Older device support is getting terrible...

Discussion in 'General Game Discussion and Questions' started by iosappsrock, Nov 27, 2012.

  1. iosappsrock

    iosappsrock Well-Known Member

    Oct 20, 2012
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    Well, this is just a little bit of a rant. Really though, I just want to see if I'm the only one who's getting frustrated at this, or if others agree with me. Here goes...

    It seems like this year, older devices are getting outdated quicker than ever. Maybe I just didn't pay attention last year. Within less than 2 months of the new iPod Touch being released, it seems like most developers have dropped support for the Touch 4G, and in many cases, the iPhone 3GS and 4. Now, this doesn't always bother me, because I can see why in some cases this is necessary, but in some cases, it's just silliness.

    Why is it that I can run Gameloft's Modern Combat 3 on my iPod Touch 4G, smooth as butter, but I'm told that Bastion is not compatible with my device. Seriously? You're saying it takes more RAM to run than MC3? Also, why can I play Rage of the Gladiator on my Touch 4G, but Alpha Dog Games says Wraithborne won't run on it (I've tried it too, crashes every time). I have a very hard time believing Wraithborne requires more RAM than RotG. (Apologies if RAM is the wrong terminology...)

    Unfortunately I am seeing a trend here in developers. It seems like no one is optimizing games and working hard to make the resource management good for old devices. Tons of games are crashing on my devices that should not be crashing, if the developers had just utilized good resource management.

    Of course, I could (actually, I have) just go out and order a new device to keep up with the times. But here's the problem I foresee: If developers keep making non-optimized games, soon they're going to be limiting themselves in what they can do. A game with good resource management can be pushed graphically, a whole lot farther than one without.

    I'm really tiring of seeing games that are released half-baked with bugs, and crashing on older devices. Even the wonderful ARC Squadron (which does offer 4G support) crashes very often. Seems to me like good resource management could solve most of these problems. It almost seems like developers are getting lazy simply because "they can". We have some very high powered devices now (iPhone 5), but that's no excuse to not optimize games and implement good resource management.


    Okay, rant over. Sorry if I worded anything wrong. I ain't no developer, nor do I claim to be. If I am totally off, and have no idea of what I am talking about, then let me know. I will shut up and won't bring this up again. :)

    I would like to know if I'm alone in thinking this though. Am I crazy? Or am I right?

    Thanks for listening.
     
  2. Solidfart

    Solidfart Well-Known Member

    Sep 28, 2012
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    #2 Solidfart, Nov 27, 2012
    Last edited: Nov 27, 2012
    All I can say is, MC3 loads pieces of a map at a time that you can see, Bastion on the other hand loads the entire map, narration and so on. Plus the art work in bastion is really amazing. So yes it is true, iPhone 4 CAN'T run it.

    One thing I'll tell you is that the difference when you upgrade is night n day. Why should devs limit the full potential of their games in order to support old units? That would defeat the whole point of having more powerful hardware available.

    Lastly, you are neither a programmer nor game dev, so how would you know what it REALLY takes to make a game not crash?????
     
  3. mkpred

    mkpred Well-Known Member

    Oct 15, 2012
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    Yeah thats sad.thats why I sold my ipod 4 and will be getting ipod 5 on my birthday next week .
     
  4. iosappsrock

    iosappsrock Well-Known Member

    Oct 20, 2012
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    First, you are correct, I do NOT know what does and doesn't make a game crash. Hence I used the wording I did "I have a hard time believing" instead of just saying they can and should.

    Also, I do agree, I hate limiting devs to old hardware. In the case of huge games with large graphical advancements (Real Racing 3), I can totally understand dropping 4G support.

    On that note, what you said agrees exactly with what I am saying. Since Bastion loads the whole map at once, why not make it load in pieces, so that it could support older devices? I have no idea how to implement that, and maybe it would just make things worse...

    But if it did work, they sure would sell a LOT more copies being 4G compatible.
     
  5. Solidfart

    Solidfart Well-Known Member

    Sep 28, 2012
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    Some devs prefer to offer a total package to the new devices only instead of making a mediocre version available for older devices and I must say I agree with them. Playing RR2 on an iPhone 3GS is very painful when compared to an iPhone 4S. So it makes sense why many devs will not waste the time to downgrade their game just so it can run poorly on low end devices and at the end only to reap tons of negative reviews from those buyer because the game crashes a lot on top of complaint of why it lags and why many graphical effects are missing.
     
  6. Greyskull

    Greyskull Well-Known Member

    Dec 13, 2009
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    It is moving faster, I think. When the 3gs came out, I remember many games being updated (or 2 versions released) to add special effects on the 3gs without dropping support for older models. Space Miner was a big one that could be played, and looked great, on my ipod touch 2 1/2, but had 3gs only effects.

