Continuing my usage of the Ground Zeroes app I decided to give iDroid mode a second go. As it turns out, the app will only sync if my console (in this case my PS3) is on WiFi, which it is due to the router being in the bedroom while my Slim sits in the living room. Syncage (is that a word?) is as easy as a few quick taps on the screen which takes me to my own personal iDroid HUD. What you’d see in-game is exactly what you get in-app.

It’s actually quite useful. You can do the same things in the app as you would while sneaking around, only you won’t have to fill your tv screen with the iDroid. And while I like using my Dualshock 3 controller to scamper around on my map, I can do it faster and more intuitively on my touch device. What’s also great is that doing things like tagging guards takes place in real time. No apparent lag between the game and the app. As soon as you tag an enemy they show up like those animated pizza slices on my phone. (Mmm, pizza).

My device quickly filled up with the tagged guards that littered the game world. I could see them, myself, and the rest of the landscape, as I would in-game. To the right of the screen you see three squares stacked atop one another. The top box lets me either stay flat on screen or view the area as a 3D map of sorts. The center box allows me to see the map either as the default grey area, or infrared mode which lets me view either where I’ve died in previous Playthroughs, or where other players have died. I forgot which one st the moment. The bottom larger box allows me to center myself back on screen. The app even gives me a clear view of where the prison encampment is and shows the POWs as green pizza slices. (again, mmm pizza).

As I fiddled with the screen more I also noticed the same options to the left of the screen just like you’d see in-game. After I broke the POWs out of the cages and made my way to an LZ I tried to call in a chopper. LA LI LU LE LO and behold, I can! AMIRITE?? Just kidding.

Even the British iDroid voiceover speaks to me signaling the chosen LZ instead of just a series of clicks and beeps. Bonus! At first I thought that I had to double tap the landing zone because it would read “Call: Hold”. Hell, I quintuple tapped and still nothing. Then I left my finger on the LZ as a long press and viola! I looked up and my chopper was dispatched.  Not too shabby.

What’s also another cool thing about the app is that, when synced, it unlocks some items  Mother Base mode. To my pleasant surprise I had a new AFV waiting for me to build it and level it up. Party!

My current status right now is LVL11 with 7 struts including the Command Center. The 6 struts I have are segregated into 2 Barracks, 2 Factories, and 2 Salvaging stations. I set things up this way to try and bolster leveling up my troops, vehicles, and my Base as a whole. For now it’s doing OK. I still lose troops and AFVs here and there during virtual battles but that’s fine.

I did a half Playthrough earlier where I still have to rescue Paz so I will continue to use the app and see what other goodies I can unlock. Whether or not you guys and girls have Ground Zeroes the app is free of charge for IOS and Android handsets. The Mother Base mode is standalone so there’s no need for the game, though you should really play it, if nothing else cuz it’s just really fun. And perhaps the app can unlock bonuses in The Phantom Pain or vice versa. Oops, gotta go. Big Boss is calling!