Pre- AMA OPR Questions Thread

Post your OPR related AMA questions here so we can discuss as a group prior to asking in the upcoming AMA thread. This could allow you to find new answers you didn't know about or get feedback/proof reading from fellow players.

Tagged:
«1

Comments

  • AgentB0ssAgentB0ss ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited October 2019

    Here are the questions I plan to ask, feel free to critique, question, or refute my questions.


    Question: In a recent, AMA community pools were placed on a “not acceptable” list, is there any clarification on this? A lot of the community believe these promote exercise like a sports field and also work as a community gathering location. I think for the community as a whole to understand we want clarification about why they don’t meet the criteria.


    Question: Are a piers/fishing docks/boat launches at a parks acceptable portal candidates? They support the ongoing adventure, gathering spots, and exercise. These are used by the community and often very popular locations.


    Question: There was a recent debate on reddit about “Bridges” being portal candidates. Regular car bridges clearly should not be portals, however what about wooden walking trail bridges throughout a park or nature preserve on the trail/path?


    Question: Disc Golf “Frisbee Golf” is set up at a lot of public parks. The debate is if each area for the disc golf should be considered for a portal as they are in a park and more similar to trail markers than they are actual golf holes? Could you please give us your opinion on this? 

  • 0X00FF000X00FF00 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Because of eternally bad timing, I will require a proxy to ask for me, and @AgentB0ss has kindly volunteered:


    Q: It is becoming increasingly obvious that too many OPR reviewers are not reviewing correctly. Now that we can see some of the reasons they are using to reject a submission, we're utterly boggled at times.

    One specific example of mine, there is a mural inside a store. The mural is not the store, it's not even advertising for the store, it is obviously hand-painted art. Yet the rejection reason here is "Generic business".

    Can we ever hope in the future, as a submitter, to flag some of our rejected submissions for "OPR abuse"? With the eventual goal being to help educate these misguided reviewers?

  • GearGliderGearGlider ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited October 2019

    Man, I would love disc golf holes to be portals, so many public parks have free for the public disc golf stations around walking trails.

    Some questions I'm planning to ask

    Q: In OPR, does the "What is it?" section effect your rating status at all? Can you tell us what that data is being used for?

    Q: Do coin-operated machine play areas like this in front of stores and in malls make acceptable portal candidates?

    Q: Would painted murals or other hand painted art on Trash Cans in public areas like parks be vialble portal candidates similar to how utility boxes are?


    Q: Are there any plans to help encourage more OPR reviewing with some kind of added incentive other than the badge and upgrades, like CMU per agreement or limited-time events?

    Q: Would NIA be open to allowing players below level 12 access OPR if it were to be reviewing things like Portal Edits with upgrades as incentives?


    and of course a bunch of joke questions to help rack some some diagreements for the nonexistant disagrement badge.

  • harkonnnenharkonnnen ✭✭✭✭

    Very nice though can see boat launches being unacceptable since the POI is basically a driveway with cars and trailers constantly reversing to and fro

  • AgentB0ssAgentB0ss ✭✭✭✭✭

    Can agree, but I didn't want to make multiple questions for 1 overall topic. I also see it as a good way to interact with the Point of Interest, it promotes activity and adventure. But it could still be a tough sell for sure.

  • I have a few questions to ask in AMA, but some I could discuss here.


    Q1: Please, could you expand the guide?

    There is tons of things that are being accepted in some region and denied in another. We need an oficial opinion to be fair for everyone.


    Q2: Why isn’t appearing for me the candidates from the capital, that is like 300km away from here, but other hand, 70% of my reviews are like, 2000km from me? 

    I already set up home city and bonus location. Also, friends of mine who live in the capital and nearby region aren’t getting candidates from here, the same state.


    Q3: What happens when I suggest a new location in a review? Just one suggestion don’t change the original submitted location, right?


    Q4: About the star rating, I would like to ask for a more specific guide, because how I can review the same type of candidate, but one has a great architectonic value and other is just common?

    Example, what is a 2 in the head rating? I know that 3 is if I’m in doubt if it’s deserve or not to be a portal, a 2 would be I’m don’t agree or disagree, like a “whatever”? 4 would be “should be” and 5 is “REALLY should be”?

    The guide says ‘water tower’ is suggested a 4, what I should rate visual and cultural? If it’s a common water tower should be 1? There is anything of cultural in a water tower?

    What’s the scale in the visual/culture rating? 1 for have nothing cultural? 1 in visual to be very common in region?

