Pinoy game 'tong-its' now on Nokia phones

MANILA, Philippines –  What’s your favorite Pinoy game? Pinoys have such fondness for the traditional games they grew up with. That’s because these bring back fun memories Pinoys shared with siblings or friends back home.

One of the most popular Pinoy games is “tong-its,” which for a majority of Pinoys has become the default entertainment from the small barangays in the metropolis to far-flung barrios in the provinces.

And now this all-time favorite Pinoy card game can be played anytime, wherever one is in the world. Tong-its has finally come to roost for Nokia smartphones, thanks to a small start-up application developer company in Cavite that’s big on creativity and can-do attitude.

Automated Systems Enablers Inc. (ASEi) started in June 2009 when the multinational company its proponents worked for shut down its operations. Engineers Cris Balla, Abel Canare, and 10 other colleagues decided to start a venture that would focus on developing software for different markets.

ASEi started with generic recording and accounting programs for schools until it realized the growing potential of developing applications for smartphones.

Applications, after all, have become the backbone of success for many smartphone brands. A mobile phone today is not only a messaging and image-capturing instrument. It has also become an entertainment device, a productivity tool and a gaming center.

“Mobile phones today are as powerful as computers were 10 years ago,” ASEi president Chris Balla says. “Nokia phones, for example, have powerful microprocessors that are capable of handling and running complicated applications.”

ASEi had the opportunity to develop for other smartphone brands and platforms, but what attracted the company to Nokia is the openness of the Symbian system, the ubiquity of Nokia handsets among Filipino smartphone users and the Ovi Store.

Symbian is the only smartphone operating system that is capable of supporting a full spectrum of devices, from low-end QWERTY phones to sleek high-end, touch-screen gizmos.

What’s more, the platform also supports a number of universal programming languages such Java, HTML 5, Qt, and Qt Quick. This is a far cry from other systems that are tightly regulated and application development requires specific coding.

Another factor that nudged ASEi to develop for Nokia was the Ovi Store, which can be accessed directly from any Nokia smartphone or through the Internet using any computer.

The Ovi Store does not require a separate program to be accessed. Users just sign up for free and they can immediately browse and download away.

In fact, on a daily basis there are 3.5 million downloads from the Ovi Store globally, which includes themes, games, videos, applications and so much more.

This ease of access is essential for a young company like ASEi, which is seeking exposure and ramp up its application downloads in the already crowded app developer market.

ASEi had its first entry to Ovi Store in January 2010 when it introduced the Jeepney Grand Prix, a racing game set on EDSA. Because it was a paid application sold in other countries, it did not perform as expected and was pulled out from the Ovi Store months later.

Not to be discouraged, ASEi developed a game based on a popular Filipino pastime: tong-its. World Tong-its Tour entered the Ovi Store in June 2010 and has become a hit ever since.

Like the World Poker Tour, the World Tong-its Tour takes place in three different settings: Boracay (the easiest level), Macau (intermediate level) and Las Vegas (expert level).

Wagers and earnings increase as the player successfully advances to another level, but if he thinks he can easily outsmart his opponents on this game, he is in for a big surprise.

There is a time limit of 35 seconds per turn, so if the player is the kind who thinks too long before every move, he will certainly lose. Also, the AI (artificial intelligence) built into the game is purposely designed to be challenging.

“We deliberately stayed away from developing an AI that can be easily beaten because we wanted players to think. Tong-its is as much a game of skill as it is a game of instinct and luck,” explains Balla.

World Tong-its Tour players will also find the game’s user interface helpful and convenient. There is a Sort button that can organize cards according to number color, an Auto button that can help the player choose which “made” cards he can post or lay out on the table, and an Attach button that assists the player in placing cards on “made” ones on the table.

The game’s sound effects are also humorous, such as when the computer opponent completes a made card or wins a round.

What sets World Tong-its Tour from other card games are its additional features. World Tong-Its Tour is the only card game with the ability to use the phone’s camera to shoot a player’s own customized game avatar. What’s more, the game’s online play feature allows one to play tong-its with two friends via Wi-Fi or 3G connection.

The World Tong-its Tour has become so successful (it is one of the highest-rated card games on Ovi Store) that it has spawned another tong-its game from ASEi.

Called Tong-its Extreme, it features multiple personalities and different artificial intelligence engines. Unlike the World Tong-its Tour, Tong-its Extreme offers unlimited chips so one can play to his heart’s delight.

The reception of Filipinos to the two tong-its games and the popularity of World Tong-its Tour in other Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia has prompted ASEi to develop more apps based on popular Filipino games.

In fact, ASEi will soon be releasing Pusoy and Pusoy Dos games on the Ovi Store. This strategy not only differentiates its apps on the market but also capitalizes on Filipinos’ preference for Nokia phones both here and abroad.

After all, no matter where they go, what twang they acquire or nationalities they assume, Pinoys will always be Pinoys.