If you’ve somehow managed to snag the iPhone this holiday season, head on over to the App Store and check out the litany of free apps for accessorizing the coolest phone of 2009. For those familiar with the Mafia Wars applications on Myspace or Facebook, but always felt like it would be exponentially cooler if it used GPS and you could carry it around with you… definitely check out MeanFreePath’s Turf Wars, which costs exactly $0 and is a lot of fun. Your Gaming Angels are fans of developing gaming companies, so when we had a chance to catch up with Turf Wars creator and MeanFreePath LLC. CEO, Nick Baicoianu, we jumped at the opportunity. Check out our interview below, and if you have an iPhone be sure you download this free App to support them!
Q: Tell us more about your role in the creation of Turf Wars and MeanFreePath.
A: I am the creator and lead developer on Turf Wars. I am also the founder and CEO of MeanFreePath LLC. I have a long history as a web engineer, working with social applications, mostly social music. After getting my hands on an iPhone earlier this year, I started playing around with the SDK and developed a few location-based apps for fun. With the release of OS 3.0 (with embeddable maps), things really started to fall into place for me. I had the idea for Turf Wars and realized it was time to start my own company.
I'll take all of the guns, please.
Q: What was the inspiration behind the game?
A: I started thinking, “How can I make something really fun out of this new, portable GPS capability?” I know people tend to have a strong affection for where they live, and many even represent it on their person, whether it be their area code, zip code or whatever. I thought, “what if I was to take that natural tendency of people and use it in a game where they can claim parts of their own hometown?” I had a feeling players would be much more interested in controlling places they were familiar with – “this is my favorite bar, this is my house, this is where I get coffee every morning, etc.” That focus on the local would also make it more likely that players would be battling against people they actually know. Furthermore, the social nature of the game allows you to get to know surrounding enemies or allies that you may not already. Games are always more fun when they’re personal, and Turf Wars is no exception.
Q: How does the game work exactly? And where does the GPS technology play into it?
A: After running a few low-level missions to give them enough cash to work with, new players can claim surrounding Turf by standing nearby it with their iPhone or iPod Touch. The GPS plots their location on the Turf Map and lets them select an area(s) up to 1 kilometer away. Players are then able to name that particular piece of Turf appropriately (“Smitty’s Pub”, “The Electric Factory”, “Ur Mom’s Place”). As long as they have enough money, they can keep accumulating Turf anywhere they go, until they reach the cap for their particular level. They can also branch out from their existing Turf holdings as well. Frequent combat is encouraged and guaranteed because more populated pieces of Turf earn players significantly more money. After toughening themselves up a bit, players can choose to attack rival crooks, or just particular pieces of the Turf they control. It’s easier and safer to chip away at high-level players’ holdings slowly, and with help, rather than just gunning for them directly. You can attack at any time of the day or night, so it helps to find out when people sleep.
Q: The GPS technology sounds like a great integration to game play, at least in the way that people can play socially with others in their area. How do you see this changing mobile (or specifically iPhone) gaming in general?
A: What GPS does for Turf Wars is two-fold. While you have the obvious social up-side of playing locally, the GPS also introduces a concept of scarcity that is more or less absent from other games in the genre. While that may sound kind of academic, what it means is that, instead of having the ability to own limitless amounts of high-value property in a vacuum, high-value property in Turf Wars is being eyed up and schemed on by everyone playing the game in that area. Specific places have real in-game worth and that generates a real in-game economy. There are limits to what can be realistically acquired and large numbers of people are consistently clawing after the same crown jewels. This leads to much more heated competition throughout the game and lends a serious advantage to the strategy-minded player. I definitely see GPS integration being a big trend in the mobile and larger gaming market. I know it because my customers tell me it’s what turns them on to Turf Wars. There’s just something cool about knowing that you’re competing and collaborating with your neighbors – your gaming arena is your own city. The reality is that ability to incorporate GPS with gaming is very much brand new. I am thoroughly excited to see how the market evolves in the coming year and beyond.
Q: Will MeanFreePath be integrating GPS capabilities in future games?
A: Absolutely! The GPS concept is very new and adds some very interesting benefits as well as some unique challenges to the social MMO concept. We’re always tweaking and evaluating gameplay based on user feedback and data. We look forward to applying the expertise gained from Turf Wars to other GPS-based games in the future!
