Game Mechanics: Mods (Hacking/Linking)

Welcome, and thanks for checking in, Agent.

This is a summary of Portal Mods that are used to make a Portal faster or more plentiful in terms of hacking, or increase linking range. These Mods include the Heat Sink, Multi-Hack, and Link Amp.

It is important to note that because these Mods do not possess high Stickiness values, they are very easy to destroy unless Portal Shields are applied to the same Portal on which they are deployed.

First of all, Portal Mods are classified by type and rarity. Some Mods have multiple rarities while others do not, but the base rule is that a higher rarity Mod has a more powerful effect than a Mod of a lower rarity. All Hacking and Linking Mods come in multiple rarities and all may be found in Common, Rare, and Very Rare grades (except Link Amps, which are Rare or Very Rare only). The particulars of each will be described below. Note that all mods require XM to be deployed, and that a Mod of a higher rarity requires a significantly larger amount of XM. Furthermore, a single Agent may only place 2 Mods on a Portal. An Agent receives +125 AP for Deploying any Mod.

With that said, let's move into the specifics of each Mod.

The first type of Hacking Mod is the Heat Sink. They provide Cooldown Reduction, reducing the time between Hacks on a Portal, allowing an Agent to hack them more often. All Heat sinks also have the added effect of bringing any type of cooldown or burnout that a Portal is on and removing it for the Agent that deployed the Heat Sink. In other words, if Agent A Hacks the portal, the Portal goes on 5-min. cooldown. If Agent A then deploys a Heat Sink, the cooldown is immediately brought to 0, and the Portal can be hacked again. Furthermore, if the Portal is on 4-hour burnout and Agent A deploys a Heat Sink, the Portal is immediately brought out of burnout, and can be fully hacked again! This can be extremely useful when attempting to acquire multiple Portal Keys or farm a single high-level Portal for maximum Hacking, especially when used in conjunction with . Note, however, that all Heat Sinks deployed AFTER THE FIRST have EXTREMELY diminishing returns if multiple Heat Sinks are placed on the same portal (approximately 75% reduced effect). This means that the highest-rarity Heat Sink should be placed first.

A Common Heat Sink is shown below. 

A Common Heat Sink provides a Cooldown Reduction of 20%, meaning that a Portal's cooldown will be reduced to 4 minutes.

Next is a Rare Heat Sink.

A Rare Heat Sink provides a Cooldown Reduction of 50%, meaning that a Portal's cooldown will be reduced to 2 minutes, 30 seconds.

Finally we have the Very Rare Heat Sink.

A Very Rare Heat Sink provides a Cooldown Reduction of 70%, meaning that a Portal's cooldown will be reduced to 1 minute, 30 seconds.

The other type of Hacking Mod is the Multi-Hack. They provide Burnout Insulation, meaning that they increase the number of times a Portal can be Hacked before it is placed on 4-hour Burnout. In addition, if a Portal is currently on Burnout and an Agent deploys a Multi-Hack, the Portal can then be hacked an additional number of times equal to the Burnout Insulation provided by the Multi-Hack. In combination with a Heat Sink, a Multi-Hack can allow an Agent to acquire a large number of items or Portal Keys very quickly. As with Heat Sinks, Multi-Hacks have EXTREMELY diminishing returns if multiple are placed on the same portal (approximately 75% reduced effect). This means that the highest-rarity Multi-Hack should be placed first.

A Common Multi-Hack is shown below.

A Common Multi-Hack provides Burnout Insulation of +4, meaning that a Portal can be Hacked 4 additional times before going into Burnout.

Next is the Rare Multi-Hack.

A Rare Multi-Hack provides Burnout Insulation of +8, meaning that a Portal can be Hacked 8 additional times before going into Burnout.

Last is the Very Rare Multi-Hack.

A Very Rare Multi-Hack provides Burnout Insulation of +12, meaning that a Portal can be Hacked a whopping 12 additional times before going into Burnout.

Next up, we have the Link Amp. The Link Amp is the greatest and most holy of all Mods, and far is His reach, for HE EXTENDS! #heextends A Link Amp is used to extend the Range of a Portal's Links, allowing it to be Linked to Portals that are very far away, which is vital in the creation of Mega- and Giga-Fields. Unlike Heat Sinks and Multi-Hacks, Link Amps DO NOT have diminished effects when multiple are applied to the same Portal. It is important to not that for 99% of normal gameplay, Link Amps are unnecessary. Most Portals in general play are not linked to locations that are far enough away to merit use of a Link Amp, and thus it is considered a wasted Mod slot to use them. However, it is wise to save a small number of Link Amps (4-8), just in case they are needed.

