Once you enter multiplayer, the online “lobby” should display the following options:
Which game do you want to play:
-1v1
-2v2
-3v3 (or not? the iPhone screen probably won’t allow good gameplay for 3v3)
-3 ffa
-4 ffa
-get in queue for all games
-join private game

If possible, display the # of people currently playing/waiting in each category for reference. The idea here is to check the queue after each game to see if there are any people waiting to join and add them to a new game (if anyone drops out). These categories would also allow for ladder ranking and all sorts stats. An option for a best-of-3 would also be welcome.

Also, if possible, allow people to play a single player game while waiting in queue so they’re not staring at their phone while waiting.

Private games would allow friends to join their own games. One person can create a private game, others join and play. Don’t even need a password.. just a game name that only the players know (like irc).

Also, don’t worry about playing against bots online. The computer would have a hard time approaching the skill of a human. I consistently beat 3-stripes and sometimes can beat grand admiral if the map is favorable. But I would bet that I wouldn’t have such great results against other humans.

All in all, great work. Looking forward to the multiplayer version.

-Both local and worldwide play

-Friend codes so you can play your friends over wi-fi even when they’re not near

-Pre-programmable phrases that you can tap in-battle to “say”

-full chat in a lobby between worldwide games (no need for chat on LANs because you can talk to one another)

-up to four players and a team battle option for LAN and worldwide

These features could easily double or triple the game sales because, if you look at any other strategy game, it is almost always played online as opposed to against AI.

In fact… seeing how I think I’m the only one who has Galcon on my iphone, it might end up being a selling point to get the others to get a copy so we can play against each other.

So yeah for me, it would totally be a lan party thing.

I think someone else mentioned that just knowing you’re playing a human Vs AI can also be enough, that you don’t need to chat with them.

Seeing how I’m still slow as all heck typing on the iphone, I’d want just some quick chat phrases, “you suck, take that, need help, etc etc”

buttons for phrases. like in duke nukem… so people could tap, or press phrases 1-10.

a way to select who you’re talking to. secret schemes and teams are a fun part of galcon mp.

cu

Wifi local 1 on 1, though, would be incredible.

This game is incredible though, very happy customer here!

Secondly, couldn’t you have a simple chat system in a “lobby”? That way people can interact between games, but not during games (when, lets face it, they are going to be too busy to type anything anyway).

You would want to keep the chat system very minimal, since there isn’t much point in reinventing the wheel (I’m sure there will be no shortage of iPhone chat apps before long).

But I agree with the others, a nice lobby or some kind of streamlined matching system and MP will really make this a killer app on the iphone.. !

So the DS shares out the game and I download it and we play a couple rounds, pretty soon a friend of mine has his interest peaked and I hand the game off to him, and the other guys gets handed to his son and an impromptu tourney begins and the whole bus is playing. WAY COOL.

Now the IPhone can’t share games like you can on the DS, but that’s way less important than the social aspects of all collectively playing together. The simple ability to play face to face has a HUGE impact on game dynamics. And the reality is that humans play very differently than bots. (even if you can’t chat in game, and only after the fact