1. Don't make any 3-D game on rails. On the tech demo it looked as if we were going to get freedom from RAGE. 2. I don't care who agress or not but NOVA had a great control scheme. It needs to be followed for all IOS devices. Besides that I have no other complaints/suggestions. The game engine looks great and I am glad you working on IOS devices. Thanks
umm... 1: Some of us like them. 2: That's a matter of taste (I agree in this case) but there's more than one way to skin a cat.
This would really help the tilt controls but that would also make it difficult to move the camera, say, if you want to look up slightly. I would like to see a compromise of both (consistent horizon and camera freedom).
So after going through everyone's post; here is the list I compiled based off the feedback so far. The hard part is judging what would be considered highest importance and what is personal opinion. But I have to say its still a very vague and brief set of guidelines, especially if you've ever seen the TRC/TCR from Nintendo, Microsoft or Sony I'll pop back here in a few days and make adjustments based off further feedback and maybe add a few things. If its useful it may even warrant its own thread. Apple Human Interface guidelines http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/MobileHIG/Introduction/Introduction.html App Store Submission Tips from Apple http://developer.apple.com/news/ios/appstoretips/ Prominent Issues Handle orientation changes on all devices Doesnt have to be Landscape to Portrait, but needs to be able to flip 180 Useful if it can be locked from in game also (eg for when playing in bed) Support for own music playback Do not mute music or adjust its volume when game starts Some applications ask if you would like music and/or sound to be enabled on startup Adjustable volume that is independent of ringer volume and iTunes music volume 1st Gen iPod Touch don't have physical volume controls Auto save position when receiving phone call or sms/text or pressing home button If mute switch is ON, game should not make ANY sound Display battery icon somewhere. If cant have it on gameplay screen, then maybe in non game critical screens (menus, pause menus, shop menus, etc) Multiple profiles for different users Should save game progression Controller configuration Possible Guest account that does not save Other Important Issues Game progression/Save files are able to be imported/saved to the cloud, etc People change devices and don't want to be locked out of their hard work Changing from a Lite/Demo version of the game to the full version Using newer hardware, eg iPad HD version of the game Possibly could use game codes like older games that can be typed into new iDevice to unlock levels? (allows cross platform progression unlocks) User should be able to play some of the game without the need for a net connection, some sort of offline mode? Never display frozen or black screen for more than XX amount of time. Use a loading screen instead or loading ticker animation. Varies depending on which TRC background you are from. Good practise is to not let the user think the game has frozen or crashed. Eg, 100ms to 1sec. Networking features should work on Wi-Fi and 3G If there is multiplayer gameplay, try to support various connection types, Wi-Fi direct connection, Bluetooth, Internet over Wi-Fi or 3G. Use apple's keyboard for text input. Use the appropriate keyboard layout for what needs to be typed in, email, text, numbers, etc. If multilingual, allow language selection to be independent of native phone language Eg, choice of flags on the first screen, (possibly then saves the option) Use a login or other mechanism, rather than device-specific ID, to track users/scores (because people break their phone or upgrade to a new model) Brightness control option within the game This can help to save battery life Should return to brightness level that was in by the handset once the game finishes Tutorials should be able to be bypassed/ignored. Player may installed the game on a new device Warn when a button is taking you out of an App to open another one (eg clicking a button that open a webpage) Parental controls Kids may use iDevices, so having violence disabled initially may be a good start There may be money on the AppStore account, so a way to prevent accidental purchases of DLC When on the pause menu, user should be able to wipe the device screen without resuming. Pause menu may be a common time to clean the screen Avoid menu transition that take longer than 0.3 of a seconds (Can't remember the article ) Controller Issues Be aware that there are many different opinions and ideas of what rthe best control scheme is, there is no perfect option, so... Multiple control schemes that are also customisable especially if its gyro controlled, allow for touch controls able to flip controls for left handed people Invert X and Y control Controller sensitivity Be able to disable assisted aiming (but should be on by default) Be able to disable vibration Allow recalibration of tilt centre Possibly have this option quickly accessible from the Pause menu Nice To Haves Beta test apps with community (could be good for marketing) Support for older devices Resource requirements as the player progresses through the game may be too high, so crashes wont be obvious when tested on new hardware Minimal time to get into a game (sometimes this is a requirement from publishers) Community are adverse to logo screens or movies at the start Lots of casual gamers want to press app button and start playing asap Intro movies should only play when choosing "New Game" from the main menu, not always playing when you first start the app each time. New Game is when the player is interested in having the whole game experience. Quick Play/Arcade modes or anything like that should not have an intro movie Sound can not be relied on as integral port of gameplay, need visual cues as well Game can still be played with a dimly lit screen Some dark games are hard to see Some sort of picture adjustment to avoid the colour fading? Contrast and brightness controls? External screen support (appleTv?) Try to reduce instances where the player needs to click OK on popups to get to gameplay. In game movies should try and avoid default iOS movie player iOS controls appear during movie Avoid tiny onscreen buttons that require being pressed in game. Maybe have a big button, but it is ONLY activate if there is a dedicated click on it. If the user swipes over it, it should be ignored Customisable interface Low GFX support option for people with 1st and 2nd gen devices Community does notice inconsistent and low framerate High res graphics for high end devices Colour blindness support Support fast app switching, multi tasking Multiplayer games should support some form of communication (text, voip) If there are iPod/iPhone and iPad versions of your game, then offer Universal option to buy. Helps reduce customer clutter on their iTunes Some customers will purchase cheaper iPod/iPhone version for their iPad "Passive multiplayer" able to get data from another player that you can compete against offline, eg ghost cars for racing agasint, leaving messages, etc. Use vibration to help with tactile feel. Extra content with updates, give people a reason to go back and play again Achievements could unlock content Art files Sounds Skins Achievements should show progress Eg, 300 kill achievement, maybe show counter of % as to how close you are Cheat codes for the non hardcore players, but who want to finish the game An option to run the game in LOW fps mode (eg 30fps, or 15fps) to help save battery life Have a good amount of music buffered so that when the Quit or Lock your iDevice, the music fades out nicely
thank you for including the cheat codes as a 'nice to have'. for me personally, knowing of their existence in a game beforehand, HAS made me buy a game from time to time when otherwise i would have dismissed it. getting them added to a game in an update down the line, HAS made me (in every case) go back and rate the game 5 stars, since my enjoyment of the game has just shot up a lot. i know they're not for everyone, and they're not for every game for me either, but its nice to have OPTIONS in life AND in games. (don't let the insecure bible thumpers tell you otherwise )