The first rarity of Link Amp is the Rare Link Amp (usually referred to as His Holiness the "Link Amp").

Link Amps double the effective Linking Range of a Portal.

The other and incomparably most holy rarity of Link Amp is the Very Rare Link Amp known as His Majesty the Unrivaled Extender.

Very Rare Link Amps multiply by 7 the effective Linking Range of a Portal.

This concludes the discussion of the basic game mechanics of Offensive/Defensive Mods that are available for use in Ingress. Check back to this page as often as needed to answer any questions about these Mods, or feel free to email me at eliteferrex@gmail.com, or shoot me a message in game at @EliteFerrex with any questions. I hope this information serves you well.

Good luck out there--it's time to move, Agent!

Basic Ingress Gameplay

Welcome, and thanks for checking in, Agents.

Here, I intend to explain the mechanics of basic Ingress gameplay, which is to be supported with information made available in my other Blogger posts, which I have linked below. Please use them as a reference as needed.

I strongly encourage that all new players read the basic explanations below before moving on to the in-depth pages found at the following links:

Gameplay Mechanics: Resonators - This is where you will learn how to Capture and Recharge Portals.

Gameplay Mechanics: Weapons - This is where you will learn about attacking Portals.

Gameplay Mechanics: Offensive/Defensive Mods - This is where you will learn how to make Portals stronger.

Gameplay Mechanics: Hacking/Linking Mods - This is where you will learn about Heat Sinks, Multi-Hacks, and Link Amps.

Ingress: What's it all about?

For those who are new to the game, let me begin by saying Welcome! You've stepped into an immersive augmented reality game that poses endless hours of gameplay, social interaction, and exploration, as well as exercise. Prepare to get out, get moving, get tired, and get social! If it sounds like a lot of work, don't worry: you can play Ingress as intensely or as simply as you like, and at your own pace. 

First of all, let me explain, in very general terms, what you "do" in Ingress.

• You use your mobile device's GPS and move around in the real world in order to find game world objects, called Portals.
• You move within a 40m radius, (indicated on your device's in-game Scanner Map View by an orange circle) of a Portal to interact with a Portal.
• You Hack a Portal to gain items to play the game.
• You capture portals for your team, and attack portals owned by the opposing team, and then capture them for your own team.
• You link together multiple Portals that your team owns. (Not surprisingly, this process is called Linking.) You also destroy opposing team links by attacking their portals.
• You create Control Fields by Linking portals together in a triangle shape, and earn global points called Mind Units (MU) for your team. (This process is called FIelding.) You also destroy opposing team fields by attacking their portals.
• You work together with allied players to make Portals that your team owns stronger and harder to destroy.
• If you want to, you attend Cross-Faction Meet-Up events to meet players from both your team and the opposing team. This is the best way to get to know people, and makes the gameplay experience much more fun and rewarding than playing alone.
• If you want to, you attend Ingress Anomaly events, which are large-scale competitions, where the two teams compete for control of a particular gameplay area, and try to score points to win the event. The outcomes of the events affect the storyline of the game, and occasionally have effects on in-game occurrences.

That more or less sums up the basic activities of Ingress gameplay. If you have any further questions, please , try running through the Training scenarios in the actual game by hitting the   OPS   button on the upper right corner of the screen and swiping at the top over to "Training", look through each of the other pages above for more detailed information, and feel free to email me at eliteferrex@gmail.com, or send me a message in-game by talking to @EliteFerrex.

Good luck out there--it's time to move, agent!

Game Mechanics: Mods (Offensive/Defensive)

Welcome, and thanks for checking in, Agent.

This is a summary of Portal Mods that are used to defend a Portal against attack by enemy Agents. They include Portal Shields, Turrets, and Force Amps.

First of all, Portal Mods are classified by type and rarity. Some Mods have multiple rarities while others do not, but the base rule is that a higher rarity Mod has a more powerful effect than a Mod of a lower rarity. The only Offensive/Defensive Portal Mods with multiple rarities are Portal Shields, which may be found in Common, Rare, and Very Rare grades. The particulars of each will be described below. Turrets and Force Amps are only available in Rare grades. Note that all mods require XM to be deployed, and that a Mod of a higher rarity requires a significantly larger amount of XM. Furthermore, a single Agent may only place 2 Mods on a Portal.

