Clarification History replaced with Criteria Inquiry Form

This feels like a step backwards. I understand wanting to remove the burden of Wayfarer questions from the AMAs (or possibly ending AMAs altogether). But why remove what was already listed?
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I don't understand the point of that form. It says "If you have an inquiry related to our Wayspot Acceptance Criteria, please submit your questions via this form," which I feel is supposed to used for questions that were previously part of the AMAs, but the form requires fields that imply linking a specific portal nomination. So, is it an AMA inquiry, nomination status question, or appeal?
Gah! One of the best things about the criteria format was that it showed the change log.
@ace Wayfarer and the POI database are integral to Niantics success. Why is this so hard to manage?
The "update log" looked so promising, and not even one update before it's deleted. It's as if someone looked over planned taks from an recent ex-employee and "nah, we're not doing that".
We asked - and they answered. Bummer.
Ingress Scanner?
I'm at a lack for words.
Is that not what they're calling it any more? The game client for Ingress has always been called "the Scanner"
@NianticCasey Can you add some input here, the Wayfarer change log is gone now and replaced with a question form.
While I love the idea of a place for all wayfinders to ask questions, we now have no log of previous changes or additions from AMAs and the current help pages for what is eligible or not eligible is missing a lot of things.
They have adopted Ingress Prime in their comms.
But this is just a minor detail compared to this latest change.
Scantimus Prime
The Scanner is still an appropriate term. Ingress vs Ingress Prime, the phone running the app is still your Scanner.
For example: https://niantic.helpshift.com/a/ingress/?p=web&s=portal-network&f=how-to-submit-edits-to-a-portal
So what if we have a more general question, like the ones that involve businesses and hidden gems/hyper-local spots? Do we now have to ask about specific nominations/wayspots and Niantic will extrapolating from those? (ex. Is [this] eligible as a hidden gem or hyper-local spot?)
TBH looking at the form I would enter a general description - for example "Scout huts" - and just enter "not applicable" where the form asks for the location?
Alternatively, perhaps Niantic could create a new section here where we could ask for guidance about issues such as "what is private residential property" etc?
They have perhaps chosen to start fresh. Trying to cobble together all of the old lost information and trying to keep it straight is certainly not an easy task. It sounds as though they will be building a new FAQ reference source starting from what they have now. They have removed any reference to old AMAs. To continue to say that they are reference material is literally going against what we are told to do on the website. It was always a very odd theory that an english only source of information that cannot be referenced on any official source is the "go to" reference for a global waypoint system.
Honestly, this new form idea, seems like it is going to be problematic for niantic with repeated questions asked by everyone in the world. The list of questions should be visible to the public to ensure duplicates are not constantly asked.
Don't worry, we're working on bringing back not only the previous clarifications from the change log, but also new answers from the form and a consolidation of the info from past AMAs. The goal is to create a single source of truth that's available for all reviewers.
There can be only one. LoL
Thank you for clarifying! I was ready to throw in the towel. Those AMAs were the only way I was getting things to pass even now with the new reviewers.
So we can presume that all the previous clarifications from the past AMAs are still in affect?
Confirmed
Well that being the case I hope that the information will be provided to all in a timely manner. By the simple fact of obscurity a lot of people are not following any guidelines that are not on the website.
They've never been on the website. I am 100% glad they're finally making an effort to do so but people like you and old school ingress players who refused to pay attention to them made this so much harder than it needed to be.
I have no trouble saying that I 100% believe that if people like me were not making a fuss this would not be happening. I do not see how it can be a bad thing to request that all the material I need to do the volunteer task requested be provided to me.
@NianticCasey Thank you for all your responses and activity recently, it is great to see the efforts are being made to liaise with and inform the playerbase. Keep up the great work!
I wonder though if you use user-discovered information like cells and gym creation since you've been so vocal against such things. Hope you don't.
And trust me the people on this forum have long requested things be made available. Well before you came
I think I said people like me...... Not sure though.
I had to laugh that someone disagreed with Casey's confromation about previous AMA clarifications.
Wasn't me lol
Thank you so so much for this! Your responses here have restored a lot of confidence.
It's was obvious to anyone the AMAs would still be in effect, they weren't from the Ingress team, it was the CGM talking directly with the Wayfarer team. The fact that people like you were spreading the idea that we ~weren't sure~ that the old AMAs were still valid just caused more unnecessary confusion.
So are you upset that actually having a voice has shown results or that you weren't the one with the voice?
That’s fantastic — thanks!
I have to say that the constantly changing messages and mixed signals from Niantic (e.g. pools, fast food playgrounds, military bases, etc.) and clarifications buried deep in threads with unrelated titles, coupled with trying to convince newer reviewers and submitters that AMAs, the CAG, etc. have any value, and further coupled with distrust and the resulting unnecessary friction between the communities has sucked a lot of the remaining fun out of this.
Do you see the new guide happening quickly? If it’s not likely to be very soon, would you or somebody from Niantic be willing to make posts on Reddit and Facebook affirming what you said here, i.e., that previous AMA (and any other appropriate) guidance is still applicable? That might help smooth out some of the roughness we have been experiencing.