iPhone 4 - Playing with Location Services OFF (or "Parking" your spawn)
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- Baltimore
- Awakened
The following process has already been reported to GA as set forth below (as a bug).
I am publishing this for purposes of full disclosure and comment.
Hi, I noticed the following yesterday...
Basically you start with an active beacon in SC, and then, while at a physical location (A) you turn your phone's location services OFF (in the phone settings - not applicaiton settings). Thereafter, you go to any other physical location (B). While at physical location (B) you open SC and go to cloud view (or your purple beacon list) and jump to your personal beacon. Next, go to cloud view (a second time) and all beacons should eventually become viewable. To get back to your ealier physical location (A) (as a spawn spot), simply requires being banished by a spirit, etc. (if a beacon is not there). Once back at earlier physical location (A) Doms can be harvested there - no matter where you are now physically located (note - no beacon actually required at location (A)). Dewarp will not work - that seems to be the main downside. Turning the phone's location services back ON and opening SC returns to normal. However, turning back on location services temporarily without opening SC doesn't seem to undo the process.
I know that this results in something that looks similar to spoofing GPS, but its actually probably the opposite of spoofing GPS since the GPS is fully inactivated in the iPhone 4 settings when location services are turned off. COMMENTS INVITED
The procedure also allows for remote harvesting at location (A).
Other implications as well...
I have a normal iPhone 4 with no modifications.
I am publishing this for purposes of full disclosure and comment.
Hi, I noticed the following yesterday...
Basically you start with an active beacon in SC, and then, while at a physical location (A) you turn your phone's location services OFF (in the phone settings - not applicaiton settings). Thereafter, you go to any other physical location (B). While at physical location (B) you open SC and go to cloud view (or your purple beacon list) and jump to your personal beacon. Next, go to cloud view (a second time) and all beacons should eventually become viewable. To get back to your ealier physical location (A) (as a spawn spot), simply requires being banished by a spirit, etc. (if a beacon is not there). Once back at earlier physical location (A) Doms can be harvested there - no matter where you are now physically located (note - no beacon actually required at location (A)). Dewarp will not work - that seems to be the main downside. Turning the phone's location services back ON and opening SC returns to normal. However, turning back on location services temporarily without opening SC doesn't seem to undo the process.
I know that this results in something that looks similar to spoofing GPS, but its actually probably the opposite of spoofing GPS since the GPS is fully inactivated in the iPhone 4 settings when location services are turned off. COMMENTS INVITED
The procedure also allows for remote harvesting at location (A).
Other implications as well...
I have a normal iPhone 4 with no modifications.
Edited by Baltimore (Sept. 23, 2011 23:03:56)
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- Baltimore
- Awakened
I don't know anything about past bugs, so could you enlighten me on what was fixed before?
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- JxRK
- Awakened
Hmmm. I don't know how kosher this is...
Adjusting iPhone location service settings outside of the game to circumvent the designed mechanics inside the game to benefit yourself sounds like something Grey Area did not intend for. If they did, it would have been included in the game design in the first place.
Adjusting iPhone location service settings outside of the game to circumvent the designed mechanics inside the game to benefit yourself sounds like something Grey Area did not intend for. If they did, it would have been included in the game design in the first place.
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- Baltimore
- Awakened
Yes, I tend to agree... However, if the use of the technique is to simply make someone feel safer/more secure during gameplay (e.g., by not having to disclose their true home location via spawning), then I would tend to say that person's desire for a feeling of safety/security should override. I don't however think that its use for battle, or stealth attacks, or any similar purpose should be allowed (but hard to police). I am somewhat ambivalent on its use for harvesting (at least in the case of a security concern as mentioned above).
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- JxRK
- Awakened
Baltimore
However, if the use of the technique is to simply make someone feel safer/more secure during gameplay (e.g., by not having to disclose their true home location via spawning), then I would tend to say that person's desire for a feeling of safety/security should override.
I imagine that if an individual truly is concerned over a game/App compromising their safety/security by revealing their current physical location, they would avoid using that game/App altogether, instead of going through the trouble to work around intended game mechanics.
(I understand and take your point on general safety regarding location-based services... it's a careful balancing act in here.)
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- Hyac
- Awakened
No way does one's desire for "safety" can even come close to overriding the possibility for exploiting this glitch/mechanic/whatever you want to call it. The game says outright when you're downloading it from the app store that it's a GPS based game. Logic dictates that it HAS to know your physical location. Not comfortable with that? Don't play the game. No one has been forced to download it.
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- Baltimore
- Awakened
I fully understand each position stated. And also understand that there is a very real dark side to being able to park your spawn by simply visiting a place for a minute or two. Its clearly a bug that has to be dealt with (and/or any ability to park a spawn severly restricted). In the end GA will always have to contend with a balancing act of sorts...
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- CyroFlowBlade
- Arcanist
I kinda of like this. What if you go on vacation? for once u could keep your spawn parked at your home locations so u dont have to redo doms, and possibly lose your gateway or have it tAken over by enemies. and Hyac Personal Safety EASILY overrides the need of using gps even though game wants it.
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- Lakuja
- Awakened
Basically it was the same procedure that you described Baltimore. It was supposed to be fixed(at least that's how I understood it) when the improved client was published on start of global launch.