iPhone Playerworlds
 

Here is an idea on how this would work:

I think once the iPhone client is improved enough to be stable and more efficient, then Playerworlds should be brought to iPhone. There should be an app that connects you on to a login server (serverlist) and you type in the server name or click on a featured or "hosted" server. There should be a cheap subscription($1.99-3.99/Month) to access non-hosted/Paid servers.

In order to be a "hosted" server you must do the following*:
1: have some type of gelat shop reviewed by Stefan or one of the people he allows. ( So that Stefan can make his money)**
2: Have the server reviewed by a global admin to see if its quality is good enough and that the server follows the rules(no stolen content, no severly inappropriate topics, etc )

* You can only apply for a hosted server once every 3 months.(this will prevent spam)
** If a server does not wish to have a gelat shop for whatever reason, but still has great content, the server can be a "paid" hosted server.

As for the current servers on iPhone(Classic iPhone, era iPhone, soon to be Kingdoms iPhone), they will be "Gold" servers. These can remain seperate apps to act as a "trial" to get players into Graal online.

I understand scripting for the iPhone/iPod client would be much more complicated due to low processing power, which is why I recommend that the Playerworlds app should only be for 3rd Generation or later devices unless the client is drastically improved. While providing the game for people with 2nd generation devices would greatly improve the amount of people that can play the game, many people would complain that their app is crashing frequently when they log onto a server, lowering the rating and therefore scaring people from downloading the app. Also, servers may not be able to make certain features because the older devices may crash because of them.

Stefan, if you are reading this, please take this into consideration as it may be very fun for players as well as very profitable.

Yeah because that worked so well for PC Graal.

That is just for UC/non hosted servers, to avoid people from cramming onto servers that aren't making Stefan any money. Hosted servers can be free to play as long as a cash shop is added.

I agree with all of this except for the pricing. I don't like the idea of an iPhone subscription, not only because I don't want to pay, but because I don't want to always spend my iTunes $ on the game. (And though I've spent money on Classic before, I've never bought an iTunes card just to buy stuff on Graal, nor have I ever spent an entire card on Graal)

Wait, there's another thing I kinda disagree with. Servers should be staff only unless they are "hosted", and when they are hosted they will receive their own app. There could maybe be a developer app to allow you log into iPhone servers you have RC on.

But the other ideas are great, and it would be fun to see this integrated in the future. Tons of people would purchase a server to do this, and it would provide profit for Graal as well as give some people a good time.

There should be some way for people to play non hosted servers, any ideas?

Do you not think iPhone needs greater Quality rather than Quantity?

Currently only a limited amount of people are allowed to develop for iPhone, limiting its quality. I want to make a better classic server for iPhone that focuses more on quests and events and a little less on shops, but I cannot because iPhone servers are only for a few people.

I think it's extremely critical to not have a repeat of what happened on the PC on the iPhone.

Currently on the PC, there is an very thin developer pool spread over a lot of servers, and a now thin player pool as well. Not good.


I think the iPhone servers are proof that Graal works as a game, as opposed to a development platform. This means, first and foremost, Graal should be focused on as a game -- tailor to the players, and focus on advertising Graal as a game.

This isn't to say that we should prevent people from developing. Definitely not, in fact. "You play it, now help to make it!" is a really good hook in general. But development should be treated as a more 'professional' avenue of Graal (money could potentially be involved), where the focus is attracting skilled developers, rather than just snaring unsuspecting noobs into buying a server and jacking their money.


In general, building a server is not an easy thing, and I feel like the only people with the skills/determination to do it are from the PC community and have been doing Graal development for years. In my opinion, if the ideas in this thread were implemented, it'd just be for sucking some extra cash out of players rather than actually trying to improve Graal.

And alas, cash is never free, and I believe these ideas would end up causing a thin in the iPhone playerbase like we've seen on the PC. If iPhone-related development is going to happen, I think it's going to need to be done with a radically different system than the one we use now.

I disagree, there's a limited amount of people that are capable, can afford, and are willing to develop an iPhone server to a high enough standard and also efficiently enough to be playable on that platform, if these criteria were being met more commonly there simply would be more iPhone servers, it has nothing to do with whether enough people are permitted.

It is also felt by many that as PC Graal became more of a Development Platform, it became less of a game (edit: only just noticed WhiteDragon says this above), opening up that opportunity to more people isn't necessarily going to improve quality.

PROTIP:
1. Re-size your client to... 480x320
2. Create an Arrow Key movement system, develop as normal. If you have a Mac with a touch screen, you're set.
3. Pray Stefan likes your work and wants to turn it into an Graal App

If you design your server around using the mouse and arrow keys for movement, the transition to iOS will be minimal as well.

The problem is Stefan is unwilling to serverwarp us to test our app on iPhone. Apparently the iPhone client isnt 100% compatible with gscript, not all of it works.(someone made a GUI for classic iPhone and it never showed up on iPhone and it made the players angry) also, it wont let me change the client size, it just goes back to 640x480 every time. Edit: nvm it works I have to use v5 LOL

I couldn't agree with you more.

All though, it would be interesting to see what kind of playerworlds were made from all the kids running around on the iphone servers.

I think that the best thing you could do right now is allow PC players to just serverwarp to the server on their iPhone to test it out. There is no need for other iPhone players who are not staff to log onto the server.

How would you do that? Stefan would need to be involved in the process no matter what.

He wouldn't need to be involved in the development process until release. Which means for most servers, he wouldn't be involved at all.

There could possilby be an option on Classic iPhone for players who have purchased a server and staff of that RC to serverwarp to the server? How bout you type in some sort of command into your chat to brings up a screen where you log in with your PC account? (It needn't be publicized on iPhone; that way all the players don't go nutty over development. I highly support what was said about keeping iPhone Graal a game.) Then you can log into servers you have RC on. To keep staff from going onto servers that aren't iPhone servers, perhaps the staff's PCID for their iDevice would also need to be in the server options? (No iPhone players who are not staff would be allowed to log in.)

If Stefan were to set up that system, he would hardly be involved at all. I think the key here is to find a way for him to not have to babysit all the iPhone playerworlds while allowing them to develop.

My new idea is that an option should be able to be added to server options to allow specific iPhone accounts to log into the server. a Player on Classic IPhone should be able to say /serverwarp ____ and warp to their server. How would they get back? Either add a simple script to their server to do the same thing except warp back, or simply reopen the application.