I like to see lots of options/settings. Examples: Alternative control methods Button placement Control opacity slider SWIPE SENSITIVITY (very important in 3D FPS/Action games) Invert aim on both X and Y axis Audio settings split into SFX, Music, Speech etc Options for different graphical quality/ effects And of course, lot's of other options specific to the gameplay I've seen lot's of threads where developers are trying to decide how they are going to set up the controls and gameplay elements. The best thing to do is put as many options in as possible and let the player decide.
I wouldn't say many devs get this wrong, but it often has me worried: don't ignore users with older devices. I accept that in some circumstances it's just not feasible, but it's nice to see a developer try. I'm not sure if the majority of iPhone/iPod games are pre or post 3rd Generation by now, but I'm positive there's still a good percentage left down there.
Never underestimate an online multiplayer game in a mobile device, aka iPhone. We LOVE to play wherever we are with real people. Another thing I want to add: iOS has too many casual games. Please, give to us one real changeling and competitive game.
just two requests and they are not iPhone specific but apply to video games in general: some option to turn off those annoying 4 different publisher/developer videos/screens at the start of each major game. i understand the publishers want to get attention but frankly displaying it at first start is enough. even worse some AAA computer titles insist on having to confirm 2-4 idiotic messages each time the game is loaded and you have to dismiss each of them - this is especially prominent in racing games: => The Game was loaded please press OK => Press OK to sign in to your account => Please do turn off the computer while it saves games press OK to confirm (man this is not a console, and even if it were i don't need that idiotic message on each start) i wonder how one can produce a multi-million dollar product and there is no-one on the team spending a single second thinking about how idiotic and user-unfriendly this procedure is. i just want to load the game fast and without having to click something away get to the main screen where i can just click "play".
You must fine tune controls. I can not tell you how many games have screwed up simply by ruining both the digital analog stick and accelerometer controls. If a digital analog stick will be present, it must be loose as well as quick responding to prevent me throwing myself off a cliff rather than turning around quickly. Accelerometer controls must be able to be adjusted to different positions. Not everybody plays sitting in a chair leaned over. I admit i play many games in lazy-man position, laying down. The graphics and controls must be a priority after game-play. Fourth on the list of screw ups is replay value. Multi-player always makes people feel they got more than a few hours of entertainment for their money and more like a lasting value. People also like tons of weapons and customization. Looking at the same character model gets old quick. Get these things right in the reviews and you have the perfect game as far as the iPhone goes.
Orientation changes. I can't stand when developers orient a game in a way that causes your hand to block the speaker or headphone port on a device. Let me start where I left off when a game is interrupted. Make sure the game is constantly automatically being saved. Release games to the newest standards if possible (highest quality shaders, Retina Display support, etc.) Make games universal. I won't buy the same game with the same resolution textures again just because there are small screen size optimizations and a resolution change (which isn't much if the game is Retina Display compatible). Make most network features accessible over both Wi-Fi and 3G. Create a way for devices to sync and transfer save files at least once per file so a player can start a game on the iPad, continue the same save on the iPhone, then switch back to the iPad from where the player left off, and so on. I can't wait to see more and more games use the brilliantly-optimized Unreal Engine 3!
Multitasking is huge so you can finish a text and instantly return to the action. Also a big plus for me personally is gamecenter support/online leader boards/achievements. Being able to share scores and have bragging rights outside of fb is great and apples social gaming network seems to be a great unifying feature.
Oh also big is universal apps. Great way for a developer to show their support to gamers and not try to gouge money from them
For you Carmack I'd say good Gameplay lol. It's no Secret that Id have really done nothing worthwhile since the 90s. Your engines really haven't pulled their weight since Quake 3 and you out source lots of your IPs, which in turn get created into crappy games. Really what is Id anymore? I'd say you're the only good asset and you alone can't make good games. Go to Valve and get them to make Source 2 lol, sick of the limitations of Source and I'd really love your talents to be actually used, rather than what could have been. On to your question though... I just want to see my battery life in the game lol. I'm sick of playing a game and it draining my battery life so fast without me knowing. Oh yeah and I hate it when Apps miss features that really should be common sense. Like a zoom for video recording Apple.... or maybe frigging Flash Player! lol. No out sourcing to Gameloft, they create shit games.
Welcome, John Carmack! CONTROLS. It's great to have 60fps graphics. But control responsiveness must match that.
Well I'd say an almost universal problem is that virtually all the games on the app store aren't made by John Carmack. The problem there is the cost of cloning alone would be a giant barrier to entry for most devs. Fortunately you seem to be the only one who doesn't have to worry about this problem. Sorry had to fanboy gush a little and thanks for the nerdgasm. I would say controls are often an issue (responsiveness/accuracy) but since it's you I'm not too worried about control.
The number one problem in games made for the iOS is inconsistent framerate, jerky gameplay, im yet to see a game holding 60 fps constant.
