Mobile Omega Battle
Overview
On November 6, 2004, the Mobile Technology Group held the first test of its Capture The Flag variant,
Mobile Omega Battle, or MOB. Like the Cell Phone Scavenger Hunt,
one of the primary goals of the game was to explore how mobile technology (in this case, cell phones)
could enhance or change the dynamic of an existing, well-known game. While developing the rules for the game,
our goal was to provide so many tasks and responsibilities for the players that it would be impossible to
win unless they worked together and developed a strategy that (hopefully) included
coordinating using their cell phones. By explicitly encouraging this type of interaction, we hoped to highlight the aspects of the game that were more interesting as a result, and ultimately further our understanding of how mobile technology affects social interaction.
MOB was played with three teams of four people. Each team competed to gain the most points by the end of the game, either by completing quests, capturing enemy players, or capturing enemy flags.
The quests were announced every fifteen minutes via SMS [view SMS log], and came in three levels of difficulty. Hard quests were announced at the top of every hour and were worth 5,000 points, medium quests were sent every half hour and were worth 2,000 points, and easy quests were announced every 15 minutes, and were worth 500 points.
Each team started with one zone, which is the traditional Capture The Flag equivalent of a side. Each team was also allowed to give two of their players special roles. One player was designated the flag carrier and was required to wear the team's flags around their waist. Unlike other players, the flag could be captured in any zone, regardless of who owns it. When the flag carrier is captured, he is required to give one of his flags to his captor, who may then give the flag to his team's flag carrier, or sell it to the game master for points. If a flag carrier loses all of his flags, his team immediately loses as well, so it is the teams responsibility to protect their flag carrier however they could.
A second player was designated as a scout and was allowed to enter enemy zones without fear of being tagged. The scout also took on the role of the diplomat, who could easily make it through enemy territory to the neutral zone where the game masters operated, and some bargaining took place. The rest of the players were "runners", and the normal rules of capture the flag applied.
Throughout the game, the game masters updated the players as to the ownership of zones and the point standings. Due to a lack of cell phones, only three of each team's players were allowed to use cell phones to keep in contact with each other, as well as contact the game masters to perform tasks like renting new zones, answering quest clues, checking up on scores or asking for rule clarifications. The fourth team member was not allowed to use a cell phone. The game lasted two hours, during which players enthusiastically pursued the goals that were set forward and had an all around good time. After two hours, the teams added up their resources, and the winner was announced.
Lessons Learned
The goal of the MOB game, to create a fun, high energy game that utilized mobile technologies in new ways, was fully achieved. All of the players responded with enthusiasm about their experiences in the game, and are eager to play another version. Particularly popular were the physical aspects of grabbing at flags and chasing the prey. These aspects mapped easily onto the notion of tag and were easily integrated into the players game strategies.
The inclusion of cell phones for text announcements via SMS, and for inter-team communications was found to be a necessary component of the game. This level of connection between players facilitated multiple tasks and situations to be accomplished efficiently. Groups quickly determined methods to utilize the distribution of their team to their benefit, and then relied upon their cell phones to coordinate their efforts. Some players reported difficulties using their cell phones due to poor reception, and others expressed their desire to be able to talk to many at once. The player from each team not allowed to use a cell phone felt “out of the loop”.
Most players found it difficult to keep track of who owned which of the 12 zones. Since the ownership switched every 30 minutes, remembering which areas to avoid became even more confusing. There are two solutions to this, the first is to reduce the number of zones to one that not only can be more easily remembered, but also enables more interaction within them. The second solution is to integrate a digital display system into the handheld of the players. Essentially, this could be a WAP page viewable on a cell phone, which lists all current statistics, and is easily accessible by each player.
The physical and scavenger challenges were enjoyed, and players liked having to multitask amongst their team. Individuals each determined their own roles within the group, and often times collaborated to solve a particularly difficult problem. In future iterations of the game, the tasks will continue to present players with many challenges simultaneously. One lesson learned, was that each challenge provided a particular unit of the game, and as such helped to add increased variety and fun to the game. The aspect of the prey was particularly popular because during the times when it was employed, all members of the game united to chase down the prey. More challenges that encourage teams to work together, and that add variety to game strategies will be integrated into the next version of the game.
Game Resources