Ingress: First Saturday Baguio Edition

Ingress' First Saturday (FS) is a cross faction event setup as the name suggests every first Saturday of the month for Ingress agents. What's Ingress? Ingress is a gps based game developed by Google. Click here to learn more about Ingress. FS is an opportunity for agents to put a face behind the IGNs (In Game Name) and for new agents to be oriented and tanked (help them level up).

3 FS events scheduled in the Philippines were held last February 7, in Baguio, Boac and Makati.
Why go to Baguio when there's the same event in Makati you ask? Well..just because! XD

Northern Agents

But seriously, I have more acquaintance I'd like to meet in Baguio which probably doesn't make any sense but in Ingress we divide areas into groups and northern provinces pretty much belongs to the same group and I'm from Bulacan so there. But really we just want to go to Baguio and experience the cold weather. :)

We went there straight from the office taking the 11:55pm bus and arrived at around 5:30am. The freezing morning air did not disappoint.

 Kids playing at the Burnham Park Field

Lots of flowers can be seen all around as the Panagbenga Festival was coming soon.

We just stopped for breakfast and started making stickers for the loots.

Around 30+ agents were expected to join the Baguio FS but surprisingly, almost double that number actually attended the event.

Agent Registration

Agents who registered were given the loot package containing the event map, pin, loom band, ingress cards and stickers.

Salute to whoever made the loom bands for all the agents!

After registration, the agents were briefed on the rules of the activity. Participants must record their Action Points (AP) before and after the activity.

They will play in the designated areas specified in the map provided and after the given time limit, all APs will be summed up per faction and the faction who gains the highest AP wins.
We weren't actually planning on joining the activity but our faction (Resistance) was outnumbered so some of us decided to play. We were still outnumbered by about 4-5 enlightened agents but the resistance won the activity by gaining 2.8M AP and the enlightened with 2.5M AP.

After that, we shared a meal at Good Taste. The winning faction was announced and the agent with the most AP gain was awarded. They also raffled some Ingress Dog Tags.

Agents also created a cross faction field art. A green dragon with blue wings.

The event was a great success. Kudos to all the organizers and all the agents who participated in the event. (^_^)V

Ingress Agents in action

Ingress: It's time to move..

It's been over a year and counting and I'm still hooked in this game. What game you ask? ...

INGRESS!!!

I really like this promotional video. It gives you an idea how it feels to play Ingress. Are you intrigued now? What is Ingress??

Ingress is a GPS based game created by the Niantic Labs within Google. Some may argue that this is not just a game. Watch the beginner's guide to give you a quick peek in the world of Ingress.

According to Google, Ingress is a place or means of access, an entrance. Access to what? Entrance to what? I'd like to think of them as portals where exotic matter leaks into our world. Exotic Matter or XM is an energy form which is the basis of all Shaper technology according to Niantic. It's influence? It's effects? We are not really sure...

Two factions fight to gain control of said portals. The Resistance (my faction) and the Enlightened.

                                                 Resistance Logo              Enlightened Logo

Basically, Ingress is like a world wide game of capture the flag. My friends and I have been playing this game since closed beta. A lot has changed since then. New player levels, badges, new weapons and mods and recently they made it available to iOS users as well. What keeps me hooked?

1. The game play itself is really cool. It makes me feel like a real life agent. So those who have long dreamed of becoming a secret agent, this is your chance to make it come true. It may be a lot to absorb at first but you'll get used to it eventually.

agent ninjamoves (resistance) hacking a portal. (she doesn't know the guard on duty is enlightened XD)

There are already a lot of us out there, so don't be surprised if you hear someone say, 'Hey dude! Come let's attack and destroy that statue!', ask them first if they play Ingress. If not, Please call the police immediately!!!. XD

 2. The places I'm able to visit. The title of this blog says it all. I like going on adventures and road trips. If you do to, then this game is definitely for you.

 agent ninjamoves and cydoki buying cowgirl hats at Intramuros, Manila

agent axsyon and cydoki capturing kalayaan tree portal at Malolos, Bulacan.

agent axsyon, cydoki and kurochan at Angeles, Pampanga.

3. The awesome community. Ingress is a group game. Yes you can play the game alone but that would be boring. You can only strengthen your portals with the help of other high level agents. This way you get to meet a lot of people not only locally but also agents from other countries. This is probably the biggest factor why I've been playing this game for a long time now. I get to have new friends :)

 Meeting other agents for the first time. Looks like serious business :p

Farming and Tanking sessions at Intramuros, Food Trips at Binondo and late nights (or should I say day breaks?) at BGC. It's not just the game. It's the adventure and the experience.

 First portal I've captured.

 Way back when there were just 4 portals in my home town (now there's already 10 I think) and my level bars were still moving :)

 And of course BACON!!! If you love bacon, JOIN THE RESISTANCE!!! We are a faction of bacon lovers :)

What you need to play Ingress?

1. a phone or tab with GPS and at least 4 inch screen.

2. a stable data connection.

3. install the Ingress app from play store. It's FREE!

4. JOIN THE RESISTANCE!!!

 

Helpful links:
Getting started:
http://ingressfieldguide.com/content/ingress-bootcamp
Ingress backstory:
http://niantic.schlarp.com/
Intel Map:
https://www.ingress.com/intel

Women's Day Ops

In light of the celebration of Women's Day, Resistance Pilipinas rallied its forces to join a global effort involving resistance women.

Resistance Pilipinas has one of the largest number of women who play ingress. To show this, we decided to create the largest level 8 all women's portal in the Philippines. Target areas are Intramuros, Rizal Park (Luneta), University of Sto. Tomas (UST) and Quezon Memorial Circle (QMC).

March 9, 2014 3:00 PM Assembly at Manila Cathedral

A total of 16 ingress women joined the operation. Enough to divide into two teams to cover more ground. Team A will cover Fort Santiago while Team B the rest of Intramuros. I was part of Team A along with other agents. 

Team A: from left to right, akosiemily;ninjamoves;ravenangel;fauxlivia;cydoki;kurochan(me); then xlushx and evrael at the back.

 Team B: from left to right, c6h12o2; seraque; missungit; supremakalliope; kesocheese; yunha;japanesedoll; empressk;

Fort Santiago is a defense fortress built by Spanish conquistadors inside the walled city in Manila also known as Intramuros.

 

After Fort Santiago, one of our team mate was already feeling dizzy and had to go home. So for our next area, we had to stick together. It was already dark when we finished upgrading portals in Intramuros.

Rizal Park is the Kilometer Zero in the Philippines located adjacent to the walled city. It is a historical site that honours the Philippine national hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal.

We weren't able to go to UST since it was already about 8:00PM when we wrapped up at Luneta.
My feet were already screaming at this point so when we arrived to the next location, QMC, I upgraded some portals then left.

The result of our hard work? 250 level 8 all women's portal. not bad considering we were targeting 300 portals.

 Intramuros: 125 level 8 portals

 Luneta: 65 level 8 portals

QMC: 60 level 8 portals

It was fun meeting these girls.

And all these people who accompanied us along the way.

The world around you is not what it seems. Our future is at stake and you must choose a side. Resistance, a way of life. #Ingress