Esplêndido manual!
Originally shared by Brandon Badger
THE ART OF INGRESS
Adapted from the work of Sun Tzu
By Gordon Fletcher
CHAPTER 1. LAYING PLANS
1. Niantic said: Ingress is of most importance to its players
2. It is a way of life, a distraction that shapes what we do. It is a game that cannot be ignored
3. Ingress, then, is governed by five constant factors, to be considered by each player in their day to day lives.
4. These are: 1) The Game; 2) The Faction; 3) The Enemy; 4) The Portals; 5) The Level.
5,6. The GAME creates the world, who we see in it, where we go and what we do.
7. The FACTION is the choice of Enlightenment or Resistance, Green or Blue, Right or Wrong, the first choice of the game that shapes your world and your view
8. The ENEMY are the balance, they challenge our plans, break our fields and our portals. But they are a necessary evil.
9. The PORTALS are the beacons. Sometimes blues. Sometimes green. Sometimes generous. Sometimes dangerous. Every portal holds the potential for its own destruction.
10. The LEVEL determines our actions, what we do, who we play with and where we go.
11. These five factors should be familiar to each player: those who respect each in turn will progress; those who ignore their relationship will not and will leave Ingress.
12. When planning your approach and tactics in the game consider each of these relationships wisely:
13. (1) Who respects the game, as a game? (2) Which team hold the upper hand? (3) Who BELIEVES they hold the upper hand? (4) Who plays within a team and who plays as an individual? (5) Who holds all the farms and the items? (6) Who gives orders and who shares plans (7) Which team plays for the community and which team plays for a ‘win’.
14. In understanding these seven considerations it is possible to predict individual progress or stagnation.
15. These are truisms. The game requires teamwork. The game is compelling. There is a backstory. It is a game.
16. Do not ignore the presence of the local G+ community. Do not ignore “Portals:How do they work?”
17. As the intel map changes so must one’s plans.
18. All gameplay is based on repetition
19. Deception is useful too. When we have bursters and resonators we must appear to have none; when we are farming we should appear inactive; when we are close we should appear distant. The IITC prevents deception; but is anyone watching?
20. Throw out trolls, take the favourite Enemy Portals and link across and through their activity. Appear to be a shambles and then rise up to create Level 8 portals and massive fields.
21. If the Enemy dominate the city they have no AP and you have the upper hand. They must wait. Farm, re-hack and take each 100 AP from amongst the Enemy.
22. If the Enemy wish to dominate at all costs, irritate them. Appear weak. They will become arrogant and drops items without care. They will become lazy and use high level bursters to destroy a single Portal. They will become bored and confine activities to their own favourite portals. They will become angry.
23. If the Enemy are taking it easy, make them work. If they are working as a team, break them and attack multiple farms simultaneously. Attack to reduce their inventory.
24. Attack the Enemy where they are unprepared. Appear in force where and when you are not expected.
25. Without secrecy these tactics cannot work. Local comms is compromised. The G+ community may be compromised too. Speak to and see fellow agents.
26. Players who plan will succeed. Players who lament losses will become disheartened. Do not have favourite portals, have plans. How will you progress to the next Level? How will you progress to the next notch?
CHAPTER 2. PLAYING INGRESS
1. Niantic said: In Ingress maintaining Level 8 portals and massive fields is expensive. Players must maintain the portals and direct their attention to this work.
2. When you engage in a head-to-head battle for a portal, victory is a long time coming, indefinite and takes a lot of bursters and resonators. Attacking a farm reduces the Enemy’s long-term capacity but reduces your immediate inventory. Plan for the long-term.
3. Mounting a campaign against a farm that is constantly rebuilt will strain the resources of all and reduce the immediate inventory in the game. A farm is the fixed burden of the Enemy.
4. With no inventory, no matter your level, lower level players then shape the game.
5. Move rapidly between Portals. AP is gained from activity not from defending.
6. Stalemate from the constant exchange of the same Portals can benefit players on both sides but only if the level of the portal is kept constant. Destroying a Level 1 Portal gains the same AP as a Level 8 Portal.
7. It is only through understanding the necessary exchange of Portals between Enlightenment and Resistance that all players of all levels can benefit.
8. Each player should carry the inventory necessary to achieve their plans. Do not rely on the generosity of the Portals in the field. If you do not have the inventory plan with a friend.
9. Hack and re-hack the Enemy Portal before attacking. Destroy its last resonator with its last gift.
10. A poverty of XM amongst Enemy Portals will reduce your ability to function. The need to transport XM from a distance will reduce your impact.
11. Equally a surplus of XM amongst your own Portals are wasted opportunities to gain AP.
12. An imbalance of Portals of one faction is an imbalance in the game itself.
13,14. An imbalance of Portals requires choices to be made. Maintaining a single Portal amongst the enemies necessitates XM to be distributed between maintaining the resonators from decay and from the interests of the Enemy. This XM cannot then be used to claim further Portals.
