Warning: Attempt to read property "ID" on int in /home/public/wp-content/themes/timoliver-2014/header.php on line 9
iPokédex – My current iPhone project |

iPokédex – My current iPhone project

iPokédex LogoSo, if you’ve been following my Twitter lately, you probably noticed a flurry of tweets involving an iPhone app I’ve been working on. I got a bit worked up into a frenzy since Apple sent me an email saying if I didn’t upload something soon, I’d lose the name. Anyway, all that is okay now, so I thought I’d just back up and actually write what it is that I’m doing here. XD

Back when Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver came out in Japan, my Japanese teacher was able to get me a copy when she went over there for a bit. One thing I noticed while playing it though, was that although the Japanese dialog itself was pretty easy to follow (it’s a kids game after all XD), trying to remember the names of all of the Pokémon and their moves and their items and stuff all in Japanese was actually fricken’ difficult. ^_^; Now, while I found some totally awesome sites online that provide all this info (Bulbapedia, Serebii, Veekun etc), I usually play Pokémon on the train, and trying to load those pages down in Safari on my iPhone is often pretty tricky and time-consuming. I got to thinking, a fully offline, mobile Pokédex app for the iPhone would be pretty darn sweet.

And so, the concept of iPokédex was born. ^_^

Initially, I was planning on calling it ‘iZukan’ (The Japanese name for Pokédex), but after I found that iPokédex (specifically the accented e) was still free, I decided to go with that. XD

So, my primary design goal for iPokédex is for it to be the most fully comprehensive Pokédex app on the iPhone App Store, with both English and Japanese translations, in addition, the ability to search through the data in either language. ^_^

This will include information on:

  • Pokémon – Including type data, evolutions, stats, learnable moves, compatible breeding, capture rates and obtainable locations across all generations
  • Items – Including ingame description, price, and location in each game (Excluding items related to the actual story)
  • Moves – Including description, stats, and which Pokémon can learn it.
  • Types – Being able to quickly project which types are weak/strong against others
  • Abilities – Including ingame descriptions and effect analysis
  • Egg Groups – Ability to compare breeding compatibilities

Now… I’ve had this question asked a few times now: why should I bother making a Pokédex app? Aren’t there already ones on the App Store?
So, I feel I better justify why I want to spend effort on this project:

  • I want a Pokédex app that has a Japanese localization, and will let me search for entries in both English and Japanese (This is the main kicker here XD).
  • All the Pokédex apps I’ve seen up until this point aren’t as comprehensive as what I want here (I haven’t seen one with items yet).
  • ALL of the apps are paid apps, which means they’re profiting off Nintendo illegally. 🙁
  • It’s a good challenge, and I’ve already come this far. XD

Suffice it to say, I think I have enough valid points and design objectives to make an app that is suitable different than what we’ve currently got on the App Store. 😀

The app is still in its infancy. All I really have right now is the database, all of the graphics assets, and several custom classes I’ve written for the app. I’m hoping to have the app finished relatively soon, but I’ve got a long way to do, and a few other projects (ie, DesktopTweet) to do in the meantime. ^_^;

The app would definitely be released for free, with a full rationale stating that the copyrighted content is being used under fair use copyright law. 🙂

As development continues, I’ll write some more stuff here, as well as continue to spam my Twitter with updates. ^_^