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Pois on tiny "islands" that can only be reached by boat or by private ferry
Gazzas89-PGO
Posts: 2,619 ✭✭✭✭✭
Just wondering how these are looked at, im fairly sure they are OK but just wanted to check. First example would be a lighthouse that can only be reached by boat, there is safe landing for said boat that would allow you to walk up to it but its not accessible from mainland or from a decent sized island, only by a small boat. I assume this is OK but I figured it could be a grey area as its not entirely safe to walk to
Second one would be a decent sized island but that the only way to it is to either own a boat or pay for a private ferry. This one i could also see as being om, though does seem questionable that its only accessible to people willing to pay private or own a boat
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Niantic does not seem to be fond of wayspots that "can only be reached by [small] boat." They purged several in Michigan last year.
And lighthouses are a sensitive subject, because:
You should probably only submit lighthouses that are clearly safely accessible, because if it looks difficult to reach, it's likely to get yanked for the first "pedestrian access" complaint.
I'd say no to the small lighthouse island, but yes to the larger one, provided it's otherwise safe to traverse on and doesn't contravene something like PRP. Presumably there's more to do on the larger island than just interact with a waypoint.
I successfully submitted a POI on an island that is reached only by a ferry. The island is small, it contains a boatworks/boat tour venue, a private house and a bowls club. My nomination was the bowls club, and it was approved first time, luckily! So I think if it is a valid POI and you can stand safely by it, then it can be said to have safe pedestrian access even if you need a boat to get to the island.
The small island is just castle.ruins from.what I could tell, again I think it was ok, just didn't seem to fit with the spirit of any of the games to have to pay for a private ferry (im notnagainst public ferries as thats basically public transport) or own a boat to reach it
I get that, and it's not a complete comparison, but the Niantic stance in the past has been not to deny areas for being pay gated alone - museums, zoos, science & art centers - Disney World, even. I know you're explicitly asking about "small islands," but the same can be stretched a little bit to places like Hawaii or other even smaller islands. Obviously safe pedestrian access, but you'd have to pay you go to.
Without any other details, I'm inclined to believe both examples you provided are eligible. Casey's comments have been that if you can congregate at the POI (see https://community.wayfarer.nianticlabs.com/discussion/comment/14561/#Comment_14561 "[...] there looks to be seating on the roundabout which makes it seem like they expect people to be on it and that there is access to it." If you can safely congregate there, the means of transportation to get there seem less relevant.
Difficult to access portals are a huge advantage in Ingress and are highly sought after. Something on a tiny island that can only be reached by boat, plane, helicopter, etc. makes it a fun challenge to capture and control. Unlike other games, it's not what you get from the wayspot (as in items), but what you can achieve using the wayspot. They also make for some of the best adventures and travel stories.
As for the other games, who knows maybe there are local players that could appreciate a Pokestop or Inn - as long as there is some form of safe access.
Good question! In general, I would say that both of these are fine so long as there is safe access via land.
For example, a lighthouse on a small island that is only accessible by boat / ferry would be eligible if there's a public dock or some other way for players to approach on foot once they've docked.
What would be ineligible would be some sort of buoy or other object anchored in the sea not accessible by foot, since it technically doesn’t have pedestrian access.