An Open Letter to Ingress Agents
Hi all. My nickname Snegniy, I'm ENL agent from Russia.
I’ve been playing Ingress since 2013. I have 300+M AP in total and organized a great number of operations ranging from local to 1B+ MU BAFs. I was a good operator, having operated both local operations and anomalies, enjoyed the Global Shards, arranged lots of agent-related non-Ingress events, and was an active Guardian Hunter.
And yes, it was me who spearheaded the saboteur team that stole the Ukrainian shard and buried it in Minsk (you may express your hate to me in the comments).
I experienced almost everything there was to experience in Ingress. I put a lot of my effort into the game, and I loved it. Therefore, I think I have the right to write this post and represent some other agents who’ve been playing Ingress all these years. Some of their achievements exceed mine.
This letter isn’t about the inevitable Ingress Prime or monetization. It’s about all of us and the game itself.
I realize that I’ll draw a lot of hate and dislikes from more tolerant players, but I think I’ve reached my boiling point.
I should also note that outside of the scanner, I have a good relationship with most agents of the opposing faction. I see no problem in having a beer with a nice Smurf after he fought against me in an operation. I stand for healthy XF relationships.
This post might seem like an old-timer whining, I know. Still, I hope it will help someone to look at Ingress in a new way. I’m not under any illusion that it will change anything, but I cannot help but speak out. Since 2017, I’m becoming more and more disappointed in the game-or rather not the game itself, but in the way that Niantic managers have been killing it, having obtained all that money from Pokémon Go.
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I won’t detail the current issues; it’s been done lots of times before me, and it would take a long time to read through the list. Still, in short, they are the following:
1) Community managment
For a long time, Niantic hasn’t given a damn about the opinion of the community that has given them millions of dollars via Pokemon Go.
In 7 years, they’ve received an enormous amount of sensible improvements, but 99% of them was ignored. Niantic introduced the Vanguard system and tries to present that it cares about community. So were any of the key game changes discussed with the Vanguards? No. They learned about the most important changed together with the rest of the agents. Nobody asked them if they wanted XF Global Shards, or paid anomalies, etc.
It’s just a smoke screen made of people who work for Niantic for free, designed to cover their powerlessness in community management.
2) Fighting spoofing.
All these years, we spent months reporting obvious spoofers that destroyed the game in entire regions, only to get generic replies from Niantic Support.
Even during the latest Global Shards, the spoofing problems was only handled a day later after they were reported via all channels, in a manual mode on the level of the Global Community Manager. Until he interfered, when everyone was up in arms, the spoofer that stole a shard wasn’t banner or anything. The other spoofers are still unbanned.
3) Monetization.
Actually, I don’t have anything against it-a project should be profitable. Over 7 years, we’ve generated a lot of ideas on achieving that. Of all of them, Niantic chose the most toxic and stupid method. When I play Clash Royale, I want to yell “Shut up and take my money”, but in Ingress, all I can say is, “Are you freaking serious?”
4) Ingress Prime.
Yes, the game needed an update. Yes, we’ve waited for Ingress 2.0 for 3 years. And what did we get? A painfully half-baked application worse than an alpha version that everyone was forced to install, designed by an untalented and unprofessional UX/UI designed who’ve taken way too much LSD? Epilepsy fits and pain in the rear end from having to repeat all those illogical, slow, and inconvenient actions? Once again, Niantic proved that they don’t care about their audience.
Yes, maybe in a year or two, Prime might finally become playable. Maybe. If they don’t turn off the servers before that, of course. But that’s not the worst problem of the game – we can get used to even such a terrible app.
5) The most important issue. The events.
The game has more and more XF events, casual events, and lots of failures on Niantic’s side while holding them (and they want us to pay for it, too). I didn’t mind events like First Saturday (a badge for hacking one portal? How exciting! (sarcasm)) or hacking/glyphing 1000 portals (amazing! (sarcasm again)) if they, at least, allowed us to continue playing a real strategy between two factions, like before.
Even the anomalies aren’t as balanced, having become simplified and not as contingent on the faction’s performance in the scanner itself. I think that soon enough, we’ll get a “friendly anomaly”, in which we’ll have to join our forces to **** Boss Portals and make XF selfies to get the requisite number of points to achieve a x1,05 bonus to media dropped during FS (and, of course, one more ugly badge).
Ingress could have become a fantastic eSport with action, emotions, sponsors, fan base, and lots of money for Niantic.
They could have, at least, given the API (maybe even for money) to the players for them to make their own local events. For example, I live in Russia, which is a huge territory with lots of players loyal to the game. Do you know when we got an anomaly last time? Three and a half years ago.
But…we code our own software, we organize unofficial events, we write our own stories (which are often better than the official plot), we hold unofficial shards in some of our cities (if anyone wants to arrange a similar event, please contact me in Telegram, we’ll help), we created amazingly complex and interesting activities using the scanner.
