What is Swordfish™?

Swordfish™ is a location-based fishing game. You use your mobile phone to find virtual fish and go fishing. Swordfish™ simulates a deep sea fishing experience on your mobile phone turning your real world into a virtual ocean – allowing you to navigate to find and catch virtual schools of fish wherever you are located.

Why is this different from other mobile phone games?  

Swordfish™ uses Global Positioning Systems (GPS), the latest in mobile location technology.  With this game you have to move around to play. For example, you may have to move 70 yards west or 40 yards south to find and catch a fish.

How do I play?

For Boost Mobile subscribers, you need a Motorola iDen i450, i730, i830, i830 Roxy, i835, or an i855 mobile handset provisioned for the Boost Mobile network and subscribed to data services. If you are a Nextel subscriber, you need a Motorola iDen i265, i275, i355, i355 TTS, i710, i730, i733, i736, i830, i836, i850, or an i860 mobile handset provisioned for the the Nextel network and subscribed to data services.  Swordfish™ may be available for more models as time goes on. The game can be downloaded from the Boost Mobile or Nextel online networks.

What do I need to do?

To download the game, please refer to your mobile carrier’s instructions for downloading mobile content. Please refer to our privacy policy or contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

Where can I play?

Log into www.boostmobile.com or www.nextel.com to check for coverage in your area.

What is GPS?

GPS stands for Global Positioning Systems.  GPS was developed by the U.S. Department of Defense to allow the U.S. military to accurately determine their precise location anywhere in the world. GPS uses a constellation of 24 satellites positioned in orbit to allow someone who has the proper equipment to determine their precise location.

Where do I find the high scores?

Both personal and national high scores are available through the main menu of the game. National high scores are also available by visiting the Swordfish™ high scores web page.

What is that circle in my scanner?

The circle in your scanner is the area where fish are close enough for you to catch.  The circle is approximately a 50-yard radius.

How do I get to where the big fish are?

Schools of big fish are shown as larger orange dots.  You can walk or run to the virtual schools of fish. You can use the navigational assistance or the map to head in the right direction.

When I am in range of the schools of big fish, how many fish can I try to catch?

Up to 3 (three) swordfish.

I have hooked a fish but cannot bring it in. What do I do?

The goal of fishing is to bring the fish to you. Therefore you must reel the fish to zero feet without breaking the line or letting the fish escape.  When you have hooked a fish, the phone will vibrate and you will see a tension bar on the lower left side of the screen. If the red on the tension is getting too high, you may snap the line. To correct this you must let more line out to reduce the tension by pressing the down arrow on your phone. If the red is getting too low, the fish could escape. In this case, bringing the fishing line in by pressing the up arrow increases the tension on the line.

The big fish are hard to bring in. What do I do?

Practice is required to bring in the big fish. A really big fish can take up to five minutes to land. We suggest that you find schools of small fish to start and practice bringing those in before you move to the schools of larger fish. Fish over 800 lbs are very difficult to bring in, but not impossible.

Do I have to move to get to the fish?

If your scanner tells you that there are no fish in range, then you must move to the location of a school of fish to be able to catch one. And yes, that means walking, running or however you want to go to where the fish are located.

I am trying to catch a fish. The guy is fishing but I am not catching anything.  What do I do?

Like real fishing you have to drop your lure into the water. Every time you press the arrow key down you will drop the lure five feet. Every time you press the arrow key up you bring the lure up five feet. Like real fishing, the fish may not bite right away. It could take up to 30 seconds before a fish bites. Be careful though, a fish could bite right away. Swordfishes generally swim a bit deeper so there may be more fish down around 40 to 80 feet rather than at five feet.

I have caught a BIG swordfish. How do I post my score?

Each time you catch a fish that is within your personal top six biggest fish, simply select “YES” when prompted to post your score - then follow the instructions on the screen. Your score will automatically be posted once you add your initials.  All fish scores are automatically posted to the leader board after each session or when you quit the game.

I am trying to fish but I get a message “Satellites not in view”.  What do I do?

Large buildings to the south of you may affect your satellite reception. As well, if you are in a shielded area such as in a basement, elevator, subway or tunnel, you may be affected. The game will play best in areas where the south sky is visible to you. If you get this message, you will not be charged for the scan(s) that failed and will be able to play an offline version of Swordfish™.

In your mobile handset, you must also ensure that the GPS function is turned “ON” or GPS Privacy setting is set to “Unrestricted” for the game to work. To do so, you must go to the handset’s GPS Location Options setting menu. If you are unsure about enabling GPS for 3 rd party applications within your handset, please refer to your handset’s manual.

I received a network error. What do I do?

Swordfish™ is a network game. If the network is down, you cannot play until the mobile network is available.

I am not in a coverage area of where the game is can be played. What can I do?

This game can only be played in the area where Boost Mobile or Nextel has network coverage.  Please refer to www.boostmobile.com or www.nextel.com to check for the coverage area.

What is an offline game?

When location information is unavailable, due to low satellite coverage or if you're out of the Boost Mobile or Nextel coverage area, you have the option of playing offline. This means you can catch a fish but the high score feature will be disabled.

Why aren't the fish that I catch in offline mode recorded in high scores?

To be fair to all players, you must find the fish, move to them and catch them. Offline mode is merely a chance to practice fishing if you cannot be located.

I have the same high score as another player.  Why is their high score
rated above mine?

Your ranking is rated by the size of fish that you caught.  In the case of a tie, the leader is the one who caught the fish in faster than the other player.

How do I turn the sound “ON” or “OFF”? Vibration “ON” or “OFF”?

There is an “Options Menu” in the game, which allows you to customize these settings.

I am playing outside. The screen is hard to see. What do I do?

Certain mobile handset displays are superior to others in outside conditions. Try to keep your back light on and adjust the contrast if your handset model allows this.  Shading the screen from the sun may also help.

My backlight keeps going out. What do I do?

You can set your backlight to various configurations using your phone's “Phone Settings” menu.  This cannot be done while within the game. However while in fishing mode, you can hit one of the number keys to get the backlight on if your phone has been set up for backlight.

Can I quit during a game?

Yes, there are several ways you can do this.  You can hold the “End” key down at anytime to exit or follow the instructions on the screen to exit.  If you have a “flip” style phone, closing the phone will also end the game.

Can I receive calls or test messages while I am playing or will I miss them?

You can receive incoming calls or text messages at any time during play of the game. After a call or message, you can resume playing by selecting "resume" from the handset’s menu.

What does scanning do?  Does it cost me money?

Scanning shows you where the fish are relative to your current position. Every time you scan successfully, you will be billed as per the Boost Mobile or Nextel pricing outlines.

Who made this cool location-based game?

Blister Entertainment Inc. created North America's first location-based game in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

I am a rookie to location-based games - any hints?

Here are a few tips and tricks:

• Move to the closest school of fish as displayed in your fish finder. If you do not move, you will not get a chance to fish.
• Start out with the small schools of fish – they're easier to catch.
• While fishing, remember that just like real fishing, the fishes tire over time – so be patient with them and gradually reel them in.
• The bigger the fish, the harder they fight.
• The virtual fishes sometimes get scared when you get in close – so they might try and swim away from you.
• Just like real fish, the schools of fish are often swimming and moving too.
• If you do not know which way is north, please purchase a compass or follow the map of your area.