Q: What can we look forward to in general from MeanFreePath?
A: For the time being, we’ll be concentrating our time on making Turf Wars the absolute best experience it can possibly be. We have some pretty sophisticated alliance features coming to the game in the next few weeks that are an absolute first for the genre, as well as some other notable items that we’ll be rolling out shortly. Turf Wars’ popularity is starting to explode in all kinds of places, and we feel like the sky is the limit. As far as the MeanFreePath’s future, outside of Turf Wars, we certainly have some big things in mind, but nothing we’re quite ready to talk about just yet.
Posted on December 25th, 2009 at 9:54pm by RachelZoe
Filed Under: Angel Life
Some may think it hard to figure out what to get that MMO fan in their life. Would they want cases of energy drinks? Maybe a grill so they can cook while raiding like Vork from The Guild? Well never fear as I’ve compiled a list of gifts that you can get for that MMO fan, and I’m not just talking about World of Warcraft! In this MMORPG Holiday Guide we also have ideas for gamers playing Aion, Lord of the Rings Online, Guildwars, Warhammer Online and Age of Conan. I’ll also go into some peripherals that any MMO gamer would love to have. To start off, I’ll focus on some of the other popular MMOs and gifts that you can snag for your friends or family.
An easy start is to get them something new to play! Aion ($46.99) is the newest MMO to be released and has been getting some rave reviews. Released by NCSoft in September 2009, there has been a steady buzz around the game, and I’ve known several people who have given up other MMOs to play this one. From all I’ve seen and read it’s a pretty solid game, and will appeal to most fans of the genre. And if they’re already playing Aion, why not snag them one of the cool shirts that Jinx just released?
If your friends or family are already playing another game, you can always buy them game time via cards or offer to pay for in game items to help them boost their characters or explore new regions. Blizzard sells pre-paid cards for game time in World of Warcraft ($29.99) and so does Warhammer Online($29.99), Age of Conan ($25.99),and Lord of the Rings Online ($29.99). These will give them 60 days of free time to play in their game of choice!
Tactx keyboard from Alienware
For the World of Warcraft fan, I found many things that one could buy, but I’ve narrowed it down to just a few products. First off, from the official store I have to recommend either Murky or Lurky ($15 each) plush dolls for either kids or for adults (My Murky sits on the top of my computer). Also along the kids line, if you have a guildmate or friend who just had a new baby or is expecting, I highly recommend the “My Other Stroller is [Epic]“ onesie from Jinx. For the more grown up WoW fan, you can also get a Horde or Alliance appropriate beanie so that they can show their pride throughout the winter! In general the majority of the WoW collection at Jinx is pretty awesome, and it’s all reasonably priced. There are also the new in game pets you can buy from the pet store: the Pandaren Monk and Lil’ KT who is the most adorable lich!
Now if you want to get your friends some new gaming peripherals, I recommend checking out the latest Alienware line which I have previously covered. The TactX mouse and keyboard are a little more pricey, but they’d be a great gift idea, especially if they’re in need of an upgrade. Also in November, Creative will be releasing special WoW themed headsets that look great and will help show your Horde or Alliance Pride! Another great item that you could get is the Xeno by Bigfoot networks. Cherithe recommended this in our gadget gift guide, and it’s definitely worth repeating! The Xeno is a great plug-and-play card that will prioritize gamng by bypassing your OS which enables smoother playing and voice chatting.
Now the other gift idea that you can do is for those fellow players who want to get something nice for an in-game friend or guildmate. You can save up to get them a vanity pet, money for a new mount, or some new armor. It’s thoughtful, and something that will surprise them to see in their mailbox or a trade window! There are also the new in game pets that Blizzard released which you can buy from the online pet store: the Pandaren Monk who does some impressive kung fu and Lil’ KT who is the most adorable little lich!
I hope that this guide can help you out with some ideas for that MMO fan in your life. Have a great holiday and spread some /cheer!
It was a summer day when it happened again. The sun hung high in the sky, the temperature found itself comfortable around 75, so naturally I was inside playing Left 4 Dead. Ever since the Survivor DLC, my Xbox 360 had been acting, well… weird. Freezing on the loading screens became a daily occurrence. Frustrating, but bearable; at least it wasn’t a Red Ring of Death. That is, until it was. Call me an idealist, but I thought that Microsoft would never let the same customer get Red Ringed twice — No way, they’d fixed it. Sure there were horror stories buzzing around message boards of gamers who had Red Ringed six, seven times, but of course that could never happen to me, right?
