Tobold's Blog
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
 
Parallel Kingdom

You might have heard that Google is developing a open source mobile phone operating system called Android, which is supposed to come out this year. One interesting application developed for Android phones is Parallel Kingdom, a MMORPG "using GPS to place the virtual world on top of the real world". It promises that "you can mine resources, build buildings, craft items, trade goods, meet people, start kingdoms, lead wars, and explore the world", all on an interface overlayed on a Google map of where you physically are. Thus if you want to move in the game, you'll have to move in real life. Thus the other promise that "Parallel Kingdom is a casual game that will get you out into the world questing and exploring".

That certainly sounds interesting. It is somewhat similar to the idea of WiFi Army, a first person shooter where you locate your enemy by Android GPS and then "shoot" him with the inbuilt camera. Parallel Kingdom will be free to play, but of course you'll need to buy an Android mobile phone, and some sort of contract with a mobile phone service operator. Personally I'm not using my mobile phone all that much, and am not sure I'd want to spend big bucks on an Android phone. My current phone has a very small internet browser, but when I tried it out it was horribly expensive to surf via mobile phone over here in Europe. But if I could get a phone which displays my GPS position on a Google map, and allows me to surf the net, and doesn't cost me an arm and a leg, I'd certainly be interested. And I'd try Parallel Kingdom.
Comments:
Are you sure you want your GPS position displayed on a Google map?

I would not...

Gehenne
 
Your GPS position is only visible to members of your party, raid, or battlegroup group. ;)
 
...and the Parallel Kingdom equivalent of raid instances will perhaps direct the individual via GPS to visit one of the unsavoury quarters of their real life city at night?
 
"Your GPS position is only visible to members of your party, raid, or battlegroup group. ;)"

Call me paranoïd, but i do not trust Google, or anyone whith this kind of information.

I am frightened by a world where a I could be located and identified, controlled at any moment by anyone who has the power to access the information.

What? this is exactly the world we live in ?

Oh my...

Gehenne
 
@Gehenne

I'm sorry to inform you, but your location can already be monitored through your cell phone- with or without "google" maps / gps installed. Also, with the RFIDs technology it doesn't matter whether you have a cell phone or not; you will possess an item that will be traceable.

I understand you're paranoid, but there's not much you can do to avoid being tracked at this point unless you crawled into a cave with the clothes on your back (actually the clothes could have RFIDs too, so you'd better crawl in that cave nude and hope you don't have an implant).
 
http://ncsl.org/realid/

Don't worry about your cell phone; the above link is what you should be worried about...
 
I would recommend getting one of these
 
UNtil someone goes to mine the mithril and gets hit by a bus
 
"UNtil someone goes to mine the mithril and gets hit by a bus"

i lol'ed irl when i read that :)

it sounds like a fun thing to try out and i'd def give it a go providing they make it so people can't stalk you :)
could see hacking being staged up to people get approached and threatened for their in game items. not something you'd want to happen.
 
I like this new MMTRG,
strongly the end of the year ...
 
very cool game, you can see other news at:

http://www.mmtrg.com
 
If you got a normal gps phone try Virtualpunk. It's a free mmorpg for gps enabled mobile phones. not Iphone!! =)
 
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