FFXIV Android Companion Application

This post goes out to all my fellow Android users who would like to see a great FFXIV application for our beloved platform.

I have been developing games and software for nearly 15 years and am eager to put my talents to use making a community FFXIV application and wanted to know if there was interest in such a (free) program and if so what (realistic) features people would like to see in it.

OMG yes, I'm a Droid user and would love to see a FFXIV app!

I was a huge fan of the old FFXI Vana'navi.

There's a great FFXIV Windows 7 app called the Eorzea Clock. I'd like to see these features, at least:

http://ffxiv.zam.com/wiki/FFXIV_Windows_Gadget

Moon phase,
Game day (fire day, earth day)
game clock (18:00)
Server status
Wiki features (connected to YG maybe)
Character search feature (connected to FFXIVPRO or lodestone maybe)

Crafting recipes are the only thing I look up. So recipe trees would be nice.

My hobby is making games and software, I don't know much about apps but maybe I could help out.

Market Wards inventory, like the ffxiah app.

No iOS :(?

Well regardless, i would love to see Database/Wiki search using YP and ZAM. Clock and reset time.

I have a FFXIV time display on my logitech G19

Heya!

I was going to do something for Android, just to traain my Java mind.
I can help making a NM Tracker, that displays a Google Maps-like Map of every Eorzea zone and placing targets on it, with the Options toast to choose which NM to track (low/high).
We can join forces and make the best FFXIV App ever! Then when we have the app done, we can iOS/Windows Phone 7 it!

Windows Phone 7 user here - If you ever have the time, and think you could do it, I would love it if you could create an app with a simple screen showing the following timers:

Behest
Guild Leves
Anima Cooldown
Guardians Favor Cooldown
Moonphase

The ability to set alarms would be epic too. I understand it isn't for the Android, but would love you long time :)

Damn, now I want to learn how to build for Windows Phone 7...
Damn You!

Oh well... one thing after another I think...

There is Chatty out already which i think breaks the ToA but lets you use your phone to chat directly in game. There already is ffxiv guide which has a database of recipies but its now getting outdated, there is at least 2 clocks out there which show the moon phase/leve reset. I started a leve time myself just after release but discovered that I was already beaten to it. Do your research to discover what is out there what needs to be improved and do your best, let us know what you come up with.

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Originally Posted by quantumsaint

Crafting recipes are the only thing I look up. So recipe trees would be nice.

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This is primarily the reason I wish to develop this app.

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Originally Posted by Rinoa

My hobby is making games and software, I don't know much about apps but maybe I could help out.

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There are many aspects, both development and others that could use help, I will post here when I start recruiting.

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Originally Posted by Rau

Market Wards inventory, like the ffxiah app.

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As nice as such a feature would be, I do not know how, or if, this is possible for FFXIV.

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Originally Posted by ShinobiHakeem

No iOS :(?

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Sorry, nothing much against iOS (I did some games for that platform too, once upon a time), I just no longer have an iOS devices to test/develop with nor do I have a Mac (anymore) to develop in.

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Originally Posted by Renshi

Heya!

I was going to do something for Android, just to traain my Java mind.
I can help making a NM Tracker, that displays a Google Maps-like Map of every Eorzea zone and placing targets on it, with the Options toast to choose which NM to track (low/high).
We can join forces and make the best FFXIV App ever!

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I have extensive Java experience and have developed a few applications and games for Android, but I could always use the help (It will definitely make things go a bit faster). I will post here once I have an actual project started and recruit people to the cause.

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Originally Posted by Renshi

Then when we have the app done, we can iOS/Windows Phone 7 it!

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Originally Posted by Vahzl

Windows Phone 7 user here

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Originally Posted by Renshi

Damn, now I want to learn how to build for Windows Phone 7...

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It seems that a good fraction of the people posting here have WP7 devices, but as it stands the WP7 platform has only a tiny fraction of the market share and even that is declining* so I do not currently have a development device for WP7, though this may change in the future if the numbers turn around right now the only way for this to happen is if I recruit developers that have WP7 (and iOS) devices to port the application to.