15. Attrition is a legitimate means of destroying any Portal for both Factions. A Level 7 or Level 8 Portal may be better left damaged with resonators destroyed as this requires the Enemy to regroup its Level 7 or Level 8 Players to maintain.
16. There is always some advantage to damaging the Enemy in these ways. These rewards may not also come in the form of AP. Recognising these other rewards is a hallmark of the experienced Player.
17. Out of respect to others the Player who destroyed the final resonator should be allowed to claim the Portal – unless the action was a result of planned teamwork. All Portals of the same Level possessed by a Faction have the same ability to add to a Player’s inventory.
18. Use all the Portals of both sides to your advantage.
19. In Ingress, let your progress in the game and the building of a community be your greatest aims. See the big picture. Do not become embroiled in skirmishes to maintain ‘your’ Portal.
20. The game is defined by two teams but shaped by your individual actions.
CHAPTER 3. PLAY BY STRATAGEM
1. Niantic said: In the game, consider the wider map – and the story. Are you lost in the experience of gaining the next Portal or are you contributing to the overall MUs? In your city? In your country? Everywhere?
2. Holding all the Portals cannot be considered victory. Victory can be discovered in the ability of all Players to enjoy the game.
3. Thus the highest achievement in the game is to not be drawn into the plans of Players of either side; the next best is not to be envious of the Enemy’s farms; the next is to be able to walk away from an impossible situation; and the worst policy is to persist in maintaining your favourite Portals.
4. The rule is, do not blindly persist with the status quo when the balance has changed. The balance changes constantly. Even one new Level 1 player in a familiar location will change the balance. Everyone is gaining AP – especially Level 1 players.
5. In irritation the high level player will respond. High level bursters and resonators will be deployed to maintain the previous order. Immediate success will obscure long term decline.
6. The skillful and resourceful player will respond and shift with changes in the game. New routes, new Portals and new partnerships all benefit the Faction.
7. Gaining AP for all players of the Faction is mastery. Upgrading resonators, linking Portals, topping up Portals and supporting the others. This is the method of playing by stratagem.
8. It is the reality of Ingress, if we outnumber the Enemy we gain Portals, if we match the Enemy then attack, if XM is scarce we are immobile. No matter the situation we always match the Enemy.
9. Being equally matched; Portals will be lost, Portals will be gained. All the Players involved will gain AP.
10. Without fellow Players who possess XM, bursters and resonators you will lose out to the Enemy.
11. Each Player must be strong. If a Player is a strong the faction is strong regardless of the current situation. If the Player wavers, the team wavers and becomes affected by each Portal lost.
12. There are three ways in which a Player can become disenchanted and leave the game:
13. (1) Being unable to participate in the activities of the group because of demands outside of the Game. Jobs, family, transport and deadlines still exist.
14. (2) Treating the Game in the same way as a job, life or relationship. The Game is different.
15. (3) Playing with others without confirmation. Comms are compromised, G+ may be compromised. Who are you playing with? Who are you playing against?
16. Uncertainty brings discord. Have a plan. Persuade others. If they are not convinced then listen to others.
17. Thus we know that there are five essentials for continued success: (1) Know when you should destroy a Portal and when you should not. (2) Do not be afraid of Portals higher than your own Level, but acknowledge your limitations. (3) Share the vision with your Faction. (4) Be brave, a Level 8 portal can be defeated by any player with sufficient inventory and time. (5) Be fearless, your plans will be supported by others with persistence and determination.
18. Hence the (newly invented) saying: Do not fear the Enemy. The source of their inventory is the same as your own. For every Portal of the Enemy that you farm they will farm one of yours. For every Portal you gain, they will take one of yours. Recognise this balance and take advantage of it.
CHAPTER 4. TAKING THE CITY
1. Niantic said: Players are not defeated, they can only be slowed down. Players can only be prevented opportunities. They cannot be stopped from taking AP in whatever form it may take.
2. The lack of AP only lies in our own belief. The opportunities and extent to which we can gain AP lies with the Enemy themselves.
3. Thus in the loss of each Portal lies the potential to gain more AP. This does not defeat the Enemy but instead lies the potential to frustrate and limit the Enemy.
4. Hence the (new) saying: One may KNOW how to maximise AP gain without the ability to understand how to MAKE IT happen.
5. Maintaining a Portal is a defensive tactic; Defeating a Portal means taking the offensive.
6. Solely defending indicates the lack of a plan; attacking suggests that you know what you are doing.
7. The Player who is skilled at defending is hiding – nearby; the Player who attacks can appear from nowhere and disappear again silently. Thus we have the balance between protecting a position and AP gain.
8. To see victory as the acquisition of all the Portals is not the pinnacle of achievement.
9. Nor is it the pinnacle of achievement to gain approval from the Enemy.
10. To gain a Portal is no sign of great strength; to build a Field is not a mark of tactical ability; equally destroying a link is not a marker of strategic acumen.
