Thanks to a tip from IGN, I found a link to Label Interactive, a company developing interactive games for mobile devices: like the iPad.
As you can see from the picture above - just imagine replacing those checker pieces with miniatures. The iPad GameTable App will be a great platform for RPGs if they develop the app with that in mind.
Just thinking about the possibilities makes me want to pre-order one...
If they do make this app useable for RPGs, would it temp you to buy an iPad?
No.
ReplyDeleteBooooo.... you're no fun.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea, but it's a bit small yet. Of course, if you abandon miniatures because the device "provides" them, I suppose tiles could be much smaller than 1 inch. If that happens, I foresee (for better or worse) the table makers selling expansions for more monsters and the like.
ReplyDeleteI think this has potential and could be simple enough to make that we may actually see it. I'm not sold on the iPad itself, but if this tablet revolution plays out (I'm skeptical still), this could be cool.
No way they'll do an app which does everything I need for my game. And there's no way to run two or more apps on iPad. Tablets and slates will have HUGE potential in RPGs (especially with pico projectors), but not the iPad... nope sir.
ReplyDeleteIf they did make it usable for RPGs, Wizards would flip their otyug bedding due to the name. Never mind that their own Gametable is vapourware.
ReplyDeleteOT, this wouldn't sell the iPad to me. The really need to fix that whole "only one app at a time" handicap first. It's been how many decades since unitasking operating systems died? I want to have my PDF game books, PDF adventure, Wave notes, and the game table all running (or at least open and "paused" where I left them) at once.
I don't know why everyone says it's only one ap at once... can you actually interact with more than one window on a PC at the same time? Can you type in Word and photoshop pix at the same instant? Are you the four armed goddess Kali?
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm not. And as far as I can tell, my iPhone "multitasks" just fine. WHenever I "close" an app it's more like minimizing it - the stat is saved, and when I reopen it the same content/whatever it still sitting there. Example, I'm typing an email on my iphone app - without saving a draft, I close it and open safari to read my Google Reader, then go back to the Mail client -- the email is still there and cursor is even in the same spot.
So... what do you mean? It can only run one app... that's just not true. I think people who are saying this don't actually _own_ an iPhone maybe?
What sorts of things would you guys like to see in a PnP RPG helper app?
ReplyDeleteI plan on developing something of the sort for the iPad as it was the first use of it that came to mind.
For instance, i would love it if more than one iPad could connect to each other with a PnP app and share character sheets, loot tables, group loot, etc. and the DM could send loot to players with his iPad, sync character sheets, send notes and images from NPCs.
The APIs support this sort of connection with iPhones already. The iPad would support the interface size needed to make it work well.
If i get an app created (possibly quitting the day job to freelance full-time and to create mobile apps for Android, iPhone/iPad on the side), I'll contact a few RPG blogs like this one to let them know.
@Jonathan: If I launched music in the browser, or in iTunes, would the music continue to play when I opened up the email app? What would happen to a multi-player gaming app when I switched to the browser to look up information?
ReplyDeleteIf the answer to the first question is: "The music continues to play" and the answer to the second question is: "The app continues to run and update according what other players have done" then it would indeed multitask.
But if the answers are "the music is interrupted" or "the gaming app actually locks and/or disconnects you" then it fails as a device for me.
As for a gamin app being incentive for me to buy it... well, everyone I play would have to buy it too. And I don't see that happening at all.
Web apps that support ANY web device (with special support for touch tablets) is the way to go. Not an app that is supported by a single device.
The music continues to play. The app continues to run in some cases I think it's app dependant. Probably up to the developer. But I get Twitter updates and facebook updates on my phone evenwhen I'm not running those apps.
ReplyDeleteSo. ... Someone please explain why everyone thinks the iPhone doesn't multitask
@jonathan
ReplyDeleteThose aren't apps running in the background, those are push notifications.
The ONLY apps allowed to run in the background on iPhone/iPodTouchs are the first party Apple apps. No thirdparty apps are allowed to run in the background. ONLY push notifications are allowed to be used. Which means updates can come to the app and show up, when the app isn't running.
If you play music in the background from a web page then quit safari, the music stops.
If you play music in the ipod app, it runs in the background.
The iPhone cannot multitask for third party apps. ONLY first party apps at this moment.
However, Apple is releasing OS 4.0 this summer which will enable multitasking as well as many other things. The iPad has lots of processing power and more ram than the iPhone/iPods and they know that it will benefit from it.
The main issue with multitasking on a small, mobile device is the fact that you cannot trust third party apps to make good use of memory/cpu in the background. When the battery drains faster due to poorly constructed third party apps, users still tend to blame the device creator and not the app creator due to ignorance. However, this still greatly affects the perceived value of the device. They are still working on a way to have cake and eat it too, and that is why it is taking so long to get real, true, third-party mutli-tasking on the Apple mobile devices. Not for any other conspiracy theory.
That being said: Yes, not having real multitasking on the iPad will be a bit of a pain in the butt for such a device.
Here's something that I came across today:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.tipb.com/2009/01/18/myth-smasher-iphone-multitasking/
@Ernie: Ahhh,,, now having read your comment; I see your point. Even still, without multitasking, a RPG social media app that runs across distributed systems could still make use of Push like the twitter and FB apps do. Still though, Iphone 4.0 OS will be a nice upgrade
ReplyDelete