I haven’t really played it in a while, but last time I did, gameplay still prevented that. You were able to buy way too many of some things you are limited in using anyway, but things that would give you a boost in mass weren’t for sale. Only thing you can buy yourself out of is maybe 1/4th of the reasons to go outside, but you can’t really play without the other 3/4th, and I have never paid, nor been beaten by somebody that did…
Anyway, all that was at least 3 years ago, so I’m not vouching for any possible changes to the contrary right now…
But It would amaze me if they did make it pay to win now, though. Niantic was always very strict in fair gameplay when it came to Ingress…
My entire city is owned by one guy and my math makes it either he’s been hoarding for a decade just to dunk on me or he bought his way through. He would literally, for weeks, undo any progress I made within hours until I just stopped bothering.
I can do that and like I said, I never paid nothing. I didn’t hoard, but as a longtime player you got stronger. So it’s not pay to win, it’s still play to win…
No offense, but your conclussion doesn’t fit your description. You’re angry you can’t win against someone that you say might have been hoarding stuff (or is maybe doing the work for getting it daily as I used to do…) I could literally bring down Level 8’s since I was Level 5, and they stood no chance if I had been scavanging with Ingress all day first and they didn’t, yet catch me after one of those as a second player and you might win easily until I restock… That’s gameplay, not paygame. 😅
And the fact any player on his own can only max build level 5 portals and you need 3 other people at level 8 at least to make a Level 8 portal kinda stops pay to play. On your own you stand no chance against a group…
So if your entire city is just 1 guy, the portals can’t be over level 5, if they are he has help.
Either way, when you attack portals, you should go stand on the Resonators, not the center of them, and when placing resonators you need to be as far as your circle allows you to stand from the portal, so they spread further apart and aren’t as easily destroyed by someone bursting in 1 spot.
Pay to win
I haven’t really played it in a while, but last time I did, gameplay still prevented that. You were able to buy way too many of some things you are limited in using anyway, but things that would give you a boost in mass weren’t for sale. Only thing you can buy yourself out of is maybe 1/4th of the reasons to go outside, but you can’t really play without the other 3/4th, and I have never paid, nor been beaten by somebody that did…
Anyway, all that was at least 3 years ago, so I’m not vouching for any possible changes to the contrary right now…
But It would amaze me if they did make it pay to win now, though. Niantic was always very strict in fair gameplay when it came to Ingress…
My entire city is owned by one guy and my math makes it either he’s been hoarding for a decade just to dunk on me or he bought his way through. He would literally, for weeks, undo any progress I made within hours until I just stopped bothering.
I can do that and like I said, I never paid nothing. I didn’t hoard, but as a longtime player you got stronger. So it’s not pay to win, it’s still play to win…
No offense, but your conclussion doesn’t fit your description. You’re angry you can’t win against someone that you say might have been hoarding stuff (or is maybe doing the work for getting it daily as I used to do…) I could literally bring down Level 8’s since I was Level 5, and they stood no chance if I had been scavanging with Ingress all day first and they didn’t, yet catch me after one of those as a second player and you might win easily until I restock… That’s gameplay, not paygame. 😅
And the fact any player on his own can only max build level 5 portals and you need 3 other people at level 8 at least to make a Level 8 portal kinda stops pay to play. On your own you stand no chance against a group… So if your entire city is just 1 guy, the portals can’t be over level 5, if they are he has help.
Either way, when you attack portals, you should go stand on the Resonators, not the center of them, and when placing resonators you need to be as far as your circle allows you to stand from the portal, so they spread further apart and aren’t as easily destroyed by someone bursting in 1 spot.