11. What might have once been called a clever fighter is not one who only wins but one who enables others to gain AP too.
12. Hence individual victories by themselves provide additional AP but they do not create wisdom, build a community or bring insight through observation.
13. Portals are defeated by the careful application of Bursters. Sufficient Bursters of any level assures certainty of gaining victory. With sufficient Bursters and access to XM the Enemy has already lost the Portal.
14. Hence the skillful Player goes into the field with sufficient inventory. No matter their level each resonator that a Player destroys is worth the same AP.
15. The successful strategist plans their AP gain and then seeks out suitable Portals whereas the casual Player finds Portals and then marvels at their AP gain.
16. The persistent Player cultivates their plans around the Faction and adheres to this discipline for the benefit of themselves and the Faction.
17. In playing Ingress, we have, firstly, Preparation; secondly, Opportunity; thirdly, Calculation; fourthly, Action; fifthly, AP gain.
18. Preparation comes from each Player; Opportunity shapes the scope of the Preparation; Calculation turns the Opportunity into a plan; Action brings the plan to life; and AP gain comes from the completion of Action.
19. Players with a plan opposed to those without are worth a pound in comparison to a penny.
20. The onrush of Players who share a common plan is like the bursting of a dam – or of a thousand Level 8 bursters.
CHAPTER 5. EXOTIC MATERIAL (XM) AND INVENTORY
1. Niantic said: Access to XM and inventory is a certainty: how this is divided between individual Players is the question.
2. Attacking with a small inventory is no different from having a large inventory: it is merely a question of careful placements and patience.
3. To ensure that your Faction may attack the Enemy’s interests will require manoeuvres both direct and indirect. There may be no XM in the immediate field but there is in the next street, next block or next suburb.
4. The impact of your Faction may be like a grindstone dashed against an egg – this is effected by attacking weak Portals and destroying fields from their weakest point.
5. In all attacks, the direct method enable others from your Faction to join, but indirect methods are needed to gain inventory, XM and to sustain the attack in the future.
6. Indirect tactics, done efficiently, are inexhaustible. XM taken now will regenerate soon. XM left in place will remain until it is taken by you or by the Enemy.
7. There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard.
8. There are not more than five primary colors (blue, yellow, red, white, and black), yet in combination they produce more hues than can ever been seen.
9. There are not more than five cardinal tastes (sour, acrid, salt, sweet, bitter), yet combinations of them yield more flavors than can ever be tasted.
10. There are not more than two methods of attack: directly or through attrition; yet in these two options give rise to an endless series of manoeuvres.
11. Your attack will lead to an attack of the Enemy in turn. It is like moving in a circle – you never come to an end. You cannot exhaust the possibilities of these combinations.
12. The onrush of a Faction will sweep the city from green to blue; from blue to green.
13. The timing and application of a Faction’s attack cannot be resisted by the Enemy.
14. Therefore a determined Player will start the attack with decisiveness and persistence.
15. The release of a Faction’s attack is likened to the releasing of a trigger.
16. Amid the attack, there may appear to be disorder and yet no real disorder at all; amid confusion and chaos, your Faction will appear to have no head or tail, yet it will succeed.
17 Simulated disorder is a hallmark of perfect planning, simulated fear indicates perfect communication; simulated lack of bursters, resonators and keys suggests full inventories.
18. Hiding behind the appearance of disorder is a question of avoiding routine; concealing the presence of perfect communication requires miscommunication; a full inventory can be obscured by the laying of low level resonators and the unfinished claiming of Portals.
19. The skill of the Player is to keep the Enemy distracted with action that gives only small AP gains. A small sacrifice that the Enemy snatches at willingly.
20. By offering bait, the Player keeps the Enemy on the march consuming their own time and energy. It must be remembered that ultimately XM and inventory are apparently infinite for both Factions.
21. The clever Player seeks to minimise the expenditure of their own energy by combining efforts with others, and at the same time forcing each of the Enemy to expend maximum energy for the equivalent AP gain.
22. The Faction Players who have combined their own energies are unstoppable. The Faction that works in this way is constantly in motion and gaining AP continuously for the betterment of the Faction and the Game.
23. The AP gained from this momentum maximises the benefits for the entire Faction.
CHAPTER 6. WEAK POINTS AND STRONG
1. Niantic said: Whoever claims the Portals first in the day gains the first AP of the day and controls the field. Whoever is second into the field must modify their plans and expend further energy.
2. Therefore the clever Player imposes their will on the Enemy, but does not allow the Enemy’s will to be imposed onto the Player.
3. By creating fields and links the Player can bring the Enemy to approach of their own accord; leaving Enemy Portals makes it less attractive for the Enemy to draw near – unless they wish to farm.
4. If the Enemy is taking their ease harass them; destroy (some of) their resonators so they cannot link, create seemingly random links from afar, sweep up XM so they cannot use it.
