Carmack Considers Cell Phone MMOG

fistfullast33l writes "John Carmack's new cell phone game Orcs and Elves, which debuted at E3 to some fanfare, has led the famous developer to think about expanding his mobile gaming presence. Carmack said in an interview with CNN that he is interested in a massively multiplayer sequel. 'I have absolutely no interest in going and competing with Blizzard in the high end of that market, but a cell phone version might be interesting,' Carmack is quoted as saying. Even more interesting is his comment in the interview that game engines really overlook security. The article indirectly quotes him as saying 'while id Software is especially careful to lock down its game engines, companies that license and make changes to those engines often aren't as focused, which could open the door to disaster.'"

why not a PSP MMOG?

[mu22le]

A PSP has a better graphic hardware, a wider screen, is easier to handle and has WiFi support.

If only WiFi was a little more widespread I'm pretty sure a MMOG for the PSP (or the Nintendo DS) would be a much better idea. I'd finally had something to do each time I have to spend 1 hour in the subway.

Re:Data Cost?

[bunions]

I'd be curious to find out just exactly how many people "a lot" is. My gut tells me it's a pretty small number, but my gut has been known to lie to me before.

Re:Data Cost?

[rholliday]

I can see that, but a MUD would take a lot more focus. You can take in the general situation on a graphical game at a glance, and give commands with a simple interface. A MUD requires reading the situation in text repeatedly and typing commands for everything. Doesn't strike me as casual enough for a cell phone gamer, not to mention the annoyance of typing things on those keyboards or numberpads.