We contacted Niantic with our ideas, saying we were prepared for cooperation. Did you know their reply? Absolutely negative.
In the end, what we got was a multitude of boring and stupid casual events and the complete lack of competitiveness. Do you really need one more worthless PvE game?
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During the latest Shards, I read lots of chats, laughing and crying at the same time. What did the game and the agents turn into, when the most uncompromising, emotional, and interesting discipline of the game was destroyed and corrupted to its very core?
To the guys who scored the shards: you betrayed Ingress, you betrayed common sense, and you betrayed the future of Ingress, turning it into PvE. It pains me to watch it. Yes, I know that many of you didn’t like the idea of XF shard, but you sold your souls for a free worthless badge and a mythical weekly bonus. Compare the enjoyment you got from Global Shards in 2017 and 2019. Don’t you feel any shame for what you’ve done?
Before the Global Shards started, lots of ideas circulated – persuade Niantic to return the competitive approach, divide the targets between the factions, pick and choose your own factions, or score shards into all targets independently. The result? Betrayal by our own agents (hi, sanshine!), total wintrade and merging of the factons, most agents ignoring the event, thousand-kilometer links lasting weeks, and targets never getting attacked at all. This is a disgrace, guys. You’ve made the decision to destroy our favorite game and turn it into a Pokemon clone.
Yet this is exactly what Niantic is trying to do.
Niantic wants the factions to be more friendly, but they’ve corrupted the meaning of that word. And right now, I’m going to agree with them that it’s time for the Enlightened and the Resistance to join forces against the most dreadful, most toxic, the most stupid, but the most powerful enemy.
Yes, our main enemy is Niantic.
Niantic strives to ruin the communities formed over years of playing, destroy all PvP process in the game, and make you pay for it (don’t forget to offer your free work in OPR).
To those who still haven’t lost the desire to play: start protesting. Make Niantic hear us. Don’t buy frackers, don’t buy Anomaly tickets, boycott anomalies and FS. Don’t play OPR and submit portals. Write ultimatums.
Stop eating what you don’t like. We still have some time before we pass the point of no return. Don’t hide your head in the sand: Niantic has been kicking us around for far too long.
We have values that we can’t trade for abstract fun in badly designed events.
It was us who learned to play Ingress and taught Niantic. It’s time to declare war on Niantic.
A company that hates its clients should either die or start listening.
Good luck to you all and thanks for 6 years of playing together or against each other. It was a blast.
Let’s play Punk Ingress against Niantic. It will be fun!
Shapers save Niantic!
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Russian version: https://teletype.in/@snegniy/Hyl85Ok_H
Comments
Thank you, that was able well and succinctly in one summit write all the, that we talked the past two years. I do not hope that Niantic will hear us, but I believe that at least other agents will hear and stop to **** the game that we love so much.
Thank you for expressing what I and many others think. Indeed, Niantic is the most toxic agent in Ingress now. A brief review of the past couple years events suggests that Niantic is set to divide and destroy the very blood of Ingress, its veteran community.
peter_griffin_who_cares_meme.jpg
I totally agree. #teamtrickster
Congratulations on your win, But if you think you won from Niantic because you buried a shard somewhere you really do need a reality check.
I agree with you in most of your points except this one.
To the guys who scored the shards: you betrayed Ingress, you betrayed common sense, and you betrayed the future of Ingress, turning it into PvE. It pains me to watch it.
@Snegniy Thank you for exposing the thoughts circulating inside community between veteran members specifically👍 I do agree, bro.
And #teamtrickster. Yep.
PREACH.
SOME veteran members.
I do not agree. I feel I should state that as my opinion here. Actually they HAVE listened to the community alot on Prime. Not only letting the **** old scanner stay longer than needed. But fixing Prime with both feedback and fixing bugs. Of course theres some issues on doing things or doing less things after Pogo. But I think you should think again. What game have you ever played where the community yells, and they fix what they did wrong the day after(anomally payment). For me, I have never.
And for the Redacted going soon today... I LOVE IT!
Prime is future.
Totally agree. We almost lost spirit of Ingress.
Ingres is like an old, half-dead tree with many shrunken branches.
Nia developed the idea of shapers? The idea turned into a dried-up branch. Magnuses are the same situation. MU? The same situation. Over the years, nothing new has appeared in the game. the same tic tac toe but with a plot.
I supported the XF event. It was nice. I don't feel like I betrayed anyone. It was just an event.
But.
I can't prevent myself from empathysing with you, mainly because the fact that Niantic cares nothing about us hurts like a stab in the ribs because that's how truth feels when you try to ignore it.
I dare not imagine how strong the fire behind your eyes could have been when spoofers appeared in front of you. You speak about hate, but sometimes hate has the right to be, and I reckon this is one of those times becomes a real option.
I have tried many ways to play Ingress aswell, and I still have some more to try, even creating my own, like some others have already done. I'm ok with a XF event once in a while (a long while). But I'm not sure there will be so much people willing to do this again.
