I wasn't dismissing it.

I agree with this; my preference for a more generic thin client doesn't preclude my support for the devs gettin' paid, yo. And the App store does make that easy.

I haven't found a definitive source for the number of MIDP (Java ME) phones out there. The Java ME page itself says "over 8000", and all the phones that have run Tastephone can be found here. For a rich client, you'd want MIDP 2.0, which adds standardized rendering and game API's.

As long as you stay within MIDP, programs should run just fine on a serious chunk of phones.

Don't own an iPhone. If I did, I suppose I'd be willing to pay >$5 for a Skyrates app. Features I think would be good to see on it, besides map and queu, as well as barring chat? What else is there?

1. Nope, no iPhone. I'm not sure I can even text message on mine, though, so it isn't like there's any other phone you could write it for that would work for me.

2. I'd pay $10 happily and $15 after hemming and hawwing for a few weeks, but $5 is probably the limit for most people.

3. (i) Plot flights (including hunts), (ii) accept missions, (iii) trading.

iPod Touch and Blackberry Curve; I'd like to see a mobile app on either of those clients.

If you are developing for the iPhone OS, I would recommend a free barebones viewer-only version that will check where your skyrate is, and then a paid one for <$5 that allows you to actually edit your queue.

Chat would be nice, but I don't know how many people would log onto skyrates from a mobile device to chat, what with text-based what it is. On the other hand, a lighter app that only had chat would surely be helpful towards some people that don't like to see the 50% processor consumption that the default client has.

Don't mean to rock the boat here to much but..seems to me the Iphone is exactly the platform for this type of application.

5 seems about right, maybe 7or 8

Plots, combat and tradeing.

1) Yes

2) My guess: $3

3) missions, skills

1) I've got a Motorola bag phone that I use when I take my carphone out of my new 1988 Beemer.
2) The phone cost $1,200. Sky's the limit on the app.
3) I'd like to see an app that utilizes this new "voice - mail" technology.
4) What's an app?


Seriously, I have an HTC Touch. I might break down and get an iPhone one day, but I am happy with my phone for the foreseeable future. I think the only good reason to go with an iPhone app is getting paid via the app store, attracting new players, and the general coolness of going with the hipper hardware.

The sensible option is a mobile-ready non-Flash html/xml page that would work on any phone. I think that was something you wanted to do from the beginning anyway, right?

I would love to see this I have the iTouch and actual started a thread elsewhere about this. I mainly would buy it because when it is midnight I don't want to go down to the computer to extend a queue. I would pay $5

AAN made an app that we can cheat off of. You turn the iPhone to aim the blowgun and tap to shoot. We can do that with a row of buttons for maneuvers

1. Yes, I own a 3GS.
2. I am an App cheapskate and would probably pay no more than $2 for this App. There is a possibility I would go $5, but it would take some convincing of the wife and some time for me to think about it.
3. The one thing I would want out of an iPhone App for Skyrates is the ability to set my flight path. With full trade, hunt, way point features.

1) Yes, I have a 1st gen iPhone

2) <=$5 for a client that allows you to view and modify your queue (trading, missions, mechanic) would be spot-on for me. An iPhone client would get me back into the game and could possibly provide some nice cash-flow for the devs(?)

4) Trade and flight certainly, I'd love combat but I don't know how feasible that is.

1. No, but my wife does and I steal it all the time to play other, less entertaining games.

2. I accidentally paid $40 for a really dumb game one time. For this game, I would totally pay $50, but because I know I would be the only one, the features would not really justify that amount, and my wife would yell at me for it, I would say that something around $5 would be a great price tag to put on it.

3. Features... well yes, chat would be out of the question, so that would have to be its own app if at all possible (a $1 app.) combat is a bit tough to do on the iPhone, so either a combat system that is only for the iPhone or no combat on the iPhone. However, flight planning, missions, plane upgrading, and possibly a message system of some sort should be included.

I do think that eventually you need to work in other mini games that would work both in the regular game and the iPhone app. They would help keep people interested and invested. I would totally pay $1 for each app upgrade put out just so I could play those mini games on an iPhone.

1. Yes
2. Maybe as much as $5, if it was good.
3. Radio radio radio
4. I know there's more and more smartphones out there these days, maybe you could make an alternative site that uses a watered-down client instead, so people with the Google phone or blackberries can maybe access it?
Of course, you could probably do more with the iPhone, and that'd be cooler anyhow.

5. I really like the above idea of adding more minigames and then putting them in both the big and iphone versions of the game.