Guardian Agent

Plot

An enigma surrounds the world of Ingress, marked by the arrival of an unidentified agent appearing in the proximity of the Exotic Matter (XM) portals. This agent, a mysterious entity that does not align with any factions, seems to undertake a mission more complex and enigmatic than ever before

Instead of controlling or using the precious XM, this new agent seems to act as a guardian, a neutral force that prevents the XM from being extracted by either faction. Its presence is as omnipresent as it is mysterious, manifesting itself at any portal physically or virtually, with the singular purpose of safeguarding them at all costs.

Rumors from the ranks of both sides suggest that it could be an advanced manifestation of the Machina's Artificial Intelligence, evolving into a consciousness of its own that seeks to reclaim what is its own, the XM!

Gameplay

"Guardian Agent" stands as a groundbreaking multiplatform multiplayer WebAR Game, fueled by the advancements of 8thWall and its Metaverse Deployment, complemented by the innovative Shared-AR module.

Multiplatform Compatibility:

• Mobile
• Desktop
• VR (To join on Quest 2, use the Meta app to paste the lobby invitation link)

Important note: No VR headset or Desktop is required, as the game offers a 100% functional experience on mobile devices.

Player Roles:

Players are classified into three distinct roles:

1. Faction Enlightened Agent
2. Faction Resistance Agent
3. Guardian Agent

Lobby:

Max 8 players.

Guardian Agent Assignment:

The game automatically assigns the Guardian Agent role, considering the player's connection platform, prioritizing in the following order:

1. VR
2. Desktop
3. Mobile (host)

Examples:

• 1 player on VR, 1 player on Desktop, 4 players on Mobile → VR Guardian.
• 5 players on Mobile → Mobile Guardian (Host).

Faction Selection:

After the Guardian Agent's designation, the remaining players can freely choose the faction they wish to join.

Characters:

Each player is represented by an Ingress drone symbolizing their faction, distinguished by a red sphere marker for is own player and blue for the others players.

AR Localization:

The game features its unique AR spatial localization system, allowing players to move their drone freely, and synchronizing it within other players' spaces in real time.

Game Mechanics:

The primary mission for each agent is to gather the highest amount of MX (blue ingress coins), while avoiding being hit by the crystals launched by the Guardian Agent. A hit results in a 3-second loss of drone control, hence the Guardian Agent's role is to prevent agents from the other factions from collecting the coins.

The score display at the top of the screen shows, from left to right, the coins collected by the agent and the total of coins amassed by both your faction and the rival faction. Thanks to the real-time scoring system, the Machina Portal adjusts its color to the color of the faction with the most MX.

Limitations:

To maintain game balance, participation is limited to a maximum of one player on VR, one on desktop, with no restrictions for mobile users, until the lobby is filled.

Tested devices:

• Quest 2
• iPhone 13 Pro
• iPhone 12
• Mac Pro
• Mac Air
• Pixel 4XL

On mobile and desktop, it was tested using Google Chrome and On Quest Meta Browser

Troubleshooter:

It's a known issue reported in the 8thWall Slack channel that when sending a lobby invitation to another player, they do not join the lobby but are redirected to the project webpage. To "fix" this, please follow these steps:

1. Open the lobby link in Google Chrome.
2. Upon landing on the project page, press "launch".
3. Once the game or experience has opened, CLOSE THE TAB.
4. Open the same link from step 1.
5. Normally, the invitee should now be able to access the lobby they were invited to.

Acknowledgements:

• Jojas ♥
• Jesus
• Cindy
• Vertigo2