What would you want in a Rocket Launch Smart Phone App?

[Luckless]

KSP is great and all, but lets face it: Carting your large desktop gaming rig around so you can launch rockets while on your way to work just gets you weird stares. Especially when you ask the bus driver if he has an outlet you can borrow for a few blocks.

So, this minor problem, coupled with me finally getting something that can be called a smart phone, has lead me to a project idea. I want to try my hand at a mobile development project, and I figured why not something that is like KSP in spirit, but simple enough to run on a cheap, bare bones phone.

My current idea is something that has more design and theory testing stages, coupled with an object based CAD system with kind of a late 80s style interface. (Anyone remember CADs that ran on DOS? I swear I\'m not actually that old, I was just a geeky child.)

'Game' flow would be:

1. Component Design - A few basic \'object\' types with rather primitive geometry options, which have different functions. Tanks, valves, pumps, (controls/computers?) etc. You then set up parameters, lengths, heights, widths, diameters, wall thicknesses, initial contents and initial states: Oxygen, Gas vs Liquid, etc.

2. Component Testing - Taking your custom pieces, and putting them in the wind tunnel! Run them through their paces, and see what happens. (Would also double as an advanced object properties calculation step, which would simplify runtime calculations during launch stage.)

3. Vehicle Assembly - Taking all your pretty little components, and slapping them together. (Similar to how KSP does it, but most likely simpler wireframe/2D CAD view)

4. Programming/Flight Plan - Setting up your burn stages etc ahead of time. How things are \'suppose\' to go.

5. Launch/'practical Testing' - Fuel things up, and let it fly. Minimal 'Data Only' style display, possibly basic simplified graphics, small labelled dots on lines. No detailed rendering of what is going on.

(Basically the whole project has to run nicely on my HTC Status/Chacha, with its pathetic little 480x320 landscape display. Because, as much as I like the community, I\'ll be programming for my device first and foremost.)

May also include designs for building up your facilities. Designing your launch systems, etc, and not killing off your work force. Not yet sure on what to do for a \'campaign\' style game play. Possibly scenario based: X amount of money to do Y mission in Z time. Such as getting to the moon on a shoe string budget. May also include a missile game as well, and roll in a DEFCON style option. 'In the Race for Space, Thermonuclear war can be \'Plan B\''.

No idea about any kind of direct multiplayer option currently.

I\'m kind of thinking that it would be interesting to be able to design the engines and combustion chambers themselves. Most likely I will just make up a simplified chemistry to go with it, just because having a totally accurate sim for it sounds a whole lot less fun to program.

So, other thoughts or input on such a project? I figured I would start the initial planning with input from this community on general ideas, because we\'re clearly all fans of rockets. If I get a chance I\'ll do some mockups of UI concepts and do a little more paper planning over the weekend. Possibly get more detailed User Experience Documents written up.

Also, given that I\'m starting this project and looking for input on another developer\'s forum, I won\'t be planning this as a paid app unless the devs give it the thumbs up later. (Assuming it even gets off the ground. Most of my programming is done for stuff running on 'computers' the size of small buildings. Working with the runtime resources of a smart phone isn\'t really in my field of experience, so this could go horribly horribly wrong.)

Not currently looking for help on the project. Not considering an iPhone version at all. (Unless someone wants to send me a Mac Mini, and $105 USD for dev account and XCode. And possibly a 3rd gen iPod Touch.)

[Phoxtane]

What if...?

You added the functionality to turn these rocket designs into KSP rockets?

[Luckless]

On the note of App-KSP interaction, I think the most I would do is provide a basic import/export functionality for component and rocket blueprints, primarily for backup and sharing of your designs in game.

But I would publish the specs on the format, so if someone else wanted to write a converter, they would be able to.

Graphics wise, I\'m not planning on much. Barely above vector/point based wireframes graphics like what you would find from the 70s/80s. I\'m kind of going for a nostalgic interface here.

[Phoxtane]

Graphics wise, I\'m not planning on much. Barely above vector/point based wireframes graphics like what you would find from the 70s/80s. I\'m kind of going for a nostalgic interface here.

I like the wireframe graphics, but green on black gets old fast in my opinion. Maybe you could add some sort of color feature that allows us to specify an RGB code or preset swatch for the line color?

[Luckless]

Most likely it is going to be full colour, or at least a decent sized pallet. Different components and sub-components would have their own colour, and then highlight in a different colour.

Still in the general brain storming phase, so keep adding ideas and comments. I\'ll start working on screen mockups at some point in the near future, but so far things are still in the theory/concept stage for the UI. Big part of what I\'m looking for is what info you feel is needed during launch, and how little detail of the actual rocket can I get away with?

Would you enjoy watching a little dot on the screen with a few numbers beside it (Velocity, altitude, etc) as it wobbles between the lines of its flight path, and then turns into a pile of different little dots travelling out in a old school 'Windows Fireworks' pattern as you learn you have a problem in your fuel pump... the hard way. (aka, explosions are 20-30 of the largest chunks of your ship left?) Possibly projected in 2D rather than rotating a camera around to watch 3D action?

Remember, just because something is stupid doesn\'t mean it is useless!

[Guest GroundHOG-2010]

Why not just do a 2d side on (not side scrolling, as its not scrolling to the side) KSP like game. I tryed this out (ironicly I never completed it before I found KSP). It would work well on Iphones (I hate objective c) and androids, and would run better than a 3d game. Do it in 8 bit if you want a old style to your game.

If you want a port to Windows Phone 7 (that may not get done), or android and can\'t be bothered doing it, just ask.

[LukeTim]

Why not just do a 2d side on (not side scrolling, as its not scrolling to the side) KSP like game. I tryed this out (ironicly I never completed it before I found KSP). It would work well on Iphones (I hate objective c) and androids, and would run better than a 3d game. Do it in 8 bit if you want a old style to your game.

If you want a port to Windows Phone 7 (that may not get done), or android and can\'t be bothered doing it, just ask.

KSP started out in 2D, and it was pretty good back then I hear.

[Guest GroundHOG-2010]

KSP started out in 2D, and it was pretty good back then I hear.

It started out in 3d, but had a side on perspective. It would be a good idea to do it in 2d side perspective I think. With 2d then you could make objects orbit 2d planets, which would require less work than the way KSP does it (I did it in an hour).