This was my very first large operation – so how did this happen. And what did I learn along the way?
One or two days before Bristol I got approached by an experienced ENL agent. My qualification – being in the right place (Deal – that is next to the Channel – I can see France in good weather if I walk for 100m out of the house) and having gained trust by a) organizing a local FS and b) going to an Anomaly.
I happily signed up and offered my own town as target – only to be told that it was no good (not enough links, would link via Brugge). I didn’t dare going east – as there is a group of well organized Resistance in that area. So we went West instead – looking at portal rich but not much fought after Folkestone and Dover.
Freshly signed up, I met a Belgium player in Bristol a day later to be handed over 296 keys for the Starburst. As a theory crafter I had nice plans and intel on paper – but I lacked any field experience or connections from earlier operations. Bristol did help as I managed to form connections – but most would have to travel up to 100km to come to the coast. And off course we had the FS shortly after for recruiting – but try to be organizer and jot down scores for Resistance players while secretly recruiting players. Good that they didn’t stay as long as us – so at least 2 hours after the event there was finally an opportunity to chat about the event. And at that stage I had a core group of 5 players. Enough for 2 groups of 2 and me a sole player.
With the date getting closer numbers increased – we reached as many as 12 agents who wanted to participate – only to drop again down to 9 just hours ahead of the event and 2 agents couldn’t stay until we really got started.
During this time I went through phases – do I have too many keys, do I have not enough? The channel is a well fought over place. We had a very narrow channel of approach from Antwerp. That was good for clearing – but it opened up 100 km coastline from Neuwpoort to Boulogne and >50 km from Dungeness to Margate with the possibility to throw just a single blocking link.
This was my nightmare scenario – going through all the organization and then to be unable to do even a single link due to a clever RES blocker. Especially as blocking myself ran into troubles – I had no keys from the other side and didn’t know anyone there. I even contemplated to hop over to France to do some blocking myself.
But if you can’t do it yourself – outsource it. In this case I outsourced all the difficult work to my friendly Resistance agents.
My friendly local RES partner in crime agent Momintr0ll for the FS had captured the local pier – the only place you can’t block in our town. From there several links sprang up to go up the coast and protect linking from there and to funnel the whole stretch from Calais to Dunkerque with a single portal 5 min from my home. Thank you – I owe you a drink for that.
Res agent Hal20000 – my Dover Nemesis – nicely blocked all of East Dover to East Folkestone. Res agent Eldritchfox from Folkestone kindly provided the anker for a field to Canterbury – protecting us from nasty links inland. Not sure who added the extra link from the Maidstone area to Calais.
Off course – non of the RES agents was aware in the slightest how nicely they helped us along. Not all RES links are necessarily beneficial. We endured 36 hours of panic when a link Dover – France appeared from one of the Dover Lighthouses which currently is reachable one day a year or from Summer (?) onwards when 3 years of building work are finally finished.
Thanks to French agent Absha taking care of that for us. We would have needed a boat otherwise.
The final week of the event arrived and Niantic dropped a bombshell on us – the Dark XM event. This made linking across the channel even more interesting to agents. My horror therefore when I noticed a link from Nieuwpoort to Foulness – a famous place with lots of anker portals. My fear got (unfortunately) alleviated by being told that is just a couch portal and will be taken down on the day.
I still considered to hop over and get some extra target keys as well as keys along the coast when ENL UK Suffolk approached me as they also wanted to take part in the event. My first question – do you have keys. Off course not – where should they come from if you decide late and the target is 240 km away with half of that distance water.
So, I changed my mind once more and a day later I was on a ferry on a daytrip to Dunkerque – France. Leaving house 6:45 in the morning, arrival France 11:00 – return home 23:30. That left me around 9 hours in France/Belgium to do some shopping, meet with an agent for extra keys and do some Ingress play.
Kludster herself drove all the way from Antwerp to Dunkerque to drop an additional 300 keys for us (100) and Suffolk (200). This would not be the last time she would have to go out of her way to help us. It was a privilege to meet her and to chat during an early lunch about the operation.
What followed was probably the most fateful (wrong) decision I made during this operation. With best intentions in mind I went to Nieuwpoort to do 3 missions and do an early clearing of the sea front. I also collected some keys for the most Western portal linking to Foulness – offering me the opportunity to drop the pier in Deal early and replace it with links under my own control.
Earlier I reported how well Resistance agents helped is during the event. Now I have to report how Enlightened agents nearly sabotaged us completely. But I will leave these agents unnamed. While in Nieuwpoort I noticed another link to Foulness springing up. I assumed this is our local contact – so didn’t think too much about it. By the time I was back in the UK links reached as far West as De Panne – and all my collected keys from the coast were useless as all were blocked. That wasn’t enough – a low level local agent started micro-fielding from my strategically left portals for linking across.
I was told not to worry. Wrong decision again. Well – you learn. 17:15 UK time was when everything started in Antwerp. 220 km away. I saw 2 agents staring to clear Nieuwpoort and all looked pretty good. Glued to the screen I followed intel. My 4 agents for the Folkstone operation moved into the area around 18:00. I had 1 agent waiting in Dover and 3 more agents met me at my house for a last dispatch and to watch and wait in a warm and cozy environment.
The corridor slowly got cleared. All looked to go faster as I hoped. One RES blocker after the next went down. Only the micro fields and ENL blockers to Foulness remained. We had one last link from Thanet scheduled for takedown at 19:30 – thanks to agent StPetersBob taking down his own link and portal for us. The Dover crews left my place and I made my way to the pier after I finally was able to peel myself off the screen following the action.
