Friday 17 April 2015

Ingress improvement ideas from Robert the Serious Siamese

by Robert the Serious Siamese









I have a suggestion to the Ingress game-makers: Add special powers to those players who manage to go beyond level 16.  Perhaps they would then forget all about frog-killing and/or smurf-chasing cats



Here are some ideas: Allow high level players to apply for a special position, an honour labelled "a Gandalf"

A Gandalf would be able to turn a certain number of enemy portals grey comfortably from their homes, only using the Ingress Intel map. This would be allowed at restricted time-periods of 2-3 days that would be announced in advance. 

I can already envision the frenzy of regular players preparing for these Gandalf periods.



Those players who have been good rechargers would receive a Hattivatti / Hattifnatt award, in the form of a super-charged power cube.




Walking and biking should be promoted more. If I could decide, using a private car for playing should be forbidden. 

But I know humans are better motivated with carrots than sticks -this is why cats manage to be loved pets. We are fierce predators but at home we look cute and are cuddly and we purr.

A special trekker reward (after 1000 km walked) could consist of an ergonomically designed light-weight back-pack with the following surprise items:

- ultrathin raincoat
- sunscreen
- sunglasses
- thermos flask
- amusing snacks
- a portable charger in your faction's colour.



Not everyone lives in an area where playing can be done by foot. The use of cars in the name of playing should be discouraged. For this there are two solutions:

1. Niantic Labs (the game creator) should accept suggested portals in areas that are not accessible by cars

2. There should be a reward for using public transport, with some nifty awards

These two ideas, when applied cleverly could actually make a difference. Imagine the couch potato, immune to health terrorist’s advice but driven by his gamer ambitions going for walks in forests and parks.

Even better: The business man who used to take his car to work would now choose the bus, tram, or train instead to be able to hack more portals on his journey and to receive the rare badge rewarded for public transport use.

If there really are 7 million players worldwide -and counting, then cities may just have to start improving the transportation services and there will be less pollution and waste of resources.



My Human mother is trying to help me on my mission “save the cats” by diverting the player’s minds. 

She submitted a portal called Froschenfresser (=frog-eater) to Niantic Labs and hopes for a fast approval. When people think of the stork (Ciconia ciconia) as the master frog eater, me and my brother Jacob and our feline friends can walk the streets safely again.


PS. I found the perfect vehicle for beginner greens:



Why it’s perfect? It is called a tadpole.

-Robert the Serious Siamese


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