Source
r/Ingress•
mateog

How to deal with shitlinking

Hey,

I got into this game in February and got into the MU competition game almost immediately. It's been pretty fun working with the few people who also play the game for MU but it seems like most of the players don't. Lately, I have noticed that most of the trouble we get is from our own team throwing random links that block our usual layers around town. My teammates just flip card the links or wait for them to decay if there are a lot. We put up guide links when we can do minimize this. We ask people in a friendly manner to not link in certain areas but while this works for some, the majority continue to do so anyway - many of these players are "veterans" of the game with level 16 accounts who have been playing for 4 years. They do it so that they can raise their badge numbers...

Any tips that help reduce the amount of shitlinks in an area that I haven't mentioned above? I wish Ingress had more in-game options to work as a team for MU but flip card items are in short supply and the shitlinks are endless. I'm guessing most people would get very mad if they removed badges like "Connector" which seem to encourage shitlinking in most cases.

Edit: Hey yall i know shitlinking is part of ingress life - looking for tips or tricks to deal with it.

Edit2: Lots of immediately negative responses to this problem. Why stigmatize instead of discuss solutions?

Edit3: After most of these responses, Ingress community motto should be "Accommodating to all playstyles, except the intended one"

Edit4: Many posts - 0 upvotes (lets sweep this topic that gets lots of discussion under the rug). The amount of logic in this reddit community is abysmal - I take you all so very seriously.

Posted Apr 9, 2018, 5:29 PM UTC · edited

262
JohnJJohnsonResistance•

Derp links are a part of life. Can't control how everyone plays. If they don't adjust despite a request, just take a deep breath and fire up PoGo

28
[deleted]•

[deleted]

14
pulseheadE9•

RedditScotUser, can you do me a solid and not run any links for the forseeable future?

Sorry, you left that door wide open, bruh.

0
[deleted]•

[deleted]

2
Jo0LzE13•

I hate it when people shitlink myself, it has disturbed my fields as well. I recently spoke to a player that had a pretty different insight. He said he didn't intend to block me, but if he knew I was going to make big fields he would still block it. When I asked why he replied that he didn't have any means of transportation, meaning his play field is very small. He said that when I throw big fields over his area of play, all he could really do is capture portals. He can't make smaller fields in the big field and therefor has to wait until the fields are gone to continue playing.

Didn't think about it that way. Then again MU > AP (wink wink), and I won't stop making big fields because of it.

12
[deleted]•

[deleted]

7
bobelbritanico•

This is one of the unfortunate things about the game.

Congratulations! You just made a massive field! As a reward you can no longer play the game!

I really think it should be possible to do something more than capture under a field. I have no problem with the fact that conditions under a field are different - but it's really annoying that it's so disadvantageous to subsequent gameplay.

9
ClarkJ_KentR16•

This is good advice, OP, I hope it's some consolation for you

2
pulseheadE9•

I think the team under a field should be able to build smaller fields but the opposing faction are paralyzed until they can drop the BAF.

Or perhaps agents in a field the same color as them will get a boost (double?) to their XM collection and opposing agents get a penalty (half?). However, if an agent uses a power cube, they get the full amount of the power cube (so no half/double). Of course, the fun-police here would probably hate it.

2
mateogOP•

Hey ya usually I accommodate my fields so they can continue (avoid covering parks with lots of portals etc.). I definitely don't want them to feel like they can't play.

5
Chemistryset8•

There's a guy in a city 2hrs from mine that continually fields over us, im forever driving there to clear them so others can play, its such a dick move.

4
ClarkJ_KentR16•

You sound like a great player to keep the game flowing

3
Chemistryset8•

Haha I try, but we're paying $1.40/L for petrol now, dunno what it's like on the coast but it's an expensive exercise.

3
ClarkJ_KentR16•

Good on you buddy, keep up your ideology

2
ClarkJ_KentR16•

Well you earned that so can't complain in your situation. But AP players always have advantage over MU players because we still can play

1
jmnugent•

" Why stigmatize instead of discuss solutions?"

Honest answer:... There isn't a solution.

Jarvis/ADA and communicating with your faction are about all you can do. But there's still gonna be "lone wolf" type players who give 0 fucks. That's just part of the game.

Don't get to hung up on specific locations. MU can be made anywhere. Plan 2 or 3 different zones.. and work with that the map gives you at the time you're playing.

9
lilfunky1R14•

Expecting everyone else to bend to how you want to play your game is ridiculous.