John, I think you are going to hear a lot of contradictory advise on this thread, mainly because the iOS gaming community is split between (for lack of better terms) casual and hardcore gamers. Some of those casual gamers are also hardcore gamers on other platforms, so they will damn any control method that tries to recreate something found on a console ("virtual d-pads suck"); others want to be able to play anytime, anywhere, instantly ("no sound component"; "no loading screens.". iOS hardcore gamers don't really care whether it takes 10 seconds for a game to start up, but instead want experiences that don't feel compromised; they appreciate alternative controls, but have no problem with a d-pad if it's well implemented. And so on. I guess I would echo the basics as others have already detailed, but I would also add this: know what kind of game you want to make. By that I mean that if you are making a casual game, make it easy to get into, a zinch to control, give it a ton of levels, and keep it it light and fun overall. If you are making a hardcore game, don't compromise it to reach a casual audience. There are limits to the platform, of course, but you can easily tell if a developer is taking it seriously. The difference between something like Doom Resurrection and the Metal Gear Solid and Silent Hill titles in the app store is that you made an intense on-rails game that worked well on the platform, while those other major developers were making "iPhone" games -- basically casual versions of their hardcore properties that could only disappoint their audience. Doom on rails worked because it was in the spirit of the franchise; MGS as a tap-to-shoot certainly wasn't. In any event, thanks for taking iOS gaming (and gamers) seriously.
I just really hate seeing through walls when im standing next to them in games or just the wall disappearing, like in gangstar, its a building, I shouldn't have x-ray vision.
If anything, I'd say that less is more. Less menus means more time to play, less impressive graphics means more battery life, less complicated gameplay mechanics means more focus on gameplay. Any iPod game that I keep has a short loading time. I don't have all day to navigate the same systems I do when I start up my ps3. I've got a few minutes on the train or some time to kill waiting in a movie line. Also, do the opposite of pretty much anything ngmoco does. Maybe I'm in the minority in saying this, but those guys are dicks. All their recent games really gouge the user, always begging for money.
controls. controls. controls. when they're not right, it's an immediate and nagging frustration. games with poor controls get quit and don't get restarted. if you have to struggle with controls, if you can't see what you're doing because your fingers cover something or cover too much of the screen, it's not fun. design for the device or don't bother. i hate it when i sense that I'm playing something not intended to be played on an iphone, where the controls are a matter of just making do. and don't load the screen with little buttons that you need a stylus to accurately hit. more to the point, avoid making FPS games for iphone. ha. that's my view, anyway.
wishlist: - multiplayer integration over gamecenter - readable fontsize - no crashes (looooots of apps crash constantly) - customizeable controls - universal apps are great - many iOS games are too short! make it longer - finish the game before the release! many developers seem to use the customers as betatesters - if possible it should not kill my battery in 20 minutes - keep your game updated and support upcoming OS - make a beautiful menu - sounds and music should be high quality because many iOSgamers play with headphones and not with the silent speakers - replayability - a good helpscreen or tutorial is important because many iOS customers seem to understand nothing IMPORTANT: - I'm from germany and i don't like it if the game is translated! This ruined plants vs. zombies. I think i speak for lots of customers who want to play the original. thanks for listening
Hey john. First of all I am so glad you are finally letting people know that this device is a serious gaming device and should not be taking lightly. I have a quick funny story. I was in game stop the other day and was looking at games and I overheard a conversation with an employee and a customer. The customer was asking for itunes gift cards to purchase games with and the employee said "why would you want to play games where you can only throw paper at baskets, its for kids, if you want a real game you need a psp" So me being a firm believer in this platform( and if I wasn't stoned out of my mind of would have not got involved) went up to them and loaded up epics demo they released. Needless to say the employee was effing shocked. He could not believe his eyes. Anyway just wanted to get that out there.. I think Im off topic here but a big problem I see in the app store is the low price points. Its like its a must now that a game must be sold at no more then $9.99 and I think this is really hurting the app store in the sense that big developers are not going to take a chance for that price. I look at it like this, I will pay 29,39 even 49 if a game is worth it. So i just hope you put all u got into this game and please charge us what you feel is worth it. I beilieve you get what you pay for and I want the best... Thanx john....any ideas on a release or a demo. I know epic released that demo that blew my mind
If I'm playing music through the ipod app when starting your app, do not mute the music as soon as the app starts.
John - Thanks for coming and asking what users want. It is really nice to feel listened to. This is a huge issue for me. I have bought several games that I was really looking forward to that I only ended up playing for about 15 minutes and then never going back to. I tend to play many long games like RPGs (for instance Final Fantasy) on my phone while I ride the bus to and from work. While I do this I prefer to listen to podcasts (usually) or my own music (sometimes). Whats worse is that many of these games have simple, looping, and repetitive music playing the whole time. The music adds little and gets annoying after a while. It is ridiculous that you cannot replace it with other audio from your MP3 playing device. To take this a step further please just keep playing the music or podcast that is already being played when the game starts. Don't do what EA's Madden game (and other apps) do. When you start the game they kill your music or podcast and force you to go into a sub-menu within the game to start it back up again.
