T5 iPhone/iPad apps

[DonM]

Marc asked me to start a thread with this:

"We are currently investigating iPhone and iPad apps in support of Traveller5: utilities that implement the various Makers, and games that play out scenarios and situations like trade and combat.

If you have skills or interests in this area, we would like to include you in the conversation and potentially in the implementation, and we invite you to express your interest."

So, if this is of interest to you, and especially if you have skill in this area, please post in this thread.

 

[cym0k]

I don't want to post against prevailing wisdom, but it would be nice to have a unified set of tools that are available across platforms.

iOS is nice for those who have it, but Android users and the couple of Windows users that have mobiles would also benefit.

Costs/benefits I suppose. Is it seen as something that can be monetised within an App store?

Further to the mobile angle, aside from the current crop of available web-based solutions, something that can be accessed and used from a desktop or laptop would also be welcomed.

But again, money and time and effort and outlay and benefits received in return.

 

[robject]

So, if this is of interest to you, and especially if you have skill in this area, please post in this thread.

It is, and I have, particularly the iOS widgets (not so much with the animation stuff like Cocoa2D or Quartz etc). In other words, an environment the Maker tools could be designed in, but not a combat app, or other graphics-heavy app.

 

[aramis]

I don't want to post against prevailing wisdom, but it would be nice to have a unified set of tools that are available across platforms.

iOS is nice for those who have it, but Android users and the couple of Windows users that have mobiles would also benefit.

Costs/benefits I suppose. Is it seen as something that can be monetised within an App store?

Further to the mobile angle, aside from the current crop of available web-based solutions, something that can be accessed and used from a desktop or laptop would also be welcomed.

But again, money and time and effort and outlay and benefits received in return.

iOS isn't holding market share, and isn't the norm amongst gamers from what I can see on other forums.

Android has better overall penetration, and more market growth.

 

[Hemdian]

When playing D&D 3.5, 4e, or Pathfinder, I use an iPad2. There are some good apps (gaming and otherwise) for it.

I also have an MS Surface Pro and I did notice that 3mann has released a dozen Traveller apps for it. (All variations of MgT encounters.) But alas, I think Windows tablets are not popular outside of corporate environments. I was thinking of dabbling in Windows tablet development at some point.

Android is the one tablet platform I don't have at the moment. I'd rather not have 3 tablets.

 

[infojunky]

Android, I am at the point when a new tablet is purchased it will be some flavor of Android.

 

[Quint]

I am not the person to develop, though I could playtest/troubleshoot (and I have a partner that just got into QA because she discovered a flair for it at her last position). I can say that I would really enjoy this sort of product and would use them - it is just the sort of thing I want automated for me, or made into a minigame that feels less like I'm calculating statistics in grad school again...

I'm reading and typing this on my Surface Pro, which I already have plans to replace with a SP2 or whatever come after that if it lasts that long. I will never buy iAnything because I have no in-house tech support for it, while I could manage an Android app if I had to (use both Android and a Windows smartphones).

D.

 

[flyteach]

I might be interested. I am exploring Xamarin tools for some other applications. An easy way to cover iOS and Android and still look good on either. But you need to be mildly proficient in C#.
Jim

 

[cym0k]

What options are there for cross-platform development (things like Flash, Air, Java, Javascript/HTML5 etc etc)?

 

[Enoff]

Adobe Flash and Air are dead on mobiles

I think the easiest for cross-platform looks to be Phonegap to make an app out of HTML5/CSS3/jQuery Mobile

An interesting piece of software is nbos inspiration pad, a desktop version is available for free on rpgdrivethru also a paid app for android is available on Google play. You can build quick generators with it, sort of a simple database.
http://www.nbos.com/products/ipad/ipad.htm

 

[thalassogen]

I am not (yet) developing for iOS. But I am interested in Win8 and Android Apps for T5 if they become an option and therefore want to stay in the loop.

My T5 Web Apps are based on C# and all generator/maker code is part of a library independent of the web site part, so it would be a good baseline to start Win8 Apps from and even Android and iOS Apps using Xamarin.

 

[forthekill]

I am firmly entrenched in the iOS/Mac world, as is my gaming group. Pretty much everyone I know who isn't a developer is an iOS person, the interface is just better.

I do have a Kindle Fire that I jailbroke, but to be honest, it's second fiddle to the iPad Air.

The best approach would be to build a webapp under HTML5/JS that can run on any device, with maybe a specific app on iOS or Android if you must.

I often game with my laptop as a GM, though tablet for players is typically better. With a webapp, you've got all your bases covered and aren't worrying about OS specific market share.

 

[flyteach]

The problem with webapps is that one needs access to the internet. That can be limiting. As far as "interface is better" it's irrelevant for web apps because they all look the same. Also, unless careful attention is paid to design, even different browsers will not necessarily run all code correctly.

 

[Pthor]

Interested..

I am an iOS developer. I've been thinking about this, but didn't know what kind of limitations I would be under.

 

[aramis]

I am an iOS developer. I've been thinking about this, but didn't know what kind of limitations I would be under.

If you make no money off of it, Marc has been supportive of fan programmers providing solutions. But I'll suggest to Marc that he needs to add a bit more about software to the FFE Fair Use Policy.

Note that the disclaimer should be on software...

The Traveller game in all forms is owned by Far Future Enterprises. Copyright 1977 - 2008 Far Future Enterprises. Traveller is a registered trademark of Far Future Enterprises. Far Future permits web sites and fanzines for this game, provided it contains this notice, that Far Future is notified, and subject to a withdrawal of permission on 90 days notice. The contents of this site are for personal, non-commercial use only. Any use ofFar Future Enterprises's copyrighted material or trademarks anywhere on this web site and its files should not be viewed as a challenge to those copyrights or trademarks. In addition, any program/articles/file on this site cannot be republished or distributed without the consent of the author who contributed it.

 

[simonh]

I am an iOS developer. I've been thinking about this, but didn't know what kind of limitations I would be under.

One way to protect yourself would be to implement the tool in such a way that it supports the Mongoose SRD rules as well as any other edition of Traveller. The SRD is under the OGL which at this point provides a pretty well understood and robust legal framework allowing for both free and commercial software implementations. If you supported both a T5 and 'D6 OGL' mode then if for any reason you had an issue with T5 support you could just disable that option.

This is the route I went with StarBase, the default rules script is based on the OGL rules. At some point I should get round to implementing a T5 version.

Simon Hibbs

 

[aramis]

One way to protect yourself would be to implement the tool in such a way that it supports the Mongoose SRD rules as well as any other edition of Traveller. The SRD is under the OGL which at this point provides a pretty well understood and robust legal framework allowing for both free and commercial software implementations. If you supported both a T5 and 'D6 OGL' mode then if for any reason you had an issue with T5 support you could just disable that option.

This is the route I went with StarBase, the default rules script is based on the OGL rules. At some point I should get round to implementing a T5 version.

Simon Hibbs

Last I checked, mongoose specifically bars software under the TLL (Traveller Logo License). So you can write it based upon the OGL SRD, but can't indicate Traveller compatibility.

 

[DonM]

The question has come up: does the FFE Fair Use Policy need an update regarding software apps?

 

[aramis]

The question has come up: does the FFE Fair Use Policy need an update regarding software apps?

Marc already knows my answer: yes.

 

[Hyphen]

Note that the disclaimer should be on software...
Copyright 1977 - 2008 Far Future Enterprises

You've reminded me of something I wanted to ask: should we be updating this each year so it shows the current year? (I haven't been updating it on my site, and keep forgetting to ask..)