing fest? No, it's the problems and solutions that we care. If we don't care we just leave, cur.sing is waste of time.

    Then please someone refrain from doing such repeated trolling and pushing at an inappropriate time which does not help. Who would really think insulting Niantic could make someone from Ingress team to pay more attention to this thread?

    What I see is currently from this series of comments is an organized campaign to manipulate the emotions and disappointment of players on the forum and keep intensifying it so that it could become turning to anger towards Niantic and seems nobody express uncomfortableness about such obvious behavior of making a open talk thread into a "Hey Niantic How dare you ignore us you hiding ugly behind her" trolling and shaming game...

    ...a campaign that organized by several players who was indulged in sneering at Niantic all the time and who collectively DO NOT lend helping hands but intentionally turn blind eyes to, or even trying to trip players (much more than only me) seeking for advice, assistance and attractions on this forum regarding bugs reports, anti-cheating topics.

    I agree with this open letter thread on its content, not its emotion of cur.sing. Thanks. This is a very long letter discussing about many problems and aspects, even if Ingress team's always slow or absent in making replies or solving problems, shouldn't people wait for at least 1 week for the team to notice this post and collect some materials so that they could make constructive replies? Is 5+ trolling comments in a single post within one week from the same agent natural and reasonable?

    .....Anyway

    Are the problems described in this post real? Yes. Am I disappointed with Niantic's operation? Yes. Do I want to hear from Niantic in this post? Yes. And thus I still waited patiently even if uncomfortable, until someone sent me this:

    See what? The guy A who is making repeated pushing comments (increasingly negative) , the agent B who wrote this letter, and the new Community Manager C is in the same chat group and even in the same dialogue today.

    A was asking B "are we gonna mention the open letter" just in front of C, but B said that C's already aware. Why wouldn't they just ask C to do a review or deliver the thread to colleagues? Why wouldn't they just ask someone from Niantic, or probably directly write to Brian referring to this post? So that a review could be guaranteed? Now that A and B can make contact with someone from Ingress team, isn't sending a direct invitation to review much better than making trolling comments here considering solving the issues?

    "I invited, but they did not make replies.", or "I invited, they said they would review, but they have not yet made replies" is 100% different from "I didn't invite, I supposed that they should notice this and make replies efficiently within 1 week". The latter one is not the way of solving problems proactively, it's a way of creating a situation where Niantic seems ignoring players.

    Does Niantic ignore players? Sometimes or frequently. Does Ingress team completely ignore players in this post or "ugly hiding behind her"? No. @ofer2 has already made a reply considering COMM problems. Isn't it sort of "getting noticed in time"??? Though we may want to hear more from Ingress team, but could anyone provide confirmation that the link of this post has been sent to for example Brian?

    Besides, why would that guy A continue trolling at Niantic at a greater extent even after seeing replies from @ofer2 ? This is not reasonable. Even B has implied that at least one week notice period is logical for a post to get replied after the post got noticed. Then why pushing and trolling that far like previous comments? Do you players feel good with seeing such behavior? Happy with seeing someone calling Niantic "ugly hiding"? Literally, who is hiding? Shaming who?

    I frankly speaking don't care how you call Niantic, but I have to point out that such trolling does not help, and I must let you know that this could be part of a campaign exploiting you players. When I and some other players wrote Open-Letter like posts on the forum seeking help from Ingress team and NIA OPS, it's exactly those guys in a team attacking, suppressing and reporting us. Thus I wrote several replies for you to identify whether this post is on the right track or not.

    Post edited by NianticVK on
  • edited June 2021

    Hi guys,

    Just 2 open ideas to the Ingress team;

    1) If the bugs we are observing are coming from a problem with past decisions / designs / algorithms, I am sure that some Ingress players working as developers (Unity or backend) would be eagier to give some free help on the theory of better designs.

    Group discussions could be set up.

    This could even be done without NIA needing to show any source code.


    2) Maybe user stories should be re-written and more players should be offered a role as stakeholder in the development of the game.

    I would totally sign up for this.


    Thanks to everyone at NIA who made Ingress what it is. It made me built a family full of close friends (BLoD team _\m/)

    PS: I'm writing backend software for a living for 15 years.

  • SSSputnikSSSputnik ✭✭✭✭✭

    Would also sign up to help.

    Worked for software development team for almost 30 years.

  • MonkeyPeltMonkeyPelt ✭✭✭✭

    With proper NDA's/contracts, I'm hard pressed to see a reason the Ingress team wouldn't do this aside from arrogance and maybe stakeholder shenanigans. Ingress is such a unique game that draws VERY dedicated players, many (a majority?) of which have a strong S.T.E.M. background. Myself included.

    As agents, we desperately want to see this game succeed. Just look at the crazy orga and resources we've gladly poured into large operations. Look at the time and resources POCs have put into anomalies, MDs, and IFSs to make them as successful as they have been. @NianticBrian, please take agents up on our offer to help. Please help us help you help us. Please.

  • MatiasM20MatiasM20 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2021

    ofer2 commented in the forums that they don't like and will not, co-dev the app with the players. Or something similar.

    https://community.ingress.com/en/discussion/comment/127460/#Comment_127460


  • MoogModularMoogModular ✭✭✭✭✭

    The answer is definitely no after seeing the replies...

  • At this point this is all trivial as the main issue is Niantic not responding to issues that they might actually be fixing currently. What I hope happens is that with the new CM in play, that a new “Road Map” gets made to quiet up everyone.

    If you all remember back in 2019 was the last time the “Road Map” was updated with all the fixes to Prime that were needed after the roll out. They also included insight to new items getting made to the app. We’ve been lucky to get that kind of communication and it pleased a lot of Agents knowing what’s to come. This is something we need again and to continue to get after each fix is made. Until then I’ll adapt to play the app with the bugs and wait patiently as the fixes roll out.

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