Parallel Kingdom: The iPhone's First MMORPG
posted March 21st, 2008 7:22 AM EDT by Blake Patterson in Role-Playing, iPhone games, iPod touch games
Imagine, if you will, a world inside your phone, parallel to the real world in which you toil through the typical ins and outs of daily life. An overlaying world, in a sense. What you are imagining is the Parallel Kingdom.
Parallel Kingdom is the iPhone's first MMORPG (or Massively Multi-player Online Role Playing Game). It was designed not as merely a PC-style game ported to a phone but with next generation gameplay that makes sense on and takes advantage of the mobile platform as the main objective.
Parallel Kingdom places the virtual world on top of the real world using the GPS inside your phone. Attack, dance, hug or team up with anyone around you. Set up trade routes, craft items or even create your own kingdom.
Wherever you are, you can open your phone and play, whether you're on the bus, walking down the street, or at home. Anywhere in the world, any time of the day. Parallel Kingdom never stops, you play it when you want and where you are.
Parallel Kingdom seeks to transform the droll commute to the office into a harrowing journey through adventureland where one never knows what dangers lurk around the next corner. It's an innovative concept that obviously depends to a large degree on the number of players in your geographic area. But as Justin Beck, the CEO of Parallel Kingdom (the company) points out, there's still fun to be had for those fairly isolated from other players.
The GPS controls what part of a neighbourhood you are in and from that location you can then move your character within a couple block radius of your actual location. Giving you the freedom to explore while still being completely location based.
Not all of the game dynamics in Parallel Kingdom require other people to be immediately present, so there is still quite a bit of game play for those who don't have any other players right near them.
Gameplay will be quite different depending on your location, for example: New York vs South Dakota. This will make Parallel Kingdom fascinating, especially for travellers. We're excited to see what comes from it.
Parallel Kingdom will debut later this year on the iPhone and Android platforms. We're anxious to see how this title develops and hope that there's enough richness to the game to carry it through the initially sparse payer community at first launch.
The developer has posted a few videos on its website:
What with head down doing mobile IM, twittering, and now this – I'm gonna end up cracking my skull on a lightpost. :-\
if they can do this well, it seems like it would be amazing.
How flippin cool is this? That's so exciting. Something like this sounds like it would be so much fun!!! :]
Am I missing something?
If it's that dependant on GPS, how is it going to work on the iPhone?
The iPhone can somewhat roughly triangulate its position based on known cell tower location as well as known WiFi hotspots. This is how the self-locate button in the Maps application works. Obviously it will work better in a metropolitan area than a corn field, but it works fairly well in many settings.
Will this work on an iPod Touch?
Has it been released?
Not been released, should work on the iPod Touch using the Wifi-triangulation.
arn
The new 3G iPhone launching in June will have GPS.
So basically, the iphone can locate everyone else nearby with an iPhone using this game?
So lets say a mugger looking to steal an iPhone uses his iPhone to locate anyone else with one, and then can track them until they're somewhere quiet?
Just a quick thought there
Imagine using you're invisibility cloak to hide.
nutty!
it's not hard to find someone with an iPhone. Just look around… they're everywhere. I don't think you need location positioning to pull off a theft.
Also, if this is going to work with Android as well, there is no 'guarantee' that another player will have an iPhone… it could be a trashy Razr or HTC or some such nonsense.
The game concept sounds intriguing to me.
Although an awesome idea, I think it opens up for abuse and the invasion of privacy. Snooping and lurking will never be the same..
To those who are arguing privacy infringement, it is solely up to the player of the MMO to put themselves at risk. I mean, I'm pretty sure anyone who is going to play this game is well aware that they can track, and be tracked, by activating it; therefore, should be responsible for any actions inflicted on them from playing the game.
Props to the creators, who just provide the technology. ;]
it would work much better if the game had different zones and your starting zone/class/race/culture consisted of the 50-100 closest players whether that be your aparment complex or the entire continent of africa. This way everyone can start in a place they call home and the end zones are just relative distances away from where you started playing
Also it is up to the players to reveal their actual location and if someone travels they could bring back some exotic goods to trade
I dont think people will walk around a few block radius and all of a sudden run into a creep knowing they are close to each other in real life. Too creepy!!!
is not a MMORPG is a MMTRG for Mobile Multiplayer Trans-Reality Games
would this be compatible with the ipod touch if it used postal codes or google maps??
Holy Crap… did you see the screen shots… they make me feel like im playing one of the original Gameboy's… This is a great idea… that will fail miserably… and all of its thunder will be stolen by the developer that does it right… (using good graphics and animation)… You cant even see what your wearing or what weapon your holding…. your just a head mving around with other heads…. really?
Damn i need an Iphone but i live in the north of Germany.. I think there are no people in my region who really would use it… but…
GREAT IDEA!
i love to see the new Starwars MMORPG on iphone, scaled down is okay, since i can experience the full game when i'm home..