[General Questions and Answers] n8baywey:
App Concept

Personal Assistance Link (PAL) Terminal Concept

Section 1: Notes

1. All mobile device operating systems (smartphones and tablets) will be compatible with this system, and have interconnectivity. As such, I believe the Unity Mobile engine or Corona SDK, along with HTML5, would be best suited, as they are compatible with all smartphone operating systems.

2. All PAL design options can be done in a web interface or on the mobile device, prior to downloading your PAL to your device.

2a. All PAL designs are final upon completion. If you wish to change its design or name, any experience, abilities learned, or increased stats gained will be lost. Those who do not use their PAL as a video game may change design at any time.

3. Your account can only have 1 PAL.

4. Your PAL can only be loaded on 1 device at a time. When you log in to your Terminal on another device, you will be asked if you wish to transfer your PAL to the new device.

5. The current battle state of a PAL automatically backs up to the main PAL server after any change.

6. The battle system will be such that skill is more important than stats. A brand new PAL can defeat the most experienced one if the user is skilled enough. As such, the battle system will be realtime and action-based.

7. The app can be purchased for mobile devices, Mac OS, and Windows 10, for $4.99, and with in-app purchases available. All in-app purchases will be verified through the main PAL server, in order to help prevent piracy.

7a. Battling must be done on a mobile device. Users who load their PAL onto a Mac or PC may only use non-gaming components.

8. The app's UI will be referred to as the Terminal.

9. With proper financial resources, every one of the ideas in this concept is doable with today's technology.

Section 2: Overall Design and Use

1. PALs will be visually designed in 3D to look humanoid, with a default PAL appearance that can be customized in almost every way, similar to the customization in Skyrim, but in a more cartoony and less human way (to make it appealing not only to adults, but to children as well).

1a. By making the appearance more cartoony, it reduces the amount of colors and shading needed, thus reducing processing requirements and battery consumption.

2. There will be approximately 20 voices to choose from (in all major languages).

3. Your PAL's battle element and special ability will also be customized if used for battling. This will be done from the Terminal, and can be changed at any time, except in battle.

3a. Battle elements include the standards such as fire, water, wind, earth, thunder, darkness, & light, which all affect not only your battle capabilities, but also your PAL's physical appearance to a small extent.

3b. Special abilities will be customizable similar to Champions Online's customization of superpowers.

4. PALs will be programmed with a similar voice input feature of Siri, Cortana, and Google Now. Voice input is to be used with all aspects of the PAL's capabilities.

4a. Voice recognition will be able to understand tone of voice as well, in order to provide a more realistic experience.

4b. Only the voice of the user and others who the user approves will be recognized for commands. In emergency situations, the PAL will accept commands to call authorities from anyone.

4c. Voice recognition and speech synthesis will be subcontracted to Nuance, the leaders of the industry.

5. Optional face recognition software will be available for users who wish to authenticate login in this manner.

Section 3: Features

1. Personal Assistant

1a. Scheduling Appointments/Tasks

1b. Answering Phone Calls: If you are busy or on the other line, your PAL can answer for you to let the caller know to either call back or expect a return call.

1c. Sending Text Messages

1d. Booking Reservations for Restaurants, Hotels, etc.

1e. Purchasing Tickets for Planes, Movies, Concerts, etc.

1f. Looking up Information

1g. Internet Navigation (see Section 4)

2. Battling (see Section 5)

3. Education (see Section 6)

4. Parental Controls (see Section 7)

5. Physical Activity (see section 8)

Section 4: Internet navigation

1. The PAL can be used for accessibility features such as reading websites out loud.

2. The PAL can be used similarly to Siri and Cortana, to find specific information and relay it vocally to user.

3. Websites can be shown as physical planes for the PAL to walk on, which can be used for battling other PALs or as a meeting place to converse with other users through your PALs (think Skype in this regard).

3a. Battles: The physical plane represented by the website will use an algorithm to see certain areas of color contrast on the website in order to create a 3-Dimensional space on top of the plane, in order to offer varying terrain.

