Will the iPad change your plans or practices?

Discussion in 'Public Game Developers Forum' started by HelperMonkey, Jan 27, 2010.

  1. HelperMonkey

    HelperMonkey Well-Known Member

    Dec 16, 2009
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    A purely curiosity-based Q for our precious devo's:

    Will the introduction of the iPad change anything for you?
    (...If it should become an actual presense in the marketplace...)

    Must you develop with one eye on two seperate markets? Do you focus on one or the other? Do you treat them essentially the same?
    Are there things you can only do with the iPad, and vice-versa?

    I'm sure as developers you can all think of more pertinent and significant questions than I.
    So how about it?
    What issues does this raise for you? And what changes can you foresee?
     
  2. HappyFuntime

    HappyFuntime Active Member

    With the app I'm developing right now, the extra screen space will allow me to open up the interface quite a bit and make it more 'playable.' Instead of cramming the ui into such a small space, I can spread out a bit and have fun with it. So, I'm definitely looking forward to that, although the iPhone version will still be fun and usable... I hope Apple lets us make a distinction between a tablet app and an iPhone app somehow. I'm sure there will be a way to tell what device it's running on, and the ui can adapt accordingly.
     
  3. Dave Sims

    Dave Sims Active Member

    Nov 10, 2009
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    I was a bit disappointed to find out that the split view controller fixes the first pane to a width of 320 points in landscape, and when viewed in portrait the first pane is hidden and the second pane fills the screen. I'd have liked a bit more flexibility with that but I understand the need for a consistent UI.

    Other than that, I'd like to take advantage of the higher resolution, it would mean that assets could be shared easily between the PC, XBox and the iPad.
     
  4. Yes, you can make one app for iPod/iPhone & one app for iPad, or you can make one Universal app that runs on both (although the 3.2 SDK does not support this -- a later SDK version will support it).

    At runtime you will definitely be able to tell which device you are on, although I didn't check the SDK yet to see how that is done.
     
  5. Yeah, that seems pretty arbitrary to me too. Why can't I specify the width or even better make it resizable with a finger control.
     
  6. Dave Sims

    Dave Sims Active Member

    Nov 10, 2009
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    Yeah, it's disappointing but I think the fact that they're allowing external displays is fantastic, you could run a game on an external screen at 720p and use the iPad to control it. I can imagine some amazing strategy games that take adavantage of it.
     
  7. The prez 12521

    The prez 12521 Well-Known Member

    Aug 17, 2009
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    for now, no. im gonna stick with iphone. Seeing as im an artist, it means more detail and better larger work for me. And i dont have one, so no. But maybe in the future...
     
  8. Rocotilos

    Rocotilos Well-Known Member

    Dec 5, 2009
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    I have already few outlines and ideas for the app in iPad.
    I can't wait to develop on that.

    Only a bummer is my macbook don't support high res, it would be a bit difficult
    to develop, but doable.

    Very happy with iPad launch!! Hope SDK4.0 will come out soon!:D
     
  9. BulletDev

    BulletDev Well-Known Member

    Sep 20, 2008
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    I'd like to work on a game designed specifically for the device. It's going to be great multiplayer sit down games like chess, or "group" games like Feildrunners.

    People aren't seeing the purpose of the device. It's the computer for the rest of us. The iPod touch is coming from a small iPod's perspective, and won't quite replace the average person's tech needs. The iPad is simple enough for anyone to use, yet complex enough to do work on - real work!
     
  10. Flickitty

    Flickitty Well-Known Member

    Oct 14, 2009
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    Real work? Without multitasking? Without support for native OS X apps that are already in use? What kind of real work are you trying to do?
     
  11. I can see the iPad meeting the needs of certain people. Maybe students or business people whose requirements for a computer don't go beyond opening and creating Word Processing documents or giving presentations.

    There are some big disappointments, though. No camera means no Video Skype, for example. It surely wouldn't cover my needs.
     
  12. BulletDev

    BulletDev Well-Known Member

    Sep 20, 2008
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    Real work with the iWork suite. Assuming that they are exact ports of the desktops apps, you will be able to open up files from Microsoft Office. This is what most people use for "work".

    I'm not going to be able to open up Xcode and design in Photoshop on it, but like I said before, this device does everything the average person needs.
     
  13. mobile1up

    mobile1up Well-Known Member

    Nov 6, 2008
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    you do know that this information is under NDA?
     
  14. tukun

    tukun Well-Known Member

    Oct 7, 2009
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    he didnt disclosed any thing, just stated obvious facts
     
  15. EFC

    EFC Well-Known Member

    Jul 6, 2009
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    anyone know if you can throw more draw calls and polys about? ive not had a chance to test the ipad simulator yet. im assuming itll be as powerful as the 3gs... hopefully its better.
     
  16. MrBlue

    MrBlue Well-Known Member

    Sep 3, 2008
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    #16 MrBlue, Jan 28, 2010
    Last edited: Jan 28, 2010
    Lots of possibilities with the new iPad. The iPhone is too small for real multiplayer games on the same device, but the iPad changes that. RTS, Castle/Defense games, or even board games that pit players against each other. A real obvious one I think is 2 player Air Hockey. The games demo'ed weren't really creative. I bet we'll start to see some real interesting games in the coming days. But if the device doesn't gain much acceptance, then all bets are off.
     
  17. #17 MindJuice, Jan 28, 2010
    Last edited: Jan 28, 2010
    I hardly think the information I mentioned is under NDA, especially since I first found it mentioned on another website, not in any Apple information.

    If that kind of info is considered under NDA then poor arn is in a world of hurt with this post!
     
  18. mobile1up

    mobile1up Well-Known Member

    Nov 6, 2008
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    yeah - i thought of that too.. it does say it is pre-release info and you have to accept a new agreement to access the information in the SDK. maybe some news is good but still.. not sure if they will chase people about it specifically.
     
  19. nattylux

    nattylux Well-Known Member

    Sep 17, 2008
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    Very important to note that arn is not under NDA, since he's not a developer and never signed it. Otherwise, he'd be in a world of hurt from the whole Macrumors venture :)
     
  20. True, but discussing information that is publicly available is not normally covered by an NDA, even if it was the result of a leak, at least in most NDA's I've signed in the past (or that I've had people sign).

    Admittedly I haven't read the Apple one in over a year, so I could be wrong.
     

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