Brian's Blog: Dec 2019

The first competitive Ingress event that I helped score was designed to bring people together to explore a new place, meet our team, and connect game actions and the event outcome back to the story. It also provided everyone with opportunities to meet up with other players from both factions. Anomaly events evolved from a small number of agents converging on a few portals at Cahokia Mounds with Joe Philley, to something much larger.

Ingress - Cahokia Mounds on YouTube

After Umbra, I felt we needed to change the anomaly series event format. Some of the features I missed were ways for more players to contribute to the anomaly other than remote recharging — off site; as well as an afterparty with official merch and opportunities to hang out with the Ingress team — on site. In a nut shell, if we're going to organize Niantic-hosted events, and if we're going to use Niantic-hosted events to help our team generate revenue, then they need to be worth it. Umbra didn't meet the quality experience I strived for.

For 2020, we're doubling down on scalable, competitive events that meet our goals to bring people together, and events where players in multiple regions across multiple dates can contribute scores to the overall anomaly total. We need some time to refine what shape these events might take, and we're currently playtesting battles for portal control, portal ornaments and volatile portals, captured mind units from connected cells via Regional Scores, and more.

Additionally, we're organizing a small number of Niantic-hosted events with an official afterparty, official merch, and opportunities to meet our Niantic team. The first of this Niantic-hosted event type will be in Munich, DE on May 9. H2 2020 Niantic-hosted events with official afterparty, official merch, etc. will be announced after we confirm venues.

Yes, there is currently one Niantic-hosted event scheduled for H1 2020, but there will also be additional flashpoint events — a new scalable, competitive event format (separate from the hexathlon) — that are designed to enable more players to participate together as a faction, and contribute to the anomaly series.

Finally, to repeat something I shared with our team: Events are core to Ingress; they make the game better. They're something I look forward to, they engage our most passionate fans, and they bring our community together. We want to enable even more scalable, competitive events in 2020, and on top of this, we're also going to organize several tentpole Niantic-hosted events in countries where we have the most Ingress players.

To many more adventures on foot with friends,

Brian Rose

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Comments

  • grendelwulfgrendelwulf ✭✭✭✭✭

    Thanks man, I'm really looking forward to this. I believe in you.

  • Thank you @NianticBrian for a better explanation. It speaks volumes. In addition, myself and undoubtedly others greatly appreciate the more detailed communication. Passion I think might be an understatement... can you blame us? 😋 Going forward 2020 will be the year of Robert Frost. I am elated to see where that path takes us.

  • @NianticBrian LETS GET HYPE THEN!

  • @NianticBrian for those of us who have collected all of the Anomaly Badges thus far, is Munich going to be the only plus to get this Anomaly Badge? Or, will there be supporting projects/sites around the globe?

  • Thank you very much for provided, I think, that this is the type of the communication community needs. It seems very transparent for me and it would be great benefit for all of us, if you had more posts with future plans and past experiences, it gives you expectidness and even unpopular decisions you make could be accepted by players in a better way.

  • @NianticBrian great to see some anomaly play dates coming out. Might be worth noting that April 25th is also Anzac Day in AU/NZ, where we remember the awful Gallipoli campaign in WW1, as well as all of those who have served and sacrificed in the service of our countries in various conflicts and other theatre of war. It's probably our most sacred day down end of the world, and many players will have other commitments throughout the day. If there's anything planned for down here, many of us would appreciate if if it's not also schedule for then!

  • It might be post for different forum, how are Vanguards active in your area how is their work visible to the player base?

  • grendelwulfgrendelwulf ✭✭✭✭✭

    Bro, the stability of the most recent update has been amazing.

  • Some quick examples include the times when they have posted surveys to players to collect ideas to refine for presentation to Nia. They typically are active, experienced agents with demonstrated leadership. You should hear more about them because they should be promoted more by Niantic. Though unfortunately it often seems like they are an afterthought, and not looped in. There are Vanguards on both teams, and frankly they're the ones regardless of faction that I would put the most faith in among the player base to try to have realistic brainstorming sessions if given the opportunity by the company they volunteer for.

  • DoomsidoodeedooDoomsidoodeedoo ✭✭✭
    edited December 2019

    That's really great to hear. Any of them I've ever spoken to have been smart, experienced, and connected to many of the dimensions of the game, from local play, to ops, to missions, to anomalies, etc. I'm sure they'll be thrilled to be utilized and looped in better!

  • how much i must pay for this anomaly?

    and refund will be available?


    sarkasm not allowed

  • Thanks for the update, we need more communications like this and no like the one we had a few hours ago, with small and dry information.

    More people to people information, a RoadMap, someone suggested, ask the community in the forums, read the agents comments and suggestion to monetize ingress, but don't take bad decisions, those who don't like most of the people who we REALLY LOVE INGRESS.

    Please continue with the communication and include more countries and cities around the world for future events.

    We in Argentina don't have an anomaly since JUNE 2015. ☹️

  • Thank you @NianticBrian This is great news. I was always a fan of connected cells from the old days. Glad to hear some version of it might be coming back.

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