3b. Chatting: If you use your PAL to go to a website, it becomes a webspace. If your PAL occupies the same webspace as (an)other PAL(s), you can request a single or group chat. This will be displayed as a video conference call, with each user appearing in a rectangle, with their PAL next to it. Since this a gaming tool, non-gaming users will not have access, in order to restrict

Section 5: Battling

1. Elements: Elemental strengths are as follows, in the format of "Rock>Scissors":

Fire>Plant

Water>Fire

Earth>Thunder

Plant>Wind

Thunder>Water

Wind>Earth

Dark>Light

Light>Dark

1a. For example, if a Fire PAL battles a Plant PAL, the amount of damage dealt by Fire PAL's equipped weapon is doubled. However, the Plant PAL's damage dealt remains unchanged.

1b. As another example, if a Fire PAL battles a Wind PAL, neither PAL's attack power changes.

2. Battles will happen in realtime, on speed-tested Wifi and specifically optimized for 4G/LTE networks, in order to reduce lag (4G/LTE is minimum for battling). In order to battle, a user must also purchase a Bluetooth controller to use, as on-screen controls would decrease visibility as well as capability. This will also serve to create a second revenue stream.

2a. Select PAL brand controllers purchased will include a free download of the app as well as 3 random Blitz Drives (see Section 5.3c), so those looking to use the PALs for battle will only have to make one purchase, and those using the PALs for personal assistants need only purchase the app. There will be additional controllers available for purchase without an included download for those who purchase the app and want to buy a controller later.

2b. Pricing of controllers will be:

With app download and Blitz Drives: $49.99

Without: $39.99

2c. Controllers will be durable and compact, with rechargeable batteries, and can fit into a user's pocket.

3. Battle Mechanics (think Halo meets Kingdom Hearts)

3a. Movement: PALs will be able to walk, run, and jump in any direction, but have to stay on or over the web space plane. Certain abilities may allow for limited-height flight and/or gliding.

3b. Attack: PALs will be able to use a variety of attacks, including long-range, mid-range, and short-range. There will be projectile weapons and melee weapons, as well as weapons which cause status effects, such as poison, paralysis, etc. PALs can only equip 1 weapon at a time. The attacks performed by an equipped weapon will be substantially less powerful than most Blitz Drives. The types of weapons that can be equipped are limited based on the special ability customization of the PAL.

3c. Blitz Drives: PALs have additional attacks that can be performed, which are equipped in the form of Blitz Drives. These real items have an encoded image on each one (like a QR code) which can be read by using the mobile device's camera. Once verified in the server, these items grant a Blitz to the user's account, which can then be equipped to the PAL. Blitzes can be cannons, grenades, healing items, shields, terrain modifiers, etc. They can only be used once in battle, and are recharged at the end of battle. A PAL can equip 15 Blitzes at a time, and they can be traded from person to person or gifted. They can be sold individually for $2.99, or in packs of 5 for $9.99, thus creating a third revenue stream. To activate a Blitz in battle, the user must speak its name out loud, followed by the Blitz command ("Mini Grenade, Blitz!"). Some Blitz Drives, however, can contain items which will apply a permanent stat increase to your PAL. For additional information, see Section 10.

3d. Users can switch between first and third person view, but will be provided crosshairs in both views.

4. If, while battling, the user receives a phone call or network interruption of some kind, the battle is paused, and the opponent can choose to wait for reconnection or force forfeit on the user. In this case, no experience is gained by the user (and there is no penalty), but the opponent receives 5% of experience that would have been gained by a win, as well as 5% of leaderboard point values they would have received.

5. If a user wishes to manually forfeit, they will double the value of leaderboard points they would normally have lost in fair battle, as well as be banned from entering another battle for 1 hour.

6. While battling other PALs is fun, some users may not have many people they wish to battle. In this case, see section 8.

7. If a PAL's HP falls to 0 during any battle, the PAL is forcibly logged out of the webspace and returned to the Terminal.

7a. HP is regenerated at the end of every battle.

8. For information regarding stats, see Section 9.

Section 6: Education

1. Users can download Study Packs, which will be used to provide information, tests, tutoring, etc., in a variety of subjects.

1a. Subjects can range in level from kindergarten to post graduate studies.

1b. The term "subjects" refers to specific, rather than generalized topics. For example, a user can purchase the Study Pack of The Human Endocrine System, rather than one called Human Anatomy.

1c. Depth of coverage can range from full coverage, including information, tests, quizzes, and study help, to only one at a time of the aforementioned list.

2. Pricing of these will be determined based on level of information as well as depth of coverage. They can be downloaded as in-app purchases, or be purchased at a retail location such as a bookstore, in the same manner as Blitz Drives (Section 5.3c).

