I have just downloaded Ashpalt 6 freebie and I realize that The iPad HD version's size is 504,9 while the iPhone version's size is 545,8. I thought that HD version is bigger or nearly the same in size because of its higher resolution. If HD version can be smaller, why don't Gameloft created Ashpalt HD for iPhone which will save some space on my phone. Is HD just a name that distinguished iPhone and iPad without significant differences and only for pricing purpose? I'm not a developer so if anyone can explain this will be appreciated.
I've noticed this with a couple of other games and wondered why too Wow 500 MBs for asphalt 6? I would rather pay for it but have it be a smaller file size! Damn that's alot of wasted space Maybe it has something to do with the compression process. Maybe to do with retina graphics too (if the ip version is retina)
It has a lot to do with the graphics. The iPad doesn't support retina display. Hopefully, that's a feature we'll see with the third generation iPad next Spring. File compression is another part of it though. You'll see that universal games sometimes have the same size as the version of the game only supporting the iPhone/iPod like with World of Goo/HD and Sword and Sworcery/HD. Other times, the universal version of the game will be slightly larger as with Pocket RPG and Pocket RPG for iPhone. Also, at times, even for Gameloft, the HD version, may be larger as is the case with Rainbow Six. Of course, there are always other assets to be considered that can cause differences in file size between iPhone/iPad versions of a game..different interfaces, a small additional feature, etc.
While it might look strange at first glance that the file size of an iPhone game is larger than its equivalent iPad version, it does make perfect sense. An iPhone build that supports both retina and non-retina in their native resolutions SHOULD consume more disc space than a native iPad build. This does not only apply to Asphalt 6, but it's more of a general rule of thumb. Why? To achieve the best possible visuals, many images in the game (such as fonts, logos, backdrops, etc) need to be stored in it's native resolution. Both the iPad 1 and 2 feature a 1024x768 resolution. The iPhone retina resolution is 960x640 and the non-retina iPhones are 480x320. In other words, the iPhone needs a double set of images, consuming more space than the iPad version.
Yeah, that's pretty much it. The iPad technically isn't even HD as it's resolution is lower then 1280x720. The iPad still had a higher resolution then the iPhone but they're close enough that in theory they should be using the same textures for both versions. iPad - 1024x768 iPhone - 960x640 40MB isn't a huge difference in a game that size. EDIT: Err.. Yeah, the double textures for the iPhone version makes sense. A little late on the reply on my part, now I fell like an ass.