    Part of the problem is, as you stated, the RAM issue. It's also a reason I'de never buy an ipod again. They lag behind the same series iphone, usually. It isn't as if RAM would cost a lot of money either. Then you also have the splintering of the ipad lineup, etc.
     
  7. psj3809

    psj3809 Moderator

    Jan 13, 2011
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    Sounds good ! Enjoy ! I recently sold my ipod touch 4th gen and bought a 5th gen. Its great, plus i can play so many more games without crashes !!

    Its frustrating the way Apple keeps churning out new products all the time, but the ipod 3rd gen is quite old now so i can see why devs might not make apps which work perfectly on that anymore.

    One 'good' thing is when you sell your ipod you often get a good price for them as Apple products often keep their price as they dont often allow shops to sell them cheaper.

    I find the ipad more frustrating, i had a new ipad in August for my birthday, 2 months later another ipad is out and news that another will be out early next year as well possibly ?

    But thats the way it goes with technology, mentioned it before back in the early 90's a new PC was coming out every few months it seems (from 300 mhz to 600mhz to 900 mhz to 1 ghz) etc. As Apple are making so much they'll regularly release new products and iOS devs have to keep up. Frustrating but not a surprise really

    If we didnt keep buying the new products asap Apple might wait longer between new versions. But look at people who 'have' to have the latest iphone when their current one is fine ? Same for IAP's, as long as people keep buying them IAP will be around.
     
  8. DannyTheElite

    DannyTheElite Well-Known Member

    Oct 13, 2012
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    I would cry if real racing 3 didn't work on 4g iPod
     
  9. drelbs

    drelbs Well-Known Member

    Jun 25, 2009
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    This.

    Back when I bought my 2nd gen iPod Touch, it ran circles around the iPhone as it had the same amount of RAM but wasn't running the phone/etc software.

    Since then each generation of iPhone has had twice the RAM as the iPod Touch and there's no way I would go back.

    iPhone - 128MB / iPod Touch - 128 MB
    iPhone 3G - 128 MB / iPod Touch 2nd - 128 MB
    iPhone 3GS - 256 MB / iPod Touch 3rd - 256 MB
    iPhone 4 - 512 MB / iPod Touch 4th - 256 MB
    iPhone 4s - 512 MB
    iPhone 5 - 1G / iPod Touch 5th- 512 MB
     
  10. Sigh, my iphone 4 is extinct now? Oh well, glad I got my new ipad then.
     
  11. Pman

    Pman Well-Known Member

    May 2, 2010
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    I thought the iPhone 4 has 256mb ram?
     
  12. AppleFan12

    AppleFan12 Well-Known Member

    Apr 25, 2012
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    No the iphone 4 has 512 MB of ram
     
  13. iosappsrock

    iosappsrock Well-Known Member

    Oct 20, 2012
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    Right you are

    Both of these - absolutely correct, and has been my main source of discontentment with the iPod Touch. It's a device that could be so much more, but I don't understand why Apple has been giving it crap-RAM (and processors) for the last few years... :( I guess they really want the iPhone sell, and maybe if the Touch was too close it'd cut into sales?

    Is it possible (I know it wouldn't be easy) to add more RAM to an iPod? It'd be a hell of a job, and you'd have to find double the RAM while still fitting it in the same space... Just wondering if this has ever been done before.
     
  14. BruteOutlawz

    BruteOutlawz Well-Known Member

    Jun 18, 2010
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    Iphone 4 has 512mb
     
  15. Pman

    Pman Well-Known Member

    May 2, 2010
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    Wow! That's weird how much the processor helps the iPhone 4S be so much snappier than the iPhone 4.
     
  16. psj3809

    psj3809 Moderator

    Jan 13, 2011
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    I've got an iphone 4 and havent had any problems with games crashing. A lot of latest games seem to 'want' 512 MB, think it'll be some time yet when games work only with 1 gig. Any company who creates a game for 1 gig only devices (basically one device !) would be commercial suicide.

    Think my iphone 4 is fine for some time yet
     
  17. ip4weather

    ip4weather Well-Known Member

    Nov 13, 2012
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    i also find few games that is very laggy on my ip4 but i will wait few months in march when will apple present new idevice but for now i am happy with my ipad3 :)
     
  18. Pman

    Pman Well-Known Member

    May 2, 2010
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    I believe the iPhone 4 isn't yet 'extinct' but come around June July, It will be about as alive as my imaginary friend, Tim.
     
  19. ip4weather

    ip4weather Well-Known Member

    Nov 13, 2012
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    iphone4 have best design too bad he will die soon :(
     
  20. DannyTheElite

    DannyTheElite Well-Known Member

    Oct 13, 2012
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    iPod 4 supports mc4
    :)
    Check the forum
     

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