Who else plays by phone? Or how do you play?

[Draco Tanos]

I use a Samsung Focus, which runs on Windows Phone 7.  This means I'm currently stuck with the WP7 version of Internet Explorer.  That's fine, it works alright in most cases.  On the non-mobile version of the site, some links refuse to work (I push, no response at all.  really strange) and sometimes I simply cannot write. 

On the mobile version, everything works as intended.  The only complaint that I would have is that the top menu buttons are sometimes merged into the text, which confuses the phone in that it doesn't know if it should highlight text or click the button.  Sadly, it usually defaults to highlighting.

If some sort of hard coded space could be put in between the menu and everything underneath, that'd be amazing. :)

[Indirik]

On the mobile version, everything works as intended.  The only complaint that I would have is that the top menu buttons are sometimes merged into the text, which confuses the phone in that it doesn't know if it should highlight text or click the button.  Sadly, it usually defaults to highlighting.

I hate to say it, but that's what you get for using Windows Phone. Windows works good for PCs. I have no problems at all with Windows 7, which is very nice. But Windows was always horrible as any kind of mobile OS.

My htc G2 works almost perfectly with the mobile site. The flip-out hardware keyboard makes it very easy to write messages. There are some issues with usability both related to the way mobile OSs work, and the way the site works. No show-stoppers, just inconvenient. I think the following improvements would be very useful for the mobile site:

• Duplicate the main navigation tabs at the bottom of the page. (Message, Actions, Orders, etc.) It's a real pain to have to scroll all the way back to the top to get to the links, especially if you have a battle, or a lot of messages. It's quite tedious to keep flipping and flipping to get back to the top. Even a "Back to top" link at the bottom of the page would work.
• Message background coloring doesn't work on the mobile site when reading messages. When you send a message and it shows you the message you just sent, coloring works fine there. I have verified this using my regular computer/browser on the mobile site, too.
• Message flagging works on the mobile site, bit is awkward. Both the flagged and non-flagged icons show up, and you don't know if the message is flagged or not. But clicking the icon will change the state. You just can't tell if it worked or not. Again, using the mobile site from a regular browser duplicates this effect.
• Add more spacing between links. Text is small on a mobile browser, and it's difficult to get the right one, especially for some links that have important effects and no confirmation. Like a duke starting a festival when what you wanted to do was hold court. You can say "Just be careful" all you want for regular desktop/mouse users, but for mobile users it's like trying to use a normal keyboard while wearing heavy mittens. (My G2 has a mini-trackpad that makes selecting links a snap, but most phones don't have something like that.)

[LilWolf]

• Add more spacing between links. Text is small on a mobile browser, and it's difficult to get the right one, especially for some links that have important effects and no confirmation. Like a duke starting a festival when what you wanted to do was hold court. You can say "Just be careful" all you want for regular desktop/mouse users, but for mobile users it's like trying to use a normal keyboard while wearing heavy mittens. (My G2 has a mini-trackpad that makes selecting links a snap, but most phones don't have something like that.)

This. On my HTC Desire Z the link spacing whack out so that the Play and Del links on the userdata page are right below each other. Thankfully character deletion has a confirmation page, but it still makes me uncomfortable every time I login with my phone.

[Ig]

• Message background coloring doesn't work on the mobile site when reading messages. When you send a message and it shows you the message you just sent, coloring works fine there. I have verified this using my regular computer/browser on the mobile site, too.

Personal messages aren't signified as such, as well.

[Glaumring the Fox]

Id like to say that BM on the iPhone4 is near perfect. Just need wider spaces to click things.

[Perth]

• Duplicate the main navigation tabs at the bottom of the page. (Message, Actions, Orders, etc.) It's a real pain to have to scroll all the way back to the top to get to the links, especially if you have a battle, or a lot of messages. It's quite tedious to keep flipping and flipping to get back to the top. Even a "Back to top" link at the bottom of the page would work.
• Message background coloring doesn't work on the mobile site when reading messages. When you send a message and it shows you the message you just sent, coloring works fine there. I have verified this using my regular computer/browser on the mobile site, too.
• Message flagging works on the mobile site, bit is awkward. Both the flagged and non-flagged icons show up, and you don't know if the message is flagged or not. But clicking the icon will change the state. You just can't tell if it worked or not. Again, using the mobile site from a regular browser duplicates this effect.
• Add more spacing between links. Text is small on a mobile browser, and it's difficult to get the right one, especially for some links that have important effects and no confirmation. Like a duke starting a festival when what you wanted to do was hold court. You can say "Just be careful" all you want for regular desktop/mouse users, but for mobile users it's like trying to use a normal keyboard while wearing heavy mittens. (My G2 has a mini-trackpad that makes selecting links a snap, but most phones don't have something like that.)