5. Appear at Portals which the Enemy feel they must defend, move quickly to where you are not expected.
6. Players can move great distances without attention if they do not link or attack Portals or deploy resonators. The available actions that remain are still productive.
7. Your attacks will succeed if the Enemy is absent – recharging Portals from a distance cannot continue indefinitely. You can only defend successfully if your resonators are truly inaccessible – this is not the spirit of the Game.
8. Hence the Player who is skillful in the Game encourages the Enemy to defend and offers no clues as to what should be attacked.
9. The subtlety of secrecy. When we are invisible and silent we hold the Enemy’s fate in our hands.
10. If you can farm and attack without limitation you are irresistible. If you can identify the Enemy’s weak points your AP gain will be more rapid than that of the Enemy.
11. If you wish to engage the Enemy even when they are taking their ease, attack their farms or their favourite Portals.
12. If we do not wish to attack, we do not need to. While we do not attack the Enemy cannot gain AP. The extent and amount of the Enemy’s AP is determined by our actions. Hacking an Enemy’s Portal is still worth 100AP.
13. By learning the Enemy’s patterns and preferences we can plan our actions to maximise AP gain for the lowest expenditure of energy and inventory.
14. Acting as a united Faction divides the Enemy’s attention into many parts. Hence a whole is pitted against separate parts of a whole.
15. And if we are able to attack as a whole the Enemy is in dire straits.
16. The Portals that we intend to attack must not be made known; or the Enemy will be able to prepare by recharging and upgrading resonators and placing shields. The Portals will still be won but the inventory required for success will be greater.
17. When the Enemy strengthens Portals they must do so at the cost of other Portals or of gaining new Portals. If all the Portals are strengthened the Enemy is then weakened in both inventory and in energy.
18. Weakness in a Faction comes from preparing to defend and from rebuilding partially destroyed Portals; strength flows to the Faction against whom these preparations are being made.
19. Knowing where the greatest concentration of AP lies across many Portals enables a concentration of action; the greatest AP in a single Portal is an obvious target for the Player and for those Enemy who are minded towards defense.
20. Without communication amongst the Faction this awareness is of no value. Equally if the Faction is dispersed across the city this knowledge is of little use.
21. The size of the Faction in a city is irrelevant. AP is everywhere. A smaller Faction has the advantage of less Players to coordinate.
22. Even if the Enemy are stronger in numbers or higher in Level, we may gain AP. The more we are aware of the Enemy’s plans the easier it is to gain AP.
23. Learn the principles by which the Enemy act. Force the Enemy to reveal themselves and to show their weaknesses.
24. Carefully compare your own actions with those of the Enemy, so that you may easily gain AP with a minimum of energy.
25. In making your plans, the best approach is to conceal them, you will then be safe from the closest of spies.
26. How to gain AP from the actions of the Enemy – that is what the newest Player must understand.
27. All Players can see the results of successful tactics, but what cannot be seen is the strategy that led to this gain.
28. Do not repeat the tactics that enabled you to gain AP, let your methods be varied by changing circumstances.
29. Ingress tactics are like water; they come in bursts and then disappear among the cracks.
30. So in Ingress, the way is to avoid single Level 8 Portals and strike at many Level 1 Portals.
31. Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; the Player works out their AP gain in relation to the Enemy’s behaviour and tactics.
32. Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape, so in the game there are no constant conditions.
33. The Player who can modify their tactics in relation to the enemy and thereby gain AP will be Level 8 in no time.
34. The five elements (water, fire, wood, metal, earth) are not always equally predominant; the four seasons make way for each other in turn. There are short days and long; the moon has its periods of waning and waxing.
CHAPTER 7. MANOEUVRING
1. Niantic said: In Ingress, each Player is their own master. They may sometimes play individually or as part of team.
2. A Player’s inventory is a balance between resonators and keys, which build, and bursters, which break. Every single item, even media cubes, represents potential AP.
3. How each items is used determines the extent to which AP gain is maximised.
4. Thus, taking a long route through the city, enticing the Enemy, and though starting after him, you Level up before them, show knowledge of the artifice of deviation.
5. Playing with a team is advantageous; with a group of individuals, most dangerous.
6. Heading for a single Portal to snatch AP, the chances are that you will be too late. Aiming to take AP will lead you to many Portals.
7. Thus, if you set out with targets that requires energy and XM beyond you and your team’s capabilities you will be frustrated.
8. Level 8s will lead, Level 1s will be behind, and on this plan only Level 8s will achieve their goals.
9. If you travel great distance to outmanoeuvre the Enemy, you will lose the interest of Level 1s and 2s and only capture half the AP.
10. If you travel a short distance with the same objective, you keep the interest of all and capture most of the AP.
11. Without a shared objective, without the opportunity of AP for all; the team is lost.
12. We cannot play as a team until we are acquainted with each member.
13. To lead the team requires knowledge of the field – the inaccessible resonators and Portals, the shared traffic spaces, the busiest and quietest times of day, the alleyways and shortcuts.
