Each of us knows what a mobile game is. You download it to your smartphone, install it, and then enjoy the process while sitting in a comfortable chair, on the couch, or even at work or school. But it is worth noting that all these games are uniform in general terms, although they have different genres, plots, graphics and so on. If you want something unusual and special, then you should pay attention to Ingress. How to play this extraordinary project? What is required of the player? How does it differ from standard mobile games? All these questions can begin to torment you as soon as you see a description of this game.
Ingress - what is it?
The first thought that may visit you when you see Ingress: "How to play such a project?" After all, he looks really extraordinary and unusual. To begin with, there are elements of augmented reality in this game - this means that you will not just sit at home and enjoy the gameplay, you will have to move. In fact, the Ingress application is not the game itself, it is only a platform for it. The whole gameplay takes place in the real world, as people move around the area and visit control points to move their faction forward. To make the game more fun, the control points are located not in random places, but in the locations of various interesting objects and attractions. Thus, you can arrange a walk around the city, while taking part in a global game in which hundreds of thousands of people around the world are involved. But so far there has not been an answer to a very important question regarding Ingress: "How to play this game?"
Game application
It is no secret to anyone that almost the entire gameplay in Ingress takes place in the real world. But at the same time, somehow you need to connect all the events that happen to each other, so you need to download the application, which is called the game. It has great functionality and will allow you to join the process at any time, choose a fraction and start working for its benefit. It is in the application that a map will be displayed on which all key points will be marked - portals that were captured by your allies or opponents. Also, through the application, you can track all the events that are generated by the developers of Ingress. How to play using the app? You can get the answer directly to this question, as it contains a rather voluminous manual. Moreover, you can always turn to your familiar players or neighbors that you will find in the game so that they help you at first. After all, you are working for the common good of a particular faction. Ingress is a game in Russian, Ukrainian, English and other languages, that is, there will be no problems with understanding companions. And you will have to communicate, since you will need to generate plans for the capture and defense of your territories.
Enlightened Faction
As soon as you download the Ingress application, the game in Russian (or another chosen language) will ask you to immediately decide which fraction you want to join. Do not think that it does not matter, the game has a full story, in accordance with which events in the game world are determined. So, you have to choose from two fractions - Enlightened and Resistance. First, consider the first, which stands for contact with the Shapers, an alien race. Enlightened people seek peace with aliens, they want them to help people develop using the latest technology. Therefore, if you think that Shapers will be able to raise humanity to a new stage of development, you are in this fraction. At the very beginning of the game, when you start Ingress, a description of both fractions will be before your eyes, so choose wisely - you won’t be able to change anything later.
Resistance Faction
If you are not attracted to the alternative to cooperation with aliens, then you should join the Resistance faction. Its participants believe that Shapers only want to enslave people, make them like a collective mind, and deprive them of everything human. It is difficult, of course, to imagine that such a small game as Ingress on Android can create such a full-fledged game world projected onto the real one. But this is the case. Right now you can join this game to start a battle for this or that fraction.
Main Object - Portal
So, you have chosen your faction, and now you see in front of you a map of the area where you are. Keep in mind that you will definitely need GPS to play Ingress - the instruction reports this quite clearly, as does the description of the game itself. It is through GPS that your location is tracked, as well as your game actions, so if you do not have this receiver in your phone, and even more so if there is no Internet connection at all, then you will not be able to join the players. If your device is ready to use, then the main goal is portals. As mentioned above, they are located at various attractions. When you get to the neutral portal or to the portal indicated by the color of the enemy, you can change it to your own. This is the essence of the game, while it doesn’t matter what platform you use for Ingress - iPhone, Android or something else.
Links
If you still do not understand, then Ingress resembles an advanced version of the game in "points", when opponents place points on the field, and then try to connect them together to form "their" field. In Ingress, too, the whole struggle is fought for dominance, so you need to mark the portals, and then connect them together. And the connection that appears between the two portals is called a link. Unfortunately, it is not strong, and the enemy can destroy it. So you need not only to capture new portals, but also to defend the old ones, as well as links between them.
Zones
The best thing you can find in the game are the zones. When you were able to collect enough portals of your color and connect them together with links in a single whole, your zone appears. It is much more reliable than a link or portal. That is what you and your comrades need to strive for. Therefore, it is necessary to organize mass sorties in the game chat in order to simultaneously capture portals, link and turn the territory into your zone. The larger the size of the territory, the more portals and links are needed, respectively, this task becomes very difficult to implement. But possible.
What does Ingress give you?
So, you already understood the principle of the game Ingress, found out that there is a full-fledged application for it, and also understood the fact that the whole world is already involved in this incredible gameplay. Therefore, the logical question arises: "Do I need to register in this game?" If you just want to sit an hour or two a day playing a game on your phone, then you better immediately abandon Ingress, since such an approach would be unacceptable there. In Ingress, you play constantly - day and night, at any given time. You may not be able to capture at least one portal in one day, but in another you will have to run from one place to another for several hours. You may have a great chance to help the faction, and then you dramatically change the route of your movement. In general, Ingress is a mobile game that does not stop for a second. If in your area there are many people who play Ingress, then it will be easier for you, as someone can always replace you. And, of course, you will have new acquaintances with whom you can meet to talk about gaming topics. And not only.
Naturally, each for himself decides whether he should spend time on this venture. But one thing is for sure - Ingress is a masterpiece game, a real breakthrough, a project that the world has not yet seen. Therefore, it is worth trying anyway. And if you like it, then you will certainly see that you can reach unprecedented heights with your faction, and this is what is of great importance. Unfortunately, not everyone will be able to play Ingress - Windows does not support this game, as well as a number of other platforms. It is best to play on Android, in the worst case, on iOs.