thank you for not adding a (non-joke) d-pad and doing the gameplay like you want it to be. i'm looking forward for this new (and not just cloned) super-marioesque experience! keep RETRO alive! insta-buuuuuuuuuuuy!
This looks ace, I really like the style too. I loved the first GB Mario and totally completed it too haha. We (Mos Speedrun devs) took a lot of flak about our non-standard control system (and this was before anyone else had even tried it!). The two button control scheme was the first thing we decided on when we started working on the game, and the game was completely designed around it. I was frustrated with other games I had played on the touchscreen - it offers no feedback, you cant feel where your fingers are in relation to the controls. In short, the iOS devices are not traditional consoles and should not be thought of as such... In theory anyway. The Mos control scheme works by pressing either side of the screen to run left or right, and pressing both sides makes the character jump. It takes a few minutes to get used to, but when you do get used to it, it really overcomes the problem of lack of feedback from a physical d-pad, and it also obscures far less of the screen with the users troubling opaque thumbs. Granted, Tone and myself had a lot of time to get used to it during development, but its what we greatly preferred playing the game using, and its what all the benchmark speedrun times were set with. We were originally going to release the game with just the Mos control scheme, but after a lot of pre-release feedback from this site and others, we quickly implemented an onscreen d-pad as an option. When I say quickly I dont mean without thought or shoddily, we think the position of the controls and the area of effect worked well and as good as or better than any other game out there (we still get get people complaining that the jump button hit zone is too small, even though it is twice as big as the jump button graphic). The game was released with the Mos control system as the default, and the d-pad easily selectable from the options menu - takes a couple of button clicks to change it. The reason we made it the default was that we really believed this was a good control system for a touch screen and we wanted users to give it a try, if the d-pad was the default its likely most people would never try the alternative. The game is released, its on the store and review codes have been sent out. The reviews are generally favourable, some of them even like the default Mos controls, but in general most of the reviews dwell on the fact that the default controls are quirky or weird, or unusable. Some of the reviews seem to mark the game down a bit because of the default controls, even though its two clicks to change them. Im not suggesting you change the design of your game, but there are vocal people out there (as I'm sure youve already seen!) that will complain about this kind of thing, although we have had a lot of support from people who like the alt control system too. I guess people who like something dont shout as loud. Best of luck with the game, Ill be buying it! nick p.s. we eventually changed the default controls to onscreen d-pad.
nickd3000 knows what's he's talking about, some iOS websites talked about it: http://www.touchgen.net/mos-speedrun-hands-on-video http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/iPhone/Mos+Speedrun/review.asp?c=29069 http://toucharcade.com/2011/04/07/mos-speedrun-review/ Fact is there are too many devs that dwell too much on game dev theory in a vacuum instead of delivering a system people actually use efficiently and comfortable. Virtual controls have been proven to work well once done right, for a very long time now. If you're going to come up with different controls, make sure they actually meet or surpass the current standard control scheme. Better yet, if you truly believe your system is better, put your money where your mouth is and include both systems so we can choose. Sometimes virtual controls work, sometimes they don't and alternate schemes would work better, but as a dev seriously wishing to break into this market, part of your genre research should include the current standard bearers in the genre. You can't come in the 3rd year of iOS gaming and start beating your own stubborn mantra to people; even very casual Appstore games are quite aware what control schemes work and in what circumstance.
To be clear, I was just posting an insight into what we went through with our app with regards to controls. Cheers Arta for the round-up of bad reviews.
Lol. Funniest thing I have read this week. By the way, I have heard nothing but good things about mos. I should have taken the initiative earlier, but will be picking this up soon as I love platformers. Just thought you should know that the good word for your game is what is spreading.
Ok wait, so is this getting a d-pad or not as of now. Dev gets my support either way. We do not have many, if any, only forward moving platformers. Actually seems like a solid idea.
Man, I have got to say, I am so very impressed and happy to see one dev reach out and give insight to another with some very solid advice. I appreciate your thoughtfulness and time that you have given this other dev. I am not a dev by any means, but that does not mean your post went un noticed by me. On another note, I wrote (in another post) that mos just didn't get there for me. I should probably say, that it really does. At the time I wrote that, I have been stuck on level 4-1 and keep getting smoked by the same damn part every time. That and the fact that a few levels in LOE that I was trying to get 3 stars on. Between the two, I was about to flush my iPhone down the commode because I was stuck! HAHA. Mos is a solid game and one of the best platformers. Back to 1-Bit. Looking forward to it very much. I hope that the suggestion is not tossed in the trash, but kept in his/her back pocket I would love to see some new screen shots or videos of this 1 bit ninja that I feel will be taking up a bunch of my time. It sure has the attention it appears to deserve. Good luck and I can't wait to play.