14. We shall be unable to turn natural advantage to account unless we make use of local guides.
15. In Ingress, practice anonymity and camouflage, and you will succeed.
16. Whether to play as a group or to divide into pairs, must be decided by circumstances.
17. Let your rapidity be that of the wind, your compactness that of the forest.
18. In raiding and plundering be like fire, in immovability like a mountain.
19. Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.
20. When you play, let the gains be divided amongst the team; allow each to link and create fields as they are able.
21. Ponder and deliberate before you make a move. The need for AP is greater amongst Level 7 Players but the desire greatest among Level 1s.
22. Learn the artifice of deviation. Such is the art of manoeuvring.
23. The Book of Ingress says: In the field, onboard Comms is only as good as your last hack and is compromised: enable Latitude, use text and meet at an agreed location.
24. Other means of communications confuse the Enemy through gaps in their knowledge.
25. With multiple lines of communication the Faction succeeds as a team and as individuals.
26. During the night, BE CAREFUL. During the day, blend in, and be yet another person sending a text.
27. In the rush for AP a whole team can be robbed of its spirit; each Player may be robbed of their presence of mind.
28. A Player’s spirit is shaped by their ‘other’ life; before work, after college, a visit to the museum. The best time to play is shaped by this spirit.
29. Play when the spirit is keen. Team up when the spirit is lagging. This is the art of studying your own moods.
30. Play when you are able. Do not play when you don’t feel like it. This is the art of retaining self-possession.
31. To push on when there is a single notch to level, to press further with the glow of levelling, to hack from the beer garden, to picnic amongst a group of Portals. This is the art of husbanding one’s strength.
32. To make links when you have been taking Portals, to upgrade when you have been hacking. This is the art of studying circumstances.
33. Do not try to stand in the way of the Enemy when they believe they are in ascendancy, do not take the strongest farm first.
34. Be wary of the Enemy who has seemingly left the field and allowed you to take all the Portals.
35. Do not swallow bait offered by the enemy.
36. When you attack the Enemy, do not aim to take all of the Portals. Do not press a desperate foe too hard.
37. Such is the art of Ingress.
CHAPTER 8. VARIATION IN TACTICS
1. Niantic said: Each Player is driven by the view of their scanner, every item is visible while every Player is not.
2. In difficult country, do not throw all of your efforts. In the city centre and along transport routes you are battling the additional Player of happenchance. The invisible Player on the bus, tram or train or the visitor from out-of-town. Their passing interests will take time and energy to correct.
3. There are Portals that are not worth attacking, Players who should not be followed. Do not forget that in other towns there are other Players of your Faction all trying to gain AP.
4. The Player who thoroughly understands the advantages that accompany variation of tactics knows how to gain AP with the least time and energy.
5. The Player who does not understand these, may be well acquainted with the configuration of the country, yet they will not be able to turn their knowledge into higher and higher levels.
6. So, the Player of Ingress who is unversed in the art of Ingress of varying their own plans will fail to make the best use of their inventory.
7. Hence in the wise Player’s plans, considerations of advantage and of disadvantage will be blended together.
8. If our expectation of advantage be tempered in this way, we may succeed in gaining maximum AP and levelling.
9. If we are always ready to seize an advantage, we may succeed in gaining maximum AP and levelling.
10. Reduce the Enemy’s ability to gain AP; and make trouble for them, and keep them constantly engaged in less productive activities. Hold out specious allurements; and make them rush to any given Portal.
11. The art of Ingress teaches us to expect the Enemy, and on our readiness to respond.
12. There are five dangerous faults which may affect a Player: (1) Recklessness, diving into the attack without sufficient inventory or support; (2) cowardice, being unprepared to attack a Portal of a higher Level than their own; (3) a hasty temper, which is provoked by Enemy attacks and insults; (4) a delicacy of honor which prohibits gaining AP despite it being offered; (5) over-reliance on the efforts of others.
13. These are the five besetting sins of a Players, ruinous to the conduct of Ingress but exploited by the Enemy.
14. When a Faction fails to gain AP collectively, the cause will be surely found among these five dangerous faults.
CHAPTER 9. THE GAMEPLAY
1. Niantic said: We come now to the question of gameplay.
2. Operate away from visible locations. Do not baulk from travelling to a single Portal if it is readily captured. However, do not become attached to the Portal; the continued time and energy required is better invested elsewhere.
3. After taking a Portal, you should move far away from it.
4. If the Enemy is delivering an attack on your Portals, do not defend them from attack. Wait until the Enemy has passed and , if you must, retake the Portal and be thankful for the AP.
5. Choose your fights. Create mayhem with the Enemy by capturing and defending their most favourite Portals. They will expend disproportion inventory for the gain and be distracted.
6. Take a single Portal amongst the Enemy’s. Few Players will be able to resist the need to resolve this incursion. While they are engaged they are distracted.
