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Pokedex.org: a progressive webapp for Pokémon fans

pocketjavascript.com

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Re: Pokedex.org: a progressive webapp for Pokémon fans

#11
post #8
post #6

It's pretty nice, though I have to be honest and ask: 1. Why should I use this one specifically, given that Pokedex listings are dime a dozen on the internet nowadays? I mean, the technology is nice, but a static website is presumably even quicker, and you're still competing with the likes of Serebii, Bulbapedia, Smogon, the official site, etc. 2. Why are no Pokemon from generation 6 included in this? Anyone wanting…

Disclaimer: I'm a coworker of the author. 1. this is easy, accessible, broadly compatible. I think it's the fastest way to get to the data (especially on mobile: no going to store, no waiting to download, touch-friendly interface) 2. "soft" technical limitation of the PokéApi. He says it can be worked around, time permitting. PRs encouraged! As far as use cases go, I think it's common to want a Pokédex of some sort w…

2c of UX: You should bind the escape key to close the detail views as they appear like windows.

Re: Pokedex.org: a progressive webapp for Pokémon fans

#13
post #9

Really cool idea to try to show the way to make a responsive smooth 60fps app. But the animations on my PC(firefox on linux) and phone (firefox on android) were really choppy. Is the chrome experience much better? EDIT: also the back button on my phone sent me back to the tile screen :(

I had the back button problem too. The solution is for the app to add routing, which is tracked in this issue: https://github.com/nolanlawson/pokedex.org/issues/2.

Re: Pokedex.org: a progressive webapp for Pokémon fans

#14
post #9

Really cool idea to try to show the way to make a responsive smooth 60fps app. But the animations on my PC(firefox on linux) and phone (firefox on android) were really choppy. Is the chrome experience much better? EDIT: also the back button on my phone sent me back to the tile screen :(

Thanks for the response! Firefox definitely has some speed issues (FirefoxOS included), but I haven't diagnosed it yet. Chrome on Android is the current "best" experience.

As for the back button, yeah, I need to add routing: https://github.com/nolanlawson/pokedex.org/issues/2

Re: Pokedex.org: a progressive webapp for Pokémon fans

#15
post #6

It's pretty nice, though I have to be honest and ask: 1. Why should I use this one specifically, given that Pokedex listings are dime a dozen on the internet nowadays? I mean, the technology is nice, but a static website is presumably even quicker, and you're still competing with the likes of Serebii, Bulbapedia, Smogon, the official site, etc. 2. Why are no Pokemon from generation 6 included in this? Anyone wanting…

Found the true Pokemon fan in the thread. Technical details be damned, I want more Pokemon.

Re: Pokedex.org: a progressive webapp for Pokémon fans

#16
post #8
post #6

It's pretty nice, though I have to be honest and ask: 1. Why should I use this one specifically, given that Pokedex listings are dime a dozen on the internet nowadays? I mean, the technology is nice, but a static website is presumably even quicker, and you're still competing with the likes of Serebii, Bulbapedia, Smogon, the official site, etc. 2. Why are no Pokemon from generation 6 included in this? Anyone wanting…

Disclaimer: I'm a coworker of the author. 1. this is easy, accessible, broadly compatible. I think it's the fastest way to get to the data (especially on mobile: no going to store, no waiting to download, touch-friendly interface) 2. "soft" technical limitation of the PokéApi. He says it can be worked around, time permitting. PRs encouraged! As far as use cases go, I think it's common to want a Pokédex of some sort w…

Author here. You hit the nail on the head. :)

Re: Pokedex.org: a progressive webapp for Pokémon fans

#18
post #4

Just know that Nintendo already shutdown a lot of Pokédex apps just like yours (a friend of mine was the main dev for one of them). I don't agree with them, but I guess it would be better for you (and the project) if you couldn't be traced back.

Author here. I'm no stranger to this situation; I wrote a native Android Pokédex app awhile ago that got DMCA'd: http://nolanlawson.com/2011/05/26/on-pokedroids-removal/

Last time I talked with the legal team of The Pokémon Company (subsidiary of Nintendo that owns the IP), I was informed that, while they allow web sites like Bulbapedia and Serebii, it gets hairier with native apps (e.g. because you implicitly assert ownership over the IP when you publish on the Play Store). This happened almost 5 years ago, though, and nowadays there are lots of Pokémon apps on the Play Store (https://play.google.com/store/search?q=pokedex&c=apps), so I can only assume that they've softened their views.

That said, it's their IP, and they're free to wield the DMCA hammer as they see fit. For me, though, the point of Pokedex.org is to show what you can do with 2015-era web tech, and that, on Android at least, the web has already (mostly) caught up with native. I mean, this app is arguably superior than my old Froyo-era native app, and it's all HTML/CSS/JS! So hopefully someone will be inspired by it to build a similar, offline-capable webapp. That was reason enough for me to build it.

Re: Pokedex.org: a progressive webapp for Pokémon fans

#19
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Disclaimer: I'm a coworker of the author. 1. this is easy, accessible, broadly compatible. I think it's the fastest way to get to the data (especially on mobile: no going to store, no waiting to download, touch-friendly interface) 2. "soft" technical limitation of the PokéApi. He says it can be worked around, time permitting. PRs encouraged! As far as use cases go, I think it's common to want a Pokédex of some sort w…

2c of UX: You should bind the escape key to close the detail views as they appear like windows.

Posted as a GitHub issue: https://github.com/nolanlawson/pokedex.org/issues/10

Re: Pokedex.org: a progressive webapp for Pokémon fans

#20

There's a conspicuous lack of actual info, though. As a competitive player who's played at Worlds before, anything short of Veekun's data is going to be missing something crucial. It's a nice site and your principles are solid, but the data just has to be there.

Thanks! I'm glad there are some true Pokémaniacs out there keeping me honest. ;) In my defense, though, I put this site together in my spare time over the course of the past few weeks, and the data source I used (PokéAPI) is missing some crucial data that I still need to patch (e.g. the Gen VI species, the catch rates). But the point of the site is mostly to demonstrate what you can do with web tech, not to be the end-all be-all best Pokémon resource ever.

I'd like it to be, though! :) Hence why I open-sourced it, and why I'm encouraging anyone with the inclination to help improve it: https://github.com/nolanlawson/pokedex.org

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