No problem, thanks for the support. As I've said from the beginning this is a new game inspired by a certain era, of which Super Mario was a big part. This is not my attempt to make a carbon-copy of Super Mario for iOS... for people that want that, maybe jailbreak and install an emulator? Thank you for your post, I'm always interested in hearing about other developers experiences in the Appstore. I personally found the original control scheme in Mos a lot more difficult than the traditional virtual-controls for 2 reasons. Firstly they add a layer of conscious-thought that I would compare to a tongue-twister - i.e. a simple phrase that when repeated over and over causes the speaker to merge words together. Non-pressed button to jump seems simple, yet in practice my brain just couldn't wrap around it 100% of the time. Secondly, jumping is only possible by pressing two buttons simultaneously. This means jumping on the spot is practically impossible and what I would consider simple obstacles became infuriatingly difficult without running half a screen in the opposite direction, turning around and trying a longer run-up. In Mos, I agree, adding traditional controls was the right move and I think you have a more enjoyable game as a result. However, the point a few select people in this thread are missing is that Mos is a traditional platformer, that requires the player to move in both directions, that just so happens to have a unique (and now alternative) control scheme. 1-bit Ninja is not Mos Speedrun, it is not LoE and it is not Super Mario Bros. 1-bit Ninja is 1-bit Ninja, a game controlled with just 2 buttons, that is being designed around this fact and that happens to take a healthy inspiration from a certain era of gaming. I also think it is pretty darn fun but obviously I'm a little biased! If you ever want to discuss the crazy world of game dev offline, feel free to send me a message/email. Your comment about developing in a vacuum has some merit however until you play 1-bit Ninja yourself you have no grounds to suggest that that is the case here. Virtual controls have been proven to be adequate at best, I don't think I've read a single relevant review or article since the dawn of the Appstore that hasn't mentioned issue with the controls. I would say that by only including the control scheme 1-bit Ninja was designed for I am putting my money where my mouth is - if people really hate it then sales will be poor, no? Stubborn mantra? I'm just putting out a game I wanted to make as apposed to crying on a forum to anyone that'll listen that a game I didn't make and haven't played, doesn't feature controls I think they should (also fwiw this is far from my 'breaking' into the Appstore ) The control scheme will not change, 1-bit Ninja is built for 2 buttons, run and jump. The only d-pad you'll potentially find in 1-bit Ninja is of the hidden easter-egg variety that may or may not perform something awesome. For 1-bit Ninja - these are the controls and that's not going to change. For future kode80 games - who knows? I'll be posting a new video tomorrow, in the meantime here's a new badguy I added yesterday (bouncing ninja stars not included ).
Kode: Nice post. I agree about Mos...great game, great try with the unique control scheme, but I also couldn't wrap my head around it. I'm sure with more practice it would've become second nature, but the virtual buttons work well enough that I didn't feel the need to spend the time learning them. Same holds true for Get Outta My Galaxy; although the tilt controls work just fine, I prefer the virtual stick.
Ugh, I was sure nick's post about his personal experience with d-pads would sway kode's view about a secondary d-pad option. Well I give up, I'll just wait for the next great platformer. This really did have potential.
giving up because the game doesn't have (wasn't designed for) a d-pad is silly - I believe this game is going to be extremely fun because of the limitations imposed by the controller design.
Have any of you haters played the game? No. Because it is different and for many of you do not have any realisation that there is better (either with a console or just a game trying something new), this game could be a revelation in control. It also is not a Mario game, or Mos Speedrun, and thus does not need the same controls. And anyway, was I the only one who blindly held right while playing Sonic?
I never realized letting go of 'right' was an option. It's not just Sonic either, 85% of the time playing the original NES Super Mario Bros my thumb never leaves the 'right' button, let alone switches to 'left'. Watch any speed-run videos and count the number of times the player moves back... I also think some people are forgetting that in SMB the screen never scrolled left...
Ah, can't wait for this. The best levels in any mario game, were the ones designed to just be blasted through, holding right and timing jumps just--no stopping, no turning back. Glad to see a dev understand this.
Thank you kode80. I've read a lot of Touch Arcade for well over a year and there have been many games on here that I've enjoyed and have been passionate about, but I only just signed up today to reply... I can see why people want to be able to move left and are skeptical of the controls... BUT... if they were to stop and think about it, it makes no sense. Let's imagine an alternate reality in which Bionic Commando were coming out in June 2011, and the developers posted on Touch Arcade that there would be no jump button. Even though the game was designed around this mechanic (or lack thereof), there would probably be a lot of bitching about it. And you know what? Fast forward years later when it's revealed that a sequel to Bionic Commando will add a jump button; this would have fans up in arms because what turned out to have been a key gameplay mechanic and essentially the whole charm of the game would have been marginalized and watered down by adding something that was never designed to be there in the first place. I am SO looking forward to this game, and I'm glad that you're sticking to your guns and that you won't be changing the controls. It makes COMPLETE sense to me that gameplay that is honed and perfected for only jumping and moving right would be broken by allowing the player to choose to be able to move left. Can you move blocks upward in Tetris? Can all the plants in Plants Vs Zombies fire both in front and behind them? Can you stop running in Canabalt? Can a rook in chess move diagonally?
cveilleux, your comparison using BC just slam dunked all arguments in the fa-hace! Even my timid request for the dev to just not toss the suggestion out completely, but keep it in mind. Very good point sir.