7. Plan your links before deploying and then complete the fields quickly.
8. Few Enemy will be able to resist the insult of a large control field. The combined temptation of extra AP and removing the field will distract their attention.
9. Use links to slow the advance of the Enemy. Links placed across their line of attack will require resolution in order to maximise AP. Linked Portals far from the actions of the Player but across their line of attack will cause maximum frustration.
10. These are the branches of knowledge that enable Players to succeed.
11. All Players have at least one favourite Portal.
12. All Portals can contribute to a Player’s inventory.
13. The single action that gains the highest AP is to create a field; like a red rag to a bull.
14. The highest AP gain comes from destroying the 8 resonators, fields and links of a Portal and rebuilding it as your own.
15. The same AP is gained from placing Level 1 as it is from Level 8 resonators.
16. The same AP is gained from destroying Level 8 as it is from Level 1 resonators.
17. A Player has to be within range of a Portal for all actions except recharging; IF they have a portal key and sufficient XM.
18. It takes 8 Level 8 players to create one Level 8 Portal.
19. While most Players want to be Level 8 this does not mean they will then use Level 8 bursters exclusively.
20. Level 1 bursters are like the painter’s brush; delicate and precisely placed. Level 8 bursters are like a nuclear bomb; massive destruction with no subtlety.
21. If you have sufficient inventory destroy the farms of the Enemy but farm them first.
22. If you have insufficient inventory wound the farms of the Enemy; destroy Level 8 resonators with precision.
23. Build farms far away from the attentions of the Enemy.
24. Avoid the temptation to create fields around farms. This is a beacon of AP to the Enemy.
25. Farms do not need to look like farms to the Enemy. Farms can be any layout that suits your ability to return in 5 minutes.
26. XM concentrates around Portals. A cluster of Portals can provide almost unlimited XM.
27. The AP gained from creating any control field, no matter the MUs, is the same.
28. A single Portal linked heavily to many control fields is like a magnet to the Enemy.
29. Equally, seek out Enemy Portals of this nature; created out of error or innocence they are the richest source of AP.
30. The AP gained for creating a long link is the same as for a short link.
31. Long links are those most evident to the Enemy.
32. MUs are the worldwide comparison of Faction success. Their bearing on gameplay is minimal.
33. Build for the short-term, for the AP gain. Destroy for the long-term balance of the game.
34. The benefits of building farms and gaining inventory must be balanced against the tactics of swift decision hits to gain AP.
35. The sight of people whispering together in small knots or speaking in subdued tones in public points to the presence of Ingress Players.
36. Too many gifts of AP from the Enemy signifies that they are at the end of their resource; too persistent a desire to retain Portals betrays a condition of dire distress.
37. Do not begin the game with bluster only to tail away at Level 6. Pace yourself, XM and inventory may be almost infinite but your own energy is not.
38. A truce brings little benefit to the game. No activity limits AP gain and Player progression.
39. The greatest unknown in the game is the attitude and perspective of other Players. This unknown quantity makes the game different in each location.
40. New locations and different Players requires new tactics.
41. Do not discard items in your inventory if you are not aware of their purpose, seek advice.
42. A Portal key represents one 313 AP link, possibly a 1250 AP field; or infinite 10 AP recharges with sufficient XM.
43. Portal keys, bursters and resonators can be transferred between players. XM cannot.
44. Media cubes may be an inconvenience in your inventory, but are you sure?
45. Power cubes are a mystery currently suitable only for speculation.
CHAPTER 10. IN THE CITY
1. Niantic said: We may distinguish six kinds of play, to wit: (1) head-to-head challenge; (2) stealth action; (3) cycles of challenges; (4) down the street; (5) the visit; (6) travelling play.
2. Portals that are rapidly exchanged between Factions represent a head-to-head challenge.
3. With regard to this type of play, occupy the Portals rapidly and early. Then you will be able to regain the Portal sooner.
4. Portals that are regularly in the hands of the Enemy are gained occasionally through stealth action.
5. If the Enemy assumes a Portal to be their own, they will be unprepared for the attack and be committed elsewhere.
6. When a Portal regularly passes through the hands of both Factions day after day it is part of a cycle of challenge.
7. In this position, the Enemy will offer attractive bait, but then, in turn, we will entice the Enemy with our own endeavours.
8. With regard to ‘down the street’, your activities will lead you away from the first Portal towards a destination.
9. Should the Enemy be active in your path, do not pursue or follow them but divert and return to complete your actions.
10. With regard to ‘the visit’, you plan your activities to take you to a distant stronghold of the Enemy with aim of taking the AP.
11.If the Enemy is present, do not engage them directly, but retreat and entice them with your actions elsewhere.
12. If you engage in travelling play, take what AP you find. You lack the benefits of local knowledge and support.
13. These six are the kinds of play of Ingress. The Player who wishes to gain Level 8 must be careful to consider them.
14. Now a Player may be exposed to six potential calamities. These are: (1) defense; (2) lack of bursters; (3) lack of resonators; (4) lack of XM; (5) lack of targets; (6) lack of purpose.
