Upgrade to V 2.0
We the Mardi Gras Krewe of Ingress need your assistance!
As a cross faction event we participated in the Krewe of Chewbaccus Mardi Gras parade as a last mine first year mini krewe. We had throws, we had players, we had a great time, we even had a 5'x5' bike float!
This campaign is to help raise awareness of the Ingress participation in the parade, letting people know you can come march with us and the funds go towards upgrading the float to what it truly needs to be.
If we upgrade this float to its full potential it wont just sit in a garage except once a year either, we will bring it out for every First Saturday and all cross faction events and meet ups. It'll draw peoples attention to how much fun all of us have playing.
The existing float v1.0 breakdown
- 5'x5' Octagon trailer is an aluminum frame
- 1/2" plywood flooring
- 65ft of led strip lighting
- Awesome car stereo setup
- alot of zip ties
- 2 super heavy pirated car batteries
- 1 beat up cooler
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What we need: We need to turn the bike trailer into a bike itself:
- We need an adult tricycle $250
- Bigger off road tires $250
- Electric motor conversion kit $200
- Bigger sound system
- Better portal appearances/set up with a lot more lighting
- Dedicated rechargeable battery to power motor, sound AND lights $700
All modifications are ideas/mods taken from veteran floats already in the parade. It took them years of blood sweat and tears to get what they have. I'm ok with not learning the hard way.
Any left over money will be spent on ordering custom throws. Doubloons alone cost $.70 each to make. So if your walking a 4 mile parade route, you need at least 500 minimum. That's $350 just to literally throw away to the crowd for 1 person. Just regular beads are not allowed in this particular parade (permits).
A Good Effort:
As pictured, you don't really see a portal, but with the game sounds blaring and everyone staring down at their phones, some agents in the crowd figured it out and introduced themselves.
With better funding and more time our goal is for instant "That's an Ingress portal!" recognition. Something Niantic themselves would envy.
Risks & Challenges
This was our first year marching in the parade,
we came up short on throws, the float had its issues, but we all learned
a great deal.
Nothing says these modifications are going to work for the terrible New Orleans roads but we are very confident it'll be a lot easier on everyone with V2.0. The sooner we reach our funding the sooner we can build and field test to work out the kinks.
Who we are:
Wondering how all of this can even be pulled off yet?
I am a special effects artist &
ex properties master. I use to work for a touring Ice Show company. One of my many duties was actually
maintaining and repairing floats & princess carriages at location. I currently work in a
fabrication shop with every tool in the world available for use, along
with many other talents fabricators. It's how V1.0 was built so quickly, it looked like fun so they jumped in
Another member is a sound engineer
Others are computer repair experts
Others are... you get the idea
If its needed, someone probably does it for a living
Other Ways You Can Help
Just pass this along!
Getting word out is perfect
If you want to share knowledge of any of the above modification requests ie: brands to use or avoid, best bike tires for horrible terrain, best lighting options etc.