    What’s the point to review that, if I already choose a head rating to the candidate, if I think it deserve to be a portal or not? Like, I put a 4 in the head rating, then in visual/cultural I put 1, how it’s interpreted by system?

    Location I have a doubt too, like, the system says a candidate I can’t see, but probably is there, is a 3, but what if I found it in satellite/street view, but the pin is like 10 meters from the real position (very common from PoGo players to dodge occupied cells)? And, what’s the meaning of 2 and 4 rating?

    Also, what’s the difference between putting 1 star ‘Mismatched Location’ and 1 star just in the Location criterion?

  • GearGliderGearGlider ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited October 2019

    Your second question is worded a bit awkwardly, you may want to phrase it along the lines of:

    Why aren't candidates from the nearby capital (300km away from me) not showing up in OPR for me to review, but 70% of my reviews are from locations 2000km from me?

  • KliffingtonKliffington ✭✭✭✭✭

    The trash cans are art, there's no reason they can't go through. A recent trash can portal was approved at my local park. I think it helps if you have info on the project/art piece name.

  • kholman1kholman1 ✭✭✭✭

    Your point on the disc golf is a good one as well as the pools. I feel that it is very silly to deny the golf course posts as I have seen some that are actual maps and are safe to access. A local agent was able to get 2 approved last week in the same park. I feel that it is just an oversight that was brought on by people trying to keep density down instead of voting based on actual merit. The pool thing actually is very unpopular with the community and goes against what most agents still vote yes for in their opinions.

  • kholman1kholman1 ✭✭✭✭

    I am just glad to see people actually following the playgrounds at food places guidelines for once. I got one approved one first try today at a McDonalds. Another local Mc. Donalds denied 2 times hopefully people are actually following the rules more on this.

  • AgentB0ssAgentB0ss ✭✭✭✭✭

    My opinion on Disc Golf: People are directly comparing them to regular golf courses, the main reason each golf hole isnt eligible is because Niantic doesn't want agents trespassing or getting in the way on the actual course, that's why they said submit the clubhouse. Where Disc Golf are usually at parks, safe for everyone to be around and usually along a path/trail.

  • KliffingtonKliffington ✭✭✭✭✭

    My questions but I will likely miss the post tonight

    Should a candidate on top of a building/at a height unreachable from the ground be rejected for safe pedestrian access, even if the portal itself can be accessed on the ground floor?

    Can we get further clarification on mass produced corporate art? Would a business plaza logo that includes unique artwork (not necessarily a mural) fail criteria under that 1* guideline?

    Are charity headquarters valid candidates?

    Can we get further clarification on Local Hotspot/Hidden Gem criteria? Particularly what about the example photo on the submissions guide would make that a valid submission? It's a picture of chairs outside a restaurant. It would really help cut back on some frustrations if this guideline could be a little more detailed.

    Do structures that meet the same usage as Gazebos such as pergolas, pavillions, ramadas, arbors, etc fit criteria?

  • kholman1kholman1 ✭✭✭✭

    Ah yes! Your last one I want to ask! I am getting awnings and pergolas at places like taco cabana and starbucks I normally 1* these we need clarification on them.

  • TimerCIockTimerCIock ✭✭
    edited October 2019


    I have about 50 questions I want to ask..... But here is a few of them. That will be asked when they open it up.....


    Neighborhood parks, can you clarify the intent of watching parks closely in OPR Help? "Please be sure to closely review Candidates whose real-world location appears to be within 40 meters of private, single-family residential property, and Candidates whose real-world location appears to be in a neighborhood park. To be clear, Candidates should be rejected if their real-world location appears to be on private, single-family residential property or might encourage people to go onto private property (e.g., because the real-world location is at the end of a private driveway)."


    Can you let us know the current active within the last 3 months broken down separately with a total of opr reviewers currently still playing and reviewing?


    What is the typical agreements per person per day for opr reviewing?


    Since pokemon go submissions are being reviewed by OPR's in ingress, isn't it about time to get OPR in the hands of Pokemon Players for countries that have submissions to help the OPR community. It has been over a year that pokemon go has started to get submissions, and eventually OPR reviewers will need help with the workload.


    Would it be allowed to support and submit churches, sports fields, rec centers and playgrounds that are on school property, if the local community has a dual use agreement allowing the fields to be utilized for recreation and park use? This could be done with the support photo allowing proof that the dual use agreement exists.... This would allow a lot of walking communities to have access to portals nearby them that are not on PRP. (Baltimore County, MD has pioneered the dual use agreement since 1952, so it existed well before any of the games were ever evented that schools are also parks and recreation centers. HIstory for why it should be allowed and unique from others for Baltimore County, MD. Accessible for the community with sidewalks. Can be confirmed via satellites and photosheres if needed, to include a recreation sign for the park use in the area first.) My theory behind this is similar to the eiffel tower or the statue of liberty, they are things other areas in the game are not allowed because they do not exist. If there cities or counties adopted the dual agreements, it could then be uploaded to confirm they are eligible during their submission process. (Website links don't usually work for people outside of their major states, that photos tend to help.)