15. In taking a Portal it is possible for the Enemy to mount some defense. Through directly and remotely recharging resonators and by directly replacing destroyed resonators.
16. Without sufficient bursters the attack will fail. Without sufficient resonators the success of any attack will not be realised.
17. When every action takes XM to convert inventory to AP the lack of XM is a calamity of the highest order.
18. When the Faction has become dominate the number of targets becomes less. Are all possible links made? Are all resonators topped up to your Level?
19. When a Players reaches Level 8, AP becomes irrelevant.
20. These are six ways of courting defeat, which must be carefully noted by the Player who wishes to attain Level 8.
21. The location of each Portal is the Player’s best ally; but the power of gaining XM, of collecting inventory, and of gaining Portals and linking, constitutes the test of a good Player.
22. The Player who know these things, and who puts their knowledge into practice, will easily gain Portals. The Player who who does not know these things, nor practices them, will bemoan their lacks.
23. If a couple of bursters will gain a Portal, then fire them, even though the Faction may be planning; if you can bring no inventory to the plan, then you cannot play even if the Faction asks it.
24. The Player who brings their inventory to the plan without coveting fame is the jewel of the Faction.
25. Regard fellow players of both Factions as your allies. Their actions in some way supports you own goals.
26. If, however, you regard the Players of both sides with disdain; the benefits of their presence will not be evident and you will be at a disadvantage.
27. If the Faction has a plan but no Players are available, we have gone only halfway towards AP gain.
28. If the Faction has willing Players but no plan, we have gone only halfway towards AP gain.
29. If the Faction has willing Players and a plan, but are unaware of current conditions, we still have gone only halfway towards AP gain.
30. Hence the experience Player, once in motion, is never bewildered, once they are playing they are never at a loss to find AP.
31. Hence the (new) saying: If you know the Enemy and know yourself, your AP gain will not stand in doubt; if you know Enlightenment and know Resistance, you will gain Level 8.
CHAPTER 11. THE NINE AGENTS
1. Niantic said: The art of Ingress recognises nine varieties of agents: (1) The newbie; (2) the low-level regular; (3) the mid level regular; (4) the high level regular; (5) the burster; (6) the leveler; (7) the collector; (8) the troll; (9) the casual.
2. When a newbie enters Ingress, it is like a whole new world.
3. A low-level regular attacks their first Portal and retreats in wonder.
4. The mid-level regular seeks low-level Portals to attack and control.
5. A high-level regular fears that Ingress will disappear the moment they gain Level 8, and wonders with inner calm when it does not.
6. The burster appears occasionally to attack clusters of Portal.
7. The leveler seeks AP at all costs; building Portals, enemy hacks, links, fields or recharges..
8. The collector picks up everything no matter their level; media cubes, power cubes, foreign keys and Level 1 bursters.
9. The troll sets out to disrupt moments of stability and balance.
10. The casual agent appears for a moment, takes AP and retreats. The casual agent is present even if they cannot be seen by their actions.
11. For the newbie, the path forward is expansive. Mistakes will be made.
12. A low-level regular benefits from finding allies.
13. The mid-level regular must steadily march on.
14. High-level regulars eventually reach a calm that is justified by the capability they wield.
15. The burster throws themselves in a display of strength and then disappears.
16. Levelers are only driven by the need to fill the eight notches on their scanner.
17. Collectors have a large inventory of items of little value. Swapping with other collectors would bring benefits if they could bear doing the swap.
18. Trolls are unpredictable and respond to the actions of others around them. Low levels of activity will see the trolls create fields across the city. Large levels of Enemy fields will see the troll set out to wound Portals to frustrate further links.
19. Casual agents are the unpredictable roll of the dice. Their actions cannot be accounted for and bring continuous change.
20. Most Players are a mix of two or more varieties of agent.
21. A Player may shift between the nine varieties of agent from day to day.
22. Equally, a Player becomes a different type of agent when they are in unfamiliar locations.
23. Irrespective of their location, every regular is immersed in the game. And can be identified in this way.
24. With all the combinations of varieties every Player can be identified.
25. The type of agent determines the reason for their actions.
26. The newbie might walk away from a Portal for the lack of bursters, the burster Player walks away because the resonators are not breaking quickly enough and the troll walks away for their own reasons.
26. Each type of Player progresses through the levels at a different pace.
27. Regulars progress at an even pace through every level while the bursters rapidly gain AP and are then invisible for days or weeks.
28. The casual Player appears and disappears as is their whim. Their AP increases rapidly or slowly as is their whim.
29. The difference between regulars is merely their Level. Each different Level is as the difference in education from novice to master.
30. The troll’s progress is a mystery, even to their own Faction as it is to the Enemy.
31. If asked how they cope with the continuous press of the Enemy each variety of Player will describe a different answer.
