If you have been watching for an invite to get in at the beta of Google’s massively multiplayer online mobile game, Ingress, then you’re in luck: starting today, the sport is open to all Android owners. Opening the doors at the game comes almost a year after the game’s introduction and is a part of the lead as much as the official release on December 14, 2013.
GameSpot spoke with John Hanke, vp of developer Niantic Labs, about his team’s work and to be informed more concerning the game. There is a deep backstory to the sport and a whole lot occurring gameplay-wise, but purely, Ingress involves two factions (the Enlightened and the Resistance) battling for his or her individual causes. Teams of real-world players must interact to create and link portals using their mobile devices in public places world wide to attain points for his or her side.
Hanke says that he is most happy that “the sport has become an excuse for folk to get out and explore.” He describes seeing players stopping each other in the street and having the ability to bond over their shared experiences inside the game as incredibly satisfying. “[Ingress] gets people out exploring their cities and towns…and dealing together” And Hanke also says, that though he originally expected to must manually balance characters around the two factions, the sport has independently maintained a self-balanced state. When players see one side getting ahead, they’re interested in the alternative faction, keeping the worldwide score very close.
Even in limited beta, the sport have been downloaded over 1 million times, but Hanke isn’t expecting any of the traditional problems that plague console and PC MMOs after they go public. With Google’s experience and resources, he’s confident that the increased traffic from opening up the sport won’t present any technical problems.
The beta’s end is preceded by a worldwide game event call Project Magnus, which kicks off today. Players at the game’s Enlightened faction will piece together an entity referred to as Roland Jarvis. Meanwhile, Resistance players might be fighting to forestall them. The game’s website says, “This effort will literally span the globe as Agents from the over 200 countries where Ingress is currently being played cooperate to realize their goal.” The consequences of who emerges victorious will leave an enduring mark at the game’s narrative and also will herald the top of the beta period.
But simply because here’s an open-world title with a constantly evolving story does not imply that there is isn’t a planned endpoint. “This is not going to be something J.J. Abrams-like where everyone is left wondering concerning the ending.” Hanke says. “We are going to draw the narrative to a fulfilling conclusion, and it’s going to take roughly 24 months.” After that, dependent on the player reaction, Hanke says there may be a sequel or the team may spin-off right into a new experience entirely.
More information about the game’s global events can be found at the Ingress Google Plus page and the sport is out there for download for Android at the Google Play website. Have you ever had the chance to take a look at out the sport yourself yet? Tell us your thoughts within the comments below.