Volatile Scout Controller Portals
NianticBrian
Niantic › admin
The Scanner and Intel Map will now display Volatile Scout Controller Portals (VSCPs) using a yellow Portal marker. VSCPs are high-priority Target Portals that, going forward, now earn 3 Scout Controller Points towards the Scout Controller medal when Agents claim its Scout Controller status. Like Volatile Portals in an XM Anomaly setting, this set of VSCPs is also expected to shift and change over time; it is not a static set. The visual marker (the icon) may also change over time.
VSCPs also allow us to experiment with scaling Portal markers globally across the Portal Network that can provide Agents with additional information about each Portal in the future.
FAQ:
Q: Are Scout Controller Points for VSCPs backfilled on my current Scout Controller medal?
A: No, the VSCPs and the 3 Scout Controller Points for VSCPs begin today with the identification of these Volatile Portals, going forward.
Q: If I’m already Scout Controller on a Portal and earned 1 Scout Controller Point, can I still earn up to 3 Scout Controller Points towards the Scout Controller medal?
A: Yes, but this isn’t backfilled or granted automatically. If you’ve already earned 1 Scout Controller Point towards a now Volatile Scout Controller Portal, you can earn 2 additional Scout Controller Points towards that same Portal if you re-claim Scout Controller status. Please note that re-claiming Scout Controller requires you to overtake another Agent’s Scout Controller status on a Portal. If you are currently the Scout Controller on the VSCP, even if it has been more than 30 days since your most recent Portal Scan, scanning the same Portal again extends but does not re-claim Scout Controller status.
Q: In the future, if the set of VSCPs updates after I’ve already claimed Scout Controller status on a given Portal, will that have any effect on my Scout Controller medal?
A: No, the Scout Controller medal isn’t automatically affected. Your total Point Count towards your Scout Controller medal will neither be reduced nor automatically increased.
Q: Can I hide or disable the VSCP markers?
A: No, currently VSCP markers are visible to all Agents globally.
Q: “Portal Scans?” More like "Environment Scans." No one is scanning only the Portal.
A: The surrounding area within 40m of a Portal can be useful mapping data to help place the Portal into the AR map. An “Environment Scan” may be a clearer name, and it means we can better anchor Portals in the right place and position in its environment, complementing lat/long information about the Portal. Agents scanning the Portal and also its environment or surrounding area are providing high-quality Portal Scans that improve the Portal Network.
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