32. The burster and troll live for this engagement, the newbie unwittingly bemoans their presence and the casual Player is only passingly aware of them.
33. The dawning awareness of the necessary presence of the Enemy changes the Player.
34. Each type of Player will respond to changes in the game with varying reactions.
35. Study carefully of the variety of Players of your Faction and of the Enemy.
36. Do not overtax the Player with Faction or individual requests. Each type of Player will accept or reject these requests for different reasons.
37. Do not allow the random actions of Ingress to become superstition or myth. The game is random.
38. The newbie, causal and low-level regular Players must be encourage to see this.
CHAPTER 12. RESONATORS
1. Niantic said:There are five actions of resonators. The first is to be deployed; the second is to be destroyed; the third is to be upgraded; the fourth is to decay; the fifth is to be given.
2. To use resonators the Player must have resonators. Thus the fifth action of resonators.
3. Every resonator held is potential AP.
4. How the resonator is used determines this potential.
5. In deploying resonators, one should be prepared to meet five possible consequences:
6. (1) The resonator will be destroyed immediately by the Enemy.
7. (2) The resonator will eventually be destroyed by the Enemy after it has contributed inventory to Players.
8. (3) The resonator will decay after it has contributed inventory to Players. .
9. (4) The resonator will be upgraded by the application of a higher level resonator..
10. (5) The resonator will be recharged.
11. A resonator placed furthest from the Portal will harry the Enemy the most.
12. A resonator placed on the most inaccessible octant will last longest.
13. Resonators placed over water or behind walls are impervious to all but the most determined attack.
14. Higher level resonators placed in this way require the Enemy to use higher level inventory.
15. Hence the saying: The careful Player plans well ahead; the good Player cultivates their resources.
16. Every resonator placed increases the power of the Portal and brings higher level inventory to all Players.
17. Do not place your resonators unless there is something to be gained; There is always AP to gain.
18. The highest level portal a Player can make by themselves is 5.625.
19. Work as a team for resonator placement.
20. Remember, a Level 8 portal requires 8 Level 8 players.
21. Destroy the resonator of the Level 8 Player who travelled the furthest; or just destroy the Portal.
22. It only take one Level 1 player to claim a Portal.
23. Place resonators carefully and thoughtfully.
CHAPTER 13. THE USE OF SPIES
1. Niantic said: Coordinating 10 Players and agreeing on the tactics of the day is complex and takes time and energy.
2. With large numbers of Players of both Factions, each day is a constant cycle of hours of attack.
3. With no coordination each Player is guided by their own plans for AP gain.
4. Thus, what enables an advantage, for a Faction to achieve things beyond normal reach, is FOREKNOWLEDGE.
5. Now this foreknowledge cannot be elicited from spirits; it cannot be obtained inductively from experience, nor by any deductive calculation.
6. Knowledge of the Enemy’s dispositions can only be obtained from others.
7. Hence the use of spies, of whom there are five classes: (1) Comms spies; (2) G+ spies; (3) Two-account spies; (4) Portal spies; (5) Real-world spies.
8. Each spy might belong to more than one of these classes, and those that achieve all five classes have perfect insight on the plans of the Enemy.
9. Having COMMS SPIES means having sign of the Enemy scanner comms – Comms is compromised..
10. Having G+ SPIES, means access to the community of the Enemy – G+ is potentially compromised.
11. Having TWO-ACCOUNT SPIES, are spies with two accounts, one of each Faction. These spies have the ability to directly manipulate the game.
12. Having PORTAL SPIES, requires visual sight of a contested Portal in order to recognise Enemy agents.
13. REAL-WORLD SPIES, finally, are those who know Enemy agents – the ‘real world’..
14. The very principle of a spy is that no-one knows certainly which Player may be a spy.
15. Spies cannot be usefully employed without a certain intuitive sagacity.
16. The object of spies in Ingress is complex.
17. Without subtle ingenuity of mind, one cannot make certain of the truth of their reports.
18. Be subtle! be subtle! Spies have an interest in every kind of business.
19. If a secret piece of news is divulged by a spy before the time is ripe their role as a spy may be unwittingly revealed.
20. Whatever the object of the spy, it is always necessary to begin by finding out the roles of the Players, especially identifying who is issuing orders.
21. The enemy’s spies who have come to spy on us must be sought out, tempted with bribes and led away.
22. It is through the information brought by the Portal spy that we are able to identify the two-account spy.
23. It is through the real-world spy that false tidings can be brought to the Enemy.
24. With careful consideration the G+ spy can be used on appointed occasions.
25. The end and aim of spying in all its five varieties is knowledge of the Enemy.
With these thoughts the Players can understand the Art of Ingress.
———-
https://plus.google.com/u/0/116914065582388943153/posts/fkp3nzYqW1w
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1M249PMlwOO37nYmyThj8iSk3Hu8E3DRjCkR7vxh3f9g/edit
Google+ c.a.t. (1/2) 