With that being said, let's look into the specifics of each Portal Mod.

First, let's examine the most commonly used type of Mod, the Portal Shields. They are used to reduce incoming damage from enemy XMPs, which allows Resonators to last longer when being attacked. In addition, they make it more difficult to destroy other Portal Mods. Shields (and other Mods) have an innate "Stickiness" value that causes them to be easier or more difficult to destroy, based on their rarity. The higher the Stickiness, the harder it is to destroy the Portal Shield.

As with other Portal Mods with multiple Rarities, Portal Shields that are of the Common rarity are green. They provide a Mitigation of 30 (reducing incoming damage by 30%). However, they possess a Stickiness of 0, meaning that they will be destroyed after only a few hits from XMPs, and almost immediately from Ultra Strikes.

A Common Portal Shield is shown below.

Next is a Portal Shield of the Rare rarity. Rare Portal Shields are purple, and provide a Portal with a Mitigation of 40 (reducing incoming damage by 40%). They also have a Stickiness value of 15, meaning that they possess some resistance to Ultra Strikes, and decent resistance to XMPs.

Next, a Portal Shield of the Very Rare rarity is pink in color. As the 2nd most powerful of the four Portal Shields, Very Rare Portal Shields provide a respectable Mitigation of 60 (reducing incoming damage by 60%). They also possess a Stickiness value of 40, making them difficult to remove with XMPs, and somewhat challenging with Ultra Strikes.

The last type of Portal Shield is the AXA Shield. These highly resilient shields provide a massive Mitigation of 70 (reducing incoming damage by 70%). While this is not much more than the Very Rare Portal Shield, the difference is that AXA Shields possess an unparalleled Stickiness of 70, making them nearly impossible to remove with regular XMPs, and very difficult with Ultra Strikes. These shields are the epitome of a well-defended portal.

Moving on, let's look into the two types of offensive Portal Mods.

First, we come to Force Amps. Force Amps are a relatively simple Portal Mod. They exist only of the Rare variety, and double the damage dealt by a Portal's attacks against attacking enemy Agents.

 

A Force Amp is a powerful Mod to have on a well-defended Portal, because it causes an Agent to lose twice as much XM every time they attack the Portal, which can make it very costly to their reserves if they wish to continue attacking the Portal.

  

The other of the offensive Portal Mods is the Turret. The advantage of a Turret is that it makes a Portal guaranteed to attack an enemy Agent when they attempt to Hack or Attack the portal with XMPs.

Using a Turret is wise when equipping a Portal with a Force Amp because it allows the Force Amp to be effective more often. It is, of course, also possible to take the chance of the Portal not attacking every time, but dealing significantly more damage by placing multiple Force Amps without a Turret. Both are viable options, but the final decision is up the the Agent.

Since the update to Shielding strength, even placing two Common Portal Shields on a Portal can make a large difference in its survivability, and with the relative frequency with which they can be acquired, it is an inexpensive way to ensure Portal longevity. Remember that because Portal Shields also protect other Mods from being destroyed, it is important to use them frequently. For example, a Portal armed with a Turret and 3 Force Amps would certainly deal a great deal of damage to enemy Agents, but after only a small number of XMPs, they would be destroyed. Thus, it is up to the Agent to find a balance of Mods that they believe to be the most effective. 

This concludes the discussion of the basic game mechanics of Offensive/Defensive Mods that are available for use in Ingress. Check back to this page as often as needed to answer any questions about these Mods, or feel free to email me at eliteferrex@gmail.com, or shoot me a message in game at @EliteFerrex with any questions. I hope this information serves you well.

Good luck out there--it's time to move, Agent!

 

Game Mechanics: Weapons

Welcome, and thanks for checking in, Agents.

This section will include general information on my personal favorites of Ingress' items, the various kinds of weapons that are available for use in the game. All of them are used for attacking the Resonators on a particular Portal, and in some cases, even turning all of the Portal's Resonators and Mods into your own! So, without further ado, let's begin.

                       

The first and most commonly used weapons of the game are Exotic Matter Pulses, also known as XMPs and Bursters. They are accessed for use in one of two ways. First, the player may select the item from their inventory via the   OPS   button, and click the   FIRE   command. This will bring up the XMP firing menu. Alternatively, an Agent may long-press on their Scanner Map View and swipe upward to select   FIRE XMP  . This will also bring up the XMP firing menu.