Deal Pier was the last to go. After that 2 groups of 2 each would link each from Dover and Folkestone. The Folkstone crew ready at the Lighthouse. The Margate link was still up when we surpassed the former Belgian record. Suffolk had started to link as well since a while. Emergency talks to send someone to Margate but the agent there finally responds – a 20 min delay – but there are still around 10 links going to Foulness.
Some action from Resistance – they block the whole coast Duinkerque to Nieuwpoort. Thanks !! No last minute surprises then (I thought). But all that doesn’t help. We still have blocked ourselves.
20:30 – over 3 ¼ hour into the operation – and no response from Nieuwpoort. My own agents waiting now for 2 hours or longer – unable to do anything start to become restless. I realize a noob mistake – I left my charger at home. After all – the pier was supposed to be a 10 min job. What do I need a charger for?
20:45 – we are told 3 agents of their way. Better late then never ! The Euphoria doesn’t last long. Five minutes later and disaster strikes.
Res agent HAL20000 whom we assumed might cause us trouble as local Dover player drops a link from Maidstone far land inwards to France. The four agents in Folkestone are completely blocked even before we have started. We should not have dropped the Lighthouse yet. To add insult to injury – our local Maidstone agent who could easily drop that link is part of the Folkestone crew.
21:00 – a difficult decision but we relocate the Folkestone agents over to Dover. At least the first of the links to Foulness from de Panne is gone. Finally progress.
21:20 – the overall count reaches 5500 – we haven’t yet contributed a single link. I’, still on vigil at the Pier in Deal. Still micro fields up in Nieuwpoort – still most links to Foulness up – but I spot Kludster herself leading the charge to get us finally a corridor to link through.
21:38 – more then 2 hours after we intended to start – and I finally drop the Pier. Only to be told there is still a last blocking link left. Nothing I can do here but relocate and hope.
Still one micro link and one blocking link in the way. My agents want to get the blocker out of the way – operator doesn’t want to send Kludster back and force. I’m in the car now on my way to my own target area. Can’t drive and follow intel – have to leave it to the other agents and the Belgium crew.
6400 links in so far. But the speed of new links is slowing down a lot.
22:01 – a huge cheer. The very first link goes in. But soon the Dover crew discovers some issues. Some portals don’t link. One ENL agent has accidently thrown a cross link.
Some local low level agent is happy about the unexpected windfall of MU he can get. Kludster heads after the poor agent.
10:49 – we are running out of portals fast. 3 groups linking in an area planned for at least one group but ideally two. It doesn’t even matter that we had one group drop out before linking even started. The original Folkestone crew decides to head home. They still have a long drive ahead.
I’m happily linking one portal after the other myself on the Western Heights. The reason for froups of 2 – we need to reach level 6 ¼ to be able to link far enough. Or use a LA for each individual portal as I do. No lighting – but I have a head torch and been in that area. Main danger is a slip down some stairs.
10:58 – a Spoofer is spotted to attack the portal directly. 21 hour old account in an area that is not accessible and it is now nearly Midnight in Antwerp. He manages to take down 2 Aegis before he gets banned. We didn’t have enough drama already it seems.
11:30 – Dover pretty much linked out. Battery has run out on my head torch. Still some possible portals in my area but only in an area where you are advised to stay out after darkness. So one remaining group and myself.
Only have a quick glance on the map but misjudge the corridor and drive to a nearby area with portals but links not possible.
11:52 – 442 links needed to reach world record. And we are the group with the most keys left. The starburst afterparty gets announced. Hey – we are still in the field and work !!
12:08 – past Midnight local time (an hour later in Belgium). The original Folkestone Crew has done us a last favour and dropped the Maidstone link to France. Only 3 agents left. Nearly 7 hours after start of the operation and we finally start linking from Folkstone. We know every single link counts – but are there enough keys still out apart of ours.
12:34 – all agents apart us three are home. We are on 8102 total links. We really can do it.
12:41 – 6 links left. I take a wrong turn and might miss my chance to do the link that brings us above 8163.
12:43 – WE HAVE DONE IT. Next goal more then 8192 links. Is this even possible?
12:49 – We reach 8195 but new links come in at a crawl.
A more local view
Approx. 2:00 in the morning. We are tired and exhausted. We still have some keys but we call it a night. I take some last stock and do 12 more portals on my way home between Folkestone and Dover.
Just past 3:00 – and I’m safely home. We reached 8313 links
7:02 – nearly 4 hours of sleep or was that turning around in bed because I had trouble to sleep? I’m checking what happened over night. Someone must have still been linking and we reached 8403 links max at 4:52.
The partner of one of our agents is on the way to Dover to get 250 km links in. Portal still up. She has 5 keys. I decide to take my son with me (lvl 5 agent) and meet up with her. Total number of links has gone down a little but maybe we can bring it back up. Sun is up – so we can tackle the remaining portals on the Western Heights.
7:53 – back in action. A cemetery with multiple portals wasn’t linked during night. We get the first links in. My son struggling with his phone.
8:53 – seems we manage a full hour of more linking. Portals are further apart – we don’t count – but likely 2 dozen more links go in before the portal is flipped. It is nice to play Ingress in company after a lonely night mainly on my own (not counting various communications).
Our group was likely the one which likely had the highest ratio of wasted keys. And we added to this the highest amount of drama during the operation.
The team:
Kludster (The Boss)
DrThod: Lead operation UK Folkestone/Dover
xSoylentGreen, Todgrim: Team Dover – then Folkstone
Jaitch, Munchyrose1, Squibby666, Zeebass, – Team Folkestone (relocated to Dover)
Shane89, ZarhaG – Team Dover, retired before links started
VerdisgrisDragon, HachitoBeak – early morning agents
KellyKap0ski – original operator
Roarex – late shift operator