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: 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!