2a. For those keeping track, this is a third revenue stream.

3. PALs will present information and tests to the user orally, as well as provide diagrams and related material.

4. Users can provide vocal feedback to the PAL, and ask it to go over certain areas again, give vocal answers to questions, or request source information.

5. For those subjects such as mathematics, which may require the student to show their work, tests can be completed by using your finger on the screen, which will then be translated into a digital format and graded.

6. In the event that a user gets a question wrong and they can't figure out why, they may request additional information from a staffed PAL tutor, who will open a video a video call with the user if during business hours.

6a. This is an additional paid service, $2.99 per 5-minute call, of which the tutor is paid $2.00, which equates to roughly $20/per hour if 10 calls per hour is assumed(Not a bad paycheck, if I do say so myself). Tutors must be approved, and can work from home if they choose. However, the tutor is only paid if the question is answered appropriately. If it is not, the user can request a refund.

6b. Conversations with tutors are recorded on the server and may be viewed at any time through the Terminal.

6c. What's that smell? That's the smell of a fourth revenue stream.

7. Users may purchase a yearly subscription to K-12 studies for $249.99. This will follow along with core standards of education, and include all academic subjects.

7a. This will require partnership and cooperation with the U.S. Department of Education, and may be subsidized for some users.

8. Users may purchase a yearly subscription to undergraduate and postgraduate studies for $599.99. This will follow along with university curriculums, and include all academic subjects.

8a. This will require partnership in cooperation with numerous universities, and may be subsidized for some users. Eventually, universities may incorporate this into their curriculums.

9. Users with yearly subscriptions will have their progress tracked and analyzed, and will allow parents, teachers, and professors to view reports of which students are excelling at or having issues with particular subject matter.

9a. "You get a revenue stream! And YOU get a revenue stream! Everybody gets a revenue stream!"

Section 7: Parental Controls

1. Parents or Guardians will have the ability to set limits on the use of the PAL. The following are examples of controls:

1a. Time Limits

1b. Battle Suspension

1c. Informational Restriction

1d. Requirements to complete education tasks before the use of entertainment tasks

Section 8: Physical Activity

1. Users who wish to add some physical activity to their entertainment can participate in battles against other types of opponents: NPC enemies called Monsters.

2. Monsters take on a non-humanoid form, and there will be different types of Monsters based on time of day, current weather conditions including temperature, precipitation, and humidity, as well as season and geographical location.

2a. The terrain of the battle space will be generated based on the same environmental conditions.

3. Winning against a Monster does not add to your PAL's PvP leaderboard scores, but does provide experience toward your PAL's level.

4. To find Monsters, activate the Universal Monster Locator (UML) on the Terminal. This opens a map and shows your current location. Monsters are scattered randomly throughout the map, and show up worldwide approximately every 300 meters. They stay as-is until someone defeats them, or the conditions which dictate their appearance changes.

4a. In public areas such as parks, there will be a higher concentration of Monsters.

4b. Defeated monsters respawn after 10 minutes, but cannot be battled by the same user for 24 hours.

5. In order to initiate a battle with a Monster, the user must be within 20 meters and use a voice command such as "Monster battle, execute!"

5a. The user must stay within range of the Monster throughout the duration of battle. If the user strays from this area, they are given a 10-second warning and the battle is paused. If the warning expires and they have not returned, it will count as a retreat. The monster will remain, but the user cannot initiate another battle against it for 24 hours.

6. If multiple users are in the vicinity of a Monster, the first user to successfully initiate a battle is allowed to fight it. Other users are shown a flashing icon where the Monster is, indicating that it is already in battle. If the user battling the Monster fails to defeat it or retreats, another user may attempt to battle it.

7. Up to three users at a time can form a team to defeat a Monster, but upon initiating a battle, there will be as many Monsters as PALs on the field, each with a slightly increased difficulty.

8. During special events, select normal Monsters will be replaced with Boss Monsters, which are larger and more difficult than normal Monsters. Upon defeat, Boss Monsters award a specific Blitz to your Terminal, limit one per user.

8a. If a team battles a Boss Monster, there will only be one. In this case, difficulty of the Boss Monster is increased depending on team size. The awarded Blitz, however, goes only to one random user. If that same user is in a team during a second Boss Monster battle, the Blitz is awarded to a different random team member.