I agree with all of these.


I have also thought in the past that an actual BattleMaster iPhone/iPad APP would be a really good idea. It's a huge field these days and there are plenty of people out there who know how to make them, I'm sure we could find a few volunteers. It would not only be convenient for current members, but it would also get BM out there. The exposure from being in App Store alone I think could be huge.

[Darksun]

I have also thought in the past that an actual BattleMaster iPhone/iPad APP would be a really good idea. It's a huge field these days and there are plenty of people out there who know how to make them, I'm sure we could find a few volunteers. It would not only be convenient for current members, but it would also get BM out there. The exposure from being in App Store alone I think could be huge.

While I like the idea of an app, it would likely snowball into needing one for every mobile OS and then updating all those for various layout changes, new links, etc. A code management headache for all those involved.

However... the exposure could be worth it...

I've given up playing on my iPhone or iPad. I've definitely mis-clicked more than once with near perilous results.

[Perth]

While I like the idea of an app, it would likely snowball into needing one for every mobile OS and then updating all those for various layout changes, new links, etc. A code management headache for all those involved.

Sure, it would be nice to have Apps across multiple mobile OS's but I mean we could take what we can get. If we can find someone who wants to develop an iPhone/iPad app for us, excellent. If someone else wants to do an Android app, that's awesome as well. If we can't find one for Android, for instance, though it's not a big deal. I mean we wouldn't be any worse off than we are now.


Just imagine... Push Notifications for New Messages!

My BattleMaster obsession would know no bounds!

[Tom]

Just imagine... Push Notifications for New Messages!

My BattleMaster obsession would know no bounds!

Which is why I won't support such a thing. I don't like obsessions.

[Glaumring the Fox]

Too late.... ;D

[Draco Tanos]

Sure, it would be nice to have Apps across multiple mobile OS's but I mean we could take what we can get. If we can find someone who wants to develop an iPhone/iPad app for us, excellent. If someone else wants to do an Android app, that's awesome as well. If we can't find one for Android, for instance, though it's not a big deal. I mean we wouldn't be any worse off than we are now.


Just imagine... Push Notifications for New Messages!

My BattleMaster obsession would know no bounds!

WP7 app would be easier, as most people are more familiar programming for windows-based things than overprices Apples. ;D

And Indrik, have you actively used Windows Phone 7?  Not the old Windows Phone/Windows Mobile OS, the new one.

[Thunthorn]

I play on my way to and from work occasionally on a Xperia x10. It works well enough from the mobile site when I found out about it. Biggest problem has more to do with the phone than the site as you can't copy/paste anything outside the texteditor which makes sharing scout/battlereports and adventurer links impossible.

I'm also prone to miss messages and vital pieces of information from the phone and writing long letters just takes to long time.

[Perth]

Which is why I won't support such a thing. I don't like obsessions.

You should probably shut down BM then...  :-[

WP7 app would be easier, as most people are more familiar programming for windows-based things than overprices Apples. ;D

You mean for those two people who have a Windows Phone 7 compared to the 200 million iOS device owners?

[Geronus]

Which is why I won't support such a thing. I don't like obsessions.

Well the nice thing about push notifications is they are very easy to turn on and off, and apps that feature them universally allow you to choose whether to activate them or not as soon as you download them.

And I agree that an app could an excellent way to expand recognition of the game. However, I'm guessing that one would not be easy to develop. Smart phones these days tend to be icon-based, and don't rely as much on text, and are not particularly friendly to text-based interfaces for that matter. We'd also have to have a mobile interface for registering for the game.

And I would say that there's no need to develop one for every mobile OS under the sun. Do one for Apple (which is much more standardized hardware-wise than, say, Android) or really whichever we can get someone to volunteer to do, and leave it at that.

[De-Legro]

Well the nice thing about push notifications is they are very easy to turn on and off, and apps that feature them universally allow you to choose whether to activate them or not as soon as you download them.

And I agree that an app could an excellent way to expand recognition of the game. However, I'm guessing that one would not be easy to develop. Smart phones these days tend to be icon-based, and don't rely as much on text, and are not particularly friendly to text-based interfaces for that matter. We'd also have to have a mobile interface for registering for the game.

And I would say that there's no need to develop one for every mobile OS under the sun. Do one for Apple (which is much more standardized hardware-wise than, say, Android) or really whichever we can get someone to volunteer to do, and leave it at that.

The actual app would be relatively easy, making sure it played nice with the existing server might be more difficult, I've never tried making an app that would access a server via standard URL strings, and I doubt anyone wants to spend the time creating a mobile interface API for the server :)