How can we get better and prompter help from NIA with regards to large fields being spoofed?

DisturbinatorDisturbinator ✭✭✭
edited September 2020 in General

@NianticBrian @NianticCasey

For some months our cell NR02-HOTEL-02 has been infested with spoofers, and it pays off to spoof. As fields that have been taken down, don't count for the score anymore, and often it takes more then a week to restore portals and links.

A few times already I have asked for support of NIA for a more prompter reaction to this kind of spoofing. Both ENL and RES suffer from these just before checkpoint spoofs. We (ENL) are in close contact with RES about this subject, but there is little we can do, but wait it out until volunteers that do TR and VG duty to help us out.

And I must say, it greatly impacts our pleasure in playing the game. What are the possibilities to improve the reaction time of Niantic OPS so that spoofing does not pay off anymore?

It is highly frustrating that it still does, and a lot of it has to do with response time. Both factions in our cell suffer from this, and I can imagine we are not the only cell in the world where this kind of behaviour of spoofers takes place.

Your advice is welcome in this matter. The TR's and VG's are doing their best to help us out, but restoring strategic portals for ENL and RES should IMHO be a speedier process, so that spoofing does not pay of anymore.

Post edited by Disturbinator on

Comments

  • mortuusmortuus ✭✭✭✭✭

    this is a big problems in those areas and cells if not much help only will make legit players stop play and only spoofers left.. is this what niantic wants??

  • FreggolFreggol ✭✭
    edited September 2020

    I,m wondering how niantic would feel if both communities would come up with some sort of an ethical spoof team to counteract spoofing.. Because i,m starting to get the feeling niantic is incapable of offering a solution to this problem. I mean, they cant even fix the comm issues and proper distance linking seems pretty shitty aswell and for a while allready.. While im writing this im even wondering what they are doing at all. 🤷🏻‍♂️

  • I think this is not a good idea, though it crossed my mind a few times. I think by creating more revenue for the ingress game, for instance put all items for sale in the shop, then NIA gets more revenue to better support the game, and the income for shops that offer these items will decline. A reason for spoof accounts is, is to farm items. And I know people will say this then makes it a pay to win game, which I understand, but with items being sold outside of the game it is already pay to win. So would be better if NIA would get this revenue.


    Creating a team to do ethical spoofing is imho a bad idea.

  • We just need better communication between players and Niantic. Spoofing is a problem, the game is full of gamebreaking bugs. We report them but the only reply we get is an autoreply with thanks. please pick up your game Niantic and give us the game (back) that we all love(d).

  • Jo0LzJo0Lz ✭✭✭✭✭

    What he means is players taking on the NIAGameMaster role. I mean we've had instances where players just linked through the spoofed lane, and then restore is impossible. We've also had instances where spoofers took down portals (heavily linked and shielded) and then a freshly recruited L1 agent goes and capture them; making the spoof "legit".

    It's loopholes and wait time for restore that makes this problem so annoying. It pays off to spoof in this game, because even when the player is banned relatively quick, restoring the playing field just takes way too long. Either way, spoofing to undo spoofing will start something we don't want.

  • Nope. There is no such thing, and no way to do this.

    Even the first barrier of deciding what is or isn't spoofing, is not something players can be tasked with.

  • AzaroleAzarole ✭✭✭
    edited September 2020

    Sadly, this topic underlines the major weaknesses in Niantic's approach to their games:


    • Communication with player base. There is no direct connection and no rapid response, although in HPWU the major bugs are managed somewhat quickly. Then again, as I understand those are WB Devs, not Niantic's.
    • Priority at game management is developing new content, not securing quality control on existing content, nor is it on enforcing the rules and policing. I understand that Niantic is attempting to run a business. Niantic also needs to realise it's customers are attempting to gain pleasure from the product. No joy = no customer = no profit.

    I support the call for speedier action as well as improvement in communication.

    Post edited by Azarole on
  • I just wanted to state my support for this message towards niantic.

    Selling high level gear might be an answer against some of the spoofing (especially the 3rd party shops and their fatmbots) but it will give other problems, like making it pay to win.

    A (much) faster response is desired, like within minutes, also pausing the cycle or refund a faction their lost MU.

    I understand things like this are easier said than done, but for me it seems niantic is both incompetent and unwilling to take on the problems which spoil our gameplay.

  • @NianticBrian @NianticCasey I have not seen a response yet to described problem. Would be nice to see a comment from Niantic on this issue. I was advised by NIA employees to write on this forum, regarding this problem, and it hurts to see that it has not yet caught your attention.

    Thanks in advance for a response.

  • @NianticBrian @NianticCasey, or anybody else within Niantic

    At this moment we heave the feeling that TR is not working how it should. This makes the gameplay more and more frustrating.

    Again several spoofs in our cell NR02-HOTEL-02.

    It looks as spoofing is paying of like this and I don't have the feeling that Niantic wants the spoofers to rule the game.

    Please respond to the topic.

    This can also in pm to @Disturbinator or me


    Thanks in advance

  • Jo0LzJo0Lz ✭✭✭✭✭

    Seeing all other issue topics, and the NIA operatives shining in absence, I think it's wise to communicate with Niantic through ways other than this forum. I've had the best results on Twitter, tweeting at @NianticBrian; at least that was the one time he actually replied; the promised reply on the forums never came through.

    This forum is a place where you can post your stories and frustrations, but Niantic themselves really don't interact with us through it. It's a shame, because I don't really see other possibilities other than Twitter or Telegram.

  • mortuusmortuus ✭✭✭✭✭

    if TR does not work as intended we need a new system to deal with this kind of behaviour that only destroys for all legit players? Who want a game that mostly considers of bots and spoofers? not fun at all.....

Sign In or Register to comment.