Listed below is the XMP firing menu. As can be seen, it shows all of an Agent's available XMPs, as well as how many of each XMP the player has in their inventory. Swiping left or right will select the XMP to be fired, and pressing   FIRE   will consume the XMP to launch an attack. Note that XM is consumed when firing an XP, and more XM is required for higher-level XMPs.

Once an XMP has been fired, its effects can be seen as the attack wave of the XMP comes out from the player's location (the point at which the XMP is fired). 

Higher level XMPs have a wider attack radius. The attack radius of an XMP can be checked at any time by selecting the XMP from the   OPS   menu. (See L8 XMP image above.) When selecting a low-level XMP to fire, remember the orange 40m effective range circle around the player. Compare the range of the XMP to the circle to determine whether or not the XMP will hit your intended target. (Higher level XMPs have much larger ranges, so this is not as necessary.) Finally, it is important to note that XMPs are most effective at the center of their blast radius, and lose damage capability the farther away they are from their point of origin (the location of the Agent at the time the XMP was fired).

When an XMP hits an enemy Resonator on the map, an orange damage number will appear, such as -15%. This shows the amount of that particular Resonator's maximum Energy capacity that it has taken in damage from the XMP that was fired. If a damage number appears with an exclamation point, such as !-45%, then the Resonator has landed a critical hit, dealing bonus damage to the Resonator. When a Resonator has no remaining Energy, it is destroyed, will disappear from view, and give off a high-pitched destruction sound.

This is more or less the entirety of the basic mechanics behind XMPs. Finer aspects of XMPs, such as strategies for use, will be discussed in a later post.

The next type of weapon that can be used in the game is called an Ultra Strike, pictured below.

An Ultra Strike functions in a similar fashion to a regular XMP, in that it is fired to destroy enemy Resonators. However, Ultra Strikes possess a special feature: they are extremely powerful and have a greatly enhanced critical hit chance, but are only effective extremely close to their point of origin. For example, even though the effective range lists 30m for the above Level 8 Ultra Strike, objects that are not in the immediate vicinity of the point of origin will take little to no damage. The advantage of Ultra Strikes is that they can be used to, in many cases, instantaneously destroy a Resonator that is in its area of greatest damage, and are also extremely effective for destroying Portal Mods.

Although their use is very specialized, Ultra Strikes are an extremely potent weapon, and are a force to be reckoned with if used properly.

This sums up the two most common weapons used in Ingress. The remaining weapons are extremely rare, but undeniably powerful.

The two other weapons are known as the ADA Refactor and the JARVIS Virus. These weapons consume 1000 XM times the portal's level when used, and can be used to reverse the alignment of a Resistance-controlled or Enlightened-controlled Portal to that of the opposing faction, depending on which of the weapons is being used. It is important to note, however, that unlike destroying Resonators with XMPs, and Deploying new Resonators, using an ADA Refactor or JARVIS Virus does not earn the Agent any AP. The details of each are listed below.

What makes each of these weapons so powerful is their ability to take control of an enemy Portal, without giving the enemy a chance to recharge or defend the Portal; it is simply "swapped". In addition, ALL Resonators that were deployed on the Portal, as well as ALL of its Portal Mods, become the property of the Agent that used the ADA Refactor or JARVIS Virus. Players of the now controlling Agent's faction can still Deploy new Resonators and Portal Mods if slots are available, Upgrade Resonators that are currently present, and Recharge Resonators that are already Deployed.

In order to use an ADA Refactor or JARVIS Virus, an Agent must access their inventory via opening the usual   OPS   menu, selecting the ADA Refactor or JARVIS Virus, and clicking   USE  . The Agent will then see their Scanner Map View, their 40m effective radius, and any nearby Portals in the area. Once a Portal is within range, the Agent may select   FIRE   to consume the weapon, and will see the Portal being taken over. Once the screen flashes white, the attack is complete.

Finally, swapping a Portal using an ADA Refactor or JARVIS Virus has a cooldown time. Once a Portal has been swapped using one of these items, the Portal cannot be swapped again for 1 hour. Attempting to do so will waste the XM used, as well as the ADA Refactor or JARVIS Virus.

This concludes my discussion of the basic game mechanics of weapons that are available for use in Ingress. More specific details, extra strategies, and additional information will be discussed in a later post. Check back to this page as often as needed to answer any questions about weapons, or feel free to shoot me a message in game at @EliteFerrex with any questions. I hope this information serves you well.