Section 9: Stats

1. The following are a list of stats and their meanings. Note that there is no maximum amount for any stat. Additions to your PAL's stats are achieved by leveling up and obtaining items through Blitz Drives. Stats will be viewable in the Battle section of the Terminal.

1a. Level: This is a reflection of a user's battle experience, and affects the growth of the other stats.

1b. Hit Points (HP): This is the health of the PAL during battle. If this falls to 0 during a battle, the battle is lost.

1c. Strength (STR): This determines the base amount of damage dealt by a PAL's equipped weapon.

1d. Defense (DEF): This determines the amount of damage received by a PAL from an opponent's equipped weapon, calculated as the opponent's STR minus the user's DEF, but a minimum of 1.

1e. Speed (SPD): This determines the speed at which the PAL is able to run, fly, or glide around the battlefield.

1f. Dexterity (DEX): This determines the PAL's speed of using a Blitz, as well as its ability to strike an opponent with a long-range equipped weapon.

Section 10: In-Depth Clarifications

1. Blitz Drives

1a. Blitzes used in battle will have a set element of their own, separate from the PAL.

1b. Healing Blitzes will be applied to the PAL as soon as the command is uttered by the user.

1c. Shield Blitzes will have a set number of attacks they can defend against before dissipating.

1d. Attack Blitzes will modify the PAL's appearance slightly (i.e. turning a hand into a sword blade or cannon), and will active until the PAL has taken damage equal to 5% of their max HP.

2. Unlike most other mobile games, there will not be a limit as to how many battles a PAL can take part in within a given time frame. As such, their will be no "energy" indicators.

3. Battling can take place on 4G/LTE networks or wifi. If on wifi, the Terminal must perform a quick internet speed test prior as soon as the Battle menu of the Terminal is activated. This will help reduce lagging connections.

3a. Cellular data usage will be limited to 50 MB per hour. To be more specific, if a user battles continuously for an hour, the app will only use 50 MB of cellular data.

4. Cellular data usage will be monitored by the app, and can provide this information to the user.

5. Once a website has been accessed and transformed into a webspace, it will remain on the main PAL server for 24 hours. This will decrease data usage by the end user as well as processing and power requirements of the server.

6. Webspaces will all be the same size, and may clip sections of websites off. This will limit processing requirements of the server, and make the battle experience more uniform for all users.

7. In order to achieve many of these tasks, partnerships with several third parties will be required. These third parties include, but are not limited to, Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, numerous airlines and hotel chains, Yelp, Skype, etc., in order to provide many of the personal assistant features.

7a. The Terminal will allow users to connect to their accounts with the aforementioned third parties for seamless integration.

8. If the appropriate marketing is utilized, a new culture of children may develop which solves conflicts by battling PALs instead of fighting each other.

Conclusion

Based on all of the concept information provided, this versatile app is going to essentially take over almost every primary function of the user's mobile device. There is plenty of room for expansion, and it provides four distinct revenue streams. No other app can boast that.

Here are some estimates:

1. Ballpark budget - $70 million USD

1a. This estimate takes into account a team of approximately 50 game/app developers, 20 translators (10 additional languages, teams of 2 translators each), voice recognition and synthesis software with 20 voices, a team of education experts, merchandising, patents, copyrights, licensing, and marketing.

2. ETA of completion date - 3-4 years from start of development

3. First-Year Gross Sales - $200 million+ USD

3a. This estimate assumes that only 4 million people (which is 2% of the approximately 200 million smartphone users in the U.S. alone) purchase and use the app for battling PALs. This is not taking into consideration the potential revenue from the purchase of the app as solely a personal assistant, the purchase of Blitz Drives, the purchase of Study Packs, or the use of tutors.

3b. Using the same penetration figures, 2% of the 21 million U.S. college students utilizing the educational subscription service amounts to approximately $252 million per year. 2% of the 54.7 million K-12 students in the U.S. with educational subscriptions amounts to approximately $274 million per year.

3c. These figures still don't take into consideration standalone purchases of Blitz Drives and Study Packs in retail stores, nor the possibility of other merchandise such as branded clothing. Additionally, these figures do not reflect sales in other countries.

4. App Download Size - 2GB

4a. This is an approximation based on the download size of a large mobile MMO, Order and Chaos Online.

If you have any suggestions of changes or additions, feel free to comment. When doing so, I ask that you include your reasoning so that I can better understand, and am able to form an intelligent argument should the need arise.