Probably quitting after this.
I've just been told by Niantic that I am not allowed to capture a portal because it's CAL level is too high. The last time I had this problem, all I had to do was ask first and the restrictions were removed. Since I wasn't false banned for spo00fing after clearly they knew I was legit.
I'm not linking the portal for opsec reasons. There are 2 about a mile from it that are currently closed off. But the one I asked to capture you can literally drive up to. I linked to that one and gave the name of it to support. I planned to field over the ones I couldn't access using this portal and others on roads to stop the enemy from using them.
Today I'm told that I can't capture it and I have to play for an arbitrary amount of time in order to do so. They're literally asking me to wait a random amount of time, drive 2 hours and spend the gas just to find out if I'm not allowed to access them.
Im just glad Niantic didn't get a penny of the money I wasted on the signal booster, and that I cancelled my CORE before it could renew tomorrow. Between this and my area being unplayable, I'm saying goodbye to this game. Even if they say I can access the portal I can no longer trust them. The one escape from the utter hell that is my life has been removed. I'm literally disabled, can't work a regular job and likely never going to turn 35. Of course I have free time to drive to these far away locations.
Comments
Niantic is missing out. Since the P2W is in full swing, how about a "get out of CAL free" card in the store.
I wouldn't be surprised if they start selling teleporters.
Sorry to see you leave.
There is so much more to Ingress than just visiting strategic portals
RES can, I can't as one of the only ENL players that goes for strategics. That is the problem.
It's like when a casino tells a card counter they can play any game but blackjack. It sounds reasonable but it quite clear what they are doing; even though they can play other games, the counter is still going to leave the casino.
We have an ENL agent, with CORE for over a year, getting locked out of his own portals. There some **** going on.
Meanwhile fresh RES agents can touch the portals no problem.
Who told you that you may not capture the CAL-protected portal? Niantic support? Did they give any reason why it was allowed last time, but not this time?
Yes, NIA did, and all they said was "your cal level is appropriate for your account" or something like that.
The only thing I can think of is my promise to scan the portal I got when I asked to raise CAL levels. I forgot that since I'm using a cell booster, I get no service when I leave my car to try and scan it. So I was unable to do so.
Said object relating to the portal was painted red. It is brown in both the photo and Google Earth.
The other possibility is that the portal I took was never cal locked, this one clearly is as it has long links and has been held for years.
Please don't quit. We need strategic ENL players more than ever.
Due to CAL restrictions, it does not matter if I stay or not. The end result is the same. I cannot win cycles with local fields.
It seems badly programmed, the whole idea of CAL is not to stop legit innocent players, seems niantic has some work to do on this matter..
So Niantic is bullying the few players that actually pick up this game despite all issues and dying communities.
Great job!
It's like they don't want media attention from large operations anymore. A big thing that drives interest in the game.
Honestly, I wouldn't mind if a level 8 couldn't access this portal, with the exception of if I ask for CAL levels to be raised. That way they can scrutinize the L8s actions much more than a player they didn't know was going for it until it's already dead. This is clearly NIAs intent as I was told they would review my account when my CAL restrictions were removed the first time. If a player asked for a CAL level raise and then spoofed down the portal, NIA could have it restored and the user banned within minutes. In this regard, it's a useful system. But I'm not even given an opportunity to prove my legitimacy, instead outright refused for no reason.
If my theory on NIA thinking the portal is inaccessible is right, and I was a spoofer, all I'd have to do is request CAL restrictions be removed for an accessible portal and then spoof the inaccessible one. So it's not even a good defense against spoofers.
Besides, if the portal is verifiably inaccessible, why wouldn't NIA say the player can capture it, then immediately ban them upon doing so for cheating?
If I go to a portal, and it turns out not to be accessible, this is my fault, and I will accept responsibility. If I go to a portal, and it is accessible, but NIA says I can't **** it because I might be cheating, that is unfair. That's the difference.
Yeah they tried counter that with u can now field under existing fields, before that was impossible