Good luck out there--it's time to move, Agent!

Game Mechanics: Resonators

Welcome, and thanks for checking in, Agents.

Here, I intend to explain the mechanics of what might be Ingress' most important items, Resonators. Resonators, also called Resos for short, are used to capture a portal and defend it from enemy attack. 

They are used in-game via the   DEPLOY   option after clicking on a Portal and viewing the Portal Menu.

Note that in this picture, I am not within the 40m effective range, so the box shows

  DEPLOY status   instead of   DEPLOY resonator  .

After selecting the DEPLOY command, you will see a circle of 8 figures, each of which will be either blank (meaning that no Resonator is present), or have a Level number attached, as well as a blue (for Resistance-controlled Resonators) or green (for Enlightened-controlled Resonators) background and Energy bar that shows how much Energy the Resonator has remaining.

From this screen, there are several important things to notice. First, you see the Portal's current status: Portal Level (LVL), Link Range (RNG), and Current/Maximum Energy (ENR). In addition, it is here that you can Deploy and Upgrade Resonators on this portal. Keep in mind that XM is consumed when Deploying or Upgrading, and the amount of XM needed increases with the level of the Resonator being placed. When deploying, it is important to remember that the figure with a red dot (the bottom figure in the above screenshot) indicates which Resonator slot faces North. This is a meaningful location when deploying Resonators, as it allows you to choose the position of each Resonator you Deploy, and can help you place your strongest Resonator in such a way that it will be hardest to destroy. To use an example, let's assume that Portal A is a plaque next to the Grand Canyon, and that the canyon lies due North of the Portal. It would be wise to place your strongest Resonator to the North of the Portal, because it will be impossible to stand close to its location, and thus it will be hardest to destroy.

In the image below, we see a Neutral Portal, one that is uncontrolled by either faction. All of the Resonator slots are blank. From here, Deploying a Resonator will Capture the Portal.

Also notice that each Resonator shows the name of the Player that deployed it. In the image below, I have selected an empty Resonator slot (the one with the red North dot). After I select the Resonator of my choice by swiping left or right on the list of Resonators I have in my inventory, I can click the   CONFIRM   button to Deploy the Resonator into the chosen slot. It is also possible to see the effects that placing a Resonator will have on a Portal's Portal Level (LVL) and Link Range (RNG). For example, the image below tells me that placing my Level 8 Resonator will bring the Portal from Level 3 to Level 4 (thus the +1 listed), and increase its Link Range from 20km to 57km (as shown by the +37 km).

Deploying, Upgrading, and Destroying Resonators are some of the ways to gain AP and level up in the game. An Agent receives 125 AP for Deploying a Resonator, and 65 AP for Upgrading a Resonator (but no AP is earned for Upgrading one's own Resonator). Furthermore, an Agent receives 500 AP for Deploying the first Resonator on a non-Deployed Portal (called Capturing the Portal), and 250 AP for Deploying and filling the last Resonator slot (called fully powering a Portal). The amount of AP gained for deploying or Upgrading a Resonator in any way is unaffected by the level of the Resonator, level of the Portal, and level of the Agent.

When a Resonator is attacked by an opposing faction Agent's XMP Burster, it loses some of its Energy. If its Energy reaches 0, the Resonator is destroyed. An Agent receives 75 AP for destroying a Resonator.

Lastly, choosing to Recharge a Portal's Resonators allows you to keep the current Resonators charged without upgrading them. This is important for Portal longevity. However, when Recharging, lots of XM is consumed. A single Recharge requires 1000 XM, and a single Level 8 Resonator has a maximum Energy capacity of 6000; this means that a Level 8 Portal (having eight Level 8 Resonators) has a total Energy capacity of 48000, and since 1000 XM = 1000 Energy, an Agent would need 48000 XM in order to recharge a diminished Level 8 Portal. Wow, that's a whopping six Level 8 Power Cubes! Unfortunately, because of this, Recharging a Portal is often overlooked by many Agents, despite the fact that the Recharger medal requires it. In addition, an Agent receives 10 AP for Recharging Resonators.

Finer points of Deploying, Upgrading, and Recharging Resonators will be discussed in a later post. For now, I think we've covered a great deal of information. Check back to this page as often as needed to answer any questions about Resonators, or feel free to shoot me a message in game at @EliteFerrex with any questions. I hope this information serves you well.

Good luck out there--it's time to move, Agent!