I know it seems like forever since I promised a mobile version of TBG, and it has been a long time in coming. I wish I was using this news article to announce that it is here, but alas that is not the case.

I want everyone to know that when I promised that TBG would go mobile I absolutely meant it. I am working on the mobile version full time now and although progress is slow I think the results are coming out spectacular. I am so happy with the improved interface that the next project after is already planned... and that is to bring the same simplified and improved user interface to the desktop game as well. So here is what is up so far... player login, pub, and pub chat are up and working well. In the mobile version you are immediately put into the pub when you log in.

An interesting new feature in mobile will be the way that you identify who is who on the pub floor. Every time you tap (or click) the floor not only do you move to that spot but every player in the pub with you is immediately identified by their name (click the images to see full size versions). This name quickly fades away so as not to clutter up the view of the stuff on the pub floor but it is nice to know where everybody is and a simple tap refreshes your memory. Missing I am sure you have noticed is any way for you to buy beer and the all important player list... a swipe right will bring up a searchable list of all beers and six packs that you can buy (not shown). A swipe left brings up the player list shown below.

When the player list is loaded you can see the drunk/purple heart state of a player and the condition of their beer mug (full or empty). As in the desktop game you are always at the top of the list and your drunk status and beer mug status are also shown. An additional swipe left on a specific player brings up a list of actions you can perform with that player. Friends, AFK, and ignored players will each have a different color background and you may have different options provided to you based on the state of the player you swipe. Note that your beer glass timer, beer money, brew money, raffle tickets, six packs, and other score information will appear in the page header. The former (beer glass state) will be constantly in view while the latter items will rotate in the header every couple of seconds so you will always know where you stand.

Moving from the player list to the player action list you can now see what beer they are drinking and buy them a beer (if their glass is empty) or you can buy them various food items off the menu. From this same list you will be able to see all of their beer labels and have the option to buy one (if available) with a simple swipe left, double tap, or tap and hold. You will also have a list of their six packs and can buy one directly from this menu, nice! At the bottom of the list will be the option to friend, unfriend, ignore, (and importantly unignore!) the player. To go back from any of these menus is a simple swipe right. For devices that don't use or recognize 'swipe' movements the tap, tap-hold, double tap, click, and double click actions will do what you expect and the navigation buttons in the footer will give you options to go back.

Once I have completed this part of the program I will install it on the production server for you to test. That will probably be 1 to 2 months from now. At that time there will still be a lot of missing features. The next priorities will be chat history, brewing, and access to the conditioning room followed by labels, brewery, stats, leaderboards and everything else. This is turning out to be a huge undertaking for me and in some ways it is very much like redeveloping the game from scratch so as always your patience is appreciated. I hope this little sneak peek gives you some hope and reassures you on my commitment to make TBG better and to attract more players.

Brew beer. Drink beer. Play! What else do you need to know?

-Robc