In recent evenings\u00a0I’ve\u00a0gone through the app store role playing category.\u00a0 There are about 800 games to wade through and\u00a0I’ve\u00a0been trying the ones that interest me.\u00a0 After playing several, I\u2019m struck by a consistent thought: Seriously, do we need Diablo clones on a mobile device?!<\/p>\n
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First, a quick history of where I\u2019m coming from on this: I\u2019ve been designing mobile applications for around 8 years.\u00a0 One of the keys to our success is how we embrace \u201cthink mobile\u201d in every aspect of our software development process.<\/p>\n
The same question must to be asked in the mobile game space as in the enterprise app space: what thinking must I jettison, and what thinking must I embrace to succeed on the platform?\u00a0 From what I\u2019ve seen, many developers are simply taking PC or console concepts and squashing them down to the mobile form factor.<\/p>\n
The most blatant example of this tunnel vision is the virtual d-pad.\u00a0 Put aside how terrible most virtual d-pads perform, the fact that a game requires virtualized controls that don\u2019t exist should be a signal they’re walking down the wrong path!\u00a0 Mirthwerx will never design a game that requires a virtual d-pad, and if we did you shouldn\u2019t buy it!\u00a0 (I find it hilarious that a company is now making a physical d-pad you can attach to your ipod\/ipad for better control in these games).<\/p>\n
So if the d-pad is an example of what should be jettisoned, what kind of thinking should be embraced?\u00a0 A big one is play style.\u00a0 When I play on my PC I\u2019m in a comfortable chair, I expect to play for more than 10 minutes without interruption (or I can control the interruptions), and I have very accurate control devices (mouse,keyboard).\u00a0 Conversely, when I play on my iPhone\/iPad I could be sitting, standing, or walking (on a treadmill or outdoors).\u00a0 My play sessions can end at any moment: an incoming phone call, the bus reaching my stop, or my wife protesting I\u2019m not listening to her (it\u2019s true, I’m not).\u00a0 10 minutes might be the upper limit of my session time, therefore the levels, the number of enemies, the amount of information presented and i’m expected to remember in one go, must all be taken into consideration. \u00a0My fun must be bite sized for a bite sized device.<\/p>\n
Diablo is a fantastic PC game.\u00a0 But when I play on-the-go, I\u2019m not looking for the same experience on my mobile device. \u00a0I can\u2019t: I\u2019m not in the frame of mind or environment to be able to.\u00a0 What I\u2019m looking for is an experience that feels like<\/strong> Diablo but isn\u2019t a copy.\u00a0 I don\u2019t have time for a meal, I\u2019m looking for a snack!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In recent evenings\u00a0I’ve\u00a0gone through the app store role playing category.\u00a0 There are about 800 games to wade through and\u00a0I’ve\u00a0been trying the ones that interest me.\u00a0 After playing several, I\u2019m struck by a consistent thought: Seriously, do we need Diablo clones … Read More