Era of Eidolon - Mobile Phone MMOG

[SirBruce]

Okay, I've mentioned this to a couple of people, but I still can't find anyone who has played it, so I thought I'd post about it here, even though this is technically a PC / Console Gaming forum and this game is neither.

Era of Eidolon is a Java-based MMOG you can play on your cell phone.  Made by Danish developer Watagame, the game currently has over 10,000 subscribers and even has an expansion pack out!

I'd like to try the game myself, but you need a Sony Ericsson, Siemens, or Nokia phone for it to work.  Also, I think in the US you have to use Verizon, but I'm not clear on that, so maybe someone else can clarify that.  Anyway, I would truly love to hear from anyone who is willing to try the game out and provide a review!

Here's a screenshot from the Nokia Series 60:


The UK Guardian had an article on the game here and you can also check out their web page at http://www.eraofeidolon.com/

Bruce

[Trippy]

Also, I think in the US you have to use Verizon, but I'm not clear on that, so maybe someone else can clarify that.

Just looking at the list of supported phones it would appear that the game is cellular technology independent -- e.g. the Nokia 3660 is a GSM phone and the Nokia 6255 is a CDMA phone. So unless they have some sort of exclusive agreement with one of the US cellular companies, it'll probably work with any carrier as long as they support some sort of data transfer and of course you have the proper phone. My Motorola phone supports Java but it's not listed as a supported phone and I can't find anything on their site which says what the system requirements are to run the game so I don't know if it could ever be supported.

Edit: Poking around the site some more it does recommend you use GPRS, which is a GSM technology that T-Mobile and Cingular/AT&T in the US use, as the data transfer protocol to minimize costs. It doesn't say whether or not their game can take advantage of the equivalent CDMA technology CDMA2000 (aka 1xRTT) that Verizon and Sprint use.

[SirBruce]

Well, there was a price chart on their site that listed the carrier for each country and the price, and for USA it said Verizon.  But I have no idea how this cell phone Voodoo works; can Verizon charge you for the game even if you use a AT&T?

Sadly, the site seems to have gone down suddenly.

Bruce

[Trippy]

Well, there was a price chart on their site that listed the carrier for each country and the price, and for USA it said Verizon.  But I have no idea how this cell phone Voodoo works; can Verizon charge you for the game even if you use a AT&T?

In your particular example, no, because Verizon uses CDMA and AT&T/Cingular uses GSM so a Verizon phone can't roam onto the AT&T network and vice versa. A Sprint phone, however, can roam onto the Verizon network, and vice versa since they both use CDMA. Similarly T-Mobile phones can roam onto the AT&T/Cingular network and vice versa since they all use GSM.

Sadly, the site seems to have gone down suddenly.

Yeah I can't reach the site at the moment either.

[SirBruce]

The site is up again.  Anyway, I guess so long as your phone is one of the supported models, you can play the game.

Bruce

[Trippy]

Yeah, I think that costs page is just to show some estimated examples of what things cost on different carriers rather than an indication you have to use that carrier in that country.

[SirBruce]

Well anyway, getting back to the point, if you or someone else with the right phone is brave enough to try this game out, do let me know what it's all about. :)  I'm very curious.

Edit:  Looks like I might be able to find out without getting a new phone:

One of our current projects is a web emulator for the Era of Eidolon game series. The emulator will be available very soon and there will be a link here at the website. The emulator will work just like a normal phone in terms of the game, but of course the display will be bigger (meaning that you can see the graphics better than on a normal phone).

Bruce