7
Rylyshar•

YOLO links or spaghetti is what we call them (you only link once). Part of the game, since all players are individuals. Don’t get stressed about it.

6
redditpkgo•

ha ha yolo links, love it.

1
Prison__Mike_R12•

I need 800 more links for my gold. I'll be linking up anything that registers. Maybe you're interfering with me?

5
ClarkJ_KentR16•

Wouldn't you plan to do linking more efficiently to maximise the links and minimise the time taken?

4
VotanGenocideR8•

No, because that's how team-based games are played, with team goals and objectives. Ingress isn't a team-based multiplayer game, it's a massively singleplayer online phone game.

3
ClarkJ_KentR16•

Lol I get your point. I do agree solo is better, teams are suited for raids

1
VirtKittyE16•

If it shows, it throws.

5
Ag3ntM1ck•

Expecting everyone to baf only is silly. That is essentially saying people need to play your way and no other.

5
BunnyTown77E15•

they're called derp links, not shit links

4
jaj040Enlightened•

Douche links

1
RedditAntiHero•

Wurst (Sausage) links

2
bobelbritanico•

I'm a L16 pushing for my black linker. But I only micro-link if I'm outside of "my" area. In my home area I make the biggest fields I can.

MU fielding and AP grinding are not incompatible.

I also get irritated when a derp is thrown through an area I'm building.

But if that's what people do then it's what they do. You simply have to learn to be Zen about a lot of things in this game or it will burn you out in six months.

4
ClarkJ_KentR16•

I agree, MU and AP are incompatible. OP, try to throw your stack and flip the anchor so others underneath can play. Otherwise get your illuminator done in one hit otherwise it's gonna be a long journey for your top tier medals

-1
mateogOP•

Thanks but not worried about AP/Badges. Agreed that MU and AP are at ends with each other.

1
ClarkJ_KentR16•

Waiting to see you make your choice, repeating same thing and expecting different outcome is a mental problem, so hope to see you performing well

0
mateogOP•

Why do you think I'm expecting something different?

0
Ketaskooter•

Don't get mad they're part of the game, view it as an opportunity to change up your normal layer pattern. Nicely ask your team members to only create short links so you can field effectively but if they don't want to budge nothing you can do about it.

3
Chemistryset8•

Massive MU fielding is the worst part of ingress, its ridiculous that you can't do anything once somebody fields over a city, that sort of gameplay probably worked when there were hundreds more players to break links quickly but not any more.

3
ClarkJ_KentR16•

I agree, MU fields are low effort because MU players avoid all the fields underneath to save inventory. Lazy players always prefer waiting months just to throw a stack, pretty sad huh?

But you can still play by farming, destroying, and building.

1
Zzzzzztyyc•

Your goal is MU. So what?

2
MattDinOCE16•

I'll echo others' sentiments... Just take what the playfield gives you. Get creative and turn those shitlinks/derp links/scuds/YOLOs into base links for layered fields. :) You might find that you need to increase the inventory space that you dedicate to keys with this approach though.

2
pleppikR16•

My philosophy is that every scud is just a BAF waiting to be born...

I usually just try to find ways to field around whatever random links happen to exist. Of course this makes it harder to build deep sets of nested fields, but I think my sanity is better for it.

1
[deleted]•

[removed]

1
lilfunky1R14•

you are so salty and mad - why not just play pokemon go for the solo augmented reality experience?

I play both games actually.

And both have some players with such ridiculous complaints as "other people aren't letting me play this game exactly my way! Why are they so shitty?!?"

Tis the nature of the beast with cooperative play.

1
mateogOP•

I think your rage is making you blind. You think I was complaining when I was just looking for possible solutions.

1
lilfunky1R14•

I think your rage is making you blind. You think I was complaining when I was just looking for possible solutions.

Despite all my rage, I'm still just a rat in a cage!

1
RikNinja•

Include the shit linkers!.. Asked them if they want to help you?... Offer to help them get their illuminator badges!

1
exculcator•

You reduce shit links by flipping them. And people who persist in making shit links get theirs flipped without prior warning, and without subsequent apology.

This is a team game played by 2 sides, and the objective is to maximise MU for your team at the expense of the other team. People who frustrate that objective have no rational basis to complain when their personal goals (like spamming useless links) get thwarted by the actions of team members who are playing for the objectives.

If they want to play some other game, well, they can.

(That said, Ingress would be a better game if there was some way to field while under a field. But that is not the game Ingress currently is).

1