    Flags and flagpoles, why are these not in the guide and allowed to be approved? They show history for people in the community, country, college, rec sports teams, etc.... They typically have sidewalks for people to walk up to and meet at for working together and are usually located at safe locations.


    Fishing Spots with a picnic table, Boat Ramps and Piers, i see a mix opinion on these in return submissions. Per help "Candidates where the photo is of  (Includes pictures of landscapes as well as submissions where the subject is a lake, river, stream, mountain, volcano, waterfall, etc.; photos that include man-made points of interest - plaques, signs, etc. - near natural features are acceptable)." Per help they are to be approved because they are man-made points of interests. I feel like if water fountains and trail markers are allowed and just pretty, real life locations that people use for adventurous actives. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks.


    Water Towers, Silos, Transmission Towers, Cell Towers, Electrical Lighting Towers for sports fields are all unique structures that are identifiable from satellite views. They are all used for utility purposes for communities.. I believe transmission towers that are located in parks, should be eligible to be portals, as long as they a low voltage and do not have perimeter fencing around them. They have existed in parks for over 50 years and considered a historic landmark just like water towers and silos. Can these be allowed to help some of the smaller in size local neighborhood parks to have a few extra portals to help their player bases?


    Game map & OSM map updates for Ingress hasn't been updated and is no where near the current state of other games for land features and roads, when can a more updated game map for ingress be updated? There is ongoing construction all around the world every day, and currently you can't navigate in game properly as the roads, sidewalks, etc... are not shown properly.


    Parks Rules Signs, to me they feel like Terms of Service for the game, and should be allowed in parks as POI's. They have the do's and don'ts, other important bulletins and information needed for the community to see and follow. Having the park hours on the sign can prevent any trespassing issues as a result.


    Park Restrooms and Drinking Water Fountains. For a game that promotes exercise, it doesn't promote these aspects that are very important to players when spending hours at parks. Restrooms and hydration facilities are very important to the community and should be POI's. They typically have sidewalks leading up to them and areas for the community to stand around comfortably around outside while waiting to use them. What are you thoughts?


    Outdoor Seating Areas (Picnic Areas at parks). Currently in game you are allowed to have pavilions and gazebos. But the community is large in player base than just a couple pavilions, it is possible to have it to where outdoor seating areas at parks are allowed. They are promoting exercise by them being used as they are typically in the heart of the parks. They allow a gathering spot for friends and family to enjoy under shade or by a shoreline near the water. They could include a picnic table and a fixed grille to ensure that they are not abused.


    In OPR settings, is there a way to be able to link a players Pokemon Go and Wizards unite accounts to OPR? This could help with adding medals to all games and being able to reduce the multi-gaming is that players have between games. An incentive for playing all 3 games with an increase voting power seems logical and makes sense, because reveiwers who play all 3 games understand the game plays for each making them a better reviewer.


    During Submissions, is there a way to add a check box as to which games you think this submission should be for? Seeing which games a submission is for, gives the reviewer a better idea of the intent for the game use. Reviewers can have the ability to add checks to other games too. This would clear up issues where reviewers believe they are for one game, when in reality they could be for ingress or pokemon go or wizards unite. Having a summary note section for that specific game and the reasons why it would help the community seems like a great update idea. Thanks for you time.


    When will Niantic have a community forum and guides/help for all 3 games to discuss submissions and reviewers together? Having all 3 games in the same forum seems to make more sense especially with eliminating the headaches of going between all 3 games different sites that have different information, on top of niantic support and OPR that are additional resources. One location for all information for OPR reviewers and submitters should simplify the process for everyone.


    In OPR help, in the rating section it states "Rate 5 stars if you can find the Portal candidate in the map and the marker is on or within a few feet of the real-world location of the object" Can you define a few feet away? Currently, my opinion is if the POI can be seen from a sidewalk, that sidewalks are a better public open space area, than the actual POI. Sidewalks allow for pedestrians to have access to the portal. Is it okay to assume that per guide if the POI is visually seen from a portal located on a sidewalk nearby, that is a safe enough distance to submit the portal location for and allowed to be rated a 5 star for location and accessibility?