Twice? Really?
If the term “fangirl” is appropriate here, I’ll take it, but I truly had faith in Microsoft fixing my Xbox when it broke the first time. I didn’t know the word “fixed” meant, “yeah we got it working, but it’s hugely likely that it will break again next year”. Just like I’ve accidentally bought almost every Nintendo system without even realizing it, I make sure that if there’s a choice that I go with the Microsoft version of whatever is being offered. I traded in my iPod nano for a 30g Zune, I bought a new PC instead of a Mac, and I staked my claim in the 360 being superior to the PS3. These decisions have been based on how I perceive Microsoft as a company. I liken this to people talking about how Star Wars is so widely popular because of the potential appeal that universe has. No matter how badly George Lucas abuses and embarrasses his fans, they come back because it could be good again.
Perhaps it’s an unfair and far-fetched comparison (because George really needs to just knock it off), but when you’ve spent your whole life continually buying a product that breaks, maybe there is something wrong with loving an ideal. And it’s not even that the products break, but having a support system in the absolutely likely event that something goes down seems like common sense. December 31, 2008 (better known as Dead Zune Wednesday), all 30g versions of Microsoft’s Zune went into a day-long loading mode. I guess when you’re designing something that has dates in it, you’d better make sure it can process the idea of a leap year. When the Zune couldn’t, it simply stayed in its loading mode until the batteries died. The response from Microsoft? “Oops. Wait until tomorrow, it should be fine by then”.
Really, Microsoft? One day the Netflix service on Xbox Live was acting a bit glitchy, so guess what? The very next day Netflix offered a 2% discount off of the current monthly bill due to its customers not being able to use their service. They didn’t have to do this, but they did because they value their customers and are apparently not beyond admitting when a mistake is made, followed by doing their best to make up for it. It’s like some kind of commercial alchemy, where if a customer doesn’t receive what is promised, you offer something equal to make up for it.
Pictured : Things that break.
Now, Dead Zune Wednesday was a disaster for those of us who rely on their mp3 player to make it through the day, and Microsoft’s apathetic response to the glitch (I didn’t know “wait it out” was a customer-friendly option?) was different than their response to a broken Xbox; at least when you Red Ring, you receive a month of free Live service every time. But has this ever been a problem for Apple? Or Sony? Or even Nintendo, for crying out loud?
All of this brings me to my main point : Why keep buying broken products? I’d like to blame the console wars, which create an environment where a speedy delivery is favored regardless of how faulty the product turns out to be later. But then what about the Zune? And why can’t Windows Vista go into screen-saver mode when someone uses it with a wireless mouse (which I might add was purchased directly from the Microsoft store)? Do people and departments at Microsoft even talk to each other?
In the end, I suppose all of this complaining amounts to nothing; I’m still going to invest in the lesser of two evils, which in my opinion is Microsoft’s family of technologies. As consumers, do we have an obligation to hold corporations feet to the fire and demand a better product? I WANT to buy Microsoft… I think Xbox Live is pretty much the greatest thing ever. My Zune is superior to an iPod in every way that I’m interested in. I enjoy getting more computer for my money than I would with a Mac. I don’t think it’s too much to ask that my experience in even one of these venues be fail-free.
PS – Disagree? Let me know. I’d love to have a discussion about this.
Today has been so hectic! I’ve been running all day. I had to take this in one take so hopefully it’s not too bad. I tried putting in more pictures. I’m going to have to mess around with getting actual b-roll in it. Now I’m off to go speak to a college. I hope you all enjoy today’s edition of the 5@5!
xoxo,
Trina
Posted on November 17th, 2009 at 7:47pm by GamingAngel
Filed Under: Angel Life
Well it’s sort of live. You get to see me! I’m using the awesome Kodak Zi8 to bring you today’s top 5 game news items. I bet you could guess, but yes, Modern Warfare 2 is still one of them. We’ll see if we can mix things up later in the week.
Please let me know what you think about the video!
xoxo
Trina
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=30329605-5c20-43a5-ba16-601762eb84f2)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=30e73ab1-9094-49a4-962a-4360b6de8a37)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=1730b525-6311-40d3-9a7e-39b6a2ab99c1)