* http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events...r_Market_Share

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Originally Posted by Loki_Jortunn

There already is ffxiv guide which has a database of recipies but its now getting outdated

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FFXIV Guide is what I have currently on my Android phone but it has pretty much (by the developers admission) been more or less abandoned and is, as you stated outdated, as well as lacking in content. This (at its core) is more or less the type of app I am going for, but with more features, updated content, and a better UI (with maybe a widget or two...)

Good to see you have at least done some research, if you require assistance let me know. Getting the UI right is always a challenge i feel for android but if you get it right everything else falls into place, the content can easily be done database side. If you go down the route of recipe app add search functionality for ingredients/guides (recipies within level range), maybe add a quest function too.

I have a Nexus S android phone also and would really love to see an app that's helpful to the players. A lot of people listed majority of what I'd also like to see. In FFXI I frequently looked up enemy locations, drops, and notes for strategies. So something that taps into a database of a popular website would be ideal for me. I hope your project goes well, I think even a lot of people who don't post here will support your application as well. Especially down the road with much game improvements and a larger community.

:)

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Originally Posted by Renshi

Damn, now I want to learn how to build for Windows Phone 7...

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You don't want to. Believe me. You don't.

At least not the state the dev tools are in at the moment, maybe it's going to change with the upcoming 7.1, but i'm not really enthusiastic.

Not to forget that unless you are a student there is a fee to pay if you want to test your app on the phone/release it later on.

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Originally Posted by Soukyuu

You don't want to. Believe me. You don't.

At least not the state the dev tools are in at the moment, maybe it's going to change with the upcoming 7.1, but i'm not really enthusiastic.

Not to forget that unless you are a student there is a fee to pay if you want to test your app on the phone/release it later on.

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I'll give it a shot, I'm a student =D

YG offers an API you can use to access content on their database.

http://ffxiv.yg.com/help-lookup-api

You should consider using it as it would mean you wouldn't need to push an update every time SE does.

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Originally Posted by quantumsaint

Crafting recipes are the only thing I look up. So recipe trees would be nice.

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an actual recipe tree + shopping list would be awesome!

At YG, they implemented a recipe tree. yay for them! But they didn't progam it to extend to the "Bill of Materials" (on the right side of the tree)

Example: Willow Wand of Flames

if you look at the recipe tree and the bill of materials, the BoM reflects the uncollapsed tree. So even if you, say, already have a Budding Willow Wand, and collapse that part of the tree thusly, the BoM still says you need a Humus :(

It would be awesome if there was a way to make the tree and a corresponding "shopping list" for the mats you actually need to get. C'mon Jester, Make it happen! :D

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Originally Posted by thedevilsjester

This post goes out to all my fellow Android users who would like to see a great FFXIV application for our beloved platform.

I have been developing games and software for nearly 15 years and am eager to put my talents to use making a community FFXIV application and wanted to know if there was interest in such a (free) program and if so what (realistic) features people would like to see in it.

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Yes please I would love a android app for XIV, in bit of a rush atm to list features but some others have listed some pretty good ones.

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Originally Posted by opal

YG offers an API you can use to access content on their database.

http://ffxiv.yg.com/help-lookup-api

You should consider using it as it would mean you wouldn't need to push an update every time SE does.

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Just a note from experience if you use that API you're best of implementing a caching system to build a database during parse. I run a site that uses this API to display lists of achievements, and it uses almost 700mb bandwidth a day just downloading data from yg XD. No experience in phone apps but could be a thing to consider.

As awesome that an app would be, I would suggest on holding off on doing anything time intensive as the game will be undergoing large changes making any apps possibly non-functional by the time they are finished with the big changes. Just my opinion though, I'd hate to see someone sink a good chunk of time into a awesome app to only have it busted by a update somehow.

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Originally Posted by Jynx

As awesome that an app would be, I would suggest on holding off on doing anything time intensive as the game will be undergoing large changes making any apps possibly non-functional by the time they are finished with the big changes. Just my opinion though, I'd hate to see someone sink a good chunk of time into a awesome app to only have it busted by a update somehow.

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Unless it becomes a hello kitty racing game, there wont be much drastic changes, at least non you cant just go patch XD.

just give me an app that can access and brows Yellow Goblin and I would be a happy man.