Even when we have been direct opponents in this event, my dear, I feel no hate towards you.
"Are you not entertained??"
The main goal of this letter, i suppose, that all the things happening in our beloved Ingress are not the right one. Niantic should make changes in their Ingress policy. They should understand that Nia have a lot of possibility and opinions to change Ingress and maybe their others projects to a better way if they start truly listen agents.
#teamtrickster
If only the community agreed to bury all of them, we would turn it into a real victory. Unfortunately, some pro-XF agents readily pointed at us and proclaimed loudly "haters!" (and uttered many more unpleasant words), and most people had just chosen to observe silently the ultimate act of treason against the spirit of this game unfolding.
#teamtrickster, duh
What a load of elitist drivel.
💗🙁
We, old-schoolers should go away, but, at least, we go away undefeated. We've faced traitors, whiners and cheaters in attempt to get back #8, but what they've managed to do? Nothing.
Rest in peace, Ingress. Ave Enlightened.
I agree with most of your points. Especially the lack of meaningful community engagement and the lack of trust from Niantic of average players and the lack of desire in hiring NianOps employees to investigate meaningful claims. Where is all the money going, if not to improve the game on all fronts? I 100% on this boycott until Niantic can guarantee they will actively work on improving the game and not give raises to the execs!
Everyone is entitled to play the way they choose. You say those who chose to play the challenge laid before us betrayed the game, and most say the ones who buried the shard betrayed the majority of the community. You can stir up drama or you can play new challenges and find enjoyment in the present rather than the past. I can’t wait until redacted is retired and we can move on from this complaining some of the OGs are daily posting in chats. I wish you well and thank you for your past contributions.
Thank you for saying again what many agents would like to say before the shutdown of redacted scanner.
Solid feedback.
I appreciate that you took the time to write it. I may not feel the same way on all points, but the general message is spot on.
Is your tg the same as your IGN? I have interest in some of these unofficial game machenics to do local events.
I really don't understand the drama about this season (The Nemesis sequence) of Ingress having the theme of X-Faction cooperation.
The last season (Osiris) ended only 4 months ago with very intense competition between the factions. I remember very close and hard-fought battles in Nuremberg and Amsterdam. There were global competitions Resistance against Enlightened that accompanied some of the Osiris anomalies. And then I remember the buses in Chicago. All this is just 4 months ago.
The Nemesis sequence has only been going on for less than 4 months using themes of x-faction cooperation and people are already afraid this will go on forever without any factual basis. The background-story is clear that the cooperation is only there because Nemesis is a common enemy.
I firmly believe that as soon as the Nemesis sequence is over, maybe even earlier, the story will again emphasize the competition between the two factions.
When we look at real-time scenarios in history of enemies collaborating to fight a common enemy, those alliances very soon broke up again after the common enemy was defeated. Think about the Allied forces in World War 2 and how preparations for the Cold War between the West and the Sovjet Union even started before Germany and Japan were fully defeated.
Old school ingress, this is a battle of two factions, this is espionage, this is a battle of intellects, and with cross-fractional events you **** the essence of the game, the confrontation between enlightenment and resistance.
Fully agree on that.
Prime is only the future because we have no choice in the matter if we want to continue playing without violating ToS
Well said. Totally agree! #jesuistrickster
You make a lot of assumptions about the motivations of Niantic and the playerbase. Your speak as if the way you see ingress is the way everyone should see it, which is just not the case. I thought this event was very interesting and while I was not able to participate directly in it, I watched from afar and watched it all unfold with amazement. It was exciting to see something so DIFFERENT and I look forward to seeing more. This doesn't mean I agree with everything Niantic has done or has planned, but your point of Niantic is our enemy is over the top. Games must either evolve or die, this is nothing new. They are trying different things, and this one was of them. If you are not happy with the way that it is going, then you can stop playing, as many have elected to do.
Personally, I will keep and open mind and see what the future has in store.
I just read your post. I am an ENL from Guayaquil, Ecuador. I was one of the guys behind the OP that got shard #5 from Quito to Asuncion in one jump.
I agree with you, except with the part that we "betrayed Ingress, common sense, and the future of Ingress".
No, it's not wintrade. We did the same during Dark XM. And no one complained.
No, I don't feel shame. Because we all here treated this event as 2017: Almost all the agents that worked during this OP were Enlightened Players. We had our own plans and ignored all the resistance's plans (including the one that was about sending the shard through Galapagos, something that I found both funny and ridiculous).
And no, I didn't sell my soul. I still hate smurfs and still think this event sucks.
Why did we still play it? Simple. Because at the end of the day, this event was still free and boycotting it would have accomplished nothing.
You guys want to send a message? Then boycott the anomalies. THAT'S where the money is right now. And that's where Niantic will truly be hurt. This event means nothing compared to what you can achieve doing that.
Well said! I've been trying to come up with words to express my dismay as well, but I think these are just as true! Even though we're on the other side of the world from each other, and on different teams, we share the same feelings.