Could Apple take charge?

[davidmdowning42]

I for one want every single game and every single app to:

1: let me play my own music.
2: keep the clock at the top of the screen, so I know how much time I'm wasting.

Both of these things seem to be pretty simple for developers to enable, but I can see why they are low priority for the individual developers themselves. Couldn't Apple just make that a mandatory part of the SDK? Would anyone else want to see something like this?

http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?p=2313&posted=1#post2313

[Brandonzar]

I totally agree and i would add that the battery status should be there too.

[mek]

its doable, just requires a few lines of code for each developer to add in

[moopf]

I've done point 1 in mine but not point 2. I guess I didn't include point 2 because I wanted to use up the full screen but that would definitely be a good idea for my first update, probably making it optional.

[VeganTnT]

I've done point 1 in mine but not point 2. I guess I didn't include point 2 because I wanted to use up the full screen but that would definitely be a good idea for my first update, probably making it optional.

I think it's fine if you want to use up the whole screen, but I always appreciate that info on the screen.

you could even implement it into the pause screen like apple did in texas holdem

[moopf]

I think it's fine if you want to use up the whole screen, but I always appreciate that info on the screen.

you could even implement it into the pause screen like apple did in texas holdem

Well I've been looking at the layout on the screen for my game and there's definitely room to be able to show it if people want to and it not impinge on the play area. I'll definitely include this in the first update to my app, with an option to show or hide it. Hadn't really thought about it until this thread.

[dudehuge]

I for one want every single game and every single app to:

1: let me play my own music.
2: keep the clock at the top of the screen, so I know how much time I'm wasting.

Both of these things seem to be pretty simple for developers to enable, but I can see why they are low priority for the individual developers themselves. Couldn't Apple just make that a mandatory part of the SDK? Would anyone else want to see something like this?

Point 1: No. For example, if the dev wants you to be scared on the game, it will ruin the whole experience by having him allow you to play your emo music.

Point 2: No. They can put an in-game timer hidden in the menu, but not on top. It's not aesthetically pleasing. I for one don't wanna see any distractions on a really well done game.

Your points can be included optionally but never mandatory. Sure the appstore games right now are not that good, but they will, eventually. Also adding the option to allow you to play music is easier (just a few lines of code) than the developer scouring the internet for royalty free loops or making his own music.

[Little White Bear Studios]

1: let me play my own music.
2: keep the clock at the top of the screen, so I know how much time I'm wasting.


My game does both of those, but I don't think it should be a requirement at all. My game is casual, so those elements are not a distraction. But other types of games, yeah, it'd hurt the experience.

[Oliver]

In many times I want to listen to my own music, but keep hearing the game sounds. On Asphalt 4, Tetris and many others. I respect that there are games where the music needs to disable the iPod because the game just does not work without it's own sound, but for now we nearly have 99,9% casual game stuff on the store, where this really does not matter.

I really which that games would give me the option of showing the time "somewhere". On top is of course nonsense. Take Spore or Monkeyball, where you can loose yourself in and forget the time. I did not recognize, that I played for half an hour between receiving and anwering the SMS. Felt like five minutes :). So a clock would be nice, if it does not destroy the game feeling.

[davidmdowning42]

I mean like a mandatory option. The user should be able to turn it off if they don't like it. But they should also be able to turn it on - on every single app.

I think it should be up to the user just how "into it" they wanna be. Seems ridiculous for a Dev to be all, "your silly music is corrupting my vision!" If I wanna hear Britney while I blast asteroids (I don't, I'm just sayin'), that's my problem. Besides, copyright issues can keep devs from being able to pick music that would be MORE involving than any free stuff they could slap in. (props to those that actually compose original material) I for one always prefered to listen to Tool or Black Sabbath when I played Doom. Worked better than anything else. Devs could even put in iTunes store links to songs that they recommend we listen to while playing! No matter how good a game sound track is, if its a decent length game, it's going to get repetitive. I love the theme in Aurora Feint, but I don't need to hear it anymore, so I'm glad to be able to listen to my stuff now.

