Interviews

Ogmento on its plans for a global augmented reality Capture the Flag game for smartphones

'Players join teams all around the world and battle for flags positioned in real locations'

Ogmento on its plans for a global augmented reality Capture the Flag game for smartphones
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| Ogmento news

It's fair to say that we were highly intrigued by Ogmento's X-Ray Vision Augmented Reality Tank when it was shown off earlier this week on stage at Augmented Reality Event 2012.

This piece of AR software allows you to blow holes in the real world via a tank displayed on your smartphone's screen. Through these holes, you can see beyond the solid mass - well, a representation of what the app guesses is through the blasted object, anyway.

What developer Ogmento didn't show during its onstage demo (posted below) was how the technology will be used in a future game.

We spoke to company CEO Ori Inbar about that very subject, and while he concedes that it's still too early to divulge all the information about said game, he's happy to hint at what Ogmento is aiming for.

Capture your attention

"To give you a sense of the concept, think about a massively multiplayer Capture the Flag game played in the real world," Inbar explains.

"Players join teams all around the world and battle for flags positioned in real locations. The game leverages location-based and augmented reality mechanics to inject tanks and other virtual weapons and characters into the gameplay."

As part of its focus on real-world AR gaming, the studio is looking to incorporate location-based gameplay into this forthcoming game, using valuable experience picked up from past projects. Ogmento's NBA King of the Court, for example, employed location-based gameplay to breathe fresh life into the basketball genre.

Vanity project

Location-based games are addictive "in a different way from traditional mobile games," Inbar says. "The social competition is integral to the game experience and adds a layer of pride and vanity which intensifies the activity in the game."

Ogmento is aiming to release its upcoming Capture the Flag AR game on mobile devices. So, where does that leave the 3DS and the PS Vita, both of which have AR capabilities built in?

"Vita is a good augmented reality device and we are working with Sony to bring games to that device," Inbar confirms. It doesn't sound like the 3DS will be taking part in the studio's worldwide tank shootout any time soon, however.

Of course, until Ogmento's game is finally ready for release, Vita players can always grab Table Top Tanks for their fill of AR-based battling.

If you have an iOS or Android phone, you can also try out the company's previous title NBA King of the Court by following the handy hyperlink.

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Mike Rose
Mike Rose
An expert in the indie games scene, Mike comes to Pocket Gamer as our handheld gaming correspondent. He is the author of 250 Indie Games You Must Play.