[Android Apps and Games] ii Candor ii:
Hey guys. Sorry for my absence. I've been reading along but haven't had time to post.

I have so many ideas going through my head right now. First off -- great start!

I think we need to pick a theme and create a name based on the theme. Basically we should look up some of the biggest human migrations from mid-evil times and see what we like best. Then based on that we can come up with a good name and possibly incorporate some of the historical items in it -- as far as building resources. Possibly something from this website: Mideval Eurasia

Latentk, you have some great ideas -- I added some numbers to your quote, just for reference purposes.

I have a similar idea about the tabs. Instead of expanding out in squares, I think it would be better to swipe from left to right. The tab buttons themselves would be down the left side and would only show the icons themselves with the background knocked out (PNG style) much like the default Launcher Pro icons (like the bottom row on the home screen). Then when you tap or swipe the icon from left to right, it expands the whole row across the screen, but with transparency so you can still sort of see the board behind them. At that point you see another set of icons. Once you get used to the icons and know what they do, you can just tap them to perform your action, but until then, you can tap and hold -- it drops down a plain text menu so you know exactly what you're doing.

1) I don't think you need a building tab. I fact I think it would be much more intuitive if all the building capabilities were built into the map. So if you want to build a road, you tap where your road starts and then tap where it ends, a small box pops up to tell you how much you're spending, and then you confirm your choice. When you confirm your choice it gives you a two options: A) Build road and then pass dice B) Build road and hold dice.

2) I agree there needs to be a tab dedicated to Dev cards (or whatever we decide to call them). People need to be able to see who's holding the largest army card, what Dev cards they have in their hand (as well as a small icon that points them to the detailed rules regarding that particular card), etc.

3) The System tab could actually reside in the general Menu. When viewing the map with no tabs open you press the Menu key where you get everything that resides in the system menu:

-----Save/End/New Game/Add Game

-----Friends List (Friends are auto-populated based on who actually has the game installed on their device)

-----Game Type

----------SIM Mulitiplayer

---------------Select number of players

---------------Default/Custom Rules

----------Human Multiplayer (Local)

---------------Select number of players

---------------Default/Custom Rules

----------Human Multiplayer (Networked)

-----Preferences

----------Rules

---------------Flip tokens before initial building

---------------Flip tokens after initial building

----------Sounds

---------------On/Off

---------------Volume

---------------Customize

----------Character

---------------Nickname (max 10 letters) (default is the name associated with your main Gmail account -- can be customized)

---------------Avatar (default is a generic picture defined by the choice of our theme/title -- can be customized)

-----How To Play

----------Tips

-----About/Credits

Other ideas regarding usability:

1) You could make it so you can shake the phone to roll the dice

2) Instead of showing the zoom in/out buttons make it pinch to zoom

Other ideas regarding the display/graphics:

1) Make your own roads/buildings glow on the map -- so you can easily know which ones are yours at all times; or select a different player to see his roads/buildings glow.

2) Give some space between the hexes, so it doesn't look quite so cramped -- or give them some dimension like this:

3) Put a graphic on each type of hex, but don't make it like the game board, instead put a single identifiable icon on each like THIS (maybe we can see if Leo will let us use his icons)

Other general ideas/wish list (in no particular order):

1) Trading request notifications

2) Ability to forfeit your cards to another player and quit out

3) Text chat in game so you don't have to exit the game to SMS, etc. (via your desired chat client -- could have a list of supported clients)

2) Playable over both 3G and WiFi interchangeably

3) Animation for pay-outs after dice are rolled (Example: a floating sheep icon with a number in it)

4) Nicknames and Avatars

5) Custom rules

6) Screen shot function

7) Score keeping/who's turn/cards in hand homescreen widget

Questions:

1) Would it be possible to have multiple games going on? For example let's say you have a Human Mutli-player game going on, but you're friend has to leave before the game is finished. So you save the game, then later that night you decide to play a SIM Multi-player game.

2) Would it be beneficial if I started a shared Google Doc and started organizing our ideas so we have a reference?

I have plenty more ideas where those came from.

In general I am personally going to try to focus on user friendliness, usability, and making it fun and easy for people to play, even if that have not played it.

I can definitely sketch a mock-up of what I have been imagining. Will work on it this week.

There's a game server I ran across called Mages that might be worth a look.

Another interesting link: OpenGL ES

I ran across THIS NEWS ITEM on XDA -- maybe defroster will be willing make some 3D graphics for us.