    How is the updated guide coming along for OPR? Any news on the release date? It was mentioned by Casey on the Portal Appeals that it was coming soon.


    And a few more that I haven't the time to type at the moment.

  • Didnt proof read. Or add any photos for support. Driving sorry.

  • GearGliderGearGlider ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited October 2019

    Don't post on this forum when you're driving, you'll **** people.

    @NianticCasey more proof he's breaking the law just to post here.

  • Q: When will Pokemon Go players be allowed to review in OPR and are there going to be any special differences between Ingress and PoGo reviewers or the processes they go through to access OPR or do reviews?

    Q: Can edits be expanded to the entire country like reviews are?

    Q: Are there any indications that OPR is not being used enough in various regions? Can we get an idea of where we can place our bonus area to improve output?

  • I forgot to mention the damn spacing difference between games. ****. That's another good one.

  • Would it be possible to increase the size of the text field for the description and submission statement? Currently, a Tweet is allowed more characters than the description. While this might not make a difference for most submissions, it can make or break many interesting PoI's such as historic buildings and local hotspots/hidden gems/unique local businesses. I don't see any potential for abuse (I've done more than 18,000 OPR reviews and haven't seen any harm from a longer description) and nothing but upside.

    I'll also note that this limitation is even harsher on users who write in certain languages other than English that require more characters to express the same information.

  • harkonnnenharkonnnen ✭✭✭✭

    A time and space saver would be to ask When submitting is it alowed to place the location on the sidewalk near the POI instead of on top of it? If so how far in few feet

  • JSteve0JSteve0 ✭✭✭

    The trash cans are too movable. A particular can may be one place today and in another completely different park tomorrow.

  • KliffingtonKliffington ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited October 2019

    The art trash cans in my park have been there for 6 years.

  • JSteve0JSteve0 ✭✭✭

    Q: Are all government buildings where the public can interact with elected officials and public servants considered good candidates? A city or town hall is an easy choice for a good candidate, but what about court buildings? Parks departments? Public works offices? etc.

  • RostwoldRostwold ✭✭✭✭✭

    Do we only get a short time when we can submit questions?

    Q: As a new player, I was hugely disappointed to find out that because I signed up with Facebook not Google I’m locked out of creating missions and will be locked out of OPR when I get to level 12. I’m thinking about abandoning my month-old level 10 account and starting again. Would a warning about this at sign-up be a good idea, or are we perhaps looking at a low value of ‘soon’ for a fix?

    Q: Niantic have been "beta testing" Pokemon Go portal submissions for over a year now. I realise you’re not going to make any big Pokemon-related announcements here, but is there anything you can say about what looks to us like a decade-long one country at a time roll-out of a system that has been widely criticised by players of both games from day one?

  • TheFarixTheFarix ✭✭✭✭✭

    One of the largest categories with the least amount of guidance is nominations involving hidden gems and hyper-local spots. More often than not, these locations involve a local business, which are extremely likely to get rejected as "generic business" even when the description provides plenty of details supporting the locations status as a hidden gem or hyper-local spot. Because of this, some agents have restored to submitting decorations at these locations in order to create portals there. What is Niantic specifically looking for in a portal candidate that is a hidden gem or hyper-local spot and what rubric should reviewers use to ensure that candidates in this category are not summarily rejected as a "generic business"?

  • harkonnnenharkonnnen ✭✭✭✭

    It's similar to trainers accounts on pogo, they will find a work around but personally at only a month in I would jump ship and create a new account using Google. Just let your player base area know.

    That's a Pogo question not a direct ingress question. The AMA is purely for ingress related questions

  • RostwoldRostwold ✭✭✭✭✭

    Good point on that being a PoGo question... how about:

    Q: I'm interested in your views on how well Ingress OPR is coping with Pokemon Go portal submissions, now we're a year into the beta test. The system has been widely criticised by players of both games from day one, but nothing has changed. Can we expect our criticisms to be addressed 'soon™'?

  • KliffingtonKliffington ✭✭✭✭✭

    The thread gets locked when he feels like the response is overwhelming. I think it was over in like 40mins for the August AMA

  • harkonnnenharkonnnen ✭✭✭✭

    It's your question but I would basically ask;

    As more and more countries receive the ability to submit candidates in pogo. I was wondering if there is an update on plans to manage the growing pressure on OPR with the large increase in submissions.

    That's about the best you can word that question keeping it completely ingress related as even though What you want to know is if pogo is getting access to OPR anytime soon, this leave it open in case other solutions or updates are being considered

  • @GearGlider

    Good, thank you! Already corrected here on my txt.

Sign In or Register to comment.