FOX Launches 'Terminator'-themed, location-based MMORPG
posted by Blake Patterson on September 24th, 2008 1:54 PM EDT in Featured, Free, Role-Playing, iPhone games, iPod touch games
FOX Broadcasting has launched a web and iPhone-based game called Ambush [App Store] that ties to its TV series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Ambush is a simplistic MMORPG that places the player in a virtual city and relies upon real-time iPhone GPS location information to track players within the game world.
The player must create an account at the web-based game site terminatorambush.com and choose to play as either a Human or a Terminator. The player's mission is simply to survive in a fight to either protect or eliminate Skynet, the self-aware computer network bent on destroying the world.
Ambush can be played either online or on the iPhone. The online player's goal is to predict the movements of their targets in the virtual city and set traps in an attempt to terminate their iPhone opponents. The iPhone player's goal is to survive within this virtual city by sending real-time GPS location information and avoiding traps set by their online opponents.
Web version of Ambush
The website's rules listing adds clarity to the gameplay:
Welcome to Skynet. Your goal is to earn as many points as possible by setting traps to terminate your iPhone opponents.
Each icon on this map represents an iPhone player. Red for Machines, White for Humans. Select an opponent from the map.
Your opponent's last 5 locations are displayed on the map. This path is based on the real movement of the iPhone player as he sends his location in real time.
If you wish to track this player you may add them to your Targets.
Your goal is to terminate your target by setting a trap in the location where you think your target will appear next.
Your trap is set. You will now wait for your target's next move.
You may reset your trap at any time or leave your trap where it is if you are certain your target will move to that location.
You can track up to 5 targets at a time.
A player's activity refers to how often they set their locations. A player's level is a reflection of their score.
Ambush [App Store] appeared today as a free download in the iTunes App Store. Obviously as more iPhone players jump onboard gameplay in the game's virtual world will become more active than it is, here on day one.
FOX's Ambush has beaten another upcoming location-based MMORPG to market: Parallel Kingdom, which we looked at back in March.
[ UPDATE 9/25: Ok, which one of you out there got me...??!! ]
Damn, I guess I'll have to plan for randomized routes in my daily commute, to avoid the traps set along the way to work… Wait, is that car following me? (looks suspiciously over my shoulder, then swerves violently down an alley)… This is a pretty awesome idea for a game. Way to tap into iPhone-envy to get people interested in participating in the trap-laying activities.
Interesting idea–I've been waiting for something like this, but I hadn't thought of having a computer-only role and an iPhone-only role.
(I assume your actual location is not directly used, but rather processed somehow to generate game-map locations?)
I've been enjoying the show… and free is free!
I'm trying to register on the website but after i fill out the form the registry button wont do anything. Tried firefox and safari. Whats the deal??
I found it hard to register too. Turns out it was just confusion over what items in the form were required… and where to click to enter those items!
For instance, ZIP is required, and easy to overlook. And your birth year needs 4 digits. Click below the labels to find the invisible text fields, or just tab through them.
If you see any little red asterisks after clicking register, they tell you something's missing or wrong on the form… but the location of the asterisks can be a little ambiguous.
Once I filled out the required items properly, registration only took a couple of seconds.
(And yes, the game map is imaginary, your actual location in the real world is not revealed to others–it just uses your real-world movement to move your in-game location.)
Yeah, i checked all the stuff, still didn't work. Server too busy maybe?
not sure how it would work, if you want to avoid an ambush, just don't broadcast your location. unless i missed something……………..
Could be. I know the iPhone app seemed to take a long time sending my location.
I have seen something very close to this before, but online though. It had a very big following and was a major hit.
I think this is an idea that has been done before on sms etc and has been done well i wish i had thought of this. This could be a massive hit and will show off what this device (and others can do) i will bear with this reg process as this is so amazing i can't wait to try it.
like i said before it has been done before but online though.
very happy bj
The iphone app just crashes back to the main screen when sending location info. As much as i'm looking forward to GPS games, this does not fill me with confidence.
OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!
this is free
bj
Sure, you can never publish your location and never get ambushed. You also won't get any points, as you get 50 points every time you update your location.
please forgive me. I am from the UK and indeed this app is b0llocks. what a load of crap it really is.
deleting now.
bj
I also can't get it to register. I double checked all the fields… bummer.
at least im not just crazy then. Someday we'll have Parallel Kingdom, maybe that will be a better representation.
Looks like their servers are overloaded or something. Pretty sad. Also, this game might be fun for a while, but I think it's the idea behind the game that's neat. I doubt we'll be playing or talking about this app in another week.
Its not available outside the US…
Don't know what it will be like as the user base grows (and server capacity catches up!).
What I do know is I got Terminated at Denny's
They got me…and on the bus ride home. So humiliating. :-\
http://toucharcade.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/terminated.jpg
I don't get it. I signed up online and logged in on the iphone, and I had teh option to press a big red button that says "Place coutner trap" the nteh only other thing I can do on the iphone is click "Send location" whihc jsut stops the program cold util I get bored of watiing for it to do soemthing else. The little red button has also been replaced with "Counter trap used" no matter where I am. I don't get it, is tehre anything at all that the iPhone app does?
It works fine in canada.
I just had to put a zip code in the field instead of a postal code.
So i might my canadian city and province but just did a zip code. Of course I only know one zip code – 90210
The iPhone app:
a) Moves you around the city (you must do so physically and then launch the app and Send Location. The more you do so, the more of a path your enemies will see to track you and guess where to place their traps. But you have to take that risk to get points.
b) Lets you place a counter-trap at your current location–ONCE per day. I haven't figured out if it matters whether you Send Location first. Maybe it Sends Location automatically anyway. But if someone tries to trap you and you're protected by your counter-trap at that location, they get terminated instead of you.
Does all this play out into something fun or strategic? This I cannot yet judge!
(There's certainly some strategy on the web end, where you see your enemies paths and can try to place a trap ahead of them–assuming enough people join who have transmitted more than ONE point. And on the phone end, the main strategy seems to be in moving in an unpredictable path. So if you're traveling in a straight line for a long time, you might want to NOT send your location much along the way.)
Second time I pressed to the button I died on the toilet.
Kind of like Elvis, but I'm not really dead…. WAIT A MINUTE!!
Boycott Fox — their media gave us Bush, who gave us thousands of dead troops and trillions in debt.
Fox is probably Skynet, secretly promoting international chaos and nuclear doom.
I say, play their free game, watch their free Terminator series (at least until Dollhouse comes along), and boycott the commercials with your DVR's Skip button
I also like how the site says that you accept the terms of use and privacy policy, but there are no links to view them. Handy.
can't get this register even after entering 90210 as the zip. i think i am just going to give up. i like how their main site is flash based. the iphone can't play flash retards
I don't think the game really works yet. I've moved around (and been terminated sometimes) but it still won't show a path for me. And when I look at others, they almost never show a path either, so placing traps is pure guesswork and not fun.
I don't know if this has the potential to be fun even once it's working, but I at least hope they do GET it working so I can find out
Weird that it's not working for everyone. I'm already up to my 8th kill and only died once. I'm 1st on the leaderboard! woo! go me!
I don't know if the leaderboard is for the zip code or for a larger area or what. I'm assuming it's not "the world".
Ambush dosent work on my ipod touch 2g :'( does anyone know why and how to fix it plz help iam really sad i was very excited to play this game plz help
thx so much
This game does not work on my iPod touch 2G can someone help me thx dlfor the help I really apreciate the help thx so much
This Program is a joke
Fox is gaga, donky
ore *******
S
Looks like a pretty neat game.