I'm sorry, but this is an iPod (or a phone iPod) first and foremost. It's for listening to my music. That was all it did for months before the app store arrived and I liked it just fine. I have lots of great games for it- Monkey Ball, Spore, Funky Punch, StarSmasher, ToyBot. But I'm usually already listening to music when I go into play them. If I like what I'm hearing (which I usually do, it IS my collection) then I don't want to interupt the song to play a game. So I wind up playing the games that let the song keep playing more than any of the others- Aurora Feint & Solitaire. They're good games, but not my favorites in that list. The time I spend playing them is directly related to my ability to play my music.

[crunc]

Absolutely should be a required *option* in all games and/or in the pause scree. I know about wanting to create an atmosphere and all that, but sometimes it is really useful to be able to see the time and battery, "atmosphere" be damned. Also, often I find game music so repetitive and annoying that if I can't disable it and play my own (or nothing, just sound effects), I'll just end up hating the game. Game music is a matter of taste. Even if I like the music, after a while hearing the same tunes every time gets pretty old.

Oh: and developers who put game settings into the Settings application should be lined up and shot. Well, OK, maybe just slapped around a bit. ;^) You have to quit the game to change options? What a horrid idea. Ditto for putting "info" and "help" on web pages instead of within the game - completely useless if you don't have an internet connection, plus, again, you have to quit the game to see that info? Argh!

:)

[johnbowers]

To the other devs:

How did you enable sound effects to play over the track the user chooses? I'm using OpenAL and it always shuts down any track the user is playing already.

[moopf]

To the other devs:

How did you enable sound effects to play over the track the user chooses? I'm using OpenAL and it always shuts down any track the user is playing already.

Trick is to setup the audio session and pick a category, before you do anything else. I used ambient as the category in mine which means I can still use OpenAL for sound effects (and so have all the flexibility that gives) and allow the iPod music to carry on playing. It's in the official docs under Core Audio Overview: Audio Sessions.

[Oliver]

I gave this thread to the developers of Colony and Cubic Man. Both will implement it in the upcoming updates, so we will be able to play our own audio with game sound effects.

Motion X Poker already implemented it, but they wait with the update, until Apple solves the erase-all-data-update-bug.

[davidovich]

I agree that the devs should give the option for personal music. However, I don't like it at all when a game, not an app, has the status bar on the screen. To me, it's a visual distraction. If they want to offer it as an option, fine, but give us the choice. I've written to a couple of developers to please remove the status bar and although they didn't, I'm glad I still had the opportunity to voice my opinion on the matter, just like I'm able to do here. Thanks guys.

[whooley]

I think for games for which atmosphere is important, they shouldn't show the time/signal/battery levels etc. on screen at all times. However, showing them on the pause screen is a good idea, IMO.

[Hitman45]

I totally agree. Thats why I like Missle Command, It gives me the option of iPOd music or Game Music.

[jazzy911]

personal choice would be to have the option of my music in the game but really I want to see that the developer has created music that matches the mood and atmosphere of the game themselves. In some games playing your own music works well - like racing games for example but in others music can play such a key part in setting the scene and creating 'feel' that this would be broken by allowing any piece of music to be played.

hate the status bar onscreen though - breaks immersion and is a distraction!

[Crastic]

So far I've been unable to find a way to get battery status. I made a graphic for it and everything, but without a number, it does me no good.

[kwigbo]

I have both the abilty to listen to your own music and the status bar active but transparent. I'm curious to know how many people would want the option to hide the status bar completely.

[rootbeersoup]

Bejeweled does it perfectly... It shows the clock bar at the top when you tap the menu button in the middle of a game

[TMAC34]

[QUOTE=davidmdowning42;1806]I for one want every single game and every single app to:

1: let me play my own music.
2: keep the clock at the top of the screen, so I know how much time I'm wasting.

Yeah this should definitely at least be an option. I hate playing a game and then being surprised that the battery is about to die, and I also like to be able to see the time. Oh yeah and being able to listen to your own music is a must, its an iPod for god's sake.