On Wed, Jun 3, 2020 at 1:05 AM Darrell Root <darrellroot at mac.com> wrote:

> I’m also curious how many of you have iPads with 3-button mice.  I suspect
> a native iPadOS port is possible and am curious regarding the interest
> level.  But I think the game is too complex for an iPhone version.
>

I think a version of Netrek that works on modern day tablets and
smartphones could be a game changer.  On the one hand, it should make the
game really accessible and could lead to a revival of sorts.  Netrek
doesn't need millions of players but really just hundreds to sustain
regular pickup play 24x7.  There are surely that many old geezers and
enthusiasts.  On the other hand, it would involve some serious changes in
attitude towards the UI and game mechanics.  It's arguable whether this is
good for Netrek in its historical form and context (most of us would
probably consider it destructive).  But at the end of the day, it's
compelling to say that some sacrifices should be tolerated for the sake of
long term survival.

The game is certainly too complex for non-keyboard, non-mouse devices.  But
if it's possible to use voice as an input to substitute for messaging
(macros) and most keyboard actions, it could work.  The non-computer
players would be at a serious disadvantage vs computer players, so perhaps
there would need to be some exploration about creating a reasonable balance
if both are in the same game, i.e. handicaps placed on computer players or
advantages given to non-computer players.  Or, it might make sense to
separate them into different servers, classic vs new-gen.

Really nice and welcomed work, Darrell.

Dave




>
> Thanks!
>
> Darrell
> darrellroot AT mac.com
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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> netrek-dev at us.netrek.org
> http://mailman.us.netrek.org/mailman/listinfo/netrek-dev
>
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