ePLDT ContentDev’s entry was an original interactive fiction game titled "Aramith’s Quest: The Summoning." As Aramith, captain of the guards of Algeron, the land of the Humans, the player has to solve the murder of the King. The game features hand-rendered art, compelling text and dialogue, and multiple puzzles.
"It brings back memories from the good old Infocom (a 1980s US-based gaming studio that specialized in interactive fiction) adventures with a solid storyline and great characters, but also manages to enhance the game experience and add nice-looking graphics," says the Sony Ericsson P800 Application Proclamation website.
As winner, ePLDT Content Dev will receive a professional development workstation from IBM valued at $3,000. It will also get $2,000 worth of development tools and hardware.
The application, along with the two other winning entries from Germany and Russia, will be featured on Handango, the world’s leading publisher of mobile software. Following final quality tests, "Aramith’s Quest" will also be in the P800 application CD included with all commercial P800 phones.
The "Aramith’s Quest" team is composed of Elmer Andes, Rick Emerson Ong, Anton Gustilo, Debbie Uy and Leomar Valiao.
"Considering this is our first foray into wireless gaming development, we are quite pleased as this immediately creates global opportunities for the group," says Buddy del Rosario, ePLDT ContentDev head.
One of ePLDT ContentDev’s previously honored projects was the PLDT website, which AsiaMoney magazine named best corporate website in 2002. The group specializes in Web and wireless applications design and development, among others.
For the Code-to-Cash contest, a panel of product development, engineering, marketing and applications specialists from Sony Ericsson judged all entries based on innovativeness, practicability, usability and coolness.